Podcast
Four Books a Fortnight
Hosted by Hannah Harlow and Sam Pfeifle · EN
Hannah Harlow and Sam Pfeifle, siblings and co-owners of the Book Shop of Beverly Farms, read four books every two weeks and tell you what they think! And we rate every single book with a sound effect. See which books get an explosion (this book is the bomb!) and which get a whoopie cushion (we would never!). Have a book you want our thoughts on? Hit us up at info@bookshopofbeverlyfarms.com.
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
EP100: This Is the End ... For Now
Sep 1500:41:45Tap to summarizeThat's right, folks. This is the last episode of "John Updike's Ghost"! But not to worry! We'll be launching a new podcast very soon! What's the name? What will it be about? When will it launch? We're not telling you yet! Until that amazing day comes, you'll just have to listen to us talk about the books we've read recently, such as: - "Sisters in the Wind," by Angeline Boulley, which is in the same universe as "Firekeeper's Daughter" and "Warrior Girl Unearthed," and it is just as good. Angeline just keeps cranking them out. - "The Guide," by Peter Heller, which is the follow-on to "The River," and features much of the same brilliant nature writing, if maybe a little less "realistic." It's not as good as "The River," but that's not saying it's not great. - "The Frozen People," by Elly Griffiths, which starts a brand-new series and has time travel, but not the sci-fi sort of time travel, just the plot-device kind of time travel. If you like Elly's mysteries, you'll love this. - "So Far Gone," by Jess Walter, which is very much a novel of our moment, exploring what happens when your daughter marries a hardcore Christian nationalist. But it's also really funny and not too politically heavy. - "Help Wanted," by Adelle Waldman, which is a working-class novel about employees in a box-store warehouse and the pecking order that becomes clear when the boss announces he's leaving. Hannah liked it. And then we thank everyone and say goodbye. We'll be back, but ta-ta for now.
Transcribe →EP93: Careless People and the Snarling Trumpet
Jun 2, 2025Tap to summarizeThis week, as Sam preps to go to Iceland, we've got some of our favorite books of the year so far, with Gatsby references all over the place, general indictments of people with more money than they need, and a call back to the Beat era. Here's what we've got on tap: - "Mansion Beach," by Meg Mitchell Moore, a retelling of Gatsby with a gender reversal and a good reminder that Fitzgerald, himself, was a bit of a "beach read" writer. - "Atavists," by Lydia Millet, a story collection that works a bit like a multi-perspective novel and succeeds as both a realistic look at the suburbs and a send-up of modern life. - "Careless People," by Sarah Wynn-Williams, which offers an inside look at some of the most ethically and morally bankrupt people the world has ever known: the creators of Facebook. - "The Silver Snarling Trumpet," by Robert Hunter, which is a must-read for anyone who likes Jerry Garcia or wants to harken back to a simpler time and get a glimpse of life before the hippies.
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