The Library Police
  • Home
  • The Library Police Podcast
    • Episode 250: Endings
    • Episode 249: The Lightning Round Returns
    • Episode 248: Lightning Round!
    • Episode 246: What A Difference A Decade Makes
    • Episode 245: The Portrayal of Violence in Fiction
    • Episode 244: Books to Cheer You Up
    • Episode 243: How To Read Gooder
    • Episode 242: Romance In Fiction
    • Episode 241: The Past Looms Large
    • Episode 240: How We've Grown As Readers
    • Episode 239: Saladin Ahmed's Black Bolt
    • Episode 238: A Hannibal Playlist
    • Episode 237: The Mini-Primers
    • Episode 236: Revenge of the MiniTopics
    • Episode 235: Flawed Books That We Love
    • Episode 234: Expectations and Entitlement
    • Episode 233: The Literary Canon
    • Episode 232: Playlist - The Marvel Cinematic Universe
    • Episode 231: The Perfect Nanny
    • Episode 230: SciFi V. Fantasy
    • Episode 229: Playlist - Legion
    • Episode 228: Playlist - The Americans
    • Episode 227: Should you read YA Fiction?
    • Episode 226: The Dark Tower, Books 5-7
    • Episode 224: Media for Non-Readers
    • Episode 223: Getting Into A Reading Groove
    • Episode 222: 2017 Gift Guide
    • Episode 221: The Dark Tower, Books 1-4
    • Thanksgiving Throwback: Episode 128, Featuring Christopher Merchant
    • Episode 220: The Taboo Topics
    • Episode 219: SCBWI 2017
    • Episode 218: Classics Vs. Modern
    • Episode 217: A Primer for Thrillers
    • Episode 216: The Adventure Zone Balance Arc
    • Episode 215: Young Adult Fight
    • Episode 214: What Does An Author Owe You
    • Episode 213: Adaptations
    • Episode 212: Beach Reading
    • Episode 211: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
    • Episode 210: Interactive Storytelling
    • Episode 209: Audiobooks and Audio Storytelling
  • Features
    • A Good Story Poorly Told
    • Where Everyone Has Gone Before
    • Top Twenty Board Games of All Time
    • The Joy of Desperation
    • Prometheus: A Debate
    • Dude Writes Like A Lady
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • Film Reviews
    • Television Reviews
  • Interviews
    • Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
    • Katie McGarry
    • Gennifer Choldenko
    • Donald Bain
    • Logan L. Masterson
    • Catriona McPherson
    • Graham Brown
    • F. Paul Wilson
    • Will Lavender
    • Jeffery Deaver
    • Peter Straub
    • Dr. Bill Bass
    • Bruce DeSilva
    • D. Alan Lewis
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Forums
  • Announcement

Episode 99: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Picture
This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss their latest book club entry: "Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes. With a surprising level of feedback from listeners, the pair talk about the way the book examines our memory of our own experiences, the nature of forgiveness, and the controversial portrayal of a major character. In addition, Josh plows through the worst and some of the best of The Wheel of Time series as the 20 year epic draws close to an end, and Dietrich has a mountain of books to plow through, including a remarkable new fantasy series, a science fiction political thriller, a nightmarish father-son collaboration, and more. Finally, they wrap up with Josh having the opportunity to view some of the most remarkable films of all time.  You can send questions or comments to questions@thelibrarypolice.com.

To download this episode, right click here and select "Save As"

What We've Been Reading

0:00 to 48:54

The Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

Live by Night by Dennis Lehane

In The Tall Grass by Joe Hill and Stephen King

The KingKiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Media for Readers

48:54 to 1:32:02

In less than 150 pages, Julian Barnes manages to pack more into a story than most authors do in five hundred. Josh and Dietrich discuss the fascinating Sense of an Ending, reflecting on the way Barnes looks at memory and the lies it tells us. We also look at multiple reader emails, discussing a controversial response by a character, the question of whether the protagonist is an unreliable narrator, and whether the ending works as a whole.

Off The Bookshelf

1:32:02 to 1:54:07

Jack Reacher

Django Unchained

Vertigo

Rear Window
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.