Jess: The Bookstore (Podcast)

This week I listened to the Bookstore podcast. Their tag line is “it’s like book club but we actually read the book.” In hindsight, this was probably not the podcast for me because I love book clubs and that critique seems a little unnecessary. The premise is that best friends Becca and Corinne spend each week talking about a book. They used to work at an independent bookstore together, and the podcast was meant as a way to talk not just about books but also all of the book related topics that used to come up. They list some of those in their one minute trailer and they sound pretty similar to the types of questions we open class with. That said, they didn’t get to any of those types of topics (which author would you want to have dinner with, what three books would you take to a deserted island, etc.) in the episodes I listened to.

The first episode I listened to was one on Swing Time from April 23, 2018. I originally tried to start with their most recent episode on My Sister the Serial Killer, but was promptly warned that there would be spoilers. So I scrolled back a long ways to find a book I had read. On Swing Time, they made a lot of points I agreed with. For one, they talked about how surprisingly readable Zadie Smith is, despite her place as a modern literary icon. But they also had some comments I truly could not get behind. Swing Time is somewhat separated into two sections, one focused on childhood and one on adulthood. I was generally more drawn to the former, I found those stories more compelling. They both seemed to think the adulthood part was more understandable and well-written mainly because they didn’t understand one of the characters motivations at all. I’m going to try to not get to into this here, except to say that The Bookclub podcast I listened to on this book had enough dissenting opinions and nuanced conversation that they didn’t entirely miss the point. 

The way I felt about that first episode didn’t bode well for the next. I decided to listen to an episode on a book I wouldn’t read. I picked I’ll Be Gone In The Dark because I was interested but don’t have the stomach to read a book about a serial killer. I found the episode to be surprisingly upbeat. Personally, I felt they were a little bit cavalier about the experiences of the survivors, and that made me largely uncomfortable. I think the hosts have a nice rapport, but they get along so well it never feels like they take a moment to question each other and have a real conversation.

To switch gears, I listened to an episode from March 5 on what they’ve been reading and some book suggestions. Unlike the rest of the episodes, I hadn’t heard of any of the books they recommended. In true bookstore employee fashion, it seemed like they knew a lot of smaller publishers and new releases that may have flown under the radar. Their tastes range from nonfiction to poetry to short story collections, and if you’re looking for something new I think they had a great number of reads that sounded excellent. 

Would I listen to this podcast again? Probably not. But I might go back and look for the recommendations they gave in that last podcast.