Furthermore

On the last day of 2019, Kiley Reid's debut novel, Such a Fun Age was released to the world. Though it racked up pretty good sales in January, buzz in the literary world propelled it to be our best seller come February. I chat with Music Therapist Jasmine Edwards about this all too timely novel, the tough work she's been doing in hospitals during the pandemic, and the most important question; did we delve, or shelve it? Thanks so much for listening to Furthermore! What's the best first chapter of a book you've ever read? Please stay safe and healthy out there. Head over to our Instagram, @Furthermorepodcast to comment and let me know what books you'd like to see Furthermore tackle. Keep Reading!

Season 2 continues with January 2020’s bestseller, Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. After the holiday rush it’s always interesting to see what book emerges as the front runner in the new year. NYU classmate Ethan Loewi and I dive into this darkly funny book about combustible children. Reviews were mixed on this one. Some people loved it, others put it down halfway through. Did Ethan and I delve in, or did we shelve it? Thanks so much for listening to Furthermore! What book did you begin your year with? Please stay safe and healthy out there. Head over to our Instagram, @Furthermorepodcast to comment and let me know what books you'd like to see Furthermore tackle. Keep Reading!

Furthermore Season 2 kicks off with an episode devoted to reading in Quarantine. I'm joined by (possibly) Furthermore's biggest fan and longtime friend, Mike Barefield, to discuss a book Mike never finished: Catch-22. One of my favorites, Mike and I talk a few other books he's got kicking around on his shelf, what our quarantines have been like in different states, and Joseph Heller's best known work. Did Mike delve in, or shelve it? (What difference does that make!?) Thanks so much for listening to Furthermore! What book did you pick up but never finish? Please stay safe and healthy out there. Head over to our Instagram, @Furthermorepodcast to comment and let me know what books you'd like to see Furthermore do. Keep Reading!

Las August, before the world turned upside down, Andrea and I read Celeste Ng's 2019 bestseller Little Fires Everywhere. While I decided to put the book down after 50 pages, Andrea continued on. We decided to reconvene when Reese Witherspoon's highly anticipated Hulu adaptation arrived. In this episode of Furthermore, we watch the first episode of the show and put it up against those 50 pages we read last year. Which would we rather delve into? Did the Hello Sunshine production company bring a bestseller to life? Thanks for listening to this episode of Furthermore! What did you think of the show? Did you make it past episode 1? Don't forget to follow us on Instagram; @furthermorepodcast Keep Reading!

When the country went on lockdown and I found myself without access to my store's bestsellers, I looked for other ways to keep things interesting here at Furthermore. Dabbling in TV and... whatever 50 Shades of Grey was, I decided it was time to go back to something more comforting. Something nostalgic. A part of shared childhoods across the world. Then, as so many things are so likely to do nowadays, this episode got harder. The intention was to start a Harry Potter retrospective, where myself and 7 other guests read the first 50 pages of each book in the series, decide if we would shelve it or delve in, and find a small piece of a book series that meant so much to us. J.K. Rowling then went ahead and made some transphobic comments, something she's done before. Jess, a previous guest on this episode and all around insightful and kind human being, reached out me. We decided to have a conversation about how damaging Ms. Rowling's comments are. It's nothing new from her but still disappointing. Trans people across the world deserve to be recognized for who they are. Harry Potter is bigger than all of us. I still believe that reliving the first 50 pages of these books Furthermore style can bring some joy into what has become a confusing and frustrating year in so many ways. Please enjoy the first in our Harry Potter retrospective! Thanks so much for listening to Furthermore. Find us on instagram at @Furthermorepodcast. What Hogwarts house are you?? Let us know there and remember: Keep Reading

It's the second Episode of Furthermore Firsts! Today I'm examining the infamous first episode of Parks and Rec, Amy Poehler's hilarious sitcom that ran for 7 seasons. It's a show that was often recommended to me with the caveat that I could skip the first season. Why? Was it really that bad? Does that mean the first episode is worth skipping altogether as well? Furthermore Firsts takes a look at the very first episode of Park and Rec. Thanks for listening to Furthermore! Don't forget to check out our Instagram page, @Furthermorepodcast. Keep Reading!

In the inaugural episode of Furthermore Firsts, I take a look at the pilot episode of sitcoms or other old TV shows worth checking out. Family Guy kicks us off, as a solo Andy goes back to when he was a teenager to look at Seth MacFarlane's still running cartoon sitcom. I aim to answer three questions about the show's first episode: 1. How does the pilot represent the rest of the series? 2.Is it a good episode? 3. Based on this first episode, would I delve in or shelve it? A nostalgic trip leads me to see what about Family Guy changed over the years; why am I so much less enamored with it now than I used to be? Was it always nothing more than a cutaway clip show? Would I rewatch? Thanks for listening to Furthermore! Don't forget to check out our Instagram page, @Furthermorepodcast. Keep Reading!

