Three Percent Podcast

Latest Episodes:

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Part VI: "The Story Buyer") Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

This week, translator Angela Rodel joins Chad and Brian to talk about The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov, the recent surge in Bulgarian literature in translation, point of view issues in writing, Bulgarian folk music, what makes a translation work, and much more. Then Chad and Brian banter about "The Story Buyer," the giving away of ideas for novels, and the next title to be featured on the Two Month Review!

There is an unedited version of the second half of this podcast available on YouTube. that contains a longer discussion of the future of the project and what other titles could be included. And be sure to come by next TUESDAY, April 3rd at 9pm to talk with Chad, Brian, and special guest Rachel Cordasco. They'll be discussing "Global Autumn," the saddest places in the world, Eastern European humor, and more.

As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Part V: "The Green House") Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

In addition to ripping on Chad and the poor showing by the Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA Tournament, Brian Wood and Tom Flynn (from Volumes Bookcafe) discuss the morality of animals, how this section of The Physics of Sorrow focuses more on the "animal" side of the minotaur, the mixture of lightness and sorrow in Gospodinov's writing, terrible sounding alcoholic drinks, and more. It's a great blend of pure entertainment and literary insight, reinforcing just how carefully crafted and incredible this novel is.

There is an unedited version of this podcast--with maybe eight extra minutes of jokes--that you can watch on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 26th at 9pm to hangout with Chad and Brian. They'll be talking about Part VI (pages 179-200) and answering any and all of your questions.

As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Volumes Bookcafe for more information about books and upcoming events. (Like the one on April 26th with Two Month Review alum Rodrigo Fresán!)

And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 119-150) Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

This week, Patrick Smith joined Chad and Brian to talk about time capsules and their potential danger, nostalgia and the urge to collect, aliens, Chernobyl, and more. It was a very fun part of the book to discuss, and the three of them made the most of it, really digging into how The Physics of Sorrow is constructed, while also entertaining listeners who might not have read the book. (Bonus: March Madness tips from Brian and former TMR guest Tom Roberge.)

If you want to see this conversation (instead of listening to the podcast), you can view it all here on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 19th at 9pm to hangout with Brian, Chad, and special guest Tom Flynn from Volumes Bookcafe. In addition to talking about Part V (pgs 151-178), they'll be happy to answer any and all questions in the chat.

As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Patrick Smith for more book info, updates on The Scofield, and random bad takes about the New England Patriots.

And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 73-118) Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

To up the Bay Area sports content, we invited Nick Buzanski of Book Culture to come on and talk about one of his favorite sections of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow. They talk about community and storytelling, seeing movies in person, Gospodinov's humor and beautiful writing, Gaustine's wild ideas, sexy books subterraneously shared, and crappy 90s music.

If you want to see this conversation (instead of listening to the podcast), you can view it all here on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 12th at 9pm to hangout with Brian, Chad, and special guest Patrick Smith. In addition to talking about Part IV (pgs 119-150), they'll be happy to answer any and all questions in the chat.

As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Caitlin Baker for great book recommendations and more!

And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

TMR: Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 59-72) Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

Caitlin Baker of the University Book Store in Seattle joined Chad and Brian to talk about this very short section of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow. Mostly they talk about the constant conflicts between kids and their parent in myths. And eating children. But it's not as gruesome as all that! Mostly they have a good time hanging out and talking about the Minotaur and how he's been portrayed both in myths and pop culture.

If you want to see this conversation (instead of listening to the podcast), you can view it all here on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 5th at 9pm to hangout with Brian, Chad, and special guest Nick Buzanski. In addition to talking about Part III (pgs 73-118), they'll be happy to answer any and all questions in the chat.

As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Caitlin Baker for great book recommendations and more!

And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 1-58) Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

Chad and Brian are joined by Tom Roberge of Riffraff (and the Three Percent Podcast to discuss the first section of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow. They talk about the book's general conceit, the minotaur myth, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Eastern European history, fascism and communism, and much more. It's a really fun episode--and one that you can actually watch on YouTube.

Caitlin Baker of University Bookstore in Seattle will guest star on the next episode, which covers Part II (59-72). This episode will be broadcast live on YouTube on Sunday, February 25th. We'll be discussion Part II (pgs 59-72), and you can watch us, ask questions, make general comments, talk about the lighting in Brian's closet, etc. Or you can wait for the normal podcast release next Thursday, March 1st.

As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And also follow Tom Roberge and Riffraff for more info about books, bookselling, and other general topics.

And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rode

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Introduction) Feb 15, 2018

Show notes

The new season of the Two Month Review kicks off now with a general overview Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow, one of the most beloved books Open Letter has ever published. Brian's on the lam, or in witness protection, or something, so Open Letter senior editor Kaija Straumanis stepped in to talk about one of the first books she ever worked on for the press.

You can participate in the next episode--covering the Epigraphy, Prologue, and Part I (1-58)--which will be recorded on YouTube LIVE on Monday, February 19th at 9pm EST. All you you have to do is click here and you can comment or ask Chad, Brian, and Tom Roberge about anything you want.

The podcast recording of that episode will be released in normal fashion on Thursday, February 22nd. So you don't have to watch it live, but if you want to come hang out with us and participate in the making of these episodes, we'd love to see you there!

As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And also follow Tom Roberge for more book and bookselling related content. (And other fun stuff.)

And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

#138: This Is the Most This Podcast Ever Feb 13, 2018

Show notes

Alex Shepard from The New Republic joins Chad and Tom to discuss the state of book journalism, the new National Book Award for Translation, Chad's annoying whining about BookMarks, Winter Institute, and more. It's a fun episode that goes deep into some contemporary book publishing issues--and the disparity between the haves and have nots--while remaining entertaining and a bit unhinged.

This week's music is "The Best Trick in Modern Science" by Unlikely Friends. Yes, this is the second week in a row that we're featuring this album. It's great!

As always, feel free to send any and all comments or questions to: threepercentpodcast@gmail.com. Also, if there are articles you'd like us to read and analyze (or just make fun of), send those along as well.

And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes!

#137: The Fire & the Fury Over No Amazon in Rochester Feb 07, 2018

Show notes

After a few weeks away from podcast, Chad and Tom reunite to talk about sales of Fire and Fury and its lasting impact, Milo's edits, the TA First Translation Prize Shortlist, Rochester's failure to land the new Amazon HQ, Wormwood, and more.

For those keeping track as you listen, here's the baffling video presentation Rochester & Buffalo sent to Amazon and here's a link to A.N. Devers's article on Brigid Hughes and The Paris Review.

Sorry, while we're goofing on Rochester's delusional ambitions, I have to share this. Please try and make sense of those statements.

This week's music is "Crooked Numbers" by Unlikely Friends. Now that football is over with Minnesota's crushing defeat to the Eagles, it's almost time to pay attention to America's game!

And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review!

2MR: Death in Spring (pgs. 119-150) Dec 28, 2017

Show notes

Here it is, the infamous live recording at McNally Jackson! There was a great turnout to hear Brian, María Christina, and I work our way through our thoughts about Death in Spring, Rodoreda's overall stature, the banning of the color yellow, and much more. We had a great time doing this, and thanks again to McNally Jackson for making it all possible.

We might have a special bonus episode in the new year, but stay tuned for details on Two Month Review season four, when we go deep on The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov. Buy a copy now! (Use the code 2MONTH at checkout for 20% off!)

And, in case you still don't have them, both Death in Spring and Selected Stories are also available through the Open Letter website. And like with Physics above, if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.

Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow María Christina Hall there as well.

And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.

The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.

And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!