Welcome to Of Books and Booze — the premiere podcast examining the intersection of alcoholic refreshment and the written word. Our fully-scripted episodes are packed with analysis of the beverage in hand and the book(s) on the desk; interviews are focused on the guest and full of insights, thereby making the most of the listener's time. Cheers! Any copy-written, trademarked, or service-marked products on the website, or are mentioned in copy or recordings appear for educational purposes only and remain the property of their producers and registrees. Thank you.
Today, we welcome Dr. Eric Sprankle to discuss his forthcoming book, DIY: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation while trying the infamous 1980s cocktail, the Screaming Orgasm, and some refreshing One-Man-Mosh Pit IPA from the always-outstanding Surly Brewing Company.For anyone with a delicate constitution, weak intellect, and/or a low threshold for moral outrage who hasn’t figured out that an episode on a book about masturbation probably has some explicit content, a warning isn’t likely to be much help, but here it is anyway. ***EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING***
2/19/24 • 59:06
Just in time to be late for National Pizza Day, we're taking a look at a few books on the world's favorite food while eating Chicago Deep Dish and polishing off more than a few cans of Two Brothers Prairie Path Golden Ale. Dig in and enjoy!
2/12/24 • 29:21
This episode looks at Hollow Earth history and mythology, its role in maritime lore, the cumulative effects of The Little Ice Age and The Year Without A Summer, and their impact on the search for a Northwest Passage — all while sipping La Fin Du Monde Belgian Triple. Proost!
1/18/24 • 31:32
The 1932 edition of the Funk and Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary is a fine example of form and function coalesced into one marvelous tome. Join us as we examine it while sipping a few fingers of Writer's Tears Irish Whiskey. Sláinte is táinte!
12/27/23 • 27:20
It's Episode 24 and the crew is giving everybody the bird. Chicken — I say, chicken, that is! Today, we look at the history, comedy, tragedy, and commoditization of what has become the world's most versatile and necessary animal — including its legendary role in Italian winemaking — all while sipping the 2015 Nizzole Chianti Classico. Cin cin e alla tua salute!
12/12/23 • 26:13
We're back! Our first show after a year-and-a-half looks at the children's book classic, The Giving Tree, while diving into the Daou Brothers' bold California red blend, Pessimist. Cheers!
11/6/23 • 21:08
Talking with author Jennifer Wagh about the writing craft, the importance of a good writers' group, and the publication of her first picture book, Eggasaurus! Jenny's celebrating with Veuve Clicquot Champagne while I'm polishing of a four-pack of Tooth & Claw lager by Chicago's own Off Color Brewing. Also, stay tuned in to learn how to enter to win a signed copy of Jenny's new book! Cheers!
4/25/22 • 42:35
Time for another episode of far-fetched facts lashed together with wine and wit. This time, it's a bottle of 2012 Le Cigar Volant by California's Bonny Doon Winery, medieval popes in the South of France, and Victorian-era UFOs zipping around the North American skies. Don't worry—thirty minutes from now, it'll all make perfect sense. Just another day's work for the Of Books and Booze crew. Need more? How about intro music by Brave Comb?
4/2/22 • 30:49
Wrapping up African–American History Month by looking at five books on the contributions to comics and sequential art narrative by Black creators, as well as the growing scholarship around the topic, while sipping another custom cocktail made with Chicago's own PlayPen Vodka. Cheers!
3/13/22 • 30:04
hat explore the African-American experience beyond slavery and civil rights. Drinks on hand include Moor's Session Ale and Chaos Theory Proprietary Red Blend from Brown Estate — Napa Valley's only Black-Owned winery!
2/13/22 • 42:31
Celebrating Black History Month with a look at the U.S. Bicycle Corps of 1896 and 1897 while sipping Moor’s Session Ale — a crisp IPA produced by Chicago’s Black-Owned beer company, the Moor’s Brewing Company. Cheers!
2/9/22 • 28:13
Two shots and a booster: The prescription for fighting COVID-19 and getting through this episode.The Book Goddess, Kathleen March, discusses titles that helped her battle the Delta variant while we both take our medicine — 1.75 ounces at a time. Toss 'em back and mask up!
