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After 23 chapters, the Blood Meridian read-along is complete—but the questions certainly aren't.For this special concluding conversation, I'm joined by Steven Frye, author of Understanding Cormac McCarthy, to dig into some of the biggest questions I was left with after finishing Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.What exactly is Judge Holden? Why is he so interested in the kid? Does the kid actually change? What does his refusal to completely embrace the Judge's philosophy tell us about him? And what really happens in the jakes at the end of the novel?We also discuss the Judge's philosophy of war, the possibility of reading him as a Gnostic figure, McCarthy's recurring imagery of fire, the role of nature and the desert, the Judge's mysterious ledger, the historical Glanton Gang, the dancing bear, recurring bird imagery, and whether Blood Meridian is really as nihilistic as it initially appears.Steven also explains why the kid's resistance may matter even if it ultimately fails—and why Blood Meridian rewards readers who keep returning to it.If you've followed the chapter-by-chapter read-along, this conversation brings together many of the questions we've been tracking from the beginning.Topics include:What is Judge Holden?The Judge's philosophy of warWhy Holden singles out the kidMercy, resistance and the kid's moral developmentWhat happens in the jakesThe mysterious epilogueFire throughout McCarthy's fictionNature and “optical democracy”The meaning of the Judge's ledgerCycles of violenceThe historical Glanton GangIs Blood Meridian nihilistic?Birds and recurring imageryThe dancing bearWhat to watch for on a second readingFind Steven: https://www.csub.edu/english/sfrye.shtmlOn Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Steven-Frye/author/B001KHDZPEPage Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Chapter 13 continues one of the darkest stretches of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian as Glanton's gang moves from place to place leaving bodies behind them.At this point, one question is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: are these men still killing for money, or do they simply enjoy killing?In this episode, I explore the gang's increasingly indiscriminate violence, the kid's growing boldness, Glanton's apparent abandonment of the life he once had, and Judge Holden's remarkable ability to move between murderer, strategist, intellectual, and political operator.We also return to the contrast that has followed us throughout the novel, the desert remains extraordinarily beautiful even as the people moving through it become increasingly monstrous.And Glanton finally has a bounty on his own head.The hunters are becoming the hunted.Next up: Chapter 14.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
You found a profound love late and fast, then lost it to distance and duty. Did you try everything, or let fear end it? It's Feedback Friday!And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1384On This Week's Feedback Friday:At 42, a British dad with a young daughter, you fell hard and fast for an incredible American woman — hours of video calls, a magical weekend in London, whole futures sketched out. Then her dream job landed and her aging parents' pull won out, and she ended it. You cut off all contact. Did fear decide too soon?Your daughter arrived a couple months ago, and so did a familiar problem: your overbearing mother, who kisses the baby after you begged her not to, drops by unannounced, and insists "there are no boundaries." A book finally named the childhood wound behind it. Now how do you set limits that actually stick?You became a committed Christian and joined a tiny, tight-knit church — half of them one family — but the sexual double entendres, lap-sitting, and playful kissing leave you uneasy in a house of worship. Leadership just says show grace. Is this a culture clash, or a sign your values no longer fit?Recommendation of the Week: No Country for Old Men — Jordan rewatched the Coen brothers' Cormac McCarthy adaptation and was floored all over again by their restraint, ambiguity, and mastery. His broader rec is basically the whole Coen catalog, from Fargo to Inside Llewyn Davis. These dudes rarely miss.At 35, single, an embryologist with a shrimp tank and a stable career, you took a trip to Costa Rica and cried on the plane home, never feeling more at home anywhere. Now you're eyeing visas, a possible PhD, a whole new life. Is it too late, or are you just trading comfort for something braver?Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: Article: Visit article.com/jordan for $50 off your first purchase of $100 or moreXero: One month of Xero for free: xero.comChime: Open an account in two minutes: chime.com/jhsAG1: Welcome kit: drinkag1.com/jordanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
En este episodio de Palabras al Derecho, Patricia Villa, Manuel Guzmán y Rafael Estrada analizan Meridiano de Sangre, de Cormac McCarthy, desde la literatura y el derecho.A partir de la violencia que atraviesa la novela, conversan sobre la ausencia de un orden jurídico efectivo, los límites de la ley, el ejercicio del poder y la justicia en un territorio marcado por el conflicto.Una lectura que invita a preguntarnos qué sucede cuando la ley pierde su capacidad de contener la violencia y quién impone las reglas cuando el derecho deja de hacerlo.
Chapter 10 of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian gives us our deepest look at Judge Holden yet.Next up: Chapter 11.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Maurizia BalmelliBabel Festival, Bellinzonawww.babelfestival.comMaurizia Balmelli ritorna a Il Posto delle Parole — questa volta da Bellinzona, dove è ospite della XXI edizione di Babel Festival.Babel Festival, giunto quest'anno alla sua ventunesima edizione, si svolge a Bellinzona dal 16 al 20 settembre 2026 attorno al tema "Lingue per mondi possibili". La rassegna dedicata alla letteratura e alla traduzione è quest'anno guidata dalla nuova direzione artistica di Anna Schlossbauer e Lara Ricci, e mette al centro la capacità delle parole di immaginare — e forse costruire — mondi diversi da quello che abitiamo.Nell'ultima giornata di festival, sabato 20 settembre alle 10:30 al Teatro Sociale, Maurizia Balmelli dialoga con lo scrittore Wilfried N'Sondé nell'incontro "Innamorati come plancton. Che errore l'antropocentrismo!". Un confronto che muove dalla traduzione e dalla narrativa per interrogare la presunta centralità dell'essere umano nel racconto del mondo, tra ecologia, linguaggio e immaginazione.Maurizia Balmelli è traduttrice letteraria dal francese e dall'inglese. Ha tradotto, tra gli altri, Suttree di Cormac McCarthy, per cui ha ricevuto il Premio Von Rezzori nel 2010, e Cuore di bestia di Noëlle Revaz, Premio Terra Nova 2014, oltre ad Alma di J.M.G. Le Clézio. Si è formata anche nel teatro fisico alla scuola di Jacques Lecoq. Era già stata ospite de Il Posto delle Parole in occasione dell'uscita di Ermellino bianco e altri racconti di Noëlle Revaz.Wilfried N'Sondé è nato il 28 dicembre 1968 a Brazzaville, Repubblica del Congo, e si è trasferito in Francia nel 1973, crescendo nella periferia di Parigi. Prima di dedicarsi alla scrittura ha lavorato come musicista ed educatore a Berlino. Ha esordito nella narrativa nel 2007 con Le Cœur des enfants léopards, accolto con il Premio dei cinque continenti della Francofonia e il Premio Senghor della creazione letteraria. Nel 2018 ha vinto il Premio Ahmadou-Kourouma con il romanzo Un océan, deux mers, trois continents. La sua scrittura torna spesso sui temi dell'identità, del meticciato culturale e della condizione umana.Diventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/il-posto-delle-parole--1487855/support.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarehttps://ilpostodelleparole.it/
Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 9.This isn't a definitive guide to Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter per day, recording immediate reactions and watching our interpretations change along the way.Next up: Chapter 10.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 8.This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time and keeping a running notebook of our observations as they develop.Next up: Chapter 9.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 7.Next up: Chapter 8.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Chapter 6 is a short but important transitional chapter in our journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.It's a brief stop in the read along, but it feels like we're crossing a threshold.Next up: Chapter 7.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 5.This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording observations, asking questions, and building a notebook that we'll revisit as the novel develops.Next up: Chapter 6.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 4.This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording what stands out and building a running notebook as the novel develops.Next up: Chapter 5.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 3.This isn't a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording observations, asking questions, and seeing how those ideas change as the novel develops.Next up: Chapter 4.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
The journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 2.This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording observations, asking questions, and seeing where those questions take us.Next up: Chapter 3.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
We're beginning a chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, reading and discussing one chapter every day.Read Chapter 1, listen along, and join me tomorrow for Chapter 2.Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumSupport Page Chewing on PatreonAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
How do you identify your writing weaknesses? And, even more importantly, how can you tell if something really is a weakness? In this episode, I share five ways writers can recognize recurring craft problems, strengthen weak areas, and distinguish poor execution from intentional writing style. Every story presents its own challenges. Struggling with one beginning doesn't necessarily mean you're bad at beginnings. But when the same problem keeps cropping up across multiple stories, that's information worth paying attention to. We'll look at how to identify writing weaknesses by listening to your story sense, noticing what you consistently avoid, comparing patterns across multiple stories, and learning from beta readers, critique partners, editors, and reader reviews. We'll also talk about the important difference between the inner critic's generalized judgments and the specific diagnostic nudges that can actually help you improve your writing. But identifying a recurring pattern raises another question: Is it actually a weakness? Writing craft is largely the study of patterns that work. But not every departure from those patterns is a mistake. Writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, William Faulkner, and Cormac McCarthy made unconventional choices that became part of their distinctive styles. The real question is whether your choices effectively communicate what you intend. In this episode, we'll talk about: • What writing weaknesses actually are • 5 ways to identify recurring weaknesses in your writing • How to distinguish your inner critic from your story sense • Why patterns across multiple stories matter • How to use feedback without surrendering your own judgment • When breaking writing "rules" becomes a stylistic strength • How to turn weak areas into stronger writing skills Read the transcript: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/identify-writing-weaknesses/ LINKS & RESOURCES Want More? WRITING MASTERCLASS: Flat Character Arcs: From Transformation to Integration https://kmweilandstore.com/b/flat-character-arc-class If character arcs are one of the areas you'd like to understand more deeply, my new masterclass Flat Character Arcs: From Transformation to Integration explores not just how Flat Character Arcs work, but why. The more deeply we understand the patterns underneath story (i.e., the reasons certain choices create meaning and resonance), the less we have to rely on memorized "rules." Instead, we can begin internalizing the principles themselves and using them instinctively in our own stories. You can also save 15% by purchasing the class as part of my Writing Steadfast and Tragic Character Arcs bundle, together with Negative Character Arcs: Hidden Patterns of Self-Deception.
Daithí chats with Cormac McCarthy, Climate & Sustainability Manager at Waterways Ireland about how the organisation is streamlining climate and biodiversity matters throughout the vast network of waterways, greenways, and blueways they are tasked with managing and maintaining. Cormac speaks to the responsibility of public bodies and the level of impact they can have in driving sustainable change and the actions Waterways Ireland are taking towards climate mitigation and adaption. We learn about the innovative measures being taken within the organisation from swapping diesel for hydrotreated vegetable oils to using Natural Capital Accounting to quantify the monetary value of an ecosystem service. Thanks very much to Emma Sheridan for support with research, design and promotion. Links: 1. Waterways Ireland: https://www.waterwaysireland.org/ 2. Inland Fisheries Ireland: https://www.fisheriesireland.ie/ 3. Water Framework Directive: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/water-framework-directive_en 4. Waterways Ireland Climate Action Plan https://www.waterwaysireland.org/getmedia/e97f25a0-0584-4c39-8551-c81e6de0c5de/WI-Climate-Action-Plan.pdf?ext=.pdf 5. Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000: https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2000/act/38/enacted/en/print.html 6. Toxic algae in Lough Neagh: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/why-lough-neagh-dying-northern-irelands-most-precious-wildlife-site-facing-disaster 7. Natural Capital Accounting: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/natural-capital-accounting_en 8. TCD INCASE Project: https://www.tcd.ie/e3/news/accounting-for-nature-a-priority-for-irelands-prosperity--new-report/ 9. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil: https://www.seai.ie/blog/hvo-can-be-part-of-our-cl 10. Term ‘Carbon footprint' coined by British Petroleum: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/23/big-oil-coined-carbon-footprints-to-blame-us-for-their-greed-keep-them-on-the-hook 11. Renewables are the cheapest form of energy: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/renewables-cheapest-form-power 12. Norway electric car sales: Fossil cars all but phased out in Norway as EV sales hit 98 pct, and just 12 petrol cars sold - The Driven IO
In the same year, Nick Cave sang The Mercy Seat and appeared in this brutal prison drama, the first film from his regular music video collaborator John Hillcoat. You'd ask if he was OK, but it's late-'80s Nick Cave: he absolutely wasn't. A brutal, shocking look at a near-future prison accelerating towards a riot, Cave's cameo as a new inmate who decorates his cell walls with his own blood is by no means the bleakest thing on offer.This week, Pop Screen welcomes Rob Spencer of Caliber 9 from Outer Space to talk about Cave's varying levels of fame across the world - including in his, and Rob's, birth country Australia - plus Hillcoat's career all the way up to his current planned adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. (Good luck there, John!) We also discuss whether artists have to be good people, why Australian films are so often really grim, the unusual musical career of one of Cave's co-stars and pitch a soap opera about the Bad Seeds.You can break a whole host of exciting things out of their confinement by donating to our Patreon, including a bonus episode of this show every month - we're about to release one on Venom: Let There Be Carnage - Graham's other podcast The Arts Hole, franchise review show They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, weekly articles on Doctor Who and The Twilight Zone, and more. Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more info.
Beowulf Sheehan is the author of The Father of the Man: The Last Author Portrait Sitting with Cormac McCarthy (Autofocus Books). Sheehan is a photographer of figures in the arts and humanities. To date, he's photographed better than 1,000 writers from more than 60 countries. His work has been published in the likes of Elle, Esquire, L'Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker, People, Time, Vanity Fair, and Vogue and has been exhibited at institutions such as the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Dostoevsky Museum, International Center of Photography, Museum of the City of New York, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and The Witliff Colelctions. Author: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan, a collection of portraits of 200 writers from 35 countries with a foreword by Salman Rushdie, was published in 2018. The Father of the Man: The Last Author Portrait Sitting with Cormac McCarthy is Sheehan's second monograph. Beowulf Sheehan is the proud son of an immigrant and translator, grandson of a poet and photographer, grandson of a copy editor, first cousin once removed from an editor, and cousin, first cousin once removed, and great-great-nephew of authors. Raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he lives in New York City. *** Today's episode is brought to you by Rula. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit www.rula.com/otherppl to get started. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Get How to Write a Novel, the debut audio course from DeepDive. 50+ hours of never-before-heard insight, inspiration, and instruction from dozens of today's most celebrated contemporary authors. Subscribe to Brad's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Instagram TikTok Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Howdy there, partner! Welcome back to the Year of the Horse (YH)! That's right, folks, for the Night Shift's fifth horror western shift in our yearlong special, Kyle (Stück Cassidy) & Noah Baslé (The Magnificent Crepe) read the epic historical novel BLOOD MERIDIAN (1985) by Cormac McCarthy. The Kid, a fourteen-year-old Tennessean, must confront the extraordinary brutality of the Glanton gang, a murderous cadre on an official mission to scalp Indians. Seeming to preside over this nightmarish world is the diabolical Judge Holden, one of the most unforgettable characters in American fiction. So, is this book any good? Well, give this review a listen and find out...if you DAAAaaaare! Already read it? Let us know your thoughts! OMINOUS MEDIA LINKS: Website Humming Fools - Podcast Evil Cast - Comic KYLE LINKS: Website Substack Patreon Instagram Letterboxd NOAH LINKS: Website Instagram MUSIC: Short Intro - Just Me And My Horse by kaazoom Main Intro - Spaghetti Western by Positive_Sound Spoiler Transition - Cowboy Sting Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro - Folk harmonica bluesy touch by Moonpub
Screenwriter and producer David Kajganich (Suspiria, Bones and All) joins Michael Phillips to test a provocative rule of adaptation from filmmaker Whit Stillman: "You owe everything to the movie and nothing to the original [source]."But what about the opposite approach? As the Coen brothers once joked about adapting Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men: "One of us types into the computer while the other holds the spine of the book flat." Between those two extremes lies the art of adaptation.Drawing on more than two decades of adapting novels, memoirs, plays, and films, Kajganich explores when fidelity serves a movie, when it becomes a trap, and why great adaptations sometimes have to break the bones of the original work. As you'd expect, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey enters the conversation, along with Howards End, The Shining, The Zone of Interest, and Where the Wild Things Are.Is the best adaptation the one that faithfully recreates its source? Or the one that expresses something new? Join the conversation: email themovieracket@filmspotting.netSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After missing last week's update, I'm back with plenty to catch up on!This week I'm talking about my continued journey through The Bonehunters, why reading Malazan with a group has become almost essential for me, and the very different experience I've been having with the much lighter and funnier Carpentry in the Elven Forest. I'm also continuing Lone Wolf and Cub on Panel Chewing and our full-spoiler reread of The Warrior Prophet and The Second Apocalypse.I'm also officially announcing my upcoming Blood Meridian readalong. Starting September 7, I'll be tackling Cormac McCarthy's novel one chapter at a time, with a new episode every day. Rather than simply recapping each chapter, I want to slow down, ask questions, track how my thoughts change throughout the novel, and hopefully bring in a guest at the end to help dig even deeper into the book.There's plenty happening with Beyond the Page as well. I talk about some recent and upcoming conversations covering everything from Hollywood and science fiction to romance, Sasquatch, AI, creativity, and some incredible real-life stories.And Friday Conversations is officially back! We recently recorded a new episode with Leila Gausi and Alex French discussing dystopian science fiction, AI, separating the art from the artist, and plenty more. I'm hoping to make these casual, free-flowing conversations a regular part of Page Chewing again.I also talk about the new Page Chewing Patreon, revisiting The Hunger Games movies, why the ebook deals posts have ended, and why I'm more than ready for summer to be over.Thanks for listening, reading along, and continuing to support Page Chewing!This week:The Bonehunters reading updateCarpentry in the Elven ForestLone Wolf and CubThe Warrior Prophet full-spoiler rereadThe upcoming Blood Meridian daily readalongNew and upcoming Beyond the Page interviewsThe return of Friday ConversationsPage Chewing PatreonRevisiting The Hunger GamesAnd more!Question of the Week:Have you read Blood Meridian? If you have, what did you think of it? If you haven't, would you join me for one chapter a day starting September 7?Page Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumAffiliate Links that support the show:Audible Standard Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4z1iKnsAudible Standard Monthly Membership: https://amzn.to/3S6vaddKindle Unlimited Free Trial: https://amzn.to/4wqkYdDAmazon Prime Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3UptxI9Join Captivate.fmSend a message via SpeakPipe
This week on Sinica, I welcome back Evan Osnos of The New Yorker, whose marvelous new essay, “The Future, Made in China,” chronicles a tech-focused return trip to Beijing, where he lived from 2005 to 2013 — first for the Chicago Tribune, then as The New Yorker's China correspondent. Evan is the author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, which won the National Book Award, as well as Wildland: The Making of America's Fury and The Haves and Have-Yachts.His essay is far more than another breathless account of China's advances in robotics and electric vehicles. It's a meditation on what China's technological ascent means for the United States, for how both societies are organized, and for the rest of us, whose futures increasingly seem to be wagered by two small circles of powerful men in Beijing and Washington. We talk about the Xiaomi Hyperfactory, “Chinamaxxing,” the export control debate, and the deeper contest Evan identifies: not democracy versus authoritarianism, but humanism versus scientism.3:04 – Walking Beijing's streets again: quieter, richer, more surveilled11:26 – The Xiaomi Hyperfactory: choreography, awe, and what's actually real18:10 – Doomed to coexist: Evan's message for the American reader24:15 – Schrödinger's China: joke or juggernaut?27:16 – The limits of knowability in an increasingly opaque system31:56 – Threat narratives vs. “Chinamaxxing”: America's two China conversations43:20 – “Thank Trump”: America's self-inflicted wounds47:29 – Revisiting the Sullivan doctrine and export controls53:10 – Mankind 2000: humanism, scientism, and rival oligarchies1:02:48 – Convergence: arriving at dystopia from opposite directions1:07:21 – Self-strengthening redux: Levenson and America's meum-verum gap1:17:53 – The other Sputnik moment: the backlash against tech oligarchyPaying It ForwardYi-Ling Liu, author of The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet — Evan admires how her work grapples with the competition between scientism and humanism across national borders.Chang Che, who writes for The New Yorker and The Guardian — watching China's technological developments up close, “creating history in real time.”RecommendationsEvan: How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University by Theo Baker — the youngest-ever Polk Award winner on how a rising generation at Silicon Valley's feeder school perceives its opportunities and obligations. Also True Grit by Charles Portis — splendid, sentence-savoring dialogue.Kaiser: Butcher's Crossing by John Williams, author of Stoner — a Western with the same sentence-level craft; for fans of Melville and Cormac McCarthy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ridley Scott's "The Counselor" came out in 2013 and the reviews were not kind. With a screenplay by Cormac McCarthy (not too long after his novel for "No Country For Old Men" became an Oscar winning Coen Brothers film), the bleak drug trade morality tale became a punchline from Cameron Diaz's car humping scene and a perceived sense of boredom. Is this movie the steaming pile of crap everyone claimed? Probably, but i wouldn't know, because I watched the directors cut and it's a straight up masterpiece. For whatever reason, Scott released the shorter version, and everyone missed out on the building dread, the thoughtful pauses and the doom oozing from every surface. This movie is very, very good. Everyone in it (except maybe Diaz) is firing on all cylinders and I couldn't possibly recommend this more.Buckle up, y'all. It's time for a visit from...THE COUNSELOR
Hear from acclaimed author and broadcaster Stan Grant in this special edition of The Fifth Estate as he reflects on the fragility of words and why contemplation and philosophy matter in an era of increasing division, with host Sally Warhaft. Originally presented on Tuesday 16 July 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University. Drawing wisdom from an array of thinkers and artists, including Plato, Simone Weil, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Aquinas and even Radiohead, Stan Grant’s expansive and philosophical new book When Words Fail Us invites readers to reconsider the meaning and necessity of silence in an age of noise, speed and relentless distraction. Written after stepping away from public life, the book explores how words can fail to meet the moment in the context of Australia’s history, identity and political division. Grant offers a rare insight into how the power of listening can lead to connection, compassion and love. Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole. The official bookseller was Hill of Content.Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Send us Fan MailWith this episode, READING MCCARTHY has discussed every novel published by Cormac McCarthy. Published in early December of 2022, STELLA MARIS was the last novel published by McCarthy in his lifetime. The second book in a pair of sibling novels about the Westerns, STELLA MARIS consists of a series of interviews between the troubled genius Alicia Western and a research psychiatrist. Alicia first appears in THE PASSENGER, but it is in this novel that the spotlight is firmly upon her. My guests for this episode are Nell Sullivan, who joined us previously for episodes on McCarthy and Women Characters, on Outer Dark, on a consideration of The Border Trilogy, and the tribute episode to McCarthy. She is Professor of English at the University of Houston-Downtown, where she teaches courses in American literature, the literature of the American South, and zombies. She has published essays on William Faulkner, Nella Larsen, Katherine Dunn, and, of course, Cormac McCarthy. She is currently working on a book on McCarthy's representation of women. Like myself and Vern Cisney, her most recent chapter on McCarthy has recently been published in the collection, New Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy, Encountering The Passenger and Stellar Maris, edited by the Brothers Elmore. Joining Dr. Sullivan is Dr. Vernon W. Cisney, who is Chair and Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. He teaches at the intersections of philosophy, religion, film, literature, and politics. He is the author of Deleuze and Derrida: Difference and the Power of the Negative (2018), as well as Derrida's Voice and Phenomenon: An Edinburgh Philosophical Guide (2014). In addition, he is the co-editor of Between Foucault and Derrida (2016); Biopower: Foucault and Beyond (2015); and The Way of Nature and the Way of Grace: Philosophical Footholds on Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life (2016). Most recently, he has written articles and chapters included in Deleuze and Guattari Studies and New Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy: Encountering the Passenger and Stella Maris, and is currently editing with Jonathan and Rick Elmore a volume on McCarthy's Blood Meridian. All music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye. Support the showNew! A book adaptation of many of the episodes focusing on McCarthy's Southern novels is forthcoming in December, 2026. Click the link for details on Reading Cormac McCarthy: Scholars Discuss the Southern Novels.Starting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...As always, the views of the host and his guests do not constitute the views of the Cormac McCarthy society, or their employers or institutions, or their pets or favorite sporting teams.
Raul Montanari"I morti hanno sempre ragione"Baldini + Castoldiwww.baldinicastoldi.itAutunno 2024: Andrea, ventottenne, riceve la notizia della morte improvvisa dei genitori, che da qualche tempo si sono trasferiti da Milano in un paesino di montagna. Non crede a un incidente e va a vivere nella stessa casa dei suoi per scoprire cosa è veramente accaduto, senza immaginare quali conseguenze avrà questa decisione. L'indagine privata di Andrea si trasforma ben presto in qualcosa di diverso, come se il suo scopo originario si smarrisse nel groviglio di crudeltà, violenze e reciproche sopraffazioni che dal condominio in cui abitavano i genitori si allargano a tutto il paese. Nell'avventura che attende il protagonista non mancano squarci di serenità, momenti di tenerezza e umorismo, incontri capaci di attraversare l'arcobaleno delle relazioni umane, dai colori cupi a quelli luminosi: Luca, Miriam, il prete don Carlo, i misteriosi ragazzi del bosco. L'ultimo colpo di scena sorprenderà il lettore e il caso verrà risolto nel modo più inatteso, ma solo a libro chiuso verrà meno l'inquietudine di essersi affacciati su una voragine di cui non si scorge il fondo.Raul Montanari ha pubblicato una trentina fra romanzi, saggi e libri di racconti. Fra i più noti, i romanzi La perfezione (1994, premio Linea d'Ombra), La prima notte (2008), Strane cose, domani (2009, Premio Bari, Premio Siderno e Premio Strega Giovani), Il regno degli amici (2015, premio Vigevano), La vita finora (2018, premio Provincia in giallo), Il vizio della solitudine (2021, premio Como), Il disegno magico (2023) e il saggio Il Cristo zen (2012). Con Aldo Nove e Tiziano Scarpa ha scritto Nelle galassie oggi come oggi, insolito bestseller nel campo della poesia. Ha firmato opere teatrali, sceneggiature e importanti traduzioni dalle lingue classiche e moderne, da Sofocle a Shakespeare, da Poe a Cormac McCarthy. Dirige a Milano una scuola di scrittura creativa fra le più quotate in Italia.Diventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/il-posto-delle-parole--1487855/support.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarehttps://ilpostodelleparole.it/
In this episode, Bookin' favorite Dan Hawkins joins host Jason Jefferies in a continuation of their readthrough of the works of Cormac McCarthy. No Country for Old Men, the novel and the film, are discussed at length, as are Sicario and Roberto Bolaño's 2666. Thank you for listening, and happy reading!
Where do scientific breakthroughs really begin, and how much space do we leave for curiosity, intuition, and creative thinking along the way?In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, is joined by Auni Williams, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State University, for a thoughtful and refreshing conversation about “night science.” Together, they explore the idea that behind every polished grant, publication, or protocol is a messier, more human process driven by curiosity, imagination, and the freedom to explore unconventional ideas. From historical examples of scientific breakthroughs to personal stories from the lab, this episode invites listeners to rethink how discovery really happens.In this episode, you'll learn:What “night science” is and why embracing early, unpolished ideas is critical for innovation and discovery.How modern research culture can unintentionally suppress creativity – and what institutions and leaders can do to protect exploratory thinking.Why communicating science as a human, curiosity-driven process is essential for engaging both scientists and the public.Tune in to learn how making space for curiosity, creativity, and night science can reignite passion for research and lead to the next generation of scientific breakthroughs.Links:Connect with Auni Williams, PhD, and learn more about Penn State University.Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.Learn more about François Jacob, Barry Marshall, August Kekulé, Operation Everest, American Heart Association Funding, and Cormac McCarthy's essay.Listen to our previous episode with Walter Isaacson.Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast. Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.
Apologize for the audio - The new Wisdom Of compound is currently under construction, and may be for a while! But hey, it's McCarthy, so the message survives the medium! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Humanhttps://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
New York Times bestselling author and Knopf Executive Editor, Jenny Jackson, spoke with us about balancing life as an #authormom, editing bestsellers, finding standalone books, and her anticipated second novel, THE SHAMPOO EFFECT. Jenny Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street, a graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, and a Vice President and Editorial Director of Fiction at Alfred A. Knopf. Her second novel, The Shampoo Effect (Pamela Dorman Books; June 30), was named a most anticipated book of 2026 by the New York Times, described as “a frothy novel of love, money, sex, and friendship,” [about] “an ambitious young woman [who] insinuates herself into a tight-knit social set, shaking up friendships and marriages in a small seaside town.” New York Times bestselling author Coco Mellors said, “Jackson has a rare knack for capturing the intensity of old friendships and the way love, jealousy, money, and history combust until everyone is behaving (deliciously) badly.” Jenny Jackson is a prominent figure in the publishing world, having edited numerous high-profile works, including Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and Cormac McCarthy's final books, among others. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Jenny Jackson, Milena, and I discussed: Why she has the "shortest resume in all of publishing" What 23 years at Penguin Random House have taught her How John Updike inspired her latest The number of pages it takes her to know if your voice works Why you need to reject “rise and grind” culture and write whenever you can And a lot more! Show Notes: https://www.jennyjacksonbooks.com/ The Shampoo Effect: A Novel by Jenny Jackson (Author) Jenny Jackson Amazon Author Page Jenny Jackson on Instagram Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My interview with Dane Bahr on his prohibition era thriller, one part David Mamet, one part Cormac McCarthy, The Dead Ringer. We discussed: (1) being a literary guy among diesel mechanics; (2) how he's activated to the highest expression by the darkest underbellies and hardest truths; and (3) being a typewriter guy in the age of the Interwebs. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.
In this episode, I reflect on Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited, which I recently read in its dramatic form after watching the excellent and very faithful HBO adaptation with Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones. Sitting more deeply with Professor White's despair brought me back to Eugene Thacker's Infinite Resignation and the idea that the only philosophy worth pursuing is one that poses questions without answers. This becomes a meditation on pessimism, faith, despair, and the strange sacredness of staying in the room when no clean answer arrives.
In this episode, I take a short detour from All the Pretty Horses into Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited, the HBO film adaptation starring Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones. I reflect on Professor White and Mr. Black, despair and faith, nihilism and sacred obligation, and why I find myself living somewhere between them as “Mr. Gray” — drawn to the dark clarity of pessimistic philosophy, but still unable to escape the sacred call to be there for another human being.
RTB's sister podcast, Novel Dialogue, spoke recently with Aaron Gwyn. He is the author of four novels: The World Beneath, Wynne's War, and, most recently, two wonderfully linked historical novels, All God's Children, which won the Oklahoma Book award, and The Cannibal Owl. In his conversation with Sean McCann of Wesleyan (A Pinnacle of Feeling: American Literature and Presidential Government and Gumshoe America: Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction and the Rise and Fall of New Deal Liberalism), we learn that Robert Lemmons is a real historical figure and so is Levi English. One way to grasp Gwyn's achievement is to consider the contrast between his durably realist work and Cormac McCarthy's 1985 Blood Meridian. Much as Aaron and Sean admire that novel, McCarthy's characters strike them as monstrous and incredible. How about Charles Portis's True Grit, asks John? Aaron loves it for its ventriloquizing power, and its truth-loving willingness to weave in unsettling back stories like Rooster Cogburn's ties to Quantrill's Rangers, an eerily modern pro-Confederate terrorist paramilitary. In NOvel Dialogue's "signature question," we learn why Aaron's favorite teacher was Robert Hill, Pink-Floyd-loving drummer and perennial inspiration (audio here). Mentioned in this episode: Richard Slotkin's notion of “the man who knows Indians” comes from Gunfighter Nation Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) Herman Melville, Moby Dick William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! Toni Morrison, Beloved Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow John Williams, Stoner (but also Butcher's Crossing –-which John loves— and Augustus, which did indeed split the National Book Award (not the Pulitzer) in 1973 with John Barth's Chimera. Larry McMurtry's hard-to-get-into Lonesome Dove Read transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
RTB's sister podcast, Novel Dialogue, spoke recently with Aaron Gwyn. He is the author of four novels: The World Beneath, Wynne's War, and, most recently, two wonderfully linked historical novels, All God's Children, which won the Oklahoma Book award, and The Cannibal Owl. In his conversation with Sean McCann of Wesleyan (A Pinnacle of Feeling: American Literature and Presidential Government and Gumshoe America: Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction and the Rise and Fall of New Deal Liberalism), we learn that Robert Lemmons is a real historical figure and so is Levi English. One way to grasp Gwyn's achievement is to consider the contrast between his durably realist work and Cormac McCarthy's 1985 Blood Meridian. Much as Aaron and Sean admire that novel, McCarthy's characters strike them as monstrous and incredible. How about Charles Portis's True Grit, asks John? Aaron loves it for its ventriloquizing power, and its truth-loving willingness to weave in unsettling back stories like Rooster Cogburn's ties to Quantrill's Rangers, an eerily modern pro-Confederate terrorist paramilitary. In NOvel Dialogue's "signature question," we learn why Aaron's favorite teacher was Robert Hill, Pink-Floyd-loving drummer and perennial inspiration (audio here). Mentioned in this episode: Richard Slotkin's notion of “the man who knows Indians” comes from Gunfighter Nation Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) Herman Melville, Moby Dick William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! Toni Morrison, Beloved Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow John Williams, Stoner (but also Butcher's Crossing –-which John loves— and Augustus, which did indeed split the National Book Award (not the Pulitzer) in 1973 with John Barth's Chimera. Larry McMurtry's hard-to-get-into Lonesome Dove Read transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies
Before I jump back into All the Pretty Horses, I wanted to offer a shorter reflection on a line I recently found from Cormac McCarthy's unpublished screenplay Of Whales and Men: “I believe that we are arks of the covenant… and our true nature is longing.”In this episode, I explore McCarthy's vision of longing alongside psychoanalysis, James Hillman's notion of pothos, and Augustine's famous line that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. But maybe God is not simply where restlessness ends. Maybe God is the restlessness at the core of our being.This is a meditation on desire, nostalgia, melancholy, sacred ache, and why longing may not be something to cure, but something to honor.
RTB's sister podcast, Novel Dialogue, spoke recently with Aaron Gwyn. He is the author of four novels: The World Beneath, Wynne's War, and, most recently, two wonderfully linked historical novels, All God's Children, which won the Oklahoma Book award, and The Cannibal Owl. In his conversation with Sean McCann of Wesleyan (A Pinnacle of Feeling: American Literature and Presidential Government and Gumshoe America: Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction and the Rise and Fall of New Deal Liberalism), we learn that Robert Lemmons is a real historical figure and so is Levi English. One way to grasp Gwyn's achievement is to consider the contrast between his durably realist work and Cormac McCarthy's 1985 Blood Meridian. Much as Aaron and Sean admire that novel, McCarthy's characters strike them as monstrous and incredible. How about Charles Portis's True Grit, asks John? Aaron loves it for its ventriloquizing power, and its truth-loving willingness to weave in unsettling back stories like Rooster Cogburn's ties to Quantrill's Rangers, an eerily modern pro-Confederate terrorist paramilitary. In NOvel Dialogue's "signature question," we learn why Aaron's favorite teacher was Robert Hill, Pink-Floyd-loving drummer and perennial inspiration (audio here). Mentioned in this episode: Richard Slotkin's notion of “the man who knows Indians” comes from Gunfighter Nation Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) Herman Melville, Moby Dick William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! Toni Morrison, Beloved Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow John Williams, Stoner (but also Butcher's Crossing –-which John loves— and Augustus, which did indeed split the National Book Award (not the Pulitzer) in 1973 with John Barth's Chimera. Larry McMurtry's hard-to-get-into Lonesome Dove Read transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west
In this episode, I reflect on a dream that woke me up in terror and left me sitting with images I still don't fully understand: my childhood bedroom, my father reading Cormac McCarthy, Child of God, cherry cola concentrate, spiders, and my mother pulling an endless clear line from my throat. Rather than trying to decode the dream or claim one final interpretation, I use it as a way into McCarthy, the unconscious, and dream work as part of my own post-secular spirituality — a way of honoring symbolic life without reducing it to certainty, doctrine, or simple explanation.
In 2024, The New York Times Book Review gathered more than 500 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets and literary enthusiasts to help pick the best books of the 21st century so far. One of those books was Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Road,” which came in at No. 13. That book tells the story of a man and his young son trying to survive in a postapocalyptic United States. Like other books by McCarthy, it combines ornate prose with moments of unforgettable violence. It is also a moving story of love and parenthood under the most extreme circumstances. One of the people who voted on our best books list was Ryan Holiday, author of more than a dozen nonfiction books, host of the “Daily Stoic” podcast and owner of the Painted Porch Bookshop in Bastrop, Texas. We recently invited him on the “Book Review” podcast to talk about “The Road,” and how its meaning changed for him after he became a father. Books Discussed on This Episode: “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy “Blood Meridian” by Cormac McCarthy “The Odyssey” by Homer “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald “The Children of Men” by P. D. James “The Plague” by Albert Camus “Revolutionary Road” by Richard Yates “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius “Of Boys and Men” by Richard Reeves “Outdoor Kids in an Inside World” by Steven Rinella “Letter to His Father” by Franz Kafka “Range” by David Epstein “Good Inside” by Becky Kennedy “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy “Death Be Not Proud” by John Gunther “The Revenant” by Michael Punke Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode, I reflect on the end of section two of All the Pretty Horses, where John Grady Cole is exhausted, heartbroken, and unsure of what has happened after Alejandra leaves the hacienda. What stood out to me was a small but powerful moment with Rawlins, where male friendship shows up not as some grand emotional speech, but as presence.I explore the fragility of male friendship in Cormac McCarthy, the limits of stoicism, and the way men often long for connection without knowing how to say it directly. I also connect this to my work as a therapist with men, where so much of the work is helping men practice vulnerability, build real friendships, and find fragile bonds that can help them bear the difficulty of existence.
In this episode, I explore Cormac McCarthy's dark, postsecular vision of the sacred alongside Carl Jung and David Tacey's idea of the “darkening spirit.” I reflect on the sacred not as something safely contained by institutional religion or reduced to comfort, goodness, and light, but as the numinous: beautiful, violent, disruptive, terrifying, and transformative.Drawing on Jung's provocative claim that organized religion can protect us from a direct experience of God, I think through McCarthy's landscapes, violence, longing, animals, grief, and mystery as places where the sacred returns after the collapse of easy belief and easy unbelief. This is not an anti-Christian reflection. I share how deeply I've been shaped by Christian symbols while also wrestling with why I can no longer affirm a vision of the divine that cannot face evil, shadow, and violence as real powers within the greater whole.
