So Many Damn Books

MARLENA MARLENA MARLENA! Julie Buntin drops into the Damn Library to talk her terrific debut novel, Marlena , and gets into whether she's a Marlena or a Cat, if there's a real Spicy Bob's Pizza, and what she was hoping to get to at the core of her characters. Plus, she and the guys get really into Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki, which isn't a noir even if it seems like it. 15 seconds of a song: Chet...

Alissa Nutting, author of Made for Love (and also Tampa) joins the guys in the Damn Library to talk surveillance state and let the guys bring up the dolphin sex, and the importance of first sentences. They also talk about Randa Jarrar's Him, Me, Muhammad Ali, a collection of short stories that includes both crows and reading your Mom's diary, amongst other subjects. Crassness is celebrated, and ev...

Elif Batuman joins Christopher and Drew in the Damn Library, and they all imbibe a drink called "The Dissertation" which can smack the words off the tip of your tongue. They discuss Batuman's The Idiot , and being nicer to your college self, and how you can end up a Dostoyevsky acolyte by accident, almost. They also delve into Swann's Way , the first volume of Marcel Proust's  In Search of Lost Ti...

The guys decide to participate in One Book One New York, get on the bandwagon, and finally read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah . They discuss Obama, getting bloggers right, and what it's like for a city to read along together. Plus, they launch a patreon. support the show if you'd like! https://www.patreon.com/smdb book lists and more at http://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes//episode-sixt...

Bianca Bosker, author of Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste  saunters into the Damn Library with gusto. She and the guys discuss books that make you want to get pregnant, Burgundy drinking songs, and getting her first hater. Plus, they delve into Joan Didion's South and West, and discuss its es...

When Melissa Febos stops by the Damn Library to talk about her new book "Abandon Me," Christopher goes "Beyond Booze" for the drink, and Drew is also there, because of course he is! They talk pop psychology, gift giving, and everyone having different versions of a memory, amongst other topics. Then they move on to Elena Passarello's "Animals Strike Curious Poses" and marvel at her modern bestiary....

Nozlee Samadzadeh-Hadidi, producer of The Tournament of Books for The Morning News, drops by the Damn Library to help wrap up this year's tournament with Christopher and Drew. Drinks are drunk, ancient history is drudged up, least favorites are spilled, and Nozlee even explains how she edits judgments for spoilers when she hasn't read the books. visit somanydamnbooks.com for book lists and drink r...

Just before winning a Whiting Award, Kaitlyn Greenidge brought her debut novel "We Love You, Charlie Freeman" to the Damn Library. She confesses to hating animals, amongst other deep explications, and then we switch to talking the genre of "sexy-ckens" with Sarah Waters' "Tipping the Velvet," a novel whose filthy title is only the start of the sex within its pages. 15 seconds of a song: Javelin -...

Jonathan Lee takes a dip into the Damn Library, talking his novel High Dive over a cocktail named after chlorine that surely doesn't taste like chlorine. The ensuing discussion includes fatherhood, pool water, and political awakenings - particularly those of Antonio Tabucchi's "Pereira Maintains." Or does he declare? Of course, Drew and Christopher take a break to chat about the Tournament of Book...

Francine Prose joins C+D in the Damn Library for some lively talk of theater that misses the mark, thwarted ambitions, and following the characters of her newest novel, Mister Monkey. They also get into Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson, and Francine heartily recommends a foreign film that will "change your life." And of course there is a brief Tournament of Books interlude. (Caw!) 15 seconds of a song...

Drew and Christopher take a break from tournament reading to enjoy some books that break the mold, namely Alejandro Zambra's Multiple Choice and Sarah Manguso's Ongoingness. The merits of breaking the mold is discussed, along with other topics, like the Disney Vault and Arrested Development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Other than this sentence, not a single reference to Valentine's Day is in this podcast. Megan Abbott stops by the Damn Library with her newest novel, You Will Know Me. We discuss prodigies and the grit of teenage gymnasts, and then dismount the pommel horse into the quarry of Patricia Highsmith's slow burn suburban thriller, Deep Water. Drinks are consumed, dark jokes abound.   (buy our shirt): ht...

