Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost
Sibling bookstore owners Hannah Harlow and Sam Pfeifle call each other up at random hours and talk about what they're reading and what they're psyched is coming out next, plus discuss some book news of the day. It doesn't get much more bookish than when a publishing executive and MFA in Creative Writing buys a bookstore with an English teacher and journalist. Opening theme song sung by Ruby Pfeifle, Julie Sanborn, and Madison Doughty.
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EP93: Careless People and the Snarling Trumpet
06/02/2025
EP93: Careless People and the Snarling Trumpet
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 send-up of modern life. - "Careless People," by Sarah Wynn-Williams, which offers an inside look at some of the most ethically and morally bankrupt people the world has ever known: the creators of Facebook. - "The Silver Snarling Trumpet," by Robert Hunter, which is a must-read for anyone who likes Jerry Garcia or wants to harken back to a simpler time and get a glimpse of life before the hippies.
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EP92: Sense of an Endling
05/15/2025
EP92: Sense of an Endling
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. - "Heartwood," by Amity Gaige, which Hannah started and stopped and ended up finishing, but isn't convinced is really a "thriller." Also, Amity's understanding of Maine seems ... limited. - "The River Has Roots," by Amal El-Mohtar, which is more of a novella, but is really pretty, and a lovely addition to the faerie canon. And it really gets the musical portion of the plot right. - "The Doorman," by Chris Pavone, which is a little different, not an international spy thriller, and shares some qualities with "Only Murders in the Building," but isn't, like, funny at all. Some twists and turns, though. Next time, Sam reads some blockbusters and Hannah gets literary. Maybe.
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EP91: John Green, Emily Henry, and all things real and imagined
04/28/2025
EP91: John Green, Emily Henry, and all things real and imagined
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 Hare," by Chloe Dalton, which really is about raising a bunny, but not a bunny, a hare, which is a different mysterious kind of animal. Better than that sounds, though. - "Everything is Tuberculosis," by John Green, which has a terrible name, but is very readable because John Green can write like crazy. This leads to talk about Reddit forums detailing woo-woo mom forum posting, for reasons, and discussion of the term "vlogger." - "Whyte Python World Tour," by Travis Kennedy, an absolutely absurd and often funny tale of a hair-metal band secretly working for the CIA to bring down the Wall in the late 1980s. Sam doesn't know what to make of it. - "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries," by Heather Fawcett, which is delightful, about an academic cataloging faeries in Norway. It's cozy and quite charming. Also, no, we didn't get this posted in time for Bookstore Day or the Literary Festival, but just try to look past that. It's already happened and you missed it. But there will be other stuff that's awesome in the future, we promise.
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EP90: Poetry & Prose with Nina MacLaughlin
04/15/2025
EP90: Poetry & Prose with Nina MacLaughlin
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 Island," by Kate Woodworth - which has "Road to Dalton" vibes and a great cover (another Maine book, yes). - "Lobster," by Guillaume Lacasble - easily the weirdest book Sam has read in a while, with, yes, lobster sex. - "On the Calculation of Volume (Book II)," by Solvej Balle - a continuation of Book I, still awesome, but could have moved forward more. - "Sad Tiger," by Neige Sinno - a very heavy memoir that manages to still be quite beautiful. And make sure to stay to the very end for some great New England poet recommendations!
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EP89: Cyndle's Debut!
04/01/2025
EP89: Cyndle's Debut!
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 has never read this, but it's awesome. If you've never read it, you should do it now. Just be prepared for very few commas. - "Lady Macbeth," by Ava Reid — Cyndle finds this a little better than Shakespeare's historical works, anyway. It's a little bit of a "Wicked" situation and it might help to read the original; what is Lysander doing in this book? Decent audiobook. - "Pickleballers," by Ilana Long — A racy book about people who play pickleball and like to bang. Sam laughed a few times, but didn't manage to finish this. Still, if you like romantic comedies, this is fine. - "Rejection," by Tony Tulathimutte — You might have seen the story "The Feminist"? That's the lead story in this collection, which is a serious collection of bad dudes. And hyper-online.
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EP88: Parables, Memoirs, and Chords
03/17/2025
EP88: Parables, Memoirs, and Chords
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 "Lost," and here she is with an autobiographical novel. The lion in question is her father, who's a crazy rich guy. - "How To Lose Your Mother," by Molly Jong-Fast — did everyone else know that Erica Jong was Molly's mom? Read this, regardless, because Molly can write like hell. - "I Heard There Was a Secret Chord," by Daniel Levitin — an exploration of music therapy and why it works. Sam was already a convert, but you should read it if you're not. - "Parable of the Sower," by Octavia Butler — after some confusion with how this dovetails with the Patternist novels (it doesn't), we come around to discussion why this novel is must-read.
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EP87: Reading Banned Books with PEN America
02/27/2025
EP87: Reading Banned Books with PEN America
It's a very special episode this week, as we're joined by Sabrina Baeta, senior program manager on the Freedom to Read team at PEN America, an organization founded by authors more than 100 years ago to protect the freedom to write and read whatever you want. Sabrina's here to talk about book bans, which are a priori uncool, and which she works to defeat. There have been more than 10,000 efforts in the past year alone to ban individual books in school settings across the United States, and efforts to ban books are increasing rapidly, particulary books for younger kids. That's bad. So, we all read some banned books, including: - "And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, and Henry Cole - "Queer Ducks," by Eliot Schrefer and Jules Zuckerberg - "A Court of Mist and Fury," by Sarah J. Maas - "Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe - "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini - "The Fire Next Time," by James Baldwin - "James," by Percival Everett - "Red, White, and Royal Blue," by Casey McQuiston Y'all, there are some really good arguments against banning books in this episode and some great discussion of the power of literature. You need to listen to it!
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EP86: Murakami and the Fourth Wing
02/16/2025
EP86: Murakami and the Fourth Wing
Did you get your photo taken with Rabbit the Bookstore Cat Cutout? If not, you probably missed our 5th Birthday Party. Too bad. But not worries: There will be more parties. This week, Sam is caught up in the new Haruki Murakami, but Hannah luckily has three books to talk about, so it's not a disaster. Here's the lineup: - "Fourth Wing," by Rebecca Yarros — Hannah's been saving it and it reminds her of the time we discovered Philip Pullman (but, no, it's not that good). Perfect vacation reading. - "The City and Its Uncertain Walls," by Haruki Murakami — Sam is wondering if Haruki is trolling us at this point. Cats! Spaghetti! A record store! Teenage girls! But it's still oddly compelling. - "The Collaborators," by Michael Idov — Hannah thought this was pretty good. It's international espionage. With Russia. It's just not always clear why we're supposed to care. - "The Harder I Fight, the More I Love You," by Neko Case — Hannah is highly enamored of this, and doesn't think it matters if you can name a song by her. Some messed up shit happens in Neko's life. Also, no, we didn't get our act together to post this in time for Valentine's Day. It's nobody's fault.
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EP85: Is Cozy Horror Next?
02/01/2025
EP85: Is Cozy Horror Next?
It's another episode of "John Updike's Ghost After Dark," a wild and crazy recording that finds Sam with a blanket on his lap and Hannah reading books infused with the number three (and using the word "tome"). We move from Anne Tyler (don't worry, she's a little bit funny) to weird French YA and cover a lot of ground in between, including: - "Three Days in June," by Anne Tyler (Sam thinks he read "The Accidental Tourist") - "Infinite Jest," by David Foster Wallace (just touching on it, really) - "Beta Vulgaris," by Margie Sarsfield (kinda like "Lazy City," except totally crazy with evil sugar beets, and a little bit like "Banal Nightmare," except scary instead of funny) - "The Three Lives of Cate Kay," by Kate Fagan ("it's all so ridiculous," romantic without being a romance, a book that makes grand statements; this Kate woman is crazy impressive) - "The Bookshop," by Evan Friss (Sam mispronounces his name, sorry; this one is a little close ot the quick; please remember that Sam considers "weirdos" a compliment) - "The Missing of Clairdelune," by Christelle Dabos (completely out-there French YA, so good) - "Water Moon," by Samantha Sotto Yambao (completely you-there Japanese YA, so good; "this book delivers" and is NOT cozy) Also, come to our 5th birthday party. You'll know when it is if you listen to the end.
