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Books of Some Substance

David Southard and Nathan Sharp
Books of Some Substance
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  • 110 - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    Exploring 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Join hosts David Southard and Nathan Sharp in the Books of Some Substance podcast as they kick off Season 3 with an in-depth discussion on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's seminal Latin American novel, '100 Years of Solitude.' This episode covers the novel's ambitious narrative, magical realism, and deeply complex characters like Jose Arcadio Buendía and Colonel Aureliano Buendía. They explore themes of solitude, memory, colonialism, familial curses, and the inevitable march of modernity, offering both personal reflections and broader literary analysis. Whether you’re new to the novel or revisiting it, this episode promises a fresh and engaging perspective on one of literature's most enduring classics. 00:00 Introduction and Initial Impressions 01:55 Podcast Introduction and Book Overview 02:57 Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Journey to Stardom 03:36 Personal Reading Experiences 04:27 Themes and Style of the Novel 08:04 Setting and Cultural Context 11:04 Plot Summary and Key Events 12:47 Recurring Themes 13:31 Solitude and Human Connection 20:36 Family Dynamics and Generational Shifts 29:28 Political and Historical Context 39:54 Memory and Forgetting 41:51 The Importance of Memory 42:52 The Curse of Forgetting 48:07 The Illusion of Life 49:07 The Dance of Life 59:30 The Burden of Family Legacy 01:07:33 The Inevitability of Modernity 01:17:37 Final Thoughts and Recommendations  #BooksOfSomeSubstance #100YearsOfSolitude #GabrielGarciaMarquez #LatinAmericanLiterature #MagicalRealism #BookDiscussion #LiteraryPodcast #NobelPrizeLiterature #BookAnalysis #booktok #podcast #literature #magicalrealism #solitude #creativewriting #writingstyle #family
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  • Season 3 Books Announcement
    Season Three: Family The Books of Some Substance Podcast's third season is underway! David and Nathan are here to announce the season's theme of family and introduce the lineup of books they'll be reading and discussing. The season opens with '100 Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, followed by 'Light Years' by James Salter, 'The Brothers Karamazov' by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 'The Obscene Bird of Night' by Jose Donoso, 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf, and concludes with 'Blinding' by Mircea Cărtărescu. We invite listeners to read along, participate in discussions on their community page here on YouTube, and join live read-alongs to make the season more interactive. 00:00 Introduction to Season Three 00:13 Exploring '100 Years of Solitude' 01:00 Diving into 'Light Years' 01:41 Discussing 'The Brothers Karamazov' 02:48 Unpacking 'The Obscene Bird of Night' 05:12 Returning to Virginia Woolf with 'To the Lighthouse' 06:15 Wrapping Up with 'Blinding' 09:05 Interactive Reading and Community Engagement 10:58 Final Thoughts and Encouragement
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  • 108 - Control, Revisited: Six Novels of Power, Freedom, and Surrender
    In this episode, David and Nathan look back over season two, tracing the connections, marking the distinctions, and reframing their understanding/awareness of how control works in each and every book discussed this season. Revisiting: The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector, Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee, Malina by Ingeborg Bachmann, The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles, and Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. Enjoy. And please don't forget to give us a nice rating on Apple Podcasts, or leave a note on the YouTube channel. We appreciate you all. Happy Reading! Find Us: X / Twitter: https://x.com/booksosubstance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksosubstance/ Web: https://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/  
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  • 107 - Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
    In this episode, David and Nathan delve into Henry Miller's controversial and groundbreaking novel "Tropic of Cancer." Published in 1934, this semi-autobiographical work was banned in the US and the UK upon its release due to its explicit content. Despite—and perhaps in part because of—its ban, "Tropic of Cancer" has endured as a provocative and essential piece of literature.  Discussed on this episode, historical context (with a lot of help from George Orwell’s essay "Inside the Whale," which contextualizes the novel superbly), mysticism, narcissism, surrealism, c*cks and c*nts, general vulgarity, and authenticity.  This episode serves as a comprehensive exploration of "Tropic of Cancer," addressing both its literary significance and the moral dilemmas it poses, making it a rich conversation for fans and critics of Henry Miller alike. This episode serves as a comprehensive, though by no means exhaustive, exploration of "Tropic of Cancer” that we hope you enjoy.   As always, please leave comments, reviews, and buy some books through the podcast’s website to support future episodes. *  Note: The photographs at the opening of the YouTube version of the episode come from Henry Miller’s personal friend Brassaï (Gyula Halász), a 20th century Hungarian–French photographer, sculptor, filmmaker, and writer (even a book on Miller’s Paris Years). *  Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BooksOSubstance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksosubstance/ Our brand-new website: https://www.booksofsomesubstance.com/
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  • 106 - The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
    Come explore existential despair, the hell of isolation, and the mad dash into oblivion with Nathan and David. On this episode, your hosts have an in-depth discussion on Paul Bowles' 1949 novel The Sheltering Sky - a novel of stark prose and philosophical depth that follows Port and Kit Moresby, an American couple traveling in post-WWII North Africa. Nathan and David delve into the themes of finiteness, the pursuit of oblivion, selfishness, and the differences between a tourist and a traveler, all set against the sublime and terrifying beauty of the Sahara desert. Listen along and tell us what you think of Bowles' masterpiece and its dark, captivating narrative.
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About Books of Some Substance

The unofficial podcast of literary misfits everywhere who want to engage with books of "substance" (i.e. serious, respected, heavy, philosophical, classic), or at least considered such.
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