There Will Be Books

We begin by discussing Matt's recent reads, courtesy of his losing sports teams. Then we dive into another installment of nominating and selecting new books to add to our TBR. Lots of serious literary choices this time around. Also discussed; Sally Rooney, NYC bookstores, and twitter feuds. Thanks for listening. Enjoy!

TBR Additions

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

The Spectre of Alexander Wolf by Gaito Gazdanov

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This week we are discussing the much praised, and beloved novel, "My Brilliant Friend" by Elena Ferrante. We delve into Ferrante's mysterious identity and discuss criticism in the modern age. But mostly we discuss this brilliant, personal, and captivating novel. One of the great things about this novel is the many layers it contains and we geek out on how Ferrante uses all the tools in a writers toolbox to create a memorable novel. Finally, we discuss our sports teams and how they're disappointments often lead us to serious books. And we're using that scenario to create a reading plan for some of our longer books on our TBR. As always thanks for listening and enjoy!

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Widely hailed as one of the best books of 2023, David Grann's latest, "The Wager" is a remarkable true story that amazes at every turn. We discuss Grann's gift as a story teller and the various fascinating layers to this best selling book.

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As you can tell from the title, we are discussing the much beloved and somewhat feared author, Thomas Pynchon. I use the word feared because Pynchon can be difficult to read and thus, readers are often left wondering, where do I start with one of the most important authors of the last 60 years?

We certainly felt this way, and so we invited back on the show, Aldous Asterion, host of the podcast "The Forest of Symbols." As Matt's dad says, Aldous is a really smart guy. And so we are using his smarts and Pynchon knowledge to pick our starting pointing. Do we go with the shortest work? Or maybe we go for the most famous? Or from the debut? Listen to find out which book we chose.

Thanks to Aldous for coming on the podcast. You can listen to his podcast on all major platforms and you can support him further by checking out his patreon.

Aldous' Patreon https://www.patreon.com/symbolpod

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This week we start by discussing "Black Spider" by Jeremias Gotthelf. This little known book, reprinted by the fabulous people over at NYRB, packs quite a punch in little over 100 pages. Gotthelf writes a tale with a little bit of everything, from idyllic country sides, to a menacing black spider, all within a Christian allegory that makes for a rewarding reading experience.

And finally, we end by discussing the New York Times list of the best books of the 21st century. We go over books we've read on the list and offer up titles and authors we wished had made the list. In the end, we decided we'll have to come up with our own list!

As always, thanks for listening and supporting.

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Are you a fan of serious books or fun books? Both? Well this week we are adding two books to the TBR, a "fun" book and a "serious" book? We discuss a large pile of books from the well known to the obscure and end up adding over 1,000 pages of fun and serious fiction to the ever growing TBR.

But I've buried the lede, also in this episode Matt reads from his reading journal from over 20 years ago. Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

Additions:

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

No Angel by Penny Vincenzi

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We're back this week discussing the famous Truman Capote novella, "Breakfast at Tiffany's." We discuss the book, and the 1961 movie adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn. And finally we riff on the idea of author as a celebrity. Have we lost that? If so, who was the last celebrity author? Fun episode with a few hot takes but mostly just two friends discussing books. As always, thanks for listening. Enjoy!

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Goodreads: Therewillbebooks

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How do you describe a mysterious episode title? Begin with Matt's brain, add in a John Fowles novel, and there you go! If you listen past the odd beginning, you'll hear us go through our extensive TBR and touch base on where we're at with each book. You'll also learn what a cellar book is. And finally, we add to our TBR with a May selection. As always, thanks for listening and happy reading.

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History fans, the episode this week is for you. We delve into the first part of Adrienne Mayor's fantastic book, "The Poison King." A riveting history of Mithradates, the legendary king who for a time was the biggest threat to the Roman Empire. We discuss fascinating details, stories, and more. Thanks for listening!

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This week we're reviewing the latest Ripley adaptation, and discussing two essays from prominent 20th century writers. We begin by discussing a short bookish essay by Christopher Hitchens and then review Joan Didion's essay on John Wayne. And lastly, we heap all kinds of praise on the Ripley series debuting on Netflix. Fun episode for everybody. Enjoy!

Contact Us:

Instagram @therewillbbooks

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Email [email protected]

Goodreads: Therewillbebooks

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