So Many Damn Books
by Christopher Hermelin
A blessing, a curse, a podcast, since 2014. Christopher (@cdhermelin) invites folks to the Damn Library to talk about reading, literature, publishing, and trying to make it through the never-dwindling stack of things to read. All with a themed drink in hand. Recorded at the Damn Library in Brooklyn, NY. For show info, book lists, and drink recipes, follow @somanydamnbooks and visit somanydamnbooks.com
Episodes
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263: Sarah Anderson (FALLOW) & Emeline Atwood's A REAL ANIMAL
Sarah Anderson zooms by the Damn Library for a chat about her novel concerning an all-too-real corporate surrogacy initiative, Fallow. We get into how wonderful her MFA was, the ways Julie Buntin helped, and how she’d do in a farm collective. Plus, she brings along the inventive, globetrotting...
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262: Facebook List 2014
I found a book list I made on Facebook in September 2014. Right before this show started. I revisit the list, and then I make a new one. Lists are fun! Reading is fun! You, reading this right now: you are fun. For the drink recipe, every book mentioned, and more, visit:...
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261: 31 Short Books for Busy People
A list of short books, because life is short, and you need to make your reading goals. (a sequel to the episode “22 Short Books”) For the drink recipe, every book mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-261 Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book…
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260: Meg Richardson (PARADISE PAWN) & Curtis Sittenfeld's PREP
Meg Richardson stops by the Damn Library for some kid wine (or is it adult Martinelli’s?) and book chatter. We get into whether she’s the Jackie or the Kayla, her time as a pawn shop employee, and the journey of this book through lots of different forms before resolving back to the one with all…
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259: Stephen Fishbach (ESCAPE!) & William Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES
Two-time Survivor contestant, cohost of the Survivor podcast We Know Survivor, as well as the literary podcast Paraphrase, Stephen Fishbach drops onto the island SMDB and brings along the swashbuckling spirit of his novel Escape! As you might expect, Survivor is discussed, as is the jungle in...
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258: Ailsa Ross (HOVEL) & Jean Rhys' VOYAGE IN THE DARK
Ailsa Ross uses the power of the internet to join Christopher and chat about the pleasure of destruction, letting mosquitoes bite, the cost of licensing museum photos, and other things too. Plus, she brings along a Jean Rhys novel that wasn’t Wide Sargasso Sea,Voyage in the Dark, and both enjoy…
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257: Reading Journal
I hang out and chat a bit about books I've read recently! Fun, right? So much fun. For the drink recipe, every book mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-257 Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access...
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256: Casey Scieszka (THE FOUNTAIN) & Natalie Babbitt's TUCK EVERLASTING
Casey Scieszka squeezes through the internet’s tubes to arrive safely on the podcast and talk The Fountain, her debut novel. We get into immortality, and alcohol etymology, and the Spruceton Inn residency, and growing up the daughter of famous children’s author, Jon Scieszka. Plus, we dive deeper...
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255: Lior Torenberg (JUST WATCH ME) & Rufi Thorpe's MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES
Lior Torenberg zooms into the Damn Library to chat about Just Watch Me, an early entry in the run for “best book of the year.” She goes into just how deep her love for hot sauce goes, some terribly cramped apartments, and chats about the trope of the sad girl grifter. Plus, we get to talk about...
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254: Kathleen Boland (SCAVENGERS) & Joy Williams' THE QUICK AND THE DEAD
Kathleen Boland road trips into the Damn Library Hyperspace to talk about her novel Scavengers, which also means talking about karaoke, the magic of Utah, treasure hunts, and complicated mother-daughter relationships. Plus, she brings along Christopher’s first Joy Williams’ work, The Quick and…
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253: Drew Broussard Runs By (Stephen King's THE RUNNING MAN & Edgar Wright's THE RUNNING MAN)
Drew Broussard (former co-host of this show, current Lit Hub Radio host, Manager at Rough Draft) stops in for a SPOILER-FILLED chat about the dichotomy that is Richard Bachman/Stephen King, and both the book and the movie of The Running Man (the Edgar Wright one). [note: we stop spoiling plot...
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252: Reading Journal – Aimee Bender
Christopher re-read all of Aimee Bender and decided to talk about it. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdb For the drink recipe, every book and link...
