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So Many Damn Books
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© 2023
Description
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
210 Episodes
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The one and only Kelly Link zooms into the Damn Library hypserspace to talk her spectacular new collection, White Cat, Black Dog. She gets into how the new collection got its footing in fairy tales, how she loves ghost stories but has never seen a ghost (and that’s okay), and discuss the magic of David Macaulay’s Motel of the Mysteries. She brought along Megan Giddings’ incredible The Women Could Fly, and we discuss how real its magic feels, and how books get tied to the place you read them.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
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Idra Novey actually drops by the Damn Library IN PERSON to discuss her stunning new book, Take What You Need, creating an artist’s practice, torching things, and short novels. Also, she brought along César Aira’s On Contemporary Art to accompany the art on display in the text of her book.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
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Former co-host, writer, and podcast journeyman Drew Broussard sits down to talk about, what else? Books. The Tournament of Books, inventing rather than referencing art within fiction, the problem with thriller titles these days… it’s all out on the table.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
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Nita Prose drops into the Damn Library to illuminate her runaway hit novel, winner of a Goodreads Choice Award, The Maid, and all the ways she used her past as an editor and her knowledge of the tropes of mystery writing reused to create it. Plus, she brings along Nina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair, because who can ever get enough Agatha Christie?
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
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1Antiquarian Bookseller and TikTok star Tom Ayling zooms on in to the Damn Library discuss the world of antiquarian books, and the world of book-centered TikTok, two worlds that are far more complementary than you’d imagine.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sarah joins me in the Damn Library she co-owns to chat about favorite reads of 2022, both books published this year and books experienced this year. Plus, the HarperCollins union is on strike! If you’d like to help out, check out this page here to donate to the strike fund, and check out more information at this link roundup.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alison Watts zooms through the Damn Library hypserspace from Japan to talk the new novel she translated, The Boy and the Dog by Seishu Hase, as well as the life of a translator. Plus, we talk the prevalence of Japanese cat fiction, the ascendancy of dog fiction, canine noir, and so much more. Plus, she brings along (and does some light spoiling of) Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars, a shaggy dog of a post-apocalyptic novel. Quite a hang!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ashley Hutson, author of Christopher’s favorite novel of 2022, One’s Company, drops into the Damn Library to discuss the joy of writing a novel based on a favorite sitcom, writing a novel chronologically and then interweaving it, and how publishing a novel is quite different than the dream of publishing a novel. Plus, she brings along Lindsay Hill’s Sea of Hooks, which leads into a robust recommendation section of a few extremely sad and difficult books.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kevin Wilson zooms in from his mountain to discuss his thrilling new novel, Now is Not the Time to Panic, and that means going into writing teenagers, the pre-Internet world, and magic disappearing as one gets older, and how that’s okay, along with a whole lotta other stuff. Plus, he brings along Blair Braverman’s Small Game, which means survival talk and reality television.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Legendary comic artist and writer Kate Beaton drops into the Damn Library and talks about her monumental achievement — her new memoir, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, and all that comes with it, including excavating memories, showing her parents a painful past, and how comics can be a type of memory palace. Plus, she brings along Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter, and we both talk about how we get spooked and how dogs are great.
You gotta listen!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
GennaRose Nethercott drops in, no strings, for a discussion of her new novel Thistlefoot, puppetry, research, cootie catchers, and the muchness of novel writing. Plus, she brings along Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link, which starts a discussion of just how great she is, and how influential her work has become.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Anthony Marra zooms into the Damn Library and attempts to turn the tables on interviewing, to some avail. Of course he gets into his new novel, Mercury Pictures Presents, how research fuels his writing, and how he wants to do the opposite of what he did the last time. Plus, he brings along Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, which is a great novel to revisit as Candy House is making the rounds. You know there's more than that too, you oughta tune in!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Living Legend Tom Scharpling drops into The Damn Library to chat about the paperback release of his national bestseller, It Never Ends, and his recent 24-hour Best Show episode triumph. There are discussions of legacy, mystery, what it was like to work together on the book, and the bizarre temporal reality created from writing something and then waiting forever for it to appear on shelves. Plus a lot more. Tune in!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
This week's sponsor: Bombas. Get 20% off your purchase at bombas.com/smdb
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Drew returns to discuss his new show, Voyage into Genre, working at a bookstore, and Christopher's mad musings on which child survivalist would win in a battle royale. Plus other things too!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
This week's sponsor: Bombas. Get 20% off your purchase at bombas.com/smdb
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Angela Ledgerwood, of the podcast Lit Up drops in, physically, in person, actually inside the Damn Library, and it's a meeting of the podcast minds. Of course Christopher smokes a negroni for the both of them and tongues get wagging. Angela surprises herself to be the blockbuster loving, self-help recommending guru that she ends up being. And she also talks about a lost Richard Flanagan episode of LIT UP that indirectly led to her recommending the book. Strap in!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
This week's sponsor: Bombas. Get 20% off your purchase at bombas.com/smdb
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mat Johnson launches into the Damn Library Zoom Zone to discuss his new novel, Invisible Things. We get into conspiracies, surprising yourself with your writing, teaching, writing funny, and a bunch of other stuff, including Claire North’s Notes from a Burning Age, and getting your sci-fi terms right.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
This week's sponsor: Bombas. Get 20% off your purchase at bombas.com/smdb
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Elaine Hsieh Chou drops into the Damn Library Hyperspace Zoom Zone to chat her incredible new campus satire, Disorientation. We get into the world of academia, writing villains, and of course, why she wrote this book three times.
Plus, she brings along Matthew Salesses’ Craft in the Real World. and we talk about the wisdom found therein. And lots more!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Here are three more interviews with featured readers! So fun to talk about bookstore ownership, how being an agent affects reading, the trials and tribulations of Topo Chico, and bad advice from The Rules, along with many other subjects besides.
Many thanks to Moti from Montreal, Canada, Erin from Portland, and Jacob from Pittsburgh for chatting books with me!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Here are the first three (of six!) mini interviews with So Many Damn Books Readers, talking favorite recent reads, current reading projects, and giving a book to a famous person, amongst many other bookish subjects.
My thanks to Michael for Portland, Daniella from London, Canada, and Noah from NYC for hanging out and chatting books. Part two goes up next week!
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sarah, partner of Christopher and co-owner of the Damn Library, drops into some of the space she pays rent for to chat about working with the backlist for Penguin Random House, the world of publishing unionization efforts, and of course, what drinking a French 75 feels like.
contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb
for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com
music: Disaster Magic
(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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I loved this book so much so it was great hearing from the author about his process, inspiration and everything else.