The Yak Babies Book Podcast: Recent Episodes
Aaron Block, David Duhr, Brick Road
Yak Babies is a weekly book podcast that brings a mix of reviews, discussions, games, and read-a-longs to fellow readers who are sick of the same old stodgy book podcasts. We focus on literature, and regularly discuss comics, video games, and other media as well.
The pals sift between to ersatz and the echt when it comes to reasons for authors dropping foreign words in their writing.
The pals discuss how they keep track of what they read, and it turns out each has a very different process.
The pals discuss buying books and if they read books the buy right away (or at all). Nico asks the pals what they do with books after they read them.
The personal pals share their favorite fantasy novels, and try to tease out the differnece between high and low fantasy.
The pals ditch Dave to talk about Noah Baumbach's 2022 Netflix adaptation of DeLillo's novel.
Books touched on: Genderqueer, by Maia Kobabe; Road of Bones, by Christopher Golden, Years of Rice and Salt, by Kim Stanley Robinson; Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi; Maame, by Jessica George; Kindred, by Ocatavia Butler and Damian Duffy; Ink Blood Sister Scribe, by Emma Torzs; Marlena, by Julie Buntin; Counterfeit, by Kirstin Chen; Comedy Bang Bang The Podcast The Book, by Scott Aukerman; Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys; The Spy Who Loved Me, by Ian Fleming.
Aaron asks the pals what they think of writers intentionally omitting personal hang-ups (like drinking or smoking) from their writing.
The pals discuss the recent controversy with the Hugo awards, as well as the challenge of self-censorship in the modern era.
The pals did a group read of Ryka Aoki's sci-fi novel Light from Uncommon Stars. Will it stand the test of time or be shot into the ocean of forgotten books?
Books this month: The Heart of It All, by Christian Keefer; The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon; Small Mercies, by Dennis Lehane; Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt; The Wild Ones, by John Mooallem; Foster, by Claire Keegan; The Mysteries, by Bill Watterson and John Kascht; The Last Ronin- The Lost Years, by Kevin Eastman; Doppelganger, by Naomi Kline; Classic X-Men.
The pals close the book on 2023 and chat about what they are looking forward to in the new year.
The pals all read Don DeLillo's 1985 novel, White Noise. Should it be enshrined int he canon or blasted into the sea by cannon?
The pals follow up the episode on horror novels with an episode sharing their favorite horror movies and shows, including their individual Mt. Horrormores.
The pals discuss books with forwards and afterwards. Do you read them or skip those parts? What about supplementary matter in comics and other media?
Nico asks his pals if friends are owed an automatic 5 stars on Goodreads. Is giving 4 stars and asshole move? Also, do people still read professional book reviews?
Brick is increasingly vexed by his phone's grip on his time and wonders if phones are making us dumber. Bonus Bro2Bro included!
Books this month: Kaya, by Craig Wes; Mouse Guard, by David Petersen; The Compleat Moonshadow, by Jean Marc DeMatteis; Marlfox, by Brian Jacques; Kitchens of the Great Midwest, by J. Ryan Stradal; Wool, by Hugh Howey; Demolition Angel, by Robert Crais; The Hunter, by Jennifer Herrera; The Great Transition, by Nick Fuller Googins; "Mall of America" by Susanne Wang; 33 1/3 Aja, by Don Breithaupt; 33 1/3 Come Away with ESG, by Sherry Percy; It Never Ends, by Tom Sharpling; Endzone, by Don DeLillo.
The pals read and review Toni Morrison' brutal and haunting novel 1987 Beloved. It's generally recognized as a masterpiece, will the Yaks keep it in the canon or shoot it into the sea? The deliberation may not be as clear cut as you thing. NOTE: our Patreon has not reached the level at which we can afford an on-staff factchecker. Some interpretations of historical facts by the Yaks may not be wholly accurate.
The pals share their favorite short story collections as well as a list of runners up they enjoy.
The pals enlist the AI chatbot Sudo to write the first draft of the long promised Elf Trap novella. Nico commits to proving he's smarter than a robot.
The pals share their favorite titles of the last 23 years, and a surprise Canon or Cannon decision is made.
Books this time: Euphoria, by Lily King; Writers and Lovers, by Lily King; Lessons in Chemisty, by Bonnie Garmus; The Last Housewife, by Ashley Winstead; I Have Some Questions for You, by Rebecca Makkai; You Only Live Twice, by Ian Fleming; Astro City Vol 2, by Kurt Busiak; All the Marvels, by Douglas Wolk; 33 1/3 Unknown Pleasures, by Chris Ott.r
The pals discuss some great authors that don't seem to ge the love and attention they deserve.
The pals discuss plot twists as a narrative device and examples of when it has worked well or not.
The pals share some reading experiences that were difficult, whether by making them feel unease or revulsion, or because it challenged their thinking.
The pals talk about the implications of ChatGPT and "creative" AI technology on writing and teaching.
Books this time: The Song of Pentecost, by W.J. Corbett; Anger, by Thicht Naht Hahn; One Story; Boulevard; Boston Review; Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stephenson; The Writing Retreat, by Julia Bartz; I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy; A Heart that Works, by Rob Delaney; The Candy House, by Jennifer Egan; 33 1/3: Highway to Hell, by Joe Bonomo and Unknown Pleasures, by Chris Ott; The Human Target, by Tom King.
Next in our recommendation roulette of Secret Santa books, Aaron read Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta upon Dave's recommendation.
That is the role of responsibility of fact in historical fiction? Is there a distinction between historical fiction and fiction in an historical setting?
The pals read Tommy Orange's acclaimed 2018 novel There There and consider whether it should be canonized or launched into the sea.
The pals each share three books they think everyone in the world would benefit from reading.
The next assignment in the pals' Secret Santa / Reading Roulette. Aaron assigns Nico to read Alan Moore's historical fiction Jack the Ripper comic opus From Hell. Bricks joins as well.
The pals share their reading goals for the coming year as well as introduce their new meta game: Brag Points.
The personal pals discuss the best books they read in 2022, very few of which were actually written in 2022.
The pals sans Aaron talk about Wordle and other app distractions from reading, as well as share some of their favorite word-based board and card games.
Brick reports back after reading his assignment for Recommendation Roulette: The Library at Mt. Char, by Scott Hawkins.
Do you keep books in the bathroom? Do you read books in the bathroom? Would you re-shelf a bathroom book? What is your Desert Bathroom Book?
Books this time: The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones; Headlopper, by Andrew Maclean; Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl; Light from Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki; The Woman in my Home, by Kerry Fisher; The Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde; Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin; 1st Issue Special, by various authors
What are we reading, boys? Together We Will Go, J. Michael Straczynski; The Greenbone Saga, Fonda Lee; Arlington Park, Rachel Cusk; Invisible Things, Matt Johnson; The Deluge, Stephen Markley; The Annual Migration of Clouds, Premee Mohammed; The Slynx, Tatyana Tolstaya; The Last Ronin, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Superman Space Age, Mark Russel; Batman: One Bad Day, Tom King.
Nico leads the pals in a retrospective of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and its cultural impact 10 years later.
The pals revisiting one of their most popular episodes, reflecting on their MFA experiences and evaluating whether the experience was worth the cost.
The pals discuss books that include glossaries (or could but don't) due to using made up or esoteric language that the reader may need help understanding. When is it appreciated and helpful and when does it detract from the experience?
The pals discuss recent cases of literary plagiarism. Why does this keep happening? Does anyone actually care?
The pals all read Cormac McCarthy's literary post-apocalyptic The Road and discuss whether it deserves immortalization in the first entry in our rebooted Canon or Cannon.
The pals read the short story "Escape from Spiderhead" by George Saunders then watched the Netflix adaption. How do the two compare? Read and watch then tune in.
The pals discuss the practice of assigning summer reading in school and share their approaches to reading in the summer. Nico talks about a book he is reading.
The pals open Season 6 by actually talking about books. Books touched on: Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy; Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney; The Idiot, by Elif Batuman; The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth; Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel; The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev, by Eric Silberstein; Counterfeit, by Kirsten Chen; 33 1/3 Modern Lovers, by Sean Maloney; The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett; AstroCity Metrobook One, by Kurt Busiek; Sandman, by Neil Gaiman; Damage Control, by Dwayne McDuffie.
It's the beginning of a long strange journey. The pals chopped up 101 Ghost Jokes the seminal Scholastic Book Fair pick up by Lisa Eisenburg and Katy Hall, and are reading and ranking every joke. The 8 episode limited series begins with the 10 jokes. If only we knew where this would go when we set out...
Find the whole series over on the Patreon.
The pals talk about the lost art of letter writing. A good chunk of these one ended up in the bonus pile. Head over to patreon to hear what you're missing.
Nico's been taking lots of author MasterClass courses, and shares with his pals his spiciest notes. This time he shares advice from RL Stine, David Mamet, Judy Blume, and Walter Mosley.
The pals fantasize about film adaptations of books they'd like to see, then cast their dream projects.
'Not quite as literal as the rabbit episode, the pals share their thoughts on hidden references in books (as well as comics, games, and movies).