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251: Alix E. Harrow (THE EVERLASTING) & Nicola Griffith's MENEWOOD
Alix E. Harrow drops into the Damn Library to talk about the everyday magic of being alive and writing really good books, like her newest one The Everlasting, Christopher’s favorite book of the year. Plus, she recommended Nicola Griffith’s Menewood and it leads to encomiums galore, because it’s a...
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250: Sarah Interviews Christopher about 250 Episodes
250 episodes in, Sarah interviews Christopher about some of the behind the scenes details about making So Many Damn Books. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year!...
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249: Erin Somers (THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR) & Susie Boyt's LOVED AND MISSED
Erin Somers returns to the Damn Library, this time virtually, for a punny cocktail and a chat about her novel The Ten Year Affair, expanding her lens, millennial marriage, and how she feels about her debut novel Stay Up with Hugo Best six years on. Plus she brings the quietly...
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248: Patrick Ryan (BUCKEYE) & Christopher Isherwood's A SINGLE MAN
Patrick Ryan drops into the Damn Library Soda Shoppe for a chocolate peanut butter egg cream and a chat about his much-lauded novel Buckeye. We chat about a family secret that fueled the book, how he achieves the right tone, and how he discovered the spirit realm on the page. Plus, he brings…
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247: Mona Awad (WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY) & Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
Mona Awad becomes the most frequent guest of So Many Damn Books with this appearance, chatting We Love You, Bunny, how it’s a good time to make fun of yourself, and the pleasure of getting too deep into a narrative, even if you can’t find your way back out. Plus, she brings along the classic The...
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246: Kerry Cullen (HOUSE OF BETH) & Nicky Gonzalez's MAYRA
Kerry Cullen drops in, in person, so I smoke a cocktail (and forget to mention that Manhattans contain vermouth). We get to talking about working in books and then writing a book, shocking your writing group, and the best places to write. And then we talk about Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, another…
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245: Leonie Swann (BIG BAD WOOL, THREE BAGS FULL, AGNES SHARPE) & Robert Jackson Bennett's THE TAINTED CUP
Held it together pretty well interviewing Leonie Swann, the author of one of my favorite novels of all time, Three Bags Full, about her recently translated sequel Big Bad Wool, and all the pleasures of stepping back into the river a changed person. Plus, she brings along The Tainted Cup by Robert...
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244: Favorite Reads of 2025 (so far)
We only have five months of the year left, so that means it’s time to look back and reminisce. It’s always a good time to look back and reminisce, baby, you better believe it. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual...
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243: Allison King (THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY) & Anton Hur's TOWARD ETERNITY
Pencils UP, everyone! Point their sharpened points straight to the sky, because Allison King, author of the endlessly inventive Phoenix Pencil Company, drops by the virtual library to talk all things pencils and magic and the one book that changed her life. Plus, she brings along Anton Hur’s…
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242: Drew Returns (to revisit "Top 6 of 2015" and chat books aimlessly)
Former co-host of the show, current writer and bookseller and host of The Lit Hub Podcast Drew Broussard stops by to chat about our Top 6 of 2015 episode from 10 years ago, plus some other random bookish thoughts. As listenable as a quaffable white wine is quaffable! Join the Patreon and hang out...
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241: Tyler Wetherall (AMPHIBIAN) and Terjei Vesaas' THE ICE PALACE
Tyler Wetherall, author and sole force behind the indispensable literary reading series newsletter, Reading the City visits the Damn Library in person in order to have a very involved mezcal margarita, and chat about her novel Amphibian, and mermaids, her memoir No Way Home, and the fun part of...
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240: Kate Folk (SKY DADDY) and Marlen Haushofer's THE WALL
Kate Folk flies into the Zoom Damn Library and boy are her arms tired! That’s an airplane joke, and it’s very fitting, actually, because she’s here to discuss her madcap Sky Daddy, as well as the more subdued but no less crazy The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. Put your tray tables up and your…
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239: Jeanne Thornton (A/S/L) & Anton Solomonik's REALISTIC FICTION
Jeanne Thornton physically drops by the Damn Library to talk A/S/L, her incredible novel about amateur video game coders in the 90s and how they’re doing a couple decades years later, and also a bit of her novel Summer Fun as well, because why not. Plus, she brings along Anton Solomonik’s…
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238: Kate Slotover (of The Book Club Review) Returns, Solvej Balle's ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME VOL 1
Kate Slotover of The Book Club Review drops in again, virtually this time, to talk about a visit to a posh library, her reading life of late, and Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume Vol. 1, and also we talk about Volume 2 some. Get on the train bound for November 18th! Join the Patreon…
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237: 21 Long Books to Sink Into
A list of 22 long books because sometimes you need to get lost in a book, like really lost, like 400 pages in and not even halfway there and every tree looks just like the one that came before. But you’re happy about it, because getting lost in a book was the point. That kind of lost. Join the...
