Podcasts, Steerswomen and Glamourists
Aug. 9th, 2019 03:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearI just finished listening to Glamour in Glass, the second glamour book by Mary Robinette Kowal, and it was - fine. It's basically Austen with a bit of magic thrown in. It's pretty light and the books don't actually fit my criteria for buying audiobooks because they're too short. The author's British accent on the narration is a bit off-putting as well. So, I think I'll stick to her Lady Astronaut series from now on, which is *awesome*.
Yesterday, I finished The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein, which was recommended by Anita Sarkeesian on a recent Feminist Frequency radio episode. It's the first in a 1980s fantasy series about an order of women (and a few men) who travel the world, gathering and disseminating knowledge. They have to answer truthfully any question put to them, but can also ask questions in return and anyone who refuses to answer will never be answered by a steerswoman in the future (it's not clear how they know who has refused one of their number). The story follows Rowan, a steerswoman who is investigating the appearance of strange gemstones she thinks are connected to the secretive wizards. I was enjoying it to begin with but it started losing my interest about halfway through. It may be because my reading of it was interrupted a few times and there were too many days between reading sessions for me to keep the flow of the story. But I think it also had something to do with the sudden introduction of a new point-of-view character (and not a particularly sympathetic one) partway through, which felt very jarring after the first half being exclusively from Rowan's point of view. So, I'm not going to be continuing with this series either, though I liked the world, the concept of the steerswomen, and Rowan as a character.
On Wednesday, I finished So You Want To Start A Podcast by Kristen Meinzer, who co-hosts my favourite podcast. A couple of weeks ago, I said something apparently amusing to Dave, who replied, "We're really funny. We should do a podcast!" I really liked the idea and I've been thinking about it a lot ever since. I remembered that Kristen's book was about to come out (serendipity or what?) so bought the Kindle version and read it while travelling around Norway this week. It's a fun read, and also tremendously useful. I was particularly amused by the bit that said, 'I hope one of your reasons isn't the second-most-common thing I hear from aspiring podcasts: "My friend Dave and I are really funny." ' Luckily, Dave and I have come up with what I think is a pretty decent concept and a strong show outline, and Kristen's book has been very informative in helping develop that, as well as pointing is in the right direction for getting going. So, highly recommended if you're thinking about starting a podcast!
And speaking of podcasts, I've been listening to a lot lately, but realised I haven't reviewed any of them. So, here are the ones I'm subscribed to:
Ink to Film - Luke and James review a book one episode and its film adaptation the next. The episodes are long for a podcast and the discussion is in depth, but very interesting and quite fun.
The Bechdel Cast - Jamie and Caitlin invite a guest to nominate a film, which they then all watch and analyse from the point of view of the presentation of the female characters. Also long for a podcast, with perhaps a bit too much waffle sometimes. But I like the lens through which they view media and it's always a fun discussion.
By The Book - Kristen and Jolenta pick a self-help book, summarise its rules and attempt to live by them for two weeks, then report back on how it went. This is the perfect length, extremely well produced, hilarious and tremendous fun. I love spending time with these ladies, and especially like it when the husbands and dog get involved. Highly recommended.
Novel Predictions - Kales and Alison take turns nominating a book that one of them loves and the other has never read. After five chapters, the newbie predicts what's going to happen in the rest of the book, and then they review both the predictions and the book itself in the next episode. Great fun, and I'm actually planning to read all the books they've done (if I haven't read them before) so I can get the most out of the show.
Unladylike - Kristen and Caroline pick a particular issue and take a deep-dive into its history and impact on women both today and in the past. They interview interesting people and reveal horrifying historical facts about the patriarchy. Informative, unsettling, but also very entertaining. Another great pair of ladies to spend 40 minutes with.
Dear Hank and John - Hank and John Green answer listener questions, give dubious advice and provide all the latest news from both Mars and AFC Wimbledon. Very silly but good fun.
The Guilty Feminist - Deborah Frances-White hosts a weekly live stand-up show from a feminist point of view and releases it as a podcast. Very funny, but also kind of horrifying in the issues they highlight.
The Book Club Review - Kate and Laura discuss the books their book clubs have been discussing. They also do interviews with people in other interesting book clubs (an interview with me is upcoming!) and with people who run interesting book clubs. Bad if you want to avoid adding too many books to your reading list, but otherwise great fun and really interesting.
