Books That Burn

This fortnight we’re discussing “The Will of the Empress” by Tamora Pierce. This was the first book published in The Circle Reforged, part of the Emelan series, but we recommend reading it after "Battle Magic" and before "Melting Stones" for the best first-time experience. This series as a whole features four main characters and this time we're focusing on Sandry. We're joined by Anna and MJ, the hosts of The Circle of Friendship Podcast where they discuss all things Emelan.  Book TW for mental illness, kidnapping, confinement, sexual assault (backstory).  Topic 1: Zhegorz - Mental Illness. Begins at (0:50), CW for mental illness, institutionalization, abuse, magical abuse, homelessness.  Topic 2: Sandry - Abandonment. Begins at (10:50), CW for miscommunication trope.  Topic 3: Sandry - Kidnapping. Begins at (24:14), CW for kidnapping, sexual assault mention, rape culture, claustrophobia, loss of agency.  Promo for Another Pass from the CPOV network. Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (35:54).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this series.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

This fortnight we’re discussing “Battle Magic” by Tamora Pierce. This was the third book published in The Circle Reforged, part of the Emelan series, but we recommend reading it before "The Will of the Empress" and "Melting Stones" for the best first-time experience. This series as a whole features four main characters and this time we're focusing on Briar. We're joined by Anna, one of the hosts of The Circle of Friendship Podcast where they discuss all things Emelan. Book TW for torture, death, animal death, PTSD, war, massacre. Topic 1: Disability. Begins at (0:50), CW for ableism, disability, PTSD, death, near-death experience.  Topic 2: Death and Loss. Begins at (8:06), CW for war, PTSD, casualties of war, animal death, spoilers for Briar's Book.  Topic 3: Torture (animal death). Begins at (17:30), CW for animal death, cruelty to animals, physical torture, psychological torture, threats of harm to loved ones, descriptions of torture, mention of nudity, animal abuse, slavery, PTSD, mention of the horrors of war, mention of civilian casualties.  Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (35:03).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this series.  You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

This fortnight we’re discussing “Shatterglass” by Tamora Pierce. This is the fourth book in The Circle Opens quartet, part of the Emelan series. This series features four main characters and this time we're focusing on Tris. We're joined by Anna and MJ, the hosts of The Circle of Friendship Podcast where they discuss all things Emelan.  Book TW for child neglect, child abuse, ptsd, violence, parental death (not depicted).  Topic 1: Glaki, Yali, and Iralima (abandonment). Begins at (0:50), CW for parental death, child abandonment.  Topic 2: Kethlun (KETH-luhn) - Near-death and disability. Begins at (15:05), CW for ptsd, cptsd, murder mention, near death experience, physical disability.  Topic 3: Tris - Powerlessness. Begins at (28:25), CW for plague, epidemic, Covid-19 mention, serial murder, helplessness, assault.  Promo for The Derek Duvall Show; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (41:17).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this series.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

This fortnight we’re discussing “Daja's Book” by Tamora Pierce. This is the third book in The Circle of Magic quartet, part of the Emelan series. This series features four main characters and this time we're focusing on Daja. We're joined by Anna and MJ, the hosts of The Circle of Friendship Podcast where they discuss all things Emelan.  Book TW for child abuse (not depicted), death.  Topic 1: Frostpine - Child Abuse. Begins at (1:30), CW for ostracization, child enslavement, child abuse, abandonment, PTSD.  Topic 2: Polyam - Disability. Begins at (17:15), CW for Description of physical injuries, ostracization, victim-blaming (disaster survivor), PTSD.  Topic 3: Daja - Ostracization. Begins at (38:35), CW for Ostracization, bullying, queerphobia.  Promo for Midwest Meltdown; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (58:08).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this series.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

This fortnight we’re discussing “Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow” by Orson Scott Card. These books cover approximately the same span of time and most of the same characters as each other. We focused our discussion on three events/traumas which are shown in both books from the perspective of their respective main characters. We're discussing these as books we used to love (and might still) but do not recommend to new readers. Book TW for antisemitism, racism, homophobia, ableism, ableist slurs, assault, murder, eugenics, genocide Topic 1: Abuse and PTSD. Begins at (1:30), CW for abuse, bullying, ptsd, Topic 2: Murder and PTSD. Begins at (21:30), CW for murder, bullying, abandonment, emotional isolation, gaslighting Topic 3: Genocide and Consent. Begins at (34:52), CW for violation of consent, ptsd, genocide, mental health crisis, emotional breakdown, coma mention Promo for Book Reports Pod; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (53:05). Recommended books to read instead: Animorphs by K. A. Applegate War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb --- If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this book. You can check out Robin's written review of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow at Reviews That Burn. Find all our links on our Carrd. Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

