NovelClass
69 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsEvery month, host Dave Pezza and an all-star guest pick a book, give it a read, and record their qualms, praises, and bad jokes. Nothing is off the table, and we’re mostly sober. If you’ve had the book club blues like us, then NovelClass is your newest, nerdiest friend. No rubber stamps, no shameless plugs, only friendly banter and constructive criticisms. NovelClass is part of the Writer's Bone Podcast Network.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Interview: Gila Green, Author of With A Good Eye
February 14, 2024 05:00 - 32 minutes - 28 MBAuthor Gila Green chats with host Dave Pezza about her upcoming novel With A Good Eye (out Aug. 22 from Ace of Swords Publishing). NovelClass is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm (NOVELCLASS).
City on Fire by Don Winslow
April 26, 2023 04:00 - 54 minutes - 74.4 MBHost Dave Pezza is joined by Guido Fargiorgio and Eric Prive to discuss Don Winslow's City on Fire. NovelClass is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm (NOVELCLASS).
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
March 01, 2023 21:50 - 44 minutes - 61.1 MBWelcome back to NovelClass, your book club podcast! Joining host Dave Pezza on today’s episode author, podcast sherpa, and NovelClass regular Daniel Ford. Ford returns to discuss Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was published on July 5, 2022 by Knopf and is Zevin’s tenth novel. Set in Boston and Los Angeles in the late ‘09s and early 2000s, the book chronicles the friendships and love affairs of Sadie Green and Sam Mauser from th...
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (With Guest Host Erin Somers)
April 27, 2022 15:30 - 58 minutes - 80.5 MBNovelClass is back! Host Dave Pezza is joined by Erin Somers, author of Stay Up With Hugo Best and co-host of the Mr. Difficult podcast, and Daniel Ford, author of Black Coffee and co-founder of the Writer's Bone Podcast Network. The trio discuss Jonathan Franzen's most recent novel, Crossroads. NovelClass is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm (NOVELCLASS), Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog, and A Mighty Blaze podcast.
5.04: Nick and The Great Gatsby
August 05, 2021 13:03 - 44 minutes - 60.7 MBIn Episode 5.04, host Dave Pezza and guest host Daniel Ford (Black Coffee, Sid Sanford Lives!) channel their inner Nick Carraway and sit in the corner and make note of all the goings on in Michael Farris Smith's Nick and F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby.
5.03: Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri (With Guest Host Mark Cecil)
June 30, 2021 04:00 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBIn Episode 5.03, author and journalist Mark Cecil, host of The Thoughtful Bro author interview series with A Mighty Blaze, joins host Dave Pezza to discuss Whereabouts by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. As if Lahiri’s body of work wasn’t impressive enough, she had to raise the bar even high with Whereabouts, which was published in April 2021 by Knopf. The author fell in love with Italy and Italian so deeply that she wrote this book in Italian first and then translated it to En...
Episode 5.02: The Five Wounds by Kristin Valdez Quade (With Guest Host Steph Post)
April 28, 2021 04:00 - 59 minutes - 81.3 MBOn today’s episode, Steph Post, author of Holding Smoke, returns to NovelClass to discuss Kristin Valdez Quade’s debut novel The Five Wounds. The Five Wounds was published on March 30, 2021 by W. W. Norton & Company and is author Kristin Valdez Quade’s debut novel. Set in Las Penas, New Mexico in the late 2000s, The Five Wounds tells the story of Amadeo Padilla and his family. Amadeo, 33, unemployed, and living with his mother, has been recently inducted into a secret Catholic society with...
5.02: The Five Wounds by Kristin Valdez Quade (With Guest Host Steph Post)
April 28, 2021 04:00 - 59 minutes - 81.3 MBOn today’s episode, Steph Post, author of Holding Smoke, returns to NovelClass to discuss Kristin Valdez Quade’s debut novel The Five Wounds. The Five Wounds was published on March 30, 2021 by W. W. Norton & Company and is author Kristin Valdez Quade’s debut novel. Set in Las Penas, New Mexico in the late 2000s, The Five Wounds tells the story of Amadeo Padilla and his family. Amadeo, 33, unemployed, and living with his mother, has been recently inducted into a secret Catholic society with...
5.01: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
March 31, 2021 04:00 - 59 minutes - 81.6 MBFor the Season 5 premiere, host Dave Pezza is joined by NovelClass co-creator, author, and host of the Writer’s Bone podcast Daniel Ford. The pair discuss Klara and the Sun by Nobel Prize laureate Kazuo Ishiguro. Published on March 2, 2021 by Faber and Faber, Klara and the Sun is narrated by the titular Klara, an artificial friend, who has been bought as a companion to Josie, a sickly teenage girl. In her new home Klara must learn as much as she can about her new friend and the dystopian w...
4:12 The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
December 23, 2020 02:14 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBIn the Season 4 finale, Dave Pezza and guest host Daniel Ford (Writer's Bone co-host and author of Black Coffee) close out the year by discussing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle." This episode is sponsored by Libro.fm.
4.11: Hanukkah Special With Author Gila Green
December 10, 2020 12:52 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBWelcome to NovelClass’ Hanukkah Special! Dave Pezza is joined today by author Gila Green. Gila and Dave sat down to talk about her Hanukkah story “Roller Coaster” off of her 2019 short story collection, White Zion. White Zion was published on May 3, 2019 by Cervena Barva Press is collection of linked stories following the journey of a Yemenite family. Please enjoy our discussion of “Roller Coaster” and Happy Hanukkah! Today's episode is sponsored by Libro.fm.
4.10: Simon Han's Nights When Nothing Happened
November 30, 2020 19:04 - 41 minutes - 56.8 MBOn today’s episode, Daniel Ford, author and host of the Writer’s Bone podcast, reprises his role as co-host. Daniel and host Dave Pezza sat down to discuss Nights When Nothing Happened by Simon Han. Nights When Nothing Happened was published on November 17, 2020 by Riverhead Books and is Simon Han’s debut novel. Set in Plano, Texas in November of 2004, Nights When Nothing Happened follows the Cheng family, immigrants from the Chinese city of Tianjin. As the family’s matriarch, Patty Cheng ...
4.09: Stephen Graham Jones' The Only Good Indians
October 28, 2020 04:00 - 53 minutes - 74 MBIn Episode 4.09, host Dave Pezza is joined by his good friends Guido Fargiorgio and Eric Prive. Eric, Guido, and Dave discussed The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Published on July 14, 2020 by Saga Press, The Only Good Indians is the story of four childhood Native American friends of the Blackfoot Tribe and their fate years after a hunting trip gone wrong. As adults, they are not only challenged by the struggles that many Native Americans face living on a reservation, including...
4.08: A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen (With Guest Host Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne)
September 30, 2020 04:00 - 47 minutes - 65.7 MBOn today’s episode, host Dave Pezza is joined by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne, author of the novel Holding on to Nothing, and they discussed A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen. Published on January 14, 2020 by Mira Books, A Beginning at the End thrusts its readers into a world ravaged by a pervasive respiratory virus that has killed over 70% of the global population. Six years after the outbreak, the world is rebuilding. What remains of humanity has been condensed into a string of metros, ...
4.07: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (With Guest Host Melissa Faliveno)
August 26, 2020 04:00 - 52 minutes - 72.3 MBOn this episode, host Dave Pezza is joined by Melissa Faliveno, author of the essay collection, Tomboyland. Melissa and Dave recently chatted about The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. Published on March 24, 2020 by Harper Collins, The Glass Hotel is Mandel’s fifth novel, and the follow up to her 2014, National-Book-Award-shortlisted novel Station Eleven. Set in various time periods between the 1950s and the late 2010s as well as various locations, including New York City, Toronto, an...
4.06: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (With Guest Host John Vercher)
July 29, 2020 04:00 - 41 minutes - 56.8 MBIn Episode 4.06, Dave Pezza is joined by John Vercher, author of the novel, Three-Fifths. John and Dave sat down to discuss The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Published on July 16, 2019 by Doubleday, The Nickel Boys is Colson Whitehead’s seventh novel and winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Set in a Floridian juvenile reformatory school in the 1960s, The Nickel Boys tells the story of Elwood Curtis, a bright African American teenager who is arrested after accidentally riding i...
