There Will Be Books

Two weeks ago Matt walked under a ladder, and the next day Peter had a kidney stone attack and Matt developed nerve pain. Coincidence? Maybe. So after a couple weeks of recovery we're back! And we're discussing a fantastic American classic, Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey. Join us as we dissect the indelible Stamper family and go into what makes this a classic. High recommend from us both. E...

Awhile back we created fantasy football teams with authors, we put a lot of thought and effort into this silly idea and we enjoyed it so much that we are back for baseball. Tonight, learn how much Matt loves this concept. Would he abandon everything and create fake author baseball teams all over the country? Maybe. As for Peter, his choice at catcher certainly didn't make sense but he wouldn't hav...

It's been too long. We're back and picking our newest book club selection. But first, since we haven't recorded an episode in a little while, we both have some side books we've been listening to or reading. Plus, Peter rushes through a library book sale haul. Then we come to the main event, picking a new book club selection and since it's summer we selected a funny, satirical, and enjoyable book*....

David Mitchell is a favorite author of ours and tonight we're discussing his novel "Black Swan Green." A brilliant coming of age novel, full of humor, insight, wonder, and compassion. Mitchell is an amazing storyteller and writer and we discuss why he succeeds at creating such memorable characters and stories. Finally, we look at this novel in relation to his other works. Needless to say, high rec...

Longtime listener and friend of the show, author Sam Ernst stops by to discuss his debut novel, The New Manifesto. We delve into the process of how the novel came to be, and some of the backstory to this fun and creative metafictional work. We also discuss music criticism, islands, alternate history books, future books, and more. We had a great time talking to Sam and recommend you check out his b...

Another month means picking another book club selection. We decided to do something slightly different this month, we nominated all non-fiction books. A varied and interesting group of books were nominated and we think we ended on a very interesting selection. Of course, we discussed all things other than books including Xavier University, starting a farm, and more! Enjoy. Books Discussed A Time o...

We've got a bit of everything on this episode. We venture from Chris Rock to Laurent Binet, from long movies to box chain book stores. We end on Matt stashing books under the baby stroller. Hope you enjoy this hodgepodge of an episode and please tell Matt he needs to start making BookTok videos for us. Enjoy! Books mentioned Civilizations by Laurent Binet The New Manifesto by Sam Ernst Contact Us:...

Much like a complex board game, Dorothy Dunnett's novel "The Game of Kings" is difficult to understand but with effort and patience the reader is rewarded with a complex story and engrossing characters. We both agree this book is probably not for everybody but we discuss why we're glad we read it. A large part of why we liked the book is the main character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, a memorable...

We're a little late, (when are we not?) but we're nominating books for our newest Book Club selection. We both struggled for inspiration, but in the end another fantastic collection of book we're discussed and I think the listener will enjoy our selection for March. Along the way, Matt tells a story, admits to subterfuge, and gives Peter a birthday present. Enjoy! Books Nominated: Sharp Objects by...

Grab your pen and paper because we're adding a bunch of books to our respective TBR's. Much like adding movies to your Netflix queue, sometimes nothing feels better than talking about books you wanna read but may not have time to get to. Each of us has 5 books and there are some really interesting titles, hopefully something for everybody. But first, we start with talking about books we read or li...

We may not act like the literary theory type, but tonight we're giving it our best go. We're discussing the endlessly interesting novel, "The Red and The Black," by Stendhal. A psychological novel rooted in the Bourbon Restoration, Stendhal gives us an intimate portrait of Julien Sorel and post Napoleonic France. We talk about the plot, characters, and our favorite sections but we also discuss the...

We begin with a classic story involving Matt, sushi, grocery store bathrooms, and Gary Oldman. Next, Peter has simple complaint about Marvel movies. And finally, we nominate a host of books for our February Book Club. This was a fun episode to record. Enjoy! Books nominated: The Expendable Man by Dorothy Hughes The Fisher King by Anthony Powell Tell No One by Harlan Coben Francisco Goya by Evan S...

