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So Many Damn Books

Christopher Hermelin·267 episodes

ArtsBooksFictionSocietyCultureAuthor interviewsBook club feelThemed drinksStandalone episodesLiterary conversation50-75 min/ep

A blessing, a curse, a podcast, since 2014. Christopher (@cdhermelin) invites folks to the Damn Library to talk about reading, literature, publishing, and trying to make it through the never-dwindling stack of things to read. All with a themed drink in hand. Recorded at the Damn Library in Brooklyn, NY. For show info, book lists, and drink recipes, follow @somanydamnbooks and visit somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why listen

So Many Damn Books feels like being invited into a cozy, opinionated Brooklyn library where contemporary authors talk about their own books, the books they love, and the strange habits of a reading life. Christopher Hermelin keeps the format loose but specific, usually pairing an author interview with a second book discussion and a themed drink. It is a strong fit for readers who want literary conversation that is smart without feeling academic.

Episodes

17 min
May 15, 2026Episode 257
Reading Journal

I hang out and chat a bit about books I've read recently! Fun, right? So much fun.For the drink recipe, every book mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-257Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbmusic: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 7 min
Apr 24, 2026Episode 256
Casey Scieszka (THE FOUNTAIN) & Natalie Babbitt's TUCK EVERLASTING

Casey Scieszka squeezes through the internet’s tubes to arrive safely on the podcast and talk The Fountain, her debut novel. We get into immortality, and alcohol etymology, and the Spruceton Inn residency, and growing up the daughter of famous children’s author, Jon Scieszka. Plus, we dive deeper into Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting. Were the Tucks faeries or what?For the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-256Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbmusic: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 10 min
Apr 10, 2026Episode 255
Lior Torenberg (JUST WATCH ME) & Rufi Thorpe's MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES

Lior Torenberg zooms into the Damn Library to chat about Just Watch Me, an early entry in the run for “best book of the year.” She goes into just how deep her love for hot sauce goes, some terribly cramped apartments, and chats about the trope of the sad girl grifter. Plus, we get to talk about Rufi Thorpe’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles, a much different book about making money online.For the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-255Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbmusic: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 17 min
Mar 17, 2026Episode 254
Kathleen Boland (SCAVENGERS) & Joy Williams' THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

Kathleen Boland road trips into the Damn Library Hyperspace to talk about her novel Scavengers, which also means talking about karaoke, the magic of Utah, treasure hunts, and complicated mother-daughter relationships. Plus, she brings along Christopher’s first Joy Williams’ work, The Quick and the Dead which complements Scavengers nicely. Get on the road and listen in.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-254music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 4 min
Feb 27, 2026Episode 253
Drew Broussard Runs By (Stephen King's THE RUNNING MAN & Edgar Wright's THE RUNNING MAN)

Drew Broussard (former co-host of this show, current Lit Hub Radio host, Manager at Rough Draft) stops in for a SPOILER-FILLED chat about the dichotomy that is Richard Bachman/Stephen King, and both the book and the movie of The Running Man (the Edgar Wright one).[note: we stop spoiling plot points for the book and movie at 48:55 or so]Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-253music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 min
Feb 10, 2026Episode 252
Reading Journal – Aimee Bender

Christopher re-read all of Aimee Bender and decided to talk about it.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-252music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 3 min
Dec 17, 2025Episode 251
Alix E. Harrow (THE EVERLASTING) & Nicola Griffith's MENEWOOD

Alix E. Harrow drops into the Damn Library to talk about the everyday magic of being alive and writing really good books, like her newest one The Everlasting, Christopher’s favorite book of the year. Plus, she recommended Nicola Griffith’s Menewood and it leads to encomiums galore, because it’s a fantastic series that earns every one of its many pages.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-251music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 min
Nov 26, 2025Episode 250
Sarah Interviews Christopher about 250 Episodes

250 episodes in, Sarah interviews Christopher about some of the behind the scenes details about making So Many Damn Books.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-250music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

59 min
Nov 5, 2025Episode 249
Erin Somers (THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR) & Susie Boyt's LOVED AND MISSED