Reading again! Touched on: All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr; The Mask of Mirrors and The Liar's Knot, by M.A. Carrick; Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett; East of Eden by John Steinbeck; Refuse to Be Done, by Matt Bell; The Godmakers, by Frank Herbert; The Salvage Crew, by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne; Impact Winter, by Travis Beacham; How the World is Passed by Clint Smith; My Grandmothers Hands by Resma Menakem; The Journalist and the Murderer, by Janet Malcolm; Step by Bloody Step, by Si Spurrier; Bolero, by Wyatt Kennedy; Mobile Suit Gundam Origin, by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko; Love Everlasting, by Tom King.
We aren't jumping the shark quite yet, but we are talking about books with rabbits in them. Nico loved recording this one.
The pals follow up the Magazines episode with a discussion of Mad, Cracked, Weekly World News and the like.
The pals discuss the disconnect between wanting to finish books and deciding to pack it in.
The pals construct a list of 21st century books they think will still be talked about if humanity survives into the 22nd century--and establishes their reading list for the Canon or Cannon 2: Reloaded reboot in the process.
Reading Books! Hard Rain Falling, by Don Carpenter; Snow Country, by Yasunari Kawabata; Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doer; Lighthouse, by William Monahan; April in Spain, by John Banville; Live and Let Die and Moonraker, by Ian Fleming; X-Men: Inferno, by Johnathan Hickman.
It's part 2 of our Swim in a Pond in the Rain podcast, recorded before part 1. Mostly Nico wanted to share some grievances.
It's a long over due snack update. Dave converts to Takis, Nico feeds his dog a Swiss futbol, Brick eats ghost pepper chips but doesn't "live squirt" which disappoints Aaron.
Talking about books again! The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco; The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood; Termination Shock, by Neal Stephenson; The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig; Call Us What We Carry, by Amanda Gorman; Ultramega, by James Harren; A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games, by Kurt Kulata; Milwaukee Noir; Milwaukee Anthology; Journey to the End of the Night, by Louis-Ferdinand Celine; The Human Target, by Tom King; Superman and the Authority, by Grant Morrison.
The pals talk about the the effectiveness of opening shot stories with dialogue, as well as other techniques.
The pals discuss the New York Times article, "Who is the bad Art Friend?" by Robert Kolker.
What are we reading, boys? Paper Girls Vol. 3, by Brian K Vaughn; The Last Ronin, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Virtual Boy Works, by Jeremy Parish; Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon; Catch-22, by Joseph Heller; Afterparties: Stories, by Anthony Veasna So; Rorschach, by Tom King; X-Men, by Gerry Duggan; Blubber, by Gilbert Hernandez.
3/4s of the pals discuss novels and films that are retellings and adaptions of known texts.
The pals discuss the great detective, his literary past and his many influences and appearances in popular culture.
The pals talk about serialized stories, and struggle pin down just what defines a series.
The pals discuss on their podcast --which doesn't really matter--the kerfuffle around Barren magazine firing it's poetry editor for a tweet.
The pals discuss books that demand a lot of the reader. When is a challenging book rewarding and when doe difficulty get in the way?
Can genius be learned? Do great artists tap into something beyond themselves? Do some authors have an innate aptitude for linguistics or abstract thinking that eludes others despite how hard they work?
We're back and talking books: North American Lake Monsters, by Nathan Balingrud; Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro; Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon; The Last Day, by Andrew Hunter Murray; Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky; Mask of Mirrors, by M.A. Carrick; Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke; When the Reckoning Comes, by LaTanya McQueen; Murder at Melrose Court, by Karen Baugh Menuhin; The Word for World is Forest, by Ursula K. Le Guin; Hater, by John Semley; Batman '89, by Sam Hamm; Red Room, by Ed Piskor.
The Yaks are back for Season 5! The pals talk about reading habits when faced with high levels of stress. Are books a solace and an escape, or an added stressor to be avoided?
The year's most anticipated gala, the Yakkies! The personal pals reminisce through 27 categories of Yak-tactular retrospective content and vote on the winners! Nico will hate calling it first annual, but we've already booked the venue for next year so...
The pals discuss what they've been snacking on as well as the pandemic grocery store experiences.
Brick delivers one of the toughest EIMEs yet. Are these translation-garbled quotes from Bill Watterson's venerated comic Calvin and Hobbes, French theologian John Calvin, or British philosopher (and general dick) Thomas Hobbes?
Another bonus released from the Patreon vault while we prep for Season 5. Last October, Aaron asked the pals about what defines a corpse, Dave time delay volleys a death erection question, and Brick tells of his new doctor who probably isn't really a doctor.
You can listen to literally hundreds more bonus episodes like this at Patreon.com/YakBabies.
Now with fewer bag crinkle sounds! Lot's of snacks this episode, including Blue Heat Takis, Polar summer flavors, and EuroCreme!
tinyurl.com/SnackBabiesBlog
The pals reach deep into the canon and put one of the most esteemed novels in English literature to the cannon test.
It's another What Are We Reading episode! Books this time: Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushie; Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon; Galapagos, by Kurt Vonnegut; Ultramega, by James Harren; Batman: The Adventures Continue, by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini; Squadron Supreme, by Mark Gruenwald.
The pals discuss their fondness for Star Wars, except Nico who predictably talks about Star Trek instead.
The pals reminisce about Scholastic Book Fairs in their elementary schools, as well as childhood bookstore experiences and jobs they've had at bookstores.
No new episode this week because Brick is too busy to finish an edit, but we're breaking a game out from the Patreon vault. Guess along with the pals at these garbled first lines to famous novels.
The pals discuss books that are generally lauded but they hate. What books do you recognize as good books, but just don't like or don't get why they are so beloved?
It's another What Are We Reading episode! Books this time: The Complete Peanuts, by Charles Schultz; An Introduction to Buddhism, by the Dalai Lama; Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius; Ask Iwata, edited by Hobonichi; Women Talking, by Miriam Toews; Steppenwolf, by Hermann Hesse; Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir; Hey Kids! Comics!, by Howard Chaykin; The Good Asian, by Pornsak Pichetshote; Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution, by Yusef Daoudi.
The pals discuss the four-hour DC movie resurrection know as The Synder Cut. Like any good comic book discussion, there are opinions and there are questions. Questions like: why is there a dream sequence where Batman is wearing a trench coat over his Batsuit?
It's another round of Canon or Cannon! This time we read Herman Melville's classic story "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and choose whether we want to keep it a required read or prefer not to.
Aaron asks the pals what led to their preferences and tastes in books and the pals all sort of answer.
Canon is Cannon. The pals discuss George Orwell's 1984 and whether it's as important as everyone who hasn't read it says it is.
Let's talk about the books: Revolver, by Evan Schwartz; Bat Boy Lives, by Weekly World News; You're Ruining the Dystopia for Everyone, by Frank Conniff; The Cement Garden, by Ian McEwan; The Force, by Don Winslow; Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson; Throne of Glass, by Sarah Mass; Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Barduga; The Awkward Black Man, by Walter Mosley; 33 1/3: Golden Hits of the Shangri-Las, by Ada Wolin; Rorschach, by Tom King; The Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing.
The pals discuss the latests brouhaha in the alt-right echo chamber concerning Dr. Seuss books and generally what it takes to be a decent person.
The pals are joined by special guest Kathleen to discuss the experience of reading authors over the course of their careers.
The pals discuss the experience of engaging with books using their ears rather than their eyes.
The pals read (listened to anyway) a grimdark fantasy book at Nico's behest: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. They liked it more than Early Work.
The pals talk about what sticks most with memorable books, and how long the effects of books last for them.
Story Club is back from hiatus with the pals discussing George Saunders's wackadoo zombie story "Sea Oak"
The pals share what they have been reading: Last Night at the Lobster, by Stewart O'Nan; Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov; Rhythm of War, by Brian Sanderson; The Awkward Black Man, by Walter Mosley; Rorschach, Strange Adventures, & Batman and Catwoman, by Tom King.
The pals share their most memorable, if not enjoyable, reading experiences of the year that was.
The pals conclude the two-part deep dive into one of comics' most celebrated works: Watchmen by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Gibbons.
The pals celebrate the yuletide with a discussion of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol as well as the many movie adaptions we enjoy.
The pals share the books they got the most out of in a year that took the most out of all of us.
The pals discuss the deciding factors when choosing to put a book back on the shelf or walk it to check out.
The pals take the advice of listener Andrew and embark on a (two-part) deep dive into one of comics' most celebrated works: Watchmen by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Gibbons.
The pals share their favorite books that nobody has read: Skippy Dies, by Paul Murray; My Unsentimental Education, by Deborah Monroe; Misadventure, by Millard Kauffman; The Justice Society of America, by Len Strazewski; The Fly, by Mike Parobeck.
The pals return to talking about romance and cozy mystery genre fiction, shallow-diving into two reads: Candy Coated Murder, by Kathleen Suzette and Spaniards Baby of Revenge by Clare Connolly.
W'RE REPOSTING THIS EPISODE AS APPARENTLY IT DIDN'T PUSH OUT TO RSS FEEDS.