This fortnight we’re discussing “The Raven Tower” by Ann Leckie, with special guest Andrew of Bea Nostalgic.  Book TW for brief transphobia, discussion of infanticide, discussion of suicide, anti-twin prejudice in a fictional culture, massacre, parental death, major character death.  Topic 1: Oskel and Okim - Microaggressions. Begins at (1:30), CW for suicide, infanticide, child sacrifice, microaggression descriptions.  Topic 2: Eolo - Dissociation and Dysphoria. Begins at (18:00), CW for dysphoria, misgendering.  Topic 3: The Raven’s Lease - Advocated Suicide as Honorable Volunteer Sacrifice. Begins at (41:10), CW for suicide, society-advocated suicide, self-sacrifice, self-harm, murder.  Promo for Pretty Nice Podcast; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (1:03:35).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.  You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

Please enjoy the spoiler-free portion of our interview with author Aurora Lee Thornton, discussing xyr book, "All or None". Timestamps are marked for the interview questions. Intro (0:00) Tell us a little about “All or None” as a book and “Star Stories” as a series. (1:20) Can you talk a little about the way trauma works in your writing? (2:05) Do you put more thought into the trauma itself or the aftermath when thinking about the effects on your characters? (2:58) Have you ever started writing a trauma in (one of) your book(s), and had it take over or have more of a story impact than originally intended? (3:55) How do you decide what a character's reaction to traumatic events is going to be while writing them? (6:05) Do you tend to write characters with a specific orientation? Do you generally stick to depictions of queerness which match parts of your identity? (7:00) When depicting types of queerness that you do not share, what do you use to guide those depictions? (8:35) Have you ever had a character surprise you with their identity after you started writing? (9:05) What is your approach to incorporating characters of color in your work? (10:10) Have you ever had a character surprise you with their appearance/identity after you started writing? (14:00) What is your approach to incorporating characters with disabilities in your work? (15:00) Do you tend to write disabilities based on a specific set of references, or do you tend to write cultures that hide disabilities? (16:10) Have you ever had a character surprise you with a disability after you started writing? (16:40) Do you consider your characters’ body image when depicting them and their traumas? (17:10) Do you consider your character’s physical description when writing how other characters treat them? (19:10) What parts of your identities do you notice making appearances in your writing more than you intended? What parts of your identities do you notice seeping into your work unintentionally? (21:50) Do you write in trauma for background characters without planning for it to have an impact on the story, and if so does it ever leak into the story? (27:18) Have you ever had to stop writing a book or character because of the trauma they were going through? (29:00) --- Check out xyr Twitter, find xem on Facebook and Instagram, and visit xyr website. You can find All or None at xyr Universal Buy Link and xyr Amazon Buy Link. --- If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive part two of this two-part interview. You can find Robin's written review of All or None at Reviews that Burn. Find all our links on our Carrd. Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

This fortnight we’re discussing “Destiny: Child of Sky” by Elizabeth Haydon. Book CW for violence, murder, massacre, cannibalism, death of a child, discussion of sexual assault, sexual assault of a minor. Topic 1: Khaddyr - Death. Begins at (0:50),body horror, dismemberment. Topic 2: Rhapsody and Ashe - Gaslighting. Begins at (18:50), CW for gaslighting, rape, possession, pregnancy, slavery, coercion. Topic 3: Rhapsody - Boundaries. Begins at (34:45), CW for self-harm, toxic coping methods, unhealthy boundaries, possession, rape Promo for The BackTracker History Show; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (46:50). --- You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn. Find all our links on our Carrd. Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

This fortnight we’re discussing “Prophecy: Child of Earth” by Elizabeth Haydon.  Book CW for violence, murder, massacre, cannibalism, death of a child, discussion of sexual assault, sexual assault of a minor.  Topic 1: Ashe - Bodily Autonomy. Begins at (0:50), rape mention, murder, ritual sacrifice mention, theft of body part, mutilation of body part, guilt of over other people's actions.  Topic 2: Weaponization of female bodies against their loved ones. Begins at (12:37), CW for rape, cannibalism.  Promo for Circle of Friendship; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (35:35).  ---  You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

