The Idle Book Club

Idle Thumbs
  • 4.9 (43)
  • BOOKS

A monthly book club podcast conducted by a few amateur book lovers.

  1. 01/21/2018

    The Idle Book Club 28: NW

    Sarah and Chris discuss NW, Zadie Smith's sprawling tale of the London working class. It's a re-read for both co-hosts, and they loved it just as much the second time through. Join in and see if you agree!

    52 min

  2. 07/29/2017

    The Idle Book Club 27: Jesus' Son

    In the wake of Denis Johnson's passing, Chris and Sarah discuss Jesus' Son, the author's bleak yet beautiful collection of stories centered around the desperation of addiction. We also delve into why short stories are frequently so melancholy, and Chris briefly makes an embarrassingly mistaken reference to the Velvet Underground. Join us!

    41 min

  3. 06/28/2017

    The Idle Book Club 26: A Sight for Sore Eyes

    Ruth Rendell is known as a crime novelist, but in A Sight for Sore Eyes she stretches the genre's trappings into a taut and thrilling class-infused generational novel. Join Chris and Sarah as they get sucked into Rendell's bleak but utterly captivating world.

    54 min

  4. 05/29/2017

    The Idle Book Club 25: The Long Goodbye

    Sarah and Chris discuss The Long Goodbye, Raymond Chandler's classic noir crime novel. It's a cynical, gripping tale of twists and turns, and it's a whole lot of fun. Join us!

    50 min

  5. 03/26/2017

    The Idle Book Club 24: The Handmaid's Tale

    With Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale soon to reach a larger audience than ever thanks to a television adaptation, we decided to take on the novel for the Idle Book Club—Chris for the first time, and Sarah for the second. It's a masterful imagining of a modern dystopia, and it remains just as relevant as ever.

    1h 1m

  6. 02/28/2017

    The Idle Book Club 23: Silence

    Shusako Endo's Silence is a classic of modern Japanese literature, a reflection on faith and humanity that is sweeping and ambitious as well as intensely personal. Inspired to read it after watching Martin Scorsese's recent film adaptation, Sarah and Chris do their best to reckon with this complex novel.

    49 min

  7. 01/30/2017

    The Idle Book Club 22: Wuthering Heights

    If you've never read Wuthering Heights, it probably isn't what you expected. And if you haven't read it since high school, it's worth revisiting this unusual novel of obsession and revenge. Rereader Sarah and first-time reader Chris hash out their reactions to Emily Bronte's classic!

    44 min

  8. 12/31/2016

    The Idle Book Club 21: The Sellout

    For the final Idle Book Club of 2016, Sarah and Chris wrestle with The Sellout, Paul Beatty's very dark satire on race relations in modern America. Next month: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte!

    33 min
See All (28)

4.9
out of 5
43 Ratings

About

A monthly book club podcast conducted by a few amateur book lovers.

Information

  • Creator
    Idle Thumbs
  • Years Active
    2012 - 2018
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Idle Thumbs
  • Show Website
    The Idle Book Club

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