#103: Back from Vacation to Rip on Jacket Copy

So after a month away, Chad and Tom are back, discussing the books they read over the summer and breaking down jacket copy for a number of recent books. They're both astounded by how many meaningless phrases they come across (and references to how a book is "necessary"), and also talk about when and how to frame a particular author. Tom rants about how we're reaching the bottom of the barrel in list-making, and Chad gives some love to the Iceland Men's National Team. 

Also, after some befuddling technical difficulties, the podcast is back up at iTunes, so please tell all your friends and family to subscribe and rate us. We're determined to break into the top 200 of literary podcasts . . . 

To listen to this podcast, either subscribe via iTunes at the link above, or just copy this link to add our show's feed to any podcast app: http://threepercent.libsyn.com/rss

And, as always, feel free to send any and all comments or questions to [email protected].

Finally, here's the (hopefully) complete list of books and authors discussed on this week's podcast:

• Imperium: A Fiction of the South Seas by Christian Kracht
• Lovers on All Saints' Day by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
• Binocular Vision by Edith Pearlman 
• You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman
• 3 to Kill by Jean-Patrick Manchette
• The Dead Mountaineer's Inn by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
• Definitely Maybe by Arkady and Boris Sturgatsky
• Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami
• So You Don't Get Lost in the Neighborhood by Patrick Modiano
• Ann Tenna by Marisa Acocella Marchetto 
• Oreo by Fran Ross
• Submission by Michel Houellebecq
• The Illogic of Kassel by Enrique Vila-Matas
• Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa
• The Wallcreeper by Nell Zink
• How's the Pain? and A26 and The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
• Billy and Girl by Deborah Levy
• Zipper Mouth by Laurie Weeks
• Traitors to All by Giorgio Scerbanenco
• Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila
• The Great Swindle by Pierre Lemaître 
• Savage Seasons by Kettly Mars