There have been a lot of great histories about the way that these huge multinational corporations took over the brewing landscape and really formed the idea that the rest of the world has about American beer — it’s like sex in a canoe, it’s fucking close to water — and that’s where most of these histories end. There hasn’t really been anything comprehensive about Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams and these breweries that are changing the way people think about beer in America, and that’s what Tom’s book is about.
Josh on Tom Acitelli’s The Audacity of Hops (Episode 55)
[Percy] handles [the politics] really well, and the werewolves are big and scary and it’s heart-pounding, and I never know what’s going to happen next, so I’m really enjoying that. It’s a big, juicy, scary book that you can — oh God, I was about to say “sink your teeth into.
Rebecca on Benjamin Percy’s Red Moon (Episode 55)
The Bookrageous Podcast » Bookrageous Book Club; She
In which we discuss craft beer, Victoriana, and love polygons.
Join Bookrageous, “a podcast about books and why they’re awesome” for a party featuring some of our favorite authors — hijinks guaranteed to ensue. First 250 drinks courtesy of Book Expo American and Bookriot; after that, many, many free drinks while they last courtesy of sponsor Kobo, who is sponsoring an extra hour of party time; that’s right, we’re staying open until 10PM to be Bookrageous that much longer.
This year’s Bash has a party, an after-party, and an after-after-party. BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU AND WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, that’s why.
RED RISING is Star Wars meets 1984, on Mars. Set in the far-distant future, humanity has ventured from Earth to populate and alter the planets of the solar system.
Pierce Brown - Red Rising Trilogy
I’ve been doing “required reading” for well over a month, and now that that’s done I am a little at a loss. I don’t know where to start! So many good books have come out in the last few months, plus let us not forget the mountain of backlist waiting for “some day.” A crippling amount of possibility. Fortunately someone just told me that I MUST READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY (it doesn’t come out until February 2014 in the meantime, which just goes to prove that I am perpetually either 6 months behind or 6 months ahead) so I started it last night. I haven’t gotten to the Star Wars part yet; if I had to I’d say probably that the first 50 pages remind me more of the Mudder Colony in Firefly, but this is in no way a bad thing. —Jenn
What We’re Reading This Week!
Jenn says: I am not actually reading anything new since last week, because this is one of those weeks where there is no Time. And not just no Time to be found but Time is maybe on vacation because it’s also not answering my calls? Put up an Out of Office or something, dude!
I figured instead, I’d let you in on my Big Book summer reading plans. Last year I finally read Infinite Jest, which is a book that I had never faked reading but I had a lot of theoretical feelings about. Of course, once I read it I had even more actual feelings, in the best possible way. This summer, I’ve decided to finally read Godel Escher Bach, which (to my shame) I have indeed faked familiarity with. It feels like, as a speculative fiction junkie in particular, it’s something I should be familiar with already! It’s constantly referenced — I can think of at least one fictional character off the top of my head who claims it as her favorite book — and people are always so proud and excited when they buy their copy at the store. So, this summer, I solemnly swear I will stop the fakery and actually read it. I will. Just as soon as May is over and Time returns from vacation.
What We’re Reading This Week!
Rebecca says: It’s all big summer blockbusters all the time for me, right now. I took a big bite out of Benjamin Percy’s modern day werewolf story Red Moon over the weekend—nothing like sweating it out in the sun with a bone-chilling read—and I am straight up loving it. Lycans are A Known Thing in American society, but they’re treated as second-class citizens and forced to take medication to prevent transitioning. A bunch of them have even started a Lupine Republic in Europe so they can do their thing in freedom. There’s a lot of social and political commentary implied in Percy’s presentation of how the lycans are treated (and mis-treated), and there are plenty of interesting lines to draw to real-life current events, terrorism, and global issues if that’s the sort of thing you’re into. But if you just want big, bad monsters and a well-paced story with multiple narrative perspectives, you’ll find that too. This one’s good!
I’m also burning through Dan Brown’s new novel Inferno. I know I’m supposed to roll my eyes at D. Brizzle (that’s what I call him now), but I just can’t resist. Yes, the stories are ridiculous. But they’re not pretending to be anything but that! They’re fun and entertaining, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. Symbologist Robert Langdon is solving a mystery related to Italian art and Dante’s Inferno, and there are soooo many mentions of the female lead’s ponytail. It’s bonkers, and I’m loving it.
Like a lot of great war stories, the actual combat is a very very very small part of it — which is also really bold for a comic, I think. There’s not a lot of action, there’s a lot of dialogue, and a lot of political maneuvering. … Ennis is a great writer about war and about soldiers and you can really see that. It’s much more contemplative than most comics have any right to be.
Josh on Garth Ennis’s Fury Max: My War Gone By (Episode 54)
I think that it is the most fun that I’ve had reading this year, and I feel like it’s going to hold that place for me for 2013 the way that Angelmaker held that spot last year — this was just really fun and it’s going to be hard to top.
Rebecca on Simon Rich’s The Last Girlfriend on Earth (Episode 54)
Thinking can only serve to measure out the helplessness of thought.
H. Rider Haggard, She
Our next book club book!
