Murder, faith, redemption, justice, morality, and a reckoning with one's beliefs about the world! This is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. 

In this episode of the Books of Some Substance podcast, we (Nathan Sharp and David Southard) discuss the second half of the novel, looking at the novel's interplay of belief systems and reality, moral questions, and philosophical insights. We cover the characters' journeys, personal transformations, and the profound questions the narrative poses about life, justice, and existence.

 00:00 Introduction to the Episode (Law and Order)

01:11 Reflections on the Second Half of the Book

01:54 Themes and Tangents in the Second Half

04:36 Alyosha's Transformation and Revelations

06:19 The Onion Story and Its Significance

11:31 Mitya's Descent and Arrest

18:09 Interrogation and Doubts About Mitya's Guilt

22:39 Alyosha's Encounters and the Story of the Boys

28:08 Insecurities and Mentorship

29:21 Polyphonic Quality of the Novel

29:32 Simultaneous Plotlines and Moral Alternatives

30:20 Evolving Character Dynamics

31:30 Ivan's Journey and Prison Encounters

33:13 Mitya's Transformation in Prison

38:38 The Trial and Its Implications

39:58 Final Reflections and Themes

01:01:04 Personal Takeaways and Conclusion

01:06:12 Closing Remarks 

In this episode of The Books of Some Substance podcast, Nathan and David get into the first half of Fyodor Dostoevsky's masterpiece, The Brothers Karamazov (Books 1-6; Parts 1 and 2).

From the novel's dense, philosophical style and its stark contrast to modern life, to deep dives into themes like love, free will, human suffering, redemption, and the role of faith in a crumbling society, Nathan and David explore what makes this 19th-century Russian epic timeless (and occasionally trudging).

They break down Ivan's worldview in "Pro and Contra," the iconic "Grand Inquisitor" chapter, and Father Zosima's profound teachings on universal love and personal responsibility.

Whether you're a Dostoevsky veteran or tackling the "world's greatest novel" for the first time, this discussion wrestles with the big questions: How do we find meaning in absurdity? Can society handle true freedom? And what does it mean to love unconditionally?

This is Part 1 of 2. Tune in next time for the dramatic second half!

If you enjoyed this episode,  drop us a line with your thoughts on Dostoevsky or the Karamazovs. What ultimate question does the novel make YOU wrestle with?

Support the podcast and grab some merch at booksofsomesubstance.com.

Happy reading!

Our second episode on Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, and again David is joined by Seth from W.A.S.T.E. Mailing List. Seth is here to nimbly unravel some of the meaning of this insane and insanely good novel, and he does an excellent job. But no matter what they tend to get lost along the way, as any analysis of the book will be "not a disentanglement from, but a progressive knotting into."

Join them as they knot into the brennschluss point, the inciting incident of what's happening with Slothrop's c*ck, fragmentation of self at at the force of control, the Raketen-Stadt as antagonist, and if there is any sense of hope by the end of the book.

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Books of Some Substance is on Twitter, Instagram, and our brand-new website. 

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Seth is a non-authoritative devotee of anything and everything related to Thomas Pynchon and all varieties of difficult and demanding literature. You can find him on Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, and Substack.

*

Gravity's Rainbow is a groundbreaking novel by acclaimed author Thomas Pynchon. It stands as a masterpiece of postmodern literature, captivating readers with its intricate plot, rich symbolism, and thought-provoking themes. This iconic work delves into the complexities of World War II, war profiteering, corporate scheming, human nature, reflexes, mind control, State control, scientific advancements of the time, and science fiction. The novel offers a unique blend of historical fiction, science fiction, and satire. With its enigmatic characters and labyrinthine narrative, Gravity's Rainbow has become a literary classic, drawing scholars and enthusiasts seeking a challenging and intellectually stimulating reading experience. A world of paranoia, conspiracy, and intricate storytelling, Gravity's Rainbow remains an enduring and influential work in the canon of modern literature. 

Do you drink from the cup of trembling? Do you sup those dregs of hopelessness?

