Podcasts by Book Spider
Book Spider (previously known as The God Setebos) is a book-of-the-week podcast primarily covering novels, with the occasional detour into nonfiction, literary criticism, poetry, and music. We pride ourselves in running a smart podcast for the discerning listener, and we strive for the highest level of intellectual rigor.
Our mascot, the book spider, sits in its cold corner, gathering its web of text, looking at the world with its calm, chilly eyes.
Further podcasts by Xi Draconis Books
Podcast on the topic Bücher
All episodes
S4 Ep38: David Nikki Crouse's I'm Here: Alaska Stories from 2023-12-07T16:36:37
In this episode, the spiders are joined by a special guest, the author of several notable short story collections, David Nikki Crouse. We ask David craft questions about their most recent stor...
Listen
S4 Ep37: Ben Okri's The Famished Road and the worst tendencies of magical realism from 2023-11-19T20:55:52
In which the Spiders grudgingly admit to not connecting with Ben Okri's legendary The Famished Road, inspiration for the best early Radiohead song, and a novel which works much better in bits ...
Listen
S4 Ep36: The Future of Literacy and Vernor Vinge's Novel, Rainbows End from 2023-10-30T02:25:05
Note: Some audio issues with our mics in this episode. Apologies for the diminished quality.
In this episode, the boys discuss the future of literacy - in large par... Listen
In this episode, the boys discuss the future of literacy - in large par... Listen
S4 Ep35: Literary Olives and the Distortions of the Moment in Richard Powers's Galatea 2.2 from 2023-10-11T02:39:26
The Spiders are unsure how to approach Richard Powers's Galatea 2.2, a novel which they find eerily predictive of the methods used to build contemporary AI programs like ChatGPT. Does the cont...
Listen
S4 Ep34: Is it ethically okay to enjoy the work of monstrous artists? from 2023-09-26T05:00:05
A discussion of Mary Beth Willard's"Why it's OK to enjoy the work of immoral artists,"a philosophical text which advances the titular thesis, with a specific focus on Hans and Patrick's relationshi...
Listen
S4 Ep33: Truth, Morals, and Intention in Literature: Aristotle's Poetics and More from 2023-08-29T12:59:59
In this episode, the Book Spider hosts discuss three important questions in literature: Can literature contain or reveal truth? What is the relationship between literature and morality? And ho...
Listen
S4 Ep32: Cultural Insensitivity and Beautiful Language in Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory from 2023-08-07T01:47:38
In this episode, we discuss the tiny, ugly ways an otherwise beautifully written novel can age, as well as Patrick's inclination to invoke WWOD (What Would Orwell Do?).
Listen
S4 Ep30: Interpolations and Internal States in Checkout 19 from 2023-07-17T03:27
The Spiders puzzle admiringly over Claire-Louise Bennett's Checkout 19, which uses interpolated stories and a fractured narrative to explore the barriers facing artistically inclined women in ...
Listen
S4 Ep31: The Art of Making Meaninglessness Comforting in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from 2023-07-02T18:51:10
In this episode, we discuss the lasting phenomenon that is the Hitchhikers' media series. Just why is it so popular? It's not extraordinarily profound. It's certainly not upbeat, either. But: ...
Listen
S4 Ep29: Moral Ambiguity and Magical Fetishism in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge from 2023-06-15T15:06:08
In this episode, the Book Spider hosts tackle The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy. Casterbridge is a complex novel about the rise and fall of Michael Henchard. After dramatically sellin...
Listen
S4 Ep28: Female Perspectives and the Weight of Submission in The Unbearable Lightness of Being from 2023-04-23T22:37:20
Does submission to fate bring weight or lightness? Can Milan Kundera find the clit? Special guest Sarah Ashcraft joins us to discuss The Unbearable Lightness of being, a novel whose deceptive ...
Listen
S4 Ep27: What the hell is happening in our heads in Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse from 2023-04-10T03:43:54
In this episode, we discuss the close attention Woolf gives to her characters and how mercurial and impermanent we are under her atomic analysis. We also discuss why, it seems, To the Lighthou...