In need of something to break the boredom, Episode 05 guest Andrea and I tackle the classic of all classics, E.L. James' 50 Shades of Grey. Did we even make it to the sexy parts? Could this surprise us? Andrea and I discuss how much of this book's popularity came down to intrigue and how much was the book's worth. We hope you will join us on this journey through the deep dark world of inexplicable books. Thanks so much for listening to Furthermore! Let us know- did you read this when it was popular? Do you have a 9 year old named Christian or Anastasia? Please stay safe and healthy out there. Head over to our Instagram, @Furthermorepodcast to comment and let me know what books you'd like to see Furthermore do. Keep Reading!

Furthermore is back from our little hiatus! With a new baby girl at Furthermore HQ, we're back with December's bestseller, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. The joint winner of this year's Booker Prize, an award it shared with Episode 09's book, The Testaments, this novel took off at the end of the year and became a high seller at the store. As strange as it feels in the midst of social distancing and the scary world we now share with Covid-19, it's good to be back. What did my guest, former coworker and still Writer/Bookseller Zarina, and I think of Evaristo's bestseller? Did her fast paced, London smart prose catch us? Did we delve in, or shelve it? Thanks so much for listening to Furthermore! There's so much more to come. Please stay safe and healthy out there. Head over to our Instagram, @Furthermorepodcast to comment and let me know what books you'd like to see Furthermore do. Keep Reading!

There are too many Fantasy worlds in books to choose from. When it comes to TV, everything seems to be chasing the void that Game of Thrones left behind. So, when something that was first a book, then a video game, and now a TV show catches on in popularity, it's time for Furthermore to take notice. And who better to take on a fantasy realm than our very first guest, Katie Bockino! We compare Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish, which Netflix recommends as the companion piece to the show, to Episode 1 of the new series. How does Gerault stack up from book to show? Which moves faster, better, and with more stakes? Katie and I tackle it all and decide which we would rather delve into, and which we would shelve. Thanks for listening and thank you to Katie for coming back to jump into our first Fantasy book of the podcast. What are some of your favorite fantasy books? Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Happy Leap Day- thanks for making Head to Head month such a blast. What Head to Head episodes would you like to see in the future? Keep Reading!

Romance is in the air for this special Valentines themed episode of Furthermore Head to Head. Once again, Hanna from the blog Food and a Film joins me to pit a novel against a movie and this week, it's the classic Romantic Comedy Bridget Jones's Diary. Hanna and I talk Oscar buzz, including Renee Zellweger's win, along with our favorite Romantic Movies and the unstoppable Bridget Jones. Did we enjoy the catchy voice of the book? Or did Zellweger, teamed with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, win our hearts and whisk off to the most romantic turkey curry party around? Thanks for listening! Huge thank you to Hanna for a triumphant return to the Podcast. What's your favorite Romantic Comedy of all time? Check out Hanna's blog, where she recreates favorite food moments vegan style at www.foodandafilm.com Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Happy Valentines Day! Don't forget- one more episode of Furthermore Head to Head coming this February. Keep Reading!

Jess Harwick from Episode 07- Pet is back to discuss Phillip Pullman's 1995(!) classic, The Golden Compass. After a critically disastrous movie in 2007 (42% on Rotten Tomatoes....ouch) HBO revived the world of Lyra and Lord Asriel with a 2019 TV Series called His Dark Materials. With a fresh cast, frantic pace, and updated visual style, can the show live up to the magic of Pullman's original novel? Can Jess and I avoid talking about Nicole Kidman's role in the 2007 movie for more than five minutes? Do you agree with our Daemon choices? Most importantly, which did we delve into, and which did we shelve? Thanks for listening and thank you Jess for coming back to the Podcast. Check out our Instagram and let us know what your Daemon would be. Moth? Sperm Whale? Basilisk? Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. And don't forget- three more episodes this February! Keep Reading!

We're kicking of Head to Head February by pitting one of my favorite novels, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, against its 2019 TV adaptation, written by Neil Gaiman. From across the Atlantic, my friend Tom Casson calls in to discuss this irreverent and magical piece. Which did Tom and I want to delve into, book or show? Did Aziraphale and Crowley live up to their printed characters? What moments did we like more from the TV show than the book? Exactly how many prizes for our tropical fish have Tom and I won? It's book vs. show in this too hard to choose fight. Thanks for listening and thank you Tom for joining me! I know Good Omens is a favorite; which would you rather delve into? What's your favorite Terry Pratchett book? Neil Gaiman? Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. And don't forget- three more episodes this February! Keep Reading

November began our busy season at the store, and among the pickup in sales, Ann Patchett's newest novel, The Dutch House, came out on top as November's bestseller. Alisson Wood, founder and editor-in-chief of Pigeon Pages and author of the forthcoming debut book Being Lolita, joins me to break down the Conroy family's escapades in their staunch glass house. Is there a dark fairy tale lurking under the surface? Which character kept us reading? Join us for a breakdown of this bestseller and find out if we delved in or shelved it! As always, don't forget to follow Furthermore on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. What book are you starting the new year with? Check our Pigeon Pages >>>>>>https://pigeonpagesnyc.com/ Find Alisson>>>>> http://www.alissonwood.com/ Keep Reading!

