This week we've got a special Fall of Food episode with guest Sarah Sweeney, who chose an essay for us to read: an Esquire profile of acclaimed chef Ferran Adria, written by Michael Paterniti. We talk about the line between interestingly descriptive food writing and absurd, overblown food writing. We also talk about the culture of the celebrity chef, and whether it's gone too far. In the second half of the show, we eat a traditional Mexican snack prepared by Sarah, who just got back from an exte...
Oct 24, 2016•1 hr 3 min
This week we're discussing an Anthony Bourdain essay that became part of his breakout book, Kitchen Confidential, plus we talk about our very different experiences working in food service, and we eat a couple of weird, unconventionally flavored snacks. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
Oct 17, 2016•1 hr 6 min
This week we welcome special guest Jim Miller to talk about one of his favorite books, Michael Crichton's 1990 bestseller Jurassic Park. We discuss dinosaur knowledge, books we loved as children, and Crichton's supposed dickishness. We also talk to Jim about his work as a cartographer, his appearance in Sports Illustrated, and his development of various apps, including one that teaches kids how to draw dinosaurs. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com ....
Oct 10, 2016•1 hr
Do you like food? Do you eat it several times a day in order to survive? Then you will love our new seasonal theme! This fall we'll be reading stories and essays in which food plays a major role. We'll also be talking about a variety of food-related things. This week: What foods are we nostalgic for? What foods make us think of our childhoods? Each of us also brought in a nostalgic snack for a quick taste test. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com ....
Oct 03, 2016•57 min
Have you heard of this Cormac McCarthy fellow? Pretty good writer! Somehow, neither of us had ever read The Road, and we thought it was time to rectify that. Especially since America seems to be getting closer and closer to making its post-apocalyptic hellscape a reality.
Sep 26, 2016•1 hr 5 min
In the first half of this week's show we discuss this 2007 Matthew Quick story , originally published in Agni. Long-time listeners will recall that Tom has occasionally taken issue with Mr. Quick's work, as well as his life and just his all-around "thing." So reading one of his early publications, from a reputable lit journal, seemed like a great opportunity for Tom to open up his heart and give "Q" a second chance. In the second half of the show we eat a bunch of Pop Tarts and try to figure out...
Sep 19, 2016•51 min
This week we're reading the critically celebrated 1992 novel by Javier Marias, a writer we've both been meaning to check out for a while now. We talk about what people expect from novels, unusual/innovative narrative structures, and reading while stoned. In the second half of the show we've got a new installment of Fan Fiction Corner, featuring Alvin & the Chipmunks. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
Sep 12, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Back in Episode 15, we talked about Sheila Heti's novel How Should a Person Be, which neither of us loved. This week we're giving Heti a second chance, reading a recent story of hers from The New Yorker. We talk about whether we were too quick to judge her book based on its marketing materials, and what it is we want from fiction. If certain types of novels feel stale, for instance, is the problem with the form itself, or just books that aren't doing enough within that form? Also: Mike shares so...
Sep 05, 2016•54 min
Tom picked this novel, the author's first (though he'd already published two story collections, the first of which made him the youngest-ever winner of a Whiting Award). Reading the book made Mike question why he's making this podcast in the first place. So: good times! In the second half of the show, Mike puts Tom on the metaphorical couch to help him figure out why he keeps feeling pulled away from the book project he's supposed to be working on. It's a real angsty week in Book Fight World, li...
Aug 29, 2016•55 min
Agatha Christie is one of the world's best-selling authors of all time, yet when we read her novel And Then There Were None earlier this year, we gave it mixed reviews. So we're giving Christie a second chance, digging into one of her most celebrated short stories, " Witness For the Prosecution " (which you can read for free via that link). Tom, in particular, seemed to dislike And Then There Were None, so will this story turn him? Or will Christie fall victim to our famously harsh two-strikes-y...
