Book Blurbs
44 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsBook Blurbs delivers substantive reviews of books and short stories to help you decide if they're worth adding to your reading list.
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Episodes
Death of a Salesman
February 03, 2023 14:00 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBIn this episode, Kenneth ponders what it means to live in a society that promises a lot but guarantees nothing. Does the inherent struggle for success make the American Dream unachievable for most people? What is your favorite work by Arthur Miller? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
December 19, 2022 14:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBIn the final episode of 2022, Kenneth explores the differences between art and culture and sees how long a man can outlast or ignore his conscience in the face of a series of immoral actions. What is your favorite work by Oscar Wilde? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
Station Eleven
November 13, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBIn this episode, Kenneth and a returning friend of the podcast ponder how important art and culture are to the survival of humanity in a world that has been forever changed by a pandemic. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Maybe a little too close to real life... Did you like the Station Eleven book or show more? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also...
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales
October 19, 2022 13:00 - 41 minutes - 38.9 MBIn this episode, Kenneth encounters the mysterious, evil Mr. Hyde, who is terrorizing Victorian London and the respectable Dr. Jekyll. Can Dr. Jekyll's lawyer and friend, Mr. Utterson, expose Mr. Hyde and save Dr. Jekyll in time? Have you read The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde or any of the other strange tales I covered in this episode? Let me know what you thought of them by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/b...
The Turn of the Screw
October 09, 2022 13:00 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MBIn this episode, Kenneth finds himself in another haunted house...or is it really? Are ghosts actually present, or is this the classic case of not being able to trust the unreliable first-person narrator? Let me know what you think by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. Find the full text of The Turn o...
SPOILER DISCUSSION: Where the Crawdads Sing Movie
September 25, 2022 13:00 - 39 minutes - 37.6 MBIn this special episode, Kenneth is joined by two guests to discuss their spoiler-filled thoughts on the Where the Crawdads Sing movie. How many times have you seen the movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing? Do you think it was mostly faithful to the book? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bo...
The Underground Railroad
June 05, 2022 13:00 - 17 minutes - 16.6 MBIn this episode, Kenneth explores Colson Whitehead's conception of the Underground Railroad, in which it's no mere metaphor, but rather a literal railroad system with engineers and conductors who operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels. Which state that Cora stopped in captivated your attention the most in this book? Have you watched The Underground Railroad television series? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://w...
Animal Farm
April 10, 2022 13:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBIn this episode, Kenneth tries to make sense of what is going on at Manor Farm, and the animals there don't seem to take too kindly to humans for some reason... Who is your favorite character in Animal Farm? Let me know who it is and why by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
SPOILER DISCUSSION: Where the Crawdads Sing
March 23, 2022 00:03 - 1 hour - 63.3 MBIn this bonus episode, Kenneth and a special returning guest give their spoiler-filled thoughts on Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. What are you most excited for and most nervous about for the film adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
BONUS DISCUSSION: Dune and Star Wars
January 16, 2022 14:00 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBIn this special bonus segment, Kenneth and Alex compare and contrast Dune and Star Wars. Which property do you prefer more: Star Wars or Dune? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. Follow Alex on Twitter @maxsonyte.
Dune
January 09, 2022 14:00 - 55 minutes - 51 MBIn this episode, Kenneth and a special returning guest explore the spice-filled sands of the desert planet Arrakis to uncover the legend of Muad'Dib. Which film adaptation of Dune is your favorite? Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. Follow this episode's guest on Twitter @maxsonyte.
Song of Solomon
December 19, 2021 14:00 - 42 minutes - 40.4 MBIn this episode, Kenneth and a special returning guest take flight and accompany Milkman Dead on an odyssey that could very well be the classic myth of our generation. Who is your favorite character in Song of Solomon? Let me know who it is and why by sending me an email at [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
Dracula
October 31, 2021 13:00 - 20 minutes - 19.4 MBIn this episode, the "Crew of Light" recruits Kenneth to help them hunt down the most notorious vampire of all time, Dracula. Will the modern technology of the time give them enough of an advantage over Dracula to outsmart him and take him down once and for all? It's the classic question. Which book do you prefer: Dracula or Frankenstein? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblur...
The Book of Lamentations + The Book of Baruch
October 03, 2021 13:00 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBIn this double-header episode, Kenneth reflects on the two books that immediately follow the Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament of the Roman Catholic Bible, the Book of Lamentations and the Book of Baruch. How are these books connected, what do they tell us about this part of Israel's history, and how can they speak to our faith lives today? Have you read the Book of Lamentations or the Book of Baruch? Do you tend to go back to the same books in Scripture or do you occasionally try ventu...
The Book of Jeremiah
September 19, 2021 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBIn this episode, Kenneth breaks down the longest book of the Bible, the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. Have you read the Book of Jeremiah? Do you have a favorite verse? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
Where the Crawdads Sing
July 11, 2021 13:00 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBIn this episode, Kenneth is transported to the coastal Carolina marsh near the town of Barkley Cove, which is wrapped up in a murder mystery. Who could have killed the popular former star high school quarterback and left his body to rot in the swamp? Did the elusive, legendary marsh girl have anything to do with it? When is the last time you felt sucked into a book's setting? What summer read would you recommend? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social me...
