This week we are discussing the fantastic novel "Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead. A novel which spurned a discussion on mixing genre fiction and literary fiction. We also discussed why people read and write, A.I. novels, and pitching an oral history on George R. R. Martin writing the Game of Thrones novels. Lots of fun banter. Enjoy!
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We don't normally read bestsellers but this week we discuss the 2022 bestseller "Lessons in Chemistry." And we're normally a pretty positive podcast but one of us had some very strong opinions about this novel and the other had an interesting "theory." Let us know what you thought of this book and whether you agreed with our thoughts.
As always thanks for listening!
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Hello! It's been awhile but we are back to talk books. We start by knocking off the rust with random observations (longtime listeners will know this a ruse to not become too successful) before we delve into Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants." After that we nominate a great collection of books to add to our famous TBR. (We add more than one...)
As always thanks for listening and happy reading!
Books Added:
Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith
Turn, Magic Wheel by Dawn Powell
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This week we celebrate the best in the books we read in the past year. It's time for the Book Oscars!! We debate fun categories such as best villain and best scene before announcing the winners for best book, best character, and best author. We love doing this episode and this year was no different.
Also, if you like upcoming book news we have a bit of that in the beginning. Thanks for listening and enjoy!
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Since we started this podcast we have read one Flashman book a year. This year we read book five, "Flashman in the Great Game." This time we follow Flashman to India as he becomes involved in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. But before we discuss our latest Flashman book, Matt makes a point about Christmas and Peter discusses texting Matt's Dad about books.
Thanks for listening!
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This week we're adding and subtracting. First, we nominate some new books to add to our TBR. I always say this but lots of interesting titles. Lastly, the main attraction, a new game called, the bookshelf purge. Each of us brought a stack of books to discuss this week, revolving around the question of should I keep this book? Let us know if you liked this segment, and do you agree with the books we kept and got rid of?
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This week we begin with a little AI chat before discussing a fantastic novella. In 1977, Lady Caroline Blackwood published, "Great Granny Webster," a biting, bleak, hilarious take down of a "great" house. Full of fantastic characters and brilliant prose this book impressed us both immensely.
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We're back after winter break to talk about a books! We begin by discussing "The Spectre of Alexander Wolf" by Gaito Gazdanov. A book with a tremendous premise but we discuss why the book fails to build on that.
Next we add a bunch of short stories to our TBR. Lots of interesting selections to look forward too.
Short Stories added to TBR:
-”The Reticence of Lady Anne” by Saki
-”Mrs. Packletides” by Saki
-”The Ravages of Spring” by John Gardner
-”Enoch Soames” by Max Beerbohm
-”Victory Lap” by George Saunders
-”When We Were Nearly Young” by Mavis Gallant
-”The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Ernest Hemingway
-”A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway
-”Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
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This week we're discussing the successful debut from Rachel Joyce, "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry." A charming, sad, and poignant novel that surprised and pleased us greatly. We had a great time discussing this novel...spoilers ahead!
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This week we are discussing the much taught and discussed 1927 novel by Hermann Hesse, "Steppenwolf." Going in we didn't quite know what to expect but we both agreed we were pleasantly surprised by this enlightening, thought provoking, and surreal novel.
We discuss our favorite quotes and passages. Also, what we each took away from the book. Finally, we answer the question, "is this book only for young people?"
Episode note- Peter here. Sorry for my coughing during the episode I did my best to mute myself but didn't get every cough. We powered through in the name of podcasting and books. Cheers. (Should have brought more cough drops to the attic)
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We are back from a nice fall break. Peter went to the big apple and Matt stayed around, working on his sourdough starter. While we were away we both have been reading books on the side, and we begin this episode discussing some of our fall reading highlights.
And finally we end by picking an October book to read. Will we continue to pick a horror book or will we go another direction?
Thank you for listening and happy reading!