Erin Somers returns to the Damn Library, this time virtually, for a punny cocktail and a chat about her novel The Ten Year Affair, expanding her lens, millennial marriage, and how she feels about her debut novel Stay Up with Hugo Best six years on. Plus she brings the quietly devastating/sardonically funny Susie Boyt’s Loved and Missed.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-249music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 9 min
Oct 22, 2025Episode 248
Patrick Ryan (BUCKEYE) & Christopher Isherwood's A SINGLE MAN

Patrick Ryan drops into the Damn Library Soda Shoppe for a chocolate peanut butter egg cream and a chat about his much-lauded novel Buckeye. We chat about a family secret that fueled the book, how he achieves the right tone, and how he discovered the spirit realm on the page. Plus, he brings along Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, and we slightly debate the ending.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-248music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 9 min
Oct 1, 2025Episode 247
Mona Awad (WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY) & Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Mona Awad becomes the most frequent guest of So Many Damn Books with this appearance, chatting We Love You, Bunny, how it’s a good time to make fun of yourself, and the pleasure of getting too deep into a narrative, even if you can’t find your way back out. Plus, she brings along the classic The Wind in the Willows, and talks why she almost didn’t want to recommend it.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-247music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

52 min
Sep 12, 2025Episode 246
Kerry Cullen (HOUSE OF BETH) & Nicky Gonzalez's MAYRA

Kerry Cullen drops in, in person, so I smoke a cocktail (and forget to mention that Manhattans contain vermouth). We get to talking about working in books and then writing a book, shocking your writing group, and the best places to write. And then we talk about Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, another book about a character revisiting their past and finding ghosts. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-246music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 7 min
Aug 27, 2025Episode 245
Leonie Swann (BIG BAD WOOL, THREE BAGS FULL, AGNES SHARPE) & Robert Jackson Bennett's THE TAINTED CUP

Held it together pretty well interviewing Leonie Swann, the author of one of my favorite novels of all time, Three Bags Full, about her recently translated sequel Big Bad Wool, and all the pleasures of stepping back into the river a changed person. Plus, she brings along The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, a surprisingly fun fantasy detective novel series beginning.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-245music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 min
Jul 31, 2025Episode 244
Favorite Reads of 2025 (so far)

We only have five months of the year left, so that means it’s time to look back and reminisce. It’s always a good time to look back and reminisce, baby, you better believe it. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-244music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

52 min
Jul 8, 2025Episode 243
Allison King (THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY) & Anton Hur's TOWARD ETERNITY

Pencils UP, everyone! Point their sharpened points straight to the sky, because Allison King, author of the endlessly inventive Phoenix Pencil Company, drops by the virtual library to talk all things pencils and magic and the one book that changed her life. Plus, she brings along Anton Hur’s novel in stories, about AI and robots and poetry, Toward Eternity.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-242music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 10 min
Jun 13, 2025Episode 242
Drew Returns (to revisit "Top 6 of 2015" and chat books aimlessly)

Former co-host of the show, current writer and bookseller and host of The Lit Hub Podcast Drew Broussard stops by to chat about our Top 6 of 2015 episode from 10 years ago, plus some other random bookish thoughts. As listenable as a quaffable white wine is quaffable!Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-242music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 12 min
May 22, 2025Episode 241
Tyler Wetherall (AMPHIBIAN) and Terjei Vesaas' THE ICE PALACE

Tyler Wetherall, author and sole force behind the indispensable literary reading series newsletter, Reading the City visits the Damn Library in person in order to have a very involved mezcal margarita, and chat about her novel Amphibian, and mermaids, her memoir No Way Home, and the fun part of research for a new project. And then we also get into (and spoil, to some extent, if you go for that sort of thing) The Ice Palace by Terjei Vesaas, and how it inspired some of the shape of Amphibian.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-241music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

54 min
May 2, 2025Episode 240
Kate Folk (SKY DADDY) and Marlen Haushofer's THE WALL

Kate Folk flies into the Zoom Damn Library and boy are her arms tired! That’s an airplane joke, and it’s very fitting, actually, because she’s here to discuss her madcap Sky Daddy, as well as the more subdued but no less crazy The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. Put your tray tables up and your seatbacks in the full upright position, it’s time to listen!Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-240music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 11 min
Apr 15, 2025Episode 239
Jeanne Thornton (A/S/L) & Anton Solomonik's REALISTIC FICTION