Between the World and Me
June 27, 2021 13:00 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MBIn this episode, Kenneth faces the anger, rage, and sadness of Ta-Nehisi Coates in the book that won him the National Book Award for Nonfiction, Between the World and Me. How does Coates explain what's going on with racism and police brutality in the United States to his teenage son? Have you read any of Ta-Nehisi Coates' books or essays? What did you think of them? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter....
American Dirt
June 13, 2021 13:00 - 34 minutes - 32.1 MBIn this episode, Kenneth goes on the arduous journey from Mexico to the United States with a young mother, Lydia, and her eight-year-old son, Luca, fleeing for their lives from a dangerous cartel hellbent on capturing them before they make it to safety by crossing the border. Along the way, they will encounter all sorts of people. Can they be trusted, or are they agents of the cartel closing in on them? Are Lydia and Luca willing to make the sacrifices necessary to survive as they are tested...
Nuking the Moon
April 25, 2021 13:00 - 29 minutes - 27.7 MBIn this episode, Kenneth uncovers some truly unfathomable intelligence schemes and military plots that never made it off the drawing board. Synthetic goat poop that could defeat the Nazis? A tsunami bomb that could wreak havoc on Japan in World War II? Cigars laced with mind-altering drugs intended to take down Castro in Cuba? Yep, all that and more is detailed in this book! What is the wildest military or government intelligence scheme that you like to tout at trivia night? Let me know by ...
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
February 28, 2021 14:00 - 31 minutes - 29.4 MBIn this episode, Kenneth returns to Panem just in time for the 10th Annual Hunger Games and enters the mind of a young Coriolanus Snow. How will he rise to power and become the President Snow we know from the original trilogy, and what sacrifices will he have to make along the way? What is your favorite Hunger Games book? How about your favorite Hunger Games movie? Are you excited for the movie adaptation of this prequel? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on ...
The Catcher in the Rye
August 09, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBIn this episode, Kenneth enters the cynical mind of rebellious teenager Holden Caulfield, who finds himself expelled from yet another school. Can Holden pull himself together and find happiness somewhere in his life, or is the world so phony that it's all just a hopeless, meaningless endeavor? Did you have to read The Catcher in the Rye in school? Do you think it would make a good movie if Salinger's estate ever permits an adaptation? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow...
A Clockwork Orange
July 26, 2020 14:00 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBIn this episode, Kenneth finds himself in another dystopian world, a world in which teenage criminals run rampant at night, terrorizing the weak and innocent. When the state ultimately intervenes, the question becomes is goodness itself the goal, or is the free choice of goodness more important? Do you prefer Anthony Burgess' book or Stanley Kubrick's film? Which is your ideal version of A Clockwork Orange? What are your thoughts on the final 21st chapter? Is the story better with or withou...
East of Eden
July 12, 2020 14:00 - 58 minutes - 55.2 MBIn this episode, Kenneth follows the intertwined fates of two families and watches as their lives play out according to the familiar biblical story lines of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. What is your favorite story by John Steinbeck and why? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
The Walking Dead
June 28, 2020 14:00 - 45 minutes - 43 MBIn this episode, Kenneth and his special guest take on the zombie apocalypse. Will they make it out alive? Have you read The Walking Dead or watched the show on AMC? Which do you prefer and why? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
The Book of Isaiah
April 19, 2020 13:00 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBIn this episode, Kenneth examines the first of the prophetic books of the Bible, Isaiah. Have you read the Book of Isaiah or any of the prophetic books? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
Sula
April 12, 2020 13:00 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBIn this episode, Kenneth witnesses a once unbreakable friendship between two girls crumble. Can they come together and salvage their relationship? What is your favorite book about friendship? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
The Bluest Eye
February 09, 2020 14:00 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBIn this episode, Kenneth watches a young black girl's obsession with beauty and conformity consume her as her life gradually disintegrates in the face of violent adversity. Have you read Toni Morrison before? Which one of her books is your favorite? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
The Era
February 02, 2020 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBIn this episode, Kenneth meets a character suffering from a terrible drug addiction in a cruel dystopian world. (Please note that the explicit language the author used in the story was replaced with appropriate substitutions when quoting from it.) What is your favorite dystopian short story? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurb...
Bookshelf Tag and Microphone Test
January 19, 2020 14:00 - 27 minutes - 25.7 MBIn this episode, Kenneth tests his new Blue Yeti microphone and gives a little tour of his bookshelf. What did you think of the quality of the Blue Yeti microphone? Do you have any tips on how to achieve the best audio with it or in Audacity? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
Rome Sweet Home
January 12, 2020 14:00 - 26 minutes - 25.3 MBIn this episode, Kenneth learns about Scott and Kimberly Hahn's conversion to Catholicism and why they say it takes the form of a detective story, a horror story, and a romance story all in one. Stay in touch with Book Blurbs by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
January 05, 2020 14:00 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBHappy New Year! In the first episode of 2020, Kenneth tags along with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to try to solve a mystery that involves a hat, a Christmas goose, and a priceless gem. What is your favorite Sherlock Holmes story? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or www.twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
A Christmas Memory
December 29, 2019 15:09 - 22 minutes - 21.3 MBMerry Christmas! In this episode, Kenneth learns how important it is to treasure the simple pleasures in life, no matter how fleeting they may be. What is your favorite Christmas story? What about your favorite story by Truman Capote? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs. See you for more episodes of Book Blurbs in 2020; have a...
