Smack and Gabi continue to face off in their 4th Annual Showdown Throwdown in which we compete to see who had the better reading experience during Mysterious Galaxy’s Summer Bingo.  This round, Smack is up against a super fun dark academia trilogy that ended up being one of Gabi’s all-time favorite reads, Gabi has to contend with some nonfiction and memoir powerhouses that Smack read, and we both benefit from an incredible collection of speculative short stories.

In this part two of two, the books showdowned throwdowned include:

Smack and Gabi are facing off in their 4th Annual Showdown Throwdown in which we compete to see who had the better reading experience during Mysterious Galaxy’s Summer Bingo. Gabi actually won Mysterious Galaxy’s black-out bingo lottery this year, so we begin with an accounting of how those winnings were spent (on books, of course). Then we get into Showdown Throwdown proper, with Smack trying to redeem herself after losing last year largely due to her inability to win our tie-breakers (rock-paper-scissors). Unfortunately, she’s up against some heavy hitters as Gabi has had a pretty great reading year and managed to stack her draft picks (a little bit). However, Smack does have some impressive contenders in her corner, including a sequel to a book we both loved (and Smack rated as in her top three books of all time) and a novel by T. Kingfisher, queen of blending fairy tales and horror. Time will tell whose line-up will triumph!

In this part one of two, the books showdowned throwdowned include:

Mysterious Galaxy’s annual summer bingo is in full swing and we are (still) getting ready to throwdown!!  This week to complement the accounting of Smack’s reads last month, Gabi details some of her recent reads that will be feeding into our annual Throwdown next month.  We begin by spending way too much time talking about a book of murder-themed logic puzzles - proving that Smack absolutely kills (haha) at birthday gifts - then discuss some incredible worldbuilding in an excellent anti-empire werewolf fantasy novel and a couple of novellas featuring sapphic Sherlock Holmesian stories on Jupiter.  After a quick lesson on tardigrades and bemoaning her attempt to dip another toe back into the world of Sarah J. Maas, Gabi finishes by celebrating her first impressions of the Scholomance series, which has set the bar high for the rest of the trilogy, so we'll see how that goes...

Books discussed this episode include:

Mysterious Galaxy’s annual summer bingo is in full swing and we are getting ready to throwdown!  Smack went to StokerCon and spent some time cat-sitting for Gabi by the beach, during which she read quite the spread of bingo books.  Highlights included an excellent historical horror novel about a Black woman with a mysterious trunk trying to survive in rural Montana, a Goose Girl retelling that perfectly blends fairy tale and horror, and a memoir about a woman’s journey dealing with Complex PTSD that made Smack’s list of best books of the year.  Meanwhile, Gabi details her mission to hunt down a title and author that she can’t remember from an old book that she didn’t even like and shares fun facts about deep sea beasties.  We close with a classic ITBR PSA, this time about taking heat seriously this summer - drink water and make smart choices!

Books discussed this episode include:

Continuing from where we left off last episode, Smack shares her recent reads which range from an incredible queer historical fiction novel to a Victorian mystery series with a (very) slow-burn romance to a new favorite monster romance author with books that definitely qualify as actual literature, even though the characters are in desperate need of a therapist.  We conclude with an assessment of an ongoing book challenge and looking forward to the San Diego Book Crawl (which will have already happened by the time this airs).

Books discussed this episode include:

Smack and Gabi reconvene after a bit of a life-induced break and go over what they’ve read since they last saw each other.  This episode is mostly Gabi reads, but with some overlap due to her Smack Shelf books.  Highlights include a complicated fantasy novel with friends teaming up to burn the world down to save a wife, a bunch of murderous and yet somehow beloved convicts trying to escape their prison ship, and a devastating contemporary(ish) fiction novel about friendship and video games and an NPC who deserved better.  Tune in next month for the complimentary wrap-up of Smack reads!

Books discussed this episode include:

Smack and Gabi kicked off their new year with their 2nd annual reading retreat, during which we escape town to curl up next to a cozy fire in a fancy lodge and read books all weekend.  Gabi burned through a lot of short romantic cuties and started a science fiction duology with incredible worldbuilding despite one major flaw.  Smack partook of a smattering of genres, including a mind-blowing historical fantasy novel that takes place in Medici Florence, an installment in an urban fantasy series with weather magic, and a somewhat outdated historical romance.  We polish things off by admiring the questionable dimensions of the lodge and a disturbingly large resident spider, prompting an honorable mention of a terrifying horror rec from Smack for the next spooky season.

Books discussed this episode include:

In part three of their 3rd Annual Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo Showdown Throwdown, things get particularly contentious as Smack and Gabi have five final chances to claim the 2023 title for best books read during the summer.  One match-up in particular between a delightful queer-platonic horror novel and a differently delightful cozy middle-grade fantasy has us literally throwing hands (in rock-paper-scissors).  Other highlights include a queer historical murder mystery, yet more genderbending main characters, another hacienda book (this one with flowers), and an excellently crafted fairytale retelling (that Smack plugs on Gabi’s behalf).  Find out who wins as our Throwdown trilogy concludes!

The titles showdowned throwdowned in this episode include:

In part two of three of their 3rd Annual Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo Showdown Throwdown, Smack and Gabi settle in with some wine to continue playing two games.  One is the typical showdown throwdown which we all know and love.  The other is Rock, Paper, Scissors for what should be an impartial tie-breaker but which is somehow…not.  This month’s match-up features hard horror limits (mushrooms!), sci-fi portal fantasy time shenanigan takes on Arthurian legend, sassy magical cats, voyeuristic houses, and a fun, definitely 100% accurate history sidebar with Smack about Elizabethan England.  Come back in January for part three to see who wins!

The titles showdowned throwdowned in this episode include:

Smack and Gabi face off in their 3rd Annual Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo Showdown Throwdown (etc., etc.)!!  Smack is the defending champion in this contest to find out who had the more enjoyable summer bingo experience.  So far this year, Gabi, the underdog, is helped along by Rock, Paper, Scissors tie-breakers, at which she is inexplicably talented.  P.S. Readers interested in Alexandra Vasti’s Halifax Hellions series can only get free access to them until the end of November 2023 so sign-up for her newsletter here ASAP!

In this part one of (probably) two, the books showdowned throwdowned in this episode include: