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Pär Lagerkvist, the recipient of the 1951 Nobel Prize for Literature, was not a writer that had ever been in the to-be-read piles of any of this podcast’s participants. All three of them, though, were affected by this novel’s message. This short 1950 novel takes a character briefly mentioned in the Holy Bible, expounds on his story, and prompts a discussion that starts with one opinion and ends with a change in perspective. How can such a slight little volume have such a profound effect on people who don’t consider themselves religious?

Be warned: religion is a hot-button topic in this episode. You may not agree with our points of view.

Press PLAY on the media player below to hear the latest book discussion!

All three members of the cast are in different locations this month, so our bonus discussion might seem a little lackluster.

There are, though, three excellent reasons to give this one a listen:

1. You will learn all kinds of new things you didn’t know about books that have been banned or challenged.
2. Aaron really screwed up (BIG TIME!) when he compiled the list for this podcast and he takes some time to remedy the situation.
3. You might win our first-ever trivia contest, which might allow you, dear listener, to win an actual book from us.

You read that right. We’re going to give a free  book away. All you have to do is answer a trivia question and email our show!

Can you be the lucky winner? Press PLAY on the media player below to find out!

It would stand to reason that a writer that has led an interesting life could write an interesting novel.

Unless you’re E. M. Forster.

If you’re him, you would lead an interesting life and then write a real clunker about despicable people doing deplorable things. You might posit that you’ve written a work filled to the brim with themes that your prose would never adequately explore.

None of which will matter when you eventually write A Passage To India.

Yeah, we didn’t care for this “essential novel.” Press PLAY on the media player below to find out why!

What happens when we die? Do we exist in an ethereal plane that cannot be perceived by human conscience? Are we forced to spend eternity as the background characters in another person’s dreams? Do we have to exist eternally seeing ourselves from the perspectives of those who knew us when we were alive? Will we get to meet Mary Shelley?

All of these possibilities– and quite a few more– are posited in neuroscientist David Eagleman’s delightful (and short) book of stories. Rodney discovered this book as part of another book club and was moved enough by it to share it with Aaron and Rebecca. The three of them are now going to share it with you.

To hear their discussion of this fascinating and thought-provoking work of philosophical fiction, press “PLAY” on the media player below.

In 1967, Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn edited his new novel down from 96 chapters to 87 chapters in the hopes that a censored version would be more palatable to Soviet publishers. It was not.

In 1968, he was able to successfully get the novel published in Europe. It was, however, the shortened 87-chapter version.

In 1978, the full unedited version was finally published in Russia. A full English translation would not land in America until 2009.

In 2025, seeing that In The First Circle was a lengthy Russian novel about military prisons in WWII, the cast of Just In Case We Die almost vetoed it. All three of them are now grateful that they did not. This novel– long considered to be Solzhenitsyn’s masterpiece–is really something special.

Press “PLAY” below to hear the discussion!

In Champaign, Illinois– the city that serves as the home base for this podcast– there is a man named Mike Trippiedi. He is an award-winning filmmaker, an accomplished stage actor and director, and the author of three novels. He also happens to be someone that Aaron has known for most of his life.

Mike’s new novel is called Abraham Lincoln’s Traveling Medicine Show. It’s a very entertaining revision of the assassination of our nation’s 16th President, as well as the ensuing aftermath. Aaron really enjoyed this novel and wanted to give Mike an opportunity to talk about the process of writing it. Along the way, they chat about being an independent filmmaker, revisionist history, Jack London, A Confederacy of Dunces, and that one horror writer that Rebecca is tired of us bringing up in every episode!

Press “PLAY” below to hear the interview!

It’s June! This means that we discuss a book hand-selected from the list by Rebecca.

The last time she did this, she selected The Book of Illusions, a novel she had never read that was written by a novelist she admires. She took a wholly different approach this time: couple the desire to read a writer she had never experienced before with the realization that we almost never read books by women. The end result was Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion. Considered one of the classic “Los Angeles novels”, the nihilistic content of this book certainly left us with much to discuss.

Press “PLAY” to hear the discussion!

It’s summertime!

That means beautiful weather, afternoons at the pool, and maybe some time to relax and catch up on our ever-growing TBR piles. It also means, however, that things are going to get chaotic around here– prepping for trips to Alaska, summer camp with the kids, schoolwork, jobs. Before the three of us get bogged down in real life, we decided to throw ourselves a backyard patio BBQ . . . and invite some of our favorite writers.

Each of us invited three writers to the shindig– one living, one dead, and one we’ve never discussed on our show before. That means our hypothetical backyard will be hosting nine writers from different eras and genres! What results is a fun and lively discussion in which we speculate on what all of these authors would bring to a conversation. Will a fight break out? Why did Rebecca want to spend the evening with eleven men? Will Rodney’s selections surprise anyone? Will Kurt Vonnegut be sad that Aaron didn’t invite him to attend?

Press “Play” on the media player below to take a listen!

The first movie released in the DVD format was the 1996 disaster film Twister.

Bullfrogs never sleep.

The nation of China is credited with the invention of ice cream.

Africa is the only continent with land in all four hemispheres.

Queen guitarist Brian May holds a PhD in astrophysics.

Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca are going to remember these five random bits of trivia before they ever remember anything about The Expedition of Humphry Clinker.

Press “Play” on the media player below to hear the latest discussion!

Remember last year when we decided to celebrate National Short Story Month by discussing six short stories hand-selected by the cast? Well, we had so much fun last year that we decided to do it again!

This year, Rodney actually chooses a short story instead of a novella, Rebecca reveals an interesting way to select material for our show, and Aaron must endure insulting words about one of his favorite writers. Also– and probably most importantly– Aaron and Rodney are once again vindicated when Rebecca is impressed by one of their favorite science-fiction authors.

In this episode, the following writers and stories are discussed:
— “The Briefcase” by Rebecca Makkai
— “The Light Through The Window” by Kevin Brockmeier
— “The Swimmer” by John Cheever
— “The Runner” by Don Delillo
— “The Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka
— “I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon” by Philip K. Dick

To join the fun, press “Play” on the media player below!