The Infinite Library

Episode 58 - "Trouble on Triton" by Samuel R. Delany

What do you do if you live in the Electric Psychadelic Pussycat Swinger's Club, but you're the one cat too un-groovy to find it shagadelic? This is the vital question at the heart of Samuel R. Delany's "Trouble on Triton". John and Ben get weird, discussing science fiction, the nature of desire, and how this book compares to "The Dispossessed". As always, we hope you enjoy our conversation!

Episode 57 - "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin

It's the first episode of the Spring 2026 Season, and John and Ben are blasting off to the moon of Annares to discuss "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin. We discuss this classic of science fiction with a little help from "To Read 'The Dispossessed'" by Samuel Delany. Topics of conversation include John & Ben's relationship with Le Guin's work, her anthropological lens, and portrayals of gender & sexuality in science fiction. As always, we hope you enjoy the conversation! We'll be back in two weeks with a paired episode focusing on Samuel Delany's "Trouble on Triton"!

Episode 56 - "Play It As It Lays" by Joan Didion

John and Ben cruise down the California highway to the end of this season of The Infinite Library as they read Joan Didion's "Play It As It Lays". Topics of conversation include the portrayal of California in literature, mimesis, and Didion's place as a literary "cool girl". As always, we hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Bonus - Best of 2025

Another year comes to a close and, as is tradition, John and Ben get together to tell you about their favorite books they read in 2025.

Episode 55 - "Shadow Ticket" by Thomas Pynchon

Happy (almost) New Year! We're closing out our Thomas Pynchon mini-revue with his latest novel, "Shadow Ticket". Along for the ride is friend of the pod, author TJ Martinson! Topics of discussion include Pynchon's relationship to pop culture, the use of alternate history in literature, and whether Pynchon offers us as readers an 'out' to our present circumstances. As always, we hope you enjoy the conversation! Check out TJ's books here [https://www.tjmartinson.com/]!