Two Month Review

Latest Episodes:

#7: "A Few Things You Happen to Think About When All You Want Is to Think About Nothing" (The Invented Part, Pages 231-300) Jun 29, 2017

Show notes

This week, Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn, Chronic City) joins Chad and Brian to talk about The Writer's trip to a hospital, where he assumes something horrible is happening, which is countered by a gushing forth of new story ideas. Jonathan tells of his own experience coming up with one of his most famous books while recovering from an operation, tells of how he first met and bonded with Rodrigo Fresán, and talks about Believeniks!. This is a really meaty, fascinating episode about being a writer, mortality, Fresán's incredible talent, and much more.

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

The Invented Part is avaialble at better bookstores everywhere, and you can also order it directly from Open Letter, where you can get 20% off by entering 2MONTH in the discount field at checkout.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood on Twitter for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can find out about all of Jonathan Lethem's books and more at his website.

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

The music for the first season of Two Month Review is "Big Sky" by The Kinks.

#6: "The Place Where the Sea Ends So the Forest Can Begin: Part 3" (The Invented Part, Pages 208-230) Jun 22, 2017

Show notes

This week, Speculative Fiction in Translation founder and Best Translated Book Award judge Rachel Cordasco joins Chad and Brian to talk about the nature of time, deals with the devil, conflagrations, and writerly desires, or, in other words, the third part of "The Place Where the Sea Ends So the Forest Can Begin" in Rodrigo Fresán's The Invented Part. A very elegant section of the book following the wild, giant green cow bit that came before, the three hosts enthusiastically break down some of the plot clues included in this section, and what makes this book so damn good. (Stay till the very end to hear Rachel's enthusiasm take her over!)

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

The Invented Part is avaialble at better bookstores everywhere, including Volumes Bookcafe. You can also order it directly from Open Letter, where you can get 20% off by entering 2MONTH in the discount field at checkout.

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

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

Next week we will be back to discuss "A Few Things You Happen to Think About When All You Want Is to Think About Nothing" (pages 231-300).

The music for the first season of Two Month Review is "Big Sky" by The Kinks.

#5: "The Place Where the Sea Ends So the Forest Can Begin: Part 2" (The Invented Part, Pages 99-207) Jun 15, 2017

Show notes

This week's episode is all about Penelope and her experiences with the Karmas. (And a Big Green Cow.) A lot of the Odyssey, Wuthering Heights, and William Burroughs are in this section, which is hilariously dissected by Brian, Chad, and their guest, Tom Flynn, the manager of Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago. One of the funniest--and most free-flowing, almost beat-like--sections of the book to date, this section explains a lot of the causes for Penelope's madness, while parodying an ultra-rich family of backstabbing, self-involved, frustratingly funny characters--many of whom make great material for a novel . . .

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, Brian Wood, and Volumes Bookcafe on Twitter for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

The music for the first season of Two Month Review is "Big Sky" by The Kinks.

#4: "The Place Where the Sea Ends So the Forest Can Begin: Part 1" (The Invented Part, Pages 46-98) Jun 08, 2017

Show notes

This week, author and journalist Mark Binelli joins Chad and Brian to discuss the first part of the second section of Rodrigo Fresán's The Invented Part. In "The Place Where the Seas Ends So the Forest Can Begin," we meet The Young Man and The Young Woman, who are making a movie about The Writer after his disappearance/death/whatever. From discussion of "irreal realism" to writing classes to the idea of a sitcom about writers, this week's discussion delights in The Writer's ideas about writing and reading, and the hints this chapter contains about the rest of the book.

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

The Invented Part is avaialble at better bookstores everywhere, including from Open Letter directly, where you can get 20% off by entering 2MONTH in the discount field at checkout.

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

Also, click here to read the profile of Al Franken that Mark wrote for the new issue of Rolling Stone.

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

The music for the first season of Two Month Review is "Big Sky" by The Kinks.

And for those interested, here's Joan Manuel Serrat's "Penelope."

