http://www.booksonthenightstand.com Adding to your stack, one book at a time en booksonthenightstand comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Ann and Michael) podcasts@libsyn.com (Liberated Syndication) Liberated Syndication - libsyn.com Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:05:00 GMT 180 Adding to your stack, one book at a time... A conversational podcast about books, from two longtime veterans of the publishing industry. If you love to read, this podcast is for you. Listen in to hear what's new, what's great, and the books we just can't stop talking about. books,book,reading,publishing,Random,House,literature,authors,bookstores,bookstore,literary Books on the Nightstand http://libsyn.com/podcasts/booksonthenightstand/images/nightstandweb300x300.jpg http://www.booksonthenightstand.com no booksonthenightstandbooks,book,reading,publishing,Random,House,literature,authors,bookstores,bookstore,literaryArts/Literaturecomments@booksonthenightstand.comBooks on the Nightstand http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/1zX5lp6px0A/index.php For complete show notes and more information on the titles discussed, please visit us at our blog: <a href="http://">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/1zX5lp6px0A" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 4 Nov 2009 05:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=545277# 00:22:49 Books on the Nightstand Literary fads; We are consumed by zombies!; and 2 books we can't wait for you to read Clean In this episode, we take a look at "literary fads" -- you know, like when every new book in the bookstore seems to be about the same thing, or uses the same type of jacket image. The current "fad" seems to be books inspired by Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Not all "fads" are deliberate, however, and coincidence plays a large part. In segment two, we bring one of these literary fads back to life by discussing it to death. (Sorry, but how else do you introduce a segment about zombies?). As evidenced by books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, these undead creatures are taking the bookstores by storm. Michael talks about several zombie books including Star Wars Death Trooper by Joe Schrieber and three books by Max Brooks: World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and Zombie Survival Guide Recorded Attacks, a graphic novel that looks at zombie attacks throughout history. And Michael wants to read The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, a comic series that has been collected in book form and is being turned into a TV series. Ann has, somewhat accidentally, read and enjoyed a book called The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, which also features zombies, but this time the zombies are in a dystopic landscape. In segment 3, Ann discusses Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon. Based on the Twilight series, this is a satire in the very best way, and will appeal to anyone who has read Twilight but doesn't really believe themselves to be in love with a sparkly vampire. It's funny and right on target, further enhancing Ann's reading of Twilight for her mother-daughter book club. Michael prepares for his reading of The Art Student's War by telling us about one of author Brad Leithauser's older books. The Art Studen'ts War iis a novel is set in 1943 Detroit, and is about one art student's experience with World War II when she is asked to sketch wounded soldiers who have returned from the war. Michael loved Leithauser's earlier book, A Few Corrections. That book leads off with one man's obituary, which you soon learn is riddled with errors. In each chapter, the obituary is slightly corrected, a unique way to tell the story of one man's life. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)books,book,reading,publishing,Random,House,literature,authors,bookstores,bookstore,literaryhttp://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=545277#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_51__Its_All_the_Rage.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/-q9-abjX4Oo/index.php For complete show notes, please see http://www.booksonthenightstand.com<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/-q9-abjX4Oo" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=542573# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:18:13 books, reading, recommendations, book, reading group Books on the Nightstand Our listeners share their favorite recommendations from our first fifty episodes! Clean Here we are, our 50th episode! It's been amazing and we're looking forward to what the future brings for Books on the Nightstand. We couldn't have come this far (or had such a great time!) if it weren't for all of you, our loyal readers and listeners. Thank you so much to Denise, Ashley and Shona who wrote in, and to Heather, Melissa, Suzanne and Tanya who called our voice mail line. They all shared books they loved, that they heard about here. All of the books mentioned are listed in the show notes at www.booksonthenightstand.com and the titles link back to the original post or podcast where we first talked about the book. If you've been thinking about reading any of these, they now have even more enthusiasm behind them! As Ann mentioned, Tanya's story about Waiting for Columbus originally appeared in a guest post she wrote for us. If you haven't read her post yet, you must. Once you do, you'll want to listen to the audio or read the book for yourself! Once again, thank you all for your continued support of Books on the Nightstand! http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=542573#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_50_FIFTY.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/HRGQqVkZsjY/index.php For complete show notes, please see http://www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/HRGQqVkZsjY" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:57:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=539061# 00:22:48 national book awards, booker prize, food writing, michael pollan, mark bittman Books on the Nightstand National Book Awards and Man Booker prizes, Books about Food, 2 Books we can't wait for you to read Clean It's awards season! The National Book Awards finalists were announced this past week, and we are thrilled that two books we've spoken about previously, Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann, and Stitches by David Small, were both on the shortlist. The Man Booker Prize was also recently awarded to Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Ann was rooting for one of the shortlisted titles, The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt, which she spoke about in podcast #46. The full list of the National Books Awards finalists can be found at http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2009_test.html, and the list of the Man Booker Prize shortlisted titles are at http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/thisyear/shortlist. In segment 2, Ann marks the end of Farmer's Mrrket season by reading a few books about the importance of eating locally and sustainably. Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food looks at the current obsession with "nutritionism" in the United States. Pollan's manifesto can be boiled down to a simple statement: "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." Next on Ann's reading list is Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Michael recently blogged about Food Matters by Mark Bittman, which is similar in focus to In Defense of Food, but also contains recipes. Kitchen Express is Bittman's newest cookbook, which is organized seasonally and is written in a manner that allows the home cook to experiment and put their own twist on the recipes. Judith Jones' The Pleasures of Cooking for One is a book that Ann has been savoring for the last few weeks. Judith believes that everyone should treat yourself to a pleasurable meal, even if you eat alone. In her book, she tells you how to shop and plan your meals so that you can take advantage of market offerings but not eat the same dish for an entire week. This book reminds Michael of Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food, which is also one of Ann's favorites. In segment 3, Michael talks about John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River. This is a novel spanning 50 years, and begins with the accidental shooting of a local constable's girlfriend, who a young boy mistakes for a bear. Danny, the boy, and his father Dominic, go on the run, traveling through America and Canada in vintage John Irving fashion. John Irving has written a short piece about the writing of the novel, and has created a video talking about it, on http://www.john-irving.com/Last_Night_In_Twisted_River.asp the official John Irving website. Ann talks about The Glass Room by Simon Mawer, which is published by Other Press and was shortlisted for The Man Booker prize. Set in 1930s Czechoslovokia, it's the story of a well-to-do couple who hire an architect to build their home. The home becomes the center of the novel, with its massive windows and wall of onyx acting as the mechanism for telling the story of the family and the history of the time. It should be in stores by the time you read this. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=539061#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_49__Food_Glorious_Food.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/X0Ko48ETQCg/index.php For complete show notes, please visit our blog at <a href="http:///">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/X0Ko48ETQCg" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=537307# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:24:31 books, reading, book groups, authors, read, book Books on the Nightstand Books to creep you out this Fall; Two books we can't wait for you to read Clean I'm back from my short BOTNS family leave (though, since we prerecorded a few episodes, it's like I was never away!). Finn is two weeks old and very cute, but he's seriously cutting into my reading time... these days, I'd rather just stare at him! A quick reminder to please call our voice mail line with your story of a book you loved that you heard about here on Books on the Nightstand. We'd love to include several of these in our 50th podcast episode. Please call in by Wednesday, October 21st, so we'll have time to put the episode together for 10/28. Over at our Goodreads group, Stephanie started a discussion thread asking for suggestion for spooky reads for the Fall. We here at Books on the Nightstand have decided to name October Spooky Books Month, since so many of us set our sights on those kinds of books this month anyway! On that discussion, some of the suggestions included Fragment, The Amityville Horror, The Graveyard Book, 'Salem's Lot, The Strain and The Terror. Ann and I reminisce about reading John Saul as teenagers and Ann talks about reading his current book, House of Reckoning, and his storytelling is just as good as she remembers! Ann also talks about Great Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe, which is part of the NEA's Big Read, and is the book that Ann's town is currently reading. Ending this segment on spooky books, I need your help remembering a supremely creepy short story. In the podcast, I mention thinking that it was written Arthur C. Clarke or Ray Bradbury, but now I'm pretty convinced it was an Isaac Asimov story. I still can't remember the title though! It is a very short story (just under 2 pages or so, I think), that involves a bunch of scientists who see the face of the devil in the footage of a mushroom cloud that they are analyzing. It gives me shivers just thinking about it! This week's book I can't wait for you to read is The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, a non-fiction look at John Charles Gilkey, a man who stole rare books, just so he could add them to his personal library. Also included is the story of Ken Saunders, self-proclaimed "bibliodick," who makes it his mission to catch Gilkey. Ann's choice for this week is Orhan Pamuk's new novel The Museum of Innocence, which is about Kemal, a young man in 1970s Istanbul, who is in love with FÃsun, a woman society forbids him from being with. He responds to this denial by creating a museum of everything FÃsun touches. Interestingly, Orhan Pamuk has opened a museum to preserve items of everyday Turkish culture. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=537307#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_48.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/E_wIaLgXrB8/index.php For complete show notes, please visit our blog at <a href="http://">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/E_wIaLgXrB8" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 7 Oct 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=534106# 00:27:31 dystopic, young adult, books, fiction Books on the Nightstand Reading challenges revisited; Young adult dystopic fiction, Peter & Max, The Maze Runner Clean In segment one, we revisit the idea of "reading challenges," which we originally talked about in BOTNS podcast #4. Challenges are typically posted by a book blogger, who sets some rules and then "challenges" you to read a certain number of books, or books in a particular category, etc. Some recent challenges that we like: Japanese Literature Challenge at Dolce Bellezza Sci-Fi Reading Challenge at the Stage and Canvas blog A few places to find reading challenges on the web: A Novel Challenge Reading Challenges Blog Reading Challenge Clearinghouse In Segment 2, we talk about dystopic young adult fiction. One of the most memorable books that Ann read as a kid was House of Stairs by William Sleator, which was dystopic, though Ann didn't know that term at the time. There are many books in this category that have been published recently, including The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and its sequel, Catching Fire. The Giver by Lois Lowry is a classic dystopic novel that won the Newbery Prize in 1994, and it's an incredibly powerful novel that adults will enjoy. Candor by Pam Bachorz has just been published, and was inspired by Celebration, Florida, the town that Disney built. Ann also announces the DystopYA Reading Challenge. We'd love for you to participate. You can find full details here. In segment 3, Michael talks about Peter and Max, a novel based on the bestselling Fables comic book series. It's the story of Peter Piper and his older brother Max, who live in the Black Forest and stumble upon some magic. Ann talks about The Maze Runner by James Dashner comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=534106#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/47_BOTNS_47__DystopYA.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/1FejG0SOIYw/index.php For complete show notes, please see<br/><a href="http:///">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/1FejG0SOIYw" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=530448# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:22:16 books podcast, reading, books, literature, book clubs Books on the Nightstand Tell us your favorite recommendation from us; Books abour extraordinary parents; Two books we can't wait for you to read Clean We recently spoke about accosting strangers in bookstores and sharing book recommendations. We got two wonderful responses. Connie emailed us to say that she gives herself a "talk" before she goes into a bookstore, reminding herself that this is not a friend's party where she can mingle. Sometimes she doesn't heed her own advice and can't help but engage strangers in book talk. Ashley from Denver called in and described herself as occasionally "obnoxious" in her recommendations to strangers, then shared with us her favorite books to recommend, including books by Kate Atkinson, Jane Austen, Raymond Carver and others. Once again, we're asking you, our loyal fans, to call our voice mail line and tell us: What book, that you heard about on Books on the Nightstand, has become a favorite of yours? We'd love to collect the responses and play them for our 50th episode coming up at the end of October. So please call us by October 21st with your pick for favorite Books on the Nightstand recommendation! Michael talks about two books written by mothers who stop at nothing to help their children. In The Possibility of Everything, Hope Edleman and her husband, after exhausting "traditional" therapies, bring their daughter to Mayan healers in Belize to help rid her of her imaginary friend. In Saving Sammy, Beth Maloney writes about the difficulty she had accepting her son's sudden onset of OCD. She persisted in her belief that there must be another cause and she saved her son from a life spent institutionalized. Beth and Sammy were on the Today Show recently, and you can find the video on The Today Show website. Ann reminds us about Michael Greenberg's Hurry Down Sunshine, which she originally spoke about in Episode 13. Michael raves about a book he's currently reading: New World Monkeys, which is the story of Manhattanites Duncan and Lily and the quirky and odd events that befall them after they inherit a house in a small Upstate New York town. Ann tells us about The Children's Book, the new, Booker-nominated novel by A.S. Byatt. The book concerns Olive Wellwood, a children's book author whose son finds a homeless boy living in the Victoria and Albert Museum. