

Good Scribes Only
Daniel Breyer, Jeremy Streich
Good Scribes Only is a podcast featuring a novelist + venture investor (Daniel Breyer) and a novelist + founder (Jeremy Streich), who share an enthusiasm for literature. From classics to sci-fi, moderns to ancient philosophy, your hosts will ramble and banter about it all—particularly the topics they have no business discussing.
Each episode dives into the craft of writing as well as questions of plot, character, theme, and philosophy in a work.
Each episode dives into the craft of writing as well as questions of plot, character, theme, and philosophy in a work.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 17, 2023 • 18min
#45 🤔 Where Does the Idea for a Novel Come From? - Inside Good Scribes
About the Episode In this 5th episode, you have now entered the 1920s. Well, sorta.For this decade we read Virginia Woolf's Orlando which has been called 'The longest and most charming love letter in literature.' Orlando is the fictional embodiment of Woolf's close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, except Orlando (the character) lives for three hundred years, so kinda relevant to this season eh? We meet characters like the Queen of England, James I, and ultimately our main character awakes in Constantinople to find that he is now a woman. The novel indulges in farce and irony to consider the roles of gender in the 18th and 19th centuries and the novel ends in 1928, the year when women’s suffrage became reality.Woolf is the type of literary master we want to read more of and we loved the way she stepped out of her comfort zone with this book, as Dan does every time he attempts to pronounce a name on this show.Please enjoy this window into Orlando by Virginia Woolf. About the ShowHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. In Season 4 we’re traveling through the 20th century, decade by decade, because Dan really wanted to see what the world was like before plumbing was a common thing.
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Aug 15, 2023 • 1h 1min
#44 - Orlando by Virginia Woolf 💁♂️💁♀️
About the Episode In this 5th episode, you have now entered the 1920s. Well, sorta.For this decade we read Virginia Woolf's Orlando which has been called 'The longest and most charming love letter in literature.' Orlando is the fictional embodiment of Woolf's close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, except Orlando (the character) lives for three hundred years, so kinda relevant to this season eh? We meet characters like the Queen of England, James I, and ultimately our main character awakes in Constantinople to find that he is now a woman. The novel indulges in farce and irony to consider the roles of gender in the 18th and 19th centuries and the novel ends in 1928, the year when women’s suffrage became reality.Woolf is the type of literary master we want to read more of and we loved the way she stepped out of her comfort zone with this book, as Dan does every time he attempts to pronounce a name on this show.Please enjoy this window into Orlando by Virginia Woolf. About the ShowHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. In Season 4 we’re traveling through the 20th century, decade by decade, because Dan really wanted to see what the world was like before plumbing was a common thing.Episode Notes0-5 min — Introduction and main themes5-10 min — On Virginia Woolf and genre10-15 min — Casting the movie15-20 min — Gender in a modern context20-30 min — Plot summary30-35 min — On Criticism35-45 min — The gap between fact and fiction45-50 min — Chasing fame and notoriety50-55 min — Conclusion55-60 min — Ratings
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Aug 10, 2023 • 15min
#43 Inside Good Scribes - On Writing, Art, and Changing Genre 🎨🪞
About the Episode GOAT ALERT 🐐 For the 1910's episode of Season 4, we read Portrait of the Artist as a Man by James JoyceRich in details that offer vital insights into Joyce's art, this masterpiece of semi-autobiographical fiction remains essential reading in any program of study in modern literature. The book follows its main character, Stephen Dedalus, from childhood to adulthood on a quest to find identity. Through art, Dedalus gradually emancipates himself from family, religious, and claims of Ireland itself. Both an insight into Joyce's life and childhood, and a unique work of modernist fiction, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a novel of sexual awakening, religious rebellion and the essential search for voice and meaning that every nascent artist must face in order to blossom fully into themselves.We hope you enjoy!About the BookRich in details that offer vital insights into Joyce's art, this masterpiece of semi-autobiographical fiction remains essential reading in any program of study in modern literature. The book follows its main character, Stephen Dedalus, from childhood to adulthood on a quest to find identity. Through art, Dedalus gradually emancipates himself from family, religious, and claims of Ireland itself. Both an insight into Joyce's life and childhood, and a unique work of modernist fiction, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a novel of sexual awakening, religious rebellion and the essential search for voice and meaning that every nascent artist must face in order to blossom fully into themselves.About the ShowHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. In Season 4 we’re traveling through the 20th century, decade by decade, because Dan really wanted to see what the world was like before plumbing was a common thing.