After a long hiatus, Drew and Christopher are back in the Damn Library, explaining what the Tournament of Books is, why they like it, and what seems like the favorite to win this year.  New logo by Jefferson Wiggins. jeffersonwiggins.com GO BUY A TSHIRT: https://teespring.com/stores/so-many-damn-books 15 seconds of a song: Free the Bees - Chicken Payback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Snowed in, the guys decide to record an episode, because why not? They discuss L. Frank Baum, and then an unexpected visitor shows up in the form of Uli Beutter Cohen, founder of Subway Book Review and co-creator of the new literary newsletter Eye Level. Drinks are drunk, halls are decked, christmas trees are discussed at length. Happy Holidays from So Many Damn Books! Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

In this one, the guys look to escape their lives for a bit with some epic fantasy, and they do so via a duologetic ticket to Leigh Bardugo's Grisha-verse. After they extoll the book's virtues and consider the difficulties of escapism, they jump into their Top 6 of 2016. 15 seconds of a song: Lou Rawls - "Merry Christmas Baby" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The indomitable, incomparable Lisa Lutz stops by the Damn Library for a career retrospective. Drew and Christopher very nearly contain their rabid fandom and talk the Spellman Files series, "The Passenger," "Heads You Lose," and "How to Start a Fire," as well as why it might not have been the best choice to read Georges Simenon's "Dirty Snow" right around the election. Also, the cocktail doesn't n...

Christopher and Drew are joined by Jade Chang to chat about a road trip, writing what is most challenging, and aliens. Jade likes how cozy it is in the library and the guys love how cozy "The Wangs vs. The World" is as a novel. Then the aliens, because Margaret Wappler's Neon Green is about aliens, sort of.  15 Seconds of a Song: Ashes of American Flags - Wilco Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

Kathleen Donohoe drops by the Damn Library to talk about her book, Ashes of Fiery Weather, and all the historical disasters contained within, as well as her personal connections to Brooklyn. Surprise '98 National Book Award winner Charming Billy by Alice McDermott is also discussed, and parallels are unlocked, like funerals! and Bridies! 15 seconds of a song: Maria Taylor's "Irish Goodbye"     Hos...

Hannah Pittard stops by the Damn Library to drink a classic cocktail bastardized by a substituted ingredient and discuss her book "Listen to Me" and Iain Reid's "I'm Thinking of Ending Things." Dread is discussed, as well as what makes for a good thriller, and Hannah explains why none of anything matters at all! Other fun revelations too! 15 seconds of a song - "Willow Weep for Me" by Muzzy Marcel...

Christopher and Drew invite Teddy Wayne to the Damn Library, and he brings along his new "zeitgeist-y" novel, Loner, as well as Rebecca Schiff's short story collection The Bed Moved. The literary reader's intelligence is praised, the drink is overtly symbolic, and technology in fiction is discussed in earnest. This is our 50th episode! To celebrate, leave us a nice rating on iTunes, and share our...

Christopher and Drew are joined by returning guest Alexandra Kleeman. They all drink a cocktail named after a character who moonlights in both her short story collection "Intimations" and, maybe, within Robert Coover's "Pricksongs and Descants." They discuss being a person-person, talk fiction-fiction, and why puzzle-stories are sometimes best left unrevisited. Amongst other things. 15 seconds of...

Christopher and Drew drink Firewhiskey Juleps and get feisty about the new story in the Harry Potter-verse. Fan fiction, Sherlock Holmes, and second Death Stars are amongst the subjects mentioned. No one gets hurt. 15 seconds of a song: Harry and the Potters, "Save Ginny" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher and Drew sit down with a whiskey drink sweetened with the blood of maraschino cherries, and discuss Donna Tartt's marginalized sophomore novel, The Little Friend. Unjustly pushed to the side? Or lesser entry in the Tartt Canon? They also briefly discuss show spin-offs. 15 seconds of a song: Adam Green - "Friends of Mine"   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Evan Hanczor, chef at Egg in Williamsburg, drops by the damn library with Tortilla Espanola and the tale of serving a meal inspired by Zora Neale Hurston's classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God. The connection of food and fiction is discussed. Drew gets worked up by Hemingway, Christopher eats food to spite characters sometimes. Evan recommends cookbooks, too. 15 seconds of a song: Sharon Jones &...

Christopher and Drew decide it's never too early for list making, and choose six favorites from the year to date (2016). Then they get out their crystal ball and look forward to books coming out for the rest of the year. Summertime reading, awayyyyy! 15 seconds of a song: The Monkees - You Bring the Summer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.