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=530448#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_46_Books_About_Extraordinary_P.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/gbYONLG3l4I/index.php For complete show notes, please visit <a href="http://">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/gbYONLG3l4I" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=529368# 00:24:23 books, literature, publishing Books on the Nightstand How the internet is changing reading; Science books for the nonscientist, 2 books we c Clean Today, we look at a few ways that the internet is changing reading. Readers are connecting with authors in new ways. Book blogs and podcasts are popping up for every reading interest. I'm sure that at least a few Books on the Nightstand readers and listeners have book blogs or podcasts. If you do, please tell us about it in the comments -- we'd love to share your site with others. Twitter is another great place for book conversations, including monthly Twitter book clubs. Many of our favorite bookellers are on Twitter, also, sharing their recommendations and talking about the books that they are excited about. If you're on twitter, or want to be, feel free to follow Michael and Ann by clicking the links on our names. Segment two looks at science books that can be enjoyed by non-scientists, including The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, which will be a PBS special airing in October. Ann talks about The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes, and The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments by George Johnson. In "2 Books We Can't Wait for you to Read," Michael talks about The Magicians by Lev Grossman, a book that can be described as Harry Potter meets Narnia for adults. Ann is thrilled to finally be able to talk about The Year of the Flood, the new novel by Margaret Atwood that is set in a future time, where the environment and religion have transfomed the landscape and everyday life in a way that only a master storyteller can imagine. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=529368#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_45__The_Art_of_Science.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/7neqF54b8HQ/index.php For complete show notes, please see<br/><a href="http:///">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/7neqF54b8HQ" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=526765# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:25:55 books podcast, reading, books, literature, book clubs Books on the Nightstand Recommending books to strangers; Fall Non-Fiction Preview; Nocturnes and Confections of a Closet Master Baker Clean Jenn, over at Jenn's Bookshelves, wrote a great post about recommending books to strangers in bookstores. For instance, say you're browsing in your favorite bookstore and two strangers are discussing whether or not to buy a book, and it's a book you loved. Do you share your opinion?Ann and I tell you our thoughts and the disclaimers we share when we're recommending a book that our employer published. Hint: we'll only accost strangers if we're really passionate about the book! There are so many amazing fiction books coming out this fall. We've talked about some, we'll talk about others in the weeks and months to come, but today, segment two is all about non-fiction. I talk about Lost to the West (on sale now), an extremely readable history of the twelve greatest rulers of the Byzantine Empire, A Fiery Peace in a Cold War (on sale 9/22), the new history from Pulitzer Prize-winner Neil Sheehan, and Antarctica 2041 (on sale 10/27), a call to arms to protect Antarctica from development, which might be possible after the treaty protecting it comes up for review in 2041. Ann tells us about The National Parks (on sale now), the beautifully illustrated companion to the PBS miniseries beginning September 27, Crude World (on sale 9/22), a look at the effects of the world's addiction to oil, and The Queen Mother (on sale 10/20), the definitive, authorized biography of the beloved monarch. Gesine Bullock-Prado left behind her life as a high-powered Hollywood executive and moved with her husband to Vermont to open a bakery. Her new book, Confections of a Closet Master-Baker, chronicles a day in her life as a bakery owner, interspersed with remembrances of her childhood and her time in L.A. Accomplished novelist Kazuo Ishiguro returns to bookshelves with Nocturnes, his first collection of short stories, each featuring music as a central theme. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=526765#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_44_A_Preview_of_Fall_Non-Ficti.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/1qLrtcNMUTo/index.php For complete show notes, please see<br/><a href="http://">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><br/><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/1qLrtcNMUTo" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 9 Sep 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=524037# 00:19:02 books podcast, reading, books, literature, book clubs Books on the Nightstand Book salons; Graphic nonfiction; Sweeping Up Glass; The Blue Notebook Clean We start today's episode with a question from a listener: Margie from Oaxaca, Mexico asks: have we ever heard of a book group where everybody reads a different book? Indeed we have; we call them book salons, and we brainstorm some ideas for starting a book salon around a particular theme, such as mysteries by the same author or set in similar locales, biographies, books about world events, books that are on the bestseller list, and memoirs. Michael recently discovered that October has been named National Reading Group Month by the Women's National Book Association. In celebration, we plan on quite a few book-club-themed posts at Books on the Nightstand in the month of October, including brief spotlights on the book groups of our readers and listeners. If you'd like your group to be one of the featured book clubs, please see our earlier post: Show Us Your Book Group. We will try to highlight as many as possible. We look forward to reading all about your book groups! In Segment 2, Michael talks about graphic novels that happen to be nonfiction. This category has been marked by such bestselling classics as Art Spiegelman's Maus, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld is the story of seven people in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Stitches by David Small, a memoir of a childhood spent in a severely dysfunctional family that is unforgettable. In our "Two Books We Can't Wait for You to Read segment," Michael talks about Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall, a novel set in 1930s Kentucky with magnificent writing and a narrator who has been called reminiscent of Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird. Ann talks about The Blue Notebook by James Levine, a heartwrenching and disturbing novel of a young Indian girl who is sold into child prostitution. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=524037#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/43_BOTNS_43__When_is_a_Graphic_Nove.