Jeanne Thornton physically drops by the Damn Library to talk A/S/L, her incredible novel about amateur video game coders in the 90s and how they’re doing a couple decades years later, and also a bit of her novel Summer Fun as well, because why not. Plus, she brings along Anton Solomonik’s Realistic Fiction, an excitingly strange and very funny short story collection.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-239music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr
Mar 25, 2025Episode 238
Kate Slotover (of The Book Club Review) Returns, Solvej Balle's ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME VOL 1

Kate Slotover of The Book Club Review drops in again, virtually this time, to talk about a visit to a posh library, her reading life of late, and Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume Vol. 1, and also we talk about Volume 2 some. Get on the train bound for November 18th!Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-238music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 min
Mar 4, 2025Episode 237
21 Long Books to Sink Into

A list of 22 long books because sometimes you need to get lost in a book, like really lost, like 400 pages in and not even halfway there and every tree looks just like the one that came before. But you’re happy about it, because getting lost in a book was the point. That kind of lost. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-237music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 min
Feb 13, 2025Episode 236
22 Short Books for Short Attention Spans

A list of 22 short books for short attention spans because we all hey look at that dog! he’s trying to catch a butterfly!!Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-235music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

50 min
Jan 30, 2025Episode 235
Cynthia Weiner (A GORGEOUS EXCITEMENT) & Susanna Moore's IN THE CUT

Cynthia Weiner zooms in and starts off the year right with her 80s New York novel, A Gorgeous Excitement. We talk all the trappings of true crime and female friendship and mental health, plus Cynthia brings along Susanna Moore’s 90s cult classic In the Cut.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-235music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 min
Dec 18, 2024Episode 234
Favorite Reads of 2024

Christopher chooses some favorites from the reading year that just passed, and answers some questions from the Patreon patrons.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-233music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

56 min
Nov 27, 2024Episode 233
Emily Habeck (SHARK HEART: A LOVE STORY) & Jenny Offill's DEPT. OF SPECULATION

Emily Habeck swims on in to chat the book Christopher can’t stop recommending to anyone and everyone, Shark Heart: A Love Story. Thrill to this episode where we get into the long and winding road from theater to novel writing, and the pleasures of re-reading Jenny Offill’s Dept. of Speculation, 10 years on. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-233music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

45 min
Nov 6, 2024Episode 232
Holiday Gift Guide 2024 (with Sarah!)

If you do something two years in a row, that makes it a yearly tradition right? With that in mind, here’s the very traditional Holiday Gift Guide episode. I’m joined by Sarah in our Damn Library and we talk some books and get down to the business of gift giving this season. It’s a present, open it up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 20 min
Oct 23, 2024Episode 231
Rosalind Brown (PRACTICE) & Lisa Robertson's THE BAUDELAIRE FRACTAL

Rosalind Brown makes her airwaves debut in this one, talking about her debut novel Practice, which means talking about Shakespeare, and using white space on the page, and the various intimacies of point of view. Plus, she brought along The Baudelaire Fractal by Lisa Robertson, a jubilant novel of thoughts that feels perfectly aligned with Practice. Pick up your pens and your pencils and your listening devices, it’s time to podcast!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr
Oct 10, 2024Episode 230
Ten Years of So Many Damn Books (with Drew Broussard)

Our old pal Drew drops into the Damn Library, in Brooklyn, in person, for the first time since February 2020, to celebrate 10 years of So Many Damn Books. The show gets done like it usually does, only with a lot of trips down memory lanes and nostalgia avenues.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 9 min
Sep 24, 2024Episode 229
Lena Valencia (MYSTERY LIGHTS) & Muriel Spark's DRIVER'S SEAT

Lena Valencia drops by the Damn Library, physically, and it’s a real nice time complete with a flashing drink you can’t see, because this is a podcast. Lena and I discuss her blockbuster, nearly a decade in the making, short story collection debut, Mystery Lights, and she brings along Muriel Spark’s Driver’s Seat, which is just as good as it gets. Read on!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 6 min
Aug 1, 2024Episode 228
Lev Grossman (THE BRIGHT SWORD) & Philip K Dick's UBIK

