Book Fight

We welcome Joanna Pearson (author, most recently, of Bright and Tender Dark), who makes the case that we should put Mary Gaitskill's short stories in the "noir" category--or at least mark them as noir-adjacent. We discuss two specific Gaitskill stories, "The Other Place" and "The Girl on the Plane," as well as the particular darkness of the Gaitskill universe. We also talk with Joanna about readers' expectations for genre books, and what it's been like to have her own novel placed in various genre boxes. Plus: what's the right way to organize one's bookshelves? To learn more about Joanna, and her work, visit her website: https://www.joanna-pearson.com/ If you like the podcast, and would like more of it in your life, subscribe to our Patreon ($5) to get two bonus episodes each month: https://www.patreon.com/c/BookFight Thanks for listening!

We're joined by Steph Cha (author of Your House Will Pay) to talk about a famous California hardboiled novel none of us had ever read. What will it took us about tramps, insurance fraud, and the relative difficulty of staging a fake car-related murder? And what's the deal with that postman, with his infernal ringing?  Steph, who has written several acclaimed crime novels herself, helps us to understand the genre we're exploring this season, and its evolution over time.  To learn more about our guest, and her work, check out her website: http://stephcha.com/ If you like our podcast, and would like to help support it--plus get access to two bonus episodes every month--check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/BookFight Thanks for listening! (Note: this is the 4th episode in our Noir season, but there's no reason you need to listen to them in order. Also, you don't need to read the book to enjoy the show.)

We're joined by comedian and writer Charlie Demers to discuss a novel that the famous crime writer Donald Westlake finished in the early '80s but which wasn't published until after his death. At the time, he apparently worried that the plot--about a famous comedian kidnapped by a Weather Underground-style group of revolutionaries--was too similar to the Martin Scoresese movie The King of Comedy. We talk about the book's take on politics and comedy, which may have some echoes in our current cultural moment. And also Charlie's relationship to these characters, since he's a stand-up comedian and someone who's quite active in progressive politics. Plus: beatniks, Bob Hope, the fragmentation of popular culture, and our pitch for a show about a detective with ADHD. To learn more about Charlie, and follow his work, visit his website: https://www.charliedemers.com/ If you like our podcast, and want to exchange a few bucks for two montly bonus episodes, check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/BookFight Note: This is the 3rd episode in our Noir season, but you don't need to listen to the episodes in order to enjoy them.

The 1947 Dorothy Hughes novel In a Lonely Place is considered a hallmark of the noir genre, and also something of a feminist reimagining of those genre's tropes. We're joined by Isaac Butler (author of The Method: How the 20th Century Learned to Act) to talk about some of the book's narrative tricks, including an unreliable third-person narrator, and how it subverts the genre's "femme fatale" trope, among others. Plus: What made Dorothy Hughes think that 'Brub' was a good name for a character? In the second half of the show, we learn about Isaac's relationship to Halloween costumes, which Muppet could play a hardboiled cop, and why Isaac thinks he's too old to read Slaughterhoue Five for the first time. If you like the podcast, consider joining our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get two bonus episodes, plus access to our entire back catalog of bonus content. During our current season, we're watching and discussing noir films, both classics and newer entries to the canon. https://www.patreon.com/c/BookFight Find Isaac on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theisaacbutler/ Or on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/isaacbutler.bsky.social You can subscribe to Mike's Substack (for free): https://mikeingram.substack.com/ Anc check out the newly revamped Barrelhouse newsletter, which now features an original monthly essay (writers writing about their non-writing obsessions): https://www.barrelhousemag.com/ (scroll down to the bottom of the page) Thanks, as always, for listening! Note: This is the second episode in our Noir season. But there's no reason you have to listen to the episodes in order.

We're back! This episode kicks off a new season of the podcast, and this one's all about noir. In our first installment, guest Sarah Weinman (author of Scoundrel, and The Real Lolita) joins us to discuss a Patricia Highsmith novel, The Blunderer, about a rather hapless man who, despite not actually killing his wife, manages to convince nearly everyone that he has. If you like the show, and want more of it in your life, consider subscribing to our Patreon, where during this season we'll be watching a series of noir and neo-noir films, including Double Indemnity, The Third Man, Blade Runner, and more. Five bucks a month gets you those bonus episodes, plus access to our entire back catalog of bonus material: https://www.patreon.com/c/BookFight Thanks for listening!

