The Book XChange Podcast

Both Jude and John agree that it's high time, and a distinct pleasure, to dedicate one of our "Dealer's Choice" episodes to a female writer - in this case, the esteemed and unique American author Annie Proulx. For those new to the show, a Dealer's Choice episode is when your humble hosts choose a writer whose work means a lot to us, and is well worth recommending, and taking an in-depth look at th...

What is with the human family's fascination with MONSTERS and supernatural creatures? We try to unpack that perennial question and topic of interest in Episode 45 of America's favorite double-barreled books and reading podcast, The Book XChange. The Brothers Lovell reach deep back into the past with classics like "Frankenstein" and "Beowulf," but also mention some of our favorite modern-day contri...

Episode 44 begins with the classic strains of Bruce Springsteen's "Factory"... why? Because this time out, we are exploring books that are all about "the work, the work, the working life." For the vast majority of adults, work takes up much of our waking hours and in some ways (for better or worse) defines who we are. So it makes sense that innumerable books, both fiction and non-fiction, delve in...

After a 33-day hiatus, which felt really long for us if not for our listeners, the BXC brothers return and finally kick off 2022 with a looser, less structured episode filled with a little of this and that. First, in response to a suggestion from a listener, we share what books we gifted each other for Christmas at the end of last year (and why). Second, we kick around the idea of setting "resolut...

For our final episode of 2021, we decide to broaden out a personal tradition and share it with listeners... we each share our 10 favorite reading experiences of the year, and discuss why these books made a lasting mark on us. Our choices are not at all limited to books that came out in 2021, but could be any book of any genre from any year. These books were "buried in our heads like a stinger" (to...

For episode 41 (commemorating, in part, the 80th anniversary of the United States' entry into the war in December 1941), the Book XChange brothers take on a subject that's as broad and wide-reaching as the conflict itself: World War II. As always, we aim here to provide some recommendations of books that aren't widely discussed and read, as well as cover some of the acknowledged classics. It's a h...

Calling all adventurous and open minded readers - join us for a special episode of the BXC podcast, in which we turn the lens on ourselves a bit and interview one-half of your favorite literary-minded twins. Jude Joseph Lovell (or is it Foster Mullins?), co-host of this show and author of 12 books, has just launched a brand new mind-bending, time-twisting mystery tale named TIME O'CLOCK, and we ha...

McGruff the Crime Dog guests hosts in Episode 39 of the Book XCh... well OK, maybe not (and yes, we just dated ourselves - but those who know, know!). This time out, your humble hosts/book-hungry twins take a bite out of the vast buffet of books that explore crime, both real and imagined. We delve into classic mysteries, true crime reportage, historical novels with unexplained murders at their cen...

For the fifth time, the Book XChange podcast dedicates an entire episode to discuss a single book - in this case, one recommended to us by a BXC listener. 'Leave the World Behind' is a bestselling thriller written by Rumaan Alam - one that has been widely read and discussed, nominated for the National Book Award, and was also recently snapped up by NetFlix to be developed into a film. It's a novel...

For this edition of everyone's favorite biweekly literary podcasts, your Book XChange hosts present some "deep cuts" from their own personal bookshelves. The idea with our "Hidden Gems" episode is to offer some "of the beaten path" recommendations of books - from all genres, fiction and non-fiction - that might intrigue our listeners and/or give them something new to try. As readers Jude and John...

Jude and John grab a rifle, a pony, and go ridin' out into the bloody "evening redness in the west" in Episode 36 of the Book XChange podcast. The subject of "the American west in literature" is about as vast, wide open and intimidating as the very landscape itself, so we decided it may take not one, but TWO episodes to do it justice. In this first part, we tackle "Western novels" - which of cours...

In this episode the BookXChange looks at the experience of reading BIG, meaty, epic-length books... books that might function well as doorstops, should you have a need for one. We dive into whether the experience of reading big books (fiction or non-fiction) is at all different from reading shorter ones; whether a reader needs to "prepare" more mentally or otherwise to take on a large tome; what t...

