36. trust me, BELOVED is worth the effort

My guest this week is writer and filmmaker Bryian Keith Montgomery, Jr. We talk about movies, the afterlife, Columbo, quitting smoking, and making the perfect gumbo (the actual stew, not a metaphor).   Follow Bryian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryiankmj/?hl=en   Watch Cinnamon: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/cinnamon/umc.cmc.6malb7m5ved3vmug5chj20efg   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   Rebels on the Backlot by Sharon Waxman https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780060540180   Life after Life by Raymond Moody https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780062428905   Boogie Nights by Paul Thomas Anderson   Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780684857084   join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780802160935   follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/    follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Jay Putnam (1/2 of the iconic Couch Boys duo from the Perfect Person podcast) stops by to talk about Gabriel García Márquez, Annie Proulx, rediscovering the love of reading, and a book that might be the best thing I've read all year.   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   North Woods by Daniel Mason https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780593597040   The Shipping News by Annie Proulx https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780671510053   The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143034902   One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780060883287 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780802160935   follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

It's the spookiest month yet for the Shoulda Book Club as we dive into the book that launched Stephen King's career, CARRIE.    Check out the Patreon version to hear me discuss how this book made me feel as a homeschooler: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   Carrie by Stephen King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781984898104   join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

Boozing in Brooklyn™️ continues with writer and creator Marston Quinn. We discuss facing our mortality, learning to cook, and living life to the fullest even in lousy circumstances.    Follow Marston on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marstonquinn/?hl=en   Follow Marston on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarstonQuinn   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780812988406   A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143110439   Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780451497017 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Carrie by Stephen King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781984898104 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en    Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Earlier this year, The Guardian published a (non-definitive) list of the 100 best novels of all time. Today, my friend Danny Laplaza joins me as we try to drink for each book on the list we've read. This one goes off the rails (like every good drinking game should), and we end up in a place I didn't expect…but couldn't be happier to find.   The Guardian's list: https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Carrie by Stephen King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781984898104   follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

Sense and Sensibility is over 200 years old. But it speaks to the current moment in ways both obvious and surprising. In this episode, I explore some of the ways this book has become even more relevant in recent years, and in a Shoulda Books first (and probably last), I attempt to do some math.   Sense or Sensibility... What if Jane Austen Had to Choose?: https://lithub.com/sense-or-sensibility-what-if-jane-austen-had-to-choose/   The Economics of Jane Austen's World: https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/   "Have I Been Rightly Informed?—Is It So?" Information, Privacy, and Responsibility in Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/volume-43-no-1/anderson/ for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Carrie by Stephen King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781984898104 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

Blake Lefray (from the excellent YouTube channel Below the Fray) joins the show to chat about Dr. Strangelove, mass market paperbacks, suburban feuds, and more.   Follow Blake's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BelowTheFray   Follow Blake's substack: https://belowthefray.substack.com/   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780142410332   The Trial by Franz Kafka https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9789363113756   On Beauty by Zadie Smith https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143037743    join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

today, I'm revisiting some of the Christian fiction that shaped both me and some of the listeners. if you grew up going to youth group and checking Plugged In to see how many swear words The Bourne Supremacy had…this episode is for you. topics discussed include The Shack, Babylon Rising, the John Birch Society, Frank Peretti, and more.   check out my new short film "Green Sky Bastards", starring Miles Bonsignore, on the Shoulda Books Patreon. you can sign up for a membership for $4.99/month, or buy the film a la carte for $3. https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662   next month, we're reading a TBD Stephen King book for spooky season follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

author and screenwriter (and my former boss on many a set) Amanda Mortlock joins the show to talk about her steamy new novel Strange Bedfellows, the tropes she can't stand, His Dark Materials, and possibly the most whimsical heist of the century.   in the ad-free, extended version, Amanda and I discuss our shared lore in the halcyon days of Verizon's Go90 streaming service. check it out on the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks pre-order "Strange Bedfellows", available everywhere September 22 via Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Strange-Bedfellows/Amanda-Mortlock/9781668205778   follow Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandydemoo/   follow Strange Bellows on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@strangebedfellowsbook books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780440418320   The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780385490818   The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101981634 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

today I'm talking about the most challenging book I've read so far in 2026, Toni Morrison's Beloved.   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416   join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg