Best Updike Podcasts (2024)

1
EP65: Big Questions, K-Pop, and Pre-Internet Nostalgia 41:30

9d ago41:30

41:30

Hannah has absconded to New York City, but no one will go to the Beatrix Potter exhibit with her. Such a shame. No matter! We're fired up about the Newburyport Literary Festival, and ready to talk books, starting with a recap of Leigh Bardugo's brand-new "The Familiar," which Sam has decided he likes quite a bit. Maybe not quite as much as both of …

1
Ep 138 Fever: Take it to the limit 1:24:15

2h ago1:24:15

1:24:15

A dull pounding headache. Body aches that come and go. Chills that set your teeth to chattering and have you reaching for the fluffiest blankets to warm up. But the thing is, you’re already warm, hot even. At least according to the thermometer. That’s right, you’ve got a fever. Throughout the years of making this podcast, we’ve begun many a disease…

1
Boosers, Closers, and the Yeet 46:21

3d ago46:21

46:21

Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel are climbing to the top of the all time saves list so the takeaway is don’t yeet the ball from the last out. Looking at you, Colton “more cowbell” Cowser. Andrew hits homer #300, Adley hits grand slam #1, and Josh hits his head. On purpose. Neto can’t get a day off, Oswaldo can but Pottymouth says please don’t – or m…

1
Special Episode: Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens & Medical Bondage 1:12:47

7d ago1:12:47

1:12:47

The TPWKY book club is back in action, and we’re thrilled to be starting this season’s reading journey with Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens, reproductive rights advocate, Associate Professor in the University of Connecticut history department, and award-winning author of Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology. The history of…

1
ROCK the F--king BOAT Eitan Chitayat 44:47

6d ago44:47

44:47

🇮🇱 You may not agree with everything that Eitan Chitayat says- but you have to respect him for speaking out against anti-semitism worldwide, and speaking out against all kinds of hate. He has done campaigns to support women, LGBTQ issues and you may know him for his recent advocacy work and the hashtag, I'm that Jew. He speaks his truth through his…

1
If We Took a Holliday 46:59

10d ago46:59

46:59

Our first visit to OPACY this season was an anticipated debut, a miracle of (not)rain, and a much heralded yet underwhelming Jackson vs Jackson smackdown. And lots of attention to the number seven. Elly has us considering a road trip to CIN, and Vaughn makes us think Worcester is nice this time of year. Zach has six runs to his credit in only one g…

1
Ep 137 ME/CFS: What’s in a name? (A lot, actually) 1:44:51

14d ago1:44:51

1:44:51

In many ways, this week’s episode on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a companion piece to last week’s episode on Long Covid. The two share many similarities: a wide range of debilitating symptoms lingering long after infection, an illness which can transform from day to day or week to week, dismissal and downplaying b…

1
Ep 136 Long Covid: A long time coming 1:37:36

17d ago1:37:36

1:37:36

We’re back with our season 7 premiere, and we’re kicking things off with a topic that we’ve wanted to cover for a long time, even if the topic itself hasn’t been around all that long. That’s right, we’re taking on Long Covid. When SARS-CoV-2 began making its way around the world in 2020, it was thought to cause a mild illness in most people, with c…

1
Bullies, Bastards, and Boneheads 46:53

17d ago46:53

46:53

We workshop the LMB acronym to account for the Mexican League signing players of questionable character. We aren’t just yanking Verdugo’s chain, we are teaching you valuable vocabulary in multiple languages. We review your four options when you catch a home run ball during a game, starting with It Belongs To You. A little over a week in and our guy…

1
EP64: Sex and Satanism 42:58

21d ago42:58

42:58

Just off a big night out on the town in Beverly, Hannah and Sam are focused on brand-new releases, of a wide variety, plus an older book that is very much NOT related to the website it shares a name with. That book is "Storm Front," the first in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, an older book (2000) recommended to Hannah by a customer, which has …

1
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson 1:01:59

23d ago1:01:59

1:01:59

Wendy and Amy discuss the sweeping family drama Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. They talk characters, ghastly and golden, secrets, love, and of course, about a black cake. Pop a cork to traditions that hold together, and sometimes even heal, a family! Book: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Bubbly: Gancia Prosecco This episode has a SPOILER SUMM…

1
Spikes 1:02:09

24d ago1:02:09

1:02:09

Welcome to Season 8 of No Crying in Baseball! Join us as we laugh, fight, make (probably) terrible predictions, and drink beer from the North (and the northeast). Pottymouth is team Jeff, and Patti is team Rhys and everything gets back to Dustin and Manny. We talk Opening Day – Did Patti write the talking points for the new Os ownership? She’s defi…

1
"To Be Continued" Mike Tankel 31:10

27d ago31:10

31:10

"Simplify and amplify" "Entertainment- Not as Propaganda"- so many good quotes in this interview with marketing expert, creative, brander. Mike Tankel talks about his work in the MENA region and China. He talks math and entertainment. And somehow he makes it all equal out. Robust, firm and sometimes jovial, Mike offers creatives kernels of gold. Li…

1
What Did Shohei Know and When Did He Know It? 1:04:34

1M ago1:04:34

1:04:34

As we head to Opening Day, we bring you our fantasy lineups, walk you through the whole Ohtani kerfuffle, and Optimist Patti enjoys her new nickname. Blake Snell finds a team at last, while Francisco Lindor and Edwin Diaz make a video showing their love for Puerto Rico. Optimist Patti makes a pro/con list for Peter Angelos. There are no winners. Ou…

1
EP63: Jamaica, Southie, and Points in Between 41:03

1M ago41:03

41:03

It's a late-night edition of John Updike's Ghost and Hannah and Sam are ready to rock and roll. First up is Tana French's new thriller, "The Hunter," a follow up to "The Searcher," which Hannah hasn't read, but she wasn't bothered by this. Brilliant audiobook experience. Sticking with violent acts, Sam talks about how seeing the new Bob Marley movi…

1
Fresh Like Milk, Aged Like Wine 1:04:06

1M ago1:04:06

1:04:06

In a weakened moment of falling for Pottymouth logic, Patti agrees to a change in our fantasy team rules and we select pitchers from two teams instead of just one. Pottymouth shares her picks from the Mariners and Phillies, and Patti goes Dodgers/Orioles. We don’t think Josh Winckowski’s excuse will get you out of jury duty but it worked for him, s…

1
Smooth as Mayo 1:07:20

2M ago1:07:20

1:07:20

In our last week of profiling position players, or “Adley Day” in Patti’s world, we pick our guys from the Os and ATL. For BAL, Ryan O’Hearn gets the Pottymouth nod with an extra point for Bull Durham, while Patti sticks with her once and forever catcher. For The Hammers, Patti picks spring training standout Eli White and Pottymouth corrects a wron…

1
EP62: Supercommunicating, Interviewing, and Mythmaking 53:15

2M ago53:15

53:15

Is March Fourth a "declarative sentence"? No, Sam, it's an imperative sentence. But it's Hannah's birthday and at least he remembered that, if not his grammar lessons. Not to worry, though, this episode is chock full of weighty discussion, starting with "Women and Children First," the biography of the pioneering Dr. Susan Dimock (with a side bar on…

1
The Maid by Nita Prose 1:06:03

2M ago1:06:03

1:06:03

Wendy and Amy discuss The Maid by Nita Prose, a locked-room mystery with an intriguing cast of characters. We loved Molly, were repulsed by Rodney (one of us, anyway!), and enamored with the fabulous setting. Which characters got a kiss, a ring, or a knife through the heart this time? Pop a cork to one underestimated, but brilliant Maid! Book: The …

1
C-Words and Sand Worms 1:06:03

2M ago1:06:03

1:06:03

Kiké and Tony Clark dance around the idea of collusion, and let Fanatics take the lead on talking about pants. Robinson Canó heads to Mexico, Matt heads back to the Bay, and Brandon does what needs to be done. For Tampa Bay, Pottymouth completes her Lowe brothers set and Patti remembers the fun of the WBC and picks Paredes. Over at the Dodgers, Pot…

1
Marty Barrett, Ted Williams, and John Updike 1:06:41

2M ago1:06:41

1:06:41

Nothing like an Adley HR against BOS the first day of spring training to spike co-host conflict, er, cause us to demonstrate how one should behave in civil society. Patti’s vocabulary lesson is “pillow contract” in the context of Belli and Tim. Hosmer retires leaving behind a range of feels. Tim Mayza’s fantasy league punishment may send our FBBL a…

1
EP61: Time-Travelers, Survivors, Fascists, and Crooks 36:33

2M ago36:33

36:33

Hannah is back from Winter Institute and she has all sorts of thoughts on the state of the bookselling industry (900 booksellers in the same place is NOT illegal, it turns out). She's not sure she's a hero, exactly, but not every bookseller is in tony Beverly Farms. Also, it turns out she didn't learn all that much about what's coming down the pipe…

1
Frivolous February 1:00:18

2M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

Spring training has begun, there are still key free agents out there, there’s some arbitration scorekeeping to do, and will it take all five years to get some women on the short list for the next commissioner of baseball? This week we talk boyfriends on the World Series champion Rangers – Jonah Heim for Pottymouth and Patti’s early claim on Evan Ca…

1
Surprisingly Little NFL Crosstraining 1:09:18

3M ago1:09:18

1:09:18

The Royals lock down Bobby Witt, Jr. for 11 years, and HOU says yes to Jose Altuve for another five. The arbitration scoreboard is currently tipped in the players’ direction at the halfway point, including a record-setting win for Vladdy. We wish Corey Kluber all the best in his retirement, Patti with much happier memories than those of Pottymouth.…