4:05: John Vercher's Three-Fifths
June 30, 2020 04:00 - 37 minutes - 68.5 MBIn this special episode of NovelClass, Dave Pezza is joined by author and co-creator of the Writer’s Bone podcast, Daniel Ford. Ford returns to the show to discuss John Vercher’s debut novel, Three-Fifths. Published on September 10, 2019 by Agora Books, Three-Fifths portrays the struggles of Bobby Saraceno, a biracial 20-something man living in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s. As Bobby and his recovering alcoholic mother Isabel struggle to make ends meet waiting tables, Aaron, Bobby’s best fri...
4:04: C Pam Zhang's How Much of These Hills Is Gold (With Guest Host Kelly J. Ford)
May 27, 2020 13:01 - 50 minutes - 91.8 MBThis month, host Dave Pezza is joined by Kelly J. Ford, author of the novel Cottonmouths, to discuss How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang. Published on April 7, 2020 by Riverhead Books, How Much of These Hills Is Gold tells the story of two preteen siblings, Lucy and Sam, who awaken to find their father, their only remaining family, dead. Amidst Zhang’s reimagining of the American West in the 19th century, Lucy and Sam must bury their father, make peace with their family’s past, ...
4.03: Haruki Murakami & Ernest Hemingway’s Men Without Women
April 29, 2020 19:21 - 1 hour - 121 MBThis month, Dave Pezza is joined by none other than Daniel Ford, author and host of the Writer’s Bone podcast. Daniel returns once again to NovelClass to discuss a pair of short story collections titled Men Without Women. This first is Ernest Hemingway’s famous collection, first published in 1927. The second is by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, originally published in the Japanese in 2014. First published in 1927 by Charles Scribner’s Sons, Ernest Hemingway’s Men Without Women was Heming...
4.02: The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas (With Guest Host Gila Green)
March 25, 2020 04:00 - 58 minutes - 107 MBThis week, author Gila Green reprises her role as co-host to discuss The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas. Green is the author of several novels. Her most recent, No Entry, is a young adult novel following the trials of 17-year-old Yael Amar as she explores an elephant conservation program in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. No Entry is available now wherever books are sold. The Last Watchman of Old Cairo was published on March 13, 2018 by Spiegel & Grau. In his seco...
4.01: Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley (With Guest Host Phoef Sutton)
February 26, 2020 05:00 - 52 minutes - 96.7 MBHost Dave Pezza is joined by Phoef Sutton, co-host of Film Freaks Forever!, to discuss The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. They also chat about the two film adaptations of the novel, the 1999 American film of the same name, as well as a 1960 French adaptation called “Purple Noon.” Next read: The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas (with guest host Gila Green).
Announcing NovelClass Season 4 Premiere
February 18, 2020 19:41 - 1 minute - 1.96 MBNovelClass is back for Season 4! The first episode of the new season will air on Wednesday, February 26. Host Dave Pezza will be joined by Phoef Sutton, co-host of the Film Freaks Forever! podcast, and they’ll be discussing The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. They'll also chat about the two film adaptations of the novel, the 1999 American film of the same name, as well as a 1960 French adaptation called “Purple Noon.” Lastly, the show's format is changing slightly. Dave will b...
3.17: Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie (With Guest Host Annie Hartnett)
December 18, 2019 04:41 - 54 minutes - 99.2 MBDave Pezza and guest host Annie Hartnett (Rabbit Cake) close out NovelClass Season 3 with a discussion about Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie. This episode was recorded live at Green Line Apothecary in Providence, R.I. NovelClass is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.16: Lucy Ellmann's Ducks, Newburyport
December 04, 2019 05:00 - 47 minutes - 86.7 MBIn Episode 3.16, Dave Pezza, Daniel Ford, and Porter Square Books' booksellers Josh Cook and Kate Mikell chat about Lucy Ellmann's Ducks, Newburyport. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.15: Erica Wright's Famous in Cedarville
November 20, 2019 05:00 - 33 minutes - 61.8 MBIn Episode 3.15, Dave Pezza and Daniel Ford (Sid Sanford Lives!, Black Coffee) discuss Erica Wright's winning new novel Famous in Cedarville. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3:14: Paul Tremblay's Growing Things and Other Things
November 07, 2019 01:48 - 49 minutes - 90.2 MBEpisode 3.14 features Dave Pezza and author Daniel Ford discussing Growing Things And Other Stories by Paul Tremblay. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.13: Bianca Marais' If You Want to Make God Laugh (With Guest Host Gila Green)
October 23, 2019 03:05 - 1 hour - 125 MBIn Episode 3.13, host Dave Pezza chats with author Gila Green (No Entry, Passport Control) about Bianca Marais' If You Want to Make God Laugh. To celebrate Gila Green's recent novel No Entry, and her appearance on the show, Stormbird Press is offering an exclusive deal! NovelClass listeners can download a free eBook copy of No Entry from the Stormbird BookFunnel Page and get a 25% discount (plus postage) on print or eBook copies of the book when purchased direct from Stormbird Press Sto...
