Books of Some Substance

Books of Some Substance

David Southard and Nathan Sharp

Episodes 114
Avg. Duration 48m
Activity Active
Apple Rating 4.3 (67)
Since Feb 2016
Latest Episode Sep 2025

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Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Hosting
booksofsomesubstance.libsyn.com

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About This Podcast

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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Recent Episodes

112 - The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1 of 2)

Sep 25, 2025 1h 22m

In this episode of The Books of Some Substance podcast, Nathan and David get into the first half of Fyodor Dostoevsky's masterpiece, The Brothers Karamazov (Books 1-6; Parts 1 and 2). From the…

111 - Light Years by James Salter

May 29, 2025 1h 6m

In this episode of the Books of Some Substance podcast, hosts Nathan Sharp and David Southard reunite with our old friend Eric Heiman (whose life and experiences connect closely to the novel on this…

S3 110 - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Apr 16, 2025 1h 21m

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…

S3 Season 3 Books Announcement

Mar 01, 2025 13m Trailer

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…

108 - Control, Revisited: Six Novels of Power, Freedom, and Surrender

Jan 09, 2025 1h 26m

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…

107 - Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Dec 04, 2024 1h 18m

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…

106 - The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

Aug 08, 2024 1h 3m

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…

105 - Malina by Ingeborg Bachmann

May 16, 2024 1h 9m

Welcome to our episode on the novel Malina by Ingeborg Bachmann. David and Nathan wind their conversation through the disorienting pages of this incredible novel. We explore its unique form and…

104 - Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee

Feb 07, 2024 56m

Nathan and David continue their exploration of control with Waiting for Barbarians, a 1980 novel by South African writer J.M. Coetzee. Empire! Torture! Manipulation! Control! Quite the book, and…

S2E3 103 - Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (2/2)

Jan 03, 2024 1h 8m

Our second episode on Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, and again David is joined by Seth from W.A.S.T.E. Mailing List. Seth is here to nimbly unravel some of the meaning of this insane and…

102 - Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (1/2)

Dec 06, 2023 1h 21m

In our first of two episodes on Thomas Pynchon's 1973 masterpiece Gravity's Rainbow, David is joined, once again, by Seth from W.A.S.T.E. Mailing List to talk about one of his favorite ways to…

S2 101: The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

Nov 01, 2023 45m

Welcome all and sundry to the first episode of Season 2: Control. Join us, David and Nathan, as we start this new season dancing to the beautifully strange rhythms of Clarice Lispector's The Hour of…

S2 Season 2 Books Announcement

Oct 25, 2023 2m Trailer

With the 100th episode behind us, and with Nick off exploring the world of dance music, David and Nathan have decided to try some new things. We're going into video (as you can see). We're going…

100 - End of an Era

Oct 13, 2023 1h 17m

On this, our 100th episode, we answered some of your questions from our B.O.S.S. voicemail. Sadly we could not get to them all, but we talked about memory, books worth reading a 1,000 times, and…

Special Announcement

Sep 14, 2023 2m Trailer

Our 100th episode is coming up. And we want you to call in and leave us a message, ask us a question, read a quote, file a complaint, suggest a book, or leave a cool noise (like a ghost or a fart or…

99 - László Krasznahorkai's Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming (Guest: Derek Maine)

Sep 12, 2023 59m

On this episode, David is joined by reader and writer Derek Maine to discuss Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming by everyone's favorite pessimistic, long-winded, Hungraian doom master László Krasznahorkai.…

98 - Jon Fosse's Melancholy I-II

Jul 21, 2023 41m

David, Eric, and Nick read Jon Fosse's Melancholy I-II, a mid-90s Norwegian novel in two parts that explores the connections between art, death, and the divine. Also discussed in this episode: what…

97 - Franza Kafka's Diaries (Guest: Ross Benjamin)

Jun 05, 2023 1h 5m

David is joined by Ross Benjamin, translator of Franz Kafka's Diaries in its most authentic form to date. Listen in as they discuss Benjamin's start in the field of translation, his love for Kafka's…

96 - Marcel Proust's Time Regained (In Search of Lost Time #6)

May 12, 2023 1h 9m

We have (finally) found the lost time! It was inside us all along! Listen in as Nathan, David, and Nick complete their tour through Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, concluding with a…

95 - Henri Lefebvre's The Missing Pieces (Guest: Tom Comitta)

Apr 04, 2023 58m

In this episode Nick is joined by Tom Comitta, aficionado of citational fiction and author of The Nature Book, newly released and available now from Coffee House Press. Tom selected Henri Lefebvre's…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Books of Some Substance have?

Books of Some Substance has published 114 episodes since February 2016, covering topics in Arts, Books.

Is Books of Some Substance still active?

Books of Some Substance is currently active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 48m.

How do I contact Books of Some Substance for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Books of Some Substance, including email and social media links.

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