Thanks For Reading

Chris Kluwe may be most famous for his stint in the NFL, but his talents certainly don't end there. Chris has written several stand-out books including a collection of essays called Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies (2013) and more recently, his Sci-Fi debut novel, Otaku (2020). We sit down and discuss his books, his love of reading, and so much more. Pick up a copy of Otaku from your local bookseller and follow him on Twitter under the handle @ChrisWarcraft. 

Here is a list of books discussed in this episode:

The Foundation Series by Issac Asimov

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Mallorean by David Eddings

The Belgariad by David Eddings

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Neuromancer by William Gibson

The Peripheral by William Gibson

Agency by William Gibson

Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson

Prime: A Genesis Series Event by Andrew Reiner and Chris Kluwe

The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba (Webnovel)

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

Planetside by Michael Mammay

The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay

The Player of Games by Iain Banks

Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies by Chris Kluwe

Otaku by Chris Kluwe

Tucked away in the heart of Downtown St. Paul, Minnesota there is a very special bookstore called Subtext Books. Matt Keliher is the buyer and manager for the store and we sat down and talked about the indie book business, local authors, pandemic survival, and of course personal recommendations. You can follow Matt on Twitter under the handle @MAKeliher and you can support Subtext Books by purchasing from their website SubtextBooks.com. You can also support this and other local bookstores through Libro.fm that allows you to listen to audiobooks while contributing to indie booksellers.

Here is a list of books recommended in the episode:

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

Bad Vibes Only (and Other Things I Bring to the Table) by Nora McInerny

Latehomecomer and The Song Poet by Kao Kalia Yang

IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives by Chris Stedman 

A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

Wintering by Peter Geye

The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier

The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard

River of the Gods by Candice Millard

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

St. Paul: An Urban Biography by Bill Lindeke

I, Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita

Lee Mandelo's 2021 debut novel, Summer Sons has been described as a "sweltering southern gothic" and boy does it ever live up to that description! We'll talk about the book, queer stories and publishing, and lots of other reads we love on this second episode of Thanks for Reading. Summer Sons from Tordotcom is available in hardcover and ebook format wherever books are sold.

Here is a list of books recommended in the episode:

She Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin

In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain by Tom Vitale

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Base Notes by Lara Elena Donnelly

Mike Lugaresi is a bookseller at the Barnes & Noble in Boise, Idaho, and not only is he a talented bookseller, but he is also a brilliant comic artist. Mike is the author and illustrator of the web comic "Mike: Bookseller" and Travels of Krrobar which can be found on his website www.krrobar.com. You can also follow his work on twitter @MikeBookseller.

Here is a list of books and authors discussed and recommended in this episode:

Dune by Frank Herbert

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan

Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi

Bone by Jeff Smith

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Stewart Little and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Hush and Batman: Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb

The City Watch Series by Terry Pratchett

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Mort by Terry Pratchett

1913: The Year Before the Storm by Florian Illies

Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris Wooding

Empires of the Sky by Alexander Rose

Unbroken and Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand

Swimming in the Dark by Thomasz Jedrowski

Black Death at the Golden Gate by David K. Randall

The Trigger: Hunting the Assassin Who Brought the World to War by Tim Butcher

Guns of August and The Proud Tower by Barbara W. Tuchman

Eiffel's Tower by Jill Jonnes

The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

The Queen of the Con by Thomas Crowl

Spook by Mary Roach

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell

Book lovers everywhere rejoice! Thanks For Reading is an exciting new interview series podcast that brings all sorts of people from the book industry right to your headphones. We'll be talking to booksellers, authors, artists, editors, and everyone else who makes those books possible. Tune in for thoughtful, joyful, book related conversation.