So Many Damn Books

Christopher and Drew bring back the One Book, One New York episode for another go, this time reading the city's choice of Jennifer Egan's Manhattan Beach. They talk its pleasures, and diving costumes, and the possibilities of New York, as well as the genre of historical fiction, and their ideal choices for next year. And of course, they recommend a lot of other things to read, as is their wont. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

R.O. Kwon buzzes in with her buzzy book, The Incendiaries, and the guys get to talk to her about stuff like campus novels, North Korea, how likely they would be to join a cult, and also Rachel Khong's Goodbye Vitamin, and how to write lightly about devastation, a re-read for D+C that inspires a chat about seeing it in a new light.  contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Megan Abbott returns to the Damn Library for her new book Give Me Your Hand, and Christopher cooks up a color changing cocktail to celebrate. The guys get into Megan's dual jobs as novelist and tv writer, her thriller philosophy, and how writing people who are smart rather than brawny is a challenge. They also talk Lisa Halliday's Asymmetry, its relation to Phillip Roth, and some of their own desert island discs. And lots more! contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Hodgman joins the gentlemen in the Damn Library to talk about all sorts of things, from a Borges scholar posing for a picture to reading rehab after being a professional literary agent. A blueberry-based beverage is enjoyed. We talk his new book, Vacationland, as well as his performance career, becoming a character, and lots of other things that will delight and surprise. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic - Late to the Station (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher and Drew hang in the Damn Library and talk about the books they've liked so far this year, the books they are going to read next, and some of the books they are excited about that are soon to be in the world. The book titles come fast and furious, TBR piles climbing as high as the temperatures. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic - Easy Life (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hannah Pittard drops back into the Damn Library after writing and editing and publishing an entire new novel called Visible Empire! While drinking a cocktail featuring guava and egg white, she and the guys get way into 1962, how you need to make sure your ex knows where you got your ideas from, and how you should always kill the dog, amongst other topics. They also all discuss Ralph Ellison's classic novel Invisible Man, and how the speeches are excellent, it's devastating, but there's also nice parts.  contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic - Get Raining (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephanie Danler drops by the Damn Library for a second go around, this time to talk the Sweetbitter television adaptation she created, now on Starz. We discuss the Disneyland of production, why writers' rooms are great, and how she doesn't really live in Los Angeles like her house would imply. Plus we got into Lorrie Moore's Anagrams, and its satellite stories, and the forgotten voids of the 80s. Christopher and Drew also overpromise on tote bags.   contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic - Get Raining (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time ever, a graphic memoirist stops by the Damn Library in the form of Amy Kurzweil, author of the graphic memoir Flying Couch! She also draws New Yorker cartoons! Listen as we chat about form and tone, board games and heartbreak, and more. We also get into Riad Sattouf's Arab of the Future, and why the graphic memoir is such a great medium! We hope it DRAWS you in! music: Disaster Magic - Pier 6 (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute! patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher and Drew hang out and explain themselves. They also talk their jobs, and formative reading experiences, and other subjects. music: Disaster Magic - Pier 6 (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute! patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Ames, writer of novels like Wake Up, Sir and I Pass Like Night, as well as series creator of Bored to Death and Blunt Talk, sits down in the Damn Library to talk his new pulp novella, You Were Never Really Here, as well as how he wrote funny to please his mom, actors he has loved working with, and why pulp interested him. We also get to chatting about Leonard Gardner's Fat City and terrible cases of second-novel-itis. Also, stop using straws. music: Disaster Magic - Room (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute! patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher and Drew talk about PEN's 2018 World Voices Festival - check out their website of events! https://worldvoices.pen.org/schedule/ music: Disaster Magic - Desert Snake and Coconut Crab (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute! patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com   This minisode was sponsored by PEN America - www.pen.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruth Curry joins the guys in the Damn Library fresh off her #TOB18 judge-ship to chat about all sorts of things, like balancing her reading life and her work life, what she reads for at Emily Books, and why she has a Tiny Letter. We also get to chattin' about Sigrid Nunez's The Friend, which is a book about academia and dogs, so of course everyone has a lot to say. music: Disaster Magic - Boston (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute! patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh my gosh! It's over! Listen to me and Drew talk about what we thought about the Tournament this year, and also, a couple books we really wish had been in the tournament! Bok bok to you! Become a sustaining member of the Tournament! https://themorningnews.org/page/membership Visit www.somanydamnbooks.com for drink recipes, book lists, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh my gosh it's still the tournament and we are feeling the madness! Listen to us talk about what's gone on so far, and also, some of the past tournament injustices! Become a sustaining member of the Tournament! https://themorningnews.org/page/membership Visit www.somanydamnbooks.com for drink recipes, book lists, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher and Drew wrestle up Gabe Habash to drink, chat, and be merry. Christopher serves everyone a very strange cocktail based on Habash's Stephen Florida, then dive right into the very strange headspace of Mr. Florida. They discuss plot points vs. follow points, Moby Dick, and more, before falling for the dual plots of Iris Murdoch's The Nice and The Good. More Murdoch and much more in general, too! music: Disaster Magic - Desert Snake and Coconut Crab (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute! patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher and Drew prognosticate! The first round is still underway, but we still wanted to talk about what's gone on so far, and what might happen for the end of the round. Become a sustaining member of the Tournament! https://themorningnews.org/page/membership Visit www.somanydamnbooks.com for drink recipes, book lists, and more!   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Darnielle, lead singer of the Mountain Goats and writer of Universal Harvester and Wolf in White Van, sits down in the Damn Library for a far-ranging conversation covering everything from addiction to translated fiction. They talk about being frightened and why John writes, along with a myriad of other things. John also brings Mathias Énard's one-sentence novel Zone (translated by Charlotte Mandell) to the guys, and they discuss hypnosis and dispel some 90s nostalgia.  music: Disaster Magic - Volkswagen Folklore (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute to our patreon! patreon.com/smdb for book lists, drink recipes, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even though the Tournament won't officially start until after this episode has been posted, we're champing at the bit to get some prognostications going. So, for all you other ToB diehards - this one's for you. 9 minutes of tournament talk with Christopher and Drew. Get into it (and check back next week for some recapping and further predictions)! #tob18   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Lyon sits down in the Damn Library as the first guest of 2018. She presents her incredible new novel Self-Portait with Boy, and the guys ask questions about it, like about camera research, and changing DUMBO, and other New York-type things. Then they all discuss Eileen Myles' Afterglow and discuss how much of this "dog memoir" worked, and how much was just Eileen Myles-ing around. music: Disaster Magic - Get Raining (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute to our patreon! patreon.com/smdb for book lists, drink recipes, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katherine Faw drops into the Damn Library to talk about things like drugstore sushi, writing about women with ambition, and nail art. Then they all chat about Fleur Jaeggy's Sweet Days of Discipline and how it subverts the expectations of the normal boarding school novel. Tequila is consumed. music: Disaster Magic (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) contribute! pateron.com/smdb look for book lists, drink recipes, and more! somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.