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236: 22 Short Books for Short Attention Spans
A list of 22 short books for short attention spans because we all hey look at that dog! he’s trying to catch a butterfly!! Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year!...
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235: Cynthia Weiner (A GORGEOUS EXCITEMENT) & Susanna Moore's IN THE CUT
Cynthia Weiner zooms in and starts off the year right with her 80s New York novel, A Gorgeous Excitement. We talk all the trappings of true crime and female friendship and mental health, plus Cynthia brings along Susanna Moore’s 90s cult classic In the Cut. Join the Patreon and hang out in the...
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234: Favorite Reads of 2024
Christopher chooses some favorites from the reading year that just passed, and answers some questions from the Patreon patrons. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year!...
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233: Emily Habeck (SHARK HEART: A LOVE STORY) & Jenny Offill's DEPT. OF SPECULATION
Emily Habeck swims on in to chat the book Christopher can’t stop recommending to anyone and everyone, Shark Heart: A Love Story. Thrill to this episode where we get into the long and winding road from theater to novel writing, and the pleasures of re-reading Jenny Offill’s Dept. of Speculation…
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232: Holiday Gift Guide 2024 (with Sarah!)
If you do something two years in a row, that makes it a yearly tradition right? With that in mind, here’s the very traditional Holiday Gift Guide episode. I’m joined by Sarah in our Damn Library and we talk some books and get down to the business of gift giving this season. It’s a present, open…
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231: Rosalind Brown (PRACTICE) & Lisa Robertson's THE BAUDELAIRE FRACTAL
Rosalind Brown makes her airwaves debut in this one, talking about her debut novel Practice, which means talking about Shakespeare, and using white space on the page, and the various intimacies of point of view. Plus, she brought along The Baudelaire Fractal by Lisa Robertson, a jubilant novel of...
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230: Ten Years of So Many Damn Books (with Drew Broussard)
Our old pal Drew drops into the Damn Library, in Brooklyn, in person, for the first time since February 2020, to celebrate 10 years of So Many Damn Books. The show gets done like it usually does, only with a lot of trips down memory lanes and nostalgia avenues. contribute!…
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229: Lena Valencia (MYSTERY LIGHTS) & Muriel Spark's DRIVER'S SEAT
Lena Valencia drops by the Damn Library, physically, and it’s a real nice time complete with a flashing drink you can’t see, because this is a podcast. Lena and I discuss her blockbuster, nearly a decade in the making, short story collection debut, Mystery Lights, and she brings along Muriel...
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228: Lev Grossman (THE BRIGHT SWORD) & Philip K Dick's UBIK
Lev Grossman returns to the podcast after a nine year break. That’s a long time! Since he was here last, he wrote his Arthurian magnum opus, The Bright Sword, and he chats about it, along with a good name for a cocktail sword, God, Merlin, and how he likes to be in conversation with someone…
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227: Holly Gramazio (THE HUSBANDS) & Zito Madu's THE MINOTAUR AT CALLE LANZA
Holly Gramazio drops by via the magic of Zoom to talk her magical summer blockbuster of a book, The Husbands. She gets into its origin as a computer game, a lack of supernatural solutions, and why it used to have the moon falling apart. Plus, she brings along the surreal-but-still-relatable Zito...
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226: Kate Slotover (THE BOOK CLUB REVIEW) discusses Helene Hanff's LETTER FROM NEW YORK and Joseph Mitchell's UP IN THE OLD HOTEL
Kate Slotover, host of The Book Club Review podcast, joins me in the Damn Library all the way from London! Drinks are had, New York is discussed, along with two different worlds of New York reportage, Helene Hanff’s Letter from New York, and Joseph Mitchell’s Up in the Old Hotel. Such a joy!...
