Chatting Lit

Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 21:00:00 +0000

For this episode we try something a bit different! While discussing the book Ultramarine with its author, Mariette Navarro and its English translator, Cory Stockwell you get to hear some live translation! Mariette discusses the inspiration behind the novel, how different it was to write it compared to the usual work she does in theatre, and how it feels to see her work translated into several languages. Cory tells us about his route into translating, the difficulties of translating English to French, and the unusual circumstances around how he came to translate the book.

Books mentioned in the episode:
Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro (tr. Cory Stockwell)
The Defiant: A History of Football against Fascism by Chris Lee
Ultra: The Underworld of Italian Football by Tobias Jones
The Roaring Red Front: The World's Top Left-Wing Football Clubs by Stewart McGill & Vincent Raison
Shy by Max Porter
1312: Among the Ultras by James Montague
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Tonight It's a World We Bury: Black Metal, Red Politics by Bill Peel
Assembly by Natasha Brown

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Ren by Deborah McFadyen

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0000

For this episode I'm joined by the author Deborah McFadyen to discuss her book Ren. We also talk about writing believable dialogue, writing in Scots, Glasgow as a literary city and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:

Severance by Ling Ma
The Hole by José Revueltas, translated by Amanda Hopkinson and Sophie Hughes
Dear Neighbour by Jane Claire Bradley
Metabolize, If Able by Clay AD
This Is Not Miami by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes
Bless The Daughter Raised By The Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
Calatrava by Philip Jodido
Apastoral: A Mistopia by Lee D. Thompson
Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky
The Harrowing Ogf Hell by Evan Dahl
The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips
Catwoman: Lonely City by Cliff Chiang
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Candide by Voltaire
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Northern Lights by Philip Pulman
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Books of Blood by Clive Barker

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/

Chris Lee: The Defiant

Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I'm joined for this episode by Chris Lee, author of The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism, as well as the man behind the podcast and website Outside Write (https://outsidewrite.co.uk/) We talk about the relationship between football and politics, the growth of left-wing fanbases, his favourite football books and more!

The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism by Chris Lee

Severance by Ling Ma

Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro, translated by Cory Stockwell

Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World by Chris Lee

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper

How Football Explains the World by Franklin Foer

Soccer Vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics by Gabriel Kuhn

The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football by David Goldblatt

Working Class Heroes: The Story of Rayo Vallecano, Madrid's Forgotten Team by Robbie Dunne

Calcio: A History of Italian Football by John Foot

Ultra: The Underworld of Italian Football by Tobias Jones

1312: Among the Ultras: A Journey with the World’s Most Extreme Fans by James Montague

Erbstein: The Triumph and Tragedy of Football's Forgotten Pioneer by Dominic Bliss

A Social History of English Cricket by Derek Birley

A Season With Verona by Tim Parks

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss

Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football by Phil Ball

Tor! The Story of German Football by Uli Hesse

Angels With Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina by Jonathan Wilson

Matchdays: The Hidden Story of the Bundesliga by Ronald Reng

Scheisse! We’re Going Up!: The Unexpected Rise of Berlin’s Rebel Football Club by Kit Holden

Ren by Deborah McFadyen

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Chatting Australian Literature

Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Literature podcast collab episode! I'm joined for this episode by Ben from the Beyond The Zero podcast (@beyondzeropod) to discuss Australian Literature. We talk about his favourite Aussie authors, the state of the Aussie book market, which is the capital of Oz literature and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:

Raven Smith’s Men by Raven Smith
Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth
Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel, translated by Rosalind Harvey
The Death of Artemio Cruz, translated by Alfred MacAdam
Falling Hour by Geoffrey D. Morrison
Man-eating Typewriter by Richard Milward
The Garden of Seven Twilights by Miquel de Palol, translated by Adrian Nathan West
The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr
Possum Magic by Mem Fox
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
The Muddle-Headed Wombat by Ruth Park
Harp in the South by Ruth Park
The Treehouse Series by Andy Griffiths
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
The Dry by Jane Harper
The Young Desire It by Kenneth Mackenzie
Water Under the Bridge by Sumner Locke Elliott
Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott
The Girl Green as Elderflower by Randolph Stow
To the Islands by Randolph Stow
The Suburbs of Hell by Randolph Stow
Visitants by Randolph Stow
N by John A. Scott
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
The Snow Kimono by Mark Henshaw
Out of the Line of Fire by Mark Henshaw
Waypoints by Adam Ouston
Grimmish by Michael Winkler
The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell
Poguemahone by Patrick McCabe
Any Day You Can Die by Thommy Waite
The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton
The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism by Chris Lee

