Book Blurbs

In this episode, Kenneth ponders what it means to live in a society that promises a lot but guarantees nothing. Does the inherent struggle for success make the American Dream unachievable for most people? What is your favorite work by Arthur Miller? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at  https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In the final episode of 2022, Kenneth explores the differences between art and culture and sees how long a man can outlast or ignore his conscience in the face of a series of immoral actions. What is your favorite work by Oscar Wilde? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth and a returning friend of the podcast ponder how important art and culture are to the survival of humanity in a world that has been forever changed by a pandemic. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Maybe a little too close to real life... Did you like the Station Eleven book or show more? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth encounters the mysterious, evil Mr. Hyde, who is terrorizing Victorian London and the respectable Dr. Jekyll. Can Dr. Jekyll's lawyer and friend, Mr. Utterson, expose Mr. Hyde and save Dr. Jekyll in time? Have you read The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde or any of the other strange tales I covered in this episode? Let me know what you thought of them by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. You can find the free, full text of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43/43-h/43-h.htm.

In this episode, Kenneth finds himself in another haunted house...or is it really? Are ghosts actually present, or is this the classic case of not being able to trust the unreliable first-person narrator? Let me know what you think by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. Find the full text of The Turn of the Screw for free online at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/209/209-h/209-h.htm.

In this special episode, Kenneth is joined by two guests to discuss their spoiler-filled thoughts on the Where the Crawdads Sing movie. How many times have you seen the movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing? Do you think it was mostly faithful to the book? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth explores Colson Whitehead's conception of the Underground Railroad, in which it's no mere metaphor, but rather a literal railroad system with engineers and conductors who operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels. Which state that Cora stopped in captivated your attention the most in this book? Have you watched The Underground Railroad television series? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth tries to make sense of what is going on at Manor Farm, and the animals there don't seem to take too kindly to humans for some reason... Who is your favorite character in Animal Farm? Let me know who it is and why by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this bonus episode, Kenneth and a special returning guest give their spoiler-filled thoughts on Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. What are you most excited for and most nervous about for the film adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this special bonus segment, Kenneth and Alex compare and contrast Dune and Star Wars. Which property do you prefer more: Star Wars or Dune? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on  social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at  https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. Follow Alex on Twitter @maxsonyte.

In this episode, Kenneth and a special returning guest explore the spice-filled sands of the desert planet Arrakis to uncover the legend of Muad'Dib. Which film adaptation of Dune is your favorite? Let me know by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. Follow this episode's guest on Twitter @maxsonyte.

In this episode, Kenneth and a special returning guest take flight and accompany Milkman Dead on an odyssey that could very well be the classic myth of our generation. Who is your favorite character in Song of Solomon? Let me know who it is and why by sending me an email at bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, the "Crew of Light" recruits Kenneth to help them hunt down the most notorious vampire of all time, Dracula. Will the modern technology of the time give them enough of an advantage over Dracula to outsmart him and take him down once and for all? It's the classic question. Which book do you prefer: Dracula or Frankenstein? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this double-header episode, Kenneth reflects on the two books that immediately follow the Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament of the Roman Catholic Bible, the Book of Lamentations and the Book of Baruch. How are these books connected, what do they tell us about this part of Israel's history, and how can they speak to our faith lives today? Have you read the Book of Lamentations or the Book of Baruch? Do you tend to go back to the same books in Scripture or do you occasionally try venturing into lesser known books like these two? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth breaks down the longest book of the Bible, the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. Have you read the Book of Jeremiah? Do you have a favorite verse? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth is transported to the coastal Carolina marsh near the town of Barkley Cove, which is wrapped up in a murder mystery. Who could have killed the popular former star high school quarterback and left his body to rot in the swamp? Did the elusive, legendary marsh girl have anything to do with it? When is the last time you felt sucked into a book's setting? What summer read would you recommend? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth faces the anger, rage, and sadness of Ta-Nehisi Coates in the book that won him the National Book Award for Nonfiction, Between the World and Me. How does Coates explain what's going on with racism and police brutality in the United States to his teenage son? Have you read any of Ta-Nehisi Coates' books or essays? What did you think of them? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth goes on the arduous journey from Mexico to the United States with a young mother, Lydia, and her eight-year-old son, Luca, fleeing for their lives from a dangerous cartel hellbent on capturing them before they make it to safety by crossing the border. Along the way, they will encounter all sorts of people. Can they be trusted, or are they agents of the cartel closing in on them? Are Lydia and Luca willing to make the sacrifices necessary to survive as they are tested to their ultimate limits, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? What are your thoughts on American Dirt? Do you have any interest in reading it if you haven't already? What other migrant or refugee books set around the United States-Mexican border would you recommend? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth uncovers some truly unfathomable intelligence schemes and military plots that never made it off the drawing board. Synthetic goat poop that could defeat the Nazis? A tsunami bomb that could wreak havoc on Japan in World War II? Cigars laced with mind-altering drugs intended to take down Castro in Cuba? Yep, all that and more is detailed in this book! What is the wildest military or government intelligence scheme that you like to tout at trivia night? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.

In this episode, Kenneth returns to Panem just in time for the 10th Annual Hunger Games and enters the mind of a young Coriolanus Snow. How will he rise to power and become the President Snow we know from the original trilogy, and what sacrifices will he have to make along the way? What is your favorite Hunger Games book? How about your favorite Hunger Games movie? Are you excited for the movie adaptation of this prequel? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.