Books of Some Substance

David, Nick, and Nathan dive into Bohumil Hrabal’s short novel Closely Watched Trains in this latest episode of the podcast. One part coming of age tale, one part (somewhat) epic tale of resistance, and one part celebration of life’s beautiful banality, this compact work will have you simultaneously smirking and wincing as Hrabal somehow weaves the lightness of youth in with the darkness of living under Nazi occupation in World War II. Grab a copy, give it a quick read, maybe even watch the brilliant Jiří Menzel film adaptation, and listen in for the discussion.

It is a homecoming of sorts. Sixteen years after David made Nathan read Jorge Luis Borges, the two return to discuss the great Argentinian writer in an episode that has as many labyrinths (well, not quite) and is as infinite (also probably not true) as every one of Borges’ short stories. And while this episode does have a finite beginning and a finite end and can only focus on three of the hits (Tlön, Uqbar, Orbius Tertius, The Library of Babel, and The Garden of Forking Paths), the two still can’t seem to entirely wrap their heads around the author’s rapid world building, extremely high ratio of ideas vs. word count, and surprisingly playful nature. It’s safe to say that we at Books of Some Substance think Borges is pretty cool. Take the litmus test: Read some JLB, then be our friend.  We’ll see you at the end (or at the beginning).

Renata Adler’s Speedboat starts and stops, accelerates and leaps, soars and crashes just like some sort of . . . well, you get it. Join David, Nathan, and Nick as they discuss this compact novel filled with vignettes of 1970s life and all of the sardonic observations that come along with it. But do the vignettes combine to create something more impactful? Is the book funny?  And how does one define humor in literature anyway? Listen in for our own starts and stops as we talk our way through this intriguing little book and try to define the indefinable.

Dive into the intriguing world of W.G. Sebald and his unconventional narrative in 'The Emigrants.' The discussion navigates the blurred lines between fiction and reality, highlighting the impact of memory on storytelling. Explore the innovative use of photographs and fragmented styles that invite deeper engagement. The hosts reflect on the emotional weight of historical trauma and the peculiar challenges of recommending Sebald's contemplative works. It's a thought-provoking conversation that will have you questioning the nature of narrative itself.

Bay Area musician Taylor Vick of Boy Scouts joins the podcast this episode to share her love for George Saunders’ The Tenth of December. Listen in as Taylor and Nick talk about the book’s use of absurdist mechanisms to move the reader, the connections between Saunders’ work and Boy Scouts, and their own attempts to explore new areas of art, despite any existing contextual baggage. Listening to this episode whilst going on a long walk is not mandatory, but nevertheless highly recommended. Boy Scouts’ excellent new record Wayfinder is available now from ANTI- Records.

In this episode, friend of the podcast and book club Eric Heiman joins David and Nathan to talk about W.G. Sebald's Rings of Saturn. The three get into the melancholic depiction of entropy eating away so much of human life, the sense of historical vertigo, and the (un)fictionality of the novel. Join the three as they discuss the style, form, and substance of Sebald's enigmatic work.

Aatif Rashid, author of the novel Portrait of Sebastian Khan, joins the podcast to profess his love for Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time. The one with, like, a million volumes? The one that’s jam-packed with the subtleties of human interactions, relationships, and communications (or lack thereof)? The one that you saw on all of those “great books” lists, but has since slipped away from the shelves of contemporary readers? Yes, that one indeed. Listen in as Aatif and David chat about why this movement of all movements is still a must-read. You can find out more about Aatif Rashid here and you can find Portrait of Sebastian Khan via 7.13 Books.   Also, for anyone curious about the article Aatif refernces in the episode, here it is:  "A Text of Arrested Desire: The Anticlimax of Extended Narrative in Anthony Powell's "A Dance to the Music of Time" (1988) by Lynette Felber https://www.jstor.org/stable/42945736

The discussion delves into the transformative journey of Siddhartha, exploring themes of self-discovery and wisdom. Personal reflections draw parallels between the protagonist's path and the speakers' experiences. The symbolism of the river signifies time and interconnectedness in the pursuit of enlightenment. The conversation expands to compare spirituality across diverse contexts, advocating for unity beyond doctrine. Insights into mysticism and genuine experiences challenge perceptions of reality, highlighting the significance of authentic connections in our search for meaning.

Down with Napoleon! Long live Mother Russia! Ole Kutuzov and the gang aren’t the only winners here. Anyone who has read through the entirety of War and Peace — David, Nathan, and Nick now counting themselves as part of the club — knows that Tolstoy’s masterpiece and its ruminations on free will, history, and tragedy of both micro and macro proportions is and absolute joy and rather hard to stop thinking about. Join us for the fourth — and final — episode in our series on War and Peace and partake in our endless interest and discussion. Whether or not you choose to move your arms while listening is entirely up to you. Or is it?

Novelist Mark Haber joins the podcast to talk about one of his underdogs: Santiago Gamboa and his excellent novel Necropolis. Necropolis is a novel full of narratives, soaked in storytelling, and driven by a cast of colorful characters seeking some kind of redemption. Mark and David dive into the novel's plots and craft, and Mark touches upon his own conversations with Gamboa and Gamboa's other works of fiction available in English. Mark Haber's novel Reinhardt's Garden was published by Coffee House Press in 2019 and is "an exhilarating fever dream about the search for the secret of melancholy" according to Publisher's Weekly, and we here at BOSS think it's a damn fine novel indeed. Highly recommended.