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Carauna: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Rick Harsch: The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas and Corona/Samizdat

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Back with another episode after another unexpected break! In this one I talk to Rick Harsch, author of The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas and the man behind Corona/Samizdat Press. We discuss the problem of the every growing TBR, how Rick wrote Eddie Vegas, how he decides what to publish and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:
The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas by Rick Harsch
Poguemahone by Patrick McCabe
The Prague Orgy by Philip Roth
El Llano in Flame by Juan Rulfo, translated by Stephen Beechinor
The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism by Chris Lee
Ren by Debroah McFadyen
Omon Raby Victor Pelevin, translated by Andrew Bromfield
Send Nudes by Saba Sams
They by Kay Dick
The Man Whose Wife Was The Moon by Mike Russell
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton
Apastoral, A Mistopia by Lee D. Thompson
A Bended Circuityby Robert S. Stickley
Abel and Cain by Gregor von Rezzori
The Revenant by Michael Punke
The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie
Anatomy of a War by Gabriel Kolko
Hell In A Very Small Place: The Siege Of Dien Bien Phu by Bernard B. Fall
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville
Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Cynicism Management by Bori Praper
Pendulum Pet by Bori Praper
Verbatim by Jeff Bursey
Unidentified Man at Left of Photo by Jeff Bursey
Orbo and the Godhead by Luke Devlin
Anotomia del Abismo by Roberto Segrov
Bedraggling Grandma with Russia Snow by Joãs Reis
Elena Knows by Claudia Piñero, translated by Francis Riddle
The Seven Madmen, The Flamethrowers by Roberto Arlt
The Appearance of Death to a Hindu Woman by Rick Harsch
The Periplus of Spur Tank Road by Rick Harsch
The Assassination of Olof Palme, A People’s Novel by Rick Harsch
A Brief Life by Juan Carlos Onetti
Schlock: Featuring Russia Cop by David R. Low
This Is Not Who I Am: Our Authenticity Obsession by Emily Bootle
Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter
Jerusalem by Alan Moore
Philip Roth: New Perspectives on an American Author, edited by Derek Parker Royal
Our Share Of night by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell
My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Palmer Smith

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

After another unexpected break, Chatting Lit is back! In this episode, I speak to Palmer Smith about her book The Butterfly Bruises, a collection of poems and short stories, available to buy directly from the publisher here: https://pressdionysus.com/product/palmer-smith-the-butterfly-bruises/

Palmer and I discuss the relationship between her short stories and poems, Southern Gothic literature, her relationship to the two main settings of her work (NYC and the American South) and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas by Rick Harsch

This Is Not Who I Am: Our Authenticity Obsession by Emily Bootle

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Jews Don't Count by David Baddiel

Schlock: Featuring Russia Cop by David R. Low

Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It by David Graeber

Homesickness by Colin Barrett

Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

El Llano in Flames by Juan Rulfo

Poguemahone by Patrick McCabe

The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe

Eat Pray Love: One Women’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Glibert

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Jarboe

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

For this episode I'm joined by the musician, writer and visual artist Jarboe (https://www.thelivingjarboe.com/) to discuss her process of writing lyrics and prose, the vinyl reissue of her album Sacrificial Cake, the relationship between her different artforms and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:
The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas by Rick Harsch
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
The Gallow’s Pole by Ben Myers
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
Mercia’s Take by Daniel Wiles
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez (translated by Megan McDowell)
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez (translated by Megan McDowell)
Lanny by Max Porter
The Death of Francis Bacon by Max Porter
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
This Is Not Why I Am: Our Authenticity Obsession by Emily Bootle
Flower Factory by Richard Foster
The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra by Thomas Cleary
Remembrance of Things Past/In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
The Feast to Forget Time by Jarboe

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Caruana https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Chatting Sally Rooney

