Marlon and Jake Read Dead People

In the final episode of the season, Marlon and Jake weigh in on their favorite vacation reads, including the ones they started but never finished. Tune in to find out which classic novels Jake took to the beach and which ones Marlon says should have been thrown in the ocean. Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterThe Goodbye Look by Ross McDonaldWar and Peace by Leo TolstoyAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre DumasChances by Jackie CollinsThe Year of the French by Thomas FlanaganAll Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria RemarqueThe Golden Bowl by Henry JamesThe Ambassadors by Henry JamesPortrait of a Lady by Henry JamesPronto by Elmore LeonardHowl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne JonesSmallbone Deceased by Michael GilbertThe Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur, Jr.Persuasion by Jane Austen

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times—it was school. In this episode, Marlon and Jake discuss books where school is the setting or going to school is central to the plot. They debate which authors got school right and which got school wrong, what makes an inspiring teacher, and what the closed universe of a schoolyard or college campus can feel like. Tune in to hear Marlon and Jake reminisce over their own college experiences and what they were like as students.Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterTom Brown’s School Days by Thomas HughesThe History of Tom Jones, A Foundling by Henry FieldingBrideshead Revisited by Evelyn WaughDecline and Fall by Evelyn WaughVile Bodies by Evelyn WaughScoop by Evelyn WaughThe Crime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel SparkA Separate Peace by John KnowlesLook back in Anger by John OsborneTess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas HardyJude the Obscure by Thomas HardyReturn of the Native by Thomas HardyAbsalom, Absalom! By William FaulknerLove Story by Erich SegalThe Miracle Worker by William GibsonStoner by John WilliamsZuleika Dobson by Max BeerbohmThe Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams

In this episode, Marlon and Jake talk about cities in books. Books set in memorable cities, books set in cities you're glad you've never been to and books where the city itself is nearly a character. They talk about the specificity of London of the 19th century British novel, the New York novel, entirely fictional cities in Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and don’t miss Marlon’s personal experience with Bloomsday in Dublin!Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterUlysses by James Joyce Ulysses by James JoycePortrait of the Artist by James JoyceDubliners by James JoyceThe Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom WolfeThe Age of Innocence Edith Wharton The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell HammettPalace Walk by Naguib MahfouzPalace of Desire by Naguib MahfouzSugar Street by Naguib MahfouzInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred DoblinIn Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor HugoInterview with a Vampire by Anne Rice Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy TooleThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail BulgakovThe Young Unicorns by Madeleine L’Engle

In this episode, Marlon and Jake talk about the bad characters we’re not meant to like but do and the good characters we’re meant to like but annoy us. From Dracula to Daisy Buchanan to Oliver Twist and Bambi, the good-to-evil spectrum is vast and no character is safe from commentary. Tune in to find out which classic villain the duo unanimously hate, and which villain gives Marlon the chills and scares Jake to this day. Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterThe Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia HighsmithA Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee WilliamsThe Flashman series by George MacDonald FraserTom Brown’s School Days by Thomas HughesKing Solomon’s Mines by Sir H. Rider HaggardRaiders of the Lost Arc by Campbell BlackDracula by Bram StokerFrankenstein by Mary ShellyOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken KeseyEast of Eden by John SteinbeckThe Awakening by Kate ChopinMadame Bovary by Gustave FlaubertHouse of Mirth by Edith WhartonCrime and Punishment by Fyodor DostoevskyThe Idiot by Fyodor DostoevskyThe Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor DostoevskyThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldGood Morning Midnight by Jean RhysBambi by Felix SaltenWatership Down by Richard AdamsOliver Twist by Charles DickensMiddlemarch by George EliotThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThe Lord of the Flies by William GoldingRailway Children by E. NesbitPeter Pan by J.M. BarrieThe Jungle Book by Rudyard KiplingTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonVanity Fair by William Makepeace ThackerayEmma by Jane AustenMansfield Park by Jane Austen