Youtube version available here!This week the buds discuss the 'worst non-violent thing', Cormac McCarthy, 'Hell People' and social media.This week's sketch: 'Dirty Billy Pizza.Email or Dm us your correspondence to thebudpod@gmail.com or @budpodofficial on Instagram. KOJI!BudPod Live is back! In Bath! Tickets available here - https://komediabath.co.uk/events/128649554-budpod-live-2026-11-03-19-00-00/Stream Glenn's tour show 'Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, Glenn I'm Sixty Moore' on Sky Comedy and NowTVPierre is on tour across the UK, Ireland and Netherlands!Including a headline show at the Leicester Square Theatre on May 28th!Tickets available now at https://www.pierrenovellie.com/Vote here for BudPod for this year's Golden Lobes, Listeners' Lobe award! Thank you guys! KOJI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
[Redacted]: Conspiring with Jesus 7/7 Rev. Dr. Katie Hays Contemplation of your baptism, past or future. Through our baptisms, we join the communion of the saints around the world, past and future. We are a link in a long chain of those who preserve the story, “the keepers of the horn” in Cormac McCarthy's phrase in No Country for Old Men. How wonderful to be part of something so old and so beautiful! To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or Zelle (generosity@galileohurch.org), or just send a check to P.O. Box 668, Kennedale, TX 76060
In Episode 224, Sarah, Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) and Chrissie (@ChrissieWhitley) celebrate the release of the 2026 Summer Reading Guide with a special behind-the-scenes conversation about putting this year's guide together. Catherine and Chrissie share what it was like participating in the guide for the first time, from the reading process to narrowing down their final picks, while Sarah talks about how much more fun her spring reading felt with the guide becoming a team effort. Together, they reveal their secret books from the guide, share what's still sitting on their summer TBRs, and reflect on the kinds of books they found themselves gravitating toward while reading for summer. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Get the 2026 Summer Reading Guide This year's Summer Reading Guide is bigger than ever — and now available as a full PDF with in-depth write-ups on every book. Here's how to access it: Full PDF Guide (with write-ups): Available to current paying members on Patreon or Substack Start a free trial (Patreon: 7 days | Substack: 30 days) *Be sure to use the link above to access your free trial on Substack. Free Cheatsheet (no write-ups): Available to everyone on the blog Free Trials close: Friday, May 22 (Memorial Day weekend) When you sign up, you'll also get: 2–3 bonus podcast episodes per month Full back catalog of bonus content Weekly reading updates + more All the details in the recent IMPORTANT DETAILS bonus podcast episode and post. The Secret Picks for the 2026 Summer Reading Guide Catherine Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn, 9) by Steven Cavanagh (US: March 24, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:13] The Windsor Affair by Melanie Benjamin (June 2, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:04] The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:15] Chrissie Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin (March 24, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[20:33] Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell (March 24, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[30:45] Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West (April 14, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:47] Sarah Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray (May 5, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[23:29] Heather by Caitlin Mullen (June 9, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:53] The Shark House by Sara Ackerman (January 13, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:18] Other Books Mentioned Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (1987) [24:29] The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin (2016) [26:20] The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (2024) [34:24] Long Bright River by Liz Moore (2020) [34:29] Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (2023) [39:27] Jaws by Peter Benchley (1974) [43:28] The Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey (2005) [44:42] Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (2023) [45:34] More From Summer TBRs Catherine You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate (March 3, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:22] The Crown in Crisis by Alexander Larman (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:19] Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler (May 26, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:45] Sarah Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash (January 13, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:48] Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin (March 24, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[53:01] Brawler by Lauren Groff (February 24, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:28] The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (May 5, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [53:46] The Unseen World by Liz Moore (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [54:46] Porcupines by Fran Fabriczki (April 14, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [55:04] Chrissie Nonesuch by Francis Spufford (March 10, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:51] Tom's Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewksi (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:25] The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden (June 2, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:24] Whistler by Ann Patchett (June 2, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:39] A Deadly Episode (Hawthorne & Horowitz, 6) by Anthony Horowitz (April 28, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [51:18] Daughter of Crows (The Academy of Kindness, 1) by Mark Lawrence (March 24, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [51:29] Other Books Mentioned The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (2018) [48:12] Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss (2016) [48:14] House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000) [50:02] Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1985) [50:17] Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (1985) [50:18] The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, 1) by Katherine Arden (2017) [50:33] The Wanderers by Meg Howrey (2017) [53:10] The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009) [53:49]
Last October while attending the American Literature Association fiction symposium in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I managed to sequester two live, dyed-in-the-wool employed philosophers who also happen to be Cormac McCarthy experts. My AV guy (which is me) thought to handle the situation in some arm chairs near an elevator using a very expensive microphone rig ($28 at least) which attached to my phone. So--the sound is challenging, but I hope that listeners will forge ahead to this excellent conversation. Returning to the podcast is Dr. Rick Elmore, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Appalachian State University and Senior Managing Editor of book reviews at Symposium. He researches and teaches in the areas of twentieth-century French philosophy, critical theory, animal philosophy, and Cormac McCarthy Studies. He is the co-editor of The Biopolitics of Punishment: Derrida and Foucault (Northwestern University Press), The Evolving Project of Cormac McCarthy (LSU) and, published after this recording, New Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy: Encountering The Passenger and Stella Maris (U. South Carolina Press). His articles and essays have appeared in Politics & Policy, Symplokē, Symposium, Mississippi Quarterly, and The Cormac McCarthy Journal, among others. Joining him is his good friend Dr. Vern Cisney, the chair and associate professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Gettysburg College, where he teaches at the intersections of philosophy, religion, film, literature, politics, and popular culture. He is the author of Deleuze and Derrida: Difference and the Power of the Negative (Edinburgh, 