Between The Covers

William Faulkner’s southern gothic novel Light in August is Jay’s pick for his 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language list this week, and he and Stacey discuss the 1932 modernist work with its themes of race, sex, class and religion in the interwar American South, and why this is the book of Faulkner’s canon Jay selected. Chaos Reader shares a Diane Keaton tribute in the wake of the beloved actress’s recent passing.

This week, Jay makes the case for John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath as not only a relevant and cogent book for anyone who follows current events, but also as a book that is lovable—a joy to read. Chaos Reader checks in with the memoir of a corporate-America refugee.

This week is the first time Jay surprises Stacey with a selection for his list of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language, when he chooses Henry James’s novella The Turn of the Screw. Jay has been negging James since Jay was in graduate school, and Stacey wasn’t that taken with the novella when they recently read the book together. Who do you agree with? Chaos Reader checks in on the anthology of Marie Howe poetry she’s been enjoying.

Jame Joyce’s Ulysses seems to be on every single reading and novels list, but it’s not on Jay Ruud’s. He chose Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man instead, because it actually is lovable. Chaos Reader discusses another existentialist work, Waiting for Godot.

This week, Jay names Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: A Romance to his list of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in English. Even though it’s one of the most banned books in the United States, there is a lovable novel to be read here, one that closely considers America’s Puritan past in a way that is still relevant today. Chaos Reader shares her progress in The Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor.

Jay joins Ernest Hemingway and many others in his love of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and this week it gets added to his list of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language. He and Stacey discuss its lovability and its “bannability” as one of the most banned novels in the United States. Chaos Reader finally joins the party for a very popular novel she hasn’t picked up until now.

Jay puts his second Dickens novel on the list this week, Bleak House, published in 1853. The looooong book uses many characters, two narrative points of view and several suspenseful plots to keep the reader turning pages to travel deeper and deeper into early industrial England, in which cultures are clashing and litigants are fighting in a decades-long lawsuit in Dickens’ masterful social criticism that still remains a delight to read. Chaos Reader picks up a new novel for a trip she’s taking soon.

Jay adds Anthony Trollope’s The Way We Live Now to his list of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in English this week. This long Victorian novel, which was initially serialized and then published in 1875, focuses on the greed and dishonesty of all facets of life in the second half of the 19th century in Great Britain by following a financial scammer and his marks. Chaos reader talks about a New York Times listicle that is currently running her life.

Named for the Dark Lord who created the One Ring, this trilogy is about the individuals who work together to save their society when the power to destroy them and their communities is building. Two of the smallest, least worldly characters embark on a journey only they can make, compelled by duty, and motivated by love. LOTR is one of the best-selling books of all time, and Jay and Stacey have plenty to say on this trilogy, that was originally conceived as one book (which is Jay’s defense for putting three books on his list as one entry). Chaos “Reader” has been doing a series rewatch and talks about why she loves Sex and the City.

A note on the sound: We had some file issues with the production, so listeners may notice a change in the sound in the last few minutes of the episode. We apologize.

Jay shares with Stacey why he selected Dashiell Hammett’s classic detective novel The Maltese Falcon for his list of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language, and they continue their discussion from last week’s talk about the hardboiled detective novel and how Hammett helped create the genre. Chaos reader introduces Henry James to the chat.