This episode, Marlon and Jake discuss a new subject for the podcast: poetry! From epic poems to sonnets to the Romantics poets to contemporary (dead) poets. They ponder over why people don’t read poetry as much as prose and recite, on the spot, lines of poetry that are forever engrained in their memories.Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey ChaucerThe Faerie Queene by Edmund SpenserWar Music by Christopher LogueThe Gift Outright by Robert FrostEmily DickinsonW.H. AudenT.S. EliotSamuel Taylor ColeridgeWilliam WordsworthRupert BrookeJohn DunnThe Spanish Needle by Claude McKayThe Iliad by HomerThe Aeneid by VirgilOmeros by Derek WalcottThe Arrivants by Kamau BrathwaiteRiddyn Ravings (The Mad Woman's Poem) by Jean “Binta” BreezeAnne SextonDr. Maya AngelouThe Tyger by William BlakeFire and Ice by Robert FrostGwendolyn BrooksJune JordanAudre LordeToni MorrisonOgden NashDorothy ParkerTales From Ovid by Ted HughesInferno from Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Books assigned in school evoke strong feelings. You either love em’ or you hate em.’ In this episode, Marlon and Jake discuss the books they wished they were assigned in school and the ones they suffered through. Accompanying the books taught in school, there are, of course, the teachers who taught them. A teacher can make or break a book read in school. As a literature teacher (as well as Booker prize winning author), Marlon acknowledges there are some novels assigned in school that you have to work to understand that are really good, but sometimes those novels are not good and if it weren’t for being assigned in school, we wouldn’t still be reading it.Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenThe Republic by PlatoJude the Obscure by Thomas HardyTess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas HardyThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey ChaucerInfinite Jest by David Foster WallaceTom Jones by Henry FieldingMiddlemarch by George EliotCall of the Wild by Jack LondonBleak House by Charles DickensGreat Expectations by Charles DickensThe Pickwick Papers by Charles DickensDavid Copperfield by Charles DickensThe Warden by Anthony TrollopeWashington Square by Henry JamesThe Turn of the Screw by Henry JamesThe Aspern Papers byHenry JamesThe Ambassadors by Henry JamesDaisy Miller by Henry JamesEthan Frome by Edith WhartonThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainThe Bondsman’s Narrative by Hannah CraftsGuerillas by VS NaipaulMiguel Street by VS NaipaulA Bend in the River by VS NaipaulA House for Mr. Biswas by VS NaipaulDog Soldiers by Robert StoneThe Godfather by Mario PuzoShogun by James ClavellTia-pan by James ClavellKing Rat by James ClavellWhirlwind by James ClavellJulius Caesar by William ShakespeareKing Lear by William ShakespeareThe Tempest by William ShakespeareKing Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider HaggardThe Radiance of the King by Camara LayeHeart of Darkness by Joseph ConradTarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice BurroughsThe Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. StocktonThe Discourager of Hesitancy by Frank R. Stockton

In this episode, Marlon and Jake weigh in on a question as old as books themselves—can you judge a book by its cover? Spoiler alert: the answer is yes! They discuss good books with bad covers and bad books with good covers, cover art trends (*cough* the woman facing away), books that were recommended to them, and books they read because of peer pressure. Tune in to hear Marlon and Jake opine the myriad ways we judge books.Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia MarquezHotel du Lac by Anita BrooknerThe Latecomers by Anita BrooknerThe Joy of Sex by Alex ComfortEverything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex: But Were Afraid to Ask by Dr. David R. ReubenGeek Love by Katherine DunnAncient Evening by Norman MailerMiami and the Siege of Chicago by Norman MailerThe Naked and the Dead by Norman MailerThe Railway Children by E. NesbitBallad of a Sad Café by Carson McCullersConfederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy TooleThe Bridges of Madison County by Robert James WallerAngela’s Ashes by Frank McCourtThe Hound of the Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleAtlas Shrugged by Ayn RandThe Night of January 16th by Ayn RandWinesburg, Ohio by Sherwood AndersonRebecca by Daphne Du MaurierJamacia Inn by Daphne Du MaurierDon’t Look Now by Daphne Du MaurierThe French Lieutenant’s Woman by John FowlesDune by Frank HerbertStoner by John WilliamsOne is Not Enough by Jacqueline SusannValley of the Dolls by Jacqueline SusannHollywood Wives by Jackie CollinsChances by Jackie CollinsPeyton Place by Grace MetaliousEarthly Powers by Anthony BurgessAbsalom, Absalom! By William FaulknerButterfield 8 by John O’HaraA Rage to Live by John O’HaraGrendel by John GardnerMickelsson’s Ghosts by John GardnerOctober Light by John GardnerFreddy’s Book by John GardnerThe Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynThe Longest Journey by E.M. ForsterA Passage to India by E.M. ForsterHowards’ End by E.M. ForsterMaurice by E.M. ForsterSoldier’s Pay by William FaulknerEverything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’ConnorWise Blood by Flannery O’Connor

Marlon and Jake are back! And they’re catching up on the dead authors they’ve read since they last spoke—some of which they praise, others they don’t. From comparing Nella Larson’s Passing to the Netflix film, to discussing unsettling stories that linger with you, they cover a lot of literary ground. They also weigh in on longstanding debates like whether they read the book or watch the movie adaption first and the difference between horror and terror. Tune in for the witty book banter you know and love. Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for  sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterThe Letters of Thom Gunn by Thom GunnPassing by Nella Larsen A View From a Hill by Montague Roads JamesThe Turn of The Screw by Henry JamesFrankenstein by Mary Shelly The Birds by Daphne Du MaurierRebecca by Daphne Du MaurierThe Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris The Exorcist by William Peter BlattyJesus’s Son by Denis JohnsonAirships by Barry Hannah Lost Illusions by Honore de BalzacMadam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Savage Detectives by Roberto BolanoHell House by Richard MathesonThe Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring

In just one week, Marlon and Jake return with an epic new season discussing the non-living luminaries they love, hate, and will never agree on. Get ready for even more hot takes, hilarious debates, and incisive commentary on dead poets, judging books by their covers, exactly what kind of student Marlon was in college, and which classic novel Jake spoiled the ending for a colleague—among other literary gems.

