Literary Disco

Hosted ByTod Goldberg, Julia Pistell, & Rider Strong

Writers talk about reading. Hosted by Tod Goldberg, Julia Pistell, and Rider Strong.


All Episodes

Episode 33: Graphic Novels

In this episode, the disco trio finally takes on graphic novels. Goliath by Tom Gauld and My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf, both empathetic takes on infamous villains. But should they be empathetic? Opinions clash as these two very different books […]

Episode 32: Seating Arrangements

This week, it’s wedding time. The gang reads Maggie Shipstead’s novel Seating Arrangements, which takes place over three days of nuptials on an exclusive, East Coast island. Everyone’s rich, everyone went to Harvard, everyone has […]

Episode 31: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Today we go to the one genre where our tastes truly collide: the crime novel. Rider, Tod, & Julia discuss Edgar-Award-Winning Tom Franklin’s latest work of southern intrigue.

Episode 30: Flowers in the Attic

It’s time to take on the book that you all read, under your covers, late at night, freaking out about the nature of puberty, poisoned donuts, and inheritances. This is the book that we almost murder Rider for even suggesting it might be a clas[…]

Episode 29: The Fault in Our Stars

What is the difference between drama and melodrama? Should books be written differently with teenage readers in mind? What is Romeo and Juliet actually about? And, if Rider rants in a forest, does anyone care?
This week we engage in one of the most […]

Episode 28: Two Essays about Iowa

Today is all about duality. Is a tragic event better written about as a personal essay, or as straight reportage? Should visitors to LA check out the Book Festival or the Grilled Cheese Festival? Tough decisions abound. At the heart of the episode i[…]

Episode 27: Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles

In this episode, Tod, Rider, and Julia take on Ron Currie Jr.’s new novel, Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles.
One of the podcast’s most intense discussion ensues, primarily regarding the book’s masculinity.
What makes a book manly, a[…]

Episode 26: The Birthday Episode

Happy birthday to us!
For our birthday, we happen to all touch on stories about us sobbing uncontrollably. What says “birthday” like dredging up childhood memories of being the fat kid? If that’s not enticing enough for you, we cre[…]

Episode 25: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

This week on Literary Disco, full of sound and fury, we debate the meaning of the mysterious tetractus. Bookshelf roulette also leads us to a castle we can capture– but eventually, we get to discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Advent[…]

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