Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost

Hannah Harlow and Sam Pfeifle
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Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost

Sibling bookstore owners Hannah Harlow and Sam Pfeifle call each other up at random hours and talk about what they're reading and what they're psyched is coming out next, plus discuss some book news of the day. It doesn't get much more bookish than when a publishing executive and MFA in Creative Writing buys a bookstore with an English teacher and journalist. Opening theme song sung by Ruby Pfeifle, Julie Sanborn, and Madison Doughty.

  1. 4 HR. AGO

    EP83: New Year, Old Books, New Ideas

    Sam's had himself a little skiing accident, but powers through a mild concussion to lead us thorugh a discussion of Christmas gift-giving (with a deviation into the Icelandic Christmas Book Flood) and the joys of reading books written quite a while ago. But don't worry! We're reading stuff from 2024 and 2025, too. It's a wiiiide-ranging chit-chat here in the New Year, with some deep philosophical stuff, and a focus on: - "Anti-Semite and Jew," by John-Paul Sartre (which is in print, thanks Knopf) - "Playground," by Richard Powers - "Superbloom," by Nicholas Carr (who posits Martin Luther as the world's first influencer) - "Heir," by Sabaa Tahir (which we decided is NOT YA; Sam was confusing it with "Black Sun") - "The Forever War," by Joe Haldeman (this is important stuff) - "The World She Edited," by Amy Reading (Katharine White was, indeed, EB White's wife)

    57 min

  2. 12/12/2024

    EP82: The Age of Innocent Chickens

    The Shop is bursting at the seams here at Christmas-time, but Hannah and Sam haven't stopped reading! With their favorites of the year behind them, they look to the past and future for new things to consume (such as "Minority Report" and "The Dream Hotel"). But you'll have to wait for the full discussion on that. On the full agenda this episode is: - "Age of Innocence," by Edith Wharton - "The Quiet American," by Graham Greene (from 1955, NOT the 1970s, Sam) - "Rental House," by Weike Wang - "The Ladies of Grace Adieu," by Susanna Clarke - "What the Chicken Knows," by Sy Montgomery (much giggling ensues) - "Persepolis," by Marjane Satrapi - "What Happened to the McCrays," by Tracey Lange (with much middle school hockey discussion) - "The Last Dragon on Mars," by Scott Reintgen

    56 min

  3. 12/03/2024

    EP81: Our Favorite Books of 2024

    Did we get this out in time for Thanksgiving travel? We did not. But we did get this out in plenty of time for you to grab one of these bangers as a present — or for yourself to read and be a part of the big community discussion. This week it's simple stuff: Our favorite books of the year. No, not the "best" books (since we only read about 75 books each this year), but the ones we liked the most. Here's the list, in no particular order. Listen up to hear why:  HANNAH'S PICKS James, by Percival Everett Brightly Shining, by Ingvild Rishoi Fire Exit, by Morgan Talty Long Island Compromise, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Sandwich, by Catherine Newman The Safekeep, by Yael van der Wouden Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley The Book of Love, by Kelly Link The Guide, by Peter Heller All Souls, by Michael Patrick McDonald SAM'S PICKS The Most, by Jessica Anthony On the Calculation of Volume, Book 1, by Solve Balle Banal Nightmare, by Halle Butler Fire Exit, by Morgan Talty The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman The Book of Elsewhere, by Keanu Reaves and China Mieville The Physics of Sorrow, by Georgi Gospodinov King Nyx, by Kirsten Bakis Charlie Hustle, by Keith O’Brien ​​​​​​​Rebel Girl, by Kathleen Hanna

    45 min

  4. 11/17/2024

    EP80: Big Books for Holiday Shopping

    The front window has been well decorated by mom and dad, the Polar Expresses have been ordered, and it is officially Holiday Season. So, what books are you going to buy for your friends and families? Well, let us tell you: - "James," by Percival Everett, Hannah's pick for book of the year (even if it didn't win the Booker). - "Orbital," by Samantha Harvey, which Sam somehow hasn't read yet, but is about astronauts and what it's like to be human (also, it's "James S A Corey," the fake name of two guys who wrote the Expanse series, not "S A Andrews" who doesn't seem to be a person).  - "Lazarus Man," by Richard Price, which should be big, by all rights, but who knows? Seems like a good book for literary dudes. - "The Serviceberry," by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which is great for the right open-minded reader. They have to be anti-capitalist, probably.  - "The Backyard Bird Chronicles," by Amy Tan, who is very much alive despite having been in a band with Stephen King in the 1990s, we think. We also use the word "flexi-bound" in describing this book.  - "The Boston Globe Story of the Celtics," by Chad Finn, who really lucked out with the Cs winning the championship just as he was finishing up.  - "Why We Love Football," by Joe Posnanski, a follow-up to "The Baseball 100," which is easily digestible and fits with the attention spans of teenaged boys.  - "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," by Ina Garten, a memoir by the super-famous chef, who Sam has never encountered in any way for some reason. This involves a sidebar on Martha Stewart. - "Heartbreak Is the National Anthem," by Rob Sheffield, which is shaping up to be one of the first important examinations of what Taylor Swift means for the future of popular music.  - "Small Things Like These," by Claire Keegan, which is going to be even huger, now that there's a movie.  - "Say Nothing," by Patrick Radden Keefe, which is going to be even huger, now that there's a limited series.  - "Wicked," by Gregory Maguire, which is going to be even huger, now that there's a movie, and may get you to buy others of his books, which will likely disappoint you.  - "The Women," by Kristen Hannah, which is emerging as maybe Hannah's most important book, dealing with the Vietnam War as it does and speaking to women about that time in a unique way.  - "Impossible Creatures," by Katherine Rundell, which is emerging as the best book for middle schoolers of the season.

