Story Insights

Hello Voters!

"Scapegoat" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a short story about overcoming corruption, ambition, and a scapegoat who will overcome his rivals. "Scapegoat" is a post Civil War story whose setting is the town of Cadgers. Cadgers is a half White and half Black. Most characters in this story are African American including the main character Mr. Robinson Asbury. Asbury started from humble beginnings as a bootblack, becomes a porter, to barber, to lawyer, then after a successful election his rivals smell an opportunity to ruin Asbury. They thought they succeeded, but Asbury is a patient man, stood back up and taught his rivals a lesson. 

I think this is an important story because it puts this all to a test. My words aren't perfect, though can I champion an idea of talking about the elements in this story whether racism or election integrity and perhaps others I haven't thought of. So, if there's one story I may challenge you to read it is this one. You can take on the challenge. I believe you're capable of it.

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780316380317 

Read or listen: https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/100/the-heart-of-happy-hollow/1699/chapter-1-the-scapegoat/ 

Listen: https://youtu.be/TM7H4HCX2u0 

Let's Connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Machine Users,

Today's entertainment includes a short story titled "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster and presentative by the Machine's Matthew Hernandez. Worry not about first hand ideas here because Matthew is full of ideas and worry not about respirators and motors being abolished. You need not worry about the outside world. The Machine provides all for you and you if you lack anything contact the Central Committee to lodge your complaints. Your complaints will be responded to in the order they will be received. After this presentation there will be a presentation on Mongolian music, deep sea waters, and the French Revolution. Your attention to this matter is appreciated. Remember to be thankful to The Machine. 

(This is actually a re-recording. I listened to another podcast then I realized I made a mistake. I described the dwellings the people lived in as more of a building of a building and descending to go to the outside world. These aren't the biggest problems because the content was about the same, though at the same time much of this story is all setting, so I should correct myself.)

Read here: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9781609420666 or https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/Teaching/ECS188/PDF_files/Machine_stops.pdf 

Listen here: https://youtu.be/s5s_yrI1oSQ 

Another Podcast Covering this story: https://www.postapocalyptia.com/e/s2b2-the-machine-stops-audiobook 

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Hello Machine Users,

Today's entertainment includes a short story titled "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster and presentative by the Machine's Matthew Hernandez. Worry not about first hand ideas here because Matthew is full of ideas and worry not about respirators and motors being abolished. You need not worry about the outside world. The Machine provides all for you and you if you lack anything contact the Central Committee to lodge your complaints. Your complaints will be responded to in the order they will be received. After this presentation there will be a presentation on Mongolian music, deep sea waters, and the French Revolution. Your attention to this matter is appreciated. Remember to be thankful to The Machine. 

Read here: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9781609420666 or https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/Teaching/ECS188/PDF_files/Machine_stops.pdf 

Listen here: https://youtu.be/s5s_yrI1oSQ 

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Hello Awesome Readers,

“Helen in Wonderland” is a short story by Brendan P Kelso. In “Helen in Wonderland” Helen is working on a psychology dissertation at Burning Man in Nevada. Then she meets Cactus Dan, a happy inebriated man, who is passing by with his penguin cup and aviators. Then perhaps Cactus Dan is who she wanted all along. Can he help her with her dissertation? Did Helen only go to Burning Man to find someone to study? She she manage to hypnotize him or is he simply playing along? Your guess on some of these questions is as good as mine, yet that's what makes this fun.

This is a prequel to The Night She Said Hatchet. Read the first few chapters here: https://bpkelso.com/chapter1/ 

Buy Helen in Wonderland here: https://bpkelso.com/product/drhelen/ or buy on amazon

Contact/ follow me: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/  

Hello Book Clubbers 

"Victory Lap" by George Saunders is a short story about an almost 15 year Allison who is in a dangerous situation by an abductee until her neighbor Kyle intervenes. Will he help in time? How will teenage angst play a role?

Read here: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780812984255 or https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/10/05/victory-lap

Listen here: https://youtu.be/lBKZDHRBllQ?is=y7y5DZl3JgQcxpnU 

Contact/ follow me: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/  

Hello Awesome Readers,

"Us and Them" by David Sedaris is an autobiographical story (essay) about moving into an eccentric new neighborhood then having a strange post-Halloween interaction with a family that refuses to buy a television. "Us and Them" comes of the essay collection titled Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim though this seems like it's more story than essay. Creative non-fiction I suppose. Would you really give away candy after Halloween?

Read Here: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780316010795 or https://www.blackbinder.com/uploads/3/4/0/9/34090823/us_and_them.pdf 

Listen Here: https://t.co/qhrNHjVprv 

Social media / Contact me: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/    

Hello Terrific Readers,

Today we are looking at another Ernest Hemingway story "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." This is an incredible story and deserves all the credit it gets. The plot is simple, but the story is complex. Harry is dying from gangrene and surviving is unlikely, though his wife has some hope he will be rescued. I love the narration style that goes back and forth between present and flashback. I honestly get a bit lost in it, but somehow it feels realistic here. How may anyone's demise be? May anyone reminisce about the past when their lives are slipping away? I tried to keep this more conversation and focused on his regret as a writer and pose the question about whether or not Harry loved Helen. 

Social media / Contact me: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/  

Read here: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780684804446 or https://pdcrodas.webs.ull.es/naturalismo/HemingwayTheSnowsOfKilimanjaro.pdf 

Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmN88Tk2KHw 

Hello Awesome Readers,

"The Capital of the World" by Ernest Hemingway is a short story centered around idealism. Why would Paco be so confident as a young man? He should have known better, but as we're told he has no father and his sisters went to the cinema, so gave in to a silly dangerous idea. Can a setting determine so much of our decisions? For Paco a cheap hotel took a life of its own with its interesting characters leading to him seeking foolish risks influenced by matadors whose best days were far behind them.

Read here: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780684843322 or  https://thephilosopher.net/heminguej/wp-content/uploads/sites/445/2024/12/The-Capital-of-the-World-Ernest-Hemingway.pdf 

Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4usLCR3WQuY 

Social media / Contact me: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/  

Hello Awesome Readers,

I recap what I read in June and July. I already feel silly because this includes deleted content. Oh well. I will try to do this recap thing at the beginning of each month to cover the previous month. I missed making one for June so here is June and July. I might keep updates to the podcasts to these recaps episodes for now. My numbers are low, but they were even lower since I started doing comics. So, I deleted comics from here along with announcement type episodes. I think I need to focus purely on short stories. Though, commentaries on full-length books will stay up.

Have a great day!!

https://bookshop.org/lists/new-books?bkshp-astro=t 

Social Media Page: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/  

Hello Comics Lovers,

Today we look at one of the most controversial comic arcs ever. I hate to say it, but I like this one. Written by Writer J. Michael Straczynski and edited by Joe Quesada. This episode continues with Peter Parker in desperation mode to save his Aunt May. Somehow his plan was to confront Tony Stark (Iron Man) and demand, well, I'm not sure. They fight and not much can happen because the doctors keep reiterating that Aunt May's condition is terminal. Peter refuses to accept this and that's how this issue ends.

I hate to say it, but I like the trauma response. It feels so real, but in the next issue... I'm not so sure. The trauma is and desperation remain, but what more of how the writers could have handles this? I get Iron Man here, but in the next issue? This concept can only go so far.

Buy Here: https://a.co/d/0hAhWOO4 

Listen or watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd7DskzqXkw or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2t-762IKnY

Contact me: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/