Welcome to Episode 18! In this show your hosts Cat and Ali round up 2018 as only they know how: with rambling, tangential nonsense, and the occasional mention of books they’ve read in 2018. Please be patient with them. And yes, this show won’t go live until February 2019 but that is how things are.

Into the Stacks

Ep. 018 - 2018 Round up

Welcome to Episode 17, finally available for you wonderful fans, recorded back in the hazy days of 2018. Strap yourselves in, it’s a long one. Your hosts Cat and Ali this week gabble excitedly about Mirage by Somaiya Daud, one of the hottest releases of 2018. Expect further drivel as is standard, including some excellent recommendations for Steve and JP and be prepared to be launched into tangents within the first 30 seconds of hitting play. They’re back!

Ep. 017 - Featuring Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Welcome to Episode 16, the spooky-if-you’re-a-horse Halloween Special! Your spoopy hosts talk carnivals, the American Gothic, and international IKEA meatball portions. You’ll need to grab yourself a copy of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury before giving this one a listen; expect many recommendations, lots of off-topic chat and prepare to find out the WORST THING ABOUT CANADA!

Ep. 016 - Halloween Special

Welcome to Episode 15, long promised and finally delivered. Your favourite ladies talk badly behaved murder children, heists, and children’s birthday parties. You’ll need to grab yourself a copy of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo before giving this one a listen; expect Cat to excuse Kaz Brekker’s absolute lack of morals, and Ali to patiently drag her back from every shiny new idea popping into her head - business as usual!

Ep. 015 - Heists, Heists, and More Heists

Hello patient listeners! In a slight departure from the normal course of things, your favourite bookish ladies spend some time catching up, explaining their summer-long hiatus, and talking books in this week’s episode!

Ep. 014 - The Ladies are Back in Town

Hello and welcome to the hellish dystopia that humanity is hurtling towards. This week, Cat and Ali are talking all about The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Come join them as they talk about own voices and the need for diversity in publishing, climate change and the importance of hope.

Ep. 013 - Dystopias, featuring The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Tune in for Episode 12, the first episode in a five-part mini-series on writing! This week, Cat tackles how to write compelling characters, trawling through untold pages of google search results, personal experience, and writing courses past to bring you the top 5 ways to write characters your readers will love.

Ep. 012 - #AmWriting mini series: Writing compelling characters

Tune in for Episode 11 and listen to Cat and Ali ponder the important questions in life - namely, what the fuck are they doing with it? Your fearless leading ladies take on Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere and reach new levels of fangirling. This show has everything you could possibly need, if your needs include talking about London, wondering if it’s crossing a line to call the wondrous Mr. Gaiman “Neil”, some semi-intelligent discussion about binaries and how to tackle issues such as homelessness, and inarticulate garbling about why books matter.

Ep. 011 - What the f**k are we doing with our lives? Featuring Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Tune in for Episode 10 and listen to Cat talking all about how and why she got back into writing. She talks about the common fears many first-time authors experience, how she deals with them, and gives the lowdown on writing courses. For those of you in the same boat, open up a word document or a notebook right now and get scribbling - the key to getting back into writing is putting those words down! We can do it together!

Ep. 010 - The Journey Into Writing

Tune in for Episode 9 and listen to your two favourite fangirls do what they do best - flail lovingly yet awkwardly in the general direction of the fae and hope desperately to be abducted to the land of faerie. You can expect Ali getting excited by Irish mythology, Cat getting excited at the mere mention of Draco Malfoy, and Steve and JP rolling their eyes.

Ep. 009 - The Fae: Not Just Cute Little Things With Wings. Featuring The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)

They’re back! After a month-long hiatus, Cat is back and bringing a whole new medium to the table. Tune in to meet the elusive Tom, find out more about the unexpected tie-in between video games and books, and meet Steve’s Canadian counterpart Jean-Pierre.

Ep. 008 - Storytelling in Video Games. Featuring The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

It’s finally here - Episode 7! The dream team reunite to tackle The City and The City and Breach. Tune in for a somewhat intelligent discussion about binaries and dichotomies, a vague Simpsons reference, and a perfect example of the fate of the best laid plans. Expect occasional flashes of intellect, the return of Baewatch, some strong book recommendations for Steve (resident FBI Agent with the unfortunate task of listening in to their calls), and some unrepentant book nerding.

Ep. 007 - Murder she read. Featuring The City and The City by China Miéville

It’s finally here - Episode 6! In the first episode of its kind, Cat goes it (sort of) alone while Ali is studying hard. This week, our intrepid heroine takes on writing tips and busts some myths wide open, with the help of guest host Joe Curtis. Expect occasional flashes of intellect, plenty of helpful tips for aspiring authors, some strong book recommendations for Steve (resident FBI Agent with the unfortunate task of listening in to their calls), and some unrepentant book nerding.

Ep. 006 - Mythbusters - Writing Tips Debunked. Featuring On Writing by Stephen King

It’s finally here - Episode 5! This week, Cat and Ali commence heavy breathing over City of Bones (Cassandra Clare) and finally give Fanon!Draco the attention he deserves. Prepare also for an unexpected shout out to Matthew Daddario’s eyebrows, the true hero of this piece. Expect occasional flashes of intellect, extreme fangirling over fictional crushes, some strong book recommendations for Steve (resident FBI Agent with the unfortunate task of listening in to their calls), and some unrepentant book nerding.

Ep. 005 - Something Snarky This Way Comes. Featuring City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

They’ve made it to Episode 4! This week, Cat and Ali wax lyrical over Nevernight (Jay Kristoff) and tackle some of life’s greatest mysteries - what are two book series called (duologies, not two-part trilogies, apparently), why don’t we have assassin schools IRL, and what makes us love an anti-heroine(/hero) so much? Tune in for the great penis/knife debate of 2018 and a leading-lady-heavy round of Baewatch. Expect occasional flashes of intellect, extreme fangirling over fictional crushes, some strong book recommendations for Steve (resident FBI Agent with the unfortunate task of listening in to their calls), and some unrepentant book nerding.

Ep. 004 - Assassins: The Ultimate Anti-Heroines. Featuring Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Into the Stacks is the culmination of two decades of letter writing, phonecalls and even the odd floppy disk exchanged between two friends. As they encountered love, life and that all important world of work, their love of speculative fiction kept them going. This year, as Cat moves across an ocean to Canada, their correspondence is going digital as they record a weekly bookcast talking about everything from fantasy to science fiction, paranormal romance to dystopian thrillers.

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Into the Stacks

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