Aaron’s Comments (group member since Feb 05, 2023)

Aaron’s comments from the Just In Case We Die group.

If you've listened to the latest episode, you are well aware by now that none of us really liked this book.

Sound off, friends! Did you like this novel? What did we miss?

Our latest episode is a discussion of "Sum: Forty Visions of the Afterlives" by David Eagleman.

We really cannot recommend this thought-provoking novel highly enough. It's also short enough to crack out in a couple of hours, so give it a look

Let us know what you think of it when you do.

We really liked this one. We found it engaging and surprising.

Did you like it?

Why? Why not?

This week's episode is a discussion with a local author about his newest book, entitled "Abraham Lincoln's Traveling Medicine Show." I really loved his novel and I wanted to give him an opportunity to try and sell a few extra copies.

Mike has made the Kindle price for all three of his novels very, very generous. Let us know if you check one out!

I just realized that I never updated Goodreads that our latest episode was available.

Well . . . our latest episode -- a discussion of a book hand-selected by Rebecca -- is available!

What novels really disturbed you? "Play It As It Lays" was a difficult read.

We had so much fun recording this episode!

Who would you invite to your own literary BBQ?

We can sum up our feelings on this novel in one word: Bleck!

Be honest. Did any of you get through this one?

This month, we celebrated National Short Story Month the same way we did last year. Each of us brought two of our favorite short stories to the table and the three of them discussed them.

The following writers are included: Rebecca Makkai, Kevin Brockmeier, John Cheever, Don Delillo, and Franz Kafka.

We also discuss a short story by . . . Philip K. Dick. He's my favorite sci-fi writer and one that Rodney really admires. Of all three discussions, it's the only one that really matters . . . Rebecca is now a fan!

Sound off below. How many of you are familiar with the authors we discuss in this episode?

Our discussion of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers dropped today. This book-- part memoir, part fiction, wholly post-modern-- is one of Rebecca's favorite books and she is positively glowing that Rodney and I love it as much as she does. She has a good track record so far of solid picks: "The Book of Illusions" and now Eggers.

Did you read this book as well? What did you think of it? We'd love to discuss it with you!

Our newest episode dropped today!

We recorded it last Sunday . . . which was the first day of National Library Week. Make sure that you all go to your public library this week!

In fact, tell us about your local library. We'd love to hear about them!

I am a day late in posting an announcement that our discussion of "The Third Policeman" dropped.

How bizarre and absurd and wonderful this novel turned out to be! I'm sure we'll be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

Let us know your thoughts!

The newest episode, compiled from multiple interviews with customers and bookstore owners participating in Rockford Illinois' third-annual bookstore crawl, has gone live today.

Check it out!

Our discussion of "Les Miserables" posted this week. I realized while it was uploading that we are actually posting a week early. Surprise!

We would really love listener feedback on this particular novel.

All three of us are in agreement that this is a really great novel, worthy of inclusion on the list. I think it would be even better, though, if the tangential digressions were either excused, shortened, or less tangential. My co-hosts do not agree.

What are your thoughts?

You mentioned Orpheus and Eurydice on Facebook and I said, out loud, "Dammit!" I'm OBSESSED with that story.

The first episode of our new season dropped this morning. It's a round table discussion about love and romance within written works to celebrate Valentine's Day. We get a chance to discuss some things that we don't normally cover in our podcast!

Let us know what you think. Who are your favorite romantic couples in literature?

It was interesting and quite fun to discuss the work of T.C. Boyle with Rebecca and Rodney. I have such a deep love for his prose that I think I might sometimes be giving him more credit than he deserves. It pleases me that my co-hosts can speak highly of him as well.

Did any of you read "Drop City"? Tell us what you thought!

We are all three big fans of Murakami and have admired him for years.

I have read that his newest one isn't nearly as good as previous efforts, but I'll probably end up reading it eventually. Rebecca and I own his entire library.

I can't speak for Rodney or Rebecca, but I HIGHLY recommend "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles" or "Kafka on the Shore" if you like the Alice in Wonderland-esque magical realism aspect of his work. would also be remiss if I didn't recommend his short stories. Start with "Men Without Women" or "First Person Singular".

What happened was this: I spent several hours last Sunday getting the podcast ready for a drop on Wednesday morning. I knew I was going to be quite busy this week, and I wanted to make sure I got the work finished in order to remain on schedule.

The newest episode dropped on Wednesday morning.

Cut ahead to this evening-- Thursday: Ariana Grande singing "Popular" came on the radio while I was at the gym. That song made me remember how much Rebecca and I enjoyed "Wicked." This, in turn, reminded me that I never updated our Goodreads group to announce that our newest podcast installment was available. Ironically, it is a discussion about the merits and pitfalls of adaptation.

We hope you enjoy it!

Please please please tell us what you thought of 1Q84.

Debra:

I have to share how I first discovered that novel. It's one of my favorites of recent years and I lucked up on it by chance.

I was wandering through the stacks at the library, trying to get inspired to choose something. I noticed that title and was intrigued. I pulled the book off the shelf and flipped it open to read the book jackets description. When I did so, a notecard fell out of the book. Printed in the notecard was the following: IF THE WHOLE WORLD READ THIS BOOK, IT WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE. Naturally, I had to read it after that.

Since then, I have actually met and spoken to Mr. Marra and had my copy of his book signed. He has a new novel out but I have not had time to read it yet.