Just In Case We Die
In 2006, Quintessence Editions Ltd. published a book entitled "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die". Edited by academic Peter Boxall, this list was a curated selection of novels deemed "essential" for literature lovers. Over time, as books were added and removed to accommodate new tastes, the list has continued to grow into subsequent volumes. As of today, there have been 1,316 novels included in the list. Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca will attempt to read and discuss every single one of them. Sort of.
- Update frequency
- every 16 days
- Average duration
- 67 minutes
- Episodes
- 54
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
#274 "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
This novel-- Mark Haddon's emotional depiction of a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome-- meant a lot to Aaron when he first read it back in 2007. He selected it for his choice off of the…
October 2024 -- Bonus Episode (Scary Stories That Are Not Written By Stephen King)
It’s October!
All three cast members of Just In Case We Die are in agreement that autumn is the best time of the year. It’s not just because of the cool temperatures or the pumpkin spice…
#232 "Claudine's House" by Colette
The temptation to accurately depict the general consensus on this (apparently) "essential" "novel" by leaving this space wordless and blank is almost overwhelming. That would be poor fo…
September 2024 -- Bonus Episode (Roald Dahl)
For the bonus material this month, the crew at Just In Case We Die takes a deep dive into the life and works of beloved children's author Roald Dahl. Listeners may know him as the maste…
#1,258 "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells
In 1898, William Heinemann published H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds in novel form for the very first time. In the 126 years that have passed since, this novel has never been out of …
August 2024 -- Bonus Episode (We Love Memoirs Day)
The final day of August has been declared as We Love Memoirs Day. The gang here at Just In Case We Die has no idea how that holiday should be celebrated, but it did give them a good top…
#612 "Jack Maggs" by Peter Carey
Rodney: Meh.
Rebecca: Blech.
Aaron: OHMIGERD! OHMIGERD!
Yeah. That pretty well sums up the direction this week’s discussion goes.
In 1997, Peter Carey, perhaps Australia’s most important co…
July 2024 -- Bonus Episode (Guilty Pleasure Beach Reads)
This month, the crew here at Just In Case We Die took an opportunity to discuss a genre that doesn’t normally come up on a podcast that discusses fine works of literature: “trashy” summ…
#149 "The Book of Illusions" by Paul Auster
This month’s selection was hand-picked from the curated list by Rebecca. She selected this novel because she is an ardent admirer of this author’s work and this work was one that she ha…
June 2024 -- Bonus Episode (Pride Month)
Aaron can hear just well enough to record if all three cast members are within a few feet of each other, so, at long last, Just In Case We Die presents the bonus material for June. This…
"The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury -- Veto #1
The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury’s 1950 collection of loosely-connected stories that chronicle the human colonization of Mars has long been a favorite of Aaron. Aaron is, in fact, a…
May 2024 -- Bonus Episode (National Short Story Month)
May is National Short Story Month and the cast of Just In Case We Die decided to celebrate by devoting an entire discussion to the craft and art of short stories. Aaron, Rodney, and Reb…
April 2024 -- Bonus Episode #2 (Independent Bookstore Day)
It would appear that there are two bonus episodes this month!
April 27th is Independent Bookstore Day. In collaboration with a favorite independent bookstore (The Lit in Champaign, Illi…
#326 ("Doctor Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak)
Did you know that the C.I.A. seized an opportunity to embarrass the Soviet Union by publishing a special edition of Doctor Zhivago in 1958? The cast of Just In Case We Die didn’t know t…
April 2024 -- Bonus Episode (International Children's Book Day)
Aaron was introduced to Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, and J. M. Barrie in third grade. Rebecca spent her childhood devouring Nancy Drew. Rodney has an obsessive need to rerea…
#875 "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
Remember last month when Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca discussed Disappearance by David Dabydeen? Do you recall that Aaron and Rebecca didn't like it very much? Remember how Rodney tried t…
March 2024 -- Bonus Episode (Problematic Authors)
How do Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca reconcile problematic content in the books they recommend? What are their responsibilities as podcasters in this regard? It’s an interesting discussion…
#317 "Disappearance" by David Dabydeen
We’re not gonna force you to listen to the entire episode to get to our general unanimous opinion that this book doesn’t belong on a list of books you must read before you die. Aaron’s …
February 2024 -- Bonus Episode (Let's Meet Rebecca!)
Rodney and I made a pretty big decision about the format of our show by deciding to add a third person to our discussions. After some debate, we landed on Rebecca. Her wit, intelligence…
#486 "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 to little fanfare. Sales of the novel were poor, and critics of the day could not resist mentioning how “slight” this offeri…