Patrick McGinley’s “Bogmail”

On this episode, Vince Francone (A Book No One Wants) finds out that Patrick McGinley wrote more than one book, and Chad posits a Shklovskian reading of Bogmail: A Tale of Murder. Vince and Chad work through the red herrings and unexpected ending of this strange book that foregrounds some questionable wordplay (“bogmailer” for “blackmailer”), and also take time to check in on the state of literary education via this WaPo article about how reading extracts has basically the same value as reading a full book.This episode’s music is “Bog” by Be Your Own Pet.Upcoming Open Letter Events:Albertine Books, NYC, 9/25, 4:30pm: What French and Francophone Literature Offers the American ImaginationScandinavia House, NYC, 10/6, 7pm: The 2026 Icelandic Translator TriptychMilkweed Books, Minneapolis, MN, 10/10, TBD: Icelandic Translator Triptych CelebrationScandinavia House, NYC, 10/17, 2pm: Translating ScandinaviaThe Siren and the Sea, Rochester, NY, 10/23, 5pm: Boudoir Book ClubTranslator Triptych (Iceland) Bundle for $35.As always, if you’d like to support Open Letter Books and all of its projects, you can donate here.Subscribe to the Three Percent Podcast at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.And be sure to follow our sister podcast, the Two Month Review (Apple, Spotify) for sustained, multi-week discussions centered around complicated, long books. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com