Lev Grossman returns to the podcast after a nine year break. That’s a long time! Since he was here last, he wrote his Arthurian magnum opus, The Bright Sword, and he chats about it, along with a good name for a cocktail sword, God, Merlin, and how he likes to be in conversation with someone else’s work. Plus, he brings along Phillip K. Dick’s UBIK, a bizarre sci-fi classic that’s on the verge of fantasy itself.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 11 min
Jul 16, 2024Episode 227
Holly Gramazio (THE HUSBANDS) & Zito Madu's THE MINOTAUR AT CALLE LANZA

Holly Gramazio drops by via the magic of Zoom to talk her magical summer blockbuster of a book, The Husbands. She gets into its origin as a computer game, a lack of supernatural solutions, and why it used to have the moon falling apart. Plus, she brings along the surreal-but-still-relatable Zito Madu’s The Minotaur at Calle Lanza, and reveals she’s just been to Venice. Read on, compadres!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 10 min
Jun 27, 2024Episode 226
Kate Slotover (THE BOOK CLUB REVIEW) discusses Helene Hanff's LETTER FROM NEW YORK and Joseph Mitchell's UP IN THE OLD HOTEL

Kate Slotover, host of The Book Club Review podcast, joins me in the Damn Library all the way from London! Drinks are had, New York is discussed, along with two different worlds of New York reportage, Helene Hanff’s Letter from New York, and Joseph Mitchell’s Up in the Old Hotel. Such a joy!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 2 min
Jun 13, 2024Episode 225
Melissa Mogollon (OYE) and Jenny Odell's HOW TO DO NOTHING

Melissa Mogollon zooms in to talk her debut Oye, and all the fun she had writing it. That means we talk how her friends are like her sisters, the unusual structure that always felt like it could fail, and how she might write a sequel from the sister’s perspective. Plus, she brings along Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing, a book that was great to revisit, and is informing her on how to connect digitally as she releases her book.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

52 min
May 29, 2024Episode 224
Tea & Contemplation with Drew Broussard

Our old pal Drew (of Voyage into Genre) is back! We talk about how the internet used to be, how Drew broke his slump, some literal tea discussion, RPG and video games, and general book chatter. The usual, served up just how you like it, in podcast form.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 5 min
May 15, 2024Episode 223
Fiona Warnick (THE SKUNKS) and Sheila Heti's ALPHABETICAL DIARIES

Fiona Warnick, author of the charming novel The Skunks, drops by to talk animals and metaphor, how her creative writing program helped her with this book, writing smooth, and more than that, because we also get into Sheila Heti’s Alphabetical Diaries, which inspires a deeper dive into the work of Heti and her influence.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 min
May 2, 2024Episode 222
Bookshelf May 2024

Christopher goes through some stuff he read and some stuff he wants to read. Got any modern pirate book recommendations?contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

57 min
Apr 17, 2024Episode 221
Alexandra Tanner (WORRY) and Kathryn Scanlan's AUG 9 - FOG

Alexandra Tanner shares the Damn Library physical space, sitting in the chair across from me and everything. She discusses her sibling’s influence on Worry, writing for an audience of one, money, moms, and more. Plus, she brings Kathryn Scanlan’s Aug 9 - Fog for book club. Listen closely and you’ll hear books mentioned now and again.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

42 min
Apr 4, 2024Episode 220
Bookish Pet Peeves with Sarah

Damn Library co-owner Sarah sits to chat about all the things that makes one pick up a book only to put it back down again. A list of reading pet peeves that touches on everything from subject matter, to stylizations, tropes, design choices, and more. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

52 min
Mar 20, 2024Episode 219
Rachel Lyon (FRUIT OF THE DEAD) & Tessa Hadley's THE PAST

Rachel Lyon returns to talk about her new novel, Fruit of the Dead, and how it wasn’t always a Persephone myth retelling, she found that along the way. Plus, we get into the “generative fill” of reading, and I pontificate on dust mote fiction, inspired by the fetid summer heat within the pages of Tessa Hadley’s The Past. Read along!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

50 min
Mar 6, 2024Episode 218
GennaRose Nethercott (FIFTY BEASTS TO BREAK YOUR HEART) & Sabrina Orah Marks' HAPPILY

GennaRose Nethercott returns to talk about her brand new story collection Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart, stealing details from her friends, telling stories from the periphery, and how each tale in the book is about yearning. Also, thanks to Sabrina Orah Marks’ Happily, we discuss all form of fairy tales, and how they can tubocharge your selling power, you just have to ask us how. Real good listenin’!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

