Two Month Review

Open Letter Books
  • 4.4 (5)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Each “season” of Two Month Review highlights a different new and amazing work of world literature, reading it slowly over the course of eight to nine episodes. Featuring a rotating set of literary guests—from authors to booksellers, critics, and translators—the individual episodes recap a short section of the book and use that as a springboard for a fun (and often irreverent) discussion about literature in a general sense, pop culture, reading approaches, and much more. Talking about great books doesn't need to be deadly serious, and the levity of 2MR makes it accessible to everyone (even if you’re not reading along). threepercentproblem.substack.com

  1. TMR 29.12: "Writing Is Hiding From History" [The Tunnel]

    JAN 22

    TMR 29.12: "Writing Is Hiding From History" [The Tunnel]

    Ted Morrissey (The Tunnel at 25, A Lesson Before Writing podcast) returns to help Kaija, Chad, and Brian close out this three-month-long discussion about William H. Gass’s The Tunnel. They discuss the book’s structure, its ending, hoarding and alcoholism, the lack of academic attention paid to the book, the value of the audiobook’s liner notes, and more! This episode’s music is “I Wish I Was Sober” by Frightened Rabbit. TMR will be back in mid-February with season 30 featuring I, The Supreme by Augusto Roa Bastos & Helen Lane. The complete schedule for season 30 will be available in the near future, but get your copies now and join along! You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    1h 19m
  2. TMR 29.11: "I Appreciate That Answer" [The Tunnel]

    JAN 15

    TMR 29.11: "I Appreciate That Answer" [The Tunnel]

    This week, pervy academics, rivers, candy shops, and a bit of childhood gambling carry us through the penultimate section of Gass’s The Tunnel. Brian and Kaija kick off the episode sans Chad, who pops in toward the end and vechoes the discussion about the book’s overarching pattern of 4s, the applications of “harnessing history,” and—once again and with feeling—what is it that creates and shapes despicable and/or evil people into their despicable and/or evil selves. This episode features two songs: “The Candy Man” by Sammy Davis, Jr., and “Wabash Cannonball” by Johnny Cash. Next week is the final episode for this season, covering the whole of the book. Then, in mid-February, season 30 will launch and feature I, The Supreme by Augusto Roa Bastos & Helen Lane. The complete schedule for season 30 will be available in the near future, but get your copies now and join along! You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    54 min
  3. TMR 29.10: "Curve Him and Unnerve Him" [The Tunnel]

    JAN 10

    TMR 29.10: "Curve Him and Unnerve Him" [The Tunnel]

    Susu, the Book of Judges, MAGA, morality, the mirror of literature, heavy furniture . . . all of these are discussed on this week’s episode covering “Susu, I Approach You in My Dreams,” which includes the all-too-timely subsection “Being a Bigot.” Brian fills in some biblical background this week, Chad argues that reading Kohler makes you a better person, and Kaija is concerned about cats. This episode’s music is “Coast” by Snocaps. As we head into the end of this season, we’ll be covering a very long section next week: “Going to the River” (pages 534–632). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    1h 7m
  4. TMR 29.9: "To Orchestrate the Common Hate" [The Tunnel]

    JAN 2

    TMR 29.9: "To Orchestrate the Common Hate" [The Tunnel]

    Ted Morrissey (The Tunnel at 25) returns to talk about his favorite section of The Tunnel, which has some Joycean overtones, and is a little less angry than some of the other parts of the book. (See: Kohler talking about breakfast, saying nice things about Martha.) It is a section that gets into the core of Kohler’s argument in Guilt and Innocence in Hitler’s Germany—an argument that can also be summarized for our times as, “who is more evil: Trump or someone who joins ICE?” A fun way to kick off 2026 with laughs and intellectual musings, and some additional background on Gass’s relationship to academia. This episode’s music is “This Year” by The Mountain Goats. The next episode will drop in 2026 and will cover “Susu, I Approach You in My Dreams” (pages 475–533). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    1h 3m
  5. TMR 29.8: "It Is Betty Boop" [The Tunnel]

    12/18/2025

    TMR 29.8: "It Is Betty Boop" [The Tunnel]

    In this section of The Tunnel, Gass looks at academia, committees, power dynamics on campus, and the “curse of colleagues.” Chad, Brian, and Kaija have a lot of fun with this section talking about how gross Kohler is, which colleague of his they most represent, whether or not any of these people are “real,” and the state of college as a public institution in 2025. This episode’s music is “Sideboob” by English Teacher. The next episode will drop in 2026 and will cover “Around the House” (pages 437–475). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    56 min
  6. TMR 29.7: "Men Are Tormented by Men" [The Tunnel]

    12/11/2025

    TMR 29.7: "Men Are Tormented by Men" [The Tunnel]

    Lori Feathers (Interabang Books, Big Book Project) joins Kaija, Chad, and Brian to talk about “The First Winter of My Married Life” in which Kohler and Martha suffer the invasive noises of a nearby neighbor, Kohler loses his cool because of his inconsolable son, and various memories are explored thanks to a photo album. They talk about this, about how Kohler is manipulating the reader (why? to what end?), the cruel humor of the book, and much more—including the unveiling of what book we’ll be covering next season . . . This episode’s music is “Spring and by Summer Fall” by Blonde Redhead. Next week we’ll cover “The Curse of Colleages” (pages 386–437). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    1h 8m
  7. TMR 29.6: "Welcome to History" [The Tunnel]

    12/04/2025

    TMR 29.6: "Welcome to History" [The Tunnel]

    Chris Via of Leaf by Leaf joins Kaija, Brian, and Chad on this episode to talk about “Why Windows Are Important to Me.” They discuss Chris’s ten-hour-long project on The Tunnel, why “Blackboard” is his favorite section, edges and nodes and architecture in literature, philosophy and metaphors, and much more. A very high-level, intellectual episode thanks in large part to Chris’s contributions! This episode’s music is “Das Verschwinden” by The Notwist. Next week we’ll cover “The First Winter of My Married Life” (pages 334–385). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    1h 10m
  8. TMR 29.5: "Historians Make History" [The Tunnel]

    11/20/2025

    TMR 29.5: "Historians Make History" [The Tunnel]

    Covering the “Mad Meg” section (pgs 214–282), Chad, Kaija, and Brian talk about the juxtaposition of Kohler’s childhood Sunday drives with the bombast of Mad Meg’s lectures, about Southern Gothic writing and Flannery O’Connor, blaming others for your sadness, history and ideas, and more. This episode’s music is “The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That, Man)” from Car Seat Headrest. We’ll be back on December 4 to cover “Why Windows Are Important to Me” (pages 282–334). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com

    51 min
See All (154)

4.4
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Each “season” of Two Month Review highlights a different new and amazing work of world literature, reading it slowly over the course of eight to nine episodes. Featuring a rotating set of literary guests—from authors to booksellers, critics, and translators—the individual episodes recap a short section of the book and use that as a springboard for a fun (and often irreverent) discussion about literature in a general sense, pop culture, reading approaches, and much more. Talking about great books doesn't need to be deadly serious, and the levity of 2MR makes it accessible to everyone (even if you’re not reading along). threepercentproblem.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Open Letter Books
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    154
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Chad W. Post
  • Show Website
    Two Month Review

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