Greetings, gentle readers! It’s your friendly neighborhood otaku, Kristina! Today’s weekly roundup is coming to you live from Japan, where the cherry blossoms have fallen and given way to the fresh green leaves that herald the warm spring season. I won’t mourn the sakura for too long, though, because at end of this month and into early May, the wisteria will bloom — and the air will literally smell like Sweethearts candies! And with that lovely image, let’s dive into something even lovelier: our posts from this week!
Monday
🎵 What’s this? What’s this? 🎵 It’s another exciting My Favorite Things, featuring author Kelsey Sutton. To celebrate the release of her new novel Smoke and Key, we’ve invited her to share her speculative loves with us. We’re talking classic M. Night Shyamalan, the fantastical worlds of Tim Burton, a deliciously malicious, murderous podcast, and a Stephen King novel whose climax and villain stand the test of time. What are you waiting for? Check it out!
Tuesday
Comics writer Gail Simone is credited for naming the trope “fridging” back in 1994, referencing a scene in Green Lantern where the titular hero comes home to find the body of his girlfriend stuffed in a refrigerator. This trope describes violence committed against female characters (often ending in their demise) solely for the purpose of developing the personality, motivation, emotions, or redemption arc of male characters. It’s 25 years later, and fridging hasn’t gone away — our very own Merrin tackles its latest iteration in the form of Deadpool 2. Head down to the Salt Mines for a look at a pervasive trope in action.
Our second superhero serving of the day: Sound Off!, featuring Shazam! Check out J. L. Gribble‘s spoiler-free discussion of the movie here! And I have to admit — I’m jealous she got to see it already. I have a soft spot for Zachary Levi, and I have to wait a little bit longer for Shazam! to come to Japan, but this week’s Sound Off! hits the spot — just enough to tide me over ’til the release!
Wednesday
Andrea Judy continues her rundown of the comic Sparrowhawk, focusing on volume 3 (and check out her reviews of volume 1 and volume 2). What can only be described as a Victorian “fairy fight club” amid a gorgeous, gripping Unseelie realm, Andrea finds herself falling hard for this series, and you will, too! Volume 3’s writing is her favorite yet — find out why here!
Thursday
Venessa Giunta tackles Brandon Sanderson’s Reckoners series — and we mean the whole shebang: Steelheart (1), Mitosis (1.5), Firefight (2), and Calamity (3)! Venessa dives through 43 hours of audio goodness to bring us her take on the post-apocalyptic world of the Calamity — the red star that appeared in the sky, bringing wondrous abilities and unbelievable nightmares to humanity. I, for one, greatly appreciate a review like this — to me, series are a serious investment of my time, and I want to feel assured that the works function together successfully and cohesively, and that every volume will be worth it. From Venessa’s post, the Reckoners seems promising — check out her review!
Friday
Kelly McCarty journeys through Terre d’Ange as part of her 2019 Resolution Project — to read all nine works in the lush fantasy series Kushiel’s Legacy, by Jacqueline Carey. In this post, Kelly discusses the second book in the series, Kushiel’s Chosen (go here for her coverage of the first book). In a world where the commandment is “love as thou wilt,” what does this mean for our heroine, Phèdre? What is the price for such love? Check out Kelly’s analysis of Kushiel’s Chosen for more!
Book Club
Right now, we’re reading Patricia McKillip’s The Bards of Bone Plain — and we’ve just announced our May pick — Lois McMaster Bujold’s Shards of Honor! In the meantime, we want you to start thinking about June’s big read. The theme this year? SUMMER SOLSTICE! Take a look at the book club picks and vote on your choice for June here!
Well, that’s all for this week! I’ll see you next time for another recap — I’ll be taking the reins for this column for the time being, so please wish me luck in this new venture. Shout-out to Casey Price for all of the wonderful work she’s done with Weekly Roundup thus far! I look forward to seeing you guys next week! In the meantime … ZACHARY, WAIT FOR MEEEEE!
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