54 min
Feb 22, 2024Episode 217
Kirsten Bakis (KING NYX) & Tana French's THE SECRET PLACE

Kirsten Bakis makes her podcast airwave debut to discuss her brand new novel, King Nyx. And it’s a doozy. Kirsten reflects on sideways stories and how she first “met” the real life inspiration for her main character, and some reflections on how things have changed in publishing since she first debuted 27 years ago with her modern classic, Lives of the Monster Dogs. Listen up and listen good!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 8 min
Feb 7, 2024Episode 216
Marie-Helene Bertino (BEAUTYLAND) & Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's THE LITTLE PRINCE

Marie-Helene Bertino returns to the Damn Library to discuss her latest triumph, Beautyland. Marie-Helene goes into how she creates some of the book's indelible, otherworldly moments, and why the book's writing process was charmed. Plus, she brought along The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a book that is much more powerful when you're not translating it for french class. Books are back, baby!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

33 min
Dec 13, 2023Episode 215
Top Reads of 2023 with Sarah

Into the Damn Library Sarah and Christopher go again, to review their respective years on reading, pull out the highlights, and make plans for the year to come.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor the full gift list, every drink recipe, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Deck The Halls Chris Hayes Music Remix Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

42 min
Nov 29, 2023Episode 214
SMDB Gift Guide 2023

Sarah joins Christopher in the Damn Library she co-owns to drink martinis and talk about good ideas for holiday gifting, from books to subscriptions to games to cocktail accoutrements and more.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor the full gift list, every drink recipe, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

44 min
Nov 8, 2023Episode 213
Book Chattin' with Drew

Drew Broussard, Hudson valley author, Golden Notebook bookseller, host of Voyage Into Genre, and former host of this show, jumps into his old chair in the Damn Library and it’s like he never left.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 12 min
Oct 24, 2023Episode 212
Amy Kurzweil (ARTIFICIAL: A LOVE STORY) & Jason Lutes' BERLIN

Amy Kurzweil stops into the Damn Library, physically, to talk about the physical object of her new graphic memoir, Artificial: A Love Story, which largely concerns AI. We discuss capturing the details of her screens, the open question of the future, and what we keep from the past to get there. Plus, we delve into the many joys of Jason Lutes’ Berlin, a modern masterpiece.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr 3 min
Oct 11, 2023Episode 211
Edan Lepucki (TIME'S MOUTH) & Yael Goldstein-Love's THE POSSIBILITIES

Edan Lepucki visits the virtual Damn Library by the power of the internet to discuss her intergenerational time travel novel, Time’s Mouth. We get into all the fun stuff, like time travel mechanics, Reichian therapy, making fortresses, Santa Cruz, and how she’s seeing her career at this point. Plus, we talk about The Possibilities by Yael Goldstein-Love, a book that Edan helped name.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr
Sep 27, 2023Episode 210
Jennifer Baker (FORGIVE ME NOT) & Akwaeke Emezi's PET

Jennifer Baker steps into the physical reality of the Damn Library and thankfully brings along her infectious laugh and passion for books. We chat all about the long road of writing her new novel Forgive Me Not, her hopes for how it’s received, and how curiosity drives her fiction while anger can drive her nonfiction. Plus, she brought along Akwaeke Emezi’s incredible Pet. A perfect visit!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

58 min
Sep 12, 2023Episode 209
Mona Awad (ROUGE) & Susanna Clarke's PIRANESI

Mona Awad visits the Damn Library via the casual magic of web video for a third go round, this time for her bedeveling, garnet-bedazzled Rouge. She talks about putting her characters through the ringer, horror stories showing you a path, Tom Cruise, beauty cults, and more. Plus, both Mona and Christopher extoll the many virtues of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, and how it came at exactly the right time.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

58 min
Aug 29, 2023Episode 208
Stacey Mei Yan Fong (50 PIES 50 STATES) & John Waters' CARSICK

Stacey Mei Yan Fong drops into the Damn Library for a slice of pie and a pie-inspired cocktail and lots of impassioned talk of pie and baking and her new cookbook 50 Pies 50 States. Plus, behind the scenes of morning shows! And Stacey introduces Christopher to the joys of John Waters through his memoir Carsick. Have a slice!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.