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/LD7Ov26Qqmg/index.php If last week's podcast was about literary confessions, this week's is about true confessions: I only read one book for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge. I finished Moby Dick last week. Damn, that book nearly sent me down with the Pequod. I'm glad that I read it, and I know I wouldn't have picked it up if it hadn't been for the reading challenge. I guess that's the whole point! Tanya posted on our Goodreads group that she read 4 books for the challenge. Way to go, Tanya! <br/><br/>Ann admits to not even cracking open War and Peace (not that she ever promised to...), and to only making it 8 segments into the DailyLit version of The Moonstone. However, she swears 2010 will be a War and Peace year! How did all of you do on the challenge? Leave your comments here, on our voicemail line or on Goodreads or Facebook. We'd love to know!<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br/>Mark Bertils, one of the earliest BOTNS fans and supporters sent us an audio message posing an interesting question: What do you recommend to someone who only reads one book a year - someone who likely hasn't read a book since the last one you recommended to them? Ann and I broke our recommendations up into three categories: Literary Fiction (Bridge of Sighs, The Road, Any Human Heart), Fiction (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) and Non-Fiction (The Devil in the White City, anything by Jon Krakauer or Bill Bryson, The Lost City of Z, Born to Run). Mark was also kind enough to also send us an answer to his own question and he recommends The Black Swan, a book about dealing with the unpredictable events in life.<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br/>In a nice bit of serendipity, Ann and I both chose books about writers for the last segment's Two Books We Can't Wait to Read. They're also both second books by authors whose first books we loved. Ann recommends Beg, Borrow, Steal, Michael Greenberg's memoir about being a writer in New York, trying to make ends meet. I'm currently reading The Cry of the Sloth, by Sam Savage, an epistolary novel about Andrew Whittaker, put-upon literary journal editor, landlord and aspiring novelist. <br/><p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a></p> <p>Please visit us there.</p> <br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/LD7Ov26Qqmg" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 2 Sep 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=521568# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:17:59 books, reading, book, literature, Books on the Nightstand Summer Reading Success and Failures; Books for the VERY Occasional Reader: Two Books We Can't Wait to Read Clean If last week's podcast was about literary confessions, this week's is about true confessions: I only read one book for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge. I finished Moby Dick last week. Damn, that book nearly sent me down with the Pequod. I'm glad that I read it, and I know I wouldn't have picked it up if it hadn't been for the reading challenge. I guess that's the whole point! Tanya posted on our Goodreads group that she read 4 books for the challenge. Way to go, Tanya! Ann admits to not even cracking open War and Peace (not that she ever promised to...), and to only making it 8 segments into the DailyLit version of The Moonstone. However, she swears 2010 will be a War and Peace year! How did all of you do on the challenge? Leave your comments here, on our voicemail line or on Goodreads or Facebook. We'd love to know! Mark Bertils, one of the earliest BOTNS fans and supporters sent us an audio message posing an interesting question: What do you recommend to someone who only reads one book a year - someone who likely hasn't read a book since the last one you recommended to them? Ann and I broke our recommendations up into three categories: Literary Fiction (Bridge of Sighs, The Road, Any Human Heart), Fiction (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) and Non-Fiction (The Devil in the White City, anything by Jon Krakauer or Bill Bryson, The Lost City of Z, Born to Run). Mark was also kind enough to also send us an answer to his own question and he recommends The Black Swan, a book about dealing with the unpredictable events in life. In a nice bit of serendipity, Ann and I both chose books about writers for the last segment's Two Books We Can't Wait to Read. They're also both second books by authors whose first books we loved. Ann recommends Beg, Borrow, Steal, Michael Greenberg's memoir about being a writer in New York, trying to make ends meet. I'm currently reading The Cry of the Sloth, by Sam Savage, an epistolary novel about Andrew Whittaker, put-upon literary journal editor, landlord and aspiring novelist. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=521568#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_042_-_Books_for_the_VERY_Occas.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/_dr90QwjVZ8/index.php For complete show notes for this episode, please visit our blog at http://www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/_dr90QwjVZ8" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:12:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=519108# 00:26:41 Dan Brown, books, krakauer, books podcast Books on the Nightstand "Dan Brown Day", Literary Confessionals, Two Books We Can't Wait for you to Read Clean We open this episode with a voicemail from Cynthia from A Cynful Mind podcast (which Cynthia describes as "a podcast about knitting, music, food, and whatever I'm geeking out about at the moment, which can include many books"). Cynthia recommends Drawing in the Dust by Zoey Klein. She also asks a question about the Espresso Book Machine, which we talked about in epsiode #39, specifically, how does the EBM handle the cover of the book? Michael and I do our best to answer. In Segment 1, we talk about what is becoming known in the publishing world as "Dan Brown Day." The Lost Symbol, the new book from Dan Brown, goes on sale on September 15th, and there have been many articles written about whether other books should be released on the same day. We know of at least two other big books that will also be published on the same day: Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer, and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, from the publisher that brought us Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. When you go into a bookstore to buy a particular book, do you often find yourselves walking out with other books as well? Do you think there's room for more than one new book on a particular date, even if that book is a blockbuster? In Segment 2, Ann talks about the category of "literary confessionals," which are typically collections of essays by various writers that revolve around a single topic. Love is a Four Letter Word, edited by Michael Taeckens, The Bitch in the House edited by Cathi Hanauer, The Friend Who Got Away, edited by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell are 3 of Ann's favorites. Michael mentioned a new collection about being a father, but he couldn't remember the title. A little bit of research showed that it was The Book of Dads, edited by Ben George. In "Two Books We Can't Wait for you to Read," Ann tells about Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk, a novel about a psychiatric patient who claims to be Christopher Columbus, and the nurse who listens to his stories in an attempt to understand him. Michael talks about Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon, a novel of identity, told through stories of three separate lives that intersect in unexpected ways comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=519108#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_41__Literary_Confessionals.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/SXiDPPKwBL8/index.php <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator"></meta><link href="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MARNYA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceType" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="country-region" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> &lt;!