Just In Case We Die
In 2006, Quintessence Editions Ltd. published a book entitled "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die". Edited by academic Peter Boxall, this list was a curated selection of novels deemed "essential" for literature lovers. Over time, as books were added and removed to accommodate new tastes, the list has continued to grow into subsequent volumes. As of today, there have been 1,316 novels included in the list. Aaron, Rodney, and Rebecca will attempt to read and discuss every single one of them. Sort of.
Just In Case We Die
Latest Episodes
#1,022 "The Romantics" by Pankaj Mishra
The folks here at Just In Case We Die have decided that all a novelist has to do to earn a spot on the list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is to pen a book about identity chasing. From On the Road (which A...
June 2026 -- Bonus ("James" by Percival Everett)
June is almost over and you have probably noticed that the fine folks at Just In Case We Die haven't posted any new material. This month, there was supposed to be a discussion of The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra (#1022 on the cu...
#776 "Memoirs of Hadrian" by Marguerite Yourcenar
The critical blurb on the cover of book #776 on our curated list states that The Memoirs of Hadrian is "singularly beautiful", which is a really interesting opinion since the cast of Just In Case We Die found it "boring"...
May 2026 -- Bonus (Knife: The Attempted Assassination of Salman Rushdie)
On Sunday, May 3, 2026, The Davis Theatre in Chicago had a single screening of Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie, a new film by Academy-Award-winning director Alex Gibney, as part of the annual Doc10 Festival. This film is ...
"Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr -- Veto #4
Once upon a time, Aaron recommended a novel he had recently completed to Rebecca, citing it as his favorite novel of 2021. Already familiar with the work of the author, Rebecca jumped right in, despite Aaron’s misgivings about the science-ficti...