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The Big Book Club Podcast from Arlington Public Library

Dec 3, 2021

This month we read Nghi Vo’s “The Chosen and the Beautiful,” a retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic, “The Great Gatsby,” told from the perspective of Jordan Baker, a side character in Fitzgerald’s novel. The Jazz Age Nghi Vo creates is both brighter and darker – it's magical and queer, and Jay...


Nov 2, 2021

Victor LaValle’s 2016 fantasy-horror novella “The Ballad of Black Tom,” which revisits H.P. Lovecraft’s 1925 short story “The Horror at Red Hook,” is an excellent example of an author not only building upon but surpassing the foundations of a literary genre.

Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. So if...


Oct 1, 2021

This is the first episode of our third season, and “The Anatomy of Desire” is the perfect book to introduce our fall reading theme and schedule. In season two we tackled a variety of western classics and foundational texts. With this book we’re beginning to explore the work built on those foundations. Published in...


Aug 16, 2021

This week on the podcast we’re talking about the “The Wee Free Men,” a 2003 fantasy novel that takes places in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld universe. "The Wee Free Men” is the first Discworld book that features Tiffany Aching, and the first truly YA book in the series.

Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled...


Jul 23, 2021

This week we break down the roots of the hard boiled detective novel with Raymond Chandler's iconic 1939 crime novel, "The Big Sleep."

Episode Links

The Big Sleep,” by Raymond Chandler

Reading

Pete – “Shock Value” by Jason Zinoman

Jennie - “Antonio” by Beatriz Bracher

Megan – “One by One” by Ruth...