Our Opinions Are Correct - Annalee and Charlie discuss scientific topics in relation to science-fiction and fantasy media. Another pair of ladies I enjoy spending time with. Their discussions are both interesting an entertaining.
And that's my list! Hopefully, I'll soon be adding a podcast by Dave and me to it...
Yesterday, I finished The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein, which was recommended by Anita Sarkeesian on a recent Feminist Frequency radio episode. It's the first in a 1980s fantasy series about an order of women (and a few men) who travel the world, gathering and disseminating knowledge. They have to answer truthfully any question put to them, but can also ask questions in return and anyone who refuses to answer will never be answered by a steerswoman in the future (it's not clear how they know who has refused one of their number). The story follows Rowan, a steerswoman who is investigating the appearance of strange gemstones she thinks are connected to the secretive wizards. I was enjoying it to begin with but it started losing my interest about halfway through. It may be because my reading of it was interrupted a few times and there were too many days between reading sessions for me to keep the flow of the story. But I think it also had something to do with the sudden introduction of a new point-of-view character (and not a particularly sympathetic one) partway through, which felt very jarring after the first half being exclusively from Rowan's point of view. So, I'm not going to be continuing with this series either, though I liked the world, the concept of the steerswomen, and Rowan as a character.
On Wednesday, I finished So You Want To Start A Podcast by Kristen Meinzer, who co-hosts my favourite podcast. A couple of weeks ago, I said something apparently amusing to Dave, who replied, "We're really funny. We should do a podcast!" I really liked the idea and I've been thinking about it a lot ever since. I remembered that Kristen's book was about to come out (serendipity or what?) so bought the Kindle version and read it while travelling around Norway this week. It's a fun read, and also tremendously useful. I was particularly amused by the bit that said, 'I hope one of your reasons isn't the second-most-common thing I hear from aspiring podcasts: "My friend Dave and I are really funny." ' Luckily, Dave and I have come up with what I think is a pretty decent concept and a strong show outline, and Kristen's book has been very informative in helping develop that, as well as pointing is in the right direction for getting going. So, highly recommended if you're thinking about starting a podcast!
And speaking of podcasts, I've been listening to a lot lately, but realised I haven't reviewed any of them. So, here are the ones I'm subscribed to:
Ink to Film - Luke and James review a book one episode and its film adaptation the next. The episodes are long for a podcast and the discussion is in depth, but very interesting and quite fun.
The Bechdel Cast - Jamie and Caitlin invite a guest to nominate a film, which they then all watch and analyse from the point of view of the presentation of the female characters. Also long for a podcast, with perhaps a bit too much waffle sometimes. But I like the lens through which they view media and it's always a fun discussion.
By The Book - Kristen and Jolenta pick a self-help book, summarise its rules and attempt to live by them for two weeks, then report back on how it went. This is the perfect length, extremely well produced, hilarious and tremendous fun. I love spending time with these ladies, and especially like it when the husbands and dog get involved. Highly recommended.
Novel Predictions - Kales and Alison take turns nominating a book that one of them loves and the other has never read. After five chapters, the newbie predicts what's going to happen in the rest of the book, and then they review both the predictions and the book itself in the next episode. Great fun, and I'm actually planning to read all the books they've done (if I haven't read them before) so I can get the most out of the show.
Unladylike - Kristen and Caroline pick a particular issue and take a deep-dive into its history and impact on women both today and in the past. They interview interesting people and reveal horrifying historical facts about the patriarchy. Informative, unsettling, but also very entertaining. Another great pair of ladies to spend 40 minutes with.
Dear Hank and John - Hank and John Green answer listener questions, give dubious advice and provide all the latest news from both Mars and AFC Wimbledon. Very silly but good fun.
The Guilty Feminist - Deborah Frances-White hosts a weekly live stand-up show from a feminist point of view and releases it as a podcast. Very funny, but also kind of horrifying in the issues they highlight.
The Book Club Review - Kate and Laura discuss the books their book clubs have been discussing. They also do interviews with people in other interesting book clubs (an interview with me is upcoming!) and with people who run interesting book clubs. Bad if you want to avoid adding too many books to your reading list, but otherwise great fun and really interesting.
Our Opinions Are Correct - Annalee and Charlie discuss scientific topics in relation to science-fiction and fantasy media. Another pair of ladies I enjoy spending time with. Their discussions are both interesting an entertaining.
And that's my list! Hopefully, I'll soon be adding a podcast by Dave and me to it...
