May is National Short Story Month and the cast of Just In Case We Die decided to celebrate by devoting an entire discussion to the craft and art of short stories. Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca each selected two short stories for the others to read. In retrospect, this conceit may not have been the best option for listeners who have no context for the stories being discussed, but the discussion does go into great depth about the individual writers and their works. Perhaps you end this discussion with some suggestions for your own excursions into the world of short stories.
In this episode, the following writers and stories are discussed: — “Chicxulub” by T. C. Boyle — “MIles City, Montana” by Alice Munro — “The Big Two-Hearted River” by Ernest Hemingway — “Forever Overhead” by David Foster Wallace — “Two Houses” by Kelly Link — “The Diamond As Big As The Ritz” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Press “Play” on the media player below to hear the latest discussion!
The Lit is located at 122 N. Neil Street in Champaign, Illinois
Full disclosure: I was initially disappointed when we got to The Lit. There were many discussions between management and I ahead of time about how loud it might be in their establishment during the brunch hours. I wasn’t too concerned about it– I’ve gotten adept enough with episode editing that I know how to isolate dialogue and adjust background sound levels. What we did not consider is how taken aback patrons of The Lit might be to have strangers approaching them while they’re trying to eat breakfast. I mean, it’s kind of rude.
We decided that it was best to just situate ourselves and let people come to us. This didn’t lend itself to the number of interviews we planned on doing, but it did mean that the people we did actually end up interviewing were excited about it. This, in turn, led to some lively discussions from a wide range of people with a wide range of interests. We talked fantasy with Maya, non-fiction with Alex, and the beauty of book clubs breaking us out of our comfort zones with Abri. A personal highlight for me was an interview with Jenny Shima, the owner of The Lit. She’s energetic and delightful– and just wait until you hear one of her book recommendations 😉
We definitely have to thank The Lit for not only hosting us for this endeavor but for filling a much-needed void in our community. The atmosphere of this bookstore is so friendly and cozy. We urge you to check out their store and patronize them frequently.
Before we urge you to press “Play” on the media player below to hear the fruits of our Independent Bookstore Day labors, please take a moment to peruse the attached list of books, writers, and independent bookstores that are recommended within our various conversations:
Bobzbay Books (419 N. Main St in Bloomington, IL) Leigh Bardugo Marlon James Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Isabel Allende Elena Ferrante Jane Addams Book Shop (208 N. Neil St in Champaign, IL) The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling Holly Jackson Lee Child The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Booked (506 Main St in Evanston, IL) In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan Travis Baldree R. F. Kuang The Big Nate series by Lincoln Pierce Strange Planet by Nathan Pyle Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki T. C. Boyle
. . . and lastly– but certainly not least in the eyes of my twin boys– Just Hamburgers (214 Ottawa Road in Paxton, IL
Did you know that the C.I.A. seized an opportunity to embarrass the Soviet Union by publishing a special edition of Doctor Zhivago in 1958? The cast of Just In Case We Die didn’t know this either. As far as they’re concerned, this is the only reason why anybody should have ever cared about this pointless, plotless, horribly-written novel by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Boris Pasternak in the first place.
To hear the latest discussion, just push “Play” below!
Aaron was introduced to Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, and J. M. Barrie in third grade. Rebecca spent her childhood devouring Nancy Drew. Rodney has had an obsessive need to reread The Chronicles of Narnia in its entirety throughout his life. All three members of this podcast’s crew became avid readers at a very young age.
This month, to celebrate International Children’s Book Day, the cast of Just In Case We Die participate in a round table discussion about their favorite authors when they were youths, the children’s books they keep returning to, and how a love for the written word has been ingrained in them for as long as they have known to read. Rebecca joins Rodney and Aaron from Tennessee via Zoom for a very lively conversation.
To listen to this discussion, just press “Play” on the media player below!
Remember last month when Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca discussed Disappearance by David Dabydeen? Do you recall that Aaron and Rebecca didn’t like it very much? Remember how Rodney tried to build a case that Dabydeen’s slight tome spoke to him because one of its recurring themes was about the narrator’s quest to discover who he was and how he fit into the world around him?
On the Road, Jack Kerouac’s 1954 bible for the beatnik generation, could not have been a more fitting follow-up to that discussion. To put it simply: On the Road is one of the greatest novels about “identity chasing” to have ever been published. All three cast members of this podcast loved it.
To hear the discussion, press “Play” on the media player below.
The conversation you are about to listen to was prompted by a TikTok snippet from Dietrich Stogner that Rodney sent to his co-hosts. The video in question was the creator’s response to a fan query about why he doesn’t recommend Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card when making sci-fi recommendations to viewers. The reasoning is simple (and obvious if you know anything about Orson Scott Card): the author’s problematic stance on homosexuals.
This video struck a nerve for the cast of Just In Case We Die. Almost every book that has been featured on this show in the first year of broadcast has been problematic in some way, either for the personal life and politics of the author or because of the content of the book involved. Rodney’s favorite novel is written by a man notorious for a volatile stance against homosexuality. Aaron’s favorite novelist is pretty obviously homophobic despite the overarching message in his works that the human race should be kinder to another. One of Rebecca’s favorite writers revealed himself in word and action to be an elitist snob that doesn’t want you to read his books because he doesn’t believe that you are smart enough to understand them.
How do Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca reconcile problematic content in the books they recommend? What are their responsibilities as podcasters in this regard? It’s an interesting discussion that lays some groundwork for what listeners can expect in the upcoming year of episodes.
We’re not gonna force you to listen to the entire episode to get to our general unanimous opinion that this book doesn’t belong on a list of books you must read before you die. Aaron’s not even convinced that David Dabydeen actually finished writing it. Rodney got something out of it, though, and he tries very hard to change Rebecca and Aaron’s mind about whether or not there’s actually a point to be made with this tome. Does he succeed?
Just press “Play” on the media player below to find out!
Rodney and I dropped our first episode of Just In Case We Die on February 7, 2023. This means that by the time you read this entry, we will have maintained a consistent release schedule (as well as a consistent core of listeners) for one full year. The episode we’re dropping today is the beginning of our second season.
In the last twelve months, we’ve read and discussed eleven different novels, spanning multiple genres and eras. We’ve gathered enough of a following that we were able to justify recording two episodes a month (that eleventh novel I mentioned — for those keeping count– was featured in bonus content and not part of the curated list from which we derive our content). We’ve done features on our favorite banned books and put an episode-length spotlight on two of our favorite novelists. We have engaged with listeners worldwide and made a few new friends in the process.
Rodney and I both really enjoyed the energy that was created in the studio when we included a guest as part of our discussion. It occurred to us several months ago that we could improve the quality of our show if we added a third person full time, especially in those moments (such as our discussion of William Gaddis’ The Recognitions) when one of us was far more enthusiastic about the novel than the other. Rebecca’s wit, intelligence, and established rapport with us made her an obvious choice. I had to get over my own fear that including my girlfriend would be perceived as nepotism, but that didn’t take long. Rebecca was already a behind-the-scenes member of the Just In Case We Die family, helping Rodney and I make decisions about the podcast and participating in full discussions of the selected novels in the time we spent together offline. Plus, she’s better at technology than I am.
Our bonus episode for February 2024, the first episode of our second year of upload, is an opportunity for listeners to get to know a little bit more about Rebecca. We take some time to let her talk about her interests in reading and some of her favorite writers. She has also created a list of six “veto novels” and this episode is her chance to name them and explain why they are important to her. We hope that you enjoy listening to her as much as Rodney and I enjoy her participation. In our minds, she can only serve to make a podcast that we are already proud of even better.
We absolutely have to start our second year off by thanking you, the listening audience, for your support in our inaugural twelve months. Recording a podcast is a lot more fun when you know that someone is listening, and we are grateful that there are people out there who actually care about our opinions and insights. It is our hope that we can continue to grow that fan-base over the course of the next year.
To hear our bonus episode for February, just push “Play” on the media player below.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 to little fanfare. Sales of the novel were poor, and critics of the day could not resist mentioning how “slight” this offering was in comparison to Fitzgerald’s previous efforts as a novelist. It seemed destined to be a footnote in an otherwise noteworthy career.
During WWII, free copies of this novel were donated by the Council on Books in Wartime to American soldiers serving overseas. This prompted a new (and somewhat confounding) interest in The Great Gatsby. Today, this novel is a mainstay of the American educational system and a serious contender for the title of Great American Novel.
Kyra, the co-host of Relatable Nerds, joins us for our discussion of (possibly) the first book we’ve discussed that actually belongs on the list.
Just press “Play” below to hear the latest episode!
Full disclosure before you listen to this episode: our discussion of this novel does not shy away from spoilers. If you are planning to read this title based on our recommendation, then we urge you to finish the novel before listening.
With that said, we also urge you to read it. It’s a damn fine novel.
John Langan’s The Fisherman ended up on both of our to-be-read piles for two very different reasons. It’s a horror novel of the more cosmic variety (full description of what that means in the episode), but this is horror with cross-genre audience appeal. The story centers around two men who come to terms with the death of their individual spouses by bonding on weekend fishing trips. At Dutchman’s Creek. Where the creepy, weird dude at the diner specifically told them not to go.
To hear our discussion of this sometimes terrifying and often moving novel from 2016, then press “Play” below.
Just In Case We Die 