Welcome back B.O.S.S. listeners. We continue our journey into the work of James Baldwin by reading the story "Sonny's Blues," a narrative about addiction, artistic creation, communion, destruction, existential dread, music's universal power, poetic prose, pragmatism, siblings, suffering, the trap of home, race, redemption, and what we leave behind.

Once again, David and Nick find themselves trying to convince Nathan of the "substance" of the narrative. Does Nathan have his come-to-Jesus moment? Or, does he drink from the very cup of trembling? 

Find yourself a copy of the story, read it, and join us! 

To receive bad-ass artwork and hand-typed invitation letters (or if you want to see what else we have read (or check out Nick's novella)), go to our website: http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/ 

FIND US ON:  INSTAGRAM    FACEBOOK    TWITTER  

With Nick out for a little R&R, David and Nathan are joined by B.O.S.S. Boocklub mainstay Eric Heiman for our inaugural supplemental episode. 

On this episode, in preparation for further episodes on James Baldwin's literary work, we read one of his most famous essays "Notes of a Native Son" and discuss the recent documentary I Am Not Your Negro. We discuss Baldwin's struggle to shake off his father's bitterness in the face of racial oppression, his love for humanity, and his pristine analytical prose of the personal. 

Find a copy, watch the documentary, and give us a listen. 

If you are interested in joining up and receiving bad-ass artwork and hand-typed invitation letters (or if you want to see what else we have read or check out Nick's novella), go to our website: http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/ 

FIND US ON:  INSTAGRAM    FACEBOOK    TWITTER  

你好 (Ni hao) Comrades! Join us,  kan-pu Nathan, Nick, and David, for another full length episode of Deep Cultural Propaganda from American Imperialists (aka The Books of Some Substance Podcast).

Dystopian literature and discussions of authoritarianism abound, and few things were more dystopian than living under the slow-crushing boot of authoritarian Maoist China. On this episode, witness the true confessions of Nick's Obscure Relations with straight-edge militant punk bands, Nathan's deviant modes of Thought Mobilization, and David's Disgorging of Bitter Fluid.  

We highly recommend you find yourself a copy of Eileen Chang's Naked Earth, give it a read, and listen along.

If you are interested in joining up and receiving bad-ass artwork and hand-typed invitation letters (or if you want to see what else we have read or check out Nick's novella), go to our website: http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/ 

FIND US ON:  INSTAGRAM    FACEBOOK    TWITTER  

Time to dust off your favorite huqin record. As the gramophone spins, the huqin's wail tells a story too desolate for words-oh! why go into it? Well, on this episode we explore Chang's desolate story "Love in a Fallen City" and parse why we think she bothers going into it. Join us as we discuss war, freedom, the deception of twice-over whoredom, sandflies, and the subtleties of love and Chang's narrative. 

If you are interested in joining up and receiving bad-ass artwork and hand-typed invitation letters (or if you want to see what else we have read or check out Nick's novella), go to our website: http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/ 

FIND US ON:  INSTAGRAM    FACEBOOK    TWITTER  

Eileen Chang (張煐) [1920-1995] may now be most known for her novella Lust, Caution after Ang Lee adapted it into a popular film, but her two novels critical of the communist society that she fled The Rice Sprout Song and Naked Earth are becoming more widely read. B.O.S.S.'s next book will be Naked Earth. 

A Chinese home built upon the structure of an Iron Maiden riff. Reincarnation unbound by Time. The ultimate truth of Hermann Hesse as the Tony Robbins of European symbolism. 

The trio is back on this full length episode. Join us as we work through Hermann Hesse's often frustrating but certainly substantial masterwork The Glass Bead Game.

As always, give the novel a read and listen along. 

Join the B.O.S.S. Book Club for cool artwork and to get in on the conversation: www.booksofsomesubstance.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksOfSomeSubstance/

On Twitter: @BooksOSubstance

 Check out B.O.S.S. Underground Press and our first release: PWR VOL written by our very own Nick Scandy, illustrated by Aaron Zonka, and scored by mini and the Bear. 

Go forth into the dark corners of thyself! Hail doom! 

