So Many Damn Books cover art

All Episodes

So Many Damn Books — 269 episodes

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Title
1

259: Stephen Fishbach (ESCAPE!) & William Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES

2

258: Ailsa Ross (HOVEL) & Jean Rhys' VOYAGE IN THE DARK

3

257: Reading Journal

4

256: Casey Scieszka (THE FOUNTAIN) & Natalie Babbitt's TUCK EVERLASTING

5

255: Lior Torenberg (JUST WATCH ME) & Rufi Thorpe's MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES

6

254: Kathleen Boland (SCAVENGERS) & Joy Williams' THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

7

253: Drew Broussard Runs By (Stephen King's THE RUNNING MAN & Edgar Wright's THE RUNNING MAN)

8

252: Reading Journal – Aimee Bender

9

251: Alix E. Harrow (THE EVERLASTING) & Nicola Griffith's MENEWOOD

10

250: Sarah Interviews Christopher about 250 Episodes

11

249: Erin Somers (THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR) & Susie Boyt's LOVED AND MISSED

12

248: Patrick Ryan (BUCKEYE) & Christopher Isherwood's A SINGLE MAN

13

247: Mona Awad (WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY) & Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

14

246: Kerry Cullen (HOUSE OF BETH) & Nicky Gonzalez's MAYRA

15

245: Leonie Swann (BIG BAD WOOL, THREE BAGS FULL, AGNES SHARPE) & Robert Jackson Bennett's THE TAINTED CUP

16

244: Favorite Reads of 2025 (so far)

17

243: Allison King (THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY) & Anton Hur's TOWARD ETERNITY

18

242: Drew Returns (to revisit "Top 6 of 2015" and chat books aimlessly)

19

241: Tyler Wetherall (AMPHIBIAN) and Terjei Vesaas' THE ICE PALACE

20

240: Kate Folk (SKY DADDY) and Marlen Haushofer's THE WALL

21

239: Jeanne Thornton (A/S/L) & Anton Solomonik's REALISTIC FICTION

22

238: Kate Slotover (of The Book Club Review) Returns, Solvej Balle's ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME VOL 1

23

237: 21 Long Books to Sink Into

24

236: 22 Short Books for Short Attention Spans

25

235: Cynthia Weiner (A GORGEOUS EXCITEMENT) & Susanna Moore's IN THE CUT

26

234: Favorite Reads of 2024

27

233: Emily Habeck (SHARK HEART: A LOVE STORY) & Jenny Offill's DEPT. OF SPECULATION

28

232: Holiday Gift Guide 2024 (with Sarah!)

29

231: Rosalind Brown (PRACTICE) & Lisa Robertson's THE BAUDELAIRE FRACTAL

30

230: Ten Years of So Many Damn Books (with Drew Broussard)

31

229: Lena Valencia (MYSTERY LIGHTS) & Muriel Spark's DRIVER'S SEAT

32

228: Lev Grossman (THE BRIGHT SWORD) & Philip K Dick's UBIK

33

227: Holly Gramazio (THE HUSBANDS) & Zito Madu's THE MINOTAUR AT CALLE LANZA

34

226: Kate Slotover (THE BOOK CLUB REVIEW) discusses Helene Hanff's LETTER FROM NEW YORK and Joseph Mitchell's UP IN THE OLD HOTEL

35

225: Melissa Mogollon (OYE) and Jenny Odell's HOW TO DO NOTHING

36

224: Tea & Contemplation with Drew Broussard

37

223: Fiona Warnick (THE SKUNKS) and Sheila Heti's ALPHABETICAL DIARIES

38

222: Bookshelf May 2024

39

221: Alexandra Tanner (WORRY) and Kathryn Scanlan's AUG 9 - FOG

40

220: Bookish Pet Peeves with Sarah

41

219: Rachel Lyon (FRUIT OF THE DEAD) & Tessa Hadley's THE PAST

42

218: GennaRose Nethercott (FIFTY BEASTS TO BREAK YOUR HEART) & Sabrina Orah Marks' HAPPILY

43

217: Kirsten Bakis (KING NYX) & Tana French's THE SECRET PLACE

44

216: Marie-Helene Bertino (BEAUTYLAND) & Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's THE LITTLE PRINCE

