Cracking The Spine

This week your three intrepid hosts. . . HOLD ON! Did you say three?! Why yes, I did, because JOSH IS BACK! Anyway, your three intrepid hosts (one of whom is Josh) discuss an incredibly meta topic - how do you actually read a book? Are you a skimmer? Do you skip ahead? Pore over every word? You may be surprised to learn that Zane, Josh and Sean each have their own preferred method, and we all quickly learn that no one way is the "right way". Did I mention that Josh is back? He so is. . .

This week marks a triumphant return of 2/3 of the CtS crew! Josh couldn't make it (NO YOU HATERS, WE DIDN'T FIRE HIM) but Sean and Zane sit still long enough to talk about how it feels to get wrapped up in a series that isn't finished. It's kind of like listening to a podcast that is inconsistent in posting episodes. The crew also welcomes on a very special guest for the show, one whose appearance will be the stuff of legends for years to come.

Josh, Zane and Sean take their show on the road, quite literally. With scheduling becoming an issue, the gang takes the opportunity of a long drive to a special dinner to talk about travel books in all their forms. They get distracted by thoughts of meat and alcohol, as well as the meat and alcohol themselves. Buckle up, buckaroos! It's a wild ride!

This week we dip into the Cracking the Spine Reddit in order to get a great topic. Sean, Josh and Zane delve into what books our children will read when they get into high school. Will 1984 stand the test of time, or will The Hunger Games become the new classic. And, like, it's not that we're obsessed with The Hunger Games, but we may or may not spend some time talking about it.... but we talk about other things too.... Listen up. You may learn something (that your kids will learn later).

This week the group makes its triumphant return, and boy are you lucky they did! Taking another awesome listener suggestion, Josh, Zane and Sean talk about their own personal evolutionary arcs as readers. Where did each of their tastes come from? Did the Cro-Magnon steps of their early twenties help influence the homosapien tastes of their now? Is this analogy stretched to its limit? They attempt to apply some intelligent design to the conversation, and delve into the origin of reading. Join in!

Josh couldn't make it to the recording this week, so Zane and Sean thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about something they never can when Josh is around: reading books. For us, and maybe for you, there is a very ritualistic feeling associated with reading. There needs to be a specific time, the perfect place, the ideal inspiration. It's a fairly meta conversation, but one we think you'd enjoy. Listen and see if you agree!

For sixty nine episodes we have discussed the human side of books. This week we finally get in touch with our animal sides. Who are the most memorable non-human characters from literature, and what do they reveal about our shared humanity? Sean and Josh, while not as accomplished in the animal world as Zane, try to keep up. You can keep up too by listening! So do it!

How far are we willing to take a joke? Let's say we go one past sixty eight and one before seventy. But it's not what you think. Unless it is what you think. In which case, man, you're smart. Listen. Josh, Zane and Sean go to places in books you've likely never been before.

When our listeners suggest topics, we listen. And this time, we dig down deep to discuss book analysis. You might be surprised that one third of the hosts doesn't think of himself/herself as overly analytic, one third feels he/she is incredibly analytical, and the other comes down right in the middle. The gang also manages to work Skyrim into the conversation, and Zane goes off the reservation and picks her own book to read. Sean is flabbergasted. You'll laugh. We promise.

Have you guys sent us an email recently? If not, you really should. It's a good way to stay in touch with us, but also, it's a great way for us to hear from you. And this week we hear from a listener who gave us a fantastic show suggestion. Memorial Day has come and gone, which means that summer has (unofficially) started. Zane, Josh and Sean talk about what makes a book a particularly good summer read. There's also some J. Lo talk, some klaxons, a frog, and a motorcycle. Just the usual joyousness that is Cracking the Spine!

The greatest subreddit on the Internet comes through again with an incredibly interesting topic - in terms of novels, do you prefer a larger world view or something smaller and more intimate? Trust me: Sean, Zane and Josh have opinions on this. They also coo over a business card and lament the very real threat of book censorship.

A listener comes through again this week with another great topic: is there any truth behind the perception that reading a book is a "smarter" way of getting a story or is it just a time-honored bias that has no meaning. You'll discover that the crew has no easy answers. Unless the question is, "What is Josh's big snack this week?" Tune in, and we guarantee* you'll be smarter than before you listened!(*not a guarantee)

Once again the listeners come through with a topic that at first glance may seem trivial, but is in fact quite thought-provoking. Josh, Sean and Zane discuss the pressure one feels from loaning out a book, or from having a book loaned to them. They each come at the stress of the idea from a different place, making this week's show feel more like group therapy than a podcast. And when you consider how much some people pay for psychoanalysis, you're pretty lucky to get this for free! And they obviously couldn't avoid the one, the only Dr. Chuck Tingle.Books mentioned: But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking about the Present as If It Were the Past by: Chuck KlostermanThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by: Erik LarsonI’m Thinking Of Ending Things by: Iain ReidSoolie Beetch And The Dying Light by: Gypsie RaleighWar Porn by: Roy ScrantonHaunted by: Chuck PalahniukThe Fireman by: Joe Hill Snow Crash by: Neal Stephenson

This week the crew discusses a topic of Sean's choosing - the protagonists that you love to hate. And with these three, you know the vitriol is all over the place. There's also talk of Hugo Award puppies, a show listener's first published novel, and, of course, Mr. Chuck Tingle. If you love hate, this is the show for you!Books mentioned: Thirst by: Benjamin WarnerSoolie Beetch And The Dying Light by: Gypsie RaleighThe Name Of The Wind by: Patrick RothfussDon’t You Cry by: Mary KubicaBut What If We're Wrong?: Thinking about the Present as If It Were the Past By: Chuck KlostermanThe Catcher In The Rye by: J. D. SalingerThe Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by: Mark TwainThe Hunger Games by: Suzanne CollinsGreat Expectations by: Charles DickensA Christmas Carol by: Charles DickensReturn Of The King by: J. R. R. TolkienThe Green Mile: The Complete Serial Novel by: Stephen KingThe Girl On The Train by: Paula Hawkins A Gray Man by: Luke Gelheiser

Your heroes (that is: Zane, Josh and Sean) get a suggestion from one of their heroes (that is: you wonderful listeners) and talk about villains (that is: bad guys). They do such a good job of it, that we're pretty sure they talk about every single villain in all of written literature. You should listen to see if they missed anyone. There's also a lengthy (but very much needed) discussion of the world of Paw Patrol. It's deep.Books mentioned: Don’t You Cry by: Mary KubicaFellside by: M. R. CareyThirst by: Benjamin WarnerBut What If We're Wrong?: Thinking about the Present as If It Were the Past by: Chuck KlostermanThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by: Erik LarsonFight Club by: Chuck PalahniukAmerican Psycho by: Bret Easton EllisMoby Dick by: Herman MelvilleRed Dragon by: Thomas HarrisHarry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone by: J. K. RowlingThe Lord Of The Rings by: J. R. R. TolkienThe Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes by: Arthur Conan DoyleThe Dark Tower by: Ste

This week the gang stays completely on topic and never once wavers nor gets off on tangents. Really. Never. Not even once. We stay so laser-focused on the topic of book clubs that if you pointed this week's episode at a mass of hydrogen gas, there would be pure nuclear fusion. You've never heard us so focused. Don't believe me? Listen up and learn something!Books Mentioned: The Woman In Cabin 10 by: Ruth WareFellside by: M.R. CareyThe Girl With All The Gifts by: M.R. CareyThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by: Erik LarsonThirst by: Benjamin WarnerHaunted by: Chuck PalahniukFeeling The Bern In My Butt by: Chuck Tingle

This week you get to listen to an audio podcast with audio hosts talking about audio books. This is one from way back in the listener suggestion vault, but no less worthy for sitting for so long. Sean, Zane and Josh opine on what literary audio excursions they've been on, and how often they make the trip. Come along and LISTEN!Books Mentioned: Disappearance At Devil’s Rock by: Paul TremblayPax by: Sara PennypackerThe Woman In Cabin 10 by: Ruth WareIn A Dark, Dark Wood by: Ruth WareBut What If We're Wrong?: Thinking about the Present as If It Were the Past by: Chuck KlostermanReady Player One by: Ernest ClineNothing’s Sacred by: Lewis BlackBossypants by: Tina FeyYes, Please by: Amy Poehler Game Of Thrones by: George R. R. Martin

Our listeners come up with the best stuff! This week we get the suggestion of remakes and retelling. While we start off on books, we quickly jump over into the world of movies (who could've guessed?!). Do we love hearing the same stories over and over again? Hate it? Feel 100% apathetic about it? Listen and we'll find out together.Books mentioned: Disappearance At Devil’s Rock by: Paul TremblayI’m Thinking Of Ending Things by: Iain ReidBut What If We're Wrong?: Thinking about the Present as If It Were the Past by: Chuck KlostermanMouse Guard: Fall 1152 by: David PetersonPride and Prejudice and Zombies by: Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-SmithAbraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by: Seth Grahame-SmithMr. Happy by: Roger HargreavesGo The Fuck To Sleep by: Adam MansbachGoodnight iPad: A Parody For The Next Generation by: Ann Droyd

Zane and Sean enjoy the quiet efficiency of a Josh-less show to take on another great listener suggestion. Everyone knows about the concept of a novel's voice - first person, third person omniscient, and the ever-elusive second person, but how does one choose a favorite? Tune in to find out! (And listen for Sean's improving klaxon skills.)Books mentioned: Clive Barker’s Books Of Blood 1-3 by: Clive BarkerDon’t You Cry by: Mary KubicaDisappearance At Devil’s Rock by: Paul TremblayBright Lights, Big City by: Jay McInerneyAmerican Psycho by: Bret Easton EllisI’m Thinking Of Ending Things by: Iain ReidThe Shawshank Redemption by: Stephen KingSet This House In Order: A Romance Of Souls by: Matt RuffDracula by: Bram StokerThe Perks Of Being A Wallflower by: Stephen ChboskyBlack Chalk by: Christopher J. Yates

This time out, Zane, Josh and Sean discuss the idea of reading and seeing plays. What is it about play scripts that make them such a different literary experience, and why do we love them so? Well, we don't all love them. Josh's relationship with plays would be better described as. . . well. . . just listen and find out. Make sure to stick around for the triumphant return of the dramatic reading!Books Mentioned: Clive Barker’s Books Of Blood by: Clive BarkerInherit The Wind by: Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. LeeWillnot by: James SallisDisappearance At Devil’s Rock by: Paul TremblayLife Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies (and Why We Don't Learn Them from Movies Anymore) by: Hadley FreemanRomeo And Juliet by: William Shakespeare Richard The Third by: William Shakespeare