With David out on a doctor's order to investigate an existential crises, Nathan and Nick explore Hermann Hesse, his place in contemporary readership, and his short work "Klingsor's Last Summer." On this short(ish) episode you will also hear Nick fail to hum a Steppenwolf tune, Nathan come close to admitting a dark secret, and some general discoursing on self-exploration. 

As always, give the story a read and listen along. 

Join the B.O.S.S. Book Club for cool artwork and to get in on the conversation: www.booksofsomesubstance.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksOfSomeSubstance/

On Twitter: @BooksOSubstance

Check out B.O.S.S. Underground Press and our first release: PWR VOL written by our very own Nick Scandy, illustrated by Aaron Zonka, and scored by mini and the Bear. 

Greetings and Salutations! Welcome to another full length episode of the Books of Some Substance Podcast. On this episode: Nathan finds in Babbitt a flapper-ite hipsterish cesspool of nihilism; David allows a groan (or seven) of tedium to escape him, as he finds "substance" to have escaped from the novel itself; and Nick, having enveloped himself in far more Lewis than Zenith's house-call doctor would recommend, finds the realism, clever vernacular, and biting satire not only lasting in historical interest but entirely relevant to today's vapid excesses. Dive in. The world is yours!

 Links:  

Our website: http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/

Our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksOfSomeSubstance/

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/booksosubstance

 Nick's book PWR VOL: http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/imprint-list/pwr-vol and https://www.amazon.com/pwr-vol-Nick-Scandy/dp/0998188808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481669327&sr=8-1&keywords=PWR+VOL

David's story: https://tahomaliteraryreview.com/current-issue-2/

Welcome back! The B.O.S.S. Podcast returns!

As we gear up for Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt, we open up a forgotten time capsule to read about the rise of white collar work at the beginning of the 20th Century, a world looking to sell you on pep! vim! zip! and zing! but ultimately dreary. Nothing really changes. 

On this shortened episode, and more so than usual, Nick guides Nathan and David through the stories "Snappy Display" and "Way I See It."

ALSO! We are happy to announce the beginnings of B.O.S.S. Underground Press and our first release: PWR VOL written by our very own Nick Scandy, illustrated by Aaron Zonka, and scored by mini and the Bear. 

Episode Music: "chemical.static.hum" by mini and the Bear  

Join the B.O.S.S. Book Club for cool artwork and to get in on the conversation: www.booksofsomesubstance.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksOfSomeSubstance/

On Twitter: @BooksOSubstance

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. His most popular novels are Main Street, Babbitt, Elmer Gantry, and It Can't Happen Here. Like many writers, he drank himself to death. 

The mountain grumbles, Shingo mumbles. But it is hard to hear him over the sound of the dishes.

On this full length episode we discuss Yasunari Kawabata's The Sound of the Mountain and try to come to terms with the dying patriarch's aimless drift towards the end. Is it apathetic existentialism? Good old-fashion failure? The culture of post-war Japan? Personal defeatism? Idiocy? Anger? Or an odd replication of nature's non-action?

As always, read the novel and give us a listen.

Join the B.O.S.S. Book Club for cool artwork and to get in on the conversation: www.booksofsomesubstance.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksOfSomeSubstance/

On Twitter: @BooksOSubstance

Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) is a Japanese novelist who won the Nobel Prize in 1968. His most famous novels are Snow Country, Thousand Cranes, and The Sound of the Mountain. His work is often poetic, lyrical, and melancholic.

Memory as time travel. Enigmatic lovers. The comfort of objects. A ghostly romantic comedy. Each, one of Yasunari Kawabata's Palm of the Hand stories under discussion. Each description merely a scratch at the surface of meaning and depth found in these subtle, quiet works.

On this shortened episode, as B.O.S.S. prepares for Kawabata's The Sound of the Mountain, David, Nathan, and Nick look at four of the reductionist vignettes: "A Sunny Place," "Sleeping Habit," "The Silver Fifty-Sen Pieces," and "Immortality."  

Between poetry and prose lies a different form. Between the past and the future is the now. Within the now is all time, all meaning. Or, something like that…

As always, read the stories and give us a listen.

