EP40: Bookstore Day recap, Emily Henry, and getting eaten by a sperm whale

Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost

Independent Bookstore Day is over, and we have thoughts. It was great, but it could have been better (this leads to a long conversation on why we need new art, if we do, and a discussion of Hannah's new favorite book "Chain-Gang All-Stars," which is better than "The Hunger Games," for lots of reasons). Then we talk about Hannah's coming-of-age-novel panel from the Newburyport Literary Festival (sex! Going through trials!), before moving into the books we've read: "Whalefall," by Daniel Kraus (out in August, not as good as the Mario movie); Peter Orner's "Still No Word from You" (headliner at Newburyport, where Andre Dubus wasn't sure he'd met Hannah before, but he has); Emily Henry's "Happy Place" (so comforting); "Game of Edges," by Bruce Schoenfeld (it makes Sam sad); Jo Nesbo's "Macbeth" (Scandinavian cops hold themselves to a higher standard); and "The Midnight News," by Jo Baker (another WW2 book!). Oh, and there's a bit on audiobook narrators and how they get paid. Huge number of books discussed this week.