1. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Hey, listeners! We are so excited to share our first ever episode with you, where we discuss Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. We scrapped the original idea of an hour-long podcast because our conversation just kept going, and well, we do what we want. After banishing official podcat Lainey to the other room. we sat together for 3 hours to record this episode (probably too close to our microphones, but it’s our first one sooooo yeah, we’re kinda winging it). Growth mindset, amirite?!

Episode breakdown for easier listening:

• 2:40 .      Through the Wardrobe: talking about worldbuilding, like Imperial Russia as the touchstone and Grisha Hogwarts
• 14:13 .    “Wands Out!”: all things magic. Kelly proposes that the small science (aka Grisha magic) is quantum mechanics
• 30:39      “Get Me Kylo Ren!”: villainy, conflicts, good vs evil. Hot take: the Apparat is creepy.
• 35:59 .    Show Us Your Fics: we dream about fanfic spinoffs of Baghra and Genya
• 37:59 .    “One Does Not Simply…” read fantasy without talking about representations of race, class, gender, etc. #obvi        *insert Boromir meme here*
• 1:04:58 .  Shipwrecked: discussions of sex, (a)sexuality, romance, friendship, and of course, we ship characters too
• 1:17:57:   Kill Your Darlings: writing style, characterization, narration…we chat about the craft
• 1:22:46 .  RIYL and End stuff

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Transcript to come Spring 2021

As always, we’d love to be in discussion with you, magical folx. Post or tweet about the show using #criticallyreading. Let us know what you think of the episode, anything we missed, or anything else you want us to know by dropping a line in the comments or reaching out to us on twitter or Instagram (@thelibrarycoven), or via email (thelibraycoven@gmail.com). You can also check out the show notes on our website,thelibrarycoven.com

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The podcast theme song is “Unermerry Academy of Magics” by Augustin C from the album “Fantasy Music”, which you can download on FreeMusicArchive.com.

JK, it’s magic is recorded and produced on stolen indigenous land: Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Ute (Kelly) and Chickasha, Kaskaskia, Kickapoo, Mascoutin, Miami, Mesquaki, Odawa, Ojibwe, Peankashaw, Peoria, Potawatomi, Sauk, and Wea (Jessie)

You can support Indigenous communities by donating to Mitakuye Foundation, Native Women’s Wilderness, or the Navajo Water Project. These suggested places came from @lilnativeboy