"Cat Person" was the first story ever to go "viral" and was the subject of an earlier episode between Caleb and his wife Brittany. When Kristen Roupenian's collection came out, it was a no-brainer for us. But does the book live up to the hype c

72 - THE AUSTRALIAN by Emma Smith-Stevens

Aug 5th, 2019 1h 3m

We take a trip Down Under then to NYC then back to Australia then... somewhere with The Australian by Emma Smith-Stevens. We chat briefly about some previous Dzanc books we read and what we thought about this debut (hardback??) from a cool writ

71 - SON OF FRIEDMAN by Emma Cline

Jul 28th, 2019 50m 55s

Emma Cline's novel THE GIRLS was one of the very first books we read for the podcast, so her return was inevitable, as soon as we saw her name in the New Yorker. We read her story "Son of Friedman" and try a new beer!

70 - PANIC YEARS by Daniel DiFranco

Jul 21st, 2019 53m 15s

Join Caleb and Justin on tour as they chat about PANIC YEARS by Daniel DiFranco, a novel about Paul, his approaching 30s, and his last rodeo as an aspiring musician. They chat about how the book makes them feel, the kind of band they think Qual

69 - THE MISTER by EL James - NICE

Jul 15th, 2019 1h 9m

69 - THE MISTER by EL James - NICE by Bridge Eight Press

68 - ORANGE WORLD by Karen Russell

Jul 8th, 2019 47m 19s

Justin and Caleb talk often about how much they love Swamplandia! by Karen Russell, but do they feel the same about her new collection of stories? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z.

67 - MOSTLY DEAD THINGS by Kristen Arnett (Featuring Jessica Hatch)

Jun 30th, 2019 1h 16m

We welcome local member of the literati and spectacular editor Jessica Hatch to talk about MOSTLY DEAD THINGS by Kristen Arnett, whom Caleb refers to as his "Orlando spirit animal."

66 - THE CHILDREN by Andrea Lee

Jun 23rd, 2019 44m 25s

For the end of the month New Yorker episode, we talk about a weird story from Andrea Lee and try a new beer.

65 - WHISKEY & RIBBONS by Leesa Cross-Smith

Jun 16th, 2019 51m 48s

Caleb shot-gunned a Steel Reserve before recording today's episode.

64 - THE HEAVEN OF ANIMALS by David James Poissant

Jun 9th, 2019 47m 34s

64 - THE HEAVEN OF ANIMALS by David James Poissant by Bridge Eight Press

BONUS - Caleb Gets Cultured - 2 Games 2 Thrones

Jun 6th, 2019 40m 11s

Caleb finished Game of Thrones and is feeling absurdly cultured. They talk about the ending, what they would have done differently, and how this show fits within others of its genre, style, and cultural relevancy. Was getting cultured worth it

63 - CHERRY by Nico Walker

Jun 3rd, 2019 56m 56s

The cover has been making its away around the internet, so we decided to give it a read. From war medic to heroine addict, CHERRY follows a no-good teenager as he deals with no sense of direction and no reason to live. There are a lot of fucks,

62 - THE MATCH by Colson Whitehead

May 27th, 2019 54m 28s

For our monthly New Yorker episode, we read a new short story from Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad. We briefly talk about violence, systematic power, and then we try a new beer from Coppertail Brewery. This episode was edit

BONUS - Caleb Gets Cultured - Game of Thrones

May 23rd, 2019 40m 30s

For this bonus episode, Caleb joined the rest of society and watched Game of Thrones (the first 5 seasons so far). They take some time to talk about what he's thinking and Caleb tries to figure out what it is that people like about this show.

61 - NOTES FROM NO MAN'S LAND by Eula Biss

May 20th, 2019 1h 17m

We've returned to nonfiction this week as we discuss a collection of essays on race, culture, and boundaries in America. Caleb and Justin find themselves in a broader sociological discussion on what it means to be lower-income white males with

60 - SING TO IT by Amy Hempel (feat. Abby McCall)

May 12th, 2019 1h

This week we're joined by local Jacksonville book nerd Abby McCall to discuss Amy Hempel's new collection of stories SING TO IT. Caleb has been reading Amy Hempel's work for over a decade, but Justin and Abby are new to her work. They chat abou

59 - A DOG A BETWEEN US by duncan b. barlow

May 5th, 2019 52m

Nurse your Cinco hangover by listening to a drunken book review of A DOG BETWEEN US by duncan b. barlow, a heartbreaking novel about the variations of loss. Justin and Caleb chat about human tragedy, how we deal with the things that hurt, and h

58 - COLOR AND LIGHT by Sally Rooney

Apr 29th, 2019 38m 40s

Caleb and Justin close the month by reading "Color and Light" by Sally Rooney, and story about being a bystander, flirting with romance, and the pride we carry. They talk about what it means to read a story like this, and how it fits into the t

57 - SUPERMARKET by Bobby Hall (aka Logic)

Apr 22nd, 2019 57m 51s

Bobby Hall is a grammy nominated rapper who gave writing a novel a shot. Caleb is a big fan of his music, so we decided we'd give the book a shot. Thanks to some technical difficulties, the episode is a little wonky, but you know what? It fits

56 - TRAIN SHOTS by Vanessa Blakeslee

Apr 14th, 2019 54m 53s

This isn't the first book from Burrow Press to get the Drunken Book Review treatment (Pinkies, Clean Time), but it may be the most well-received. A slim collection of stories, Train Shots does a lot of what we're looking for in a story, and wha

55 - NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman (feat. Hurley Winkler)

Apr 8th, 2019 1h 8m

A few of you requested Neil Gaiman, and so we read Neil Gaiman. Those of you who made the request, prepare to be disappointed. We welcomed local writer and creative person Hurley Winkler onto the podcast to chat about NEVERWHERE, a New York Tim

54 - THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD by Brock Clarke

Apr 1st, 2019 38m 14s

Dear Justin, fuck you and your review of this book. Love, Caleb.The guys talk about a Fargo-esque novel by Brock Clarke and fall into a discussion of changing point of views, convoluted plots, and humor in storytelling.

53 - ALL WILL BE WELL by Yiyun Li

Mar 25th, 2019 50m 16s

Another month, another New Yorker story. Neither of us had heard of Yiyun Li before, but we read her short story in this month's New Yorker. Justin burns his bacon and interrupts the podcast to save Caleb's house, then the guys try a beer from

52 - WORK by Bud Smith

Mar 18th, 2019 46m 3s

Caleb has an MFA. Justin didn't finish college. Both read a shit ton and do this podcast together. Does it matter how either of them got here? This week they talk about WORK by Bud Smith, a memoirish collection of short essays that have to do w

51 - THE QUIET PART LOUD by Tyler Barton (The Powerful We)

Mar 11th, 2019 39m 24s

A chapbook of... fiction? Caleb and Justin discuss THE QUIET PART LOUD, winner of Split Lip Press's 2018 Turnbuckle Chapbook contest, and try to figure out whether or not this form is an effective space for fiction writers to showcase their wor