Join the B.O.S.S. Book Club for cool shit and get in on the conversation: www.booksofsomesubstance.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksOfSomeSubstance/

Follow us on Twitter: @BooksOSubstance

In our first of two episodes on Thomas Pynchon's 1973 masterpiece Gravity's Rainbow, David is joined, once again, by Seth from W.A.S.T.E. Mailing List to talk about one of his favorite ways to approach the novel. 

Seth brings an invaluable depth of knowledge and research to this episode, examining the novel as being primarily about America in the "long 60s," albeit taking place in Europe in the 1940s. They also discuss Pynchon's work at Boeing being a catalyst for his fascination with the V-2, his writing on race relations in "A Journey into the Mind of Watts," and general advice for reading the book for the first, second, or even third time.  

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Books of Some Substance is on Twitter, Instagram, and our brand-new website. 

*

Seth is a non-authoritative devotee of anything and everything related to Thomas Pynchon and all varieties of difficult and demanding literature. You can find him on Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, and Substack.

*

Gravity's Rainbow is a groundbreaking novel by acclaimed author Thomas Pynchon. It stands as a masterpiece of postmodern literature, captivating readers with its intricate plot, rich symbolism, and thought-provoking themes. This iconic work delves into the complexities of World War II, war profiteering, corporate scheming, human nature, reflexes, mind control, State control, scientific advancements of the time, and science fiction. The novel offers a unique blend of historical fiction, science fiction, and satire. With its enigmatic characters and labyrinthine narrative, Gravity's Rainbow has become a literary classic, drawing scholars and enthusiasts seeking a challenging and intellectually stimulating reading experience. A world of paranoia, conspiracy, and intricate storytelling, Gravity's Rainbow remains an enduring and influential work in the canon of modern literature. 

From death and dying to life and living. On this full length episode, we examine the humor, the horror, the existential, the wonder, and even the disagreeable in the lost and found (and possibly changed) madcap protagonist Eugene Henderson of Saul Bellow's Henderson the Rain King. 

With Nathan out sick, Nick and David are joined by Eric Heiman, official B.O.S.S. Book Club member and unofficial Bellow buff. 

As always, read the book and give us listen. 

Check out: http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/

Follow us on twitter: @BooksOSubstance

It's an exceptionally smart man who isn't marked forever by the theories he reads in passing from books, and we aren't all that smart. 

On this shortened episode, we discuss the Bellow short stories "Leaving the Yellow House" and "A Silver Dish." There's rugged individualism. There's death and dying. There's the spin from that great wheel of fortune we all eventually spin and the bright, shiny electric one Nick may spin on broadcast television.

As always, read the stories and give us a listen.

Check out http://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/ 

Follow us on twitter @BooksOSubstance 

In this episode, we talk through the (beautiful?) mess of madness that is Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita. Listen as Nick argues against the false binaried balance of Good and Evil, as David floats in the abeyance of cold medicine, and as Nathan grows into the role of curmudgeon and questions the punk-rockitude of Nick and David. 

David, Nathan, and Nick discuss Mikhail Bulgakov's satiric novel Heart of a Dog and come to some conclusions on the difficulties of understanding and changing our natures, whether proletariat or bourgeoisie, man-dog or mad-scientist. 

The premier episode of the B.O.S.S. (Books of Some Substance) Podcast! Join Nick, David, and Nathan--three bearded white dudes--as they talk about Zora Neale Hurston's black, feminist novel Their Eyes Were Watching God and try to figure it all out. 

Welcome all and sundry to the first episode of Season 2: Control. 

Join us, David and Nathan, as we start this new season dancing to the beautifully strange rhythms of Clarice Lispector's The Hour of the Star.

In between quoting and praising this novella, we discuss narrative techniques, metaphysical implications, symbolic deaths, co-existing interpretations, and a fall from grace. 

Listen in, tag us online to discuss the book, and call in to share your thoughts: (331) BOSS-BOT / (331) 267-7268.

Nothing lasts, but a good book lasts longer. 