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 19:00:00 +0000

I'm back! After a longer than planned 'season break' I'm here to discuss the work of Sally Rooney with Natalie Beech, co-founder of the Feminist Fiction (@feminist.finction) book club and co-host of the podcast of the same name! We discuss the recurrent themes in Rooney's work, what we like/dislike about it, if she is the 'voice of millennial women' and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:
Fup by Jim Dodge
Swamplandia by Karen Russell
What a Shame by Abigail Bergstrom
Convenience Store Woman by Sakaya Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
Fix The System, Not The Women by Laura Bates
The Anatomy Lesson by Philip Roth
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Mr Salary by Sally Rooney
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Acts of Desperation by Meg Nolan
Luster by Raven Leilani
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagahara
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart

Chatting Lit artwork and logo design by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/

Joe Carducci

Mon, 30 May 2022 22:00:00 +0000

For this episode I speak to Joe Carducci about his screenplay collections Wyoming Stories and Western Stories, as well as his book about Western films, Stone Male: Requiem for the Living Picture. We discuss some of his favourite Westerns, why people still watch Westerns today, and how film making has changed over the years.

Books mentioned in this episode:
Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy
Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
Flake by Matthew Dooley
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas by Rick Harsch
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton
Stone Male: Requiem for the Living Picture by Joe Carducci
Western Stories by Joe Carducci
Wyoming Stories by Joe Carducci
Rock and the Pop Narcotic: Testament for the Electric Church by Joe Carducci
Enter Naomi: SST, L.A. and All That... by Joe Carducci
The Film Till Now: A Survey of World Cinema by Paul Rotha
Western Films: A Complete Guide by Brian Garfield

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Chatting Music Writing

Mon, 16 May 2022 21:00:00 +0000

My guest for this episode is Chris 'Frenchie' French, a music journalist for various print and online publications. We discuss how he got into music journalism, if things like the #metoo movement will make rock stars more cautious about what they tell in their autobiographies, and if in an age of social media and streaming there's still a role for professional music critics.

Shoutouts for this episode go to Ben at Beyond The Zero podcast (@beyondthezeropod) and some of the publications Chris writes for: Astral Noize (@astralnoize) and Zero Tolerance (@zerotolerancemagazine)

Books mentioned in this episode:
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton
Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
Wise Blood by Flannery O’ Connor
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Chamber Music by Will Ashon
The Little Book of Ikigai: The secret Japanese way to live a happy and long life by Ken Mogi
A Seat at the Table: Interviews with Women on the Frontline of Music by Amy Raphael
Sing Backwards and Weep: A Memoir by Mark Lanegan
Will Oldham on Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, edited by Alan Licht
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
A Perfect Union of Contrary Things by Sarah Jensen with Maynard James Keenan
Cash by Johnny Cash
What Does this Button do? An Autobiography by Bruce Dickinson
Run to the Hills: The Authorised Biography of Iron Maiden by Mick Wall
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson and Neil Strauss
The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss
Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd by Nick Mason
Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis
Spaceships Over Glasgow: Mogwai and Misspent Youth by Stuart Brathwaite
Monsters of River and Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden's Compulsive Angler by Adrian Smith
Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan
Stone Male: Requiem for the Living Picture by Joe Carducci

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Thommy Waite: Any Day You Can Die

Sun, 01 May 2022 23:00:00 +0000

In this episode I speak to the Australian author Thommy Waite @thommywaiteworld) about his book Any Day You Can Die. We discuss his writing process, his influences, Bookstagram, cancel culture and more!

Shout-out for this episode goes out to fellow lit podcast Beyond The Zero @beyondthezeropod)

Books mentioned in the episode:
Stone Male: Requiem for the Living Picture by Joe Carducci
Everyman by Philip Roth
The Humbling by Philip Roth
Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
Wise Blood by Flannery O’ Connor
Stoner by John Williams
Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams
Goalkeepers are Different by Bryan Glanville
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
The Beach by Alex Garland
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Grimmish by Michael Winkler
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The End of Alice by A.M. Homes
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Chatting about the Classics

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

For this episode I've assembled a crack team of book nerds to discuss 'the classics.: Megan (@feminist.fiction), Noah (@everyone_who_reads_), Seth (@wastemailinglist) and Matty (@theobliterature). We debate what constitutes a classic, which ones we love and loathe, and if we need to expand our notion of the term.

