Literary Disco
Writers talk about reading. Hosted by Tod Goldberg, Julia Pistell, and Rider Strong. Featured in USA Today, Orange County Register, New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, The Spectator, Vice and countless others.
A Washington Post Best Literary Podcast
A Good Housekeeping Best Literary Podcast
A Mashable Best Books Podcast
A Bustle Best Books Podcast
- Update frequency
- every 15 days
- Average duration
- 56 minutes
- Episodes
- 207
- Years Active
- 2012 - 2022
Episode 45: Best of 2013
In this delightful, coffee-fueled episode, we each choose a book for the hall of fame and name our favorite books we read this year. Plus, Klassics Korner makes a thrilling return with the addition o…
01:16:32 |
Mon 23 Dec 2013
Episode 44: Robert Frost’s New Hampshire
For the first time ever, the Disco takes on a dead poet. And not just any one, but perhaps the most celebrated and popular of American poets, Robert Frost. Julia selected his fourth book, New Hampshi…
01:03:53 |
Tue 10 Dec 2013
Episode 43: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Football and the Iraq war come together in Ben Fountain’s novel, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, a portrait of fictional war heroes during a “victory tour” in 2004. The disco trio discusses the book…
01:01:26 |
Tue 26 Nov 2013
Episode 42: When Animals Attack
On this “animal rage” episode, the trio reads articles about animal attacks.
From Slate, A Death in Yellowstone by Jessica Grose
From Outside Magazine, The Killer in the Pool by Tim Zimmerman
And fro…
01:05:16 |
Mon 11 Nov 2013
Episode 41: Dr. Sleep
In this Halloween spooktacular, we talk about Stephen King’s latest novel, Dr. Sleep. It’s a sequel to his genre-defining classic, The Shining.
Does Dr. Sleep hold up to its predecessor? Or is it s…
00:58:57 |
Thu 31 Oct 2013
Episode 40: Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe’s classic novel of a Nigerian colonial encounter gets the Disco treatment. An in-depth look at Things Fall Apart leads to discussion of Achebe’s legacy and African literature in genera…
00:54:27 |
Mon 14 Oct 2013
Episode 39: The Penis Play
This week the trio takes on a dirtily-titled play that’s…actually not that dirty. “Cock” by Mike Bartlett is a strange combination of minimalist writing, incredibly specific characters, and Big Impor…
00:49:31 |
Tue 01 Oct 2013
Episode 38: Summer Vacation Essays
This week, the Disco trio reflects on the end of summer with two classic essays Julia selected.
First up, E.B. White’s short and moving trip back to his childhood vacation spot, Once More to the Lake…
01:11:59 |
Tue 17 Sep 2013
Episode 37: Hot for Teacher, LIVE!
Our first live episode, recorded in front of an amazing audience on August 22nd at the Barnes & Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles, California.
We’re joined by guest author Ivy Pochoda, who just that …
01:24:55 |
Tue 03 Sep 2013
Episode 36: The Woman Chaser
Guest author Jim Gavin joins us for the strange journey that is Charles Willeford’s novel, The Woman Chaser, a book that confounds as much as it entertains. LA noir, postmodern pulp, and somehow, exi…
01:14:40 |
Tue 20 Aug 2013
Episode 35: A River Runs Through It
This week, we catch a big fish: the classic novella “A River Runs Through It,” and — movie bonus — we rant and rave about how it translated. Also discussed: a roulette brings us to Wuthering Heights,…
00:57:15 |
Tue 06 Aug 2013
Episode 34: Thunderbird
This week, we return to contemporary poetry– but not before revisiting JK Rowling’s pen-name revelation, Middlesex, and the profound number of songs in the Hobbit. AND we announce the details of our …
01:01:03 |
Tue 23 Jul 2013
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?…
01:01:54 |
Tue 09 Jul 2013
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…
00:55:22 |
Tue 25 Jun 2013
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.
Learn more about your a…
00:59:08 |
Mon 10 Jun 2013
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 …
01:01:56 |
Tue 28 May 2013
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 an…
01:07:45 |
Tue 14 May 2013
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? Tou…
00:51:45 |
Tue 30 Apr 2013
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 masculin…
00:53:51 |
Tue 16 Apr 2013
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…
00:58:04 |
Mon 01 Apr 2013
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