We begin the year with a Sci-Fi classic, "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov. Tonight we discuss why this book is so popular, which of the major themes  are most interesting and more. Enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @therewillbbooks Email willbebooks@gmail.com Goodreads: Therewillbebooks ko-fi.com/therewillbbooks patreon.com/therewillbbooks

Terry Pratchett was prolific, beloved, and a bestseller many times over and yet neither of us had read anything of his. Well we corrected that this week by reading "Hogfather," book 20 in Pratchett's comic fantasy series Discworld. We discuss the humor and meaning behind this work and discuss Pratchett's impressive output and quality. Highly recommend from both of us. Enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram...

Jam packed episode including, football talk, book review, new book club selection, and Peter struggling to pronounce author's name. We begin by inviting listeners to join is on our Patreon, where we talk football and books. Then we discuss Ursula K Le Guin's novel The Beginning Place. And lastly we select a January book from a list of our strongest nominations. Along the way, Peter struggles with...

Tonight we're looking back at all the books we've read for the podcast this year and handing out some awards. Find out who or what we thought was the best villain, best doomed protagonist, best scene, and more! We also give our award for our book and writer of the year. Plus, we look forward to 2022 and make some resolutions. Enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @therewillbbooks E...

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" is a classic in the genre and tonight we're discussing the novel's complexity, style, and historical context. Both of us had attempted John Le Carre in the past and bailed, but this time we plowed through a mysterious beginning to find a story full of interesting characters, complex plotting, and rising tension. Enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @the...

Matt has a new job and Peter has eaten too many cookies but that's not important. What's important is selecting the December book. As always many great nominations, and I don't know if it's the holiday spirit but we once again couldn't help ourselves with just one book....we selected two! Listen and hopefully we selected the books you found most interesting. Enjoy! Books Nominated: Holidays on Ice...

We read Sarah Waters' novel "The Little Stranger," and on this episode we discuss why Waters is such an excellent writer and how she cleverly constructs this story and heightens the tension along the way. We discuss theories and plot points and wonder who is ultimately haunting the characters. Hope you enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @therewillbbooks Email willbebooks@gmail.c...

The holidays are just around the corner so we thought we'd discuss our time as booksellers in a large retail bookstore. We look back at the bestsellers that year and reminisce on our time in book retail. Plus, Matt's visiting family, so he went through some books from home and we do a live book haul! Enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @therewillbbooks Email willbebooks@gmail.com...

It's that time again, book club nominations!! This month we'e both confident in our nominations and themes. So enjoy a friendly ramble about books and hopefully you'll join us this month in reading our exciting book club selection. Books mentioned: Essay by George Orwell (Penguin Classics Edition) Kim by Rudyard Kipling Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad T...

This week we're discussing the 1898 novella, "The Turn of the Screw," by Henry James. This classic "ghost" story has been praised and dissected for over a century and we join the debate to discuss the classic ghost story question, are the ghosts real?  But first, Peter has two new release recommends! Finally, after a couple duds to start the fall release season, Peter has one fiction and one...

This week we're discussing the Edith Wharton classic novel, "The House of Mirth." A novel that is still relevant, relatable, and insightful. We discuss the memorable, tragic, and complex lead character, Lily Bart. A character who struggles to navigate the Gilded Age society of New York City. Definitely, a classic that lives up the billing. Enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @the...

We start this episode with a hypothetical, then Peter discusses the new Richard Powers' novel "Bewilderment." Finally, we nominate books for our Fall seasonal read. Lots of great books nominated and I think we landed on an exciting choice. Enjoy! Books mentioned: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey An American Tragedy by Th...

We stole some horses, rounded up some cattle, and headed out west for this episode. We read the classic western, Lonesome Dove and on this episode we rave about this much beloved classic. We discuss all aspects of this novel including delving into an all-time great cast of characters. We loved this book and hope you enjoy this episode. Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @therewillbbook...