1
Ep 135 Menopause is whatever you want it to be 2:11:17

3M ago2:11:17

2:11:17

For our season 6 finale, we’re spending some time with menopause. How many nicknames can you think of for menstruation? Quite a few, I’m sure. “That time of the month”, “Aunt Flo”, “the red wave”, “period”, the list goes on. But what about euphemisms for menopause? We’ve got “the change” or “change of life”, “climacteric”, and… that’s it? There may…

1
EP60: Comfort Books and Badass Women 47:28

3M ago47:28

47:28

Sam has covid, but it's been a good four-year run of not getting it, and it's an easy way to remember it's our fourth anniversary of buying the Book Shop. We start off this week with a little look back on things we didn't expect when we got into this mess (why are publishers so mean? How do you stock all the books that people want?), and then launc…

1
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 1:09:00

3M ago1:09:00

1:09:00

Wendy and Amy put on their lab coats and dive into Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. They talk characters, resiliency, and just what that #2 pencil (might've) meant for Elizabeth Zott. Pop a cork to women who stand up for other women and themselves! Book: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Bubbly: Bolla Prosecco Toxic Pesticide article by S…

1
Good Morning, Baltimore 56:33

3M ago56:33

56:33

Patti is practically giddy with new ownership and a new Ace for the Os. Our new guys for Seattle are actually the newest guys for Seattle, Jorge Polanco and Samad Taylor. For Miami, Pottymouth selects Vidal Bruján and Patti makes it two consecutive De La Cruz weeks with her pick of Bryan. We cross train hard with hockey, from our cask-beer fueled h…

1
Are you a MAS*H watcher or a MASH doer? 1:09:32

3M ago1:09:32

1:09:32

Not sure if it is our pride or our ages talking but we’ve reached the point where active players we’ve profiled on the show are now Hall of Famers. Congrats to Joe Mauer and Adrian Beltre, and also to Todd Helton even if he was before our (NCiB) time. The hot stove takes Philly favorite Rhys Hoskins to MIL, and brings Cookie Carrasco home to CLE. J…

1
Ep 134 Tonsils: Underestimated and underappreciated 1:32:03

3M ago1:32:03

1:32:03

Raise your hand if you or someone you know has had their tonsils removed. If your hand is sky-high, there’s a pretty good chance that you (or that person you know) are from the US and were born before 1980. Of course, maybe that’s not the case, but tonsillectomies certainly fit in the category of 20th-century fads, along with Tamagotchis and the At…

1
EP59: Kelly Link and the Magic of Books about Magic 37:13

3M ago37:13

37:13

Sam is just back from Dallas, where he visited Interabang Books and learned of Dallas writer Ben Fountain, and so has his brand-new "Devil Makes Three," instead of a Larry McMurtry book. In the meantime, Hannah has read the new Kelly Link, "The Book of Love," which she is big-time into ("It was so. good."), which leads into a discussion of why we l…

1
Grimace Adjacent 1:11:11

3M ago1:11:11

1:11:11

Snow days are fun but they do not keep us from thinking about the boys of summer. It’s always tricky for us to pick our NYY bfs because of, well, general vitriol. But we persevere and end up disliking the team a little less. Pottymouth wants the team to give Oswaldo Cabrera a real shot, and Patti can’t help appreciating the deep fandom in Anthony V…

1
𝙰𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝙻𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 "i rep story tellers" 37:51

3M ago37:51

37:51

Talent Manager, "jack of all trades", and a Triple Threat - Anthony checks many boxes. 📦 As a talent manager myself- It had not occurred to me until recently - to invite another talent manager on the show. But YES this was such a good idea. Anthony is a warm, exuberant and kind "human" who looks to find like-minded creatives who enjoy long, loyal r…

1
Fly Like a Pigeon 1:14:23

3M ago1:14:23

1:14:23

Supersized weekend, supersized episode! Who do we want to have a beer with this week? Pottymouth plays her once and forever card and hangs on to Vaughn Grissom, now that he’s with the Red Sox. Patti selects Harper superfan Masataka Yoshida and his little dog too. For the Padres, Pottymouth gets to say Anzoátegui in reference to José Azócar and Patt…

1
Ep 133 Parvoviruses: Who let the dogs (and their viruses) out? 1:52:54

3M ago1:52:54

1:52:54

This one’s not just for the dogs. It’s also for the cats, the raccoons, the wax moths, the birds, the mice, and so many other critters. Oh, and of course the humans. Even though most of us may be familiar with parvovirus through our canine friends, the world of parvoviruses is much larger. In this episode, we explore that world, focusing first on t…

1
EP58: Nyx, Mercury, Murderbots, and Other Gods 34:27

4M ago34:27

34:27

After a quick treatise on the Murderbot Diaries, Sam's all jazzed up about the new release coming in February from Kirsten Bakis, who has taken 25 years to release a second novel after the revelatory "Lives of the Monster Dogs." A classic gothic tale, "King Nyx" is a creepy feminist text you need to read ASAP. Unfortunately, Hannah is less jazzed a…

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