Shoulda Books

Boozing in Brooklyn™️ continues with writer and creator Marston Quinn. We discuss facing our mortality, learning to cook, and living life to the fullest even in lousy circumstances.

Follow Marston on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marstonquinn/?hl=en

Follow Marston on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarstonQuinn

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780812988406

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143110439

Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780451497017

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

this month, we're reading Carrie by Stephen King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781984898104

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Earlier this year, The Guardian published a (non-definitive) list of the 100 best novels of all time. Today, my friend Danny Laplaza joins me as we try to drink for each book on the list we've read. This one goes off the rails (like every good drinking game should), and we end up in a place I didn't expect…but couldn't be happier to find.

The Guardian's list: https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

this month, we're reading Carrie by Stephen King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781984898104

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Sense and Sensibility is over 200 years old. But it speaks to the current moment in ways both obvious and surprising. In this episode, I explore some of the ways this book has become even more relevant in recent years, and in a Shoulda Books first (and probably last), I attempt to do some math.

Sense or Sensibility... What if Jane Austen Had to Choose?: https://lithub.com/sense-or-sensibility-what-if-jane-austen-had-to-choose/

The Economics of Jane Austen's World: https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/

"Have I Been Rightly Informed?—Is It So?" Information, Privacy, and Responsibility in Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/volume-43-no-1/anderson/

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

this month, we're reading Carrie by Stephen King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781984898104

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Blake Lefray (from the excellent YouTube channel Below the Fray) joins the show to chat about Dr. Strangelove, mass market paperbacks, suburban feuds, and more.

Follow Blake's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BelowTheFray

Follow Blake's substack: https://belowthefray.substack.com/

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.

Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780142410332

The Trial by Franz Kafka https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9789363113756

On Beauty by Zadie Smith https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143037743

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

this month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

today, I'm revisiting some of the Christian fiction that shaped both me and some of the listeners. if you grew up going to youth group and checking Plugged In to see how many swear words The Bourne Supremacy had…this episode is for you. topics discussed include The Shack, Babylon Rising, the John Birch Society, Frank Peretti, and more.

check out my new short film "Green Sky Bastards", starring Miles Bonsignore, on the Shoulda Books Patreon. you can sign up for a membership for $4.99/month, or buy the film a la carte for $3. https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

this month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662

next month, we're reading a TBD Stephen King book for spooky season

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

author and screenwriter (and my former boss on many a set) Amanda Mortlock joins the show to talk about her steamy new novel Strange Bedfellows, the tropes she can't stand, His Dark Materials, and possibly the most whimsical heist of the century.

in the ad-free, extended version, Amanda and I discuss our shared lore in the halcyon days of Verizon's Go90 streaming service. check it out on the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

pre-order "Strange Bedfellows", available everywhere September 22 via Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Strange-Bedfellows/Amanda-Mortlock/9781668205778

follow Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandydemoo/

follow Strange Bellows on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@strangebedfellowsbook

books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780440418320

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780385490818

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101981634

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

This month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

today I'm talking about the most challenging book I've read so far in 2026, Toni Morrison's Beloved.

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

This month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

filmmaker Jason Nguyen talks mythology, Cormac McCarthy, and the…interesting place where he loves to read most.

follow Jason on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonnguyentv/?hl=en

check out Room 105: https://room105media.com/

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

This month, we're reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Will Witwer returns to answer listener questions, respond to hot book takes, and rant/rave in general about our "twist-based" society.

follow Will on Instagram because he's going to learn how to dunk: https://www.instagram.com/wwitwer/?hl=en

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

This month, we're reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Today, I'm examining Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey, comparing it to the film, and taking a look at the relevance of oral storytelling in a world where no one reads anymore.

for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks

"Democracy, Neo-Orality, and the Unraveling of Political Norms: What Can We Social and Political Scholars Do?" by Jacqueline Fendt https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=143088

"The End of Reading is Here" by Rose Horowitch https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/

books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.

"The Odyssey" by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson: https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780393356250

join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw

This month, we're reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416

follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/

follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks

follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en

Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg