What’s been happening May-July 2023

What’s Jotham Reading?

Books:

I’m not sure how I did it, but I read 8 books since the last time I checked in. As you know I didn’t write a couple newsletters, so that’s where the extra time went. LOL. I read in a few genres: from Horror (cordyceps fungus zombies and supernatural revenge), literary fiction, and a healthy dose of Seth Godin (marketing, leadership and living a creative life). These were some great reads to take my mind off the tasks at hand.

  1. M. R. Carey: The Girl With All The Gifts(zombies)
  2. M. R. Carey: The Boy On The Bridge (zombies)
  3. Elizabeth Wetmore: Valentine (literary fiction: CWA 2020 Book Of The Year)
  4. Seth Godin: Purple Cow- Transform Your Business By Being Remarkable (marketing)
  5. Seth Godin: The Practice: Shipping Creative Work (creative life)
  6. Seth Godin: The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly (leadership)
  7. Seth Godin: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable(leadership)
  8. Stephen Graham Jones: The Only Good Indians(supernatural horror)

Comics/Graphic Novels:

Not only did I spend the past three months away from y’all reading novels, I also read 6 graphic novels. Everything from Manga horror, coming of age and a banned book. I also went to CAKE (Chicago’s Alternative Comics Expo with Georgia last month (I’ll be sharing finds from that next newsletter).

  1. Charles Forsman: I’m Not Okay With This(Coming of age; Netflix series)
  2. Maia Kobabe Gender Queer: A Memoir(autobiographical gender identity: Most challenged/ banned book)
  3. Junji Ito: Tomie
  4. Junji Ito: No Longer Human
  5. Junji Ito: Shiver
  6. Junji Ito: Deserter

You can follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m reading next: 

Jotham’s Goodreads


What’s Jotham Listening to:

Music:

I was still digging my monthly subscription to Vinyl Moon. It’s like a mix-tape on vinyl, except they create an experience combining the curated eclectic mix of songs with story telling and artwork. It’s pretty cool and I’m excited to get more editions. ‘

I did do some record digging at a record shop recently, and I’ll share those gems next month.


Podcasts:

Here are the four top podcasts I’ve been finding time for: 

  1. Creative Peptalk by Andy J Pizza (A companion for your creative journey)
  2. Akimbo: Seth Godin (a podcast about culture and our place in it)
  3. Story Nerd: Melanie Hill and Valerie Francis (Story theory and how to use)
  4. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing: Bianca Marais, CeCe Lyra and Carly Waters (Behind the scenes look at publishing industry)

Okay, that’s where I’m at. I’ll try to update y’all every month on books, comics, and music (podcasts) that I’ve been digging! Maybe I need to add shows and movies??? What have y’all been digging? 

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Author: Jotham

Jotham Austin, II lives in Chicagoland with his wife and two sons. He has his PhD in Botany, and can be found taking electron micrographs of cells at The University of Chicago. His Rom-Com novella, “Tomorrow May Be Too Late” will be published as part of the romance anthology, “Askew Ever After,” January 2021. His debut novel, a sci-fi psychological thriller, ‘Will You Still Love Me, If I Become Someone Else?” will be released February 2021. Jotham recently started a newsletter that explores the science in science fiction (signup at jothamaustin.com). Preorder books and Follow Jotham on social media at https://linktr.ee/Jothamaustin

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