45

215: Top Reads of 2023 with Sarah

46

214: SMDB Gift Guide 2023

47

213: Book Chattin' with Drew

48

212: Amy Kurzweil (ARTIFICIAL: A LOVE STORY) & Jason Lutes' BERLIN

49

211: Edan Lepucki (TIME'S MOUTH) & Yael Goldstein-Love's THE POSSIBILITIES

50

210: Jennifer Baker (FORGIVE ME NOT) & Akwaeke Emezi's PET

51

209: Mona Awad (ROUGE) & Susanna Clarke's PIRANESI

52

208: Stacey Mei Yan Fong (50 PIES 50 STATES) & John Waters' CARSICK

53

207: Henry Hoke (OPEN THROAT) & Steven Dunn's POTTED MEAT

54

206: Vacation Reading

55

205: Christine Grillo (HESTIA STRIKES A MATCH) & Molly Keane's GOOD BEHAVIOUR

56

204: Kate Slotover (The Book Club Review) & Kathryn Scanlan's KICK THE LATCH & Christopher Morley's PARNASSUS ON WHEELS

57

203: Rebecca Makkai (I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU) & Sabahattin Ali's MADONNA IN A FUR COAT

58

202: Brendan Slocumb (SYMPHONY OF SECRETS) & Eli Cranor's OZARK DOGS

59

201: Ling Ling Huang (NATURAL BEAUTY) & Baek Sehee's I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

60

200: Kelly Link (WHITE CAT, BLACK DOG) & Megan Giddings' THE WOMEN COULD FLY

61

199: Idra Novey (TAKE WHAT YOU NEED) & César Aira's ON CONTEMPORARY ART

62

198: Spring Horizon Ramble 2023, or, The Re-Return of Drew

63

197: Nita Prose (THE MAID) & Nina de Gramont's THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR

64

196: Tom Ayling (Antiquarian Book Seller & TikToker) & David Pearson's SPEAKING VOLUMES

65

195: Top 2022 Reads with Sarah

66

194: Alison Watts (transl. Seishu Hase's THE BOY AND THE DOG) & Peter Heller's THE DOG STARS

67

193: Ashley Hutson (ONE'S COMPANY) & Lindsay Hill's SEA OF HOOKS

68

192: Kevin Wilson (NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC) & Blair Braverman's SMALL GAME

69

191: Kate Beaton (DUCKS: TWO YEARS IN THE OIL SANDS) & Michelle Paver's DARK MATTER

70

190: GennaRose Nethercott (THISTLEFOOT) & Kelly Link's MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS

71

189: Anthony Marra (MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS) & Jennifer Egan's A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD

72

188: Tom Scharpling (IT NEVER ENDS, THE BEST SHOW, and more)

73

187: Summer Ramble 2022

74

186: Angela Ledgerwood (LIT UP) & Richard Flanagan's THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH

75

185: Mat Johnson (INVISIBLE THINGS) and Claire North's NOTES FROM A BURNING AGE

76

184: Elaine Hsieh Chou (DISORIENTATION) and Matthew Salesses' CRAFT IN THE REAL WORLD

77

183: Reader Feature (Part 2)

78

182: Reader Feature (Part 1)

79

181: Publishing Talk with Sarah

80

180: Sara Nović (TRUE BIZ) and Asali Solomon's THE DAYS OF AFREKETE

81

179: Sasha Fletcher (BE HERE TO LOVE ME AT THE END OF THE WORLD) & Benjamín Labatut’s WHEN WE CEASE TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD

82

178: Sequoia Nagamatsu (HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK) & Brenda Peynado's THE ROCK EATERS

83

177: Dana Stevens (CAMERA MAN: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century) & Fernando Pessoa's THE BOOK OF DISQUIET

84

176: Sara Gran (THE BOOK OF THE MOST PRECIOUS SUBSTANCE) & Elizabeth Hand's GENERATION LOSS

85

175: Winter Ramble 2021

86

174: Eugene Lim (SEARCH HISTORY) & César Aira's CONVERSATIONS

87

173: Uli Beutter Cohen (BETWEEN THE LINES: STORIES FROM THE UNDERGROUND) & Katherine May's WINTERING

88

172: Gus Moreno (THIS THING BETWEEN US) & Clive Barker's THE HELLBOUND HEART

89

171: Autumn Ramble 2021

90

170: Ruth Ozeki (THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS) & Walter Benjamin's "UNPACKING MY LIBRARY"

91

169: Alexandra Kleeman (SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN) & André Gide's MARSHLANDS

92

168: Reading Snapshot, Moving Edition

93

167: McSweeney's Issue 64: The Audio Issue

94

166: Mona Awad (ALL'S WELL) & Sara Gran's COME CLOSER

95

165: Meredith Westgate (THE SHIMMERING STATE) & Tim Krabbé's THE VANISHING

96

164: Laura Blackett & Eve Gleichman (THE VERY NICE BOX) & Kristen Arnett's WITH TEETH

97

163: Rosecrans Baldwin (EVERYTHING NOW: LESSONS FROM THE CITY STATE OF LOS ANGELES) & Orhan Pamuk's ISTANBUL

98

162: Backlist: Patricia Highsmith (THE RIPLEY NOVELS)

99

161: Loan Le (A PHO LOVE STORY) & John Searles' HELP FOR THE HAUNTED

100

160: A.E. Osworth (WE ARE WATCHING ELIZA BRIGHT) & Patricia Lockwood's NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS

101

159: K.M. Szpara (FIRST, BECOME ASHES) & Michael Crichton's JURASSIC PARK

102

158: Reading Snapshot, March 2021

103

157: The Morning News' 2021 Tournament of Books Begins

104

156: Reading Snapshot, February 2021

105

155: Jenny Offill (WEATHER) & Jean Rhys' WIDE SARGASSO SEA

106

154: Mateo Askaripour (BLACK BUCK) & Sam Greenlee's THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR

107

153: George Saunders (A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN) & Leo Tolstoy's MASTER AND MAN

108

152: Top 9**‡ of 2020

109

Minisode: Opening Presents and The Week Between

110

Minisode: Stocking Stuffers from the Public Domain

111

151: Emily Temple (THE LIGHTNESS) & Kōbō Abe's THE WOMAN IN THE DUNES

112

150: Book Recommendation Extravaganza

113

149: Short Stories with Lena Valencia (One Story)

114

148: Backlist: Mark Z. Danielewski (HOUSE OF LEAVES)

115

147: Rumaan Alam (LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND) & Lynn Steger Strong's WANT

116

146: The Morning News' SUPER ROOSTER Predictions

117

145: Raven Leilani (LUSTER) & Danzy Senna's NEW PEOPLE

118

144: Megha Majumdar (A BURNING) and Anjan Sundaram's BAD NEWS

119

143: Reading Snapshot Redux

120

142: Lindsay Ellis (AXIOM'S END) & Orson Scott Card's SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD

121

141: Aminatou Sow & Ann Friedman (BIG FRIENDSHIP + CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND) & Octavia Butler's PARABLE OF THE SOWER

122

140: Quan Barry (WE RIDE UPON STICKS) & Kei Miller's AUGUSTOWN

123

139: Hilary Leichter (TEMPORARY) & Sabrina Orah Mark's WILD MILK

124

138: Backlist: Ali Smith ("The Accidental")

125

137: Back in the Saddle or, Reading Snapshot

126

136: St. Jordi Day (with guest co-host, Dani)

127

135: Tales from the Public Domain

128

134: Tournament of Books 2020 Wrap-Up: Zoom After Hours (with Nozlee Samadzadeh)

129

133: Jenny Offill's WEATHER (with guest co-host, Sarah)

130

132: Jordan Kisner (THIN PLACES) & Louise Fitzhugh's HARRIET THE SPY

131

131: Tournament of Books 2020 Primer

132

130: Emily Nemens (THE CACTUS LEAGUE) & Anelise Chen's SO MANY OLYMPIC EXERTIONS

133

129: Adaptations (CATS, LITTLE WOMEN, and DICKINSON)

134

128: Top 8* of 2019

135

127: So Many Damn Christmases (The SMDB Holiday Album)

136

126: Kate Racculia (TUESDAY MOONEY TALKS TO GHOSTS) & Ling Ma's "Severance"

137

125: Helen Phillips (THE NEED) & Samanta Schweblin's FEVER DREAM

138

124: Reading Snapshot

139

123: Jami Attenberg (ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS) & Sarah Broom's THE YELLOW HOUSE

140

122: Lisa Brennan-Jobs (SMALL FRY) & Marilynne Robinson's HOUSEKEEPING

141

121: Courtney Maum (COSTALEGRE) & Aaron Schulman's THE AGE OF DISENCHANTMENTS

142

120: Back to School

143

119: Benjamin Dreyer (DREYER'S ENGLISH) & Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE

144

118: Mira Jacob (GOOD TALK) & Toni Morrison's SULA

145

117: Backlist: Larry McMurtry ("Lonesome Dove")

146

116: #OneBookNY (Patti Smith's JUST KIDS) & Top 6 of 2019 (So Far)

147

115: Mona Awad (BUNNY) & Rebecca Godfrey's THE TORN SKIRT

148

114: Seth (CLYDE FANS) & Virginia Woolf's TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

149

113: Erin Somers (STAY UP WITH HUGO BEST) & Dorothy Baker's CASSANDRA AT THE WEDDING

150

112: Myla Goldberg (FEAST YOUR EYES) & Jesse Ball's CENSUS

151

111: Lauren Wilkinson (AMERICAN SPY) & Nella Larsen's PASSING

152

110: Leanne Shapton (GUESTBOOK: GHOST STORIES) & Miriam Toews' WOMEN TALKING

153

The 2019 Tournament of Books -- Minisode #4

154

The 2019 Tournament of Books -- Minisode #3

155

109: Halle Butler (THE NEW ME) & Samuel Beckett's MOLLOY

156

The 2019 Tournament of Books -- Minisode #2

157

The 2019 Tournament of Books -- Minisode #1

158

108: Unreliable Narrators

159

107: Charlie Jane Anders (THE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT) & Ursula K. Le Guin's FIVE WAYS TO FORGIVENESS

160

106: Karen Thompson Walker (THE DREAMERS) & Kazuo Ishiguro's NEVER LET ME GO

161

105: Top 6* of 2018

162

104: Happy Holidays, 2018 edition!

163

103: Jonathan Lethem (THE FERAL DETECTIVE) & Sei Shōnagon's THE PILLOW BOOK

164

102: Preti Taneja (WE THAT ARE YOUNG) & Ahmed Saadawi's FRANKENSTEIN IN BAGHDAD

165

101: Sjón (CODEX:1962) & Christian Kracht's THE DEAD

166

100: One Hundred Beloved Books

167

99: Milan Bozic (HarperCollins Senior Art Director) & Jaroslav Hašek's THE GOOD SOLDIER ŠVEJK

168

98: Reading Snapshot 2

169

97: #OneBookNY (Jennifer Egan's MANHATTAN BEACH)

170

96: R.O. Kwon (THE INCENDIARIES) & Rachel Khong's GOODBYE VITAMIN

171

95: Megan Abbott (GIVE ME YOUR HAND) & Lisa Halliday's ASYMMETRY

172

94: John Hodgman (VACATIONLAND)

173

93: Top 5 of 2018 (so far) + Summer Reading

174

92: Hannah Pittard (VISIBLE EMPIRE) & Ralph Ellison's INVISIBLE MAN

175

91: Stephanie Danler (SWEETBITTER on Starz) & Lorrie Moore's ANAGRAMS

176

90: Amy Kurzweil (FLYING COUCH) & Riad Sattouf's ARAB OF THE FUTURE

177

89: Christopher + Drew (Just Interview Each Other)

178

88: Jonathan Ames (YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE) & Leonard Gardner's FAT CITY

179

Minisode: 2018 PEN World Voices Festival!

180

87: Ruth Curry (Emily Books) & Sigrid Nunez's THE FRIEND

181

The 2018 Tournament of Books - Minisode #4

182

The 2018 Tournament of Books - Minisode #3

183

86: Gabe Habash (STEPHEN FLORIDA) & Iris Murdoch's THE NICE AND THE GOOD

184

The 2018 Tournament of Books - Minisode #2

185

85: John Darnielle (UNIVERSAL HARVESTER, THE MOUNTAIN GOATS) & Mathias Énard's Zone

186

The 2018 Tournament of Books - Minisode #1

187

84: Rachel Lyon (SELF-PORTRAIT WITH BOY) & Eileen Myles' AFTERGLOW

188

83: Katherine Faw (ULTRALUMINOUS) & Fleur Jaeggy's SWEET DAYS OF DISCIPLINE

189

82: Top 6 of 2017

190

81: Holiday Bookclub (Tom Hanks' UNCOMMON TYPE)

191

80: E. Lockhart (GENUINE FRAUD) & John Green's TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN

192

79: Movie Adaptations & MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

193

78: Carolyn Murnick (THE HOT ONE) & Claire Dederer's LOVE AND TROUBLE

194

76: Edgar Cantero (MEDDLING KIDS) & Enid Blyton's FAMOUS FIVE Series

195

75: Robin Sloan (SOURDOUGH) & Eugene Lim's DEAR CYBORGS

196

74: Amelia Gray & "Nicotine"

197

73: Backlist: Jonathan Lethem (*Motherless Brooklyn")

198

72: Samantha Hunt & "Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country"

199

71: Rachel Khong & "Why Did I Ever"

200

70: Rosecrans Baldwin & "Brighton Rock"

201

69: Julie Buntin & "Woman No. 17"

202

68: Alissa Nutting & "Him, Me, Muhammad Ali"

203

67: Elif Batuman & "Swann's Way"

204

66: #OneBookNY ("Americanah")

205

65: Bianca Bosker & "South and West"

206

64: Melissa Febos & "Animals Strike Curious Poses"

207

63: #TOB17 Wrap-Up with Nozlee

208

62: Kaitlyn Greenidge & "Tipping the Velvet"

209

61: Jonathan Lee & "Pereira Maintains"

210

60: Francine Prose & "Hangsaman"

211

59: In-Between Books ("Ongoingness" & "Multiple Choice")

212

58: Megan Abbott & "Deep Water"

213

57: Tournament of Books 2017 Primer

214

56: A Snowisode Holiday Spectacular!

215

55: "Six of Crows" & Top 6 of 2016!

216

54: Lisa Lutz & "Dirty Snow"

217

53: Jade Chang & "Neon Green"

218

52: Kathleen Donohoe & "Charming Billy"

219

51: Hannah Pittard & "I'm Thinking of Ending Things"

220

50: Teddy Wayne & "The Bed Moved"

221

49: Alexandra Kleeman & "Pricksongs and Descants"

222

48: Episode Forty-Eight and the Cursed Child

223

47: Backlist: Donna Tartt ("The Little Friend")

224

46: Evan Hanczor & "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

225

45: Top Six of 2016 (so far)

226

44: YA feat. "Stargirl" & "Bone Gap"

227

43: Stephanie Danler & "Bluets"

228

42: Alexander Chee & "What Belongs to You"

229

41: "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72"

230

40: #TOB16 Wrap-Up with Nozlee Samadzadeh and Will Chancellor

231

39: #TOB16 Chatter

232

38: Katy Waldman & More #TOB16

233

37: Angela Flournoy & #TOB16

234

36: Maris Kreizman & "The Invaders"

235

35: Mark de Silva & "Less than Zero"

236

34: Laura Van Den Berg & "The Naked Eye"

237

33: The 2016 Tournament of Books Shortlist

238

32: "The Pickle Index"

239

31: Christopher and Drew's Top 6 of 2015

240

30: Marie-Helene Bertino & "A Little Life"

241

29: Ryan Britt & "Star Wars: Heir to the Empire"

242

28: Alexandra Kleeman & "The Blind Owl"

243

27: "Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl"

244

26: "City on Fire" & "Purity"

245

25: Happy Birthday!

246

24: Will Chancellor Strikes Back

247

23: Vanessa Manko ("The Invention of Exile") & "The English Patient"

248

22: Isaac Fitzgerald & "Infinite Home"

249

21: Summer. Reading.

250

20: Ferrante Fever / "My Brilliant Friend"

251

19: Comics / "Sex Criminals"

252

18: Saeed Jones ("Prelude to Bruise") & "Citizen: An American Lyric"

253

17: Lev Grossman & "Mrs. Dalloway"

254

16: The Recommendation Game / "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" by David Shafer

255

15: Catherine Lacey

256

14: ToB Wrap-Up & Call-In

257

13: Tournament Gab / Jeff VanderMeer & "Annihiliation"

258

12: Tournament Talk / John Warner & "Tough Day for the Army"

259

11: "A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall" by Will Chancellor

260

10: Event Books / "The Bone Clocks"

261

9: Audiobooks / "Everything I Never Told You" / Interview: Emily St. John Mandel

262

8: KINGCAST!

263

7: Non-Fiction / "Not That Kind of Girl"

264

6: Literary Awards / "Missing Person"

265

5: Pastiches / "The Beekeeper's Apprentice"

266

4: Gimmicks / "Horrorstör"

267

3: Games / "Wolf in White Van"

268

2: Series / "Southern Reach" vs "The Magicians"

269

1: Dystopia / "Station Eleven"