The Coode Street Podcast

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Gary is joined by multiple award-winning author Nicola Griffith and they discuss the less-than-satisfactory challenges of the virtual cocktail party, the more satisfactory challenges of researching historical fiction and of reading Patrick O’Brian and others, the advantages of using genre as a set of tools rather than a container, her own So Lucky, her forthcoming sequel to Hild, and an exciting new as-yet-untitled book. Books mentioned include: Nicola Griffith, So Lucky Nicola Griffith, Hild Nicola Griffith, The Aud Torvingen mysteries Sigrid Undset, Olav Audunssøn: The Vow, translated by Tiina Nunnally Maggie Brookes, The Prisoner’s Wife Octavia Butler, Kindred Patrick O’Brian, The Aubrey/Maturin novels Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave Rosemary Sutcliffe, Sword at Sunset Mary R

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan sits down to chat with Aurealis and Ditmar Award-winning writer Lisa L. Hannett about reading, writing and life during lock-in, the joy and challenges of suddenly being home all the time, her brand new book, and much more. Books mentioned include: Songs for Dark Seasons by Lisa L. Hannett Smart Ovens for Lonely People by Elizabeth Tan Her Perilous Mansion by Sean Williams Network Effect by Martha Wells Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian The Ruth Galloway Novels by Elly Griffiths Galore by Michael Crummey      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Gary joins Hugo and Nebula-winning author Terry Bisson to talk about historical fiction, R.A. Lafferty’s most important novel, James Salter, reading Shakespeare’s history plays, the Globe Theater, Cecelia Holland, The Blair Witch Project, Terry’s own classic short stories "Bears Discover Fire" and "They’re Made of Meat," and his brilliant but overlooked novel of the 1960s, Any Day Now. Books mentioned include: Any Day Now by Terry Bisson The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel Okla Hannali by R.A. Lafferty Last Night: Stories by James Salter      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Award-winner Daryl Gregory comes on board for a discussion with Gary about how distracting the news can be from real work, reading manuscripts for blurbs or for friends, the new Lavie Tidhar novel, Island of Dr. Moreau movies, the virtues of Iain M. Banks, the occasional pleasures of locked-room murder mysteries, and Daryl’s own forthcoming but not yet titled novel. Books mentioned include: Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Gary is joined by fellow Locus reviewer and author Adrienne Martini, whose recent book on participating in local politics has gained sterling reviews and even a shout-out from Hillary Clinton. They discuss the importance of local politics, the fate of the famous explorer ship Erebus, and the appeal of Mary Robinette Kowal and Robert A. Heinlein. Books mentioned include: Somebody's Gotta Do It: Why Cursing at the News Won't Save the Nation, But Your Name on a Local Ballot Can by Adrienne Martini Erebus: The Story of a Ship by Michael Palin The Terror by Dan Simmons The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal Friday and the Lazarus Long novels by Robert A. Heinlein Books mentioned include:      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. All the way from Barbados, multiple award-winning author Karen Lord chats with Gary about how the lockdown is affecting life there, how the whole worldwide experience is liking moving into a new country where you don’t quite know all the rules, what reading to return to in such times, and her own new story "The Plague Doctors” (and discussion of the story) from the free anthology, Take Us to a Better Place: Stories. Books mentioned include: Unravelling by Karen Lord The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton The City Watch, Witches, and Tiffany Aching novels by Terry Pratchett Take Us to a Better Place: Stories       

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. If his recent conversation with John Berlyne saw Jonathan embrace the fact that Coode Street's ten minutes was at a best theoretical, then today's conversation blows that out of the water extending beyond 35 minutes, and still only being just barely long enough. Today Jonathan talks to writer and editor Simon Ings about art, despots, fabulous books, and unexpected experiences. Utterly essential listening. It's the most fun you'll have with earphones in for ages! Books mentioned include: We Robots edited by Simon Ings Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson  The Plague by Albert Camus The Pike: Gabriele d'Annunzio, Poet, Seducer and Preacher of War by Lucy Hughes-Hallett Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman    

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Jonathan spends ten minutes talking with Claire McKenna about working, reading, and writing during difficult times, pirate utopias, the joys of old bestsellers, and her debut novel, Monstrous Heart. Books mentioned include: Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna Monsoon by Wilbur Smith Gondar by Nicholas Luard    

Jonathan and Gary are back with a socially-distanced full-hour podcast. Since last time, Jonathan actually went and read the reviews for the podcast on the iTunes Podcast app where one listener described the Coode Street as being occasionally enlightening, saying when: "the two hosts are left to their own devices (which is most of the time) they testily chew over a handful of pet topics, usually debating who should win each year's awards and then whether or not awards mean anything".  and rated the podcast Three stars. Perfectly fair. Today's episode was recorded during the Nebula Awards presentation and days after the announcement of the Locus Awards shortlists. Both feature briefly, but our main topic was not awards. Rather we turned to more fundamental questions involving reasons to be optimistic about science fiction, the role of entertainment in reading SFF, what each of us values most in what we read, and, almost accidentally, some brief previews of exciting novels coming up later this year. Hopefull

