Stephen King's "Jerusalem's Lot" tells the story of Charles Boone and his servant Calvin. In 1850 the two men move to Preacher's Corners, Maine where they stay at a large house left to Charles by his estranged cousin. The townspeople feel the two men must be mad to stay in the haunted mansion, and crazier still to set foot in the nearby ghost town of Jerusalem's Lot. What the two men discover will reveal secrets from Boone's family history as well as the evil that consumed 'Salem's Lot. This sho...
Dec 02, 2013•19 min
Some questions lingered when Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot ended. Were all the vampires killed? Due to the success of the novel, and to help publicize the paperback edition of the book, the author returned to the Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot for his short story "One For the Road." Taking place several years after vampires first settled in Maine, King tells the story of three men who must venture into the ghost town to rescue a stranded woman and child. The story was first published in Maine Magaz...
Nov 25, 2013•18 min
"What would happen if Dracula came to America today?" With that conversational inquiry Stephen King was inspired to write the novel 'Salem's Lot. King's second published book, 'Salem's Lot was a bestseller, cementing King's reputation among horror fans. The books' success then translated to a television mini-series directed by Tobe Hooper. 'Salem's Lot is almost 40 years old but thanks to Twilight vampire fiction is more popular than ever. With all that has come in between, does King's vampire s...
Nov 18, 2013•1 hr 41 min
Ethan's life is a bit of a mess. He spends his time in a toxic, casual relationship, smoking weed and coasting through his job, all the while pining for The Girl Who Got Away. But when that girl is murdered, Ethan is the top suspect. Part murder mystery, part comedy, Murder and Other Distractions is a short novel by Michael Estrin. Listen to Steve's review to find out if this is a Distraction worth your time!
Nov 13, 2013•11 min
For over 100 years we have lived among the vampires. Werewolves, ghosts, and serial killers have all popped up, but the vampire has been the monster to beat. From hit books like the Twilight series and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles to movies like Underworld and Fright Night to comics like 30 Days of Night and Blade to television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood, the creatures of the night are among us. But it all started with one vampire and the imagination of Bram Stoker. Now...
Oct 31, 2013•37 min
The same year that Psycho IV premiered on Showtime, original Psycho author Robert Bloch also returned to the Bates Motel with his third and final book in that series -- Psycho House! With the Bates Motel turned into a tourist attraction it seems Norman's crimes have been commercialized...until another girl is murdered. With Norman out of the picture, who is the killer now? Listen as Stuart takes you inside the House in his final review of Bloch's Psycho book trilogy!! Take a listen, then go to N...
Oct 24, 2013•15 min
Carrie is the tale of a telekinetic teenage outcast, was phenomenal success for any book, let alone the first-published work of a new author. It's film rights were pursued by Brian De Palma and the paperback sold a million copies. But such is the legacy of Stephen King, a man who's words spark imagination and bring even non-readers into bookstores. As a new film based on Carrie is released in theaters Arnie begins this Books & Nachos podcast retrospective looking back on all King's published...
Sep 30, 2013•47 min
Hitchcock's Psycho became such a phenomenal success that it all but obscured the novel on which it was based. But in 1982 original Psycho author Robert Bloch returned to Norman Bates in his novel Psycho II. Completely unrelated to the 1983 film of the same name, Bloch's book tells of a movie studio adapting Norman Bates' story to the big screen. When Norman hears about this he is none too happy and he goes to Hollywood. Now Stuart reads and reviews Bloch's original continuation of Bates' story a...
Sep 26, 2013•20 min
Psycho. The word evokes common images, all black and white from the classic Alfred Hitchcock film. The film is such an acclaimed success that for many it obscures the fact that before Norman Bates was on the big screen he was first on the page, in Robert Bloch's original novel Psycho. Now Stuart, Arnie, and Brock are reviewing all the Psycho movies as part of Now Playing's limited-availability Fall 2013 Gold Donation Series, but here, unlimited, you can hear Stuart's thoughts on the original boo...
Sep 19, 2013•23 min
This week the movie World War Z arrives in theaters starring Brad Pitt as an investigator traveling the world during a massive zombie outbreak. The film shares the title with the best selling book by Max Brooks, but fans of the book claim the movie has little resemblance to their beloved story. The movie will be reviewed at Now Playing Podcast but first Stuart has read and now reviews the source material! After you listen to his review, head to NowPlayingPodcast.com and find out how to hear thei...
Jun 21, 2013•23 min
Return of the Living Dead is best known for being a 1985 horror-comedy film that is both a sequel to and a spoof of George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead. However, few know of the messy history behind the film, and that it originally started off as a novel written by Night of the Living Dead co-writer John Russo and released in 1977. A straight follow-up to Romero's original film, Russo's novel bears little resemblance to the film that would follow 8 years later. But now as part of No...
May 03, 2013•13 min
Continuing the look at the new series of Marvel Comics prose novels that adapt popular comic arcs into novel form Arnie is back this week to review New Avengers: Breakout by Alisa Kwitney. The original story was told by Brian Michael Bendis in the 2005 New Avengers comics. This novel changes the story considerably making two characters not in Bendis' comics-- Hawkeye and the Black Widow -- the main characters. Listen to Arnie's review to find out if these reviews are for better or for worse.