Books mentioned in this episode:
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Western Stories by Joe Carducci
Wyoming Stories by Joe Carducci
Stone Male: Requiem for the Living Picture by Joe Carducci
Everyman by Philip Roth
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys
The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
Beowulf
Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Tess of the d’Ubervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented by Thomas Hardy
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel Cervantes
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Othello by William Shakespeare
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Candide, ou l’Optimisme by Voltaire
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
The Recognitions by William Gaddis
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Epitaph of a Small Winner by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Poetics by Aristotle
The Republic by Plato
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
Any Day You Can Die by Thommy Waite

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Archie Thorn

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 16:00:00 +0000

For anyone who's ever wondered what happens when you put two teachers who are also book lovers together, this one's for you! I'm joined by Archie Thorn, author of Home Time Blues, a fantastic book set in a high school in Scotland, which looks at many themes; the failure of education to inspire children; the impact a job you don't like can have on personal relationships; unsympathetic management cultures and more. We discuss these topics, what literature is on the Scottish curriculum, the debate as to whether or not Scots is a language or form of dialect and more!

UK listeners can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archie-Thorn/e/B09GVDTNKF?pldnSite=1
US listeners can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Time-Blues-Archie-Thorn-ebook/dp/B09GFZ19WS

Books mentioned in this episode:
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton

The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas by Rick Harsch

Western Stories by Joe Carducci

Stone Male: Requiem for the Living Picture by Joe Carducci

Any Day You Can Die by Thommy Waite

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

Minor Characters by Joyce Johnson

Kestrel for a Nave by Barry Hines

A Sense of Freedom by Jimmy Boyle

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong

Boys Don’t Try? Rethinking Masculinity in Schools by Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

Shout-out this month goes to my first ever guest, the recently married Kirstin Innes! (@kirstin.innes)

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/

Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Phillip Freedenberg & Jeff Walton (America & The Cult Of The Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic)

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This episode is one I've been trying to get set-up for a while, and it finally happened! I'm joined for this edition of Chatting Lit by Phillip Freedenberg and Jeff Walton, who are the author and illustrator of America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic, a fantastic maximalist novel set in a dystopian America in the which the written word has been banned. We discuss the unique genesis of the book, the ability of literature to unite us, and how playing math rock is useful training for writing a novel with a complex structure!

If you're interested in buying the book, it can be purchased here: https://coronasamizdat.com/index.php?id_product=34&rewrite=america-and-the-cult-of-the-cactus-boots-a-diagnostic-by-phillip-freedenberg-illustrated-by-jeff-walton&controller=product

Shout-outs for this episode:
Noah Clemons (@everyone_who_reads)
Rick Harsh of Corona /Samizdat Press (@coronasamizdatbook) and https://coronasamizdat.com/index.php

Books mentioned in this episode:
The Melancholy of Resistance by Lászláó Krasznhorkai, translated by George SzirtesGrey Bees by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov, translated by George Bird
Penguin Lost by Andrey Kurkov, translated by George Bird
Houses by Borislav Pekić, translated by Bernard Johnson
Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton
The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas by Rick Harsch
Last Orgy of the Divine Hermit by Mark Leyner
Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Voynich Manuscript
The Philosophy of Creativity by David Miller

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I'm joined in this episode by Gemma who's a bookseller at Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights (https://mrbsemporium.com/) , an independent bookshop in Bath here in the UK. We discuss the reading spas which Mr B's is famous for, how to balance selling 'commercial' books with more literary ones, how working as a bookseller has changed Gemma's own reading habits and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:

Still Life by Sarah Winman
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Doggerland by Ben Smith
We Are Completely Besides Ourselves by Karen Fowler Joy
Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flyn
Naturalia: Reclaimed by Nature by Jonathan Jimenez
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes
The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes
Circe by Madeline Miller
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
The Storytellers by Mark Rubinstein
Mythos by Stephen Fry
The Power by Naomi Alderman
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton

Shout-outs as to the various indie bookshops, put forward by the following listeners:
Pegasus Book Exchange in Seattle, Washington (@pegasusbookexhange), nominated by Ryan (@defryereads)
Little Shop of Heroes in Dunfermline, Fife (@littleshopofheroes), nominated by Gemma (@gemmawithabook)
Scarthin Books in Cromford, Derbyshire (@scarthinbooks) and Rhyme & Reason in Sheffield, South Yorkshire (https://rhymeandreasonbooks.wordpress.com/, nominated by Marika (@mybookcorner)
Arcadia Books in Spring Green, Wisconsin (@arcadiabooks), nominated by Steve (@fullbeardlit51_15)
Gibson's Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire (@gibsonsbookstorenh), nominated by Andrew Merritt (@metafictionameathead)
Burley Fisher Books in London (@burleyfisher) nominated by Zoe (@jenniferqueenie)

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Chatting Nature Writing

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This episode sees me combine two of my loves: books and nature! I'm joined by George Steedman Jones, host of the Coffee with Conservationists podcast (@coffee_with_conservationists) (which I totally get the name of wrong in the episode, sorry George!), who is studying for a BA in Marine and Natural History Photography at Falmouth University.