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 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margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:1958483061; mso-list-template-ids:43950314;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:ï; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --&gt; </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Ann recently attended <a href="http://www.podcampboston.org/">Podcamp Boston</a> where she met several of our listeners:</p> <ul type="disc" style="margin-top: 0in;"><li class="MsoNormal">Jeff Rutherford, of the <a href="http://readingandwritingpodcast.com/">Reading and Writing Podcast</a>, which interviews authors</li><li class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://twitter.com/ambercadabra">Amber Naslund</a>, one of our friends from Twitter</li><li class="MsoNormal">Leo, a listener from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region> who now lives in the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:city> area. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal">Ann also connected with two other podcasters: Guido Stein who runs <a href="http://www.itsapurlman.com/">Itâs a Purl, Man</a>, a knitting podcast, and Kristin Brandt from <a href="http://manicmommies.com/">Manic Mommies</a>. The Mommies run a yearly Escape, a getaway for moms, and that got Ann thinking: What if we had a Books on the Nightstand Reading Retreat? Maybe at a cozy inn somewhere in <st1:place w:st="on">New England</st1:place>? Let us know your thoughts and maybe weâll start planning for next year!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ann came home from Podcamp and created the Books on the Nightstand Mobile Site. Simply point your web-enabled phone to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/m.booksonthenightstand.com">m.booksonthenightstand.com</a>. There youâll find links for blog posts, podcasts and one-button dialing of our voice-mail number. We think it will be great for checking out the books weâve talked about while your in the bookstore.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My friend April sent me an email asking for help coming up with a list of books that should be in every American home. She moved to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> a few years ago and is finally moving all of her books. She wants to make sure the American Canon is represented in her library down under. Ann immediately came up with The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird and Gone with the Wind. I, of course, thought of Moby Dick, the book Iâm reading for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge. What about you? What books would you suggest to April? Sheâs looking for books beyond fiction as well. You can leave suggestions here in the comments, email them to us or join the discussions on our Goodreads or Facebook groups.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Next, we discuss books we loved in hardcover last year, that are now in paperback :</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ann:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A Mercy by Toni Morrison</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Boat by <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nam</st1:place></st1:country-region> Le</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Michael:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tethered by Amy MacKinnon</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The 19^th Wife by David Ebershoff</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Two books we canât wait for you to read: I geek out over Batman: Hush, which is a fantastic Batman story for fan or non-fan alike. The art is phenomenal and itâs now available in a new one-volume trade paperback. Ann raves about A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore, her first novel since 1994âs Who Will Run the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Frog</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Hospital</st1:placetype></st1:place>?. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moore</st1:place></st1:city> is primarily known as a short story writer, but Ann loves this new novel and says itâs her favorite book of 2009 so far.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br type="_moz"/></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Full details of the books discussed are at our blog:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">www.booksonthenightstand.com</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br type="_moz"/></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Please visit us there.<br type="_moz"/></p> <br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/SXiDPPKwBL8" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:25:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=516756# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:24:46 books, reading, book, literature, Books on the Nightstand American Books for New Zealand Bound Library; Favorite Hardcovers Now in Paperback; Two Books We Can't Wait for You to Read Clean Ann recently attended Podcamp Boston where she met several of our listeners: * Jeff Rutherford, of the Reading and Writing Podcast, which interviews authors * Amber Naslund, one of our friends from Twitter * Leo, a listener from Brazil who now lives in the Boston area. Ann also connected with two other podcasters: Guido Stein who runs Itâs a Purl, Man, a knitting podcast, and Kristin Brandt from Manic Mommies. The Mommies run a yearly Escape, a getaway for moms, and that got Ann thinking: What if we had a Books on the Nightstand Reading Retreat? Maybe at a cozy inn somewhere in New England? Let us know your thoughts and maybe weâll start planning for next year! Ann came home from Podcamp and created the Books on the Nightstand Mobile Site. Simply point your web-enabled phone to m.booksonthenightstand.com. There youâll find links for blog posts, podcasts and one-button dialing of our voice-mail number. We think it will be great for checking out the books weâve talked about while your in the bookstore. My friend April sent me an email asking for help coming up with a list of books that should be in every American home. She moved to New Zealand a few years ago and is finally moving all of her books. She wants to make sure the American Canon is represented in her library down under. Ann immediately came up with The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird and Gone with the Wind. I, of course, thought of Moby Dick, the book Iâm reading for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge. What about you? What books would you suggest to April? Sheâs looking for books beyond fiction as well. You can leave suggestions here in the comments, email them to us or join the discussions on our Goodreads or Facebook groups. Next, we discuss books we loved in hardcover last year, that are now in paperback : Ann: A Mercy by Toni Morrison The Boat by Nam Le I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass Michael: Tethered by Amy MacKinnon The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti Two books we canât wait for you to read: I geek out over Batman: Hush, which is a fantastic Batman story for fan or non-fan alike. The art is phenomenal and itâs now available in a new one-volume trade paperback. Ann raves about A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore, her first novel since 1994âs Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?. Moore is primarily known as a short story writer, but Ann loves this new novel and says itâs her favorite book of 2009 so far. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=516756#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_40_-_Now_in_Paperback.