Aug 22, 2016•57 min
Mike first read this book nearly a decade ago, and decided to revisit it after pulling it randomly from his shelf and reading the inscription inside, which he'd managed to forget. We talk about Bouillier's idea of a "report" as its own genre of literature, and books narrated by eccentric people trapped inside their own heads. In the second half of the show we've got a quick bit of fanfiction, plus a potential fanfiction writing prompt, if any of our listeners are so inclined. For more, visit us ...
Aug 15, 2016•55 min
Back in 105, we were less than thrilled with Penelope Lively's novel Making It Up. This week we're giving her work a second chance by reading a couple short stories from her 1997 collection, The Five Thousand and One Nights. Will we fall in love? Or will Lively fall prey to the Book Fight "two strikes and you're out" rule? Also this week: Another listener-submitted story of literary second chances, plus Mike has some advice on whether to give your ex a second chance. And Tom talks about the time...
Aug 08, 2016•1 hr
This week's book is Mosley's first Easy Rawlings novel, in which we're introduced to a war vet in 1948 Los Angeles. We talk about the qualities that make for a good detective novel, and why Rawlings has become such an enduring character. In the second half of the show: the return of Fan Fiction Corner, and boy is it a doozy. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
Aug 01, 2016•1 hr 3 min
A few years ago we read a John Barth story collection (On With the Story) that Mike enjoyed and Tom did not. So this week Mike's making Tom read one of Barth's most-loved short stories to see if he can turn him into a fan. Also: We talk about other artists we took a while to warm up to, and listener-submitted stories of second chances. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
Jul 25, 2016•57 min
We read Rachel Kushner's National Book Award-nominated second novel and try to figure out what we think about it. Is it a great book? Is it an ok book with the scope and ambition and atmospherics of a great book? Is it ever, actually, possible to say, after reading a book for the first time? We also talk about the gender-related flap this novel, and some of its criticism, briefly caused, and whether the Great American Novel is a gendered idea. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com ....
Jul 18, 2016•57 min
Welcome to the first of our new summer series, in which we revisit work by authors who we've panned in the past. We read a Harlan Ellison essay last spring, and found it lacking, but perhaps we'll be swayed by one of Ellison's best-loved short stories. Also discussed: How do you know when to give your own work a second chance, and when should you simply give up on a story/essay/book and move on to the next thing? Oh, and we also talk about cuckolding raccoons. If you're into that sort of thing. ...
Jul 11, 2016•52 min
We're joined by writer Sandra Newman (author of, most recently, The Country of Ice Cream Star) to discuss a much-revered and deeply weird sci fi novel by M. John Harrison. We talk to Newman about what she loves (and doesn't) about science fiction, a genre we've tended to be hard on in the past. Will this be the book to win us over? We also talk to Sandra about her own work, her decision to write her most recent novel in a partly-invented dialect, how writers use Twitter, and all the usual jibber...
Jul 04, 2016•1 hr 1 min
We wrap up our Spring of Success series by checking out the first published story of Jennifer Weiner, which appeared in a 1992 issue of Seventeen Magazine. We talk about Weiner's path to success, her 10-point advice to aspiring novelists, and her much-publicized beef with Jonathan Franzen. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
Jun 27, 2016•1 hr
Kanan Makiya is probably best known for his 1989 book, Republic of Fear, a nonfictional account of Iraq under Saddam Hussein. He's also known as one of the key Iraqi agitators for the U.S. invasion, arguing to America's political elite that Hussein's regime needed to be toppled. It was Makiya, in fact, who told White House officials that the U.S. would be greeted with "flowers and sweets" by the Iraqi people. That prediction turned out to be wildly inaccurate. Now, a decade after Saddam Hussein'...
