Episode 43: A Hopeful Android Story: The Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels with Guest Host Amanda Espinoza

Meredith and Kaytee had to call in the big guns this week, so they invited Amanda Espinosa to join them for this special episode of Currently Reading!

Continuing Important announcement: we have a great discount code to share with you from The Bookshelf Thomasville! Now through June 30th, you can get anything on their website for 10% off using the code CURRENTLYREADING (wow!!!) This would be a great time to pick up a Shelf Subscription for yourself or others!

You’ll hear a “bookish moment of the week” from each host: a perfectly bookish gift for a Labyrinth fan, a fun reading tracking idea, and a local bookstore visit.

Next, we discuss our current reads for the week. We are each sharing two recent reads, and there are some really big opinions in this episode, so get ready!

For our deep dive this week, Amanda has done some amazing prep work to fill up your Currently Reading Challenge worksheet in the Science Fiction and Fantasy slot. She’s created a number of book flights for each genre, and, in an unusual twist, there are even MORE titles in show notes than there are in the episode!

As always, we finish up with A Book (yep, capitalized) that we’d like to press into every reader’s hands. A magical realist novel, a humorous collection of stories centered on childhood, and a fantasy novel that will totally transport you and you might wish was real (with a TRIPLE COSIGN!)

As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you’d like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don’t scroll down! 

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2:24 - Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: The Novelization by A.C.H. Smith

2:38 - Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation Vol. 1 by Simon Spurrier

3:24 - What Should I Read Next episode 187: Traveling the World Without Leaving Your Hometown

5:12 - Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe, NM

6:51 - The Gown by Jennifer Robson

8:09 - Episode 32 with Mindy Brouse

9:11 - The Murmur of Bees by Sophia Segovia

11:00 - Books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

12:51 - Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka

14:30 - El Deafo by Cece Bell

15:44 - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

17:36 - Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy

18:28 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips

19:05- Sarah’s Bookshelves Live

20:58 - The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

24:41 - Currently Reading 2019 Reading Challenge!

24:55 - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

24:56 - 11/22/63 by Stephen King

24:58 - The Lunar Chronicles Series by Marissa Meyer

24:59 - Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

25:00 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

25:02 - A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

27:11 - Flight 1: Sci-Fi in Space

27:17 - (1) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

28:11 - (2) Redshirts by Jon Scalzi

28:52 - (3) Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey

30:04 - (4) Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

30:12 - (5) The Martian by Andy Weir

30:47 - Flight 2: Sci-Fi on Earth

30:56 - (1) Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson

31:32 - Reamde by Neal Stephenson

31:47 - (2) Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Nueval

32:23 - (3) Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

33:19 - (4) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick

33:32 - (5) 11/22/63 by Stephen King

33:55 - Flight 3: YA Sci-Fi

34:00 - (1) Red Rising by Pierce Brown

34:37 - (2) The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

35:46 - (3) The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

(4) Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

(5) An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

36:07 - Flight 4: Fantasy

36:11 - (1) Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

36:16 - Uprooted by Naomi Novik

36:49 - (2) The Princess Bride by William Golding

(3) A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

(4) The Lunar Chronicles Series by Marissa Meyer

(5) The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Flight 5: Epic Fantasy

37:09 - (1) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

38:16 - (2) Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

38:42 - Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

(3) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

40:40 - Caraval by Stephanie Garber

41:28 - (4) His Majesty’s Dragon by Noami Novik

(5) Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Flight 6: YA Fantasy

(1) Caraval by Stephanie Garber

(2) Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

(3) My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

(4) Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland

(5) The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

42:23 - Sourdough by Robin Sloan

42:25 - Calypso by David Sedaris

43:34 - Naked by David Sedaris

43:35 - Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

43:49 - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

44:51 - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

45:38- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

45:43 - Scythe by Neal Schusterman

Find Amanda:

Twitter: @AmandaEspi and @LoungeCuriosity

Instagram: @LoungeCuriosity

Website: https://curiositylounge.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AmandaEspi

*Please note that all book titles linked above are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!*