We discuss the popularity of nature writing in the UK, if eco-dystopias are good or bad for engaging people with climate change, and if as readers we need to be more environmentally aware of the impact our hobby can have on nature.

Books mentioned in the episode:
Home Time Blues by Archie Thorn
The Stone Raft by José Saramago
Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Grounded by Ruth Allen
The Peregrine by J.A. Baker
Dark Skies by Tiffany Francis-Baker
The Natural History of Selborne by Gilbert White
Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup Thygeson
The Inside Out of Flies by Erica McAlister
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
The Home Place: Memoirs of a Coloured Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham
Fresh Banana Leaves by Jessica Hernandez
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Spirals in Time by Helen Scales
The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells
The Living Mountain: A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland by Nan Shepherd
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Bird Therapy by Joe Harkness
The Butterfly Isles by Patrick Barkham
Raptor by James Macdonald Lockheart
The Urban Birder by David Lindo
The Missing Lynx by Ross Barnes
Doggerland by Ben Smith
The New Wilderness by Diane Cook
Havergey by John Burnside
H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald

Shout-out this episode goes to Nature is Metal (@natureismetal)

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo design and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

QueerLit

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In this episode I finally speak to someone on the frontline of getting books into people's hands- Matt from QueerLit (https://www.queerlit.co.uk/), Manchester's LGBTQ+ bookshop! We discuss the failure of major book retailers to engage with LGBTQ+ audiences, why diversity in books is important and Matt gives some tips for any budding bookshop owners!

The shoutout for this episode is a delayed one from last time, and goes out to @isabelsreads

Books discussed in this episode:

The Postmortal by Drew Magary
Cain by José Saramago
Home Time Blues by Archie Thorn
The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Outrage by William Hussey
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Jack Cafery series by Mo Hayder
The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
In Every House, On Every Street by Jess Hitchman
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Heartstopper series by Alice Osman
Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green
Noah Can’t Ever by Simon James Green
You’re The One That I Want by Simon James Green
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

Chatting Lit logo design/artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdegisn)
Music by Tom Caruana https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Charco Press

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In this episode I speak to Sam from Charco Press, the UK award-winning publisher, who specialise in Latin American literature. We discuss how Charco started, how the literary world needs to move from the Latin American Boom, and Sam gives some great advice for anyone thinking of starting up their own publishing house!

No shout-outs for this episode as I stupidly forgot to record them!

Books mentioned in this episode:
Never Did the Fire by Diamela Eltit, translated by Daniel HahnCatching Fire: A Translation Diary by Daniel Hahn (Untranslated series)
Homesick by Jennifer Croft (Untranslated series)
Fate by Jorge Consiglio, translated by Carolina Orloff and Fionn Petch
The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada, translated by Chris Andrews
Dead Girls by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott
The President’s Room by Ricardo Romero, translated by Charlotte Coombe
The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre
Fireflies by Luis Sagasti, translated by Fionn Petch
Resistance by Julián Fuks, translated by Daniel Hahn
Occupation by Julián Fuks, translated by Daniel Hahn
Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle
Brickmakers by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott
Havana Year Zero by Karla Suárez, translated by Christina MacSweeney
A Perfect Cemetery by Federico Falco, translated by Jennifer Croft
Trout, Belly Up by Rodrigo Fuentes, translated by Ellen Jones

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo design and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Chatting Comics and Graphic Novels

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

For this episode I'm joined by my dear friend Holly Cruise (@hollyzonebooks & @hollyzonehistory) of the Queer Girl Film Club podcast (@queergirlfilmclub) to discuss comics and graphic novels! We discuss what we love and dislike about the artform and industry, if 'graphic novel' is just a snobby term to make comics more appealing to literary types, and our favourites!

