Portable Magic Emily Hughes & Kyle Deas

This episode, Emily and Kyle catch up on what they've been reading so far in 2016 – including a long-overdue discussion of Scott Hawkins' The Library of Mt Char.

They also discuss several new fantasy novels, Kyle's cookbook addiction, Helen Ellis' hilarious new book of short stories, and the inspiration behind the Pringles potato chip guy.


Episode Breakdown:


0:00 – 08:00: Smoke by Dan Vyleta
08:00 – 15:00: Shadow and Claw by Gene Wolfe
15:00 – 23:00: American Housewife by Helen Ellis
23:00 – 36:00: The Library at Mt. Char by Scott Hawkins
36:00 – 40:00: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
40:00 – 47:00: Simple French Food by Richard Olney
47:00 – 55:00: Sunny's Nights: Lost and Found at a Bar on the Edge of the World by Tim Sultan


What have you been reading so far in 2016? Email the show at portablemagicpodcast@gmail.com or tweet us @PortableMagicPC!

This episode, Emily and Kyle discuss how they find the time and motivation to read, even amongst all the other distractions of modern life.

Plus, for the second year in a row, they provide a comprehensive gift list for all the last-second holiday shoppers out there.


Episode Breakdown:


0:00 – 10:00: What We're Reading
10:00 – 40:00: Finding the Motivation to Read
40:00 – 1:00:00: Gift Recommendations!

What Emily's Reading:


The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

What Kyle's Reading:


Slade House by David Mitchell
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski


How do you find the time to read? Did you Email the show at portablemagicpodcast@gmail.com or tweet us @PortableMagicPC!

This episode, Emily and Kyle discuss which contemporary books will become classics. Along the way, they touch on Infinite Jest, Harry Potter, and many, many more.

Plus, Kyle's been spending some time with Welcome to Night Vale and the newest encyclical from the Pope, while Emily's been immersed in Peter Clines' The Fold.


Episode Breakdown:


0:00 – 16:00: What We're Reading
16:00 – 1:00:00: Contemporary books that will become classics

What Emily's Reading:


Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley Beaulieu
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
The Fold by Peter Clines

What Kyle's Reading:


Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor


Which books do you think will stand the test of time? Email the show at portablemagicpodcast@gmail.com or tweet us @PortableMagicPC!

This episode, we take a trip back to our awkward high-school years to discuss what we read, what we didn't, and what stuck with us.

Plus, quick thoughts on Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora and Nicole Kornher-Stace's Archivist Wasp.


Episode Breakdown:


0:00 – 16:00: What We're Reading
16:00 – 1:20:00: Books We Read in High School

What Emily's Reading:


Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Faiths and Furies by Lauren Groff

What Kyle's Reading:


Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
Out on the Wire by Jessica Abel

We also discussed classic books that were probably on your high-school reading list.


What did you read in high school? What books or teachers did you love or loathe? Email the show at portablemagicpodcast@gmail.com or tweet us @PortableMagicPC. 

This episode, we take a closer look at the bibliography of the amiable travel, science, and memoir writer Bill Bryson. 

Plus, our quick thoughts on China Mieville, The Devil in the White City, and pop history vs. scholarly history.


Episode Breakdown:


0:00 – 10:00: What We're Reading
10:00 – 53:00: Bill Bryson

What Emily's Reading:


Three Moments of an Explosion by China Mieville
The Devil and the White City by Eric Larsen

What Kyle's Reading:


Cuba in Revolution: A History Since the 50s by Antonin Kapscia

Bill Bryson Books We Discuss:


The Lost Continent
Notes from a Small Island
In a Sunburned Country
A Walk in the Woods
I'm A Stranger Here Myself
A Short History of Nearly Everything
At Home: A Short History of Private Life
One Summer: America 1927

Other Works Mentioned:


The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Gulp by Mary Roach
The Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams


We love hearing from readers! Email the show at portablemagicpodcast@gmail.com or tweet us @PortableMagicPC. 

This episode, we take a hopefully-not-too-grim look at the genre of post-apocalyptic fiction. Emily wonders why the genre attracts so many hyper-masculine writers and Kyle talks about one of his favorite and one of his least favorite novels.

No spoilers to speak of in this episode.


Episode Breakdown:


0:00 – 9:00: What We're Reading
9:00 – 1:00:00: Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

What Emily's Reading:


The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
The Incorruptables by John Horner Jacobs

What Kyle's Reading:


Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Other Works Mentioned:


"Sleep Donation" by Karen Russell
"Black Moon" by Kenneth Calhoun
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Farnham's Freehold by Robert Heinlein
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, Jr.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
California by Edan Lepucky
The Stand by Stephen King
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury

Buying books at Powell's by using these affiliate links helps support the show!


Do you love or hate to read about the end of the world? Email the show at portablemagicpodcast@gmail.com or tweet us @PortableMagicPC!