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan spends ten minutes or so talking with the Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning 'Hermit of Binghampton", Jack Dann, who checks in from his home in coastal Victoria to talk about life, art, books, and more. Books mentioned include: Shadows in the Stone by Jack Dann Pluche or the Love of Art by Jean Dutourd The Best of R.A. Lafferty by R.A. Lafferty Masters of Science Fiction: Kate Wilhelm (2 vols.) by Kate Wilhelm Marque of Caine by Charles E. Gannon The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr by John Crowley A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce  

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. This is the point where, at least for Jonathan, it all went off the rails and the 'ten minutes with" became a purely aspirational thing, losing any connection with chronological reality. In a fascinating, sprawling conversation Jonathan spends half an hour or so talking to agent, editor, bibliographer, and reluctant shut-in, John Berlyne of the Zeno Literary Agency, about reading, books, agenting and how to get an agent, how the current situation may affect publishing, and much more. Books mentioned include: Mr Breakfast by Jonathan Carroll The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson Railsea by China Miéville Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny Bones of the Moon by Jonathan Carroll The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Eig

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Scholar, photographer, editor, artist, author, and winner of many Ditmar and Aurealis Awards Cat Sparks joins Gary to discuss the comparative experience of Australia vs the US in the current crisis, her own doctoral research in SF and climate fiction, missing out on ICFA this year, the attractions of comfort-reading mysteries, the virtues of Paul J. McAuley, and her forthcoming collection of stories. Books mentioned include: Dark Harvest by Cat Sparks The Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths The Quantum Magician by Derek Kunsken War of the Maps by Paul McAuley Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna Repo Virtual by Corey J. White The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French Photography mentioned: Cat’s nature photography:  Wall Safari!    

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. This time out, Gary talks with fellow Locus reviewer Karen Burnham, author of Greg Egan in the Modern Masters of Science Fiction series, and occasional pieces for The Cascadia Subduction Zone. We touch upon having kids at home during the lockdown, finding time to do our own reading in between reading for reviews, and favorite literary comfort foods such as Terry Pratchett and Gail Carriger. Books mentioned include: Greg Egan by Karen Burnham The Revenger Series by Alastair Reynolds Horizon by Barry Lopez Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez The Lives of a Cell and the Medusa and the Snail by Lewis Thomas Small Gods by Terry Pratchett The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett Soulless by Gail Carriger The Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew        

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan is joined by the World Fantasy Award-winning author of the Green Bone Saga, the Exo series, and Zeroboxer, Fonda Lee, to chat about life in strange times, adapting how you work in a home suddenly full of family, the joys of reading and writing, and much more. Books mentioned include: Jade City by Fonda Lee Jade War by Fonda Lee Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda Black Bolt by Saladin Ahmed The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Riby      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan spends ten minutes with Aurealis Award-nominated debut novelist Corey J. White to discuss moving to Melbourne, reading Ralph Ellison, the Voidwitch Saga, optimism, cyberpunk and the future, and his recently released debut, Repo Virtual.  Books mentioned include: Repo Virtual by Corey J. White The Voidwitch Saga by Corey J. White Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Humankind: Solidarity with Non-Human People by Timothy Morton The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan spends ten minutes or so talking with one of the most beloved writers in the history of science fiction and fantasy, Lois McMaster Bujold, about working and writing in these strange times, her semi-retirement and how she came to write and publish the Penric and Desdemona series, and much more. Books mentioned include: The Physicians of Vilnoc (Penric and Desdemona #8) by Lois McMaster Bujold  Penric's Progress by Lois McMaster Bujold Penric's Travels by Lois McMaster Bujold Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher Swordheart by T. Kingfisher Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan takes ten minutes to talk to the bestselling, critically-acclaimed, and award-winning editor and anthologist Ann VanderMeer about working and reading in these difficult times, the joys of connecting with friends and family through distanced technology, and her own projects, Avatars.Inc and The Big Book of Modern Fantasy. Books mentioned include: Avatars Inc edited by Ann VanderMeer The Big Book of Modern Fantasy edited by Ann Vandermeer and Jeff VanderMeer My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Rabbit Hunter by Lars Kepler Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan sits down to chat with debut novelist Jeremy Szal to talk about reading, writing, his admiration for Netflix's Tiger King, the fiction of Scott Lynch and Ian M. Banks, his debut novel Stormblood, and more. Books mentioned include: Stormblood by Jeremy Szal The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks Golden Son by Pierce Brown Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (audiobook)      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Nebula-winning author, editor, teacher, and workshop leader Eileen Gunn talks with Gary about the pleasures of researching old myths, legends, epics, and folktales, the skill of Julius Lester in retelling stories in a new voice originally popularized by Joel Chandler Harris, and how the lockdown can actually help to enhance your social life. Books mentioned include: Questionable Practices: Stories by Eileen Gunn A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales by Julius Lester The Mahābhārata The Golden Bough by James Fraser      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Gary is joined by novelist, poet, scholar, and teacher Theodora Goss, whose trilogy The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club, one of the more delightful fantasy series of the past few years, concluded last fall with The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl. We touch upon the story behind her narrative poem in The Book of Dragons, narrative poetry in general, the literature of monsters, relearning Hungarian, and the appeal of detective stories, Daphne Du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Veronica Mars, and nature nonfiction. Books mentioned include: The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club by Theodora Goss Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss Medusa's Daughters: Magic and Monstrosity from Women Writers of the Fin-de-Siécle edited by Theodora Goss Abigail by Magda Sz