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/YywtHqWoyGI/index.php For full information, please visit us at http://www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/YywtHqWoyGI" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:42:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=512716# 00:25:46 books, reading, goodreads Books on the Nightstand Listener recommendations, the future of the book, 2 books we can't wait for you to read Clean We start this week's episode with some listener voicemails and comments. Thank you to all who called in! Three listeners called in with suggestions as a follow-up to our road-trip episode: Robin from Michigan suggests The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian; Heather from the Colgate Bookstore in New York talks about The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, and The Stand by Stephen King. And another Robin from Michigan called to tell us about Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. As a follow-up to our "Books for book clubs" episode, Kerry recommends Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. Kerry also asks about Goodreads, wondering how people are using it. We talk a bit about our uses of Goodreads, especially the Books on the Nightstand discussion group, which is one of our favorite ways to connect with readers and listeners of our blog and podcast. Lisa phoned in with an original rendition of our voicemail telephone number, (complete with new lyrics to that song that you are likely tired of by now!). Thank you, Lisa! We love your version of the song. Please feel free to call in your comments, recommendations and ideas: (209) 867-READ (7323). We hope to hear from you. In segment two, we talk about the future of the book and bookstore, inspired in part by Moriah Jovan's blog post about her ideal bookstore, and Northshire Bookstore owner Chris Morrow's post about the Loss of Serendipity. I'm not sure I can summarize our thoughts in a concise fashion, so you'll just have to listen if you want to know what we think. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic, so do let us know. In "Two Books We Can't Wait for You to Read", Ann talks about Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis, a novel of three generations of women in Urugay during the 20th century. Michael talks about Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder. It's an inspirational story of Deo from Burundi, who escapes the civil war and genocide of the region to eventually graduate from medical school with the help of many along the way. Fans of Tracy Kidder's earlier book, the Pulitzer prize winning Mountains Beyond Mountains, will find many similar themes in this book. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=512716#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_39__The_Future_of_the_Book.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/XAsmogQhB64/index.php We start this week's podcast with a new segment we're calling Nightstand Newsbites. Occasionally we'll tell you about interesting book related stories we've heard about, and link to the full stories online. Here are the four we talked about this time:<br/><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Britain's most avid reader, 91, has borrowed 25,000 library books - Telegraph<br/><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Students offered scholarships from fictional crimefighter, Jack Reacher | Books | guardian.co.uk<br/><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Reading cuts stress levels by 68% | Health news | Marie Claire<br/><br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Roald Dahl proves a man of a great many letters for his biographer - Telegraph<br/><br/>Ann pays tribute to Frank McCourt, who recently passed away, by remembering his wonderful memoir Angela's Ashes. I admit to never having read the book, but will track down the unabridged audio book read by Mr. McCourt.<br/><br/>I continue the memoir theme by discussing two of the most powerful and moving memoirs I've ever read. Love in the Driest Season is the story of journalist Neely Tucker and his wife Vita. While in Africa they cared for, and came to love, an orphaned girl named Chipo. This book is the story of their struggle against societal taboos that believe foreigners should not be allowed to adopt Zimbabwean children.<br/><br/>The Bear's Embrace, by Patricia Van Tighem, is the story of the author and her husband, who are attacked by a bear while hiking in the Canadian Rockies in 1983. They both survive, but Patricia's road to recovery was particularly difficult. Sadly, while researching the show notes (and after recording this episode), I discovered that Patricia committed suicide in 2005.<br/><br/>Segment three is a little different this week, as Ann and I each tell you about a book we can't wait to read. The weekly schedule means we'd need to have a new book that we've read and loved, every week. Neither Ann nor I read that quickly! So, we'll occasionally tell you about a book we're hearing a lot about; a book we want to read, but haven't gotten to yet. This time around I discuss Big Machine by Victor LaValle, an author the Wall Street Journal says is being compared to Ralph Ellison and Thomas Pynchon. Ann tells us about a book called Heroic Measures by Jill Ciment, a book Ann found interesting long before Oprah discovered it. Jill Ciment is a favorite author of many of the Random House reps, including me!<br/><br/>Finally, thanks to Chris, Nora and Karen for calling in and singing our Voice Mail number. We hope you enjoy their renditions as much as we did! <br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><br/>Please visit us there.<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/XAsmogQhB64" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 5 Aug 2009 04:30:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=511703# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:24:46 books, reading, book, literature, Books on the Nightstand Nightstand Newsbites: Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Memoirs; Two Books We Can't Wait to Read Clean We start this week's podcast with a new segment we're calling Nightstand Newsbites. Occasionally we'll tell you about interesting book related stories we've heard about, and link to the full stories online. Here are the four we talked about this time: *Britain's most avid reader, 91, has borrowed 25,000 library books - Telegraph *Students offered scholarships from fictional crimefighter, Jack Reacher | Books | guardian.co.uk *Reading cuts stress levels by 68% | Health news | Marie Claire *Roald Dahl proves a man of a great many letters for his biographer - Telegraph Ann pays tribute to Frank McCourt, who recently passed away, by remembering his wonderful memoir Angela's Ashes. I admit to never having read the book, but will track down the unabridged audio book read by Mr. McCourt. I continue the memoir theme by discussing two of the most powerful and moving memoirs I've ever read. Love in the Driest Season is the story of journalist Neely Tucker and his wife Vita. While in Africa they cared for, and came to love, an orphaned girl named Chipo. This book is the story of their struggle against societal taboos that believe foreigners should not be allowed to adopt Zimbabwean children. The Bear's Embrace, by Patricia Van Tighem, is the story of the author and her husband, who are attacked by a bear while hiking in the Canadian Rockies in 1983. They both survive, but Patricia's road to recovery was particularly difficult. Sadly, while researching the show notes (and after recording this episode), I discovered that Patricia committed suicide in 2005. Segment three is a little different this week, as Ann and I each tell you about a book we can't wait to read. The weekly schedule means we'd need to have a new book that we've read and loved, every week. Neither Ann nor I read that quickly! So, we'll occasionally tell you about a book we're hearing a lot about; a book we want to read, but haven't gotten to yet. This time around I discuss Big Machine by Victor LaValle, an author the Wall Street Journal says is being compared to Ralph Ellison and Thomas Pynchon. Ann tells us about a book called Heroic Measures by Jill Ciment, a book Ann found interesting long before Oprah discovered it. Jill Ciment is a favorite author of many of the Random House reps, including me! Finally, thanks to Chris, Nora and Karen for calling in and singing our Voice Mail number. We hope you enjoy their renditions as much as we did! Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=511703#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_38_-_Remarkable_Lives.