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EP84: Adichie and the Good Girl
01/16/2025
EP84: Adichie and the Good Girl
It's the post-holiday lull, which luckily gives us plenty of time to plan our 5th Birthday party! Hannah's buying the cake, Sam is DJing. Don't miss it. You have to listen to find out when it is. When you arrive, we can talk about these books (and others): - "Dream Count," by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Hannah is a little perplexed by this much-awaited big deal, with its women being idiots about men; the marketeers are struggling) - "Good Girl," by Aria Aber (this book is going to be hot; maybe even as good as Morgan Talty's cover blurb, but not because of the sex stuff, which is, in fact, done well) - "A Sea of Unspoken Things," by Adrienne Young (there's a twin-magic thing that Hannah is not really feeling) - "Heartbreak is the National Anthem," by Rob Sheffield (this is music-writing at its best, a celebration of what we love about pop music as a collective thing) - "The Queens of Crime," by Marie Benedict (featuring much discussion of when, exactly, Agatha Christie disappeared and then reappeared) And, of course, so much more.
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EP83: New Year, Old Books, New Ideas
01/03/2025
EP83: New Year, Old Books, New Ideas
Sam's had himself a little skiing accident, but powers through a mild concussion to lead us thorugh a discussion of Christmas gift-giving (with a deviation into the Icelandic Christmas Book Flood) and the joys of reading books written quite a while ago. But don't worry! We're reading stuff from 2024 and 2025, too. It's a wiiiide-ranging chit-chat here in the New Year, with some deep philosophical stuff, and a focus on: - "Anti-Semite and Jew," by John-Paul Sartre (which is in print, thanks Knopf) - "Playground," by Richard Powers - "Superbloom," by Nicholas Carr (who posits Martin Luther as the world's first influencer) - "Heir," by Sabaa Tahir (which we decided is NOT YA; Sam was confusing it with "Black Sun") - "The Forever War," by Joe Haldeman (this is important stuff) - "The World She Edited," by Amy Reading (Katharine White was, indeed, EB White's wife)
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EP82: The Age of Innocent Chickens
12/12/2024
EP82: The Age of Innocent Chickens
The Shop is bursting at the seams here at Christmas-time, but Hannah and Sam haven't stopped reading! With their favorites of the year behind them, they look to the past and future for new things to consume (such as "Minority Report" and "The Dream Hotel"). But you'll have to wait for the full discussion on that. On the full agenda this episode is: - "Age of Innocence," by Edith Wharton - "The Quiet American," by Graham Greene (from 1955, NOT the 1970s, Sam) - "Rental House," by Weike Wang - "The Ladies of Grace Adieu," by Susanna Clarke - "What the Chicken Knows," by Sy Montgomery (much giggling ensues) - "Persepolis," by Marjane Satrapi - "What Happened to the McCrays," by Tracey Lange (with much middle school hockey discussion) - "The Last Dragon on Mars," by Scott Reintgen
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EP81: Our Favorite Books of 2024
12/03/2024
EP81: Our Favorite Books of 2024
Did we get this out in time for Thanksgiving travel? We did not. But we did get this out in plenty of time for you to grab one of these bangers as a present — or for yourself to read and be a part of the big community discussion. This week it's simple stuff: Our favorite books of the year. No, not the "best" books (since we only read about 75 books each this year), but the ones we liked the most. Here's the list, in no particular order. Listen up to hear why: HANNAH'S PICKS James, by Percival Everett Brightly Shining, by Ingvild Rishoi Fire Exit, by Morgan Talty Long Island Compromise, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Sandwich, by Catherine Newman The Safekeep, by Yael van der Wouden Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley The Book of Love, by Kelly Link The Guide, by Peter Heller All Souls, by Michael Patrick McDonald SAM'S PICKS The Most, by Jessica Anthony On the Calculation of Volume, Book 1, by Solve Balle Banal Nightmare, by Halle Butler Fire Exit, by Morgan Talty The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman The Book of Elsewhere, by Keanu Reaves and China Mieville The Physics of Sorrow, by Georgi Gospodinov King Nyx, by Kirsten Bakis Charlie Hustle, by Keith O’Brien Rebel Girl, by Kathleen Hanna