3.12: Susan Choi's Trust Exercise (With Guest Host James Charlesworth)
October 09, 2019 01:52 - 1 hour - 117 MBEpisode 3.12, recorded live from Barrington Books in Cranston, R.I., features Dave Pezza and special guest James Charlesworth (The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill) discussing Susan Choi's National Book Award finalist Trust Exercise. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.11: The Laws of the Skies by Gregoire Courtois
September 25, 2019 02:00 - 1 hour - 116 MBIn Episode 3.11, Dave Pezza, Eric Privy, and Guido Fargiorgio discuss The Laws of the Skies by Gregoire Courtois live from Proclamation Ale Company.
3.10: Lou Berney’s November Road (With Guest Host Edwin Hill)
September 11, 2019 01:39 - 48 minutes - 88 MBIn Episode 3.10, author Edwin Hill (Little Comfort, The Missing Ones) and Dave Pezza take a deep dive into Lou Berney’s November Road. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom. Our next episode, which airs on Sept. 25, features Dave Pezza, Eric Privy, and Guido Fargiorgio discussing The Laws of the Skies by Gregoire Courtois.
Announcing NovelClass' Season 3 Fall Schedule
September 04, 2019 17:49 - 1 minute - 2.68 MBNovelClass returns Sept. 11! Here's our September lineup: Sept.11: November Road by Lou Berney (with guest host Edwin Hill) Sept. 25: The Laws of the Skies by Gregoire Courtois (with guest hosts Eric Privy & Guido Fargiorgio live at Proclamation Ale Company) Sept. 26: Live recording at Barrington Books in Cranston, R.I. with authors James Charlesworth and Daniel Ford, discussing Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
3.09: David Eggers' The Parade (With Guest Host Caitlin Malcuit)
June 19, 2019 04:00 - 46 minutes - 84.4 MBIn Episode 3.09, Dave Pezza is once again joined by Caitlin Malcuit, host of Friday Morning Coffee on the Writer's Bone podcast. The pair discuss David Eggers' The Parade. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.08: Angie Kim's Miracle Creek (With Guest Host Vanessa Lillie)
June 05, 2019 13:19 - 46 minutes - 84.8 MBIn Episode 3.08, Dave Pezza and guest host Vanessa Lillie (Little Voices) discuss Angie Kim's Miracle Creek. This episode was recorded live at The Nook Coffee House in East Greenwich, R.I. and is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.07: Gila Green's Passport Control
May 29, 2019 04:00 - 44 minutes - 82 MBIn Episode 3.07, Dave Pezza and guest host Daniel Ford (Black Coffee, Sid Sanford Lives!) discuss Gila Green's Passport Control. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.06: Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (With Guest Host Phoef Sutton)
May 08, 2019 03:45 - 1 hour - 110 MBIn Episode 3.06, Phoef Sutton (From Away, Colorado Boulevard) returns to NovelClass and talks to Dave Pezza about Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.05: Nico Walker's Cherry
April 24, 2019 04:09 - 41 minutes - 76.1 MBIn Episode 3.05, Dave Pezza chats with author Daniel Ford (Black Coffee, Sid Sanford Lives!) about Nico Walker's Cherry. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.04: Leila Slimani's The Perfect Nanny (With Guest Host Jessica Jarlvi)
April 10, 2019 04:00 - 53 minutes - 97.6 MBIn Episode 3.04, Dave Pezza chats with author Jessica Jarlvi (When I Wake Up and What Did I Do?) about Leila Slimani's The Perfect Nanny. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.03: Diane Setterfield's Once Upon a River (With Guest Host Steph Post)
March 27, 2019 04:59 - 55 minutes - 102 MBIn Episode 3.03, Dave Pezza and guest host Steph Post (Miraculum, Lightwood) discuss Diane Setterfield's Once Upon a River.