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/YuoroiDvm7s/index.php For complete show notes, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/YuoroiDvm7s" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:57:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=509205# 00:22:04 books, reading Books on the Nightstand Thanks for your support; choosing books for book groups, 2 books we can't wait for you to read. Clean First, we'd like to thank everyone for your wonderful comments about our change to a weekly podcast schedule. We're so happy that you like what we do, and we're thrilled to talk with you more often. Eric from Wisconsin loves us so much that he called in and sang our voicemail number -- complete with new lyrics that he wrote especially for Books on the Nightstand. Eric, thank you so much! Barbara from Wyoming called in with 2 questions. First, how do you choose a book for your book club that will give you enough to talk about on book club night? Michael and I weigh in with some suggestions. Feel free to call, email, or comment with your own ideas. Some resources for choosing the right book: Reading Group Choices has been compiling book clubs' favorite reading group books since 2002, and they offer a year-by-year list. The editors of Readinggroupguides.com also have yearly lists of their favorite books for discussion. And as Michael told us, this year's Book Expo America featured a panel called "Book Club Facilitators Sound Off". The session was recorded and is available as a podcast. It's about an hour long, but there is a great deal of valuable information for anyone who is interested in book clubs or reading groups. In her voicemail, Barbara also asked how to start a co-ed book group. In podcast episode #18, we talked about books that would appeal to book clubs made of men and women, but we'd like to ask our readers and listeners to send in any advice they may have for Barbara. You can email us at comments@booksonthenightstand.com, leave a comment here, or call our voice mail line: (209) 867-READ (7323). Michael and I each chose a book that we think makes for great reading group discussion. Michael chose Identical Strangers by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein. Ann talks about The Attack by Yasmina Khadra. In "Two Books We Can't Wait For You To Read", Ann tells you about That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo, a novel that is perfect for summer and will be a delight to Russo fans. Michael talks about Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, a novel that revolves around four separate main characters, all of whom witness a tightrope walk between the unfinished World Trade Center towers in New York City. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=509205#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_37__Choosing_Books_for_you.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/-7J2OhVLroQ/index.php The rumors are true! Books on the Nightstand is now a weekly podcast! Thanks to all of you who took our poll and asked for more BOTNS, not less. We listened and we're delivering.<br/><br/>However, if we're going to keep up a grueling weekly schedule, we're going to need your help. Use our new voicemail number (209.867.READ) to call us with a question, a book recommendation or a comment. Put the number in your cell phone and call us from a bookstore or library to tell us about that great new book you just saw. You can also share your thoughts via e-mail: comments@booksonthenightstand.com.<br/><br/>Summer often means road trips and Ann has found a perfect one for booklovers to start planning for. The 2009 National Book Festival takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on September 26. There are 71 amazing authors attending and Ann and Michael really wish they could make it. If you do go, take pictures, post them to Flickr and tag them &quot;botns&quot; so we can feel like we're there.<br/><br/>If your summer plans do include a road trip, be sure to get yourself a copy of The Little Road Trip Handbook. It's filled with fun facts, helpful tips, music to play, books to read. It's a fantastic little book that's fun to read on its own. Author Erin McHugh gave Michael her personal playlist; the one she plays at her book signings. Michael created an iMix on iTunes, so check out this great list of songs, by searching iMixes for The Little Road Trip Handbook! Ann and Michael also mention a few books, both fiction and non, that feature road trips.&nbsp; <br/><br/>Michael urges us &quot;not to judge a book by its category.&quot; He raves about When You Reach Me, which happens to be a young adult novel. It's a book that can be enjoyed by adults and teens alike, and it features a wonderful protagonist named Miranda, who is never without her copy of A Wrinkle in Time. We all know Ann is a fan of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Finally, the sequel is out here in America, and, believe it or not, Ann thinks this one is &quot;even better!&quot;<br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><br/>Please visit us there.<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/-7J2OhVLroQ" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=506358# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:20:12 books, reading, book, literature, road trips Books on the Nightstand Welcome to our weekly podcast! --- Literary Road Trips --- Two books we can't wait for you to read Clean The rumors are true! Books on the Nightstand is now a weekly podcast! Thanks to all of you who took our poll and asked for more BOTNS, not less. We listened and we're delivering. However, if we're going to keep up a grueling weekly schedule, we're going to need your help. Use our new voicemail number (209.867.READ) to call us with a question, a book recommendation or a comment. Put the number in your cell phone and call us from a bookstore or library to tell us about that great new book you just saw. You can also share your thoughts via e-mail: comments@booksonthenightstand.com. Summer often means road trips and Ann has found a perfect one for booklovers to start planning for. The 2009 National Book Festival takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on September 26. There are 71 amazing authors attending and Ann and Michael really wish they could make it. If you do go, take pictures, post them to Flickr and tag them "botns" so we can feel like we're there. If your summer plans do include a road trip, be sure to get yourself a copy of The Little Road Trip Handbook. It's filled with fun facts, helpful tips, music to play, books to read. It's a fantastic little book that's fun to read on its own. Author Erin McHugh gave Michael her personal playlist; the one she plays at her book signings. Michael created an iMix on iTunes, so check out this great list of songs, by searching iMixes for The Little Road Trip Handbook! Ann and Michael also mention a few books, both fiction and non, that feature road trips. Michael urges us "not to judge a book by its category." He raves about When You Reach Me, which happens to be a young adult novel. It's a book that can be enjoyed by adults and teens alike, and it features a wonderful protagonist named Miranda, who is never without her copy of A Wrinkle in Time. We all know Ann is a fan of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Finally, the sequel is out here in America, and, believe it or not, Ann thinks this one is "even better!" Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=506358#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_36_-_Surprise.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/Lu_Wfv_N0VA/index.php For full show notes, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/Lu_Wfv_N0VA" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:19:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=503470# 00:30:44 books, reading, publishing Books on the Nightstand Can you read on vacation? Dystopic fiction. 