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EP80: Big Books for Holiday Shopping
11/17/2024
EP80: Big Books for Holiday Shopping
The front window has been well decorated by mom and dad, the Polar Expresses have been ordered, and it is officially Holiday Season. So, what books are you going to buy for your friends and families? Well, let us tell you: - "James," by Percival Everett, Hannah's pick for book of the year (even if it didn't win the Booker). - "Orbital," by Samantha Harvey, which Sam somehow hasn't read yet, but is about astronauts and what it's like to be human (also, it's "James S A Corey," the fake name of two guys who wrote the Expanse series, not "S A Andrews" who doesn't seem to be a person). - "Lazarus Man," by Richard Price, which should be big, by all rights, but who knows? Seems like a good book for literary dudes. - "The Serviceberry," by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which is great for the right open-minded reader. They have to be anti-capitalist, probably. - "The Backyard Bird Chronicles," by Amy Tan, who is very much alive despite having been in a band with Stephen King in the 1990s, we think. We also use the word "flexi-bound" in describing this book. - "The Boston Globe Story of the Celtics," by Chad Finn, who really lucked out with the Cs winning the championship just as he was finishing up. - "Why We Love Football," by Joe Posnanski, a follow-up to "The Baseball 100," which is easily digestible and fits with the attention spans of teenaged boys. - "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," by Ina Garten, a memoir by the super-famous chef, who Sam has never encountered in any way for some reason. This involves a sidebar on Martha Stewart. - "Heartbreak Is the National Anthem," by Rob Sheffield, which is shaping up to be one of the first important examinations of what Taylor Swift means for the future of popular music. - "Small Things Like These," by Claire Keegan, which is going to be even huger, now that there's a movie. - "Say Nothing," by Patrick Radden Keefe, which is going to be even huger, now that there's a limited series. - "Wicked," by Gregory Maguire, which is going to be even huger, now that there's a movie, and may get you to buy others of his books, which will likely disappoint you. - "The Women," by Kristen Hannah, which is emerging as maybe Hannah's most important book, dealing with the Vietnam War as it does and speaking to women about that time in a unique way. - "Impossible Creatures," by Katherine Rundell, which is emerging as the best book for middle schoolers of the season.
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EP79: Blood, Vampires, and Moral Philosophy
11/03/2024
EP79: Blood, Vampires, and Moral Philosophy
It's getting cold, the election season has been busy, and we're reading books all over the map. Sam's on a philosophical bent and just saw "The Wild Robot"; Hannah's mildly unprepared, but rallies. All told, we tackle: - "The Other Valley," by Scott Alexander Howard, which explores regret, but has some weird world-building. - "Blood Test," by Charles Baxter, who you should know, and has penned a story about a blood test for propensity for murder. - "Interview with the Vampire," by Anne Rice, which holds up great and is not an easy book and engages with serious philosophical questions. - "Colored Television," by Danzy Senna, about middled-aged artists who get to pretend to be rich and make bad choices. - "The Wild Robot," by Peter Brown, which we talk about mostly because Sam saw the movie. It's not as good as the book. Shocker! And then we finish up with some Christmas stuff because Matt Tavares is coming to the Farms on Dec. 7, which will be great.
