Beards, Books, and Bourbon Podcast

We explore the multiverse in "The Fold" by Peter Clines, bringing with us one of the smoothest bottles of bourbon we've had yet, Jefferson's Bourbon.

What does it mean to be good?  It's something explored in our book of the week, "The Ten Thousand Doors of January".  It's also explored in the complex depth of our whiskey of choice to revisit.  Corsets, Whips, and Whiskey.

This week, Stephen and Mark are faced with a universe of choices in " The Ten Thousand Doors of January " by Alix E. Harrow .  In it, we learn that stories, doors, choices, and destiny are never exactly what you think they might be. Their guide and solace on this rollercoaster of a novel will be Journeyman Distillery's Corsets, Whips, & Whiskey wheated whiskey.

Stephen and Mark loved talking to Ronald Malfi so much, they had to continue the conversation in our 11th Oopsisode of season 1.  If you heard our episode, "Come With Me", you've had a little foreshadowing about the topic of this Oopsisode.  If you haven't, well, you really should, but did you know Ronald is in a band?? Also continuing from last week, Stephen and Mark continue on their exploration...

In our second Interview Episode, we sit down with award winning author, Ronald Malfi, to discuss the release of his latest book, "Come With Me", premiering on July 20.  We've talked about Ronald's work before with "The Night Parade" in Season 1, Episode 10, and we take a little time to revisit that as well to have the bigger discussion about time lapses, unreliable narrators, and why Dewar's Whisk...

Stephen and Mark try to remember all the stuff they forgot about the novel, "14" by Peter Clines.

Exactly how much horror can one find inside a low rent apartment building in L.A.?  Stephen and Mark dive into the Lovecraftian steampunk modern day thrill ride of "14" by Peter Clines while drinking the dark and complex bonfire that is The Burning Chair Bourbon .

What did Stephen and Mark forget about the theory of Quantum Loop Gravity?  Yeah, well, pretty much all of it.  We're just not that smart.  Come take a listen!

Stephen and Mark attempt to tackle quantum loop gravity, and get sucked into a black hole of understanding as they discuss " The Order of Time " by Carlo Rovelli. As their brains overheat, the guys attempt to cool things down with the smooth, rich flavor of 1792 Bourbon .

Stephen and Mark's memories sometimes vanish just like the birds.  Good thing they've got a revisit from Redemption Bourbon to help them remember.

Humanity has left the Earth and taken to the cosmos in " The Vanished Birds " by Simon Jimenez. To fuel their flight, Stephen and Mark will try a store pick of Elijah Craig Straight Kentucky Bourbon .

Stephen and Mark spend a little time discussing the theme of magic from the perspective of books by Jonathan L. Howard, Lev Grossman, and Erin Morgenstern.  But magic so often requires a payment or a catalyst to get it going.  In this episode, the guys offer up Redemption Bourbon to get the magic flowing properly.

Stephen and Mark redeem their tickets to The Circus of Dreams.  A place of light and shadow, enchantment and illusion, they discover a winding tale of wishes, mysteries, and danger.  Welcome to " The Night Circus " by Erin Morgenstern. Along the way, they tempt fate and destiny with Wigle Bourbon , aged in the Laphroaig scotch casks, brought to them by a special guest host.

In this episode, Stephen and Mark learn that magic is real...as long as you're the best of the best.  Hogwarts meets Top Gun with a dash of Less Than Zero and a jigger of elitism in "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman.  Can they learn the correct hand positions for casting Magic Missile before the ennui of having phenomenal cosmic powers gives them the WORST PERIOD DAY PERIOD EVER PERIOD?? In trying t...

Stephen and Mark explore what happens when you mix hard crime noir with Lovecraftian horror in the novel "Carter & Lovecraft" by Jonathan L. Howard.  Add in a dash of ironic wit, a pinch of traditional homage turned on its side, and a delicious vocabulary to create the perfect recipe for fun. The perfect pairing for this story of unnatural monsters and firearms in action for our co-hosts is Bullei...

In this theme episode, Stephen and Mark talk about the viral apocalypse in stories.  The tropes, the narratives, and the parallels with reality. To lighten the mood, they will be sampling an American tradition, Old Forester Straight Kentucky Bourbon.

The end is coming in the form of a viral apocalypse, the virus of vampirism.  Join Stephen and Mark as they witness the end of the world and the birth of a new one in this reinvention of the old tale of vampires in " The Passage " by Justin Cronin. As another reinvention, Stephen and Mark will try High West Double Rye Bourbon , distilled in Park City, UT rather than Kentucky.

We come out with a new episode every two weeks, and in between, we talk about the stuff we forgot in the previous episodes.  Welcome to our new series of Oopsisodes, short shows to fill in the gaps.  Our next full episode will be next week.  In the meantime, enjoy!