JK, It’s Magic formed when two ladies met at the library and discovered they had a bajillion things in common — particularly a profound love of reading. These two ladies then decided to take their love of all things bookish to the next level, and share that love with all of you by creating a space to talk about YA fantasy in a critical way. We hope that this podcast becomes a platform to discover new worlds, facilitate deeper engagement with our favorite books, and encourage others to take part in the journey.
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Last day of the weekend plans: reading (obvi), knitting, and watching #Endgame
What's everyone up to this weekend? What was the best part of your weekend?
This Eid anthology, featuring 15 stories of joy by 15 Muslim writers, is at the top of our TBR: https://t.co/iIJA1i7Ha1
Friends, @ewarren laid out a comprehensive plan to PARTNER with Native communities. Her plan is revolutionary because it shows she (or her people) understands the depth of the relationship between the & Native governments better than any other presidential candidate maybe ever.
Hi! I'm Jessie, the J half of JK, It's Magic. I've been reading fantasy books since I was eight years old and gifted Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by my godmother when I was in 2nd grade. Ever since then, I've been delving into new worlds and living in magical places through the characters in books. Books are my happy place! I majored in English at JMU (go Dukes!), studied book publishing at Pace University, and work at a library.
I'm always surrounding myself with books. I love knitting, crocheting, and cuddling with my wonderful cat, Lainey, the official podcat of JK, It's Magic. Kelly and I are new friends, who met at the library, and I'm so excited for us to bond over our love of books, and to share that love with all of you.
You can follow my all my bookish and cat adventures on Instagram.
Hi, internet! I’m Kelly, the second half of JK, It’s Magic. A tea-loving Ravenclaw, I’ve been reading pretty much everything I can get my hands on for as long as I can remember. But fantasy has always had a special place in my heart since discovering Harry Potter waaaay back in 1997.
I’m getting my PhD in Spanish and Catalan literature, and I split most of my time between writing my dissertation on Peninsular sci-fi and teaching Spanish/lit to university students. For me, being an educator is the highest honor.
I love knitting, tarot, mornings, and snuggling my doggos Starbuck and Helo (“Hee-low” — any Battlestar Galactica fans out there?!)
Have you ever imagined what Downton Abbey would be like if it took place in the Iron Islands and was actually a supernatural murder mystery inspired by a Brothers Grimm story?? Well, House of Salt Read more…
Hello, dear listeners! This fortnight we’re reading Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, a new retelling of Mulan. We found some pretty problematic areas in the book, but found the story quite captivating overall. As Read more…
Magical listeners! We’re taking a break from YA this fortnight to bring you an episode about the incredible fantasy novel The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. The show notes happen to be long this Read more…
This fortnight we’re discussing Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. The first book in the Six of Crows duology and the fourth book in the Grishaverse series. We discussed a wide range of topics including Read more…
Finally, the ACOMAF episode is here! J & K both adore ACOMAF, and in the spirit of that affection, we don’t shy away from dredging up the novel’s problematic aspects. Generous and loving critique is, Read more…
Hey listeners, welcome to the second (and final) installment of our interview mini-sodes! In this episode, Kelly fields questions from Jessie about a plethora of extremely important topics including superpowers, fur babies, astrology, and books Read more…
Hey, everyone! We’ve decided to do something different and interview each other for the next two episodes so you can get to know us better! In this first interview, Kelly is interviewing Jessie. Is there Read more…
This fortnight we’re discussing Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, one of the most intersectional books we’ve read yet! We talked about the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and colonialism. We chatted about shipping, impostor syndrome, Read more…
This week we’re discussing Descendant of the Crane by Joan He. We received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review (which we promise to always provide). We discussed monarchies, constitutions, Read more…
Happy Spring, listeners! In Episode 16 we discuss The Wicked King by Holly Black, the much-awaited sequel to The Cruel Prince. Content warning: emotional and physical child abuse. ChildHelp – Child Abuse Assistance – Call Read more…
This fortnight J & K are discussing The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. We’re diverting a bit from our usual YA Fantasy books. This book is definitely for adults, and not for the faint of heart! The Read more…
Listeners, the time has finally come to talk about A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, the first book in one of our favorite series. We saved the rest of the series spoilers for a special end Read more…
This fortnight we’re discussing A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney, and there were a ton of Alice in Wonderland puns from K, as this is a modern retelling of the story. Don’t expect to Read more…
Hello esteemed listeners! We adored A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee!! What a delightful romp of a book. Below you’ll find plenty of links and resources to complement our discussion. Content Warning: Read more…
Happy New Year, Listeners! We are excited to read and discuss new (and old) book with this year. Any suggestions for books you’d like to read with us? This fortnight we’re discussing Girls of Paper Read more…
Listeners, we made it to Episode 10! A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir made J & K fear for the fate of our favorite characters and ships in upcoming 4th book of the Ember in the Ashes Read more…
In episode 9 we are discussing Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo For the first time, J & K have quite different feeling about the ships in this book, but we are both very excited about Read more…
J & K thoroughly enjoyed the dark and twisty world of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Episode 8 features not one but TWO of K’s now infamous research rabbit holes. #RavenclawFTW. Content Warning: physical, mental, and emotional Read more…
Reading A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir led to discussions of the prison system, mythology, and accountability. We loved how exciting a prison break can be. And this book had surprises around every corner, which Read more…
In episode 6 J & K are discussing City of Bones by Cassandra Clare which K is reading for the first time! As always, we found many things interesting, because apparently that’s what we do. Content warning: Read more…
J & K talk about book 2 of the Grisha Trilogy, Siege and Storm, by Leigh Bardugo. We forget Fyodor’s name and find many things “interesting” (should we find new descriptors? probably). Content warning: discussion of sexual Read more…
Episode 4 already!?! We can’t believe it either! This week we’re talking subverting your government, assassin schools, terrible mothers, and rape culture in Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes. An Ember in the Ashes Read more…
Hello, listeners! Episode 3 is our first fantasy-adjacent mini-sode (that didn’t actually turn out so “mini”) in which we discuss Ship It by Britta Lundin. This conversation got pretty meta since we dove headlong into discussions of Read more…
We loved Children of Blood and Bone (2018) by Tomi Adeyemi so very much. This book is powerful and poignant and we couldn’t recommend it more. Hope you enjoy! Content Warning: in this episode, we discuss Read more…
Hey, listeners! We are so excited to share our first ever episode with you, where we discuss Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. We scrapped the original idea of an hour-long podcast because our conversation Read more…