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EP78: Deep Cuts from the Boozy Book Fair
10/20/2024
EP78: Deep Cuts from the Boozy Book Fair
High on the success of the Boozy Book Fair (it was, according to Sam, "really banging"), a great in-shop reading and signing, and a couple days off for Indigenous Peoples Day, Sam and Hannah are in a mood, with nothing to complain about. Also, no dudes allowed, this week, with a shout out to the guy who really likes Rachel Kushner. - "The Time Keepers," by Alyson Richman, which, sorry, is rather maudlin and bad. It's not a time travel book. - "The Plot," by Jean Hanff Korelitz, which Hannah read mostly because "The Sequel" just came out. The second half was entertaining, anyway. - "The Road to Dalton" and "Where the River Meets the Sea," by Shannon Bowring, a librarian who grew up in the County in Maine. You really should have come to see her speak a couple weeks ago. - "Deep Cuts," by Holly Brickley, which comes out in, like, February, but it was the bottom of the TBR pile and about a fictional music writer, so Sam read it anyway. It's a major nostalgia trip if you ... like music. - "From Here to the Great Unknown" (not, actually, "From Here to Eternity"), by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. Hannah actually listened to it, mostly because Julia Roberts is the narrator, but also really enjoyed it.
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EP77: Ski Romances and Outdoor Tragedy
10/04/2024
EP77: Ski Romances and Outdoor Tragedy
The road in front of the Book Shop is freshly paved and Sam and Hannah are all sorts of amped up about it. No, you didn't screw up and set it to 1.5x. We're just talking really fast about: - "Factory Summers," by Guy Delisle. Sam's daughter gave him this graphic novel and it is properly obscure and entertaining. It doesn't smell bad, even though it's about papermaking. - "Full Speed to a Crash Landing," by Beth Revis. It's sorta like the Murderbot series, but without the body count, and the first in a trilogy. - "The Lodge," by Kayla Olson. Sam's reading cosy romances about skiing. There isn't even any sex. It's "set" at Stowe, but it's unclear whether the author has ever been to Vermont (but Sam is wrong that there is, indeed, a gondola at Stowe. Sorry). - "Death at the Sign of the Rook," by Kate Atkinson. The new Jackson Brodie book! He's in his 70s now, but doesn't play pickleball. - "The River," by Peter Heller. Hannah's been talking about how amazing Peter is. Sam had to investigate. It's really, really good. The hype is true.
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EP76: National Book Award Longlist Reactions (We're So Smart!)
09/19/2024
EP76: National Book Award Longlist Reactions (We're So Smart!)
Have we read all of the NBA fiction longlist books? We have not. Do we have thoughts on the ones we have read? We do! Jessica Anthony! Amazing! But we also read a bunch of other books for this episode, even if Sam has trouble remembering which ones (much as he could not remember the word "seersucker"). Here's what's on tap: - All of the National Book Award Longlist for Fiction. . A lot of great choices; a few headscratchers! - "The Life Impossible," by Matt Haig. It's uplifting! About grief and getting past it. - More on "The Light Pirate," which starts kind of boring but gets awesome. - "You Are Here," by David Nicholls. Yes, now Sam has read it, too. - "Brooklyn," by Colm Tóibín. Hannah's not sure why people love it so much. What is she missing? - "Clark and Division," by Naomi Hirahara. Sam doesn't like historical fiction, but he likes this.
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EP75: Sally Rooney, Nick Sparks, and Serviceberries
09/06/2024
EP75: Sally Rooney, Nick Sparks, and Serviceberries
Sam is well outside his comfort zone this week, with a read of his first Nicholas Sparks book (it's not terrible!), and a GMA Book Club pick. Hannah's got an early line on the new Sally Rooney. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Here's what's on tap: - "Counting Miracles," by Nicholas Sparks (lots of Bible stuff!) - "Intermezzo," by Sally Rooney (it's "very excellent," if imperfect — everyone thinks the same) - "The Light Pirate," by Lily Brooks-Dalton (a strong climate disaster novel) - "Burn," by Peter Heller (it's a Maine book, turns out Sam's wrong and out-of-staters do get 8% of moose hunting permits; still don't think Maine's going to secede) - "Westfallen," by Ann and Ben Brashares (some dark-ass stuff for middle readers) - "The Serviceberry," by Robin Wall Kimmerer (here comes some anti-capitalism!) If you liked "Braiding Sweetgrass," you won't be disappointed in Robin's latest.