The gang is back together! Andrea, Jess, Reissa and Emma all return in our second Recap episode to tell me whether or not they stuck to their picks and did, in fact, delve in. I was split on this batch of episodes; two books I wanted to delve into, two I wanted to shelve. I'll share some more thoughts on each book and my guests will give me their insights into their reasons for continuing on. We've got so much packed into one episode including my top 10 favorite books I read in 2019! Happy New Year to all! Hope you had a safe holiday season and are ready for a wonderful 2020. As always, don't forget to follow Furthermore on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Which of these four books did you delve into? Which did you shelve? Keep Reading!

Happy Holidays from us here at Furthermore! On a very special Christmas Episode, I'm joined by Episode 3 guest, Scott Duell, Episode 8 guest Reissa Ress, and a new guest Hunter Dowell! We take a Furthermore Head to Head look at A Christmas Carol and a holiday classic, The Muppet Christmas Carol while enjoying Reissa's homemade figgy pudding. Which Christmas classic did we vote to delve into? Did the ghosts have time to work their magic? Wishing you all a the happiest, warmest Holiday season. Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Let me know on Instagram what your favorite Christmas movie is! Keep Reading!

We've read the Man Booker Prize Winner, now October's bestseller brings us the 2019's Pulitzer Prize Winner: The Overstory by Richard Powers. Described as Eco fiction and certainly not, as my guest and former co-worker Tyler Coulter thought, a book "by trees for trees", this sweeping narrative tests our love and attention to reading good prose. Tyler and I puzzle out why this book, first published in 2018, is having such a strong end to the year. Is it worth reading? Or is it too much too late? Tyler and I jump in the mind of our favorite trees (Palm for me, I'm assuming Eastern Hemlock for him) and sink out roots into The Overstory. I'm so happy Tyler joined me for this episode of Furthermore and thank you for listening! Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Let me know on Instagram if you delved in or shelved The Overstory and what kind of tree, if any, you would be. Keep Reading!

Sequels are everywhere. We can't escape them, and with each passing day we're given a new TV sequel, another movie in a series or extended universe, or even a book that revisits a world published long ago. No book was a bigger sequel this year than Margaret Atwood's, The Testaments. Avid book reader and overworked Grad student Emma Calabrese stops by Furthermore to lend me her Handmaid's Tale expertise. We talk good books Emma's read this year, what qualifies as Science Fiction, and how much the 2017 Hulu show affected this year's Booker Prize Winner. How many more sequels do we need? Did Emma and I delve in or shelve? Many thanks to Emma for joining me on Furthermore and thank you for listening! Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Let me know on Instagram if you delved in or shelved The Testaments! Is it worth returning to Gilead?  Keep Reading!

It's November, that time of year it seems everyone in my life has a birthday. Not only did I celebrate mine on the 7th, but both my wife and guest Reissa Ress and author of March's bestseller, Min Jin Lee, celebrated theirs as well. Reissa and I take a look a step back in time to the month when Furthermore was getting off the ground and we recorded a practice episode on this National Book Award Nominated bestseller. On this updated and re-recorded version, Reissa and I discuss Pachinko vs. My Brilliant Friend, why books are better than movies and TV, why she's a "hype" reader and whether or not we would delve or shelve this 2017 bestseller that still moves at the store even into late 2019.  Thanks to Reissa for gracing Furthermore and thank you for listening! Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Happy Thanksgiving to all of my listeners in the United States! Travel safe this holiday season and don't forget to pack a good book (or 2 in case you're afraid you'll finish the first. Yes you have space for it, don't worry.) Keep Reading!

It seems that monsters have been hanging around Furthermore lately. Join me and guest Jess Harwick as we peek at Akwaeke Emezi's National Book Award nominated Young Adult novel, Pet. What lies in store for us in this pink and gold etched, girl-in-her-pajamas- covered novel? Jess and I chat about the state of YA and that term in general, whether or not razor blades in a painting is a good idea and why so many adults are reading books for kids. Did we delve in or shelve Emezi's rapidly rising world where, until one climbs out of a canvas, all monsters are no more? Thanks to Jess for joining me and thank you for listening to Furthermore! Remember to find us on Instagram, @furthermorepodcast and go check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com. Keep Reading!

