Introducing Proust Curious!
That Book
We pop back in from the void to tell you about a new project we've been working on: . It's a podcast about the experience of reading Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu – all seven volumes. Hosted by Hannah and Cambridge professor Emma Claussen with Michael producing, it's a fun, deeply-considered dive into one of the most intimidating novels in the canon. Please check it out at , on , or . And, for old times' sake, enjoy some book chat.
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TBC: What We Actually Read, 2021!
That Book
Our year-end survey. What the hell did we read in 2021???
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RIP Eve Babitz (Rebroadcast: Bicoastal Season, Episode 3)
That Book
RIP Eve Babitz. Here's her episode from September 2020.
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RIP Anne Rice (Rebroadcast: Season 2, Episode 1)
That Book
Re-releasing this episode in tribute to our vampire queen! RIP, Anne.
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Ayn Rand Pt. 2 (Pseudonym Season, Episode 6)
That Book
In Part 2 of our Rand investigation, we figure out what the deal is with Rand’s magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged.
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Ayn Rand, Pt. 1 (Pseudonym Season, Episode 5)
That Book
Sifting through the life of objectivist Ayn Rand.
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Stephen King/Richard Bachman (Pseudonym Season, Episode 4)
That Book
The man who launched a thousand screams and his alter-ego who launched a thousand "wait, who?"s. It’s Stephen King/Richard Bachman day! Happy scary season, everyone!
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Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys (Pseudonym Season, Episode 3)
That Book
A dive into the hiveminds behind Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
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Alice Sheldon/James Tiptree Jr. (Pseudonym Season, Episode 2)
That Book
Sci-fi savant James Tiptree Jr. had accolades, admirers and many, many pen pals. Problem was, he didn't exist.
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Stacey Abrams/Selena Montgomery (Pseudonym Season, Episode 1)
That Book
Our Pseudonym Season kicks off with a look into political miracle-worker Stacey Abrams' other life as romance author Selena Montgomery.
info_outlineJust as the sun shines on that temperate den of vice known as Los Angeles, we shine our (private) eye(s) on noir fiction set in L.A., with authors James M. Cain and Walter Mosley. Taking bets on which one of us takes this as their cue to do a 10-minute monologue on Barbara Stanwyck.
Books mentioned: James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce; Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress; Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep; Michael Connelly, the Bosch series; James Ellroy, The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential; Sue Grafton, The Alphabet Series; Dorothy B. Hughes, In a Lonely Place; Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl; Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men; A.J. Finn, The Woman in the Window; Megan Abbot, You Will Know Me; Stieg Larsson, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Jo Nesbø, The Snowman; Vincent Bugliosi, Helter Skelter.
Films mentioned: In a Lonely Place, The Big Sleep, Detour, Criss Cross, The Big Heat, Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Devil in a Blue Dress.
Resources:
- 20 Essential LA Noirs (LA Times)
- Megan Abbot on Hardboiled and Noir (Lithub)
- Otto Penzler on Noir (Huffpost)
- Chris Eggersten on LA Noir (Curbed)
- Richard Brody on Film Noir (New Yorker)
- James M. Cain Interview (Paris Review)
- On James M. Cain (The Guardian)
- Paradise (essay) by James M. Cain (LA Times)
- James M. Cain obituary (NYT).
- Roger Ebert on Double Indemnity and Devil in a Blue Dress (Rogerebert.com)
- Walter Mosley on Fresh Air (NPR), By the Book (NYT), Interview (New York Magazine)
- Barabara Stanwyck obituary (NYT)
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