In the final episode of our "marriage plot" season, we welcome fan favorite Dave Housley (author, most recently, of The Other Ones, and founding editor of Barrelhouse Magazine) to talk about a book that updated the 19th-century marriage plot novel for the 1990s: Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary. Dave had seen the movie version of the novel multiple times. But none of us had ever read the novel, which began as a jokey column in a London newspaper. We talk about the book's quirky voice, which of its jokes still land in 2024, and whether our culture's attitudes toward diet and body image have changed significantly in the last few decades. Plus: Dave's advice to Mike for marital harmony, and is author Matthew Quick part of the sprawling QAnon conspiracy? You can learn more about Dave, and his books, at his website: https://housleydave.com/. And keep up with all things Barrelhouse here: https://www.barrelhousemag.com/ If you like the podcast, and would like more of it in your life, please consider subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight This is the eighth and final episode in our "marriage plot" season, which means we'll be taking a break until our next season drops, sometime in the fall. But we'll continue to post new episodes every two weeks on our Patreon, including our ongoing Hunt for the Worst Book of All Time, and our deep dive into the fictional portrayal of writers in movies and TV shows. If you have ideas for Patreon episodes, please don't hesitate to reach out! And, as always, thanks for listening!

We couldn't do a season on "the marriage plot" in literature without reading the Jeffrey Eugenides novel that's literally titled The Marriage Plot. Guest Lucas Mann (author, most recently, of the essay collected Attachments, and co-owner of Riffraff Bookstore and Bar in Providence, Rhode Island) joins us to discuss Eugenides' novel, which contains a "marriage plot" while also being a kind of meta-commentary on marriage plots. Plus: Is the book's clinically depressed, bandana-wearing character meant to be David Foster Wallace? How does Lucas employ "power poses" to sell books? And is there anything worse than a cash-bar wedding? You can find more info about Lucas, including where to read his work and how to buy his books, at his website: https://www.lucasmann.com/ If you like the podcast, and would like more of it in your life--two bonus episodes each and every month--consider chipping in $5 to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Note: This episode is the 7th of 8 in our Marriage Plot season (not that you need to listen to them in order!). After next week's episode we'll be taking a break, but we'll continue to post new episodes every other week on our Patreon feed.

Poet and novelist Beth Ann Fennelly (Heating & Cooling, The Tilted World) joins us to talk about an unconventional love story, Harrison Scott Key's How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told. We talk about learning life lessons from memoirs, how to write about difficult relationships--especially when you're still in them--and Beth Ann's experience of writing a novel collaboratively with her husband. Plus: Mike's pre-marriage angst about wedding rental companies, and why it costs so much to rent a chair.

We continue our "marriage plot" season with guest Curtis Sittenfeld (Prep, American Wife, Romantic Comedy) who talks us through one of her favorite Alice Munro stories, why she admires it, and how it's influenced her own work. Plus: Are trains romantic? Is some writing trying too hard to be sexy? And what's the ideal bathroom situation for a marriage? For more about Curtis, and her books, visit her website: https://curtissittenfeld.com/ If you like the podcast, and would like more of it in your life, consider joining our Patreon, where $5/month gets you lots of bonus content, and helps support the show more generally: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Thanks for listening!

Our "marriage plot" season continues, but with a twist: on this episode, novelist Peter Ho Davies introduces us to "the parent plot," which he argues is a contemporary successor to all those 19th-century novels about choosing a mate. For many, becoming a parent is not only one of life's biggest choices, but also a cultural marker of adult responsibility and growing up. As an example, we dive into Ben Lerner's 2014 novel, 10:04, about a writer trying to finish his next book and also decide whether to father a child with his platonic best friend. To learn more about Davies, and his many wonderful, widely-celebrated books, you can visit his website: http://peterhodavies.com/ If you like our podcast, and want to support it--plus get access to twice-monthly bonus episodes--please consider subscribing to our Patreon, for just $5 a month: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Thanks for listening!

Our season on "the marriage plot" continues, with author Tyrese Coleman (How to Sit) joining us to talk about the first book in the Outlander series, which is one of the most popular historical fantasy romance novels ever written. She tries to help us understand why people find it sexy, rather than tedious. We also talk about the book's relationship to various genre tropes, and Ty tells us about the time she got banned from a Facebook fan group for suggesting some of the novel's characters were a little racist. You can keep up with Tyrese, and her writing, at her website: https://tyresecoleman.com/ If you're enjoying our podcast, and want more of it in your life, consider subscribing to our Patreon, where $5 a month gets you two monthly bonus episodes, and access to our entire back catalog: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Thanks for listening!