Apr 17, 2013•20 min
Next Tuesday the fourth book in Marvel Comics new prose novel series is being released--Iron Man: Extremis by Marie Javins. This wraps up the four novel series announced by Marvel back in 2012. To commemorate the conclusion of this book series, Arnie is back to continue his reviews of these Marvel Comics novelizations of successful comic arcs. This week Arnie is reviewing Astonishing X-Men: Gifted, written by longtime Marvel Comics scribe Peter David, based on the comic series by Joss Whedon.
Apr 12, 2013•22 min
Even if you don't know the name Bruce Campbell the odds are you've seen him in television shows and movies. Currently a star of Burn Notice, Campbell has been featured in the Hercules and Xena television shows, as well as films like Maniac Cop, Escape from L.A., The Hudsucker Proxy, The Majestic, and all three Spider-Man films. But for all his work, Campbell is perhaps best known for his role of Ash in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films. As today the remake of Evil Dead is being released, Arnie takes t...
Apr 05, 2013•15 min
Last year Marvel Comics started a new prose novel line adapting popular comic book story arcs to long fiction form. Now Arnie is reviewing all four of these novelized comic book stories, starting with the first book -- Civil War. The Civil War comic books of 2006 and 2007 was a best-selling event, spanning over 100 comics and topping sales charts. Now author Stuart Moore is taking this expansive story and compressing it into a 350 page book. Join Arnie as he contrasts the novel with its comic bo...
Mar 27, 2013•26 min
After reviewing the Keanu Reeves film Constantine, based on DC's Hellblazer comics, hosts Arnie and Jakob turn to the source material on which the movie was based. In their second podcast looking at John Constantine in comics, they discuss Original Sins, Garth Ennis' first American comic book writing and one of the most acclaimed Hellblazer storylines.
Mar 08, 2013•21 min
Jakob and Arnie have returned to Books & Nachos to review more DC comics graphic novels. On Tuesday they reviewed the Keanu Reeves film Constantine, based on DC's Hellblazer comics. Now they turn to the source material, reading and reviewing Original Sins, a graphic novel compiling Hellblazer issues 1 through 9.
Mar 06, 2013•45 min
The original Die Hard movie was based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. But as Thorp's novel had no sequel, 20th Century Fox had no road map for where to take John McClane in the sequel Die Hard 2. Instead, the studio and screenwriters took Walter Wager's 1987 novel 58 Minutes about an NYPD officer who has to fight off terrorists at JFK airport. What other changes are there between the book and the film, and is the book worth your time? Spend 14 minutes listening to Stuart's ...
Jan 31, 2013•15 min
Die Hard is based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. The novel was a sequel to The Detective, and starred an old police detective named Joe Leland. The movie made the hero younger and changed his name to John McClane. What other changes are there between the book and the film, and is the book worth a read? Listen to find out!
Jan 24, 2013•14 min
Die Hard is based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. But Nothing Lasts Forever was itself a sequel to The Detective, a story of a police detective in the 1960s. That detective is Joe Leland, who would take his place in cinema history once renamed John McClane. Now our own reviewer Stuart investigates the literary history of the action movie character. Does he detect a good novel? Listen to find out!
Jan 17, 2013•13 min
Brock is back to review the final Ian Fleming James Bond short story from the Octopussy and The Living Daylights collection. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. So join us as we complete this look with our final review, discussing the short story Octopussy.
Nov 30, 2012•10 min
James Bond was presumed dead after the Blofeld trilogy ends, and before Fleming could revive the spy that brought him fame the author himself died. Published posthumously, The Man With the Golden is Fleming's final Bond novel, and Stuart is back to review it, continuing Books & Nachos' reviews of Ian Fleming's original James Bond prose stories. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking a...
Nov 23, 2012•19 min
Brock is back to complete Books & Nachos' reviews of Ian Fleming's original James Bond prose stories, this time looking at the final book in the so-called Blofeld trilogy of novels. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. In this podcast, join Brock as he reviews You Only Live Twice.
Nov 16, 2012•21 min
Brock goes back to the last Ian Fleming James Bond book ever released to review two more short stories from the Octopussy and The Living Daylights collection. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. So make a plate of scrambled eggs and take a listen to Brock as he reviews Property of a Lady and 007 in New York
Nov 09, 2012•14 min
James Bond is back, as is our book reviewer Brock, continuing his reviews of Ian Fleming's works. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads the second novel in Fleming's Blofeld trilogy - On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Nov 02, 2012•21 min
James Bond in a hard boiled detective story with a femme fatale and an enemy with metal teeth--it's all in The Spy Who Loved Me, an original novel by Ian Fleming. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews another original James Bond novel.
Oct 26, 2012•17 min
The book title is Octopussy (or sometimes Octopussy and The Living Daylights) but in this Ian Fleming book is actually a collection of short stories. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews the first-published short story from this collection -- The Living Daylights.
Oct 19, 2012•13 min
It's a Bond story that started as a screenplay, then became a book, then became a film! But in Ian Fleming's eighth Bond novel such Bond film staples are born as Blofeld, SPECTRE, and a story made into not one but two James Bond movies. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews Fle...
Oct 12, 2012•18 min
Brock is back finishing his reviews of Ian Fleming's James Bond short stories collected in the book For Your Eyes Only. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews the titular short story of the collection--For Your Eyes Only.
Oct 05, 2012•11 min
Brock is back continuing his reviews of Ian Fleming's James Bond short stories collected in the book For Your Eyes Only. As part of James Bond's 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming's original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews the next two short stories Risico and From a View to a Kill.
Sep 28, 2012•15 min
