Two Book Ramblers

I figure that when writers have a compulsion to put a story down on paper, and paper, as we might think of it, is not readily available, their urge to get the story out will improvise a writing surface out of anything. After listening to this episode you will see that the surfaces and materials used by authors to write their books might not always be pristine, convenient, picturesque, portable, or big enough to contain too much tex...

It is often the case that heroes in fantasy stories are in the company of a friend who helps them in their preternatural quest. It is also the case that many times these friends have one, or many, magical traits: talking animals, or chimeric beings come to mind. Regardless of these beings having fur, scales, wing, or all of those, these are the sidekicks our heroes can always count on. The brave, wise, and loyal companions for whic...

We come to associate the fictional characters we love with an item of clothing, a hairstyle, or a phrase. But there are some characters that even have an address. Granted, many of these address are as fictional as the characters themselves, but that doesn't prevent us readers to add them to our fictional address books, or fictional rolodexes (because who knows when we are going to need a fictional detective or nanny, right?). ...

An allegory can specially resonate when it includes animals; since, as Donald L. Hicks said "those who teach the most about humanity aren't always human." We dedicate today's episode to books using animals allegorically, and you will see how powerful some of them can be.   

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers.c...

We have a weakness for public art celebrating books or famous literary characters, and you can bet we will have a picture in front of any we encounter in our travels. For the readers like us who would love a photo-op with sculptures inspired by their favorite books, we have compiled a list of them in this episode.

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at w...

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers.com

Valentine's day is approaching and we would like to dedicate an episode to all those literary star-crossed lovers we have met in books. We will refer to those books that get us rooting for the couple despite having so many odds against them; stories which end up  wrecking our hearts and make us re...

Just like in the music industry, there are also literary one-hit wonders. Sometimes these title is given to an author’s debut novel which also happened to be his or her last one, or to one posthumously published book, or to the one title that is very well known from an author that has other lesser known ones. 

We want to highlight in this episodes several books that could be considered one-hit wonders, and they might have been the o...

Have you ever opened a book and cracked a smile with just the first line? We have, and usually that's an indication that the book will keep us amused throughout. In this episode, we want to share with you some humorous first lines, and, of course, the books they introduce.

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers.com

At our page, yo...

Albert Einstein said that "today's imagination is tomorrow's reality". And if we judge by their books, writers from the 19th century were quite busy imagining future reality with astonishing accuracy. In this episode we give you a list of books published before 1900 which "predicted" future events or inventions. We promise you will be surprised.

All books discussed and links to all the topics ...

We might be biased, but we believe the book is almost always better than the book. However, an infographic with instances to the contrary, made us dedicate an episode to those books whose movie adaptation have been considered to be better.

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers.com

At our page, you can also check our Cover Gallery and ...

In this episode we discuss books which might take you 20 minutes, or less, to read. If an audiobook is available, we will let you know, since those will make great companions for a short commute.

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers.com

At our page, you can also check our Cover Gallery and join us in Book vs. Book, Six-Word Reviews, ...

Like one-name celebrities, there are books with one-name titles. The sole mention of such titles is evocative of all the feelings, good or bad, that the eponymous character represents. A list like Carrie, Hamlet, Rebecca, or Ulysses would be sufficient to prove this point, but we will elaborate:

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at Rotten Reviews Redux, a book containing very unfavorable revi...

Like one-name celebrities, there are books with one-name titles. The sole mention of such titles is evocative of all the feelings, good or bad, that the eponymous character represents. A list like Carrie, Hamlet, Rebecca, or Ulysses would be sufficient to prove this point, but we will elaborate.

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers....

Maybe it was serendipity? Recently we came across two articles which gave us the idea for this episode: to talk about books being written by authors despite problems with their eyesight.
All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers.com
At our page, you can also check our Cover Gallery and join us in Book vs. Book, Six-Word Reviews, and Guess...

Once upon a time...we read an article listing the 100 Best First Lines in literature. The article includes all the ones you expect: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,...", "Call me Ishmael.", "It is a truth universally known...",  "Somewhere in La Mancha,...", and "Happy families are all alike;...". But the list also contained some unorthodox and brilliant ways to...

When characters become part of our collective consciousness, their stories transcend time and place, and their tales get told and retold. It is also often that these stories are reimagined and recounted from the point of view of another character, sometimes the villains, making for some entertaining and creative books. In this episode, we will discuss book retellings from a different perspective, that of a different character in th...

Colors, in general, have been associated with many feelings, holidays, ideas, even individuals. But the symbolism associated with red is probably one of the oldest and better known. Such a symbolic color had to find its way into books, and in a prominent place since several authors have chosen RED to be part of the titles of their books. In this episode, we offer you a list of such instances.

All books discussed and links ...

In this episode, we talk about books featuring writers as the main characters. How is that for an inside job?

All books discussed and links to all the topics mentioned in this episodes can be found in the show notes at www.twobookramblers.com

At our page, you can also check our Cover Gallery and join us in Book vs. Book, Six-Word Reviews, and GuessWork.

You can purchase any book we mentioned in the show by visiting our TBR B...