Marlon & Jake are back to discuss the most indelible and powerful female characters—those written by dead female authors and those written by dead male authors. From Sula Peace to the Wife of Bath, Scout Finch to Janie Crawford—these two gentleman celebrate some of literature’s most ferocious, complicated, guileless, unrepentant and commanding women.The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey ChaucerRum Punch by Elmore LeonardBleak House by Charles DickensThe Palliser novels by Anthony TrollopeTo Kill A Mockingbird by Harper LeeDouble Indemnity by James CainThere Eyes Are Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonDubliners by James JoyceKindred Octavia ButlerThe Sound and the Fury by William FaulknerTwo Serious Ladies by Jane BowlesSula by Toni Morrison

Marlon & Jake are back to discuss the narrators they love but can't trust. From the delusional to the uninformed, the sociopathic to the sympathetic, they explore the characters that charm as much as they trick, begging the question: is there such a thing as a reliable narrator? So tune in to hear if Jake has warmed to Great Expectations (spoiler alert: he hasn’t) and so much more! Select titles mentioned in this episode:Great Expectations by Charles DickensClockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe Tristram Shandy by Laurence Stern Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson "Charles" by Shirley Jackson (in The Lottery and Other Stories collection)

We didn't ghost you, dear listeners. Marlon had a novel to finish, which Jake had to edit. But the good news is it's officially out in the world, and so before Marlon—the very living author—takes off on his whirlwind book tour, he and Jake are back together for a brief (but delicious) reunion of discussing what they love most: DEAD AUTHORS. We'll be back for season three later this spring, but until then, stayed tuned for an amuse bouche, a canapé, an appetizer—take your pick!—to the glorious meal on the horizon.

Prepare for what might be Marlon & Jake’s most controversial hot takes yet, as they travel back through the last four hundred years to decide which dead authors from each century stand the test of time and which can be left to gather dust on the shelf.  Where do they fall on Paradise Lost?  Who triumphs in the battle of the poets v. novelists of the 18th century? How much has the 1930s Hollywood studio system shaped classic stories?  Which of them stans Huckleberry Finn, and who thinks it might be overrated?  Marlon & Jake answer these questions and more as they discuss the timeless work of the freaky, the rebellious and the groundbreaking. From Mary Shelley to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Paul Laurence Dunbar to Daphne du Maurier—with a healthy dose of Alexander Pope-dissing—tune in to find out where you stand with their picks. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki ShikibuThe Adventures of Amir Hamza by Ghalib Lakhnavi and Abdullah BilgramiParadise Lost by John MiltonThe Faerie Queene by Edmund SpenserThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer The Provoked Wife by John VanbrughFrankenstein by Mary ShelleyMathilda by Mary ShelleyThe Last Man by Mary ShelleyThe Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann RadcliffeNorthanger Abbey by Jane AustenThe Complete Poems of William BlakeRobinson Crusoe by Daniel DefoeMoll Flanders by Daniel DefoePamela by Samuel RichardsonBleak House by Charles DickensNana by Émile ZolaGerminal by Émile ZolaAdventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainThe Complete Poems of Paul Laurence DunbarI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya AngelouThe Awakening by Kate Chopin“The Story of an Hour” by Kate ChopinA Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan DoyleForest of A Thousand Daemons by D.O. FagunwaCane by Jean ToomerTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonBarracoon by Zora Neale HurstonOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezThe Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel García MárquezThings Fall Apart by Chinua AchebeArrow of God by Chinua AchebeNo Longer at Ease by Chinua AchebeThe Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynWar and Peace by Leo TolstoyRebecca by Daphne du MaurierA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EngleThe Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. TolkienGone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

This week Marlon & Jake discuss the books by dead authors they give as gifts and the very important decision-making that goes into that selection. Whether it’s for a younger, skeptical or pretentious reader, they share the unintentionally comedic and surprisingly engaging books they choose to bestow upon their loved ones. Middlemarch by George Eliot The Long Ships by Frans G. BengtssonTai-Pan by James ClavellThe Godfather by Mario PuzoHarriet the Spy by Louise FitzhughKidnapped by Robert Louis StevensonThe Water-Babies by Charles KingsleyTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonThe Black Arrow by Robert Louis StevensonThe Gold-Bug by Edgar Allan PoeThe Radiance of the King by Camara LayeHeart of Darkness by Joseph ConradDon Quixote by Miguel de CervantesThe Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue TownsendLord of the Flies by William GoldingAnimal Farm by George OrwellNineteen Eighty-Four by George OrwellBrave New World by Aldous HuxleyThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. LewisThe History of Jamaica by Edward LongNicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. MassieOne Thousand and One Nights The Death of King Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory Oreo by Fran RossThe Stories of Breece D'J Pancake by Breece D’J PancakeThe Tale of Genji by Murasaki ShikibuLes Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

This week Marlon & Jake discuss memorable characters from books by dead authors—who they love, who they despise and everything in between. What exactly makes a character great?  Who would they invite to their literary dinner party and why?  From Elmore Leonard’s Raylan to Louisa May Alcott’s Jo March, Lady Macbeth to Auntie Mame—tune in to hear which fictional personalities would get a seat at the table, who would be banished forever, and who Marlon and Jake would simply ignore. David Copperfield by Charles DickensWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëOliver Twist by Charles DickensThe Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar WildeLittle Dorrit by Charles DickensCrime and Punishment by Fyodor DostoevskyThe Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia HighsmithAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezSong of Solomon by Toni MorrisonBleak House by Charles DickensThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg LarssonPronto by Elmore LeonardLittle Women by Louisa May AlcottSula by Toni MorrisonLove in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García MárquezThe Parker novels by Richard StarkMacbeth by William ShakespeareThe Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) by Dante AlighieriThe Merchant of Venice by William ShakespeareAuntie Mame by Patrick DennisTinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le CarréThe Palliser novels by Anthony TrollopeHamlet by William ShakespeareKing Lear by William ShakespeareThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor HugoMoby-Dick by Herman MelvilleThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensGreat Expectations by Charles DickensThe House of Mirth by Edith WhartonMadame Bovary by Gustave FlaubertLolita by Vladimir NabokovThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre DumasThe Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. LewisCharlotte’s Web by E. B. WhiteThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank BaumStuart Little by E.B. White

Marlon and Jake take on literary giants in a grudge match for the ages. This time it's Charles Dickens vs. Anthony Trollope and Louisa May Alcott vs. Laura Ingalls Wilder in a no-holds-barred royal rumble. The two of them pull no punches, whether they're talking about racism or Edith Wharton's snobbery, colonialism or Hugh Grant's hair. So get ready to cheer on your favorite dead author and literary warrior as Marlon and Jake go mano a mano in a street fight you've definitely never come across before.Select titles mentioned in this episode:The Palliser Novels by Anthony TrollopeThe Warden by Anthony TrollopeA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensBleak House by Charles DickensGreat Expectations by Charles DickensLittle Dorrit by Charles DickensThe Old Curiosity Shop by Charles DickensDavid Copperfield by Charles DickensLittle Women by Louisa May AlcottLittle House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderLorna Doone by R. D. BlackmoreOliver Twist by Charles DickensMaurice by E. M. ForsterStuart Little by E.B. WhiteThe Grapes of Wrath by John SteinbeckEast of Eden by John SteinbeckTravels with Charley by John SteinbeckThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldNick Adams Stories by Ernest HemingwayThe Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway by Ernest HemingwayInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Literary speculation abounds as Marlon and Jake reveal which books they wish they had written and which they think would have been better if they’d been written by someone completely different. Listen in as they explore the questions you never knew you needed answers to. Would The Confessions of Nat Turner have been better if Zora Neale Hurston had written it? Who could have written a funnier Ulysses? Were members of the Bloomsbury Group actually total bores? And perhaps most important: Does Marlon’s mom still have his Tom Jones fan-fiction and if so, how much is Jake willing to pay for it? Tune in for all this and more, including a lively discussion about plays that are as enjoyable to read as they are to see on stage. (And spoiler: Jake is not a fan of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.)Select title discussed:Tom Jones by Henry Fielding Dubliners by James JoyceTai-Pan by James ClavellWide Sargasso Sea by Jean RhysBefore Night Falls by Reinaldo ArenasThe Quiet American by Graham GreeneA Bend in the River by V.S. NaipaulAirships by Barry Hannah Joseph Andrews by Henry fieldingPamela by Samuel RichardsonThe Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace ThackerayShōgun by James Clavell Trent's Last Case by E. C. BentleyThe Moonstone by Wilkie Collins The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Middlemarch by George EliotA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensThe Obscene Bird of Night by José DonosoThe Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron Barracoon by Zora Neale HurstonTerrorist by John UpdikeJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëA Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf Ulysses by James Joyce Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt Orlando by Virginia WoolfMrs. Dalloway by Virginia WoolfThe Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-WestThe Age of Innocence by Edith WhartonHouse of Mirth by Edith WhartonHighland Fling by Nancy MitfordHeart of Darkness by Joseph ConradDon Quixote by Miguel de CervantesThe Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The Two Gentleman of Verona by William ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s Dream by William ShakespeareAs You Like It by William ShakespeareRomeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareAn Ideal Husband by Oscar WildeHis Girl Friday by Charles Lederer (screenplay), adapted from The Front Page by Ben He

Marlon and Jake share their "gateway" books by dead authors, the first books they read that that turned them on—or off—the rest of an author's work. From John Steinbeck to Dorothy Parker, Umberto Eco to Norman Mailer, Ayn Rand to Carson McCullers, Marlon and Jake don't hold back in discussing the imprints, footprints, and thumbprints these books left on them. They also ponder the long-lasting consequences of the high school lit class, whether a gateway book can be assigned, and the enduring power of dullness in a novel, no matter the century.  Listen for this and more, including what Marlon and Jake think of The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara, edited by one Toni Morrison.  The Pearl by John SteinbeckThe Red Pony by John SteinbeckCannery Row by John SteinbeckEast of Eden by John SteinbeckGrapes of Wrath by John SteinbeckEthan Frome by Edith WhartonThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest HemingwayThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryMrs. Caliban by Rachel IngallsThe Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullersSula by Toni MorrisonFor Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake ShangeNight of January 16th by Ayn RandThe Fountainhead Ayn RandAtlas Shrugged by Ayn RandA Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le GuinOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezChronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García MárquezNews of a Kidnapping by Gabriel García MárquezLove in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García MárquezThe Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García MárquezEnough Rope by Dorothy ParkerThe collected poetry of Dorothy ParkerThe Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoFoucault’s Pendulum by Umberto EcoThe Island of the Day Before by Umberto EcoIn the hand of Dante by Nicholas ToschesAncient Evenings by Norman MailerLady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. LawrenceMiami and the Siege of Chicago by Norman MailerHarlot’s Ghost by Norman MailerAn American Dream by Norman MailerWhy Are We In Vietnam? by Norman MailerThe Executioner’s Song by Norman MailerLook Back in Anger by John OsborneLoot by Joe OrtonWhat the Butler Saw by joe OrtonSaturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" by Alan SillitoeAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyJude the Obscure by Thomas HardyTess of the d'Urberv

In this episode Marlon and Jake ponder the tricky question of the last books by authors who’ve … um … left this mortal coil. Which last books are actually worth reading? (Not many, it turns out.) From Roberto Bolaño to Penelope Fitzgerald, Sylvia Plath to Eudora Welty, Marlon and Jake discuss how an author's last book compares to their previous ones, how success and age changed how and what they wrote, and the wistfulness that comes when some last books are actually good and you wonder what the authors might have written next, if, you know, they hadn't died. Tune in for this and more, including Marlon and Jake’s surprising thoughts on James Thurber's humorous memoir, My Life and Hard Times.Select titles discussed:Maurice by E. M. ForsterGo Set a Watchman by Harper LeeTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeNorthanger Abbey by Jane AustenPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonWide Sargasso Sea by Jean RhysThe Blue Flower by Penelope FitzgeraldLolita by Vladimir NabokovThe Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño2666 by Roberto BolañoExercises in Style by Raymond QueneauA Room with a View by E. M. ForsterPassage to India by E. M. ForsterSomething Happened by Joseph HellerThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathAfter Leaving Mr. Mackenzie by Jean RhysOne Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora WeltyThe Robber Bridegroom by Eudora WeltyThe Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty“Where is the Voice Coming From?” by Eudora WeltyMy Life and Hard Times by James ThurberTypee by Herman MelvilleWar and Peace by Leo TolstoyUncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher StoweThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëThe Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara

We've heard them rave about their favorites and rant about their least favorites, but Marlon and Jake reveal in this episode their second favorite books by dead authors: the books they love that are the runners-up to the #1 spots in their hearts. From Amos Tutuola to Gabriel García Márquez to John le Carré and more, Marlon and Jake explore why one's favorite book by an author might not always be their best book, what separates an intellectual vs. an emotional response to a book, and the importance of being a promiscuous reader. (That’s right, promiscuous.) And what is the next book by a dead author Marlon and Jake will be reading together for the first time? Tune in to find out!Select Titles Discussed:Hamlet by William ShakespeareMacbeth by William ShakespeareA House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. NaipaulDarkness Visible by William GoldingLord of the Flies by William GoldingShardik by Richard AdamsWatership Down by Richard AdamsThe Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos TutuolaMy Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Amos TutuolaOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezLove in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García MárquezUnder the Volcano by Malcolm LowryShōgun by James ClavellAirport by Arthur HaileyThe Moneychangers by Arthur HaileyThe Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John le CarréTinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le CarréThe Honorable Schoolboy by John le CarréSmiley’s People by John le CarréA Perfect Spy by John le CarréPersuasion by Jane AustenPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenSula by Toni MorrisonSong of Solomon by Toni MorrisonPnin by Vladimir NabokovThe House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel HawthorneThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel HawthorneMiddlemarch by George EliotTom Jones by Henry FieldingGreat Expectations by Charles DickensBleak House by Charles DickensBarchester Towers by Anthony TrollopeGone with the Wind by Margaret MitchellBlood on the Forge by William AttawayMy Life and Hard Times by James Thurber

Marlon & Jake weigh in on the age-old “artist versus art” debate, as they examine good books by problematic dead authors, as well as the bad and sometimes problematic books by great dead authors.  From Flannery O’Conner to Roald Dahl,  Vladimir Nabokov to the surprisingly challenging Charles Dickens, Marlon & Jake explore the thorny questions surrounding the books worth fighting for and the ones worth fighting over. How exactly do we define terrible books?  Is there a statute of limitations on being offensive? Can we enjoy a book at the same time that we recognize its failures?  Do people and ideas ever evolve beyond books?  And what does it mean to have the freedom to choose what to read? Tune in for a provocative, nuanced conversation that might just make you rethink, revisit, or totally let go when it comes to your own reading of dead authors.Selected works discussedCharlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald DahlGone with the Wind by Margaret MitchellEverything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’ConnorHeart of Darkness by Joseph ConradBear and His Daughter by Robert StoneThe Breast by Philip RothI Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom WolfeLolita by Vladimir NabokovPnin by Vladimir NabokovMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleSong of Solomon by Toni MorrisonThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainSlapstick by Kurt VonnegutWelcome to the Monkey House by Kurt VonnegutSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt VonnegutThe Mountain Lion by Jean StaffordThe Turner Diaries by William Luther PierceTarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice BurroughsJohn Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice BurroughsAnd the writing of:Charles DickensKnut HamsunJack LondonHP LovecraftWilliam S. BurroughsNorman MailerEnid Blyton

Marlon and Jake talk short books they love, syllabus staples to skip (Hemingway die-hards, consider yourselves warned), and their first-ever real-time joint read, Blood on the Forge by William Attaway.  What does Marlon consider the closest thing to a perfect novel?  Tune in to find out!Sula by Toni MorrisonWide Sargasso Sea by Jean RhysMrs. Caliban by Rachel IngallsMiguel Street by V.S. NaipaulWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonTurn of the Screw by Henry JamesSong of Solomon by Toni MorrisonThe Aspern Papers by Henry JamesThe Ambassadors by Henry JamesPassing by Nella LarsenInvisible Cities by Italo CalvinoIf on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo CalvinoAnimal Farm by George OrwellThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest HemingwayThe Quiet American by Graham GreeneThe Lover by Marguerite Duras1984 by George OrwellBlood on the Forge by William Attaway

Marlon and Jake reunite to discuss the books that got them through the pandemic, classics they wish they had written, and whether Lord of the Flies needs a sequel. Select titles mentioned in this episode:A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel DefoeBeloved by Toni MorrisonSong of Solomon by Toni MorrisonThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan DoyleKindred by Octavia E. ButlerHarriet the Spy by Louise FitzhughGiovanni's Room by James BaldwinSteppenwolf by Herman HesseWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward AlbeeA Room with a View by E.M. ForsterA Passage to India by E.M. ForsterMaurice by E.M. ForsterJude the Obscure by Thomas HardyThe Golden Notebook by Doris LessingWise Blood by Flannery O’ConnorHeart of Darkness by Joseph ConradLord of the Flies by William GoldingTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeGo Set a Watchman by Harper LeeOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezBlood on the Forge by William Attaway

Marlon and Jake are back with a sizzling new season of the dead authors they love, hate, and will never agree on. Get ready for even more heated (and hilarious) debates, unexpected insights, and—of course—brutal honesty. Dead authors never felt so cool.

Marlon and Jake are back this summer for a second season

As Marlon and Jake wrap up Season 1 of Reading Dead People, they take a moment to reflect on what they've learned and what dead books and authors they want to discuss when they return for season two. So Marlon and Jake will be on a hiatus--they have some reading to do!--but fear not, they will be back soon to discuss the good, the bad and the everything in between. Until then, go read some dead people!!

