334--Bookin' w/ Kraig Finstad

On this episode of Bookin', host Jason Jefferies and longtime Bookin' guest Dan Hawkins continue their Cormac McCarthy read through with The Crossing, volume two of The Border Trilogy. Also discussed is the condition of the United States of America in the moment of recording on January 22, 2025, before the murder of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.  

This week, Jason and Dan continue their Cormac McCarthy readathon with the first book of The Border Trilogy, All the Pretty Horses.  Topics of conversation include the yin and yang of Blood Meridian, terrible films, the candleflame and the image of the candleflame, and Jesus on Mars (doesn't it make you want to cry?).  Happy reading, friends!

This week, host Jason Jefferies welcomes Kraig Finstad, author of Problem Play and The Inn at the Crossroads. Topics of conversation include cognitive psychology and statistics, ghosts and pirates, Florida novels, that guy at the bar, historical fiction, Shakespeare and much more.  Copies of The Inn at the Crossroads and Problem Play can be ordered from bookshop.org.

This week, host Jason Jefferies welcomes David Haynes, author of Martha's Daughter, which is published by our friends at McSweeney's.  Topics of conversation include workshopping short stories vs. novels, novellas, relationships, mother/daughter dynamics, whether we should let co-workers into our personal lives, rhetorical education, America's underbelly, and much more.  Copies of Martha's Daughter can be ordered here.  Happy reading!

This week, host Jason Jefferies is joined by Pat Lipsky, artist and author of Brightening Glance: Art and Life, which is published by our friends at the University of Iowa Press. Topics of conversation include duck and cover drills, "Russia", Proust, Kafka & Chekhov, a life filled with art, artist's parties, printing your own currency and more.  Copies of Brightening Glance can be purchased here. Happy reading! 

This week, host Jason Jefferies is joined by David Levithan and Jens Lekman, authors of Songs for Other People's Weddings, which is published by our friends at Abrams Press.  Topics of conversation include touring, singing at a wedding vs. singing at a music hall, albums about books (and books about albums), change in the music industry, collaborative art, and much more.  Copies of Songs for Other People's Weddings can be ordered here.  Happy reading!

This week, Dan Hawkins and Jason Jefferies continue to read through the works of Cormac McCarthy with The Stonemason. Child of God is also discussed (by way of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita), and Dan and Jason answer a listener question about Blood Meridian. Happy reading, friends!

This week, host Jason Jefferies is joined by Gary Graff, editor of 501 Essential Albums of the 80s: The Music Fan's Definitive Guide, which is published by our friends at Quarto Publishing Group. Topics of discussion include Alice Cooper, lists, what people think of when they think of the 1980s (hair), Walkmans and boomboxes, CDs and cassettes, MTV, and much more.  Copies of 501 Essential Albums of the 80s: The Music Fan's Definitive Guide can be ordered from your favorite local, independent bookstore.  Happy reading!

On this episode, host Jason Jefferies and award-winning poet Dan Hawkins continue their read through of the works of Cormac McCarthy, this time with his first screenplay, The Gardener's Son. Further, Jason and Dan start their discussion about film adaptations of McCarthy's works with PBS's The Gardener's Son and James Franco's Child of God. Happy reading, friends!

This week, host Jason Jefferies welcomes back Bookin' favorite Dan Hawkins, librarian at The Citadel and Cormac McCarthy aficionado. This time, Jason and Dan talk about Blood Meridian, and oh boy is it a big one. Copies of Blood Meridian can be purchased from your favorite local independent bookstore. Happy reading!