Listen
S4 Ep26: Empathy and Indeterminacy in Russell Banks' Lost Memory of Skin from 2023-03-26T15:54:10
In this episode, the Book Spider hosts discuss Lost Memory of Skin, a novel that seeks to empathize with probably the most reviled subgroup in the entire world: pedophiles. The novel follows t...
Listen
S4 Ep25: On Quantum Theory and Social Justice in Namwali Serpell's The Furrows from 2023-03-04T23:27:15
The spiders attempt to fit together the refracting, self-contradictory plot and reconcile the competing thematic strands of Namwali Serpell's enigmatic The Furrows, which might or might not be...
Listen
S4 Ep24: Humor, Madness, and Existential Dread in Cormac McCarthy's newest duology: The Passenger and Stella Maris from 2023-02-16T04:36:07
In this episode we discuss McCarthy's newest two novels, published a couple months apart but obviously intended to be read together. And we talk about why, though they are excellent, these are such...
Listen
S4 Ep23: Erotic Grotesqueries in The Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire from 2023-01-29T19:28:44
In this episode, we discuss a collection of poems by Charles Baudelaire, The Flowers of Evil. This collection revels in despair and decay, in erotic death. Come along with us into the depths o...
Listen
S4 Ep22: Uncanny Perspectives on Art and Love in Robert Aickman's Painted Devils from 2023-01-15T09:00
The spider tackles Painted Devils, a collection of strange stories (perhaps not horror but darkly surreal in a horror-adjacent way) by the author Robert Aickman. Dense and enigmatic, these sto...
Listen
S4 Ep21: Authenticity in Drew Hayden Taylor's AlterNatives from 2022-12-29T04:02:01
In which we discuss, among other things:
- The proper level of shame one should feel for liking the television show Friends.
- Whether we would antagonize the rich hosts o... Listen
S4 Ep20: Being Mixed and Being American: Jean Toomer's Cane from 2022-11-28T17:11:35
In this episode, the hosts of Book Spider discuss Jean Toomer's Cane, a collection of poems and stories that evoke rural Georgia of the early 1900s. The critic Henry Louis Gates Jr. calls atte...
Listen
S4 Ep19: On Irresolution and Indeterminacy in Dana Spiotta's Wayward from 2022-11-13T22:39:06
The podcast's second go-round with author Dana Spiotta sees us dig into her most recent novel Wayward, which makes a bold effort to argue for nuance and subtlety in the sociopolitical chaos fo...
Listen
S4 Ep18: Heinrich Böll's Billiards at Half Past Nine from 2022-10-19T01:52:33
This week, we discuss Böll's compelling but messy multigenerational, German POV reflection on the World Wars, evil, and their impact on the lives of common people.
Listen
S4 Ep17: Psychological Dread in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca from 2022-09-16T16:41:16
This episode, the Book Spider gang discusses an early suspense / psychological thriller novel, Rebecca, which deals with the melancholia a nameless narrator experiences when she marries a rich...
Listen
S4 Ep16: Benjamin Labatut's When We Cease to Understand the World from 2022-09-04T20:24:50
This week we're dissecting a book which mixes fiction and nonfiction in ways which are enigmatic, compelling, and -- to some readers -- morally suspicious. Benjamin Labatut's When We Cease to ...
Listen
S4 Ep15: Joshua Ferris's Then We Came to the End from 2022-08-22T01:51:41
This week, we discuss Ferris's famous "we" novel about late 2000s office space culture, and get briefly melancholic about what work friends felt like in the pre-pandemic world.
Listen
S4 Ep14: Michael Flynn's Eifelheim from 2022-08-05T15:23:25
This episode, which discusses the modern-day sci-fi classic Eifelheim, features a rarity: all three podcasters agreeing on the quality of the text. Enjoy!
Listen
S4 Ep13: Joseph McElroy's Lookout Cartridge from 2022-07-04T04:14:52
In this episode the three Spiders do their damnedest to wrap their heads around Lookout Cartridge, which is generally agreed to be the best novel by Joseph McElroy, an enigmatic postmodernist ...
Listen
S4 Ep12: Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler from 2022-06-22T02:15:52
This week, we discuss Calvino's willful commitment to celebrate the act of reading by refusing to give readers what they want - over and over and over again.
Listen
S4 Ep11: Human and Nonhuman Minds in Paul Auster's Timbuktu and Olaf Stapledon's Sirius from 2022-06-03T16:02:47
In this episode, we compare two novels with dog protagonists and discuss form, technique, and how a writer can represent nonhuman minds.
Listen
S4 Ep10: Tanya Tagaq's Split Tooth from 2022-05-16T19:38
The Book Spider crew puzzles over Tanya Tagaq's Split Tooth, a novelish work whose mixture of bleak slice-of-life vignettes with a more fantastic, spiritual register seems like it might be magical ...
Listen
S4 Ep9: Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser from 2022-05-08T19:27:48
In this episode, we discuss the dreamy, expansive, magical, and somehow also frustrating Martin Dressler, as well as some right and wrong ways to criticize capitalist systems.
Listen
S4 Ep8: Natalie Kusz's Road song from 2022-05-02T17:14:31
In this episode, we discuss the intriguing, awesome memoir Road Song by Natalie Kusz. Check it out, if you want to be impressed.
Listen
S4 Ep7: Patricia Lockwood's No One is Talking About This from 2022-04-09T21:31
No One is Talking About This is a hilarious, moving and disorienting novel about communication and the search for authentic experience in contemporary networked and mediated Western life, and ...
Listen
S4 Ep6: Graham Swift's Waterland from 2022-03-26T12:06
In this episode, Hans and Patrick patiently butcher and then discard the disappointing cuts of Chris's pick, Waterland - a novel he's sure he remembers liking, the first time he read it.
Listen
S4 Ep5: George Orwell's Coming Up For Air from 2022-03-12T13:07:18
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Orwell's hilarious Coming Up for Air, the best of his lesser known novels.
Listen
S4 Ep4: J.G. Ballard's High Rise and the Dystopia of Modernity from 2022-02-20T01:08
Take a trip up the apartment building of death with J.G. Ballard's classic tale of social disintegration, High Rise. Scrupulously faithful to the cold details of modern mechanized life while i...
Listen
S4 Ep3: Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis from 2022-02-05T20:29
In this episode, the Book Spider crew discusses Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis, which is deals with haircuts, getting tazed, self immolation, the dehumanizing aspects of capitalism, and where limous...
Listen
S4 Ep2: Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly from 2022-01-29T13:38:56
In this episode, the Book Spider crew discusses PKD's A Scanner Darkly, which deals with addiction, authority, and the nature of identity. Enjoy!
Listen
S4 Ep1: Can Xue's Love in the New Millennium from 2022-01-12T00:08:56
Can Xue's Love in the New Millennium is a dense, confusing novel which portrays a complex web of relationships with no clear center, and lacks a conventional protagonist. It is, perhaps, a fit...
Listen
S3 Ep15: On Michael Crichton's Sphere from 2021-12-13T18:12:59
In this episode, we chat about Michael Chrichton's novel Sphere, which Hans claims is the only one of the popular novelist's books that has depth enough for an extended discussion.
Listen
S3 Ep15: On Michael Crichton's Sphere from 2021-12-13T18:12:59
In this episode, we chat about Michael Chrichton's novel Sphere, which Hans claims is the only one of the popular novelist's books that has depth enough for an extended discussion.
Listen
S3 Ep14: On Dana Spiotta's Eat the Document from 2021-10-29T16:38
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Dana Spiotta's Eat the Document, a novel that tells the story of two activists through shifting experiences and time periods. Check it out.
Listen
S3 Ep13: On Keith Gessen's A Terrible Country from 2021-10-15T16:36:42
In this episodes, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Keith Gessen's A Terrible Country, which is a novel that explores corruption in modern day Russia. Check it out.
Listen
S3 Ep13: On Keith Gessen's A Terrible Country from 2021-10-15T16:36:42
In this episodes, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Keith Gessen's A Terrible Country, which is a novel that explores corruption in modern day Russia. Check it out.