3.02: Lyndsay Faye's The Paragon Hotel (With Guest Host Erica Wright)
March 13, 2019 04:00 - 50 minutes - 92.8 MBDave Pezza and guest host author Erica Wright (The Blue Kingfisher, All the Bayou Stories End with Drowned) discuss Lyndsay Faye's The Paragon Hotel. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.01: Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore
February 28, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 126 MBLive from What Cheer Writers Club in Providence, R.I., host Dave Pezza is joined by authors K Chess (Famous Men Who Never Lived, out March 5 from Tin House Books) and Daniel Ford (Sid Sanford Lives!) to discuss Haruki Murakami's mind-bending epic Kafka on the Shore. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
3.0: Announcing Season 3 Premiere at What Cheer Writers Club on Feb. 26
February 22, 2019 05:00 - 1 minute - 1.91 MBAn angsty runaway teenager. A mysterious wartime phenomenon. A small town library hiding secrets. Talking cats. Fish rain! What in the what is Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore? NovelClass' Season 3 premiere is going to sort it all out! Live from What Cheer Writers Club in Providence, R.I., host Dave Pezza and authors K Chess and Daniel Ford will explore Murakami's writing style, his characters and dialogue, and more! Light refreshments will be served and NovelClass swag will be liber...
2.15: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
December 17, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBIn the Season 2 finale, Dave Pezza and Daniel Ford take a shot of Christmas cheer and discuss Charles Dickens' holiday classic A Christmas Carol. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
2.14: Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
December 03, 2018 22:42 - 40 minutes - 74.3 MBDave Pezza and Alyssa Penny discuss Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
2.13: Rachel Kushner's The Mars Room
November 19, 2018 21:23 - 39 minutes - 72.7 MBDave Pezza and Daniel Ford discuss Rachel Kushner's The Mars Room. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
2.12: Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing (With Guest Host Eric Bennett)
October 29, 2018 04:00 - 53 minutes - 98.8 MBDave Pezza and special guest host Eric Bennett (A Big Enough Lie) discuss Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
2.11: Tadzio Koelb's Trenton Makes (With Guest Host Elliot Ackerman)
October 15, 2018 04:43 - 49 minutes - 89.8 MBDave Pezza and special guest host Elliot Ackerman (Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing) discuss Tadzio Koelb's debut novel Trenton Makes. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
2.10: Laura Van Den Berg's The Third Hotel (With Guest Host Caitlin Malcuit)
October 01, 2018 04:00 - 36 minutes - 67.4 MBDave Pezza and guest host Caitlin Malcuit discuss Laura Van Den Berg's The Third Hotel. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.
2:09: Tommy Orange's There There
September 17, 2018 04:00 - 43 minutes - 79.5 MBDave Pezza, Rebecca Weston, and Daniel Ford discuss Tommy Orange's debut novel There There. Today's episode is sponsored by OneRoom and was recorded at the PRX Podcast Garage in Allston, Mass.
2.08: Domenico Starnone’s Trick
September 04, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 113 MBNovelClass is back from its mid-season break! Host Dave Pezza is joined by guest readers and childhood friends Kevin Almonte, Robert Bucci, and Guido Fargiorgio to discuss Domenico Starnone’s Trick. This episode was recorded on the road at the University of Texas at Austin and is sponsored by OneRoom.
2.07: Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch (With Guest Hosts Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford)
June 11, 2018 04:00 - 42 minutes - 77.8 MBIn Season 2’s mid-season finale, recorded live at Belmont Books, Dave Pezza is joined by guest readers Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford to discuss Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch. Today’s episode is sponsored by OneRoom.