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.
info_outline
TBC: What We Actually Read, 2021!
That Book
Our year-end survey. What the hell did we read in 2021???
info_outline
RIP Eve Babitz (Rebroadcast: Bicoastal Season, Episode 3)
That Book
RIP Eve Babitz. Here's her episode from September 2020.
info_outline
RIP Anne Rice (Rebroadcast: Season 2, Episode 1)
That Book
Re-releasing this episode in tribute to our vampire queen! RIP, Anne.
info_outline
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.
info_outline
Ayn Rand, Pt. 1 (Pseudonym Season, Episode 5)
That Book
Sifting through the life of objectivist Ayn Rand.
info_outline
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!
info_outline
Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys (Pseudonym Season, Episode 3)
That Book
A dive into the hiveminds behind Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
info_outline
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.
info_outline
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_outlineY’all might have to down some redbull (+ vodka) to keep up with vanilla suit connoisseur Tom Wolfe and his eighties brick, The Bonfire of the Vanities. It is, let’s say, equal parts energetic and problematic. We get into why, then do a juicy dive on the misguided movie adaptation starring, bewilderingly, Tom Hanks.
Books mentioned: The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, A Man in Full & I Am Charlotte Simmons, Tom Wolfe; Furious Hours, Casey Cep; Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Laura Hillenbrand; I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Michelle McNamara; The Devil’s Candy, Julie Salamon.
A bonfire of sources:
- Tom Wolfe Obit (NYT)
- Retrospective on BoV (NYT)
- Wolfe on Fresh Air (NPR)
- Joseph Epstein on BoV (New Criterion)
- Louis Menand, Adam Gopnik and Paul Elie on Wolfe (New Yorker)
- BoV Movie Trailer
- Piece on The Devil’s Candy (LA Times)
- As always, Patricia Lockwood on Updike (LRB)
- Chuckle-slinger