Listen
S3 Ep12: On Mieko Kawakami's Heaven from 2021-09-03T17:57
In this episode, we discuss a novel that explores Nietzschean philosophy in the context of two Japanese schoolkids who are subjected to ruthless bullying.
Listen
S3 Ep12: On Mieko Kawakami's Heaven from 2021-09-03T17:57
In this episode, we discuss a novel that explores Nietzschean philosophy in the context of two Japanese schoolkids who are subjected to ruthless bullying.
Listen
S3 Ep11: On Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from 2021-08-19T17:44
In this episode, we discuss the classic novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Turns out, it's kind of problematic.
Listen
S3 Ep11: On Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from 2021-08-19T17:44
In this episode, we discuss the classic novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Turns out, it's kind of problematic.
Listen
S3 Ep10: On William Shakespeare's Othello and Paula Marantz Cohen's Of Human Kindness from 2021-08-05T16:22:28
In this episode, we discuss William Shakespeare's Othello and refer to Paula Marantz Cohen's Of Human Kindness for critical context.
Listen
S3 Ep10: On William Shakespeare's Othello and Paula Marantz Cohen's Of Human Kindness from 2021-08-05T16:22:28
In this episode, we discuss William Shakespeare's Othello and refer to Paula Marantz Cohen's Of Human Kindness for critical context.
Listen
S3 Ep9: On Pola Oloixarac's Mona from 2021-07-21T16:41:38
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Pola Oloixarac's hilarious Mona, a satire of academia as well as a comment on the spiritual condition of woman.
Note to listeners: ... Listen
Note to listeners: ... Listen
S3 Ep9: On Pola Oloixarac's Mona from 2021-07-21T16:41:38
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Pola Oloixarac's hilarious Mona, a satire of academia as well as a comment on the spiritual condition of woman.
Note to listeners: I mistak... Listen
Note to listeners: I mistak... Listen
S3 Ep8: On Brian Catling's The Vorrh from 2021-07-03T13:30:35
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I trash a terrible book that has few redeeming qualities.
Listen
S3 Ep8: On Brian Catling's The Vorrh from 2021-07-03T13:30:35
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I trash a terrible book that has few redeeming qualities.
Listen
S3 Ep7: On Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man from 2021-06-18T15:49
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss the classic novel Invisible Man, which examines black identity, the sense of invisibility, and individuality in the fifties in the United States.
Listen
S3 Ep7: On Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man from 2021-06-18T15:49
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss the classic novel Invisible Man, which examines black identity, the sense of invisibility, and individuality in the fifties in the United States.
Listen
S3 Ep6: On Paul Auster's New York Trilogy from 2021-06-07T15:47:56
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a trilogy of novellas that deals with questions of identity and loss of self.
Listen
S3 Ep6: On Paul Auster's New York Trilogy from 2021-06-07T15:47:56
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a trilogy of novellas that deals with questions of identity and loss of self.
Listen
S3 Ep5: On Jess Walters' Cold Millions from 2021-05-28T15:26
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Cold Millions, a novel about the Wobblie movement in the early twentieth century in Spokane, Washington.
Listen
S3 Ep5: On Jess Walters' Cold Millions from 2021-05-28T15:26
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Cold Millions, a novel about the Wobblie movement in the early twentieth century in Spokane, Washington.
Listen
S3 Ep4: On Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre from 2021-05-17T17:17:30
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the classic of British Literature, Jane Eyre.
Listen
S3 Ep4: On Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre from 2021-05-17T17:17:30
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the classic of British Literature, Jane Eyre.
Listen
S3 Ep3: On Geoff Dyer's Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi from 2021-03-13T13:26:13
Hans, Chris, and I take a look at a strange work of fiction called a "diptych" by it's author. The book is split into two parts that don't have any plot connections, except that maybe they fea...
Listen
S3 Ep3: On Geoff Dyer's Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi from 2021-03-13T13:26:13
Hans, Chris, and I take a look at a strange work of fiction called a "diptych" by it's author. The book is split into two parts that don't have any plot connections, except that maybe they fea...
Listen
S3 Ep2: On Manil Suri's The Death of Vishnu from 2021-02-22T17:18:43
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a super interesting novel that examines ordinary people's pettiness in the face of suffering.