    42 min

  5. 11/03/2024

    EP79: Blood, Vampires, and Moral Philosophy

    It's getting cold, the election season has been busy, and we're reading books all over the map. Sam's on a philosophical bent and just saw "The Wild Robot"; Hannah's mildly unprepared, but rallies. All told, we tackle: - "The Other Valley," by Scott Alexander Howard, which explores regret, but has some weird world-building.  - "Blood Test," by Charles Baxter, who you should know, and has penned a story about a blood test for propensity for murder.  - "Interview with the Vampire," by Anne Rice, which holds up great and is not an easy book and engages with serious philosophical questions.  - "Colored Television," by Danzy Senna, about middled-aged artists who get to pretend to be rich and make bad choices.  - "The Wild Robot," by Peter Brown, which we talk about mostly because Sam saw the movie. It's not as good as the book. Shocker! And then we finish up with some Christmas stuff because Matt Tavares is coming to the Farms on Dec. 7, which will be great.

    42 min

  6. 10/20/2024

    EP78: Deep Cuts from the Boozy Book Fair

    High on the success of the Boozy Book Fair (it was, according to Sam, "really banging"), a great in-shop reading and signing, and a couple days off for Indigenous Peoples Day, Sam and Hannah are in a mood, with nothing to complain about. Also, no dudes allowed, this week, with a shout out to the guy who really likes Rachel Kushner.  - "The Time Keepers," by Alyson Richman, which, sorry, is rather maudlin and bad. It's not a time travel book.  - "The Plot," by Jean Hanff Korelitz, which Hannah read mostly because "The Sequel" just came out. The second half was entertaining, anyway.  - "The Road to Dalton" and "Where the River Meets the Sea," by Shannon Bowring, a librarian who grew up in the County in Maine. You really should have come to see her speak a couple weeks ago.  - "Deep Cuts," by Holly Brickley, which comes out in, like, February, but it was the bottom of the TBR pile and about a fictional music writer, so Sam read it anyway. It's a major nostalgia trip if you ... like music.  - "From Here to the Great Unknown" (not, actually, "From Here to Eternity"), by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. Hannah actually listened to it, mostly because Julia Roberts is the narrator, but also really enjoyed it.

    52 min

  7. 10/04/2024

    EP77: Ski Romances and Outdoor Tragedy

    The road in front of the Book Shop is freshly paved and Sam and Hannah are all sorts of amped up about it. No, you didn't screw up and set it to 1.5x. We're just talking really fast about: - "Factory Summers," by Guy Delisle. Sam's daughter gave him this graphic novel and it is properly obscure and entertaining. It doesn't smell bad, even though it's about papermaking. - "Full Speed to a Crash Landing," by Beth Revis. It's sorta like the Murderbot series, but without the body count, and the first in a trilogy.  - "The Lodge," by Kayla Olson. Sam's reading cosy romances about skiing. There isn't even any sex. It's "set" at Stowe, but it's unclear whether the author has ever been to Vermont (but Sam is wrong that there is, indeed, a gondola at Stowe. Sorry).  - "Death at the Sign of the Rook," by Kate Atkinson. The new Jackson Brodie book! He's in his 70s now, but doesn't play pickleball.  - "The River," by Peter Heller. Hannah's been talking about how amazing Peter is. Sam had to investigate. It's really, really good. The hype is true.

    31 min

  8. 09/19/2024

    EP76: National Book Award Longlist Reactions (We're So Smart!)

    Have we read all of the NBA fiction longlist books? We have not. Do we have thoughts on the ones we have read? We do! Jessica Anthony! Amazing! But we also read a bunch of other books for this episode, even if Sam has trouble remembering which ones (much as he could not remember the word "seersucker"). Here's what's on tap: - All of the National Book Award Longlist for Fiction. Find it here. A lot of great choices; a few headscratchers! - "The Life Impossible," by Matt Haig. It's uplifting! About grief and getting past it.  - More on "The Light Pirate," which starts kind of boring but gets awesome. - "You Are Here," by David Nicholls. Yes, now Sam has read it, too.  - "Brooklyn," by Colm Tóibín. Hannah's not sure why people love it so much. What is she missing? - "Clark and Division," by Naomi Hirahara. Sam doesn't like historical fiction, but he likes this.

    39 min
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About

Sibling bookstore owners Hannah Harlow and Sam Pfeifle call each other up at random hours and talk about what they're reading and what they're psyched is coming out next, plus discuss some book news of the day. It doesn't get much more bookish than when a publishing executive and MFA in Creative Writing buys a bookstore with an English teacher and journalist. Opening theme song sung by Ruby Pfeifle, Julie Sanborn, and Madison Doughty.

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