Cracking The Spine

The usual gang o'three get together to discuss the phenomenon of binging out on media. Television shows, authors, and other kinds of binge consumption of entertainment are broken down to their core elements. It's neat!Music Used: Miko II by: Honeychurch Books Mentioned:The Children’s Home by: Charles LambertThe Fold by: Peter ClinesBerkeley Breathed S Academia Waltz and Other Profound Transgressions by: Berkeley BreathedThere Is No God And He Is Always With You: A Search For God In Odd Places by: Brad WarnerHeart Shaped Box by: Joe HillNOS4A2 by: Joe Hill Quicksilver: Volume One Of The Baroque Cycle by: Neal Stephenson

This week the gang delves deeply and greedily into a topic near and dear to their hearts - video games. While most of the conversation centers around Skyrim, it turns out there are other games too. This week is dedicated to Don Barnes, Donnie Van Zant, and everyone who holds on loosely.Music used: Never by: Honeychurch Books mentioned:Sleeping Giants by: Sylvain NeuvelMr. Eternity by: Aaron ThierAbomination by: Gary WhittaThe Fold by: Peter Clines

Once again we go to the listener mailbox for a topic, this time taking on why people don't read. Josh, being a bit of an expert in these things, weighs in. Sean and Zane provide some insight as well. You decide if that insight is worthy!Music used: Welcome Home, Spacegirl by: Honeychurch Books mentioned: The Windup Girl by: Paolo  BacigalupiAbomination by: Gary WhittaSleeping Giants by: Sylvain NeuvelThe Fold by: Peter ClinesArmada by: Ernest ClineThe Diary Of A Young Girl by: Anne FrankThe Girl On The Train by: Paula HawkinsGreat Expectations by: Charles DickensThe Martian by: Andy Weir 

This week we discuss young adult literature, and why we do or don't read it. It doesn't quite come to blows, but boy, it comes close!Music used: The Dream is Over by: Honeychurch Books mentioned: Abomination by: Gary WhittaDuma Key by: Stephen KingThe Windup Girl by: Paolo BacigalupiSleeping Giants by: Sylvain NeuvelMad Max: Fury Road by: Lee Bermejo, George MillerThe World’s Worst Poetry by: Stephen RobinsThe Joy Of Sex by: Alex Comfort, Susan QuilliamManiac Magee by: Jerry SpinelliA Head Full Of Ghosts by: Paul TremblayThe Maze Runner by: James DashnerPercy Jackson And The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by: Rick RiordanThe Outsiders by: S. E. HintonTwilight by: Stephenie MeyerThe Hunger Games by: Suzanne CollinsDivergent by: Veronica Roth

Zane and Sean tackle the perception of science fiction in popular culture. Is it just for stunted male children, or can anyone explore the worlds of the genre? Listen and learn! Music Used - Chancery Lane by: Honeychurch Books mentioned:Abomination by: Gary WhittaBream Gives Me Hiccups by: Jesse EisenbergDuma Key by: Stephen KingThe Martian by: Andy WeirThe Girl On The Train by: Paula HawkinsCorrections by: Jonathan FranzenFreedom by: Jonathan FranzenKilling Regan: The Violent Assault That Changed A Presidency by: Bill O’Reily, Martin Dugard Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter, Book 1): The Illustrated Edition 

The gang sets off with no road map, no destination, and no stated topic for discussion. They end up talking hobbies, sharpening pencils, and the bossiness of a host's child.Music Used: Falling Leaves by Honeychurch Books mentioned:Abomination by: Gary WhittaDead House by: Dawn KurtagichThe Cure For Dreaming by: Cat WintersBream Gives Me Hiccups by: Jesse Eisenberg 

This week we discuss the art form of making words into things called poems. Originally the gang is all pretty convinced that it is a crap form, but come to discover that maybe it's awesome? And then Josh and Sean battle, slam-poet style. Can you dig it, Jackson? Music used: Before you Leave by: Honeychurch Books mentioned:The Cure For Dreaming by: Cat WintersDead House by: Dawn KurtagichBream Gives Me Hiccups by: Jesse EisenbergPress Start To Play by: Daniel H. Wilson, John Joseph AdamsAbomination by: Gary WhittaThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by: Mark TwainThe Aeneid by: Virgil, translation by Robert FaglesDante’s Inferno adapted by: Sandow Birk and Marcus Sanders, illustrated by Sandow BirkBeowulf: A Translation And Commentary by: J. R. R. TolkienThe Poems Of Catullus by: Gaius Valerius CatullusWhere The Sidewalk Ends by: Shel Silverstein 

This week our valiant trio talks titillating (a word that always makes Josh giggle) books, as well as love stories. Together they discover that creating believable romance in literature isn't as easy as it seems. We also hear the triumphant return of JoshBot. And as a bonus: fifty shades of a dramatic reading!Music Used: Bottle of Tears by: Honeychurch

Zane and Sean take another listener suggestion and delve into the world of banned books. Who is banning these things? Why would that happen? The bad news: Josh had a last minute emergency and couldn't make it. The good news: We were able to plug in a replacement co-host. Enjoy!Music Used: Sean’s Song by: Honeychurch Books mentioned:The Executioner’s Heart by: George MannBlackbirds by: Chuck WendigPress Start To Play by: Daniel H. Wilson, John Joseph AdamsThe Essential Bernie Sanders And His Vision For America by: Jonathan TasiniChildren Of The Matrix - How An Interdimensional Race Has Controlled The World For Thousands Of Years - And Still Does by: David IckeIn Cold Blood: A True Account A Multiple Murder And Its Consequences by: Truman CapoteLolita by: Vladimir NabokovLooking For Alaska by: John GreenSpeak by: Laurie Halse AndersonThe Perks Of Being A Wallflower by: Stephen ChboskyThe Catcher In The Rye by: J. D. SalingerHuck Finn by: Mark TwainHoly Blood, Holy Grail by: Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry

Endings. Every book has at least one. This week we delve into what makes an ending successful, or what makes it the opposite word of what successful means. We also yell at Zane. A lot. Music Used: Winter Pageant by: Honeychurch Books mentioned:The Immorality Engine by: George MannThe Executioner’s Heart by: George MannThe Missing by: Sarah LanganAmerican Psycho by: Bret Easton EllisContact by: Carl SaganLittle Women by: Louisa May AlcottHarry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by: J. K. RowlingThe Mist by: Stephen KingThe Great Gatsby by: F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Natural by: Bernard MalamudThe Hunger Games by: Suzanne CollinsArmada by: Ernest ClineReady Player One by: Ernest ClineThe Giver by: Lois Lowry

This week those wacky Cracking the Spine kids talk about authors who may or may not have lost contact with reality. Is insanity a rare find in literature, or is it almost a prerequisite? And Sean channels his inner goddess to deliver an empowering self-help dramatic reading.Music Used: A Work Suspended by: Honeychurch     Books mentioned:Aurora by: Kim Stanley RobinsonA Head Full Of Ghosts by: Paul TremblayMake Something Up: Stories You Can’t Unread by: Chuck PalahniukOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by: Ken KeseyWatchmen by: Alan Moore, Dave GibbonsV For Vendetta by: Alan Moore, David LloydHyperion by: Dan SimmonsEnder’s Game by: Orson Scott CardThe Bell Jar by: Sylvia PlathThe Immorality Engine by: George MannA Confederacy Of Dunces by: John Kennedy TooleA Million Little Pieces by: James FreyTake 2: Your Guide To Creating Happy Endings And New Beginnings by: Leeza Gibbons

This week the gang serves up the laughs and chuckles as they delve into the topic of bleak and depressing books. Why do we read them? What do we gain? It's also a week of firsts as we give our first ever birthday shout-out, as well as witnessing our first ever dramatic reading rage-quit. Let's go!Music used: I Want to Believe by: Honeychurch Books mentioned: Aurora by: Kim Stanley RobinsonA Head Full Of Ghosts by: Paul G. TremblayThe Girl With All The Gifts by: M. R. CareyThe Road by: Cormac McCarthyBlood Meridian: Or The Evening Redness In The West by: Cormac McCarthyTrainspotting by: Irvine WelshAmerican Psycho by: Bret Easton EllisWe Need To Talk About Kevin by: Lionel ShriverThe Girl On The Train by: Paula Hawkins Dog Heaven by: Cynthia Rylant

Once again our hosts take a listener suggestion, this time talking about the aesthetics of books. That is, does the physical appearance of a book influence our decision to read (or not) a particular work. With the dramatic reading, it's fair to say we've spared no expense.Music used: Turning Leaves by Honeychurch Books discussed:Aurora by: Kim Stanley RobinsonCrooked by: Austin GrossmanHorrorstör by: Grady HendrixMarabou Stork Nightmares by: Irvine WelshFilth by: Irvine WelshThe Martian Chronicles by: Ray BradburyRed Seas Under Red Skies by: Scott LynchSnakes on A Plane: A Novelization by: Christa FaustThe Dinosaur Lords by: Victor Milan

This week's topic, suggested by a loyal listener, is guilty pleasures. What books make our hosts red-faced if they get caught reading them? And today's dramatic reading takes us deep inside the mind of Dr. Sam Beckett. Music: The Winter Part One by: HoneychurchBooks mentioned:The Name Of The Wind by: Patrick RothfussHorrorstör by: Sam Stall, Grady HendrixUntil We Meet Again by: Renee CollinsThe Maze Runner by: James DashnerThe Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by: L. J. SmithThe Hunger Games by: Suzanne CollinsQuantum Leap: The Wall by: Ashley McConnell 

Fantasy! Sean, Zane and Josh delve into the fantastical world of the fantasy genre. What makes it tick? Why do we read it? Apologies for no dramatic reading this week...Books mentioned: The Fold by: Peter ClinesThe Name Of The Wind by: Patrick RothfussHorrorstör by: Grady HendrixGo Set A Watchman by: Harper LeeTo Kill A Mockingbird by: Harper LeeThe Lies Of Locke Lamora by: Scott LynchEragon by: Christopher PaoliniAnathem by: Neal StephensonA Game Of Thrones by: George R. R. MartinThe Lord Of The Rings by: J. R. R. TolkienThe Last Unicorn by: Peter S. BeagleStardust by: Neil GaimanThe Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I by: Stephen KingHarry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone by: J. K. Rowling 

Today Zane and Sean get into a discussion over old-fashioned paper books as compared to e-books/tablets/etc. Also Zane provides an informative and lively reading from a children's picture books (note to self: picture books are tough for an audio podcast...) Books discussed:Let The Right One In by: John Ajvide LindqvistBlood And Salt by: Kim LiggetHollow Man by: Mark PryorThe Name Of The Wind by: Patrick RothfussThe Hunger Games by: Suzanne CollinsA Game Of Thrones by: George R. R. MartinWarm Bodies by: Isaac MarionGrey: Fifty Shades Of Grey As Told By Christian by: E. L. JamesThe Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by: L. J. Smith

Sean and Josh give Zane a much needed break from their stupidity this week and delve into a conversation about comedy. Two of the funniest living humans talk comedy. It literally cannot go wrong. Or can it?Books discussed: A Head Full of Ghosts by: Paul TremblayThe Fold by: Peter ClinesThe Name of the Wind by: Patrick RothfussBossypants by: Tina FeyNot That Kind of Girl by: Lena DunhamBorn Standing Up by: Steve MartinModern Romance by: Aziz AnsariThe Time Machine Did It by: John SchwarzwelderThe Pirates in an Adventure with Communists by: Gideon DeFoeThe Pirates in an Adventure with Scientists by: Gideon DeFoeThe Areas of My Expertise by: John HodgmanBrain Droppings by: George CarlinWhen Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops by: George CarlinScience. . . For Her! by: Megan AmramAmerican Cornball by: Christopher MillerWriting Movies for Fun and Profit by: Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant Monologue: What Makes America Laugh Before Bedtime by: John Macks

This week our intrepid trio (that's right, Josh is back!) talk about truth versus fiction. Why pick one over the other? Josh also gives a dramatic reading from a "political text" from a Fox News host. Classic Josh...Books Discussed: The Girl With All The Gifts by: M. R. CareyThe Unbearable Lightness of Being by: Milan KunderaAdios America by: Ann CoulterScrapper by: Matt BellThe Fold by: Peter ClinesThe Drafter by: Kim HarrisonThe Name of the Wind by: Patrick Rothfuss A Headful of Ghosts by: Paul TremblayGrendel by: John GarnderKrakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by: Simon WinchesterOne Summer: America 1927 by: Bill BrysonAt Home by: Bill Bryson: Hardcore Zen by: Brad WarnerSouth: The Endurance Expedition by: Ernest Henry ShackletonThe Good Lord Bird by: James McBrideQuicksilver by: Neal StephensonGeorge Washington’s Secret Six by: Brian KilmeadeWalt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by: Neal GablerJim Henson by: Brian Jay JonesMao: The Unknown Story by: Jung ChangNot Cool: The Hipster Elite an

Zane and Sean decide to give Josh the week off today (though he may or may not have made an appearance). The duo dig deeply into the horror genre, a personal favorite of each of them. There's also a spooky reading from a *terrifying new novel (* - not a guarantee of terror). Pull the covers up tight and prepare for the nightmares!Music - Fields on Fire by: HoneychurchBooks discussed:The Girl With All The Gifts by: M. R. CareyThe Fold by: Peter ClinesScrapper by: Matt BellThe Drafter by: Kim HarrisonGrendel by: John GardnerThe Troop by: Nick CutterHeart Shaped Box by: Joe HillHaunted by: Chuck PalahniukLunar Park by: Bret Easton EllisAmerican Psycho by: Bret Easton EllisIt by: Stephen KingDuma Key by: Stephen KingThe Amityville Horror by: Jay AnsonWe Need To Talk About Kevin by: Lionel ShriverGerald’s Game by: Stephen KingThe Haunting Of Hill House by: Shirley JacksonThe Martian by: Andy WeirSouth: The Endurance Expedition by: Ernest Henry ShackletonInto Thin Air: A Personal Account Of The Mount Everest Disast

This week the gang takes a suggestion from a listener and talk about the books that they read when they were younger. From Judy Blume to Stephen King to Gary Paulson and everything in between. Sean also treats us to another dramatic reading from a new American classic. Join us, won't you?Music - Tennessee Valley by: HoneychurchBooks discussed:A Head Full Of Ghosts by: Paul TremblayThe Book Of Five Rings by: Musashi MiyamotoArmada by: Ernest ClineThe Fold by: Peter ClinesThe Girl With All The Gifts by: M. R. CareyFrog And Toad Are Friends by: Arnold LobelRichard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town by: Richard ScarryMr. Happy by: Roger HargreavesThe Boxcar Children by: Gertrude Chandler WarnerThe Adventures Of Ali Baba Bernstein by: Johanna HurwitzThe Mouse And The Motorcycle by: Beverly ClearyHatchet by: Gary PaulsonMy Side Of The Mountain by: Jean Craighead GeorgeThe Outsiders by: S. E. HintonBridge To Terabithia by: Katherine PatersonA Wrinkle In Time by: Madeleine L’EngleThe Virgin Suicides by: Jeffrey EugenidesThe Pe