Tome & Tome Again

In June's Free reads episode, we talk about:
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane BuxtonPlatform Decay by Martha WellsBrigands & Breadknives by Travis BaldreeDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanThe Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, The Last Devil to Die by Richard OsmanThe Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn DixonArborescence by Rhett Davis
And our TBRs coming up are:Hearts That Cut by Kika HatzopolouEnshittification by Cory DoctorowLondon Falling by Patrick Radden KeefeVampires at Sea by Lindsay MerbaumExit Party by Emily St. John MandelMoss'd in Space by Rebecca ThorneKill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry
 
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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In episode 22 we talk about Rachel Smythe's hit comic-on-Webtoon-turned-graphic-novel, volume 1 of Lore Olympus, featuring endless melodrama from the Greek pantheon, beautifully illustrated panels, and another 9 volumes in the series!
Webtoon recommendations:
Unordinary by Chelsey Han
City of Blank by 66
Super Secret by eon
TBRs
The Wizard, the Pirate & the Steampunk Librarian by Scott Coon
A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher
Arborescence by Rhett Davis
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer
Trad Wife by Sarah Langan
If We Cannot All Go At The Speed of Light by Kim Cho-yeop
The Employees by Olga Ravn
The Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung
Molka by Monica Kim
Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer
How to be a Craftivist by Sarah Corbett
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Greedy by Callie KazumiButter and Hooked by Asako YuzukiHunger by Choi Jin YoungBury Your Gays by Chuck TingleDon't Burn Anyone at the Stake Today by Naomi AldermanThe Lightning Thief by Rick RiordanThe Ending Writers Itself by Evelyn ClarkeThe Subtle Art of Folding Space by John ChuThree Bags Full by Leonie SwannThe Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski
TBRsHollow Kingdom by Kira Jane BuxtonBrigands & Breadknives by Travis BaldreeThe House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaulLore Olympus, vol 1 by Rachel SmytheI Told You So: Scientisits Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled and Imprisoned for Being Right by Matt KaplanA Tale of Two Publishing Houses by Linda Martin
 
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In episode 20 we talk about Krystal Sutherland's 2021 dark fairytale urban fantasy novel House of Hollow.
SPOILER WARNING: From 19:00 we start mentioning big spoilers for the plot and ending, then we come back to discuss upcoming episodes and TBR lists from 42:19.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
Homebound by Portia Ellen
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
Arborescence by Rhett Davis
Honey in the Wound by Jiyoung Han
Kill Your Boomers by Fiona Wright
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In episode 19 we talk about our top reads and honourable mentions for 2025, then get into our anticipated reads for 2026! A full list of the titles discussed is below:
The House of Rural Realness by Curtis Campbell
Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove
Different, Not Less by Chloe Hayden
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
Murder by Memory and Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite
Hecate the Witch by Nikita Gill
Inner Demons by Stephen Platt
There Is No Anti-Mimetics Division by Quantum
The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove
Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum
Local Heavens: A Cyberpunk Reimagining of The Great Gatsby Set in 2075 New York by K. M. Fajardo
Beth is Dead by Katie Burnett
This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Grey Remix by Elle Grenier
Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall
The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski
Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger
Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo (Alex Stern #3)
Adult Braces by Lindy West
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Threads That Bind and Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatsopolou
The Long Earth series by Stephen Baxter & Terry Pratchett
Midnight Sun and Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In episode 18 we talk about Terry Pratchett's classic 1996 novel Hogfather, which uses Christmas to discuss the importance of belief and ritual.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Nowhere Child by Christian White
The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden
On Sunday She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
The Wolf Who Cried Boy by Mark Mupotsa-Russell
Voidverse by Damien Ober
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In episode 17 we talk about the Monk & Robot duology by Becky Chambers, containing A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy.
We discuss the first novella until 39 minutes into the episode, then we talk about the second novella. 
Other books mentioned in this episode:
A Cinnamon Falls Mystery by R. L. Killmore
We Are Legion by Dennis E. Taylor
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
Katabasis by RF Kuang
A Forest, Darkly by A. G. Slatter
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In episode 16 we talk about the first six books in Martha Wells' brilliant Murderbot sci-fi series: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Fugitive Telemetry, and Network Effect, plus we also talk about the recent Apple TV series, which contains the events of All Systems Red. 
Please forgive our erratic pronoun usage when referring to Murderbot - the irony of not getting this right when discussing a series about a character's personhood is not lost on us.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
The Bookstore Girls by Kei Aono
The Cold House by Angela Slatter
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
Isn't it nice we both hate the same things by Jessica Seaborn
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In episode 15 we chat about Jessica Townsend's delightful magic and wonder-filled middle-grade book Nevermoor, the first of the Nevermoor series!
Other books dicussed in this episode:
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Human Rights by Juno Dawson (Her Majesty's Royal Covenant series)
Once a Villain by Vanessa Len
Cold Truth by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
If Wishes Were Retail by Auston Habershaw
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In episode 14 we chat about Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men, the first of the Tiffany Aching series within the Discworld. 
Other books dicussed in this episode:
Willow Close by Helena O'Connor
Different, Not Less by Chloe Hayden
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert
Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronica de Ponte
The Women Are Not Fine: A Dark History of a Poisonous Sisterhood by Hope Reece
A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan
Assistant to the Villain series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
 
 
Intro and outro music:
Midsummer’s Night in the Woods by Justin Allan Arnold | https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/