Happy Halloween! This Hallow’s Eve, Furthermore is starting a style of Episode- Furthermore Head to Head, where a guest and I decide if we would rather delve into a book or the movie/tv show adaptation. I’m joined by Hanna McKean, author of the blog Food and a Film to get our nerves shattered by Stephen King’s It. Hanna and I read the first 50 pages of the book and watch the first half hour of the 2017 film staring Bill Skarsgård to decide which is worth the delve and which is headed back to the shelf. Which Pennywise did we like more? Will we ever go near a storm drain again? What are our Halloween favorites to get us into the Fall spirit? Thank you for listening to Furthermore! Don’t forget to check out Hanna’s blog at foodandafilm.com. Also remember to check out Furthermore artist Max Farinato at maxfarinato.com.

Four months, four great reads. It's time we go back and take a look at the first four books we got into on Furthermore. I give some more thoughts on each book, talk a little more about my reading experience and check in with each of our guests! That's right- Katie, Spencer, Scott and Sarah all return (well, briefly) and I even have a special guest lined up as well. Did my guests stick to their picks? Did I stay true to my word? Thank you so much for listening to Furthermore! Don't forget to follow us on instagram: @furthermorepodcast and check out our website over at anchor.fm/furthermore.

It may seem strange for Little Fires Everywhere, something that's been out for so long, to end up as August's best seller, but slow summer months and a lull before an enormous new release fall means Celeste Ng's second novel ended up as our next episode! It came down to a vote to break a tie with My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but with book in hand, my good friend from NYU, Andrea, joins me to find out what's up with this New York Times bestseller. The book is the story of the Richardson family, who find their house burned down one morning by a series of small fires set off inside; worst of all, they're certain it was the youngest sibling who did it. Andrea and I set off for Shaker Heights, Cleveland to join the Richardsons as they navigate not only their own family drama, but the town's as well. Did we delve in or shelve it? Will a new food fact become a regular part of Furthermore? And with a Hulu series set to premiere next year, do Andrea and I hop on the hype train, or was Little Fires Everywhere just too far from my usual read?

Sometimes fact really is stranger than fiction. Does that mean that fact is up for grabs when a writer needs a good story? I'm joined by an old fellow manager from the store, my friend Sarah High, to discuss July's bestseller, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. This is Sarah's first read by the Pulitzer Prize winner author; did she like it? Can we pinpoint Colson's style? How did he adapt the true story of the horrors of a reform school in Florida into a novel?. Why did he wait nearly 50 pages to get our main character to Nickel Academy? Check it out and see Sarah and I delved in or shelved Colson Whitehead's newest hit, where discuss growing up in the South vs the North, what it feels like to discover a new author and ask ourselves; is the worst of real life worth making into a piece of fiction?

Have you ever felt literary peer pressure? A book so giant and so widely praised that you know you have to read it? For me, that was June's bestseller, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. My college roommate, groomsman at my wedding, and overall amazing friend Scott Duel joins Furthermore to share his own experience reading the poet's first Novel.Did Scott and I delve in, or did Ocean Vuong go back on our shelves? We'll discuss the Vietnam War, shared books we love, monkey brains, and ask ourselves; how far out of your comfort zone should you go? And, if you don't love what you everyone else can't stop talking about, should you keep reading or can you put it down?

My friend and former NYU classmate Spencer Gaffney helps me break down May's best seller, Sally Rooney's literary sensation Normal People, about the relationship between odd but fascinating Marianne and rich, popular Connell as it grows from high school romance to university tryst. Hailed as "The Millennial Writer," Sally Rooney has seen a rapid rise to fame, sometimes to her dismay. Spencer and I discuss the Irish Economy, what it means to be the author who defines a generation, and what the words "grinds," "binned," and "rounders" mean. Is Normal People worth the hype, the fame, the countless famous recommendations? Is Sally Rooney "Salinger for the Snapchat generation"? Does my west Irish accent carry too many notes of Dublin?

I'm joined by my friend Katie Bockino to discuss April's bestseller, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A Reese Witherspoon book club pick, Owens' first novel is the story of Kya Clark, suspected of killing town hero Chase Andrews in their home in the North Carolina swamps. The book sold very well at the store and continues to; I can't keep it in stock. Katie and I get to the bottom of the power of Reese, Delia Owen's African Zoology career, and dig deep into the first 50 pages of the book. Do we agree with Reese? What kind of beginnings does Kya have? Did I do a good enough job of resisting speaking in a southern accent all podcast long?

Hi there! I'm Andy DeRado and welcome to Furthermore! Episode 0 is here to get you primed and ready to explore books with me. This episode serves to give you a little bit of my background and what the Podcast is all about. When you're done here jump right in to any of our episodes or start with Episode 1! Thank you so much for checking us out and I hope you enjoy Furthermore! Keep reading!!