Shout-outs for this episode go to:
Zoe (@jenniferqueenie)
Robert (@rocinante.lit)

Comics mentioned in the episode by Holly and I:

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino and Izumi Kirihara

Dragman by Steven Appleby

Flaming Carrot by Bob Burden

Maus by Art Spiegelman

The Wicked and the Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot

City of Glass: The Graphic Novel by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli

Palestine by Joe Sacco

Safe Area Goradze by Joe Sacco

The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard

Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman and Max Sarin

Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson and Brooklyn Allen

Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro

Prism Stalker by Sloane Leong

Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

Are You My Mother? By Alison Bechdel

The Secret of Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel

Once and Future by Kieron Gillan and Dan Mora

Phonogram by Kieron Gillan and Jamie McKelvie

Gemma Bovery by Possy Simmonds

Uzamaki by Junji Ito

Star Wars: Darth Vader by Kieron Gillan and Salvador Larroca

Star Wars by Jason Aaron, John Cassady, Simone Bianchi, Stuart Immonen, Mike Deodato Jr., Mike Mayhew, Leinil Francis Yu, Jorge Molina and Salador Larroca

Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon

The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson

The Punisher: MAX by Garth Ennis, Lewis Larosa, Leandro Fernández, Doug Braithwaite, Goran Parlov, Lan Medina and Howard Chaykin

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Deadly Class by Rick Remender and Wes Craig

Low by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini

Black Science by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera and Dean White

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Boland

Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware

Beasts of Burden by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson

My Favourite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris

East of West by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle

Spinning by Tillie Walden

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

Kill Six Billion Demons by Tom Parkinson-Morgan (aka Abbadon)

Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez

Locas by Jaime Hernadez

Safe Area Goražde by Joe Sacco

Spider-Gwen by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona

Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark

Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory

Hellboy by Mike Mignola

Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang

I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano and Rick Veitch

Fables by Bill Willingham

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

Chatting Lit logo design and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

BONUS EPISODE- 2021 Reading Wrap-up

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode I look back on my favourite reads of 2021, with listeners/friends contributing theirs too! This was recorded in one take, unedited, so here it is, warts and all!

Shout-outs go to my dear friend Andreas of the band Saint and the Sinners (@saintandthesinners), as well as all the book podcasts I listen to:

How's The Water? (@howsthewaterpodcast)
The Wee Scottish Book Club hosted by @scott.you.reading and @scottiesandbooks
Books of Some Substance (@booksosubstance)
Canonical (canonicalpodcast)
Beyond the Zero (@beyondthezeropod)
Concavity Show (@concavityshow)
Mid Lit Podcast (@midlitpod)
The Last Sisyphus (@thelastsisyphus)
Two Girls One Book (@twogirlsonebookpod)

Top reads of 2021 from listeners/friends:
Megan (@feminist.fiction)- Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Grace (@gracieaward)- In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

Leonie (@leolovesherstories)- Open Water

Brolin (@brolincanread)- Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon

Lorna (@lornaments)- Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Vaxxers by Sarah Gilbert & Catherine Green

Deborah (@booksinbrum)- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Greg (@storymusing) The Eighth Life: (for Brilka) by Nino Haratischwili, No Friend But The Mountains by Behrouz Boochani, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, Assembly by Natasha Brown

Miles (@aboard_the_inconvenience) The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

(no name) (@bookmarkcuriosities): Ashes of the Amazon by Milton Hatoum, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, How to be Good by Nick Hornby, Swing Time by Zadie Smith, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Euan (@euancurrie)- Ghosted by Jenny Ashworth, Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic

Travis (@meyers_megafictional_musings): Wittgenstein’s Mistress by David Markson and Disobedience by Michael Drinkard

Matty Markwood (@theobliterature): The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

Harry (@byssheplease_): East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Andy Merritt (@andysavagestrength) American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Nightwood by Djuna Barnes, Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon

My picks of the year:
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
The War of the Poor by Éric Vuillard, translated by Mark Polizzotti
Soviet Cities by Arseniy Kotov
The Peterloo Massacre by Joyce Marlow
Havana Year Zero by Karla Suárez , translated by Christina MacSweeney
Outlawed by Anna North
Red Rosa by Kate Evans
The Class Ceiling by Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Show Them a Good Time by Nicole Flattery
Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates
The Employees by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Atkin
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver
Resistance by Julián Fuks, translated by Daniel Hahn
Occupation by Julián Fuks, translated by Daniel Hahn
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Harvestman: 23 Untitled Poems & Collected Lyrics by Steve Von Till
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
What’s in it for Me: Self-interest and Political Difference by Thomas Prosser
Trout, Belly Up by Rodrigo Fuentes, translated by Ellen Jones
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Ascend Ascend by Janaka Stucky
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Crow: From the Life and Songs of Crow by Ted Hughes
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music
Chatting Lit logo design and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Steve Von Till

