The pals ditch Dave to talk about Noah Baumbach's 2022 Netflix adaptation of DeLillo's novel.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Books touched on: Genderqueer, by Maia Kobabe; Road of Bones, by Christopher Golden, Years of Rice and Salt, by Kim Stanley Robinson; Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi; Maame, by Jessica George; Kindred, by Ocatavia Butler and Damian Duffy; Ink Blood Sister Scribe, by Emma Torzs; Marlena, by Julie Buntin; Counterfeit, by Kirstin Chen; Comedy Bang Bang The Po…

Aaron asks the pals what they think of writers intentionally omitting personal hang-ups (like drinking or smoking) from their writing.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals discuss the recent controversy with the Hugo awards, as well as the challenge of self-censorship in the modern era.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals did a group read of Ryka Aoki's sci-fi novel Light from Uncommon Stars. Will it stand the test of time or be shot into the ocean of forgotten books?By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Books this month: The Heart of It All, by Christian Keefer; The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon; Small Mercies, by Dennis Lehane; Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt; The Wild Ones, by John Mooallem; Foster, by Claire Keegan; The Mysteries, by Bill Watterson and John Kascht; The Last Ronin- The Lost Years, by …

Who is Tyler Cowan and does he do cocaine?By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals close the book on 2023 and chat about what they are looking forward to in the new year.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share their best (and worst) reading experiences of 2023.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals all read Don DeLillo's 1985 novel, White Noise. Should it be enshrined int he canon or blasted into the sea by cannon?By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals follow up the episode on horror novels with an episode sharing their favorite horror movies and shows, including their individual Mt. Horrormores.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share their favorite horror novels.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals discuss books with forwards and afterwards. Do you read them or skip those parts? What about supplementary matter in comics and other media?By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals discuss their favorite mystery and thriller novels.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Nico asks his pals if friends are owed an automatic 5 stars on Goodreads. Is giving 4 stars and asshole move? Also, do people still read professional book reviews?By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Brick is increasingly vexed by his phone's grip on his time and wonders if phones are making us dumber. Bonus Bro2Bro included!By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals discuss their favorite sci-fi novels.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Books this month: Kaya, by Craig Wes; Mouse Guard, by David Petersen; The Compleat Moonshadow, by Jean Marc DeMatteis; Marlfox, by Brian Jacques; Kitchens of the Great Midwest, by J. Ryan Stradal; Wool, by Hugh Howey; Demolition Angel, by Robert Crais; The Hunter, by Jennifer Herrera; The Great Transition, by Nick Fuller Googins; "Mall of America" …

The pals read and review Toni Morrison' brutal and haunting novel 1987 Beloved. It's generally recognized as a masterpiece, will the Yaks keep it in the canon or shoot it into the sea? The deliberation may not be as clear cut as you thing. NOTE: our Patreon has not reached the level at which we can afford an on-staff factchecker. Some interpretatio…

The pals share their favorite short story collections as well as a list of runners up they enjoy.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals enlist the AI chatbot Sudo to write the first draft of the long promised Elf Trap novella. Nico commits to proving he's smarter than a robot.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The plebeian pals discuss reading books written in languages other than English.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share their favorite titles of the last 23 years, and a surprise Canon or Cannon decision is made.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals recount stories they read in grade school that stuck with them.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Aaron shares some comics first issues he thinks his pals will enjoy.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share their favorite novels from the 20th century.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals discuss antagonists that have stuck in their minds.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Books this time: Euphoria, by Lily King; Writers and Lovers, by Lily King; Lessons in Chemisty, by Bonnie Garmus; The Last Housewife, by Ashley Winstead; I Have Some Questions for You, by Rebecca Makkai; You Only Live Twice, by Ian Fleming; Astro City Vol 2, by Kurt Busiak; All the Marvels, by Douglas Wolk; 33 1/3 Unknown Pleasures, by Chris Ott.r…

The pals discuss some great authors that don't seem to ge the love and attention they deserve.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share their favorite reads from the 19th century (and earlier).By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals discuss plot twists as a narrative device and examples of when it has worked well or not.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals react to Pamela Paul's NYTimes op-ed "How to make students hate English"By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share some reading experiences that were difficult, whether by making them feel unease or revulsion, or because it challenged their thinking.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals talk about the implications of ChatGPT and "creative" AI technology on writing and teaching.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Books this time: The Song of Pentecost, by W.J. Corbett; Anger, by Thicht Naht Hahn; One Story; Boulevard; Boston Review; Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stephenson; The Writing Retreat, by Julia Bartz; I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy; A Heart that Works, by Rob Delaney; The Candy House, by Jennifer Egan; 33 1/3: Hig…

Nico brings a fresh batch of spicy literary takes to share with the pals.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Next in our recommendation roulette of Secret Santa books, Aaron read Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta upon Dave's recommendation.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals each share the name of the author they think is most overrated in reputation.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

That is the role of responsibility of fact in historical fiction? Is there a distinction between historical fiction and fiction in an historical setting?By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals read Tommy Orange's acclaimed 2018 novel There There and consider whether it should be canonized or launched into the sea.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share the names and features of their favorite bookstores.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals each share three books they think everyone in the world would benefit from reading.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals discuss what about a story hooks them and makes them want to read more.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The next assignment in the pals' Secret Santa / Reading Roulette. Aaron assigns Nico to read Alan Moore's historical fiction Jack the Ripper comic opus From Hell. Bricks joins as well.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals share their reading goals for the coming year as well as introduce their new meta game: Brag Points.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The personal pals discuss the best books they read in 2022, very few of which were actually written in 2022.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

The pals sans Aaron talk about Wordle and other app distractions from reading, as well as share some of their favorite word-based board and card games.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Brick reports back after reading his assignment for Recommendation Roulette: The Library at Mt. Char, by Scott Hawkins.By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Do you keep books in the bathroom? Do you read books in the bathroom? Would you re-shelf a bathroom book? What is your Desert Bathroom Book?By Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road

Books this time: The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones; Headlopper, by Andrew Maclean; Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl; Light from Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki; The Woman in my Home, by Kerry Fisher; The Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde; Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin; 1st Issue Special, by various authors…