The Summer Reading Podcast

Marty is back! And what better book to jump back into after having a child than... The Hunger Games ? Hmmm... wait, maybe not so much. But there's a lot to dive into - favorite characters, politics, capitalist structures, and yes, intense violence involving children. Yeesh. Hear Jack and Marty's thoughts on the first book in this blockbuster YA series, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!...

Jack's mum Rosa returns for another maternity leave special! And don't you know it, we are reading Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Did they love it? Did they hate it? WHO KNOWS Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Whoa now Jack, uh, he's back with another solo episode talking about his favorite children's series of all time: A Series of, um, Unfortunate Events! Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Oh, boy, Jack's back writing another episode copy. Did you know he once shared an office with a guy who used to write copy and that guy described it as the most miserable point in his life? Anyway, John Steinbeck wrote The Pearl and Jack's Mum Rosa is back as guest host? Does she like this one more than Flannery O'Connor? I'll spare you the suspense. Yes. Send us thoughts, comments...

Jack's Mum joins us as our first ever guest host as we read the short story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor. And you can join us, too, as we learn that O'Connor is not an Irishman as well as learn that Rosa isn't a fan of short stories Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail...

There's another BABY in the world! While Marty's on maternity leave, I snuck into the studio, poured myself a drink, and went on a rant concerning several opinions on Young Adult Literature. Enjoy, or else! Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

The copy gets easier with practice. Uh. Oh, yeah. My friends--this is Jack again, btw--my friends, I got this book for Marty for Christmas and we just had to talk about it. You know how it is. Zevin's amazing. This book's amazing. Just listen. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Hey there! It's Jack again for this one. Crap, Marty's so good at the copy. Alright, folks, you're in for a good one today. Hurston! She's one of THE American writers. This is one of THE American books. We're talking LOVE and PASSION and SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE and COMMUNITY and, uh, DIALECTICS. We've got it all! Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at...

Hoo boy. Jack's writing the copy for these episodes, so bear with us. Okay so, this episode we, uh, oh jeez, we talk about Feminist writings, the infantilization of women, and Gilman's history of being a eugenicist. Okay! Copy that. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Jack and Marty dive into the madness of Voltaire's most famous work. The hard-hitting questions are answered, like - when was this book actually published? What's the deal with El Dorado? Does this remind anyone else of college? :-[ Join Jack and Marty as they discuss the classic, Candide by Voltaire! Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerr...

Jack and Marty CAN'T STOP talking about Meyer's conclusion. Bonus episode for listeners who CAN'T STOP too ;)

And just when you thought things couldn't get more vampiric, we have Breaking Dawn , the fourth book in the Twilight series. Hear Marty's take on vampire birth, Jack's experience reading Breaking Dawn while on a weekend away with his Dad, and both podcasters' general disdain for the Twilight franchise. Are we done here? Who even knows.  Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd l...

Ooof. Revisit Terabithia with Jack and Marty as they discuss friendship, bonding as outcasts, and processing grief and loss. Paterson certainly knows how to pack a punch. It's possible one of the hosts was weeping over lunch at this one... listen to find out who! Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Coon hunting, American exceptionalism, and masculinity abound. The dogs are pretty great, and the quarter bag of candy. And trophies are always fun... but does there *really* have to be so much hunting??? Join Jack and Marty as they discuss that oft-assigned classic, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.  Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email...

It's ALIVE!!! Imagine being a fly on the wall when Shelley came up with this story. Discussions of the creature's eloquence and Dr. Frankenstein's idiocy (and asshole-ery). What on earth were they thinking in pretty much every film adaptation? Do we even get into Mel Brooks or Frankenstein's bride? Listen now to hear Jack & Marty's take on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Send us thoughts, commen...

Capitalism, Christmas cheer, the Muppets and Mr. Magoo - that's right, we're talking A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens! So grab some cocoa or mulled wine, sit in front of a roaring fire and be ready to be visited by the ghosts of Jack and Marty. Bah, humbug! Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Marty and Jack dive headfirst into the land of sparkly vampires yet again, and ask the hard-hitting questions. Like, where did Jacob's charm and personality go? WTF is up with Charlie? And do we really need to make teenage girls feel so guilty about being attracted to *gasp* more than one person?! All this and more as we discuss Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer! Send us thoughts, comments and book sugge...

Bleak world views, insects vs arachnids, chicken sandwiches, and being drunk on wine vs. bourbon. What would Kafka think of this merriment? Find out, as Jack and Marty delve into The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.  

An American children's classic! Marty and Jack dive into the amazingness of spiders, wonder what Fern's deal is, and reveal at least one embarrassing truth about the initials "E.B." - listeners, we bring you Charlotte's Web  by E.B. White. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Ever wanted to ramble through a complex poem? Do you sometimes feel like you're too dumb to understand a piece of art but really like it anyway? Do you dare to eat a peach? Well, Jack and Marty have you covered on all counts in their discussion of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock  by T.S. Eliot. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summe...

Gilmore Girls tie-ins, the Treehouse of Horrors, talking birds, and musings on what it would be like to hang out with Poe. Listen as Jack and Marty dive into the classic spooky poem, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Cold marble vampires vs. hot motorcycle riding werewolves, angst, the obvious need for an editor, and why oh why did this series have such success?! Series week continues as Jack and Marty discuss New Moon, the second story in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

The woes of being a governess, passionate love vs. practical affection, and women who decide to ::gasp:: go back to work when tragedy strikes. Jack and Marty dive into one of the lesser-known Bronte tales, Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

19th-century childhood, mysterious attic dwellers, passionate love, and yet another musical theatre adaptation. Listen to Jack and Marty's take on the sweeping Gothic romance, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.

Ghosts, soap operas, and MTV adaptations. Are you more of a Charlotte, Emily, or Anne? Listen as Jack and Marty are swept into the moors discussing Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Send us thoughts, comments and book suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com.