

So Many Damn Books
Christopher Hermelin
A blessing, a curse, a podcast, since 2014. Christopher (@cdhermelin) invites folks to the Damn Library to talk about reading, literature, publishing, and trying to make it through the never-dwindling stack of things to read. All with a themed drink in hand. Recorded at the Damn Library in Brooklyn, NY. For show info, book lists, and drink recipes, follow @somanydamnbooks and visit somanydamnbooks.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 17, 2026 • 1h 17min
254: Kathleen Boland (SCAVENGERS) & Joy Williams' THE QUICK AND THE DEAD
Kathleen Boland road trips into the Damn Library Hyperspace to talk about her novel Scavengers, which also means talking about karaoke, the magic of Utah, treasure hunts, and complicated mother-daughter relationships. Plus, she brings along Christopher’s first Joy Williams’ work, The Quick and the Dead which complements Scavengers nicely. Get on the road and listen in.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-254music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 27, 2026 • 1h 4min
253: Drew Broussard Runs By (Stephen King's THE RUNNING MAN & Edgar Wright's THE RUNNING MAN)
Drew Broussard (former co-host of this show, current Lit Hub Radio host, Manager at Rough Draft) stops in for a SPOILER-FILLED chat about the dichotomy that is Richard Bachman/Stephen King, and both the book and the movie of The Running Man (the Edgar Wright one).[note: we stop spoiling plot points for the book and movie at 48:55 or so]Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-253music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 10, 2026 • 24min
252: Reading Journal – Aimee Bender
Christopher re-read all of Aimee Bender and decided to talk about it.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-252music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 17, 2025 • 1h 4min
251: Alix E. Harrow (THE EVERLASTING) & Nicola Griffith's MENEWOOD
Alix E. Harrow drops into the Damn Library to talk about the everyday magic of being alive and writing really good books, like her newest one The Everlasting, Christopher’s favorite book of the year. Plus, she recommended Nicola Griffith’s Menewood and it leads to encomiums galore, because it’s a fantastic series that earns every one of its many pages.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-251music: Disaster Magichttps://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 26, 2025 • 38min
250: Sarah Interviews Christopher about 250 Episodes
250 episodes in, Sarah interviews Christopher about some of the behind the scenes details about making So Many Damn Books.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-250music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 5, 2025 • 59min
249: Erin Somers (THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR) & Susie Boyt's LOVED AND MISSED
Erin Somers returns to the Damn Library, this time virtually, for a punny cocktail and a chat about her novel The Ten Year Affair, expanding her lens, millennial marriage, and how she feels about her debut novel Stay Up with Hugo Best six years on. Plus she brings the quietly devastating/sardonically funny Susie Boyt’s Loved and Missed.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-249music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 22, 2025 • 1h 9min
248: Patrick Ryan (BUCKEYE) & Christopher Isherwood's A SINGLE MAN
Patrick Ryan drops into the Damn Library Soda Shoppe for a chocolate peanut butter egg cream and a chat about his much-lauded novel Buckeye. We chat about a family secret that fueled the book, how he achieves the right tone, and how he discovered the spirit realm on the page. Plus, he brings along Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, and we slightly debate the ending.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-248music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 1, 2025 • 1h 10min
247: Mona Awad (WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY) & Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
Mona Awad becomes the most frequent guest of So Many Damn Books with this appearance, chatting We Love You, Bunny, how it’s a good time to make fun of yourself, and the pleasure of getting too deep into a narrative, even if you can’t find your way back out. Plus, she brings along the classic The Wind in the Willows, and talks why she almost didn’t want to recommend it.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-247music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 12, 2025 • 53min
246: Kerry Cullen (HOUSE OF BETH) & Nicky Gonzalez's MAYRA
Kerry Cullen drops in, in person, so I smoke a cocktail (and forget to mention that Manhattans contain vermouth). We get to talking about working in books and then writing a book, shocking your writing group, and the best places to write. And then we talk about Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, another book about a character revisiting their past and finding ghosts. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-246music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 27, 2025 • 1h 7min
245: Leonie Swann (BIG BAD WOOL, THREE BAGS FULL, AGNES SHARPE) & Robert Jackson Bennett's THE TAINTED CUP
Held it together pretty well interviewing Leonie Swann, the author of one of my favorite novels of all time, Three Bags Full, about her recently translated sequel Big Bad Wool, and all the pleasures of stepping back into the river a changed person. Plus, she brings along The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, a surprisingly fun fantasy detective novel series beginning.Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdbFor the drink recipe, every book and link mentioned, and more, visit: https://www.somanydamnbooks.com/episodes/episode-245music: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