This week Marlon and Jake answer some of the questions that listeners have asked. What dead author or book did they initially hate but have come around to love? What is the best book by the worst dead author? And who is the most annoying character by a dead author? (Spoiler alert: Heathcliff. Obviously.) Along the way Jake confesses a lack of enthusiasm for William Faulkner and, yes, Virginia Woolf, while Marlon bemoans the insufferably boring Thomas Hardy and makes a plug for the poetic darkness of Shakespeare’s Richard III.  Their shared hatred of A Tale of Two Cities is back and stronger than ever. Will Jake re-read Absalom, Absalom!? Will Marlon let go of his Edith Wharton grudge? Should we take relationship advice from Jane Austen? Was D.H. Lawrence the 20th Century’s bridesmaid but never its bride?  Has the “Great Pirate Novel” been written? Tune in to learn the answers to these essential questions and so much more!Select titles discussed in this episode:Absalom, Absalom! by William FaulknerThe Sound and the Fury by William FaulknerThe Nick Adams Stories by Ernest HemingwayTess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas HardyJude the Obscure by Thomas HardyReturn of the Native by Thomas HardyThe Awakening by Kate ChopinFour Quartets by T.S. EliotMrs. Dalloway by Virginia WoolfThe House of Mirth by Edith WhartonWomen in Love by D.H. LawrenceEmma by Jane AustenSense and Sensibility by Jane AustenPersuasion by Jane AustenA Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee WilliamsHarvey by Mary ChaseWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldVanity Fair by William Makepeace ThackerayQB VII by Leon UrisAirport by Arthur HaileyThe White Witch of Rosehall by Herbert G. de LisserThe Black Sun by Lance HornerRichard III by William ShakespeareThe Merchant of Venice by William ShakespeareJulius Caesar by William ShakespearePericles by William ShakespeareThe Merry Wives of Windsor by William ShakespeareCymbeline by William ShakespeareOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail BulgakovRobinson Crusoe by Daniel DefoeTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonA High Wind in Jamaica by Richard HughesThis Side of Paradise by F. Scott FitzgeraldA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensBleak House by Charles DickensOur Mutual Friend by Charles DickensDavid Copperfield by Charles DickensThe Edwardians by Vita Sackville-WestStoner by John WilliamsThe Pearl by John SteinbeckThe Ambassadors by Henry JamesAutumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García MárquezWide Sargasso Sea by Jean RhysJane Eyre by Ch

This week Marlon and Jake dive into one of life’s great guilty pleasures: the trashy novel. Do such books provide intellectual stimulation or lessons on morality? Of course not. Nevertheless, Marlon and Jake extol the virtues of these irresistibly low-brow novels that they can’t get enough of, in the process asking: What makes a novel trashy and what makes it literary? If a book holds up a mirror to society, can it qualify as trash? What are the differences between trashy novels for women and trashy novels for men? From Peyton Place to Valley of the Dolls to the Falconhurst novels, Marlon and Jake get real about the wonderfully salacious plots, the ridiculously named characters, the gay subtexts, the surprising pathos, and all the sex. SO. MUCH. SEX. So literary snobs, be warned. For the rest of us, tune in to celebrate dead authors who have given us the gift of a shamelessly good read. Select titles discussed in this episode: The Carpetbaggers by Harold Robbins The Falconhurst Series by Lance Horner, Kyle Onstott, and Ashley Carter Peyton Place by Grace Metalious The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann Shogun by James Clavell The Executioner Series by Don Pendleton The Godfather by Mario Puzo Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell The Bad Seed by William March Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Marlon and Jake put on their Hollywood sunglasses as they discuss the films adapted from books by dead people. What makes a good movie adaptation? What translates from the page to the screen and what most definitely does not? Jake admits that The Exorcist is the most shocking novel and movie he’s ever encountered, and Marlon celebrates the unparalleled brilliance of Die Hard—which yes, was adapted from a novel, and which yes, Marlon has actually read. Jake (yet again) offends Marlon with his disdain for all things Hobbit and Marlon points to Angela’s Ashes as an example of the phenomenon of the “well-made bad movie.”  From the atrocious attempts to bring The Great Gatsby to the big screen to the unfortunate existence of Ewan McGregor’s American Pastoral, Marlon and Jake explore great books that were made into less-than-great films as well as bad books that made excellent movies. How did the messiness of Mario Puzo’s storytelling and prose make the perfection that is The Godfather films? How did an angry-animal thriller like Jaws become a horror movie classic? From The Princess Bride to A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon and Jake debate what goes into a terrific – and a lousy – film adaptation. So grab your popcorn and Jujubes and settle back for one wild cinematic ride. Select titles mentioned in this episode: The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt American Pastoral by Philip Roth Beloved by Toni Morrison The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson The Grifters by Jim Thompson The Hobbit by J.R. R. Tolkien Jaws by Peter Benchley The Godfather by Mario Puzo The Sicilian by Mario Puzo The Princess Bride by William Goldman A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith Watership Down by Richard Adams Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp

This week Marlon and Jake delve into the very real lives of very dead writers. From Gore Vidal to Frank McCourt, Ulysses S. Grant to Gabriel García Márquez, they discuss how memory compares to history and whether the trustworthiness of a memoir really matters if the book is a compelling read. Their discussion about WASPy realism leads them to debate whether John Cheever or John Updike is the better writer, and Marlon poses the scandalous question of whether Jane Austen lacked passion (gasp!). Whether they’re talking about philandering playwrights or humorous newspaper columnists, Marlon and Jake prove that truth really can be stranger than fiction. Select titles mentioned in this episode: Personal Memoirs by Ulysses Grant Palimpsest by Gore Vidal The Night of the Gun by David Carr Act One by Moss Hart Once in a Lifetime by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman The Man Who Came to Dinner by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez Rabbit Series (Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Is Rich and Rabbit At Rest) by John Updike The Maples Stories by John Updike The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen At Wit’s End by Erma Bombeck If Life is a Bowl of Cherries by Erma Bombeck