Listen
S3 Ep2: On Manil Suri's The Death of Vishnu from 2021-02-22T17:18:43
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a super interesting novel that examines ordinary people's pettiness in the face of suffering.
Listen
S3 Ep1: On Flannery O'Connor's Wiseblood from 2021-01-15T18:44:42
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Flannery O'Connor's short novel Wiseblood, in which WWII veteran Hazel Motes comes home to preach the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ Without C...
Listen
S3 Ep1: On Flannery O'Connor's Wiseblood from 2021-01-15T18:44:42
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Flannery O'Connor's short novel Wiseblood, in which WWII veteran Hazel Motes comes home to preach the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ Without C...
Listen
S2 Ep17: On John Steinbeck's East of Eden from 2020-12-18T17:59:20
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss John Steinbeck's East of Eden, a generational novel that uses the Cain and Abel story as an allegory to discuss familial love and duty.
Listen
S2 Ep17: On John Steinbeck's East of Eden from 2020-12-18T17:59:20
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss John Steinbeck's East of Eden, a generational novel that uses the Cain and Abel story as an allegory to discuss familial love and duty.
Listen
S2 Ep16: On Gustav Meyrink's The Golem from 2020-12-07T18:40:07
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss a strange, puzzling novel called The Golem. It's about a guy who mistakenly puts on another man's hat and then dreams the other man's life. There's ...
Listen
S2 Ep16: On Gustav Meyrink's The Golem from 2020-12-07T18:40:07
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss a strange, puzzling novel called The Golem. It's about a guy who mistakenly puts on another man's hat and then dreams the other man's life. There's ...
Listen
S2 Ep15: On Ted Chiang's Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others from 2020-11-17T20:11:31
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss two sci-fi short stories collections, both by Ted Chiang. We touch on a number of topics, including determinism, stories as thought experiments, and...
Listen
S2 Ep15: On Ted Chiang's Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others from 2020-11-17T20:11:31
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss two sci-fi short stories collections, both by Ted Chiang. We touch on a number of topics, including determinism, stories as thought experiments, and...
Listen
S2 Ep14: On Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day from 2020-11-02T19:24:50
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the quite massive Pynchon novel Against the Day. At times hilarious, at times confusing, this novel is definitely an experience.
Listen
S2 Ep14: On Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day from 2020-11-02T19:24:50
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the quite massive Pynchon novel Against the Day. At times hilarious, at times confusing, this novel is definitely an experience.
Listen
S2 Ep13: On Jia Qing Wilson-Yang's Small Beauty from 2020-10-08T18:36:20
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss a really fantastic novel about trans experience, Small Beauty. With a very quiet tone, the novel explores the life of Mei, a Chinese-Canadian trans ...
Listen
S2 Ep13: On Jia Qing Wilson-Yang's Small Beauty from 2020-10-08T18:36:20
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss a really fantastic novel about trans experience, Small Beauty. With a very quiet tone, the novel explores the life of Mei, a Chinese-Canadian trans ...
Listen
S2 Ep12: An Interview with Adi Callai, Author of The Sodomites from 2020-08-20T17:28:10
In this interview, Hans and I chat with Adi Callai, author of XDB's newest publication, The Sodomites.
Listen
S2 Ep12: An Interview with Adi Callai, Author of The Sodomites from 2020-08-20T17:28:10
In this interview, Hans and I chat with Adi Callai, author of XDB's newest publication, The Sodomites.
Listen
S2 Ep11: On Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory from 2020-08-19T13:24:05
In this episode, Hans and Chris discuss the extremely disturbing first novel of Iain Banks, The Wasp Factory. I listen in the background for a while before chiming in with thoughts that break ...
Listen
S2 Ep11: On Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory from 2020-08-19T13:24:05
In this episode, Hans and Chris discuss the extremely disturbing first novel of Iain Banks, The Wasp Factory. I listen in the background for a while before chiming in with thoughts that break ...
Listen
S2 Ep10: On Homer's The Odyssey from 2020-08-18T14:53:15
In this episode, Chris and I geek out a little over The Odyssey, a fantastic epic poem from the ancient world. Hans feels lost.