Find us online: 

https://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/

https://twitter.com/BooksOSubstance

 https://www.instagram.com/booksosubstance/

With the 100th episode behind us, and with Nick off exploring the world of dance music, David and Nathan have decided to try some new things. We're going into video (as you can see). We're going seasonal. And we will have a new website, logo, slogan, and much more coming soon. Each new episode will come out on the first Wednesday of every month.

 Season 2 - CONTROL

Nov. 1 - THE HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector

Dec. 6 - GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon (part 1: an approach to the novel with Seth from W.A.S.T.E. Mailing List)

Jan. 3 - GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon (part 2: understanding elements of the novel with Seth from W.A.S.T.E. Mailing List)

Feb. 7 - WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS by J.M. Coetzee

Mar. 6 - MALINA by Ingeborg Bachmann

Apr. 3 - THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles

May 1 - TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller

On this, our 100th episode, we answered some of your questions from our B.O.S.S. voicemail. Sadly we could not get to them all, but we talked about memory, books worth reading a 1,000 times, and childhood books. 

Sadly, we also said farewell to our founding father, Nick, who started this whole wild ride of a podcast and book club. He'll be out there, far from the internet, but still reading good books, still living a life of (some) substance. Godspeed, heavy reader! 

Enjoy the (meat) fireworks. 

Our 100th episode is coming up. And we want you to call in and leave us a message, ask us a question, read a quote, file a complaint, suggest a book, or leave a cool noise (like a ghost or a fart or a ghost fart or something like that...).

This episode will also, sadly, be Nick's final episode. Our founding father and the first heavy reader is hanging up the mic for other things. So call and say something nice to the man. 

Call:
331-BOSS-BOT
or
331-267-7268

On this episode, David is joined by reader and writer Derek Maine to discuss Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming by everyone's favorite pessimistic, long-winded, Hungraian doom master László Krasznahorkai. By everyone, we mean ours. He's a favorite here at BOSS. 

And we are happy to be joined by Derek Maine, author of CHARACTERS, published by Expat Press in 2022. 

Join the two of them as they talk fear, form, apocalyptic shizz, and the faintest glimmers of hope. 

Check out Derek's book: CHARACTERS  and find him on TWITTER 

David, Eric, and Nick read Jon Fosse's Melancholy I-II, a mid-90s Norwegian novel in two parts that explores the connections between art, death, and the divine. Also discussed in this episode: what exactly is "the divine."

For fans of cyclic long sentences and also cyclic short sentences, Melancholy I-II is perhaps a slightly lesser known Fosse work to English-speaking audiences, but it makes a very convincing argument for reading as much Fosse as possible. We know we certainly will.

David is joined by Ross Benjamin, translator of Franz Kafka's Diaries in its most authentic form to date. Listen in as they discuss Benjamin's start in the field of translation, his love for Kafka's craftsmanship and humor, and why a new edition of Kafka's diaries needed to be released.

Benjamin's translation is available now via Schocken Books and is a must for any Kafka fan (read: the hosts of this podcast).

We have (finally) found the lost time! It was inside us all along! Listen in as Nathan, David, and Nick complete their tour through Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, concluding with a discussion on the final volume, Time Regained. Topics include: memory, the purpose of art, and . . . BDSM?

In the event that you anticipate going through withdrawals after completing your own In Search of Lost Time journey, might we recommend some Proust gear? Head on over to the B.O.S.S. store to check out some new designs that will help you tell the world that you've read Proust and you're ready to launch into an extremely in-depth discussion about him at any moment.

In this episode of the Books of Some Substance podcast, hosts Nathan Sharp and David Southard reunite with our old friend Eric Heiman (whose life and experiences connect closely to the novel on this episode) to discuss the intricate and poignant novel Light Years by James Salter.

We get into the unique lyrical and unadorned narrative style of the book,  the mysteries of life, the contrast between perceived and real lives, the pursuit of freedom versus loyalty, the existential and daily struggles of the married couple at the center of the novel, the impact of re-reading the book years later, noting how personal experiences and age have deepened their appreciation for Salter's work, and the seemingly endless cultural references scattered throughout the novel, debating whether they enhance or alienate the reader. 