Please enjoy the trailer for our first seven author interviews!  If you'd like to receive part two of each interview as they're released, you can support us on Patreon. Your contribution helps us make the show, pay our transcriptionist, and keep talking to so many wonderful authors!  The authors who appear in this trailer are M. D. Neu, Shaina Krevat, Hannah Abigail Clarke, Aurora Lee Thornton, Sara Codair, Kevin Klehr, and J. P. Jackson.  -----  M. D. Neu: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Website, NineStar Press.  Shaina Krevat: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Website, Goodreads.  Hannah Abigail Clarke: Twitter, Instagram, Website, Goodreads.  Aurora Lee Thornton: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website, Universal Buy Link, Amazon Buy Link.  Sara Codair: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website, Goodreads, NineStar Press.  Kevin Klehr: LinkTree, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Website, Goodreads, NineStar Press, Amazon Buy Link, BookTopia (Australia Only).  J. P. Jackson: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, Blog, Goodreads, NineStar Press, Amazon Buy Link.  -----  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

This fortnight we’re discussing “Rhapsody: Child of Blood” by Elizabeth Haydon.  Book CW for murder, mass death, child death; TW for use of "prostitute" when describing sex workers.  Topic 1: Rhapsody and Emily - Sexism. Begins at (1:30), CW for sexism, virginity as a construct, sex, rape, sexual abuse.  Topic 2: Achmed and Grunthor - Racism. Begins at (16:03), CW for cannibalism, genocide, fantasy racism, talk of microaggressions.  Topic 3: Jo - Ritual sacrifice and child abuse. Begins at (24:30), CW for descriptions of child murder, child mutilation, parental death.  Promo for Half Damage; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (33:35).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this book.  You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

This fortnight we’re discussing “A Spell for Chameleon” by Piers Anthony. We were joined by Matthew of the podcast Unintelligible Design. There was a lot to discuss in this very sexist book, we recommend you check out our spoiler-free wrap-up before deciding whether to read this one.  Book TW for bullying, sexism, misogyny, toxic masculinity, transphobia, dysmorphia, racism against fictional races, colonialism, mention of suicide, discussion of rape, body horror, assault, death.  Topic 1: Rape Trial. Begins at (1:30), CW for rape, rape accusations, victim blaming.  Topic 2: Bink: Toxic Masculinity. Begins at (18:40), CW for mutilation, toxic masculinity, fantasy incel culture, lack of consent, objectifying women, rape mention, murder mention.  Promo for Happily Ever Haunted; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (56:30).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this book.  You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

Hello Patrons and welcome to the first ever Patron-only bonus episode! Well, that was the plan, anyway. This will actually go out to everyone because it's debuting in place of a regularly scheduled episode. In this episode we are discussing "The Lightning Thief", book one of the series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" by Rick Riordan. Our special guest for this episode (and this series, over on Patreon) is David from almost a year ago, so he sounds quite a bit younger than you may have heard on the monthly Q&A livestreams.  Topic 1: Sally Jackson and partner abuse. Begins at (0:50), CW for physical abuse, emotional abuse, child kicked out of home, financial abuse.  Topic 2: Percy Jackson and separation from peers. Begins at (13:15), CW for loss of friendship, parental death, attempted murder, discussion of parental pressure.  Topic 3: Percy Jackson and false accusation. Begins at (25:30), CW for mention of police, betrayal, hunting, mention of sex.  Spoiler-free recap and ratings: Begins at (37:30).  ---  Read the transcript here.  You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

This fortnight we’re dipping into horror with a discussion of “NOS4A2” by Joe Hill. Nicole read just part of this and Robin made it through the whole thing (but it took a month).  Book TW for torture, sexual assault, child abuse, necrophilia, self-harm, animal death, death.  Topic 1: Christmasland Kids. Begins at (1:30), CW for casual cruelty mention, physical torture, TW body horror (teeth, dismemberment), animal cruelty.  Topic 2: Lou - protection/self-sacrifice. Begins at (11:28), CW for death, heart attack mentions, assumptions of mental illness by characters.  Topic 3: Vic - attempted rape, kidnapping, not being believed about her own trauma. Begins at (17:35), CW for attempted rape, kidnapping, kidnapping of child, assault, death, murder, necrophilia, self-harm, animal death, “bury your gays”.  Promo for Deep Dark Truth; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (32:22).  ---  If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. Patrons at any level will receive the bonus Epilogue episode for this book.  Find all our links on our Carrd.  Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission. 

Hello everyone! We've been doing this podcast thing for a year, so we sat down with a special guest, our brother David, to talk about how our first year as podcasters has gone.CW for occasional reference to Covid-19. ---  You can find more of David on Twitch. If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon. You can check out Robin's written reviews at Reviews That Burn.  Transcripts for our episodes are on Transcripts That Burn. Find all our links on our Carrd.