2014). He is additionally the coeditor of Between Foucault and Derrida (Edinburgh, 2016), BioPower: Foucault and Beyond (Chicago, 2015), The Way of Nature and the Way of Grace: Philosophical Footholds On Terence Malick's Tree of Life (Northwestern, 2016) and a number of other books. Recent articles include work in Deleuze and Guattari Studies, and pieces in The Evolving Project of Cormac McCarthy, and New Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy: Encountering The Passenger and Stella Maris. Thanks as well to Thomas Frye, who composed, performed, and produced the music for READING MCCARTHY. The views of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the views of their home institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society. We appreciate favorable reviews on the platform of your choice. If you enjoy this podcast you may also enjoy the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL PODCAST, hosted by myself and Kirk Curnutt. To contact me, please reach out to readingmccarthy(@)gmail.com. The website is at readingmccarthy.buzzsprout.com Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) "You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from." –Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men. Two tiger sharks, a tattoo, and a richocheted bullet off a man's skull. Reb dives into the Shark Arm Case (1935), the Confrontation Clause, and the Dead Witness Dilemma. Enjoy. *** Shop SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at THIS LINK: https://www.skims.com/rebuttal #skimspartner *** MERCH STORE IS LIVE! Shop Reb Masel and Rebuttal Pod merch: https://rebmasel.shop/ CLICK HERE to PREORDER Reb's book: The Book They Throw At You—A Sarcastic Lawyer's Guide* To The Unholy Chaos of Our Legal System, *God No, Not Actual Legal Advice *** Follow @RebuttalPod on Instagram and Twitter! Follow @Rebmasel on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter! *** 00:00 - Intro / Setting the Scene 01:02 - PART I: THE SHARK 06:57 - PART II: THE BOXER 12:33 - PART III: SHARK, 1; BULLET, 1; GANGSTERS, 0 25:35 - PART IV: HEARSAY LESSON 34:00 - PART V: THE CONFRONTATION CLAUSE 35:29 - Medieval "Trial By Ordeal" was a nightmare 38:16 - WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL A WITNESS? 39:18 - PART VI: WOULD SHARK ARM TESTIMONY BE ADMISSIBLE TODAY? 43:20 - Reb's Rebuttal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) "You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from." –Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men. Two tiger sharks, a tattoo, and a richocheted bullet off a man's skull. Reb dives into the Shark Arm Case (1935), the Confrontation Clause, and the Dead Witness Dilemma. Enjoy. *** Shop SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at THIS LINK: https://www.skims.com/rebuttal #skimspartner *** MERCH STORE IS LIVE! Shop Reb Masel and Rebuttal Pod merch: https://rebmasel.shop/ CLICK HERE to PREORDER Reb's book: The Book They Throw At You—A Sarcastic Lawyer's Guide* To The Unholy Chaos of Our Legal System, *God No, Not Actual Legal Advice *** Follow @RebuttalPod on Instagram and Twitter! Follow @Rebmasel on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter! *** 00:00 - Intro / Setting the Scene 01:02 - PART I: THE SHARK 06:57 - PART II: THE BOXER 12:33 - PART III: SHARK, 1; BULLET, 1; GANGSTERS, 0 25:35 - PART IV: HEARSAY LESSON 34:00 - PART V: THE CONFRONTATION CLAUSE 35:29 - Medieval "Trial By Ordeal" was a nightmare 38:16 - WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL A WITNESS? 39:18 - PART VI: WOULD SHARK ARM TESTIMONY BE ADMISSIBLE TODAY? 43:20 - Reb's Rebuttal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We Love Paris in the Springtime and we love Paris in The Paris Match by our very favorite, Kate Clayborn. Today, we're talking about the City of Love itself, with Kate! We talk about the magic of the City of Lights, about the weight it has in romance, and about the mythology it carries with it whenever it's included in a book. Yes, of course, we talk about Jessica and Dain, but we also celebrate Kate's new release, The Paris Match! We're also covering sex workers, chocolatiers, cigarette smokers and heroes who gnaw off their own legs, the Champs de Elysee be damned. Thanks, as always, to Kate for joining us and putting up with our shenanigans.If you'd like to continue the conversation about Paris, please come join the Fated Mates Discord, which is accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.Our next read along is The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.NotesWelcome Kate Clayborn. Her first episodes way back in Season 1 were about Siblings' Best Friends and then Sexclamation Points!, and since then, she's been on about a million other times. Cormac McCarthy has some strong feelings about punctuation and Random House doesn't like the interrobang, but Sarah's a rebel.Green screen technology has come a long way. In this interview, Heated Rivalry cinematographer Jackson Parrell describes how he used the technology in the show, including the scene on the beach in Tampa. Cinematographer Valentina Vee did a really interesting set of videos talking about the use of green screen technology in the show.The Edna St. Vincent Millay sonnet about place that Sarah quoted is Time Does Not Bring Relief.Kate wrote a round up for People magazine about great books set in and about Paris.Jen heard about Puppets by Jenna Ryan after being tagged in an Instagram post by WendieReads. But in digging around, Jen discovered the Passages podcast did a deep dive of the book in 2025.You can read more about the puppet theaters of Paris in this New York Times article from 2019.SponsorsElle Kennedy, author of Love Song, available in print, ebook, audiobook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.Claire Wilder, author of Nailed, available in print, ebook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.Blue Box Press, publishers of Donna Grant's The Dragon Chronicles, beautiful new print editions of seven books in the series, including Dragon King, Dragon Fever, Dragon Burn, Dragon Night, Dragon Claimed, and Dragon Lost. Available in print and ebook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/4/27/0832-the-paris-match-by-kate-clayborn If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It's so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
“Abundance” came out a little over a year ago. It's been exciting — and a little disorienting — seeing how it's rippled out into the world, and the ways it's been embraced and debated and critiqued. So I wanted to take a moment to talk through what's really happened in the last year – with Derek Thompson, my “Abundance” co-author, and Marc Dunkelman, whose book “Why Nothing Works” came out around the same time, and circles the same ideas. What has the abundance movement actually achieved in the last year? Where has it fallen short? And what have the three of us learned from our critics? Mentioned: Ezra is moderating a forum on housing and affordability with some of the top California gubernatorial candidates. The event is on Friday, May 8, in Oakland, CA. You can buy tickets here. Use the code EKSHOW for 20 percent off your order. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Why Nothing Works by Marc J. Dunkelman Derek Thompson's Substack The Power Elite by C. Wright Mills The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro “The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth” by Brian M. Rosenthal “Why Are Palantir and OpenAI Scared of Alex Bores?” by The Ezra Klein Show “The Anti-Social Century” by Derek Thompson Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam The Permanent Problem by Brink Lindsey “Bernie Sanders: ‘There Ain't Much of a Democratic Party” by Bernie Sanders and David Leonhardt Book Recommendations: Making a New Deal by Lizabeth Cohen Stuck by Yoni Appelbaum Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis The Secret History by Donna Tartt Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Narrated by Richard Poe Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Annika Robbins and Kate Sinclair. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones and Aman Sahota. Our recording engineer is Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show's production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Lauren Reddy. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. And special thanks to Brianna Johnson. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.