Our "marriage plot" season continues, with freelance writer and podcaster Catherine Nichols joining us to talk about the "least fun" Bronte sister, and her novel about what happens when you marry a drunken frat boy (or whatever the 19th-century equivalent of a frat was).  Check out Catherine's podcast, Lit Century, in which she and author Sandra Newman read through the 20th century, one year at a time: https://lithub.com/author/litcentury/ If you're enjoying our show, and would like more of it, subscribe to our Patreon for just $5 a month, which gets you two monthly bonus episodes (and access to a whole host of old episodes): https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Thanks for listening!

We kick off our new, 8-episode season on "the marriage plot" in literature with guest Adelle Waldman (The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., Help Wanted) talking to us about one of her favorite authors, Jane Austen. You can learn more about Adelle and her books at her website: https://adellewaldman.com/ If you like the podcast, and want more of it in your life, join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Thanks for listening!

We welcome writer and editor Michael Tager (Mason Jar Press; Pop Culture Poetry: The Definitive Collection ) to talk about Mindy Kaling's essay collection Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Tager read Kaling's book during a period when he was reading a lot of memoirs and essay collections by comedians, including books by Tina Fey and Chelsea Handler. He talks about what made Kaling's stand out, and how his usual reading habits were interrupted by fatherhood.  You can learn more about Tager's writing and editing projects, including his forthcoming book, at his website: http://www.michaelbtager.com/ If you like our podcast, and would like more of it in your life, please consider subscribing to our Patreon, where $5 a month gets you two monthly bonus episodes, plus access to our entire back catalog: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Thanks for listening!

We're joined by Sal Pane--author, most recently, of the short story collection The Neorealist in Winter (winner of the 2002 Autumn House fiction prize) to discuss a pair of novellas by Italian writer Natalia Ginzburg. Plus: writing for video games, surviving winter, and cuffing season. For more about Sal, and his books, visit his website: https://salvatore-pane.com/ If you'd like more Book Fight in your life, consider subscribing to our Patreon, where $5 gets you two bonus episodes each month, including throughout our upcoming hiatus: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight Thanks for listening!

It's a fan favorite every year: we choose a (possibly terrible) Christmas novel, and we invite some of our fellow Barrelhouse editors on to discuss it. This year the book was A Christmas Memory, by the "king of Christmas fiction," Richard Paul Evans. And our guests include Dave Housley, Becky Barnard, Chris Gonzalez, and Joe Killiany! Is this book a heartwarming autobiographical tale about a young boy's friendship with an old African-American man in late-1960s Utah? Or is it the story of a little incel boy who will eventually grow up to found a creepy men's rights organization and compare the plight of white men to Jews in Nazi Germany?  Every year we try to take a "fun" trip to Christmas Town, and every year we somehow wind up mired in a terrible shit show. Feliz Navidad!

We're joined by Hannah Grieco (writer, editor, recent MFA finisher) to discuss the 2021 novel Nightbitch, by Rachel Yoder, and its depiction of an overworked mother gone feral.  You can order a copy of Already Gone, the anthology Hannah edited featuring 40 stories of people running away. And if you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting us by joining our Patreon, where $5 gets you two bonus episodes each month.

We're joined by Athena Dixon (The Loneliness Files, Tin House Books) to talk about a famous novel she hated when she was first made to read it, and why it spoke to her so much more strongly when she revisited it years later. You can find links to order Athena's new essay collection via Tin House. You can sign up for Mike's Substack here: https://mikeingram.substack.com/ And if you like our podcast, $5/month can help us keep it going, plus give you access to two bonus episodes each month (and a whole slew of back episodes): https://www.patreon.com/BookFight  

Author Adam O'Fallon Price (The Hotel Neversink) returns to talk about a great--if tough to categorize--Don Carpenter novel, Hard Rain Falling. We talk about the novel's many plot swerves, and the depth and surprise in its portrayal of complicated men. Plus: an update on Tom's fancy "white glove service" desk from West Elm. For more on Adam, you can follow him on Twitter, or visit his website. If you like the podcast, and want more of it in your life, we're doing two monthly bonus episodes for just $5: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight  

Our guest this week is the series editor for The Best American Science and Nature Writing, and author of the book The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos. She had us read an Ursula LeGuin novella about a "generation ship," a science fiction trope involving humans traversing the universe in search of a new planetary home. Did she pick this specifically to troll Mike, who is on the record as a sci fi skeptic? It's entirely possible! We talk about what drew Jaime to science writing, and why she considers herself an essayist, rather than a journalist. Also: what would be on our wish lists for a new planet? And will this LeGuin novella finally be the thing to win Mike over to the side of sci fi? You can learn more about our guest, and her work, at her website: https://www.jaimegreen.net/ And if you like the podcast, and would like more of it in your life, consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight