Infinite TBR

Smack and Gabi announce the winner of their Annibirthday drawing and touch base on our Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo progress, for which Gabi has been tricked into reading a trilogy of three chonkers.  We then catch up on some recent reads we’ve had in common.  Gabi rage-quit a trilogy over a dead beloved character and Smack is still soaking in a book of incredible writing with a bizarr...

Smack and Gabi are celebrating ITBR's Anni-birthday by inviting you (our precious listeners) to email (itbrshelf@gmail.com) or follow & tweet @infinitetbr with your favorite book of this year OR the name of a book that we recommended that you enjoyed.  One lucky participant will be chosen to receive a $20 gift card to the independent bookstore of their choice.  We went on to answer s...

In this bonus episode, Smack and Gabi discuss genre stigma.  We review general trends and discuss our personal experiences encountering it in the wild as readers, writers, and academics.  We also discuss strategies for overcoming stigma in ourselves (an ongoing process) and how best to encourage others to do so (the power of friendship!).

Smack and Gabi review their San Diego Independent Bookstore Day Book Crawl a.k.a. Book Crawl a.k.a. Book Crawlidays adventure.  They recount their experiences and book hauls from each of the eleven(!!) participating independent bookstores in San Diego, noting their faves and their…not-so-faves, as well as the sweet swag accumulated along the way.  They are also gearing up for the 2022 My...

Smack and Gabi cover a lot of reading ground from March and April.  Smack gives a teaser about her faves (further discussion pending Gabi catching up…some day); Gabi waxes poetic about feathered dragons, Faustian bargains, violin prodigies, and donut-selling aliens; and we both gush about a gross and incredible werewolf horror novel.  Smack’s been listening to a lot of popcorn audiobooks...

In our second bonus episode, Smack and Gabi continue their discussion surrounding the Green Creek saga by TJ Klune.  Topics include some hot tea re: the publishing industry, some common werewolf tropes that were not adequately explained during Gabi’s insane Green Creek tangent of the previous bonus episode, a recap of Brothersong (the final book in the quartet), and a couple of essential plot...

Smack and Gabi continue their recap of their Book Hols with the rest of their recent reads and coverage of their (first) Barnes & Noble Pre-Order Sale Extravaganza.  Gabi belatedly learns a well-known Supernatural trope and bemoans a missed opportunity for a character's Enemies-to-BFFs relationship with a big bad evil serpent.  Smack explains the best friend prop and describes how to...

In our first bonus episode, Gabi goes off on an incredible tangent in which she narrates to a very patient Smack the happenings of the first three Greek Creek books by TJ Klune, which she purchased during the Book Haulidays described in the previous full episode.

Smack and Gabi ring out 2021 with a round-up of their Book Hols from the end of the year and set some 2022 goals.  Gabi did a not insignificant amount of stress-shopping while Smack (somehow?!) didn’t receive a single book during the holidays.  We celebrate the accomplishment of our 2021 book/page count goals and review the highs and lows throughout the year.  For 2022, we decide to...

Smack and Gabi continue with their Sirens (a conference dedicated to examining gender and fantasy literature) catch-up by playing a tier-ranking of the 2021 Sirens Reading Challenge.  The Reading Challenge last year consisted of 25 main books which could be replaced by a selection from a supplemental list of 25 if any of the main books had been read in advance of the challenge.  Both ful...

Smack and Gabi reconvene in the new year to catch-up on the final quarter of 2021 starting with a review of their experiences at Sirens, a conference dedicated to examining gender and fantasy literature.  In this episode, they itemize their very reasonable book hauls (Gabi walked away from the auction with a tote bag stuffed full of books, while Smack scored some long-anticipated novels at th...

Smack and Gabi compete to find out who read the best combination of books for the Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo by having random PvP fights between their books.  Books pitted against each other in this episode (part two of two) include: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill v. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal v. Galactic Hellcats by Marie...

Smack and Gabi compete to find out who read the best combination of books for the Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo by having random PvP fights between their books.  Books pitted against each other in this episode (part one of two) include: The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett v. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara v. Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illne...

Smack unboxes a highly anticipated delivery from Barnes & Noble, Gabi learns what a Gyarados is, and we discuss a wide variety of recent reads that include contemporary fiction, YA fantasy, early 1900s howdunits, non-fiction manifestos and essays, and speculative poetry. Main books discussed include: The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi translated by Cathy Hirano Anxious People by Fredrik Backman tr...

After a bunch of trilogies, Smack and Gabi recover from book trauma, discuss savvy heroines, and critique French-inspired worldbuilding. Main books discussed include: Shadow of the Fox, Soul of the Sword, and Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa Girl of Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson Serpent & Dove trilogy by Shelby Mahurin Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal

Smack and Gabi do a few deep dives into some recent reads and learn to trust our DNF instincts. Main books discussed include:  Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows duology) by Leigh Bardugo  A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson  The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison  Burning Roses by S.L. Huang Show notes are available HERE . 

Smack and Gabi talk their current, recent, and upcoming reads.  Highlights include trying to convince Smack to DNF the Book of the Unnamed Midwife and trying to convince Gabi to not bring a hardcover trilogy on vacation to Hawaii. Main books discussed include: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson Burning Roses...

Introduction to the Infinite To-Be-Read podcast and its hosts Smack and Gabi, who are doing their best to put a dent in reading books they already own and trying to resist buying more. Show notes are here