Terrible Book Club’s ADC Review
The Terrible Book Club usually focuses on books they assume will be bad, but their review of After Dinner Conversation took a different path. After receiving an honest and humanized message from the magazine's editor, hosts Paris and Chris decided to explore the nonprofit philosophy and ethics publication.
Paris awarded the magazine a 4 out of 5 star rating. She praised the professional curation of the sample issue, noting that the formatting was great and the content was professionally displayed.
The episode spotlighted several stories, with The Lives and Times of David Hackman by Patrick Huler emerging as a favorite. Paris noted it was expertly written and masterful, saying it pulls you into the flow of a big rowdy conversation where people are reminiscing. Another highlight was the story Junk by Taylor Lurson, which provided a powerful and effective look at the motivations behind grief and hoarding.
The hosts were particularly impressed by the magazine's mission. They cited the editor's note as a perfect mission statement that set the stage well for the entire issue.
For anyone looking for stories that compel readers to explore complex moral landscapes, this episode makes a strong case for checking out the magazine. As the hosts summarized, the publication provides a rare microdose of hope and an opportunity to go deep in search of truth.
Key Quotes from the Review:
"There is a through line here. There is thoughts, there is care... expectations clearly set and fulfilled."
"I really like the idea of having a curated short story collection issued every month. I like that they have very different themes, they are varied in style and authors... actually kind of new and interesting to me."
"‘The Lives and Times of David Hackman’ was expertly written... it really pulls you into the flow"
"It just feels like they are really trying to do something positive with their creation of this magazine. It is a nonprofit publisher... it was a nice little micro dose of hope."