Listen
S2 Ep10: On Homer's The Odyssey from 2020-08-18T14:53:15
In this episode, Chris and I geek out a little over The Odyssey, a fantastic epic poem from the ancient world. Hans feels lost.
Listen
S2 Ep9: On Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from 2020-07-15T13:59:39
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I tackle a classic: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's a fantastic novel of ideas that asks questions about moral responsibility and evil.
Listen
S2 Ep9: On Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from 2020-07-15T13:59:39
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I tackle a classic: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's a fantastic novel of ideas that asks questions about moral responsibility and evil.
Listen
S2 Ep8: On Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge and Its Sequel, Myron from 2020-06-21T22:03:32
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the hilarious novel Myra Breckinridge, by Gore Vidal, and its lackluster sequel, Myron.
Listen
S2 Ep8: On Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge and Its Sequel, Myron from 2020-06-21T22:03:32
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the hilarious novel Myra Breckinridge, by Gore Vidal, and its lackluster sequel, Myron.
Listen
S2 Ep7: On John Milton's Paradise Lost from 2020-05-08T13:00
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, which gives an account of the apocrypha surrounding the Christian creation story.
Listen
S2 Ep7: On John Milton's Paradise Lost from 2020-05-08T13:00
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, which gives an account of the apocrypha surrounding the Christian creation story.
Listen
S2 Ep6: On Daryl Farmer's Where We Land from 2020-04-24T13:30
In this special episode, Hans, Chris, and I chat with Daryl Farmer on the topic of his short story collection Where We Land, which examines relationships and death in the context of the Americ...
Listen
S2 Ep6: On Daryl Farmer's Where We Land from 2020-04-24T13:30
In this special episode, Hans, Chris, and I chat with Daryl Farmer on the topic of his short story collection Where We Land, which examines relationships and death in the context of the Americ...
Listen
S2 Ep5: On Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 from 2020-04-15T19:59:45
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the strange and disturbing 1Q84, a huge novel by renowned magical realist Haruki Murakami.
Listen
S2 Ep5: On Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 from 2020-04-15T19:59:45
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the strange and disturbing 1Q84, a huge novel by renowned magical realist Haruki Murakami.
Listen
S2 Ep4: On John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman from 2020-03-13T18:49:20
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss The French Lieutenant's Woman, a metafictional novel that explores sexuality and class in Victorian England.
Listen
S2 Ep4: On John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman from 2020-03-13T18:49:20
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss The French Lieutenant's Woman, a metafictional novel that explores sexuality and class in Victorian England.
Listen
S2 Ep3: On Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility from 2020-02-24T20:03:32
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, and Hans shakes my faith in her ability to critique her cultural.
Listen
S2 Ep3: On Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility from 2020-02-24T20:03:32
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, and Hans shakes my faith in her ability to critique her cultural.
Listen
S2 Ep2: On Dante's Disneyland Inferno, by Sun City Girls from 2020-01-30T19:14:37
In this special episode, the XDB editorial team discusses an album by the experimental rock band Sun City Girls, called Dante's Disneyland Inferno. Most of the focus is on the lyrics, but some...
Listen
S2 Ep2: On Dante's Disneyland Inferno, by Sun City Girls from 2020-01-30T19:14:37
In this special episode, the XDB editorial team discusses an album by the experimental rock band Sun City Girls, called Dante's Disneyland Inferno. Most of the focus is on the lyrics, but some...
Listen
S2 Ep1: On Albert Camus' The Fall from 2020-01-08T18:50:39
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Camus' most intriguing, but also most baffling, novel, The Fall.
Listen
S2 Ep1: On Albert Camus' The Fall from 2020-01-08T18:50:39
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Camus' most intriguing, but also most baffling, novel, The Fall.
Listen
S1 Ep10: On My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The Suffering Channel from 2019-12-14T13:28:36
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Ottessa Moshfegh's novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation and David Foster Wallace's short novella The Suffering Channel. Check it out.
