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Eliza's avatar

Is it possible to announce the books in advance so that we can read them ahead of your discussion? Thanks, if possible.

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Susan G's avatar

I just downloaded The Quiet American. It is relatively short, so one should be able to read it by Monday afternoon.

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Mike R.'s avatar

(Borrowing your reply Susan. Thanks!!)

I'm with RACKET 'till the wheels fall off. What works for RACKET works for me.

An American sorrow is that We the People then were reading Green as teenagers. We the People now don't know who Greene is/was. 20% of us are illiterate and 60% of us read at a 6th Grade level. Collect great literature. Access is disappearing.

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Bobby Lime's avatar

People need to buy hard copies of great books. Digital versions are too easy to "correct," which, oddly, seems to come entirely from the Left. It breaks my heart that we of the nominal Right may not be fascists after all.

I'm not sure when this happened, but know that years ago, the Edward Stratemeyer syndicate, which gave the world The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, and other books which provided good reasons for small children to learn that recreational reading is a lovely thing ( when I was seven, knowing that Bayport didn't exist but damn it! it must! I pored over a map of the New Jersey coast with a magnifying glass in the hope that I might find it ), began to "update" The Hardy Boys, at least, and probably their other series. This involved, as you might expect, expurgations and rewriting which the Woke would find acceptable. For a while I was in a Facebook group composed entirely of aging and furious Boomer men who were constantly trading tips about which thrift shops might still have original copies. The Hardy Boys! Is nothing sacred? Has Aunt Gertrude been outed as a gay woman? Is Laura, wife to Fenton and mother of Frank and Joe, largely a phantom because of opioid addiction? Probably Chet is no longer fatter than chubby but good natured about it, and is instead obese, sullen, and laden with a cyberporn addiction which would make any of the friends he still has turn down his offer to share a pizza with them.

It's funny if sad, I guess, but we can't be sure the monsters won't be back in power eventually. We have to build book and music libraries and we need to find a way to link with others who are doing the same. We may have to use carrier pigeons, and I am not joking.

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SpirituFarmer2030's avatar

What a fascinating perspective! I had no idea that this sort of manipulation of our old favorites might be possible. But, if they are wiping the internet of past histories, they may want to wipe or severely change those books that instill values that underpin our culture. Thanks for your thoughts--I guess. :(

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Bobby Lime's avatar

It's not something to be cheerful about, is it?

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Dawn I. Martin's avatar

Bobby, what I’m cheerful about is that knowledge is power, & I receive a lot of knowledge from Racket’s smart commenters! Thank you for the intelligent discussion.

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SpirituFarmer2030's avatar

No. Their agenda has been well thought out and is being meticulously carried through. The only thing we have on our side is God. And that is nothing to scoff at. We just need to tighten that relationship and take action where it is indicated.

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Stephen Fournier's avatar

What if we made a habit of asking people what they're reading and saying a few words about whatever each of us is reading? Would it put pressure on people to read books (even if their leader brags they he doesn't)? Would 20 or so years of that make America great at last? MAGAL maybe?

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Carol Jones's avatar

Such a great book one of my favorites by Greene

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Douglas's avatar

What about the mad cow. Will she still apart of this madness?

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Susan G's avatar

Looking forward to it.

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Sidney Reilly's avatar

Besides being a good writer, IMHO Graham Greene was also a good Soviet mole in MI6. A good loyal employee for Kim Philly and a good friend of another traitor, John Cairncross. They are still analyzing his correspondence.

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Susan G's avatar

That is absolutely fascinating.

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Sidney Reilly's avatar

I last talked to Greene about our sordid business in France a few years before his death. Always in doubt of everything because he lived in the wilderness of mirrors, he was a master at describing the setting. He told me Fidel had given him a painting that he hung in his living room and that he admired it every day he was home. He was a living example that you can get away with treachery and keep hoodwinking future generations with works like "The Quiet American".

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Susan G's avatar

Even IF he was a traitor/spy, why is said author "hoodwinking" his readers if the book is a good story, well-told?

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Paul Harper's avatar

Excellent! I'm not sure that any of the novels can be discussed in just one session, especially with such a large group. I'm totally onboard with a more or less dedicated discussion of books once a week with some flexibility on how each two hours is managed.

Settle on the first six novels - shorter to longer, provide the reading list this week and allow us to get started. Obtaining copies of twentieth century novels may cost, but lots of the best works from the nineteenth century are available online via Google books - Poe, Twain, and others in translation. Let's not be too terrified of the odd poem, too!

One discussion of politics a week is plenty for me, just saying. Finally, many thanks to both Matt and Walter - let sanity, such as we know it, prevail!

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Substack Reader's avatar

I'm going to need at least a month's notice for "Catch-22." Its length has always discouraged me from reading it...

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Sidney Reilly's avatar

Watch the movie instead

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Substack Reader's avatar

Haha, I'm open to that. A friend is currently giving me holy hell for reading Dante's Inferno -- in graphic novel format. (Life's short and I'm a slow reader...)

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Nowhere Man's avatar

I love the movie (many don't but come on, the cast alone makes it mandatory viewing) but the book should be read too.

The Slaughterhouse Five movie is really great too. Can't beat the 70s for film.

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Catherine Leonardo's avatar

Catch-22 is free on Kanopy, the site that is accessed with a local library card, as well as many other classics.

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SpirituFarmer2030's avatar

Yeah for Kanopy!

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Ellen's avatar

No film, however great, can possibly be comparable to reading an author's own words. Those chosen, and, equally vital, those left out.

I think the film of Sense and Sensibility, for example, has done a finer job with her story than Jane Austen herself did - but, even so, watching the film is not reading the novel. Can't be, by the differing natures of the media.

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Sidney Reilly's avatar

It is true that the media influences the message. Actually, IMHO, the movie is better. Unless you’ve been in the middle of an airport as a squadron takes off, it’s hard to sense the dust and chaos contrast while Yossarian calmly complains. The insanity of the contrast is wonderful. Talking business calmly while others die on the runway. The impact of a guy cut in half and the long bordello lines is also hard to describe, but thats just me.

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Ellen's avatar

Is that your complete thought?

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Sidney Reilly's avatar

No, just fat fingers in cold Moscow

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Shirley Isom's avatar

Sounds great! I’ll be there Monday and Friday!

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DaveL's avatar

Looks he just did, Catch-22, etc.

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NKal's avatar

Yes please. I've been hoping for the same.

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Sweatpants's avatar

Can you put your Monday episodes on Apple Podcasts after they air? Your pre-recorded Friday episodes are on there. Would make things easier for those of us who can’t catch the live show.

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Louis Marra's avatar

I agree with this suggestion.

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Mark Blair's avatar

This would be very helpful.

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Charles Williams's avatar

Is there a single online list of all the short stories that have already been discussed so that I can (more easily) catch up with ATW’s discussions of them?

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Charles Williams's avatar

Eliza I so love that you asked about that. I’ve been archiving so many ATW short story discussions because I want to read a story before I listen to anyone else talk about it! (I used to think I was pretty well read until I subscribed to these guys …)

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Charles Williams's avatar

Oops like The Quiet American is next up!

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Raymond Miller's avatar

I really do like this idea. It might be hard, but if you guys could just announce books a few weeks ahead that would be great. You guys make good selections and I would love to pre-read books.

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Paige McCormick's avatar

Oh, pooh. There goes my modest reading/discussion enjoyment. Racket, don't you think I'd read more if I could?

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SpirituFarmer2030's avatar

Thanks for the ask. :)

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Tim Small's avatar

When you come to a fork in the road take it.

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Jeff Fioranelli's avatar

Love ALL of THIS!!!! 💪🏼❤️🍻

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Patrick's avatar

and.... its "90% mental" ~.

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Steve McKennon's avatar

Forks are racist. : )

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Tim Small's avatar

Will reflect on that in a personal struggle session. But they do come in both white and black plastic, so it might be a non-starter.

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ResistWeMuch's avatar

The future aint what it used to be.

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Dave Dorsey's avatar

Yogi

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Mark R 71's avatar

Always save your fork: there’s pie.

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Dave Dorsey's avatar

The q1

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Bmaj's avatar

ATW is the only thing I can watch these days. Thank you Matt & Walter (and anyone else behind the scenes) for all that you do!

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StitchJones's avatar

Matt, could you please add the Monday show after it finished to the same podcast feed as the Friday show?

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Matt Taibbi's avatar

Yes, I think we can do that…

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Opacus's avatar

While we have your attention, is there a compendium (list) of the short stories that you and Walter have spoken about? I’d love to have that for future reference. Thanks!

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OBOB's avatar

The Library of Babel Jorge Lui

Catch 22

The Machine Stops

The Ones Who Walk Away from the Omelas Ur

Nightfall Isaac Asimov

Harrison Bergeron Kurt Vonnegut

Mars is Heaven Ray Bradbury

The Man that corrupted Hadleyburg Mark Twai

The Rocking Horse Winner DH Lawerence

The Metamorphosis

Minority Report PKD

Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story, “The Red-Headed League.”

“Flowers For Algernon”

Kurt Vonnegut story, “2BR02B.”

Condensed Milk Varlam Shamalov

“There Will Come Soft Rains,” by Ray Bradbury

Lottery of Babylon Jorge Louis Borges

“Coming Attraction” by Fritz Leiber

Alexander Pushkin’s “The Shot”

“The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allen Poe

Donald Barthelme’s amazing “The School”

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose B

‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’ L Tolstoy

Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers.”

How I Contemplated The World From The Detroit House Of Correction And Began My Life Over Again By Joyce Carol Oates

Saki's Tobermory

Dennis Johnson’s “Emergency,”

James Joyce’s Araby

FUBAR K Vonnegut

The Lady with the Dog Chekhov

The Most Dangerous Game

Microcosmic God Theodore Sturgeon

The Kugelmass Episode Woody Allen

The Lottery Shirley Jackson

Isaac Bashevis Singer’s The Destruction of Kreshev

How a Muzhik Fed Two Officials by M. Y Saltykov

Sunny’s Blues James Baldwin

It’s a Good Life Jerome Bixby

“Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving

Voinovich’s A Circle of Friends

The Swimmer John Cheever

The Nose Gogol

The 9 billion Names of God Arthur C Clarke

Jackals and Arabs Kafka

To Build a Fire Jack London

The Magic Shop HG Wells

A&P Jon Updike

The Storyteller Saki

Christmas not just once a year Heinrich B

Night Meeting Ray Bradbury

Guests of the Nation Frank O’c

“The Grand Inquisitor” from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brother’s Karamazov

The Necklace Guy de Maupassant

The Door EB White

The Bet Anton Chekhov

Incident in Anzania Evelyn Waugh

Senility Sherwood Anderson

“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe

The Overcoat Gogol

The Egg Sherwood Anderson

Eves Diary Mark Twain

In Dreams begin Responsibilities Delmore-Sch

Sredni Vashtar Saki

Goodbye my Brother John Cheever

“The Blood of the Martyrs” by Stephen Vincent Benét

How to tell a True War Story Tim OBrien

My 1st Goose Isaac Babel

After the Ball Tolstoy

“The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber

The Hanging Stranger PKD

Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

Ambrose Bierce’s A Horseman in the Sky

Harlan Ellison’s I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Mask of the Red Death

Slavomir Mrozik’s “The Elephant”

😊

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Opacus's avatar

Thanks so much!

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OBOB's avatar

https://youtu.be/SoiUUXCDuhU here’s a link to the audio version of Library of Babel (:

https://youtu.be/P64jqU2Kj4A

Link to the audio The Machine Stops - this story is super good!

https://youtu.be/Li1V_Z8VXns Nightfall audio

https://youtu.be/AtW4b6DVtuc Harrison Bergeron Vonnegut audio - I may go back and listen to their discussion after listening to this story

https://youtu.be/3MeIfT1P_eg Mars is Heaven Audio - so this YouTube channel is amazing! Subscribed for free after finding it and have listened to several of their storybooks, they have some great ones including some others on the list & Most Dangerous Game & 1984

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Ceeteer's avatar

Agreed. I think they should publish their own anthology of short stories. I'd buy it.

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Nowhere Man's avatar

They're listed under each episode... someone with time on their hands should compile them up.

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Lori E's avatar

Great idea!

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John J’onzz's avatar

Yes, this would be incredibly helpful. I like the audio form while I'm cooking/cleaning/walking.

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BAILEY BUILDING AND LOAN's avatar

This would be great.... Dislike dealing with youtube

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earthy.bookworm's avatar

It's also on Rumble, which is slightly better and at least allows for free speech.

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Julinthecrown's avatar

I'd like yo watch it on Rumble but as far as I know their format doesn't support PIP. If I'm wrong - please let me know.

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Julinthecrown's avatar

I LOVE the Bailey Building and Loan!!! And, now, well, I just HAVE to follow you.

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Jydallas's avatar

Awesome! Best news you could have given us!

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Elizabeth Montana's avatar

Excited for your return to the airwaves. Listening to you both keeps me sane.

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Unbothered's avatar

I am irrationally excited and happy about this. So excited!!

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Lorn's avatar

I’ve been twitching from my withdrawals… good to hear I will have that sweet juice of ATW in my veins again.

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Brook Hines's avatar

damn — i’m going to miss short stories, which i think are unfairly maligned as an art form.

also (sad to say), i don’t have time to read novels anymore—but that’s what Audible is for i suppose. The Quiet American is indeed available to listen (which I’ll do).

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Matt Taibbi's avatar

We’re also going to be picking a lot of novels that have movie versions (Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser did an excellent version of The Quiet American). I’m also going to be doing written intros.

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Bryan's avatar

I have read more in the past year than I have in the prior ten because of this format and cadence. Thank you both to Matt and Walter for that. The past two weeks allowed for me to plow through Dangerous Visions. Wowza! While I’m happy about a book club format, I would welcome some continuity on the short stories, it has been one of the things I actually look forward to every week.

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Nowhere Man's avatar

YES. I also delved into Dangerous Visions after they did the PKD story. Glad to have been turned onto it, there's some real great stuff in there.

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Catherine Leonardo's avatar

The Quiet American movie with Michael Caine is on the Kanopy site where movies are free with a local library card.

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Catherine Leonardo's avatar

Wildcat, the movie about Flannery O’Connor and directed by Ethan Hawke, mentioned by Matt and Walter, is also on Kanopy. I loved it.

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Bobby Lime's avatar

I live on a block which because of some stupid zoning/taxing law doesn't have access to Kanopy. Disgusting.

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BAILEY BUILDING AND LOAN's avatar

Wow didn't realize kanopy was a thing or that I had access to it! Thanks so much. Love my Libby!

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Pat Robinson's avatar

Michael Caine is a treasure, I was hoping Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was based on a book. But no.

One of my faves

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Jack Frost's avatar

Remake of "Bedtime Stories" with David Niven and Marlon Brando.

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Pat Robinson's avatar

Yes

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Brook Hines's avatar

💕 thank you

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j juniper's avatar

I just started reading that book, but I need to finish an Ellis Peters Brother Cadfael.

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Bryan's avatar

I have read more in the past year than I have in the prior ten because of this format and cadence. Thank you both to Matt and Walter for that. The past two weeks allowed for me to plow through Dangerous Visions. Wowza! While I’m happy about a book club format, I would welcome some continuity on the short stories, it has been one of the things I actually look forward to every week.

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Steve Slack's avatar

Glad to hear that. Thought some reviews of classic movies would be a great addition.

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Cary Dicristina's avatar

GREAT MOVIE.

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DMC's avatar

yeah i said that too. Short stories are underappreciated and often a better way of understanding the zeitgeist of the time and place.

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Substack Reader's avatar

Maybe they can mix them in from time to time.

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Mark Blair's avatar

I'll miss the short stories too. With the pace of change and the state of "future shock" that leaves us in, I find it to be the perfect format for our times.

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David G's avatar

Me too. The short stories that the lads picked were always interesting and it helped me get into trying my hand at writing too.

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Michael Riches's avatar

I'm glad you're expanding to novels. I love your literature discussions -- it's one unique thing about your podcast that sets it apart, and really adds value. As a film buff, I'd like to hear your takes on the film/miniseries versions of these books, if you could squeeze those in, tell us what went right or wrong in the adaptations (since most of us are likely more familiar with the movies anyway). You say that talking with Walter keeps you sane, and I second that from a listener's perspective -- both of you keep me grounded.

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Herodotus's avatar

I'm so excited for the novel discussions. Your short story conversations have invigorated my love of reading fiction like nothing else.

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Beth Doolittle's avatar

Will be anxiously awaiting your return🤗

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Adam Ingleby's avatar

Can't wait Matt. You and Walter do indeed keep me sane. I'm very excited about the pivot to discuss novels.

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Daily Growler's avatar

I know of nothing that compares to ATW, and I've been missing it sorely these past two weeks. Watching/listening to Matt and Walter are two highpoints in my week. It's a bit scary how they've become my digital "friends" when I feel a need for connection to sentient beings, something most of my in-the-flesh friends no longer are.

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Bobby Lime's avatar

I think a lot of us share the aloneness, as odd as that sounds. I can discuss books with only a couple of guys I know - I should be grateful, and am - and music with not really anyone. The latter is particularly depressing. I'm in a constant state of shock at the rubbish people think is music. My tastes are in jazz ( not soft jazz or "fusion," but jazz ), Baroque/classical, and The Great American Songbook songs.

But jazz and classical music, whether in person or on recording, account for about 3% of the money the American people spend on entertainment each year.

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liza's avatar

Same here.

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steven t koenig's avatar

The Free Press doubled my subscription fee so I cancelled. If Matt doubles his I'm going to pay it gladly (with the money I used to give Bari Weiss)

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Bobby Lime's avatar

Twice the price for half the promise.

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Nowhere Man's avatar

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" -- Johnny Rotten

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Chris Fletcher's avatar

Let's discuss Vonnegut's Player Piano, seems incredibly relevant, also A Canticle for Liebowicz -- I can picture a new mob smashing the server centers

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Kathleen McCook's avatar

A Canticle for Liebowicz is one of my favorite books. The monk on the bike...rediscovering electricity. And that shopping list.

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Tardigrade's avatar

I read that in a high school science fiction class (55 years ago). I would welcome the excuse to read it again.

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John J’onzz's avatar

100%. I just read that one a couple of months ago — which I somehow skipped in my post-collegiate Vonnegut reading frenzy — and it's scarily accurate. Maybe the dystopian book that most illustrates our time.

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Nowhere Man's avatar

I just reread this one recently. More relevant now than ever. Hail Proteus!

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Scuba Cat's avatar

Great picks!

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