Middle Ground Books: After Hours

Lit RPG takes over the shop as Megan, Debra, and Lance dig into Dungeon Crawler Carl, A Parade of Horribles, and the strange pull of stories built around game mechanics, monsters, and impossible odds. The conversation branches into isekai, Aethon Books, sci-fi versus fantasy, Reddit reactions, and why Matt Dinniman’s series hits harder than its premise suggests.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📖 The Covered PagesStrange Buildings by Uketsu Silvercloak by L. K. Steven The Close Encounters Man by Mark O'Connell The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman (Book 8 of Dungeon Crawler Carl) Delvers LLC by Blaise Corvin He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon The Primal Hunter by Zogarth Hell Difficulty Tutorial by Cerim The Martian by Andy Weir Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir The Three Body Problem by Liu CixinMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com

Debra, Megan, and Lance settle in after a long week for a looser, after-hours recording. The conversation drifts through Emporia Kansas events, Comic Con memories, merchandise ideas, and the podcast’s unexpected international reach, with side tangents that stretch from Bob Ross to Scooby-Doo. Another chance to spend time with the hosts outside the usual book talk. Well…for the most part.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📖 The Covered PagesAmerican Fantasy by Emma StraubThe Egyptian Book of the Dead by E. A. Wallis BudgeProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirAbsent by Brendan P. BellacourtOh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. SeussWill the Pigeon Graduate by Mo WillemsYou’re On Your Way by Melanie WattMarcie and the Giraffe by Kim Gregory12 Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. BeaulieuThe Dragons of Deepwood Fen by Bradley P. BeaulieuA Veil of Spears by Bradley P. BeaulieuMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com

Megan, Debra, and Lance open with a Comic-Con recap before moving into a National Poetry Month reading. They explore haiku from Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki, selections from Shel Silverstein, slam pieces by Taylor Mali and Mike McGee, and Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est.” The conversation also includes original Midwestern poetry from Kerry Moyer and a reading of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Bed in Summer.” This special episode releases after the Comic-Con video production timeline, with the full convention footage now available on YouTube.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.📖 Physical books and ebooks through the shop’s Bookshop pagehttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read. You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at the shop at https://www.middlegroundbooks.com. Follow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community. 📖 The Covered Pages Haiku (Amber Books illustrated collection) by Matsuo Bashō, Yosa Buson, Kobayashi Issa, Masaoka ShikiWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel SilversteinHaiku Kaiju Achu by George McClements“Labeling Keys” by Taylor Mali“Open Letter to Neil Armstrong” by Mike McGee“Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen“Bed in Summer” by Robert Louis StevensonPoems by Kerry MoyerMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com.

Middle Ground Books After Hours steps onto the Comiccon floor. Along the way, you’ll meet Jeffrey Winkler, who founded Cate’s Concepts and works across both design and hands-on building, Stephanie Hasen, a literary agent working with authors and publishers in children’s and young adult literature, Basi, owner of Senciil Studios, a Midwest-based Black comic book company, Kyle Strahm, known for his work on comics like"Twig", and Chris Grine, an American cartoonist, writer, and illustrator adapting Animorphs into a graphic novel series.This chapter looks at the people who helped make Comic Con what it is, and shows how those same paths are still open to the ones working toward them.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.📖 Physical books and ebooks through the shop’s Bookshop pagehttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read. You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at the shop at https://www.middlegroundbooks.com. Follow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community. Middle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com.

The bookstore trio scrambles to finish Comicon costumes while celebrating their surprising connection to Wishbone, the beloved literary dog. Lance reads gruesome passages from Dante's Inferno, sparking debate about whether it's profound literature or medieval fanfic. Inspired by a book about magical libraries that relocate people into classic novels, they debate which public domain book they'd escape into, from Winnie the Pooh to Pride and Prejudice.If any of these books caught your ear, you can get your copy through Middle Ground Books, wherever you are. Print books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.📖 Physical books and ebooks through the shop’s Bookshop pagehttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read. You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at the shop at https://www.middlegroundbooks.com. Follow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community. 📖 The Covered Pages A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann LiangDante’s Inferno by Dante AlighieriThe Astral Library by Kate QuinnThe Daughter of Crows by Mark LawrenceMiddle Aged Man in a Trash Can by William Bryan JohnsonHell to Pay by William Bryan JohnsonPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenSherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan DoyleAnne of Green Gables by L. M. MontgomeryAdventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainWinnie the Pooh by A. A. MilneThe Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. LewisDracula by Bram StokerAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis CarrollLeft Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. JenkinsMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com.

Megan and Debra bring in their latest book club picks while Lance reads from a Terry Pratchett story, all of it sitting in the same space at once while they all get ready for Comicon.Do you push through a book no matter what, question everything as you go, or stop the second something feels off?If any of these books caught your ear, you can get your copy through Middle Ground Books, wherever you are. Print books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.📖 Physical books and ebooks through the shop’s Bookshop pagehttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read. You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at the shop at https://www.middlegroundbooks.com. Follow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community. 📖 The Covered Pages Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. WangMy Husband’s Wife by Alice FeeneyRock Paper Scissors by Alice FeeneyBeautiful Ugly by Alice FeeneyGood Bad Girl by Alice FeeneyHis and Hers by Alice FeeneySometimes I Lie by Alice FeeneyThe Wee Free Men by Terry PratchettThe Carpet People by Terry PratchettDragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry PratchettThe Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry PratchettMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com.

Irish mystery fiction, St. Patrick’s Day folklore, and a focus on Caimh McDonnell’s Bunny McGarry series and its mix of humor and crime.If any of these books caught your ear, you can get your copy through Middle Ground Books, wherever you are. Print books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.📖 Physical books and ebooks through the shop’s Bookshop pagehttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read. You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at the shop at https://www.middlegroundbooks.com. Follow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community. 📖 The Covered Pages Disaster Inc by Caimh McDonnellDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanKingdom of Ash by Sarah J. MaasJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna ClarkeBlood Over Bright Haven by M. L. WangThe Astral Library by Kate QuinnThis Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany CrumThe Wishing Game by Meg ShafferThe Lost Story by Meg ShafferThe Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. HarrowSuper Nintendo The Inside Story of the Game Changing Console by Keza MacDonaldAll About Allergies by Zachary RubinWhen Trees Testify by Beronda L. MontgomeryOperation Bounce House by Matt DinnimanMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com.

Fantasy author T. Kingfisher has built a reputation for mixing humor, horror, and strange creatures in unforgettable ways. This chapter looks at Nine Goblins and the unusual tone that defines her fantasy worlds.When fantasy mixes humor with darker elements, does it make the story more memorable or does it pull you out of the world?Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.This chapter centers on T. Kingfisher’s Nine Goblins while branching out into the tone and storytelling style that runs through much of her fantasy work. Megan, Lance, and Debra talk about the strange humor woven through the story, the unsettling moments hiding beneath the jokes, and the unusual characters that make Kingfisher’s books stand out in modern fantasy.📖 The Covered PagesNine Goblins by T. KingfisherA Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. KingfisherMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com.