EP39: Altruism, cynicism, TC Boyle, 'You Are Here,' and Roxanne Gay

Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost

Hannah is in the Berkshires (or someplace) digging for ramps and concerned about her to-be-read list, but she made some time to talk books, including "Rough Sleepers" (the next Book Club book), which leads to a big discussion of why people do good works. Sam thinks it's anger. Heavy cynicism ensues. As a palate-cleanser, we then engage in a discussion of note-taking — Hannah won't write in her hardcovers — and the use of notes at Book Club and the preciousness of books. (Note: Maine and Massachusetts are NOT the only states that celebrate Patriots Day). Oh, yeah, the books we read: "Blue Skies," by TC Boyle (who's great, but stay for the mediocre TC Boyle anecdote at the end); "Symphony of Secrets," by Brendan Slocumb (don't read the jacket copy!); "Saha," by Cho Nam-Joo (Singapore is not for Sam; it's unclear whether all of his facts are in order); "You Are Here," by Karin Lin-Greenberg ("shining beacons of capitalism"). And then there's 15 minutes worth of stuff about the Newburyport Literary Festival — for which Hannah is leading a panel on the "coming of age" novel, with Allegra Goodman, Kai Harris, and Jessica Anya Blau — and how we manage our advance-reader copies. Also Roxanne Gay's new imprint and its new romance novel from Vannessa Lyon.