Listen
S1 Ep10: On My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The Suffering Channel from 2019-12-14T13:28:36
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Ottessa Moshfegh's novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation and David Foster Wallace's short novella The Suffering Channel. Check it out.
Listen
S1 Ep9: On Marilynne Robinson's Gilead from 2019-12-03T18:37:36
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Gilead, the famous epistolary novel by Marilynne Robinson.
Listen
S1 Ep9: On Marilynne Robinson's Gilead from 2019-12-03T18:37:36
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Gilead, the famous epistolary novel by Marilynne Robinson.
Listen
S1 Ep8: On Patrick Barney's Misfit the Wanderer from 2019-10-29T14:27:19
In this episode, Hans and Chris interview me on the topic of Xi Draconis Books' most recent publication, my novella Misfit the Wanderer. The novella follows all-around loser Misfit as he tries...
Listen
S1 Ep8: On Patrick Barney's Misfit the Wanderer from 2019-10-29T14:27:19
In this episode, Hans and Chris interview me on the topic of Xi Draconis Books' most recent publication, my novella Misfit the Wanderer. The novella follows all-around loser Misfit as he tries...
Listen
S1 Ep7: On Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch from 2019-10-08T19:07:23
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss The Goldfinch, an intriguing take on the crime novel.
Listen
S1 Ep7: On Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch from 2019-10-08T19:07:23
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss The Goldfinch, an intriguing take on the crime novel.
Listen
S1 Ep6: On Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings from 2019-09-23T21:07:33
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss A Brief History of Seven Killings, a novel by Jamaican author Marlon James. The novel is disturbing, harrowing, and inventive.
Listen
S1 Ep6: On Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings from 2019-09-23T21:07:33
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss A Brief History of Seven Killings, a novel by Jamaican author Marlon James. The novel is disturbing, harrowing, and inventive.
Listen
S1 Ep5: On Toril Moi's Revolution of the Ordinary from 2019-08-26T20:09:53
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a nonfiction work that explores how Wittgenstein's philosophy of language can be useful for literary critics.
Listen
S1 Ep5: On Toril Moi's Revolution of the Ordinary from 2019-08-26T20:09:53
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a nonfiction work that explores how Wittgenstein's philosophy of language can be useful for literary critics.
Listen
S1 Ep4: On Robert Browning's Caliban Upon Setebos from 2019-08-01T13:30
In this episode, Hans and I discuss the quite devilish and engaging Caliban Upon Setebos, a poem that has had personal significance to us for at least a decade.
Listen
S1 Ep4: On Robert Browning's Caliban Upon Setebos from 2019-08-01T13:30
In this episode, Hans and I discuss the quite devilish and engaging Caliban Upon Setebos, a poem that has had personal significance to us for at least a decade.
Listen
S1 Ep3: On Robert Coover's Gerald's Party from 2019-07-25T15:38:23
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a raunchy, satirical novel that explores sex, death, and Freud. Enjoy.
Listen
S1 Ep3: On Robert Coover's Gerald's Party from 2019-07-25T15:38:23
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a raunchy, satirical novel that explores sex, death, and Freud. Enjoy.
Listen
S1 Ep2: On Fran Ross's Oreo from 2019-06-12T20:16:43
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I explore Fran Ross's devilishly cunning novel Oreo. The novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old youth Christine as she leaves her grandmother, who is black...
Listen
S1 Ep2: On Fran Ross's Oreo from 2019-06-12T20:16:43
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I explore Fran Ross's devilishly cunning novel Oreo. The novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old youth Christine as she leaves her grandmother, who is black...
Listen
S1 Ep1: An Interview with Jennifer Lagier, Author of Trumped Up Election from 2019-05-31T13:00
In this episode, I interview Jennifer Lagier, author of Xi Draconis Books' most recent publication, a poetry collection entitled Trumped Up Election. It humorously describes a nightmare world ...
Listen
S1 Ep1: An Interview with Jennifer Lagier, Author of Trumped Up Election from 2019-05-31T13:00
In this episode, I interview Jennifer Lagier, author of Xi Draconis Books' most recent publication, a poetry collection entitled Trumped Up Election. It humorously describes a nightmare world ...
Listen