Guest Tom Spurgeon of talks about losing half his body weight, gaining perspective, and how junk culture eats itself. This episode is sponsored by !

Guest Boaz Roth talks about rebuilding his library after a house fire, the joys of Bleak House, the influence of Orwell’s essay, Inside the Whale, superhero movies, the merits of Lost, and what he’s learned over 18 years of teaching literature.

Guest Lyn Ballard talks about her gateway books, the metaphysical poets, reading Huck Finn at the age of 5, an embarrassing Stanley Elkin anecdote, the importance of making literary pilgrimages, and more.

Guest Jane Borden talks about how debutante training did not prepare her for life in New York, how a night at UCB changed her life, how she built her writing career, and her 2011 memoir, I Totally Meant To Do That.

Gil Roth talks with Diana Renn about her new YA novel, Tokyo Heist, then has a long conversation with science fiction writer/critic Paul Di Filippo about what it’s like to be a Steampunk icon, how to make it as a writer, and Before Watchmen.

Gil talks with Tom May, a tutor at St. John’s College, about his path to the school, how the place has changed over the years, and how he had to get a note from his priest to read books from the Vatican’s Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

Gil gets back from “vacation” and chats with St. John’s College tutor David Townsend about the transcendence of good conversation, and the possibility of adding comic books to the Great Books curriculum.

Guest John B. talks about his 10-minute death last year and how he’s looked at his life since then, and Gil talks about Robert Caro and the publicity-industrial complex. Trust me; it’s good!

Guest Ann Rivera talks about Housekeeping in the first Secondhand Books conversation.

Host Gil Roth talks about burning libraries, Geoff Dyer, and Norah Jones

Host Gil Roth talks about Bach, Piers Anthony and the escapism of being a geek.