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225: Melissa Mogollon (OYE) and Jenny Odell's HOW TO DO NOTHING
Melissa Mogollon zooms in to talk her debut Oye, and all the fun she had writing it. That means we talk how her friends are like her sisters, the unusual structure that always felt like it could fail, and how she might write a sequel from the sister’s perspective. Plus, she brings along Jenny...
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224: Tea & Contemplation with Drew Broussard
Our old pal Drew (of Voyage into Genre) is back! We talk about how the internet used to be, how Drew broke his slump, some literal tea discussion, RPG and video games, and general book chatter. The usual, served up just how you like it, in podcast form. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for...
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223: Fiona Warnick (THE SKUNKS) and Sheila Heti's ALPHABETICAL DIARIES
Fiona Warnick, author of the charming novel The Skunks, drops by to talk animals and metaphor, how her creative writing program helped her with this book, writing smooth, and more than that, because we also get into Sheila Heti’s Alphabetical Diaries, which inspires a deeper dive into the work of...
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222: Bookshelf May 2024
Christopher goes through some stuff he read and some stuff he wants to read. Got any modern pirate book recommendations? contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)
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221: Alexandra Tanner (WORRY) and Kathryn Scanlan's AUG 9 - FOG
Alexandra Tanner shares the Damn Library physical space, sitting in the chair across from me and everything. She discusses her sibling’s influence on Worry, writing for an audience of one, money, moms, and more. Plus, she brings Kathryn Scanlan’s Aug 9 - Fog for book club. Listen closely and…
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220: Bookish Pet Peeves with Sarah
Damn Library co-owner Sarah sits to chat about all the things that makes one pick up a book only to put it back down again. A list of reading pet peeves that touches on everything from subject matter, to stylizations, tropes, design choices, and more. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for…
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219: Rachel Lyon (FRUIT OF THE DEAD) & Tessa Hadley's THE PAST
Rachel Lyon returns to talk about her new novel, Fruit of the Dead, and how it wasn’t always a Persephone myth retelling, she found that along the way. Plus, we get into the “generative fill” of reading, and I pontificate on dust mote fiction, inspired by the fetid summer heat within the pages of...
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218: GennaRose Nethercott (FIFTY BEASTS TO BREAK YOUR HEART) & Sabrina Orah Marks' HAPPILY
GennaRose Nethercott returns to talk about her brand new story collection Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart, stealing details from her friends, telling stories from the periphery, and how each tale in the book is about yearning. Also, thanks to Sabrina Orah Marks’ Happily, we discuss all form of...
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217: Kirsten Bakis (KING NYX) & Tana French's THE SECRET PLACE
Kirsten Bakis makes her podcast airwave debut to discuss her brand new novel, King Nyx. And it’s a doozy. Kirsten reflects on sideways stories and how she first “met” the real life inspiration for her main character, and some reflections on how things have changed in publishing since she first...
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216: Marie-Helene Bertino (BEAUTYLAND) & Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's THE LITTLE PRINCE
Marie-Helene Bertino returns to the Damn Library to discuss her latest triumph, Beautyland. Marie-Helene goes into how she creates some of the book's indelible, otherworldly moments, and why the book's writing process was charmed. Plus, she brought along The Little Prince by Antoine de...
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215: Top Reads of 2023 with Sarah
Into the Damn Library Sarah and Christopher go again, to review their respective years on reading, pull out the highlights, and make plans for the year to come. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for the full gift list, every drink recipe, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music:...
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214: SMDB Gift Guide 2023
Sarah joins Christopher in the Damn Library she co-owns to drink martinis and talk about good ideas for holiday gifting, from books to subscriptions to games to cocktail accoutrements and more. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for the full gift list, every drink recipe, book lists, and more,...
About this show
A blessing, a curse, a podcast, since 2014. Christopher (@cdhermelin) invites folks to the Damn Library to talk about reading, literature, publishing, and trying to make it through the never-dwindling stack of things to read. All with a themed drink in hand. Recorded at the Damn Library in Brooklyn, NY. For show info, book lists, and drink recipes, follow @somanydamnbooks and visit somanydamnbooks.com
Hosted by
Christopher Hermelin