Endings: The Final Episode
Book Fight
Well, friends, here it is. After 13 years, the Book Fight podcast is finally riding off into the sunset. Join us for one final episode, as we look back at what we've learned, read some listener tributes, and take our last trip to Appelation Station. Thanks, as always, for listening. It's been a great ride! I don't think either of us imagined, when we recorded our very first episode back in April 2012, that the show would reach so many people, allow us to chat with so many great authors, and make so many new friends along the way.
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Endings: A Passage to India with Elisa Gabbert
Book Fight
We're joined by Elisa Gabbert (Any Person is the Only Self, Normal Distance) to discuss E.M. Forster's 1924 novel A Passage to India, and also to speculate wildly about why this was the last novel Forster ever wrote. You can find selections of Gabbert's work (and links to buy her books) on her website: And if you like our podcast, and want more of it in your life, you can get access to a huge trove of bonus episodes on our Patreon, for only $5 a month: Thanks for listening!
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Endings: Nothing to Be Frightened Of
Book Fight
We're joined by Sam Ashworth () to talk about the ultimate ending: death. Our book this week is Julian Barnes' 2008 memoir about death and dying, . We discuss ruminative books, and whether all narratives need to have an arc. Plus: the triumphant return of Judge a Book By Its Cover. Thanks, as always, for listening! If you like the show, and would like some more Book Fight in your life, you can join our Patreon for just $5 a month: To keep up with Sam, or to learn more about his work:
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Endings: A Clockwork Orange (and fanfiction!)
Book Fight
No guest this week, as we wanted to do an episode with just the two of us, here at the mid-point of our final season. For our reading, we dive into A Clockwork Orange, which Mike had somehow never read. Meanwhile, not only had Tom read it, he wrote a paper about its ending, back in his undergrad days, which by some miracle (or anal-retentiveness?) he still has a copy of. Also this week: one final installment of Fan Fiction Corner. How has AI affected the fanfic community? Should politics be part of fanfiction? And can a time-traveling Toby Maguire prevent the Kennedy assassination?...
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Endings: Heartburn with Katherine Hill
Book Fight
We're joined one last time by fan favorite Katherine Hill () to talk about Nora Ephron's 1983 novel , a thinly veiled account of the author's divorce from Carl Bernstein. Specifically: Why does it seem like everyone is reading this book right now? And is it somehow the godmother of the recent spate of Millenial divorce books? Also discussed: humor as a coping mechanism, voice-driven novels, recipes in fiction, and why are people on Goodreads mad at Nora Ephron? If you're enjoying the show, and would like more of it, check out our Patreon, where we post bonus episodes every two weeks (and where...
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Endings: Quartet in Autumn w/ Dave Housley
Book Fight
A season of endings, but also beginnings: our first Barbara Pym! The celebrated British novelist had a bit of a career slump; after publishing six novels between 1950 and 1961, she couldn't find a home for her seventh, and didn't publish anything for more than a decade. Then, in 1977, Quartet in Autumn appeared, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. A true comeback victory. We chose this book because it deals with a different kind of ending: retirement. Four aging office workers are on their way out, and each is sad in their own way. The book's kind of a bummer, but also funny? Like a...
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Endings: Flash Fiction with Christopher Gonzalez
Book Fight
The problem with writing very short stories is that it forces you to write more endings, which are the hardest part! At least that's our opinion. But we bring on writer and Barrelhouse fiction editor Christopher Gonzalez (I'm Not Hungry But I Could Eat, 2021) to school us in how to stick the landing on flash fiction. Chris chose four very different flash pieces for us to read, all of which are available for free online: -Andy Lopez, "" (from Split Lip) -Deesha Philyaw, "" (from Fractured Lit) -Amy Stuber, "" (from Longleaf Review) -Julian Martinez, "" (from HAD) Also in this episode: We...
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Endings: The Last Days of Roger Federer
Book Fight
We kick off the final season of Book Fight with a guest-free episode--like the old days! Our reading this week is Geoff Dyer's 2022 book The Last Days of Roger Federer, and Other Endings. Which seemed thematically appropriate as we come to our own ending (of the podcast; we're not dying or anything).
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Holiday Spectacular: SKRUJ!
Book Fight
It's that time of year again: our annual holiday episode, where we invite several members of the Barrelhouse editorial team to read and discuss a very sexy holiday-themed novel. This year's book is , by bestselling author Honey Phillips. The book is a retelling, of a sort, of the Dickens Christmas classic, but starring a grumpy alien man with a weird (and gigantic) penis, and his human lover. Our guests this year include: Chris Gonzalez, Becky Barnard, Dave Housley, Erin Fitzgerald, and first-timer Christina Beasley. Plus our regular hosts, Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister. Note: This will be...
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The Pink Panther
Book Fight
We wrap up our noir season with one final episode, this one discussing the 1963 Peter Sellers movie The Pink Panther, and the series more generally, which spoofed many of the tropes of the noir/detective genres. We also look back at the season--what we learned from diving into the noir genre, and our favorite books. If you like this episode, we've been doing an entire series on noir films over on our Patreon, which you can access for just $5/month. We'll also keep posting episodes over there in the new year, leading up to our next season of regular episodes: Thanks for listening!
info_outlineOur "marriage plot" season continues, with freelance writer and podcaster Catherine Nichols joining us to talk about the "least fun" Bronte sister, and her novel about what happens when you marry a drunken frat boy (or whatever the 19th-century equivalent of a frat was).
Check out Catherine's podcast, Lit Century, in which she and author Sandra Newman read through the 20th century, one year at a time: https://lithub.com/author/litcentury/
If you're enjoying our show, and would like more of it, subscribe to our Patreon for just $5 a month, which gets you two monthly bonus episodes (and access to a whole host of old episodes): https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
Thanks for listening!