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EP74: A Literary Groundhog Day
08/23/2024
EP74: A Literary Groundhog Day
The Emotional Support Chicken has been named — Page Turner won out — and Hannah and Sam are satisfied with the results. Can the same be said for the books they've read this week? Yes and no. Here's what's on tap: - "Tell Me Everything," by Elizabeth Strout (shoutout, Emma Straub) - "Shift," by Hugh Howey (with some Common commentary) - "Long Island Compromise," by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Hannah "frickin' loves this book") - "Caliban's War," by James S. A. Corey (audiobook, specifically) - "On the Calculation of Volume, 1," by Solvej Balle (spoiler alerts on this one, we guess)
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EP73: Hannah Discovers Only Fans
08/08/2024
EP73: Hannah Discovers Only Fans
Hannah's been on vacation, where she read her pants off. She's got books. And she and Sam have a bet as to whether any of you will take advantage of the big discount code embedded in this episode. We'll see what happens. As for books, we tackle: - "Margo's Got Money Troubles," by Rufi Thorpe - "The Most," by Jessica Anthony - "Death at the Sanitorium," by Ragnar Jónasson - "Creation Lake," by Rachel Kushner - "You Are Here," by David Nicholls Then we finish up with a thought experiment on why book sequels don't use a "II," live movies.
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EP72: Feminists and Wedding People
07/26/2024
EP72: Feminists and Wedding People
We may not be winning the SEO battle, but we're reading some cool books this summer, including the latest from Laura Dave, who has a standard cover treatment for a reason. People are looking for the next one! Then it's on to ultra-feminist badass Kathleen Hanna (Carrie Brownstein was in Sleater-Kinney, sorry Sam couldn't remember), whose "Riot Girl" is a must read for music fans and feminists alike. Kurt Cobain stories! Next up is a "speculative" novel "Hum," by Helen Phillips, which pulls a switcheroo on you, opening with some future tech, but finishing with a story that's just an exploration of the family unit, aka a "mom novel." It'll make you rush back to the first page when you hit the end. You know exactly what happens at the end of "Big Time," by Ben Winters, which might not be as good as "Golden State," but is still a tidy little piece of near-future science fiction (what we now apparently call "speculative fiction"). And then we finish up with "The Wedding People," which would never happen in real life, but that's why we read fiction, right?
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EP71: Having a Laugh or Two on the Dock
07/11/2024
EP71: Having a Laugh or Two on the Dock
Dock sitting for the July 4 extended weekend means we've got books to talk about! Hannah pulled Peter Heller's "The Guide" off the camp shelves and found herself thinking, "the writing is so insanely beautiful." Pretty high praise. Heller even makes fly-fishing enthralling — she read it in a day. Meanwhile, Sam was consumed for multiple days with Lev Grossman's brand-new "The Bright Sword," a new take on the Arthurian legend that runs a thousand pages or so, but still reads quick. If you're a "Magicians" fan, you'll love this — even if things are getting more and more earnest nowadays. Next up is "Trust Her," a follow up to Flynn Berry's "Northern Spy," a domestic story of the IRA in the 1980s. Hannah loved the first book; this one could have gotten started a little quicker. Sam had no such qualms about "Banal Nightmare," an early candidate for his favorite book of the year. Dang, it's funny. Halle Butler can bring it. Hannah is less enthused by "One of Our Kind," by Nicola Yoon, which just was too predictable and familiar to land, despite great sentence-level work. Hanif Abdurraqib's "There's Always This Year," on the other hand, is an important work you probably need to read right now if you're interested in explorations of Black culture. Sam loves it. So much to chew on this week!