Books Recommended:
Mina's Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa
The Bookshop by Evan Friss
Gambler by Billy Walters
The Fellowship by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski
Books Added:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood
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We begin by discussing Matt's recent reads, courtesy of his losing sports teams. Then we dive into another installment of nominating and selecting new books to add to our TBR. Lots of serious literary choices this time around. Also discussed; Sally Rooney, NYC bookstores, and twitter feuds. Thanks for listening. Enjoy!
TBR Additions
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
The Spectre of Alexander Wolf by Gaito Gazdanov
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This week we are discussing the much praised, and beloved novel, "My Brilliant Friend" by Elena Ferrante. We delve into Ferrante's mysterious identity and discuss criticism in the modern age. But mostly we discuss this brilliant, personal, and captivating novel. One of the great things about this novel is the many layers it contains and we geek out on how Ferrante uses all the tools in a writers toolbox to create a memorable novel. Finally, we discuss our sports teams and how they're disappointments often lead us to serious books. And we're using that scenario to create a reading plan for some of our longer books on our TBR. As always thanks for listening and enjoy!
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Widely hailed as one of the best books of 2023, David Grann's latest, "The Wager" is a remarkable true story that amazes at every turn. We discuss Grann's gift as a story teller and the various fascinating layers to this best selling book.
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As you can tell from the title, we are discussing the much beloved and somewhat feared author, Thomas Pynchon. I use the word feared because Pynchon can be difficult to read and thus, readers are often left wondering, where do I start with one of the most important authors of the last 60 years?
We certainly felt this way, and so we invited back on the show, Aldous Asterion, host of the podcast "The Forest of Symbols." As Matt's dad says, Aldous is a really smart guy. And so we are using his smarts and Pynchon knowledge to pick our starting pointing. Do we go with the shortest work? Or maybe we go for the most famous? Or from the debut? Listen to find out which book we chose.
Thanks to Aldous for coming on the podcast. You can listen to his podcast on all major platforms and you can support him further by checking out his patreon.
Aldous' Patreon https://www.patreon.com/symbolpod
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This week we start by discussing "Black Spider" by Jeremias Gotthelf. This little known book, reprinted by the fabulous people over at NYRB, packs quite a punch in little over 100 pages. Gotthelf writes a tale with a little bit of everything, from idyllic country sides, to a menacing black spider, all within a Christian allegory that makes for a rewarding reading experience.
And finally, we end by discussing the New York Times list of the best books of the 21st century. We go over books we've read on the list and offer up titles and authors we wished had made the list. In the end, we decided we'll have to come up with our own list!
As always, thanks for listening and supporting.
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Are you a fan of serious books or fun books? Both? Well this week we are adding two books to the TBR, a "fun" book and a "serious" book? We discuss a large pile of books from the well known to the obscure and end up adding over 1,000 pages of fun and serious fiction to the ever growing TBR.
But I've buried the lede, also in this episode Matt reads from his reading journal from over 20 years ago. Thanks for listening, and enjoy!
Additions:
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
No Angel by Penny Vincenzi
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We're back this week discussing the famous Truman Capote novella, "Breakfast at Tiffany's." We discuss the book, and the 1961 movie adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn. And finally we riff on the idea of author as a celebrity. Have we lost that? If so, who was the last celebrity author? Fun episode with a few hot takes but mostly just two friends discussing books. As always, thanks for listening. Enjoy!
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How do you describe a mysterious episode title? Begin with Matt's brain, add in a John Fowles novel, and there you go! If you listen past the odd beginning, you'll hear us go through our extensive TBR and touch base on where we're at with each book. You'll also learn what a cellar book is. And finally, we add to our TBR with a May selection. As always, thanks for listening and happy reading.
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History fans, the episode this week is for you. We delve into the first part of Adrienne Mayor's fantastic book, "The Poison King." A riveting history of Mithradates, the legendary king who for a time was the biggest threat to the Roman Empire. We discuss fascinating details, stories, and more. Thanks for listening!
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