#3: "The Real Character" (The Invented Part, Pages 1-45) Jun 01, 2017

Show notes

This week, Jeremy Garber from Powells Books joins Chad and Brian to discuss the first section of Rodrigo Fresán's The Invented Part. This section, entitled "The Real Character," introduces us to the main character of the book--known here as The Boy, and later as The Writer--as well as some of the major themes of the novel. Wide-ranging and very fun, the discussion touches on The Boy's epic list of thoughts and ideas (such as "It Jell-O animal, vegetal, mineral, or interplanetary?"), on the two versions of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, Gerald and Sara Murphy, the idea of "the invented part," turning off our cell phones, and much more.

Next week's guest will be Mark Binelli (Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!, Screamin' Jay Hawkins' All-Time Greatest Hits, Detroit City Is the Place to Be), and will cover the first section of the second part of the novel, pages 46-98 of "Place Where the Sea Ends So the Forest Can Begin."

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

The Invented Part is avaialble at better bookstores everywhere, including Powells. You can also get it from Open Letter directly for 20% off. Just enter 2MONTH in the discount field at checkout.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood on Twitter for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. (Jeremy is smart and stays off social media entirely.)

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

The music for the first season of Two Month Review is "Big Sky" by The Kinks.

#2: Introducing Rodrigo Fresán's "The Invented Part" May 16, 2017

Show notes

Translator Will Vanderhyden joins Chad and Brian to provide an overview of Rodrigo Fresán's work--especially The Invented Part. They discuss some of his earlier works (including Kensington Gardens, which is available in an English translation), different pop culture touchstones running throughout his oeuvre, related authors, and ways to approach The Invented Part.

They also talk a bit about the schedule and the future Two Month Review podcasts. The entire reading schedule is listed below, but for the next episode (June 1st), Chad and Brian will be joined by bookseller and Best Translated Book Award just Jeremy Garber to talk about "The Real Character," pages 1-45.

Here's the complete rundown of Two Month Review podcasts for The Invented Part:

June 1: "The Real Character" (1-45)
June 8: "Place Where the Sea Ends" (Part 1) (46-98)
June 15: "Place Where the Sea Ends" (Parts 2) (99-207)
June 22: "Place Where the Sea Ends" (Parts 3) (208-229)
June 29: "A Few Things You Happen to Think About" (230-300)
July 6: "Many Fetes" (301-360)
July 13: "Life After People" (361-403)
July 20: "Meanwhile, Once Again" (404-439)
July 27: "The Imaginary Person" (440-547)

In addition to these weekly podcasts, there will be some bonus posts here on Three Percent, and you can share your opinions and questions at the official GoodReads Group.

Additionally, we are offering a 20% discount on orders of The Invented Part from the Open Letter website. Just enter 2MONTH in the discount field at checkout. Copies are on hand and will ship out immediately. They're also available at better bookstores everywhere.

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

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

The music for the first season of Two Month Review is "Big Sky" by The Kinks.

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

#1: Introduction to Two Month Review May 02, 2017

Show notes

Punctuated by toddler Isak's comments about Barney, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Lytton Smith discuss the main motivations behind the upcoming "Two Month Review" podcasts, which will be released weekly starting in later this month, and will focus on a single book for a eight or nine week period.

As noted in this post, Rodrigo Fresán’s The Invented Part will be the first featured book (episodes released every Tuesday from 5/16 through 7/27), and Guðbergur Bergsson’s Tómas Jónsson, Bestseller will be the second (8/3-9/28).

In addition to these weekly podcasts, there is a GoodReads Group where anyone following along can post comments, questions, or other opinions.

Additionally, we are offering a 20% discount on orders of these two books from the Open Letter website. Just enter 2MONTH in the discount field at checkout. And since these are already back from the printer, we'll ship them out ASAP--well in advance of the official pub dates.

The music for the first season of Two Month Review is "Big Sky" by The Kinks.

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, send those along as well.

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

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