The fourth in our podcast's regular series of "deep dives" into books that, for whatever reason, have the popularity, subject matter or complexity to justify an extended discussion. This time we tackle one of the more popular novels in the past several decades, a book that has struck a nerve with a great many American readers in particular, and was loudly championed by none other than Mr. Stephen...

No matter where you're from, no matter what your race, culture, creed or ancestry is – your life has been touched and shaped by music in some form or fashion. Musical expression is part of what makes us human, and the mysterious joy and emotion we experience when listening to and making music is an endlessly fascinating subject. The Book XChange brothers list and discuss their favorite books about...

Recorded one day after the United States of America's 245th birthday, the latest episode of the Book XChange podcast takes advantage of the Independence Day vibes to consider the gifts and responsibilities of FREEDOM. And not just American freedom either, but "freedom" as it pertains to all members of the human family. We discuss and recommend books that have something to teach, say, remind, provo...

Readers around the world... admit it. We all have them. Those big, complicated, intimidating books that glare at us from our shelves, almost with an air of defiance, just daring us to take them down, dust them off, and you know... actually READ them. But for whatever reason, we haven't been able to get up the guts to do so... well, welcome to episode 31 of the Book XChange podcast, wherein America...

The Book XChange goes on safari for this, the 30th episode of the show... and discuss favorite or notable books that feature, or are about, animals. Once we got going on this topic, we realized how deep a rabbit hole (shout out to Richard Adams!) it is. Which makes sense, because if there's one thing that unites peoples of all times, places and cultures, it's a love for/fascination with our animal...

Be warned! By definition, every single book discussed in this episode of the Book XChange podcast is going to be utterly spoiled... Jude and John discuss some of their favorite all-time endings in literature, and why we feel they've made such a lasting imprint on our memories. There are many ways to end a story: wicked twists in the plot, notes of ambiguity and mystery, group hugs of happiness, or...

In this special celebratory episode, your twin hosts Jude and John Lovell reflect back on the first year of the Book XChange podcast: what it's meant to us, and what we hope to continue to do with it going forward. And in a nod to the unique "hook" of our show, that is, identical twins reflecting on books and reading... we tackle books that feature, or are in some way about, twins and the phenomen...

The recently-premiered new PBS documentary "Hemingway" (from the renowned filmmaking team of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick) provided the BXC brothers with the perfect excuse to dive back into the short fiction of one of America's most celebrated and influential writers. Because the film centers on Hemingway's stories rather than his novels, John and Jude choose four of "Papa's" most famous tales, unpa...

Episode #26 delivers the third of an occasional series of in-depth reviews of books that have caught our attention (for whatever reason) and we feel are worth extended discussion and recommendation. This time, it's another debut novel, from Memphis-based (but Indiana-born) writer Daniel Hornsby. "Via Negativa" is a fascinating, spiritually rich hybrid of road novel, revenge tale and spiritual ques...

The BXC co-hosts welcome a very special guest to the program for a fascinating and wide-ranging interview: Dr. Dennis Rebelo, professor, national speaker, career coach, mentor to CEOs and entrepreneurs and family man. Dr. Rebelo is about to release a brand new book that he has been researching and writing for the past decade, 'Story Like You Mean It: How to Build and Use Your Personal Narrative to...

The tension is palpable in Episode 24 of the BXC podcast, as we discuss some of our favorite books and writers that might fall under the broad category of "Thriller." Every reader loves a story that keeps your posterior nailed to the chair and your fingers flipping pages, almost automatically, to find out what happens next. Jude and John talk about what makes a thriller, how the term is really mor...

Buckle up... because in this globetrotting episode, the twin hosts of the Book XChange podcast take you to locations far and wide: the orchards of California, islands in Polynesia, the ancient moors of England, northwest Canada, coastal fishing villages in Maine, the Antilles in the Caribbean, the Swiss Alps, and more. In Episode 23, Jude and John offers their recommendations of books that utilize...

The second installment of our "Dealer's Choice" occasional series - in which your Book XChange podcast hosts decide to feature a particular writer whose work we feel deserves in-depth discussion and recommendation. This time around, it's one of America's most acclaimed and energetic living writers, Thomas Coraghessan (T. C.) Boyle. Widely known and appreciated for his prolific output, cultural sat...