1/25/22 • 45:52
Digging into a trio of exceptionally moral picture books while facing down the horror of a local drinking tradition: A shot of Jeppson's Malört followed by a gulp of Old Style — AKA, "The Chicago Handshake."
12/30/21 • 20:34
Sipping the classic White Russian while reading a pair of horror stories written by yours truly — "The Monster on the Sidewalk," and the award-winning, "Lorraine and the Alligator." Cheers!
10/30/21 • 37:35
Samhain, Halloween, and the Day of the Dead are upon us again. Time for Pumpkin Ale, Petite Syrah, and books that put a chill in your spine with our very special guest, Kathleen March! Slàinte and Salud!
10/19/21 • 42:58
While discussing Pet, the conversation veered into how authors present non-binary characters; pronoun usage; clarity in narrative; and the roles and responsibilities of authors, editors, and readers in negotiating this space.
10/19/21 • 06:56
At one point, Kathleen mentioned debut authors which took us into a two-minute discussion of one of her favorite books, Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
10/19/21 • 02:02
Stirring up a brand-new mystery drink while discussing fears, phobias, and how we can learn to stop freaking ourselves out. Cheers!
9/25/21 • 26:09
Making several of the very tasty gin-based Bramble cocktail while talking about the magic of audiobooks. Salute!
6/6/21 • 36:48
Part Two of Two. Wrapping up our intensive look at the post-Civil War origins of the Ku Klux Klan and finishing the last of the Yellow Belly Imperial Stout.
4/28/21 • 40:04
Part One of Two. This time we're drinking Yellow Belly Imperial Stout while taking an intensive look at the founding of the United States' longest-running terrorist organization, the Ku Klux Klan. Along the way, we'll try to sift fact from fiction about the group's earliest days, examine factors leading to the Klan's formation, and dig down to the bedrock cause of the American Civil War. (Spoiler alert — It's not what you think.)
4/18/21 • 41:25
Red Alert! Velvet Merkin! Dr. Strangelove! Transient Psychotic Disorders! Command and Control! Attack Plan R! Confused? You won't be after our latest Of Books and Booze episode.
2/23/21 • 40:22
Episode 008 ⎯ Green Lantern - Director's Cut - This time we're analyzing the 2018 Allan Scott Pinot Noir and two(!) of comic books' most storied characters, the Golden Age and Silver Age Green Lanterns! The Director's Cut expands on info regarding libraries; the history, development, and marginalization of comics as an art form; Chabon’s Theorem; and the three great cultural lies explaining the Green Lantern/Sinestro dynamic.
1/1/21 • 50:20
Episode 008 ⎯ Green Lantern - (Edited for time and precision.) This time we're analyzing the 2018 Allan Scott Pinot Noir and two(!) of comic books' most storied characters, the Golden Age and Silver Age Green Lanterns!
1/1/21 • 40:19
It's Episode 007 and you know what that means: Birdwatchers, martinis, cocktail science, space-age surf rock, and the literary inspirations for the world's best-known secret agent, James Bond. Cheers!
12/4/20 • 32:50
Our first interview with a live person! In this episode, we’re talking with Chicago cartoonist, illustrator, and teaching artist, Mike Freiheit about his new psychological horror graphic novel, and drinking a couple of fine beers from the 5 Rabbit CervcerÍa. Salud!
10/22/20 • 35:40
Today, we get into Part II of The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis by Sherwin B. Nuland while suffering the effects of one of the highest of the high-proof grain alcohols — Spirytus Rektyfikowany. Egészségedre!(That's 'cheers' in Hungarian.)
8/30/20 • 29:58
In this episode, we talk about The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis by Sherwin B. Nuland while test-driving the highest of the high-proof grain alcohols — Spirytus Rektyfikowany. Na Zdrowie!
8/16/20 • 29:20
When Humans Nearly Vanished: The Catastrophic Explosion of the Toba Volcano by Donald R. Prothero ; 2016 Brassfield Eruption Red Blend (California)
3/31/20 • 25:59
Today, we’re talking about We’re Not From Here, by Goeff Rodkey, while sampling not one but two boozes — Space Station Middle Finger American Pale Ale by 3 Floyds Brewing Co., and Outerspace Vodka. There’s even a drinking game. Skol!
2/19/20 • 17:45