Star Wars: Resistance Reborn
December 22, 2019 14:00 - 34 minutes - 33 MBIn this episode, Kenneth learns what it takes for the Resistance to fight back from the edge of extinction and reignite the spark that will light the fire that'll burn the First Order down. Who is your favorite Star Wars author? What Star Wars story would you like to see next? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bo...
The Screwtape Letters
December 17, 2019 13:00 - 24 minutes - 23 MBIn this episode, a senior devil's letters to a junior devil unintentionally offer Kenneth some sound spiritual advice. What is your favorite book by C.S. Lewis? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
Slaughterhouse-Five
December 03, 2019 00:35 - 35 minutes - 33.4 MBFor the finale of the string of Kurt Vonnegut episodes, Kenneth gets unstuck in time with what may be the author's most famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death. What should readers make of Billy Pilgrim's encounter with the toilet plunger aliens, the Tralfamadorians? What does Vonnegut have to say about the nature of war? Do you agree with the book's "so it goes" philosophy? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on soc...
Deer in the Works + Harrison Bergeron
November 24, 2019 14:00 - 49 minutes - 47.2 MBIn this double-header episode, Kenneth is joined by a couple of guests to discuss the uncertainties that come with starting a new job and if there's really such a thing as true equality. Which of these two short stories did you enjoy more? Did you have to read "Harrison Bergeron in high school? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at h...
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow + 2 B R 0 2 B
November 10, 2019 14:00 - 40 minutes - 38.1 MBIn this double-header episode, Kenneth and returning guest Alex examine the consequences of overpopulation and its converse, strict population control, as presented in two of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories. Which setting would you prefer to live in? "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" or "2 B R 0 2 B?" Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice mess...
EPICAC + All the King's Horses
November 03, 2019 14:00 - 46 minutes - 44.1 MBIn this double-header episode, Kenneth and a special guest ponder the humanity of artificial intelligence and talk strategy in an especially cruel, inhumane game of chess. Have you read Kurt Vonnegut before? What's your favorite story he's written? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs.
The Black Cat
October 27, 2019 13:00 - 36 minutes - 34.7 MBHappy Halloween! In this episode, Kenneth and returning guest Mason take a deep dive into Edgar Allan Poe's violent, horrifying short story "The Black Cat." Cat lovers, you have been warned. What's your favorite Edgar Allan Poe short story or poem? Let me know and share your thoughts on "The Black Cat" by emailing [email protected] or posting on the show's social media sites at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message...
Paranoia
October 20, 2019 13:00 - 26 minutes - 25 MBIn this episode, Kenneth and a special guest try to come to terms with what appears to be an ordinary commute home from work that may end up being something much more sinister. What do you think? Is Mr. Beresford paranoid? Send your thoughts to [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/bookblurbs. *Correction: The Narnia quote mentioned in th...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
October 13, 2019 13:00 - 25 minutes - 24.2 MBIn this episode, Kenneth tries to get to the bottom of the mysterious poisoning of the Blackwood family. Mary Katherine Blackwood has a pet cat named Jonas, and he's pretty awesome—kind of fits with the whole Halloween witch vibe we've got going with Shirley Jackson. Do you have a favorite pet from a book you've read? Had you heard of We Have Always Lived in the Castle before this? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/...
The Haunting of Hill House
October 06, 2019 13:00 - 19 minutes - 18 MBIn this episode, Kenneth finds himself trapped in one of the most iconic haunted houses in all of literature. Will he survive the terrors of Hill House and escape with his sanity intact? Have you read any Shirley Jackson before? Who is your favorite horror author? What is the scariest story you have ever read? Which book really gets you into the Halloween spirit? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or ht...
Star Wars: Master & Apprentice
September 29, 2019 13:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBIn this episode, Kenneth ventures into a galaxy far, far away with Claudia Gray's Star Wars: Master & Apprentice. In the first novel in the Disney canon to take place before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, readers follow Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi as they undertake an important mission on a new planet. Will Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's fragile bond crack beyond repair when they come up against the threats awaiting them? Packed with prophecies, political intrigue, glimpses of a certain character...
The Book of Sirach
September 23, 2019 04:25 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBIn the show's very first episode, Kenneth dives into the Book of Sirach, one of the Wisdom Books from the Old Testament of the Bible. Have you read the Book of Sirach? What were your takeaways from it? If you haven't read it yet, what is one of your favorite books of the Bible? Let me know by emailing [email protected] or follow the show on social media at https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or https://twitter.com/bookblurbs19.