In this episode Nick is joined by Tom Comitta, aficionado of citational fiction and author of The Nature Book, newly released and available now from Coffee House Press. Tom selected Henri Lefebvre's The Missing Pieces as the work of focus for today's discussion, so listen in as we talk through the history of authors remixing words, Lefebvre's ability to invoke emotion with lists, and the apparent popularity of the destruction of art in antiquity.

Post-script: The remix artist referenced at 43:20 is People Like Us.

In this episode Nick is joined by Bob Blaisdell, Professor of English at the City University of New York's Kingsborough College and author of a new work on Anton Chekhov titled Chekhov Becomes Chekhov: The Emergence of a Literary Genius. Listen in as they talk in depth about the story Difficult People, as well as Blaisdell's approach to digging into Chekhov's most prolific years of 1886 and 1887.

Chekhov Becomes Chekhov: The Emergence of a Literary Genius is available now from Pegasus Books, and we highly recommend grabbing a copy. It's a wonderful read.

David, Nathan, and Nick continue on their expedition for misplaced minutes, this time tackling Marcel Proust's fifth installment, The Captive & The Fugitive. Topics this time around include: the endless cycle of the narrator's obsession and apathy toward Albertine; the errors and inconsistencies of this posthumously published work (and whether that matters at all); the ability of different readers to find different points of connection in a lengthy work so packed with details that it begins to approximate real life.

Say what you will about My Darling Marcel™, but our narrator hero can still deliver quite the impressive take on art, time, and space. 

Only one more volume to go — stay tuned for the coming finale as we wrap up our search and seek to regain all that time sunk into this podcast series.

David, Eric, and Nick dive into The Vegetarian, a 2007 novel by Han Kang that, after its English translation, won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize. This compact work will appeal to anyone interested in tightly architected narrative structures, complex questions of individual agency, and visceral scenes situated right next to moments of quiet contemplation.

One's ability to choose, well, anything at all is not quite so black and white, is it?

Nathan, David, and Nick tackle Sodom and Gomorrah, the fourth volume of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time. They discuss how groundbreaking it was at the time to so openly write about homosexuality, the noticeable increase in the narrator's presence in the book's happenings, and the increased level of action in play (at least in comparison to prior volumes, that is).

Listen in as you continue on your own Proust journey and remember: It's okay if you can't pronounce French names either.

Seth — aficionado of difficult fiction and driving force behind WASTE Mailing List — joins the podcast this episode to chat with David about the endless gifts to be found within the endless layers of Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49. Pynchon-lite it is not! Encompassing both the absurd and the prophetic, this early work by the reclusive author covers everything from embedded allusions to the cultural tumult of the 1960s, distrust of any and all formal systems, and a prescient view of the future of communication (cough, the internet, cough). But perhaps the most meaningful conclusion to draw from Pynchon's work is the absence of drawn conclusions. It's messy out there, readers.

Grab a copy, give it a read, give it another read, then take a listen. And make sure to check out Seth's work at WASTE Mailing List's Youtube and Instagram.

David, Nathan, and Nick continue their journey through Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, this time discussing the third volume, The Guermantes Way. While this one might very well be "a middle book" — and by proximity, this episode "a middle episode" — there is continued brilliance to be enjoyed (if one can make it through the marathon salon scenes, that is). Come for the deep dives on The Dreyfus Affair, stay for the masterful ending. And just remember: You're halfway home.

Writer, interviewer, and heavy reader George Salis returns to the podcast, this time to discuss Alexander Theroux's Fables with David. The two tackle a list of maximalist topics: deep cuts of vocabulary (real and invented), the forever ongoing inclusions of edits and additions that make a work expand even after being published, and, well, lists themselves. Salis also provides insight into the world of Theroux via his past interviews with the writer and involvement in the publishing process of Fables.

Grab a copy, give this latest episode a listen, and check out Salis' work at The Collidescope. May your sentences be long, your word choices intricate, and your fables dark.

David, Eric, and Nick seek out some mid-summer spookiness in Shirley Jackson's acclaimed We Have Always Lived in the Castle and instead find a compact work that is much more complicated than the horror themes, accessible sentences, and vaguely young adult-ish book cover (thanks Penguin Classics) lead one to believe. Cheers to Jackson for walking the line between genre and literary fiction and forcing the reader to sit with a story that has all the trappings of a murder mystery, but none of the virtuous resolutions. Perhaps we are all lacking the ability to communicate across societal lines, forever content in our ever-shrinking castles after all.

David, Nick, and Nathan reconvene to continue their Proust pilgrimage, this time tackling the second volume, Within a Budding Grove. There is discussion around the narrator's age — whether it be twelve or twenty-two, Proust certainly has a knack for combining the idealism and naiveté of youth with the insight and wisdom of adulthood. There is discussion around the book's repetition of similar events and themes and how it is used to advance the book's common aesthetic. And there is discussion around that (infamous?) wrestling scene between Gilberte and the narrator and just exactly what was transpiring amidst the perspiring.

At the very least, this one is chock-full of wonderful Proust quotes, the beauty of which (we hope) carries the episode on its own.

Exploring 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Join hosts David Southard and Nathan Sharp in the Books of Some Substance podcast as they kick off Season 3 with an in-depth discussion on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's seminal Latin American novel, '100 Years of Solitude.' This episode covers the novel's ambitious narrative, magical realism, and deeply complex characters like Jose Arcadio Buendía and Colonel Aureliano Buendía.

They explore themes of solitude, memory, colonialism, familial curses, and the inevitable march of modernity, offering both personal reflections and broader literary analysis. Whether you're new to the novel or revisiting it, this episode promises a fresh and engaging perspective on one of literature's most enduring classics.

00:00 Introduction and Initial Impressions

01:55 Podcast Introduction and Book Overview

02:57 Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Journey to Stardom

03:36 Personal Reading Experiences

04:27 Themes and Style of the Novel

08:04 Setting and Cultural Context

11:04 Plot Summary and Key Events

12:47 Recurring Themes

13:31 Solitude and Human Connection

20:36 Family Dynamics and Generational Shifts

29:28 Political and Historical Context

39:54 Memory and Forgetting

41:51 The Importance of Memory

42:52 The Curse of Forgetting

48:07 The Illusion of Life

49:07 The Dance of Life

59:30 The Burden of Family Legacy

01:07:33 The Inevitability of Modernity

01:17:37 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

 #BooksOfSomeSubstance #100YearsOfSolitude #GabrielGarciaMarquez #LatinAmericanLiterature #MagicalRealism #BookDiscussion #LiteraryPodcast #NobelPrizeLiterature #BookAnalysis #booktok #podcast #literature #magicalrealism #solitude #creativewriting #writingstyle #family

David, Eric, and Nick spend a beautiful Saturday doing what they love: wading into the tides of the irrational, crushing systems in which we have existed, currently exist, and will continue to exist. In other words: Discussing Franz Kafka!

Three of Kafka's short works provide more than enough to chew on, whether it is The Judgment and its quick turn from mundane to surreal, A Country Doctor and its full-blown phantasmagoria, or In the Penal Colony and its melding of mental and bodily anguish. Kafka's brand of malaise hits just as hard now as it presumably did one hundred years ago — and as it presumably will one hundred years from now.

So grab yourself a spot out in the sun, mix up a nice Mai Tai, and listen in as we discuss humanity's unavoidable contract with the daily absurd.

No more searching is necessary. It's time. It's time to read In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, that is. And we here at Books of Some Substance will be doing just that, starting off with this episode on the first volume, Swann's Way.

Listen in as David, Nick, and Nathan begin this long journey by attempting to summarize the actual events in the book (likely to be a recurring challenge); by scratching the surface of the concepts of remembering via the senses, attempting to slow down the passage of time, and the tension between the world of the material vs. the world of idea; and by simply getting lost in passage after passage of beautiful prose.

If you enjoy this episode, know that there will be five more on their way. We'll be releasing a Proust episode every two months as we continue reading this masterpiece. If you've always had In Search of Lost Time on your to-read pile, now is as good of time as any to dig in and join us. Come for the madeleines, stay for the memories.

Take the litmus test: Read some JLB, then be our friend.  We'll see you at the end (or at the beginning).

