On this episode of The Writer and the Critic, your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond indulge in some thankfully brief maudlin meanderings around the current state of the pandemic before turning to the books up for discussion: All the Fabulous Beasts by Priya Sharma [9:10] and Cat Person and other stories by Kristen Roupenian [34:00].

The article “Cat Person” and Me by Alexis Nowicki is recommended for those interested further background reading.

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond waste no time in diving straight into their discussion of The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay [3:20] and Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon [47:50].

Also recommended is the novella The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes, which Ian reviewed for Locus.

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond indulge briefly in some COVID commiseration before beginning into their discussion of The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson [4:30] and Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden [39:10].

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond spend some time on brief tangents regarding awards (good) and coffee (not so much) before launching into their discussion of Memorial by Bryan Washington [7:30] and The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey [40:00].

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:18:15 for final remarks - including the exciting conclusion to last episode's exciting cliffhanger: Has Ian Finished All the Murmuring Bones and Did He Like it?

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

• Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

P.S. Our apologies for the poor sound quality on this episode. Due to unnoticed mic issues, for once Ian sounds better than Kirstyn - a fact about which he is undoubtedly delighted.