Hot Girls Read Podcast

Julia

I am particularly pleased to report that my reading slump has been lifted! This would be thanks to the latest fantasy book (series?!) I have decided to fall into: ‘The Colour of Magic’, which is part of Terry Pratchett’s infamous 41 book Discworld series. I only recently heard about Terry Pratchett and Discworld on Tiktok (glad to have it back after the 8hr ban on Sunday!) from the creator @Mythbridger who speaks so endearingly of the books that I was intrigued enough to give it a try. I looked up Terry Pratchett on my Kindle, clicked on the first book that was suggested to me, which I believe is technically the first book in the series, read through the comments/reviews which only served to make me more confused about this series, and then bit the bullet since it was on Kindle Unlimited anyways. The reason for my confusion is that the Discworld books don’t need to be read in chronological order and many people seem to have their own twisted reasons for where to start and why, and there were a number of comments saying that they did not recommend starting with ‘The Colour of Magic’.

Well, I’m here to say that I did enter the Discworld through ‘The Colour of Magic’ and I am thoroughly enjoying it! I’m now almost done with the book and although I first thought that the premise of the Discworld was mind-bendingly bizarre, I have come to find it so completely clever, hilarious, and a joy to explore through the antics of the two main characters, Rincewald, a cowardly not-quite-wizard, and Twoflower, an ex-insurance analyst turned tourist. This book follows a ‘hero’s journey’ (or anti-hero’s journey in this case), which is one of my favourite Fantasy tropes, through the many enchanting corners of the Discworld, allowing us to discover the other wacky inhabitants of the world, from Dryads to Dragonriders. 

In terms of its delightful world building, memorable characters, and grand sense of adventure all rendered with a very clever hand, this book reminds me of a couple other favourite Fantasy books such as ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ by Norten Juster and the ‘Deltora’ series by Emily Rhodda. The Discworld is such a departure from the more ‘Romantasy’ style Fantasy I have read recently and I feel greatly inspired as both a writer and reader after this discovery. Though I remain slightly intimidated by the sheer choice of the 40 remaining books (which one do I read next?!) I’m ready to continue my exploration into Terry Pratchett’s Discworld!

Ayesha

So I happen to be reading three books at the same time – my mind is a mess! First up, I’m reading “Agates Are Forever” by Logan Terret as part of a BookSparks campaign, but I have to be honest – I am trudging through it. Off the bat, the male main character has left me incredibly uncomfortable with his descriptions of female characters. Sure he’s a geologist, but why do you need to compare a woman’s breasts to volcanic shapes? Why do you need to make assumptions that every woman wants to sleep with you? I’m trying to power through but this is not the book for me – characters and writing, and I don’t think I’m the intended audience.

On a more positive note, I started “Reading the Room: A Bookseller’s Tale” by Paul Yamazaki. I bought this while on the reading retreat on Whidbey Island, WA and it’s a sweet read! Formatted like an interview, Paul answers different questions as it relates to managing and designing a bookstore. Like all booklovers, I’d love to open up one of my own (Julia and I have been planning this since we were 13), and I just think this is a hopeful read that allows readers some insight into how stores consider their buyers. 
To round it out, I’ve begun the highly anticipated “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros. I managed to go to Target right after opening, with the hope of snagging their exclusive edition. Turns out I just picked up a different special edition. To be honest, I don’t really mind – I’m not mad that I couldn’t get the Target one. I’m more incensed by the publication of multiple special editions, in only certain places, and in small quantities. Anyways, I would love to be curled on my sofa reading this but alas I have meetings and Teams messages popping up left and right. Please pray that I continue to dodge spoilers that are circulating the social media platforms.