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In this episode I speak to Steve Von Till, best known for his work with the band Neurosis, about his poetry collection Harvestman: 23 Untitled Poems and Collected Lyrics. We discuss how nature inspires his writing, how he inspires the students he teaches to love reading, American Transcendental poets and more!

Books mentioned in this episode:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Crow by Ted Hughes
Underland by Robert Macfarlane
Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters by Annie Dillard
Ascend Ascend by Janaka Stucky
The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Dune by Frank Herbert
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
The Book of Trepass by Nick Hayes
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
Lanny by Max Porter
Sunstone by Octavio Paz

Shout-outs:
Daisy (@reallydaisyreads)
Greg (@storymusing)
Dave (@axe_for_frozen_sea)
Ryan & Anjali (@defryereads )
And all my friends who love Neurosis!

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music
Logo design/artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Chatting Book Clubs

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In this episode I speak to the founders of two book clubs: Megan (@feminist.fiction) from Feminist Fiction and Natalie (@bookenders) from the Wellness Book Club. We chat about how their groups came into being, how they've both evolved into something bigger, and their tips on starting up a book club!

Shout-outs for this episode go to Natalie (@scottiesandbooks) and Scott (@scott.you.reading) of the Wee Scottish Book Club podcast, who are both also involved with the Scottish Book Club discussion group, as well as the Manchester Graphic Novel Group.

Books mentioned in this episode are:
Everybody by Olivia Lang
The Joy of Being Selfish by Michelle Elman
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Outlawed by Anna North
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
Pine by Francine Toon
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Maps of our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer (released 31st March 2022)
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Out by Natsuo Kirin
Hamnet by Maggie O’ Farrell

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music
Chatting Lit logo design by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Chatting Politics with Dr Thomas Prosser

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

In this episode I chat to Dr Thomas Prosser from the University of Cardiff, author of What's In It For Me? Self-interest and Political Difference. We discuss the changing nature of the Labour Party, Sally Rooney's decision to now allow her latest book to be translated into Hebrew , if Brexiteers are stupid and more!

Shout-outs for this episode:
Mark (@northernlightbooks)
Emily (@moonchildemily)
Lydia (@lydiathevirgo)

Books mentioned in this episode:
Political Liberalism by John Rawls
Brexitland by Maria Sobolewska and Robert Ford
Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism by Larry Siedentop1

Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music
Chatting Lit logo design by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)

Chatting Thomas Pynchon

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000

I'm joined for this episode by two of Bookstagram's brightest and best Pynchon scholars...

Seth: @wastemailinglist
Noah: @everyone_who_reads
https://www.youtube.com/c/EveryoneWhoReadsitMustConverse

We talk about how we each got into Pynchon's work, the recurring themes he writes about, what kind of readers his work would appeal to and more!

Shout-outs this episode go to:
Matty Markwood @theobliterature
Brad Wetzel @bradspersecond

Kirstin Innes

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 12:00:00 +0000

For the first ever episode of Chatting Lit, I spoke to Kirstin Innes, author of Fishnet and Scabby Queen, and whose new non-fiction book Brickwork: A History of the Arches is coming out soon, co-authored by David Bratchpiece. We spoke about the #metoo movement, feminism, Scottish literature and more!

Kirstin's website: https://kirstininnes.com/
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/music

And thanks to Erin (@paperbackcollective on Instagram) for reviewing Scabby Queen which inspired me to pick it up in the first place!

Some of the books mentioned this episode are:
Homegoing by Ya Gyasi
The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway
The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Mayflies by Andrew O' Hagan

Chatting Lit Trailer

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Hi, and welcome to Chatting Lit, the podcast for book lovers! We talk to authors, publishers and others within the book industry, as well as having chats about a variety of bookish topics. Please subscribe on your preferred podcast platform, and follow us on our social media pages.

Chatting Lit on Instagram: @chattinglitpodcast