This week Marlon and Jake go back in time-way, way back-and revisit the myths and legends that have terrified and tantalized us for centuries. Gods and monsters. The powerful and the petty. The shape-shifting and the rampantly naked. From ancient Greece and Africa to Jamaica and Ireland, Marlon and Jake explore the world's myths and legends-how they persist and how we absorb, sanitize and subvert them. Whether it's Jason and the Golden Fleece, the trickster Anansi, or the non-consenting kiss in Sleeping Beauty, Marlon and Jake get real about fairy tales and folklore. And for all Black Leopard, Red Wolf fans, tune in to learn more about which of these traditions influenced Marlon's epic fantasy and how he's turning the wicked witch trope on its head in the trilogy's next novel! Select titles mentioned in this episode: The Greek Myths The Labors of Hercules Jason and the Golden Fleece Daedelus and Icarus Bullfinch's Mythology African Myths of Origin Anansi the Spider Apep and Ra Black Heart Man Rolling Calf Sukuyan The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales Snow White Rapunzel Sleeping Beauty Hansel and Gretel The Twelve Dancing Princesses The Little Mermaid The Little Match Girl Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by William Butler Yeats

This week Marlon and Jake venture into fantasy: the imagined worlds of dead writers—from quests and dragons to magic carpets and pregnant kings. As they dive into the works of the giants of traditional fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, they discuss the influence both writers had on Marlon's own fantasy epic, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, which was inspired by the epic traditions of Africa and writers like D.O. Fagunwa and Amos Tutuola. They debate how reading fantasy as a child differs from reading it as an adult, wonder why there aren't more female characters, and lament how fantasy is still mostly read by boys and men. From The Hobbit to Ursula K. Le Guin, the two have some very real takes on the make-believe. So tune in. Select titles mentioned in this episode: The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake The Longships by Frans G. Bengtsson My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Amos Tutuola Forest of a Thousand Daemons by D.O. Fagunwa The Lake Goddess by Flora Nwapa The Sagas of the Icelanders A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún by J.R.R. Tolkien Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin Dune by Frank Herbert Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Marlon and Jake are back-this time to discuss which dead author they'd take with them to a desert island to reread over and over again-as well as which ones they'd happily leave lost at sea. From the Jamaica of Wide Sargasso Sea to the lonely New England of Shirley Jackson, Marlon and Jake get fired up over the books they vehemently love and the ones they equally hate. Marlon explores his complicated love for James Clavell and the underappreciated wisdom of Pride & Prejudice's Charlotte Lucas, while Jake (unsuccessfully) attempts to convince Marlon that Agatha Christie is, in fact, not overrated. One thing they actually agree on?? That would be their passionate disdain for Wuthering Heights-and it's not pretty-so Emily Bronte lovers, consider yourself warned! Included Titles: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Great Expectations by Charles Dickens A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Raising Demons by Shirley Jackson Shogun by James Clavell Tai-Pan by James Clavell And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Marlon and Jake kick off the first episode by taking on some literary giants in a grudge match for the ages. This time it's Charles Dickens vs. Anthony Trollope and Louisa May Alcott vs. Laura Ingalls Wilder in a no-holds-barred royal rumble. The two of them pull no punches, whether they're talking about racism or Edith Wharton's snobbery, colonialism or Hugh Grant's hair. So get ready to cheer on your favorite dead author and literary warrior as Marlon and Jake go mano a mano in a street fight you've definitely never come across before. Select titles mentioned in this episode: The Palliser Novels by Anthony Trollope The Warden by Anthony Trollope A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Bleak House by Charles Dickens Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Maurice by E. M. Forster Stuart Little by E.B. White The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck East of Eden by John Steinbeck Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway by Ernest Hemingway Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Marlon and Jake Read Dead People is a podcast hosted by the Man Booker Prize-winning and internationally bestselling author Marlon James and his editor, Jake Morrissey, Executive Editor at Riverhead Books. In each episode, Marlon and Jake talk about authors—specifically dead authors. Authors they like. Authors they hate. Great books, terrible books, and books they love that you’d never expect them to. As a writer and an editor, Marlon and Jake have read thousands of books between them, and they’re not shy in expressing their opinions about them. Sometimes they’ll agree, sometimes they won’t, but, in every episode, they’ll tell you what they think—uncensored and with no holds barred. (That’s why the authors have to be dead.) So listen along to hear about the spectacularly good, the hilariously bad, and the brutally honest.