EP33: Arguing with the Critics

Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost

It was the morning after the Grammys, so we were thinking about literary awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Awards, which have nominated friend-of-the-pod Morgan Talty's debut book of short stories for their John Leonard Prize. Have we read any of the other nominees? A few, but we have thoughts, in general. How is it we've never even heard of at least one of these (Lewis Mumford was an American historian who died in 1990, apparently)? Is "The Rabbit Hutch" actually amazing? Hannah's not sure. Then we move onto "The Magic Kingdom," and why it makes Sam like Florida more (Shakers!); "Trust," and its cool organization structure and why Hannah didn't get any stock for graduation; and "Weyward," and whether Hannah is just reading it because she loves that show "Wednesday." Finally, we wrap by discussing what the future is for the Book Shop Book Club.