The Bookish Life

Our bookish conversation this week centered around Phil's book, Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917 - 1921 , and a few snippets from our friends at The Guardian where writer Murakami asks "Who would I be if I weren't seeking anything?" We are both really excited about his new book coming out this week, Novelist as a Vocation.   We talked about all of this stuff, too! The Secret History by...

Phil is back and ready to talk books. Here's what we discussed this week: The Trees by Percival Everett Starry Messenger by Neil DeGrasse Tyson Civil Wars and Reconstructions in the Americas: The United States, Mexico, and Argentina, 1860-1880 Trespasses by Louise Kennedy We Are the Light by Matthew Quick

Phil is out this week, but our friend Blake Taylor joined Sara for this week's podcast.  Here's what we talked about: Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro Selected Poems of Wendell Berry The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis The Scandal of Holiness by Jessica Hooten Wilson

Sara goes back and talks more about the new Kevin Wilson book, Now Is Not the Time to Panic ! Phil talked about The Trees by Percival Everett and what makes it a great book club pick.  Here is what we're excited about the week of October 18th! Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro Accidental Gods: On Race, Empire, and Men Unwittingly Turned Divine by Anna Della Subin

In this week's podcast, Phil hesitantly talks about his latest read, THE CASE AGAINST THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION by Louise Perry .  Sara discusses Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen which was our book club pick for September.  New Releases this week: Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America by Cody Keenan Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese Billie Starr's Book of Sorries by De...

Here's what we talked about in this week's podcast. Happy Listening! 

Phil and Sara talk each other out of their reading slumps this week. Here's what we talked about: All things Larry McMurtry Troy by Stephen Fry. Listen to it HERE!  The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead The Magician by Colm Toibin Man of Iron by Troy Senik Sex with Presidents by Eleanor Herman The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream by Jeannie Zusy

Happy September! Here's a look at what we talked about on this week's episode. Happy Reading!  Up from the Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times by Aaron Sachs Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty  Fairy Tale by Stephen King Ithaca by Claire North  I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (audiobook) 

Here's what Sara and Phil talked about this week: Up From the Depths by Aaron Sachs Acne by Laura Chinn Tesla: Wizard at War by Marc Seifer The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us by Mike Mariani The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Here's what we talked about this week: Ithaca by Claire North Joan by Katherine J. Chen Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver All The Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work by Hayley Campbell Elizabeth...

Sara forces Phil to bring up Douglas MacArthur one more time, but then we get into some fantastically feminist retellings. One today's episode, we discuss Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine Chen, Ithaca by Claire North, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean,    If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals about Human Stupidity by Justin Gregg, Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi...

Phil is back from vacation, so we catch up with our reading and discuss burning questions like "What do you read on vacation?"  In today's episode we discuss William Manchester's book AMERICAN CAESAR: DOUGLAS MCARTHUR 1880-1964, David Sedaris' HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, Sandra Newman's THE MEN, Adam Langor's CYCLORAMA, THE BOOK EATERS by Sunyi Dean, MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS by Anthony Marra, and THE MA...

We are including Phil's passage from William Manchester's book about Douglas MacArthur here. Do you have a passage that moved you this week? Tell us about it!  "Captain Arthur McArthur was more austere than Judge MacArthur - he was, in fact, something of a stuffed shirt - but now and then he displayed flashes of wit. As Douglas told the story late in life, his father was serving on a military...