Tsundoku Book Club

We're joined by Tim to discuss Budayeen Nights. This collection of short stories by George Alec Effinger center on the cyberpunk future in a nameless city, steeped in Middle Eastern culture. What does it take for Leif to enjoy a book? Apparently, good characters, humor, and not holding the reader's hand. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Emily reveals her love of essay collections with Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris. But what do we do when those essays aren't quite what we were expecting? Leif and Emily discuss faulty memories, Rent, and somehow, Israeli apartheid. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

It's 2020, and Tsundoku Book Club is back, leaving apologies for late episodes in the 2010s. Leif starts out strong by going back to his strong suit, complaining about genre fiction after reading Fall of Gods, an illustrated book. Emily and the birthday boy discuss Kickstarter, concept art, and compelling storytelling. Fall of Gods was created by Rasmus Berggreen and Michael Vogt. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Our final episode of the year We have special guest Jamie Bienhoff on to talk about Jane Austen's most famous work, Pride and Prejudice. We discuss required reading, audio books, and adaptations galore. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Emily warns us all about how the media is controlling us, and is being controlled itself. Naturally, a few political rants ensue. We discuss Noam Chomsky, The West Wing, and conspiracy theories. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Leif officially dips his toes into his Steam library, and found two games to play. In one, you can play anything from a cow to a quark, while the other makes you live through the family experience of a child dying from cancer. The biggest similarity between the two is that they're both short. Leif and Emily discuss intention, theory, and what makes a game a enjoyable. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Emily gets a turn at a comic book! She talks about the Adventure Zone graphic novel and the podcast it was borne from. Leif and Emily talk Dungeons and Dragons, the McElroy Family, and fickle preferences. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

This week, Leif gets to enjoy a book, even when it's super depressing! Leif read The Forge of God, by Greg Bear, which he found on the Humble Bundle site. Leif and Emily discuss alien invasions, how non-political presidents in fiction are, and how depressing climate change can be. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

This time, it's Emily's turn to discuss a gift that was appreciated a little late. That gift was Celeste, the pixel-platformer with a killer soundtrack and killer levels. We discuss difficulty and accessibility in videogames, and that's about it. No list of three for you this time around. Don't worry, it'll be back. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

In this episode, Leif tries to talk about the podcast 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back, but just ends up talking about Ready Player One, the bestseller by Ernest Cline. Leif and Emily talk about 80s film, 80s movies, and 80s cinema. They also reflect on how their trivia knowledge makes them better people. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Believe or not, we do occasionally read the books we have just bought. Emily and Leif give their apologies for an irregular schedule by letting you know what they've been reading and playing. Emily discusses buying and eating local foods, and contrasting soothing and frustrating games. Leif talks about unrealistic sci-fi, realistic sci-fi, and wondrous sci-fi. Finally, they try and figure out what's wrong with their priorities. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

In a show about unread books, some books can be read, and left unfinished. Emily discusses Gillian Flynn's Dark Places, from the same author of Gone Girl and Sharp Objects. We discuss likable characters, film adaptations, and what to do when reading gets boring. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

What do you know, a new episode! This time, Leif discusses Dune, Frank Herbert's Sci-Fi classic. His dad, Kent Nelson, comes along for the ride, providing knowledge and shame as Leif once again reads an undeserved present. We discuss the famous book, the infamous movie, and religion in science fiction. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Wrapping up Jesus June and July is Emily reading the entirety of the Chronicles of Narnia! And most of them are good! Leif and Emily discuss religion, mythology, racism, and of course, which of the movies are good or not. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

This week, Leif digs through a theological text that pretends to be about the Peanuts comic strip. You can hear the resignation dripping from his voice throughout the episode. You can also hear the clips in audio as technical issues are had. Bear with us, but we didn't feel like re-recording for a book like this. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

Long time listener Tim Everson joins us once again to discuss Tom Sawyer Abroad, the very real follow-up to Huckleberry Finn. Was this actually written by Mark Twain? Why haven't we heard of this literary achievement? Why must we once again be subjected to Tom Sawyer's insufferable personality?Tim seeks to answer these questions, as well as pitch us his ideas for the Cinematic Twainiverse. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! Music by Veltpunch.

The De-Textbook is everything Cracked.com stood for in 2013. Clickbait, contrarianism, and blowing your mind. Leif and Emily bring in special guest Tim Everson to scold Leif for not reading this very thoughtful present. Does a book written by a legion of internet writers in 2013 hold up in 2019? Find out in this episode of Tsundoku Book Club! Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

We're back, and Emily decides to put Clive Staples Lewis to task for his theological work in Mere Christianity. Emily walks us through the ups and downs of C.S. Lewis' friendly tone as he tries to explain what all Christians believe. Leif tries to remember details about a book he hasn't read in 10 years. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Bask in the glory of the handsome and daring Captain Midnight, an All-American Man just looking for an All-American Girl that loves the troops as much as he does. Will he and his faithful companion, Ikky Mudd, get out of this scrape? Will Emily's rolling eyes survive the misogyny? Find out on this episode of Tsundoku Book Club! Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week, we take Fate into our own hands! Join Emily, Leif, and special guest brother Nate as they discuss peeking out from the familiar territory of Dungeons and Dragons, and explore the world of generic story-driven role-playing system of Fate. Follow us on Twitter at @TsundokuPod for extra tidbits that don't make it into the episodes! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.