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Aug 8, 2023 • 1h 3min
#42 🧑🎨 Portrait of the Artist as a Man by James Joyce
About the Episode In this 3rd episode of Season 4, we read Portrait of the Artist as a Man by James JoyceRich in details that offer vital insights into Joyce's art, this masterpiece of semi-autobiographical fiction remains essential reading in any program of study in modern literature. The book follows its main character, Stephen Dedalus, from childhood to adulthood on a quest to find identity. Through art, Dedalus gradually emancipates himself from family, religious, and claims of Ireland itself. Both an insight into Joyce's life and childhood, and a unique work of modernist fiction, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a novel of sexual awakening, religious rebellion and the essential search for voice and meaning that every nascent artist must face in order to blossom fully into themselves.We hope you enjoy!About the ShowHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. In Season 4 we’re traveling through the 20th century, decade by decade, because Dan really wanted to see what the world was like before plumbing was a common thing.Episode Notes0-5 min — Poor excuse for Irish accents5-10 min — Introduction to James Joyce10-15 min — Plot summary15-20 min — Irish Independence20-25 min — Meaning of the title25-30 min — Genius in art30-40 min — Plot continued40-45 min — On retreats45-50 min — Religion at the time50-55 min — Final thoughts on the book55-60 min — Ratings and conclusion
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Aug 3, 2023 • 15min
#41 Inside Good Scribes - Rock and Roll, Megachurches, Political Identity, and Having an Impact ⚡ 🏛️
About the BookIn this 1st episode of Season 4, we read a book whose original version has never been seen. The Jungle that we know, by Upton Sinclair, is the version that was highly censored because of its political context. To gather information for this novel, Sinclair spent seven weeks undercover working in the meat packing plants of Chicago, ultimately exposing the horrific conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry, that led to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The main reason for the censorship, however, as Sinclair’s belief in socialism. It’s at that point that Dan and I start to goof in good old Upton Sincy. It’ll make sense why if you manage to make it to that point in the pod.About Good Scribes OnlyHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. In Season 4 we’re traveling through the 20th century, decade by decade, because Dan really wanted to see what the world was like before plumbing was a common thing.
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Jul 31, 2023 • 54min
#40 🍖🥶 The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
In this 1st episode of Season 4, we read a book whose original version has never been seen. The Jungle that we know, by Upton Sinclair, is the version that was highly censored because of its political context. To gather information for this novel, Sinclair spent seven weeks undercover working in the meat packing plants of Chicago, ultimately exposing the horrific conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry, that led to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act.The main reason for the censorship, however, as Sinclair’s belief in socialism. It’s at that point that Dan and I start to goof in good old Upton Sincy. It’ll make sense why if you manage to make it to that point in the pod.We hope you enjoy!About the Episode Episode Notes0-5 min — Introduction5-10 min — About the author / Casting10-25 min — Plot summary25-30 min — Corruption in 20th-century Chicago30-35 min — Deep fakes and post-truth35-45 min — On socialism through history45-49 min — The Jungle vs Grapes of Wrath49-55 min — Closing
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Jun 20, 2023 • 26min
#39 - 📚🏆 Ranking the Reads of Season 3
In this final episode of the season, we rank all our stops on the world tour. As you know, we believe you don’t always need a plane ticket to travel; sometimes, all you need is a book. Often, fictional stories can help us explore worlds outside our own, take us out of life’s everyday tangles, and allow us to widen our perspective. About Good Scribes OnlyHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. Sometimes even traveling to a place doesn't permit you to see it for how it really is for those who live there. Fiction, on the other hand, can. And thus, season 3 is about widening our perspective. We hope you're coming along and can help do the same.