The pals share books they've been reading. Books touched on: A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles; Batman Year One, by Frank Miller; The Witcher Omnibus, from Dark Horse Comics; The Old Country Music, by Kevin Barry; Living and Dying on the Factory Floor, by David Ranney; Streets in Their Own Ink, by Stewart Dybek; Green Lantern Earth One Volume 2, by Gabriel Hardman; Spaniard's Baby of Revenge, by Clare Connelly.
It's election night in America and potentially the verge of a cold civil war, so nobody wants to hear us talk about fanfiction or toilets. Instead something from the Patreon vault: an EIME game about books by US presidents.
The pals discuss the classic Universal monsters (and other silver age horror films) and the books that inspired them.
The yeeks take a break from books to talk about some of their favorite movies and games to enjoy around Halloween.
The pals load another classic into the cannon. Will Fences be shot into the sea or returned to the canon?
The pals discuss literary books that introduce single breaks with reality or rely on extended metaphor.
What causes the pals to give up on a book before finishing it to completion (as Aaron so eloquently phrases it)?
The pals share the books they've been reading. Books touched on: The Trauma of Everyday Life, by Mark Epstein; How to Be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi; Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nahesi Coates; The Boy, by Tami Hoag; F*ckface, by Leah Hampton; Strange Adventures, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads; The Ludocrats, by Kieron Gillen and Jim Rossignol.
Introducing our new series Canon or Cannon, in which the pals read and discuss notable works from the Western Canon, particularly those typically assigned in high school, and determine whether they should continue in their relevance or be shot from a cannon into the sea.
For our first installment, we read William Golding's 1954 child-murder classic Lord of the Flies.
The pals discuss the books they should have read and haven't, and books they have read that they wish they hadn't.
The pals discuss author readings and what distinguishes those that feel worthwhile from those that are a waste of time.
The audio got borked, so this WAWR is a bit of a Frankenstein--or maybe a cyborg since some of Aaron's comments are replaced with a farting robot. Books touched on: White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo; the Walt Longmire series, by Craig Johnson; Exile's Return, by Malcolm Cowley; Goodbye, Columbus, by Philip Roth; 33 1/3; Welcome to the Monkey House, by Kurt Vonnegut; The New Gods Omnibus, by Jack Kirby.
Thousands of years ago, the Yak Babies ran Chamber Four, which featured the internet's most prominent (good luck fact checking that) eReader hub. Few really cared about eReaders then, and less do now. The pals look back on the formats' slow, quiet demise and wonder if they have any future beside the Kindle. (Updated file with noise reduction.)
The pals discuss romance, a genre they are wildly ill-equipped to discuss intelligently. (Updated file with noise reduction.)
The pals talk about how the design and aesthetics of a published book affect their reading and enjoyment.
Aaron gets huffy about a woke twitter thread badmouthing Jane Eyre and leads the pals in a discussion of how required reading is approached in American schools.
The pals discuss the novel Night Boat to Tangier by Nico's neighbor and Dave's fantasy lover Kevin Barry.
The pals discuss "booksibitionism" or factoring in what strangers may think of you when selecting what to bring in public or when packing for a trip.
The pals talk about burnout with reading and writing and the toll work (and just life really) can take on creative and literary pursuits. Recorded in February, if only they had know COVID was coming...
In part 2, the babies commemorate 100 episodes by creating a list of the 25 less-essential reads for personal pals--much of it categorized as "Aaron's Sadness."
The babies commemorate 100 episodes by creating a list of the 25 essential reads for personal pals.
UPDATED (Nico's audio was desynced in the original upload)
The pals share what they've been reading: The Cockroach, by Ian McEwan; Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman; Far from the Tree, by Robin Benway; The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides; Fall, or Dodge in Hell, by Neal Stephenson; The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder; Ironweed, by William Kennedy; Go All the Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop, by Paul Myers (ed); House of X / Powers of X, by Johnathan Hickman; 20XX, by Johnathan Luna and Lauren Keeley.
A slightly different gang this time around, thanks to COVID-19 quarantine. Brick talks with Nico and wife Kathleen about the Witcher games, books, and Netflix show, as well as the fantasy genre.
The pals discuss reading books for professional purposes and how that changes their critical approach.
The gang chats about that voice in your head, especially what is sounds like when you are reading or writing.
Nico and Brick discuss a video game that maybe wants too much to be a book: critical darling magical-realist postmodern adventure game Kentucky Route Zero.
The pals checked in earlier on this year about their personal reading and writing goals for 2020. Stay tuned for the eventual coronavirus update.