Stone Soup Digest 09.17.22

Sarah Gailey -

Welcome to the Stone Soup Weekly Digest! This is where I share what I'm up to and some of my favorite things from around the internet. Subscribe to Stone Soup to get this in your inbox every week.

The heatwave in California broke this week! Also, I harvested three tiny pumpkins from my garden and have no idea what to do with them. Why do I keep planting things I don’t know how to cook? Please share your recommendations in the comments.

Also, keep your eye on the newsletter in the coming week or so for a round-up of resources that will let you know how to support labor efforts across the United States.

Burn It All Down Panel, hosted by Loyalty Bookstores

I had a blast doing this panel with Max Gladstone and Ryan Van Loan via Loyalty Books. You can watch the recording above! We talk about everything from the distinction between genre and literary fiction (spoiler: I am cranky about the very concept) to muppets as cuisine. Go check it out!

The Peculiarity Shop - Nibs’ Corner

Friend of the newsletter and previous featured author Nibedita Sen has a corner in the Peculiarity Shop! The shop is one of the best corners of the internet and features queer creators making beautiful things that will brighten your life. Nibedita’s corner in particular features charming jewelry that you’ll absolutely love. If you’re in the market for a new pair of earrings, this one’s for you.

Re-preorder The Spare Man

Newsletter regulars, don’t be alarmed, I haven’t been abducted by aliens – yes, that’s an Am*zon link. Mary Robinette Kowal’s upcoming novel, The Spare Man (pitched as The Thin Man in space, with cocktails) had a release date change that the bad river website responded to by cancelling all preorders. If you pre-ordered via that website, you should click the link above to see whether your pre-order has been cancelled. If it has, or if you haven't already preordered, can I recommend placing your preorder via Bookshop.org or your local independent bookstore instead?

Civilian Assumptions by Dominique Dickey

Dominique Dickey has a new short story out in Lightspeed Magazine!

Like all captains, Maddox raised Olivia—that was what they named their ship, a soft name for a dangerous thing—from a seed, a glowing pearl small enough to fit in their hand. Maddox cupped the ship seed in their palm and whispered, “Hello, little one”—though Maddox knew she wouldn’t be little for long—“my name is Maddox, and it is my highest calling to love and command you.”

The Third Place: subscription giveaway

I have three free subscriptions to Max Gladstones The Third Place to give away! Previously featured in this newsletter, The Third Place is consistently one of the most insightful newsletters in my inbox. Hop down to the comments section to claim your subscription; first-come, first-served.

Visit a Neighbor: The Sword & the Sandwich by Talia Lavin

This newsletter covers far-right extremism and the state of affairs in the US every Monday, sandwiches every Friday, and matters in-between during the interim.

Check out the post Notable Sandwich #37: Chicken Schnitzel. Sign up here!

I’m Reading: The Sleepless by Victor Manibo

Journalist Jamie Vega is Sleepless: he can't sleep, nor does he need to. When his boss dies on the eve of a controversial corporate takeover, Jamie doesn't buy the too-convenient explanation of suicide, and launches an investigation of his own.

But everything goes awry when Jamie discovers that he was the last person who saw Simon alive. Not only do the police suspect him, Jamie himself has no memory of that night. Alarmingly, his memory loss may have to do with how he became Sleepless: not naturally, like other Sleepless people, but through a risky and illegal biohacking process.

As Jamie delves deeper into Simon's final days, he tangles with extremist organizations and powerful corporate interests, all while confronting past traumas and unforeseen consequences of his medical experimentation. But Jamie soon faces the most dangerous decision of all as he uncovers a terrifying truth about Sleeplessness that imperils him--and all of humanity.

All sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis wants is everything, but the poverty and hardship that defines her life has kept her from the beautiful and special things she knows she deserves. When she stumbles upon the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, Georgia teams up with Ashley's older sister Nora, to find the killer before he strikes again, and their investigation throws Georgia into a glittering world of unimaginable privilege and wealth--and all she's ever dreamed. But behind every dream lurks a nightmare, and Georgia must reconcile her heart's desires with what it really takes to survive. As Ashley's killer closes in and their feelings for one another grow, Georgia and Nora will discover when money, power, and beauty rule, it's not always a matter of who is guilty but who is guiltiest--and the only thing that might save them is each other.

Add I’m the Girl to your tbr here. Order it from your local independent bookseller, or order it via Bookshop.org to support independent booksellers throughout the US and the UK. For international shipping, you can try Barnes & Noble. If you prefer audiobooks, here’s a Libro.fm link. You can also request I’m the Girl from your local library — here’s how to get in touch with them. And if you need to order from the Bad River Website, here’s a link that will leverage your order for good.

If you’re a paying subscriber, come by the Stone Soup Supper Club for our weekly chat! I can’t wait to find out how you’re doing.

—Gailey