EP96: Yes, We Read Dungeon Crawler Carl
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
Release Date: 07/10/2025
EP97: Death and Time Travel
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
This week, Hannah is on vacation, Sam is working hard, but both have two books to talk about and we mostly like them. Yes, there's some embarrassing stuff where Sam has no idea about major biographical elements of the authors he's praising profusely, but let's pretend it's not happening in the moment. On the agenda this week: "A Marriage at Sea," by Sophie Elmhirst, which is a real-life story about a couple who decided to just drop out of society and "live a more interesting life." So, they bought a boat, then crashed it against a whale, and then somehow survived for months in a life...
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EP96: Yes, We Read Dungeon Crawler Carl
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
This week, Sam and Hannah have spent some serious time on the dock where they ... actually read the same book for once! Amazing. And it's maybe not a book you would have guessed. Plus, we've got a long-lost classic and a really fun summer read (even if it's about rich people. Again), and a good discussion of what makes a 14+ book. On the agenda this week: - "Dungeon Crawler Carl," by Matt Dinniman, which Sam and Hannah both decided they liked quite a bit, even though it's very much a "dude-bro" sort of book. It's a sensation. You should give it a shot. - "Best of All Worlds," by...
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EP95: Shepherds, Guards, and Murderers
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
This week, Sam is back from Iceland, where he read some Scandinavian literature and visited a bookstore, though mostly just looked at volcanoes, waterfalls, and icebergs. But, have no fear, we have plenty of books to talk about this week. On the agenda this week: - "The Salt Stones," by Helen Whybrow, which is a memoir about leaving publishing to become a shepherdess in Vermont. Sheep! Hannah loves it. - "Blood Ties," by Jo Nesbo, which is not a Harry Hole novel, but is rather a standalone about brothers who love each other, but also are trying to kill each other. Sam's not sure...
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EP94: Lesbian Vampires and Pencil-Heart Readers
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
This week, Sam and Hannah are back from a heavy Memorial Day Weekend of reading, and Hannah's books, in particular, are once again well-coordinated. Even if they're a little hard to describe. Also, this is a solid Pride episode, sort of by mistake. Here's what's on tap: - "The Book of Records," by Madeleine Thien, which is as meaty a read as we've had in a while, full of philosophical truths and a building made of time. This is great stuff. - "Erasure," by Percival Everett, who is legitimately among the most important writers working today. This is the book that was made into the movie...
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EP93: Careless People and the Snarling Trumpet
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
This week, as Sam preps to go to Iceland, we've got some of our favorite books of the year so far, with Gatsby references all over the place, general indictments of people with more money than they need, and a call back to the Beat era. Here's what we've got on tap: - "Mansion Beach," by Meg Mitchell Moore, a retelling of Gatsby with a gender reversal and a good reminder that Fitzgerald, himself, was a bit of a "beach read" writer. - "Atavists," by Lydia Millet, a story collection that works a bit like a multi-perspective novel and succeeds as both a realistic look at the suburbs and a...
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EP92: Sense of an Endling
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
Oh, was the sound crappy last week? Well, we've fixed that. New mic! Holy smokes! You're really going to like this. It's so much better. And now that we're done with Newburyport Literary Festival and Independent Bookstore Day, it's all systems go heading into summer, and we've got lots of books to talk about, including: - "The Lion Women of Tehran," by Marjan Kamali, who was the star at Newburyport, and who really captured the audience. - "Endling," by Maria Reva, a meta sort of novel set in Ukraine and grappling with the Russian invasion and how to make sense of it. -...
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EP91: John Green, Emily Henry, and all things real and imagined
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
Back to normal! No guests this week, just a bunch of books to talk about, including some big names. Is Sam's mic kind of wonky early? Yes. Just get by that. It doesn't last long. And you really want to hear about: - "Great Big Beautiful Life," by Emily Henry, which is just enough different from her previous beach reads to make a great beach read. It's a ridiculous biography contest set in Georgia. - "The Name of this Band is R.E.M.," by Peter Ames Carlin, which Sam found a little boring, but it's hard to tell if that's just because R.E.M. is a boring band. - "Raising...
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EP90: Poetry & Prose with Nina MacLaughlin
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
Okay, Hannah's back, but that doesn't mean we're done with guest hosts! This week we're joined by author Nina MacLaughlin, editor of the brand-new New England Literary News newsletter, and we've got the Newburyport Literary Festival on the brain (oh, and sorry, Nina, about putting you on the spot various times, but we did enjoy, "there's just so much garbage being published"). And Indie Bookstore Day, too! But we talked about lots of books, as well, including: - "Jailbreak of Sparrows," by Martin Espada - a poet who will be a Newburyport, where we are selling books, BTW. - "Little Great...
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EP89: Cyndle's Debut!
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
Hannah's been busy grinding out elementary school book fairs (drug-dealer mentality for the win), so the John Updike's Ghost podcast has put in a call to the bullpen, and out walks ... Cyndle Plaisted Rials! Cyndle is a writer and creative writing teacher who teamed with Sam on a book earlier this year, as well as the Beer & Weed project, so you know she's ready to go. She has not, however, read "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "Of Mice and Men," so weird stuff is on the way. Here's what she and Sam had to chat about this week: - "All the Pretty Horses," by Cormac McCarthy — Sam...
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EP88: Parables, Memoirs, and Chords
Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
It's Daylight Savings and we are alternately miserable and happy about it. Which is a good reflection of the books we've read this week. We love them and not! Here's what's on the agenda: - "Wild Dark Shore," by Charlotte McConaghy — if you like one of her books, you're going to like this one. Hannah's a big fan. Nevermind the sleeping with the seals. - "A Thousand Splendid Suns," by Khaled Hosseini — also, like "The Kite Runner," not a memoir. Sam was confused. Kinda miserable. Hope the U.S. doesn't wind up like this. - "Lion," by Sonya Walger — she's "Penny" from...
info_outlineThis week, Sam and Hannah have spent some serious time on the dock where they ... actually read the same book for once! Amazing. And it's maybe not a book you would have guessed. Plus, we've got a long-lost classic and a really fun summer read (even if it's about rich people. Again), and a good discussion of what makes a 14+ book.
On the agenda this week:
- "Dungeon Crawler Carl," by Matt Dinniman, which Sam and Hannah both decided they liked quite a bit, even though it's very much a "dude-bro" sort of book. It's a sensation. You should give it a shot.
- "Best of All Worlds," by Kenneth Oppel, which is a well-targeted YA novel with an original set-up and a very sweet coming-of-age story. Also, set in Canada, which is fun. But is it really Canada?!?
- "Ramona," by Helen Hunt Jackson, which is an absolute classic, and was once fully canon, but has sort of now been largely forgotten. Sam's here to tell you it's an important work of American literature and legitimately a must-read book in understanding the foundation of America.
- "These Summer Storms," by Sarah MacLean, which Hannah describes as "if Emily Henry wrote a book of Succession (like, the television series)." Highly entertaining and good for the beach.