Episode 89: The Forgotten Essential Authors
Launching the episode with a brilliant email from an inebriated listener, Josh and Dietrich take the opportunity to discuss some often overlooked authors that deserve some accolades. Dietrich touches on the outstanding author Scott Smith, the thrilling books of Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and a science fiction author who explores the ramifications of immortality and polygraphs. Josh explores the literary playgrounds of Jasper Ford, the deep explorations of Tim O'Brien, and the staggering noir of Jonathan Letham. In addition the pair discuss an early book by the author of The Hunger Games, the latest work by the incomparable Micheal Chabon, and wrap up with a set of films ranging from a Spielberg classic to a surprisingly good take on Glee. You can send any questions or comments to questions@thelibrarypolice.com.
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What We've Been Reading0:00 to 26:46
We kick off the episode with our first e-mail in far too long, but this one makes up for the gap with some drunken questions about everything from the Bible to Repairman Jack fanfiction. Once you've written your angry letters, though, there's still a lot of episode to enjoy, and we start it off with our recent reads. I finish off my feelings about Michael Chabon's newest novel, immerse myself in Stephen Colbert's latest treatise of insanity and satire, and begin a long trek back through a fantasy series that I've been reading for more than two decades. Dietrich doesn't have quite as much to talk about, but he does dive into an early work from an author whose later work we love - and probably so do you - and sees how the early work stacks up against the later. |
The Essentials26:46 to 1:00:41
There are authors on the podcast that Dietrich and I talk about week in and week out, but there's also a ton of authors that we really love, and yet just don't always mention. In some cases, they've only written a few books; in others, their early period is really their best work, and their newest doesn't always bring out our same enthusiasm. Whatever the reason, we spend this week singing the praises of some brilliant authors whose work you might not know as well. From dystopian science-fiction to nightmarish morality tales, from philosophical"what if" speculation to tales from Vietnam, from action to literary silliness, the authors here are going to offer you a wide array of experiences, but every single one of them is going to give you a lot to enjoy and play around with, to say nothing of some great, great stories. |
Off The Bookshelf1:00:41 to 1:25:14
We spend a little bit of time this week getting to discuss some things that both Dietrich and I saw and enjoyed, including the time-traveling mindbender Looperand the fascinating new television series Last Resort. Beyond that, I'm going to remind you that, yes, E.T. really is that good, and Dietrich is going to try to convince me thatPitch Perfect is better than it looks. We'll see how that goes... |