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EP70: The Mayflower, Blood Quantum, and Great Sandwiches
06/28/2024
EP70: The Mayflower, Blood Quantum, and Great Sandwiches
Sam has been doing research into the family tree, which is largely irrelevent, but does have him fired up to talk books. Hannah's right there with him, with brand-new reads hot off the presses. But we're not quite done with "Fire Exit" yet and start things out with some closing thoughts and a great deal more context (the Press Herald reviewer that we mention is named Genanne Walsh). With that sorted, we've got a quick overview of some summer reads by North Shore authors, a look at the brand-new "Choice" from Booker-nominated Neel Mukherjee (who skewers the well-meaning liberal), and Hannah raves about Catherine Newman's brand-new and very funny "Sandwich." It's a triple entendre. She likes it almost as much as Sam likes "Lexicon," a 10-year-old novel that asks us to consider why people are persuasive and why we're eager to be persuaded. Finally, we wrap with the very strong "God of the Woods," by Liz Moore, about a summer camp gone wrong (we're going with "literary mystery") in 1975; plus a sneak peek at the new Halle Butler. Find some great books for your July 4 time in the beach chair!
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EP69: Keanu Reeves, Elin Hilderbrand, and the Book of the Year?
06/14/2024
EP69: Keanu Reeves, Elin Hilderbrand, and the Book of the Year?
It's summer for real now, and we're hyped for our upcoming event at Hastings House in Beverly Farms, featuring four summer-read authors. This is a legit literary genre at this point, folks. So we fire things up with Elin Hilderbrand's final (maybe) summer novel, fittingly titled "Swan Song." What makes this new literary tradition so attractive? Sam and Hannah both have thoughts, comparing her to Edith Wharton and Jane Austen. She's incredibly efficient in setting a scene and establishing character, and even created a collective first person that's incredibly effective. It leads to a discussion on voice, especially in "Fire Exit," Morgan Talty's new gritty and real novel about identity and family. It's a special novel, for sure, and you should expect it to be on all the awards lists at the end of the year. How intimately linked are our identities to our DNA? "Becoming Little Shell" has some non-fiction thoughts on this as well. We go on and on about this, kinda. It's really good. Hannah is less enthused by "The Return of Ellie Black," by Emiko Jean, which she listened to and felt a little bit like masochism. But she did get hooked and wanted to figure out what happpens. It's a lot different from her "Tokyo Ever After," a very sweet YA book. Definitely not sweet is "The Book of Elsewhere," a book co-written by none other than Keanu Reeves and China Mieville, which is really violent, but also super interesting and thoughtful. After powering through the beginning, Sam kinda loved it. Finally, Hannah has just finished "A Good Life," a bestseller from France now in translation about two sisters in the French countryside who teamed up to survive their mom.
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EP68: Summer Reading Kicks Off!
05/30/2024
EP68: Summer Reading Kicks Off!
Hannah and Sam are at Clearwater Pond on Memorial Day Weekend and they are ready to rock and roll for summer's many hours of lazy water-side reading. First up is Ann Hood, pride of Rhode Island, and her "The Stolen Child," which features travels to France and Italy with a pair of mis-matched travelers who develop a deep and abiding friendship and is quite charming. This leads to the really-quite-feminist 1939 novel "The Damned Don't Cry," by Harry Hervey, which you can only really get in Savannah. Sorry. But it's awesome. Sam loves it. Like a pre-WW2 Kristin Hannah. In a good way. And totally the opposite from "The Search Party," the new thriller from Hannah Richell, where college friends get together and someone's dead and they've been cut off from the outside world. It's entertaining! It keeps you guessing! That's less true of Monica Wood's new "How To Read a Book," which is very Maine, and that might make it more your flavor than it is Sam's, since it's a little too familiar to seem real if you live there. It's like watching a Disney version of your actual life. Finally, Hannah's got "Pink Whales," a classic summer read by Sara Shukla, who's written a novel about a summer in a spot much like Beverly Farms. It's fun. Lots of juicy gossip!
