Infinite TBR Infinite TBR

Continuing from where we left off last episode, Smack shares her recent reads which range from an incredible queer historical fiction novel to a Victorian mystery series with a (very) slow-burn romance to a new favorite monster romance author with books that definitely qualify as actual literature, even though the characters are in desperate need of a therapist.  We conclude with an assessment of an ongoing book challenge and looking forward to the San Diego Book Crawl (which will have already happened by the time this airs).

Books discussed this episode include:


The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Below Stairs Mystery series by Jennifer Ashley
Caught in the Basilisk’s Gaze (Monsters of Faery #4) by Mallory Dunlin

Smack and Gabi reconvene after a bit of a life-induced break and go over what they’ve read since they last saw each other.  This episode is mostly Gabi reads, but with some overlap due to her Smack Shelf books.  Highlights include a complicated fantasy novel with friends teaming up to burn the world down to save a wife, a bunch of murderous and yet somehow beloved convicts trying to escape their prison ship, and a devastating contemporary(ish) fiction novel about friendship and video games and an NPC who deserved better.  Tune in next month for the complimentary wrap-up of Smack reads!

Books discussed this episode include:


Witch King by Martha Wells
The Witchery (The Witchery, #1) by S. Isabelle
She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Murder and Magic duology by Nicole Glover
The Dred Chronicles by Ann Aguirre
Tell Me I’m Worthless by Allison Rumfitt
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Smack and Gabi kicked off their new year with their 2nd annual reading retreat, during which we escape town to curl up next to a cozy fire in a fancy lodge and read books all weekend.  Gabi burned through a lot of short romantic cuties and started a science fiction duology with incredible worldbuilding despite one major flaw.  Smack partook of a smattering of genres, including a mind-blowing historical fantasy novel that takes place in Medici Florence, an installment in an urban fantasy series with weather magic, and a somewhat outdated historical romance.  We polish things off by admiring the questionable dimensions of the lodge and a disturbingly large resident spider, prompting an honorable mention of a terrifying horror rec from Smack for the next spooky season.

Books discussed this episode include:


Secrets and Scrabble series by Josh Lanyon
Cautionary Tails series by Lana Kole
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves (Edge Worlds #1) by Meg Long
Lent by Jo Walton
Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine
The Spymaster’s Lady (Spymasters #1) by Joanna Bourne
From Below by Darcy Coates

In part three of their 3rd Annual Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo Showdown Throwdown, things get particularly contentious as Smack and Gabi have five final chances to claim the 2023 title for best books read during the summer.  One match-up in particular between a delightful queer-platonic horror novel and a differently delightful cozy middle-grade fantasy has us literally throwing hands (in rock-paper-scissors).  Other highlights include a queer historical murder mystery, yet more genderbending main characters, another hacienda book (this one with flowers), and an excellently crafted fairytale retelling (that Smack plugs on Gabi’s behalf).  Find out who wins as our Throwdown trilogy concludes!

The titles showdowned throwdowned in this episode include:


The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea (The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea #1) by Maggie Tokuda-Hall vs. Lavender House (Andy Mills #1) by Lev AC Rosen
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger vs. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
Trailer Park Trickster (Adam Binder #2) by David R. Slayton vs. Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron vs. The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes
The Secret Skin by Wendy N. Wagner vs. Where Ivy Dares to Grow by Marielle Thompson

In part two of three of their 3rd Annual Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo Showdown Throwdown, Smack and Gabi settle in with some wine to continue playing two games.  One is the typical showdown throwdown which we all know and love.  The other is Rock, Paper, Scissors for what should be an impartial tie-breaker but which is somehow…not.  This month’s match-up features hard horror limits (mushrooms!), sci-fi portal fantasy time shenanigan takes on Arthurian legend, sassy magical cats, voyeuristic houses, and a fun, definitely 100% accurate history sidebar with Smack about Elizabethan England.  Come back in January for part three to see who wins!

The titles showdowned throwdowned in this episode include:


Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson vs. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones vs. Hunting Kat by Piper J. Drake
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai v. An Impractical Guide to Satyr Charming by Cynthia Diamond
The Great Troll War (The Last Dragonslayer #4) by Jasper Fforde v. A Crown of Ivy and Glass (The Middlemast Trilogy #1) by Claire Legrand
Unmasked by the Marquess (Regency Imposters #1) v. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Smack and Gabi face off in their 3rd Annual Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo Showdown Throwdown (etc., etc.)!!  Smack is the defending champion in this contest to find out who had the more enjoyable summer bingo experience.  So far this year, Gabi, the underdog, is helped along by Rock, Paper, Scissors tie-breakers, at which she is inexplicably talented.  P.S. Readers interested in Alexandra Vasti’s Halifax Hellions series can only get free access to them until the end of November 2023 so sign-up for her newsletter here ASAP!

In this part one of (probably) two, the books showdowned throwdowned in this episode include:


White Trash Warlock (Adam Binder #1) by David R. Slayton v. Night Watch (Soul Reader #1) by Annie Anderson
Aru Shah and the Song of Death (Pandava #2) by Roshani Chokshi v. The Curse of Saints (The Curse of Saints #1) by Kate Dramis
Deadbeat Druid (Adam Binder #3) by David R. Slayton v. She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton v. The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
Gutter Mage by J.S. Kelley v. The Surviving Sky (Rages #1) by Kritika S. Rao
Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper v. The Big Book of Modern Fantasy edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer
Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore v. The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston v. Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo
Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill v. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell v. In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation (Halifax Hellions #1) by Alexandra Vasti