If I were a book
And not a man
I would like to be
An exciting one.
I would also
Like to be true
In the way that
Only stories can.
And I would wish
To be hollow in parts,
Incomplete without
Communion with a reader.
(c) 2026 Sean Taylor
Say you’re no newb to the literary podcast. You’ve got Brad Listi’s “Other Ppl,” “Between the Covers,” and “The Maris Review,” sitting pride of place in your digital library. And—perhaps inspired by this very website—you’ve been tickling your cochlea lately with episodes of Merve Emre’s new show, “The Critic and Her Publics.” But maybe these offerings are but a first course to what might ideally be a banquet. After all, if you can’t actually be reading every hour of the day, listening to smart people talk about reading may be the next best thing.
In case you agree with the previous statement, I’ve rounded up a few literary podcasts to add to your radar. You can check out these fine shows on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your own sneaky means.
Read the full article: https://lithub.com/new-literary-podcasts-to-add-to-your-queue/
By Richard Kellogg
Art by Gary Kato
Airship 27 Production is proud to present the 10th adventure of Barry Baskerville, the boy who wants to group to be Sherlock Holmes. While at a carnival fair with his parents, Barry saves his father from being swindle by a man fraudulent attempting to sell a worthless coin as something valuable. The story is by Prof. Richard Kellogg with art by Gary Kato and book design by Rob Davis.
AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENEARTION!
Available now from Amazon.
In her new book, Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II, scholar Elyse Graham explores the secret history of U.S. intelligence and lays out yet another reason why you should thank a librarian today: their top-tier spywork.
The nascent Central Intelligence Agency—then called the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—had a lot of high profile help during World War II. Actors like Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, and Josephine Baker worked their connections to gain information for the Allies, ferret intel through Vichy, and tamper with German morale.
Ian Fleming, author of the Bond books, pioneered the nutty Operation MINCEMEAT while serving with MI-5. And Julia Child, who you may know better for her butter addiction, helped develop a recipe for shark repellent in her first life at the OSS.
But the intelligence game didn’t start so glamorous. Well before the organization got into fancy “operations,” an initial fleet of motley pencil-pushers were tasked with analyzing raw data. And as Graham’s book shows—and contra to Hollywood’s determined interventions—this kind of spy work was generally low octane. More puzzle-solving, less planting of bombs.
In a New Republic review of Book and Dagger, Greg Barnhisel observes that “humanists and their comma-hunting, cross-referencing, collecting, and cataloging ways” were especially suited to this kind of spying. Which is why the OSS sought out “librarians, archivists, mathematicians, and anthropologists” to do its first dirty work.
These were the so-called “chairborne,” of the Research and Analysis division. Hitler called them the Tintenritter, or “ink knights.”
Read the full article: https://lithub.com/how-librarians-saved-the-day-in-world-war-ii/
Designing landmarks for the city, Ramos had a friend create a map, placing the city in upper Wisconsin, where it always seemed to be raining or snowing or both. Crime would be mixed with mysticism and darkness. Inviting several author friends to contribute, Ramos created an omnibus of collected stories about the city of Golgotha. Assembled here for your enjoyment is the fruit of his editorial desires and the loving labors of Jaime Ramos' friends: Teel James Glenn, Nancy Hansen, Lee Houston Jr. Wayne Carey and Bobby Nash. Illustrations by Rob Davis and cover by Adam Shaw. Take a walk down the shadowy, dangerous, and mysterious STREETS OF GOLGOTHA.
PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!
Available now from Amazon and soon on Kindle.
I was able to visit the coolest and most awesome bookstore in the world while in Paris.
When I was in Paris I got to visit several of Hemingway's haunts. Somewhere along the fourth floor of this place is where he lived.
Well visiting the best region of lower France, my wife and I were fortunate enough to visit the home of Edmond Rostand, The author of Cyrano de Bergerac and Chanticleer, among others.