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Jun 13, 2023 • 1h 8min
#38 🇯🇵 🦋1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
About the EpisodeYou don’t always need a plane ticket to travel; sometimes, all you need is a book. Often, fiction books can help us explore world's outside our own, take us out of life’s everyday tangles, and allow us to widen our perspective. Seventh stop, Asia! We hope you enjoy this discussion about '1Q84' by Haruki Murakami.About the BookThis was our biggest disagreement yet, and widest split in rankings. Murakami's most ambitious work is love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s 1984. The book was an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of the most revered contemporary writers. About Good Scribes OnlyHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. Sometimes even traveling to a place doesn't permit you to see it for how it really is for those who live there. Fiction, on the other hand, can. And thus, season 3 is about widening our perspective. We hope you're coming along and can help do the same. Be sure to check out the Episode Cheat Sheet for an overview.Episodes Notes0-5 min — Introduction feelings5-10 min — Murakami’s style10-20 min — Casting the “movie”20-25 min — Book I and Book II Plot summary25-30 min — On the author30-35 min — The best chapter35-40 min — Book III summary40-45 min — Religion and Power45-50 min — Passages on writing and ghostwriting50-55 min — Problems with the book55-60 min — Style of the novel60-66 min — Conclusion and Rating
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Jun 8, 2023 • 20min
#37 📟🦧 Inside Good Scribes - Modernization, Religion, and Chimp Empire
About the EpisodeYou don’t always need a plane ticket to travel; sometimes, all you need is a book. Often, fictional stories can help us explore worlds outside our own, take us out of life’s everyday tangles, and allow us to widen our perspective. Fifth stop, Oceania! We hope you enjoy this discussion about 'Celestial Bodies' by Jokha Alharthi.About the BookIn the village of al-Awafi, Oman, we encounter three sisters: Mayya, who marries following a heartbreak; Asma, who marries from a feeling of duty; and Khawla, who refuses all marital offers and awaits a reunion with her true love, who has moved to Canada. Against the backdrop of a country modernizing from a traditional, slave-owning society, we follow the losses and love affairs of these three women and their families. Through the sisters, we’re provided a panoramic view into Omani society from the poorest slaves to the families who profited off capitalism, globalism, and modernization. Spread over several decades and generations, the narrative structure is both original and impressive and is a prime example of the beauty and power of fictional storytelling.About Good Scribes OnlyHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. Sometimes even traveling to a place doesn't permit you to see it for how it really is for those who live there. Fiction, on the other hand, can. And thus, season 3 is about widening our perspective. We hope you're coming along and can help do the same. Be sure to check out the Episode Cheat Sheet for an overview.
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Jun 5, 2023 • 1h 1min
#36 🇴🇲🐫 Celestial Bodies - Jokha Alharthi
About the EpisodeYou don’t always need a plane ticket to travel; sometimes, all you need is a book. Often, fictional stories can help us explore worlds outside our own, take us out of life’s everyday tangles, and allow us to widen our perspective. Fifth stop, Oceania! We hope you enjoy this discussion about 'Celestial Bodies' by Jokha Alharthi.About the BookIn the village of al-Awafi, Oman, we encounter three sisters: Mayya, who marries following a heartbreak; Asma, who marries from a feeling of duty; and Khawla, who refuses all marital offers and awaits a reunion with her true love, who has moved to Canada. Against the backdrop of a country modernizing from a traditional, slave-owning society, we follow the losses and love affairs of these three women and their families. Through the sisters, we’re provided a panoramic view into Omani society from the poorest slaves to the families who profited off capitalism, globalism, and modernization. Spread over several decades and generations, the narrative structure is both original and impressive and is a prime example of the beauty and power of fictional storytelling.About Good Scribes OnlyHosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. Sometimes even traveling to a place doesn't permit you to see it for how it really is for those who live there. Fiction, on the other hand, can. And thus, season 3 is about widening our perspective. We hope you're coming along and can help do the same. Be sure to check out the Episode Cheat Sheet for an overview.Episode Notes0-5 min — Introductory thoughts5-15 min — Casting the actors15-20 min — Title and broader significance20-25 min — Tradition vs Progress25-30 min — The three sisters30-35 min — On arranged vs choice marriages35-40 min — Kowla’s self-deceit40-45 min — Subtle power of women in the community45-50 min — Self-acceptance vs resignation from social roles50-55 min — Conclusion and structure of the novel55-60 min — Thoughts on the book
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