Jun 20, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Welcome to the Franzone! This week we're reading the first published story of celebrated author Jonathan Franzen, which was featured in a 1987 issue of Fiction International. We also talk about Franzen's path to success: his early ambitions, his writing habits, and his self-conscious pivoting toward a different kind of fictional project. We also talk about why so many people seem to hate on Franzen, and whether the criticisms are deserved. For more, check us out online at bookfightpod.com ....
Jun 13, 2016•58 min
One of us read this famous WWII coming-of-age novel in high school, while the other is encountering it for the first time. Will it hold up to adult scrutiny? Should today's high school students still be forced to read it? And are the two main characters totally gay for each other? Answers to these and other pressing questions on this week's Book Fight! For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
Jun 06, 2016•59 min
This week we read Elizabeth Gilbert's debut story, "Pilgrims." It was originally published in Esquire. We did not care for it. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
May 30, 2016•1 hr 15 min
We welcome special guest Josh Fruhlinger, proprietor of the popular and long-running blog The Comics Cumudgeon, as well as the author of a recent novel, The Enthusiast, to discuss Jennifer Egan's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Goon Squad. We also talk to Josh about the successful Kickstarter he ran to fund his own book, building an online audience, his enthusiasm for trains, and Mary Worth's love life. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com ....
May 23, 2016•1 hr 19 min
An unconventional literary success story this week, as we talk about Donald Ray Pollock's 2008 debut story collection, KNOCKEMSTIFF, which he wrote after quitting his job at a paper mill and giving himself five years to "make it" as a writer. We also talk about the proliferation of "20 under 40"-style listicles in the literary world, and why we're so obsessed with youth. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com .
May 16, 2016•56 min
A special mid-week treat for you, Book Fight fans. Tom was recently in Blacksburg, Virginia, for a conference at Virginia Tech, and sat down with Matthew Vollmer, author of Inscriptions for Headstones and Future Missionaries of America. They talked about publishing, teaching, and how to make time for your own work while leading a busy life.
May 12, 2016•27 min
We welcome guest Jen A. Miller ( Running: A Love Story ) who helps us unpack the 1981 novel that served as inspiration for the famous film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The book is quite different than the movie: darker, for one thing, and also featuring both a magical genie and some questionable opinions about Persians. In the second half of the show, we talk to Jen about street harassment, peeing while running, MySpace, and "whore pants." For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com ....
May 09, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Amy Hempel's first published story was a breakout success, and has gone on to be one of the most anthologized stories of the last few decades. We talk about her path to success, and why this story has resonated. We also discuss some of the mid-to-late 80s backlash to minimalist fiction, which Hempel got caught up in. In the second half of the show we talk about people who had early career success in writing and the arts, and how (or whether) they followed it up. For more, visit us online at book...
May 02, 2016•57 min
We talk about DeLillo's forthcoming novel--a meditation on death, love, language and the permanence/impermanence of objects. If that sounds kinda heavy ... well, it is a DeLillo novel. In the second half of the show, we talk about a recent essay from The Walrus called " I Don't Care About Your Life: Why Critics Need To Stop Getting Personal n Their Essays ," by Jason Guriel. As always, visit us online for more: bookfightpod.com ....
Apr 25, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Our second installment in the Spring of Success has us considering the breakthrough of Jhumpa Lahiri, who had two stories in The New Yorker within a few months of each other, then a story collection, and then a Pulitzer Prize. How did it happen? What was it that set her stories apart? We also talk about musicians and artists who supposedly sold their souls to the devil to earn their success. And whiney white guys who think they're at a publishing disadvantage these days. For more, including link...
Apr 18, 2016•1 hr 2 min
One of the most popular mystery novels by one of the world's best-selling mystery novelists. Also: weirdly racist? In America, the title of this Christie novel has always been And Then There Were None. But in Great Britain, the original title featured the n-word. No, we're not making that up. This week also features the triumphant return of Fan Fiction Corner, including some very sexy Marco Rubio stories. For more, check us out online at bookfightpod.com . Thanks for listening!...
Apr 11, 2016•1 hr 6 min