Renata Adler's Speedboat starts and stops, accelerates and leaps, soars and crashes just like some sort of . . . well, you get it. Join David, Nathan, and Nick as they discuss this compact novel filled with vignettes of 1970s life and all of the sardonic observations that come along with it. But do the vignettes combine to create something more impactful? Is the book funny?  And how does one define humor in literature anyway?

Listen in for our own starts and stops as we talk our way through this intriguing little book and try to define the indefinable.

Just because you bought a copy of W.G. Sebald's The Emigrants in the fiction section doesn't make it fiction. Or does it? Join Nathan, David, and Nick for a conversation about fiction vs. non-fiction vs. creative non-fiction vs. journalism vs. memoir vs. Nick's favorite genre of "who cares as long as you like it." Topics discussed also include: the way reading about memory triggers one's own memory, the Nabokovian butterfly man, and a Sebaldian account of recommending Sebald to others.

The Books of Some Substance crew wish you the happiest of holidays. May you spend them reading and thinking about a man who walks around thinking about the things he's read.

Bay Area musician Taylor Vick of Boy Scouts joins the podcast this episode to share her love for George Saunders' The Tenth of December. Listen in as Taylor and Nick talk about the book's use of absurdist mechanisms to move the reader, the connections between Saunders' work and Boy Scouts, and their own attempts to explore new areas of art, despite any existing contextual baggage. Listening to this episode whilst going on a long walk is not mandatory, but nevertheless highly recommended.

Boy Scouts' excellent new record Wayfinder is available now from ANTI- Records.

In this episode, friend of the podcast and book club Eric Heiman joins David and Nathan to talk about W.G. Sebald's Rings of Saturn. The three get into the melancholic depiction of entropy eating away so much of human life, the sense of historical vertigo, and the (un)fictionality of the novel. Join the three as they discuss the style, form, and substance of Sebald's enigmatic work.

Aatif Rashid, author of the novel Portrait of Sebastian Khan, joins the podcast to profess his love for Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time. The one with, like, a million volumes? The one that's jam-packed with the subtleties of human interactions, relationships, and communications (or lack thereof)? The one that you saw on all of those "great books" lists, but has since slipped away from the shelves of contemporary readers?

Yes, that one indeed. Listen in as Aatif and David chat about why this movement of all movements is still a must-read.

You can find out more about Aatif Rashid here and you can find Portrait of Sebastian Khan via 7.13 Books.

Also, for anyone curious about the article Aatif refernces in the episode, here it is:  "A Text of Arrested Desire: The Anticlimax of Extended Narrative in Anthony Powell's "A Dance to the Music of Time" (1988) by Lynette Felber

https://www.jstor.org/stable/42945736

Ah yes, Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. You probably read it in high school or college as a young seeker of truth, but have you read it later in life? Do the messages change after you too have gone out into the world and been both drawn to and broken by its sweet, empty promises? And most importantly, have you been pronouncing Siddhartha properly all this time? (We haven't.)

Join Nathan and David as they take another spin through Hesse's most known novel. But just remember — we could tell you what this novel is about, but one can only share knowledge, not wisdom.

Season Three: Family

The Books of Some Substance Podcast's third season is underway! David and Nathan are here to announce the season's theme of family and introduce the lineup of books they'll be reading and discussing.

The season opens with '100 Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, followed by 'Light Years' by James Salter, 'The Brothers Karamazov' by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 'The Obscene Bird of Night' by Jose Donoso, 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf, and concludes with 'Blinding' by Mircea Cărtărescu.

We invite listeners to read along, participate in discussions on their community page here on YouTube, and join live read-alongs to make the season more interactive.

00:00 Introduction to Season Three

00:13 Exploring '100 Years of Solitude'

01:00 Diving into 'Light Years'

01:41 Discussing 'The Brothers Karamazov'

02:48 Unpacking 'The Obscene Bird of Night'

05:12 Returning to Virginia Woolf with 'To the Lighthouse'

06:15 Wrapping Up with 'Blinding'

09:05 Interactive Reading and Community Engagement

10:58 Final Thoughts and Encouragement