Podcasts

Since I was lucky enough to be a special guest on the Writing Excuses podcast this weekend I’ve been thinking about the podcasts I listen to, many of which are book related. So, I thought I would share those today and also ask if you have any podcasts you love to listen to.

Writing Excuses 
Obviously, I listen to this podcast. I’ve talked about it fairly extensively since I just got back from the Writing Excuses Retreat. This is a writing advice podcast with the tagline, “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry and we’re not that smart.”
They are that smart, actually. Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells talk about writing advice, recommend a book of the week, and give you a writing prompt all in fifteen minutes. It’s well worth the listen if you’re a writer, and I’d recommend perusing the Book of the Week lists even if you aren’t a writer. These are some amazing minds in speculative fiction giving you book recommendations every week. That alone is worth the price of admission.

SF Squeecast
The tagline for this show is, “a podcast in which a group of Science Fiction  and Fantasy professionals squee about things SFnal, in a neverending panel discussion of vague positivity.”
The panelists are Lynn Thomas, Elizabeth Bear, Cat Valente, Seanan McGuire, Paul Cornell, and sometimes Michael Dean Thomas.
In years past the “vague positivity” portion of the tagline was at the forefront. The panelists and any special guests they might have would bring a thing of genre to squee about. I found so many things that make me happy this way. Mockingbird Lane, Atomic Robo, Alex Bledsoe’s The Hum and the Shiver. So. Many. Things!
The current format is more, “never-ending panel discussion.” Recent discussions have focused on Hugo nominations, expectations, The Long Discussion, and writing series. If you are familiar with this podcast already, great! If not, I recommend starting at the beginning as every single episode is worth your time and you can find some amazing treasures you’ve never heard of.

Tea and Jeopardy
It’s a podcast with a butler! And I LOVE a butler. His name is Latimer. He is most excellent. The actual hostess is Emma Newman, who is delightful and an author of no small talent.
“There’s always time for a nice cup of tea and a spot of mild peril.”
Every fortnight Emma takes tea in a secret tea lair with a guest. They discuss abject geekery, endure mild peril, and enjoy a cheeky bit of cake.
Her most recent guest was the incomparable Gail Carriger. She has also had Seanan McGuire and Mary Robinette Kowal, which goes to show she has very good taste.
The discussion is general, but often revolves around literature although gaming, the Anti-Cake League, and singing chickens are also fair game.

Sword and Laser
Sword and Laser is a podcast/book club/youtube show that discusses fantasy and science fiction in media. There is a monthly book pick which is discussed. Authors frequently appear for interviews. But the show also rounds up news about movies, tv shows, sometimes video games, and general science. There is a huge goodreads group you can join as well.
The hosts are Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont. Veronica is more the sword and Tom is more the laser. The dynamic between the hosts is good and the show is always entertaining even if I haven’t read the book they’re discussing. They do the book club discussion during the back half of the show, so it is very easy to skip if you aren’t finished with or just not interested in that month’s book pick.

What podcasts do you listen to? Is there something I should absolutely be picking up?