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EP67: Late Night from NEIBA
05/18/2024
EP67: Late Night from NEIBA
Hannah is at the New England Independent Booksellers Association Spring Fling (or something like that), and it's a late-night recording to beat the band. Mostly, both Hannah and Sam are fired up about the release of "Ministry of Time," which they've been wanting to talk about since they read it as an advanced-reading copy. Yes, it's a time travel book, but we never really leave this time, so don't get scared. We promise: It's not sci-fi! (Or, of course it is, if you like that sort of thing.) But we've also got thoughts on "Real Americans," an obscure Marvin Gaye biography, the big hit Bulgarian book of 2012, and "Sipsworth," which is about an old woman who makes friend with a mouse, but isn't as boring as that sounds.
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EP66: Live from Newburyport, with Jami Attenberg and Steve Almond
05/02/2024
EP66: Live from Newburyport, with Jami Attenberg and Steve Almond
It's a special edition of "John Updike's Ghost," recorded live from the Newburyport Literary Festival, with special guests Jami Attenberg and Steve Almond, veteran authors who have both penned great new books about writing. Steve's "Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow," is an instruction manual that allows for failure along the way; Jami's "1000 Words," an outgrowth of the writing community Jami has built largely on Twitter, offers encouragement and advice on moving forward. But how does being in the writing community affect how you read? Jami and Steve both have great thoughts about how that works and tons of titles to discuss. If you're looking for a big discussion of cultural mores, deconstructionism, separating the art from the artist, hate-reading, working with young writers, the joy of children's books, capitalism getting into the ears of writers, and so much more. If you're looking for a wide-ranging and heady literary discussion, this is it!
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EP65: Big Questions, K-Pop, and Pre-Internet Nostalgia
04/17/2024
EP65: Big Questions, K-Pop, and Pre-Internet Nostalgia
Hannah has absconded to New York City, but no one will go to the Beatrix Potter exhibit with her. Such a shame. No matter! We're fired up about the Newburyport Literary Festival, and ready to talk books, starting with a recap of Leigh Bardugo's brand-new "The Familiar," which Sam has decided he likes quite a bit. Maybe not quite as much as both of us like "The Secret Commonwealth," but not everyone can be Philip Pullman. Dude is just unparalleled in his ability to ask giant questions (religion! fascism!) with effortless storytelling. Not sure Sam would say the same about Christine Ma-Kellams, whose debut novel, "The Band," is among the strangest books he's ever read and he's not quite sure what to make of it. If you at least know what we mean when we say "K-Pop," you might be into it. But Hannah is super into "I Cheerfully Refuse," the latest from Leif Enger and a novel that offers a bit of hope-punk future along with multiple sentence that just hit you right in the chest. Finally, we wrap with a look at John Le Carre's "Call for the Dead," which is a George Smiley novel, and Sam now knows that Smiley is, indeed, his greatest recurring character. If you haven't read a book from 1961 in a while, give it a shot. It's a good way to get influencer culture off the palate.
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EP64: Sex and Satanism
04/05/2024
EP64: Sex and Satanism
Just off a big night out on the town in Beverly, Hannah and Sam are focused on brand-new releases, of a wide variety, plus an older book that is very much NOT related to the website it shares a name with. That book is "Storm Front," the first in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, an older book (2000) recommended to Hannah by a customer, which has a great combination of noir and magic, but also some tawdry sex, which is mildly offputting. Orgies! Which provides a transition to "A Short Walk Through a Wide World," the debut novel from librarian Douglas Westerbeke, which has some odd sex scenes and lots of bloodiness, but not a lot of plot. That leads to "Rainbow Black," by Maggie Thrash, a Satanic Panic story where our main character finds her parents in the clink for Satanism. It's a little witch-hunty. That leads us back in time to "Clear," a story where you learn all about Scottish history and how the landed gentry were evil bastards, but Sam is highly skeptical of the way it all wraps up. It reminds Hannah of "The Colony." But also of "The Safekeep," which Hannah dubs, "fantastic." It comes out in late May. Look for the big twist! Finally, Sam wraps up with some thoughts on the new Leigh Bardugo adult novel, "The Familiar." He enjoys it so far and isn't clear on why Hannah was down on it. Better than "Ninth House" and "Hell Bent," anyway.
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