

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

Dec 18, 2019 • 34min
127: So Many Damn Christmases (The SMDB Holiday Album)
All of this audio is from Christopher and Drew recording the SMDB holiday album! They even included some actual tunes: three seasonal classics with a bookish twist plus one original Christmas tune. They did end up discussing books amongst the singing, finding time to talk about some of their favorite books of the decade, and the merits and drawbacks of such lists, as well as give each other presents. Merry Merry and Happy Holidays to one and all.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.comMusic by: Christopher and Drew, the Moose Masquerade Choir, Dani Lencioni, Ethan Helm, and Andrew Sheron at Conveyor Studios -- along with Millstones for his Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Electrohouse Remix) and O Tannenbaum recorded by Dan Lerch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 3, 2019 • 51min
126: Kate Racculia (TUESDAY MOONEY TALKS TO GHOSTS) & Ling Ma's "Severance"
Kate Racculia stops into the Damn Library and she brings lots of laughter. We all talk about how her new novel is her Indiana Jones novel, and how it's a Westing Game novel too, and maybe a couple other novels. The details of Boston and creating her own Holmes character are also up for discussion. Plus, all three talk about details of Ling Ma's Severance with reverence. And more!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Hotel Hiouchihttps://hotelhiouchi.bandcamp.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 19, 2019 • 54min
125: Helen Phillips (THE NEED) & Samanta Schweblin's FEVER DREAM
Helen Phillips jumps right into the surreal and strange place that is the Damn Library. She's well used to it, since she's the person who wrote The Need, which we all talk about, and its depiction of motherhood, and the weird, and many other vague details that we dance around since we really don't want to spoil anything. We also talk about Samanta Schweblin's Fever Dream, which has no baseline of normalcy, and maybe the original title in Spanish makes more sense for it. Get into it.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 5, 2019 • 32min
124: Reading Snapshot
Christopher and Drew hang out and talk books. You know, like they usually do. They invite you to their 5th Birthday Party for the podcast (!!!) which is at King Tai Bar, in Brooklyn, on November 13th, at 7pm, and you're invited. They also talk some Harry Potter, some Stephen King, a honeymoon vacation reading disaster, and dreams in books. Plus, other things. Thanks for listening! Here's to 5 more!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 22, 2019 • 54min
123: Jami Attenberg (ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS) & Sarah Broom's THE YELLOW HOUSE
Jami Attenberg is in the midst of starting of her book tour when she drops into The Damn Library to discuss her new novel, All This Could Be Yours. We talk about New Orleans, and time, and being a writer online, and how it feels to be on her seventh book, and running a writing prompt in the summer, amongst other things. She brings us Sarah M. Broom's The Yellow House and we talk about New Orleans in Broom's context and the project of recent history. It's all happening!Plus an invitation at the end for NYC-local listeners. Stay tuned!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 8, 2019 • 54min
122: Lisa Brennan-Jobs (SMALL FRY) & Marilynne Robinson's HOUSEKEEPING
Lisa Brennan-Jobs drops into the Damn Library to discuss Small Fry, her coming-of-age memoir about growing up the daughter of Christian Brennan and Steve Jobs. We get into the slipperiness of memory, the selfishness of memoir, and the loneliness of childhood, as well as whether her book is actually "California Gothic." She brings us Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping and of course the unconventional childhoods described within makes us connect it back to her book. Plus, so much more.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 24, 2019 • 1h
121: Courtney Maum (COSTALEGRE) & Aaron Schulman's THE AGE OF DISENCHANTMENTS
Courtney Maum drops into the Damn Library to imbibe a tequila and mezcal cocktail and talk about her new novel Costalegre. She gets into her past as a tequila promoter, we talk about how Peggy and Pegeen Guggenheim ended up fictionalized in her novel, and we discuss the travails of the social media side to writing. We also dive into The Age of Disenchantments by Aaron Schulman, discovering the Paneros and the unexpected mirror they hold to modern life. contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 10, 2019 • 30min
120: Back to School
Christopher and Drew enjoy a fall-tinged cocktail and get wistful about going back to school. Christopher's mom's new library prompts a discussion of all types of books you read for school, from the chores to the books from the canon that meant something to the books we ought to call our anti-canon. Chime in! Please tweet, instagram, email us, and tell us your own personal additions to the canon.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 27, 2019 • 59min
119: Benjamin Dreyer (DREYER'S ENGLISH) & Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE
Random House Copy Chief Benjamin Dreyer stops into the Damn Library to talk to Christopher and Drew about his new utterly correct style guide, Dreyer's English, as well as working as a copy chief, the reading life of someone dedicated to books as he is, and which editorial meetings leave him floating. Also, we discuss what his next book will be! Then we get into Shirley Jackson and The Haunting of Hill House and if anyone got scared while reading it, plus, what it's like to edit an author who isn't there to correct you. One for the books!contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 13, 2019 • 58min
118: Mira Jacob (GOOD TALK) & Toni Morrison's SULA
The night before Toni Morrison passed away, Mira Jacob came by the Damn Library to discuss her new graphic memoir Good Talk and Morrison's Sula. Fueled by tequila and champagne, we get into how playing with paper dolls felt like freedom when compared to writing an essay, and how her son feels about being not-famous, and trying to heal her family through her work. Plus: why Mira reads Sula all the damn time and how Morrison sets your head on fire.contribute! https://patreon.com/smdbfor drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.commusic: Disaster Magic(https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