2 books we can't wait for you to read. Clean Are you able to read on vacation? In today's episode, Michael is just back from a week on Cape Cod, and he reports on his reading activity. The two of us decide that having young children is a serious detriment to vacation reading. However, Michael and I are both lucky that we can claim "work-related reasons" to send the kids off with our wonderful spouses for a bit of time with our books. Ann also announces that she has moved Books on the Nightstand headquarters to Lockeford, CA. Well, not really, but our new voicemail number is headquartered there. The new number is (209) 867-READ -- which reminds Ann of the hit song from the 80s, 867-5309/Jenny. And thus, a contest was born. Call our number, sing the new number in the tune of the hit song, and maybe win a prize. And then, things take a darker turn. Inspired by a reading of The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist, Ann has dystopic fiction on her mind. The Wikipedia page on dystopia provides a helpful definition ("the vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable and characterized by poverty, oppression, war, violence, disease, pollution, and/or the abridgment of human rights, resulting in widespread unhappiness, suffering, and other kinds of pain") and also a list of dystopic fiction. Ann talks about The Unit, the story of a society that demands some to sacrifice for the good of others. The Unit made Ann want to re-read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, which is as powerful today as when it was first published. Michael talks about Rupert Thompson's Divided Kingdom, and the graphic novel series Y, The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan. In our "two books we can't wait for you to read" segment, Michael raves over Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli, a graphic novel that Ann is currently reading and loving as well. And Ann talks about Something Missing by Matthew Dicks, a fun novel about a burglar who is charming, eccentric, and a little bit OCD. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=503470#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_35_The_Road_to_Dystopia.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/FJwAPbjNkfE/index.php It's finally here. Our long-promised and long-awaited audiobooks episode. We turn the podcast over to you, our listeners and we really want to thank everyone who called in and left us a message:<br/><br/>Heidi Estrin who writes the great Book of Life podcast asks the question: does listening to an&nbsp; audiobook count as reading the book?<br/><br/>Carla Thompson, one of our Goodfriends from Goodreads describes herself as a &quot;blind audio reader and... a book junkie.&quot; Narrators are very important to Carla as are detail-filled and fast-paced stories.<br/><br/>Tanya shares several of her favorite audios and raves about all of the narrators.<br/><br/>Melissa Klug also loved the narrator of The Thirteenth Tale, an audio Tanya recommended<br/><br/>Heather Elia, from the Colgate Bookstore, called in with two older titles that still entertain.<br/><br/>Stanley Hadsell, manager and buyer at Market Block Books recommended The Graveyard Book to me a few months ago. I loved it so much and I'm glad he called in with that recommendation!<br/><br/>Julie from Minneapolis recommends Barbara Kingsolver reading her own book Prodigal Summer.<br/><br/>Hope from Australia buys her audios from Audible.com and raves about the versions of several wonderful books she's found there. [Note: We're unsure if those same versions will be available in other countries] Other ways online to get your audios are Emusic.com and Librivox.org.<br/><br/>Ann and I throw in our two cents throughout and recommend several of our favorites along the way.<br/><br/>This call-in format worked so well, we're opening it up to another topic, one suggested by Melissa on Goodreads: Is there a book that you hated when it was assigned in school, but loved when you read it later in life? Call our voicemail line at (206) 350-2068 to share your story. <br/><br/>NOTE: Michael misremembered... John Irving does not read The World According to Garp. Sorry if he got anyone's hopes up!<br/><p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a></p> <p>Please visit us there.</p> <br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/FJwAPbjNkfE" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 1 Jul 2009 04:25:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=498036# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:31:25 books, reading, book, literature, audibooks, audio books, Books on the Nightstand Books on the Nightstand listeners share their thoughts and recommendations on audiobooks Clean It's finally here. Our long-promised and long-awaited audiobooks episode. We turn the podcast over to you, our listeners and we really want to thank everyone who called in and left us a message: Heidi Estrin who writes the great Book of Life podcast asks the question: does listening to an audiobook count as reading the book? Carla Thompson, one of our Goodfriends from Goodreads describes herself as a "blind audio reader and... a book junkie." Narrators are very important to Carla as are detail-filled and fast-paced stories. Tanya shares several of her favorite audios and raves about all of the narrators. Melissa Klug also loved the narrator of The Thirteenth Tale, an audio Tanya recommended Heather Elia, from the Colgate Bookstore, called in with two older titles that still entertain. Stanley Hadsell, manager and buyer at Market Block Books recommended The Graveyard Book to me a few months ago. I loved it so much and I'm glad he called in with that recommendation! Julie from Minneapolis recommends Barbara Kingsolver reading her own book Prodigal Summer. Hope from Australia buys her audios from Audible.com and raves about the versions of several wonderful books she's found there. [Note: We're unsure if those same versions will be available in other countries] Other ways online to get your audios are Emusic.com and Librivox.org. Ann and I throw in our two cents throughout and recommend several of our favorites along the way. This call-in format worked so well, we're opening it up to another topic, one suggested by Melissa on Goodreads: Is there a book that you hated when it was assigned in school, but loved when you read it later in life? Call our voicemail line at (206) 350-2068 to share your story. NOTE: Michael misremembered... John Irving does not read The World According to Garp. Sorry if he got anyone's hopes up! Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=498036#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/34_BOTNS_34__Our_listeners_sound_of.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/z2hUUAnGuC4/index.php Ann's back and gives us her impression of Book Expo America, where she saw several educational panels (and was even part of one!). Social Media, blogs and vlogs were the talk of the show as booksellers and publishers were educated by some of the best in these endeavors, including Chris Brogan, author of the forthcoming Trust Agents, and Gary Vaynerchuk, author of the forthcoming Crush It!<br/><br/>In segment two, we talk about great books for your summer vacation plans (when you're not reading classics for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge, of course!). We've already talked about most of our recent faves, so we go back a little further. Michael recommends The Alienist by Caleb Carr, a thrilling, gruesome historical mystery, first published fifteen years ago, and ripe for rediscovery! Michael also raves about His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik, the first book in the Temeraire series which re-imagines the Napoleonic Wars as fought by pilots on dragons. This series has a wonderful Patrick O'Brian feel about it, and is perfect for anyone who wants a little fantasy with their history. Ann Recommends The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin, the perfect summer novel, which examines the meaning of family and the stories that make up a person's past. Set at a remote fishing camp in Maine, this is a book that you will want to read in the hammock with a cool glass of lemonade in your hand. Ann also loves The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken, a love story starring a lonely, curmudgeonly librarian and the tallest boy in the world. One of Ann's favorite books ever, the story of these two misfits who find each other is a smart, funny and poignant choice for a summer novel.<br/><br/>As always, we finish with two books we can't wait for you to read. Ann tells us about Trouble by Kate Christensen, an edgy summer read that some have compared to a darker Thelma and Louise, and Michael describes Fragment as &quot;Jurassic Park meets The Ruins.&quot; For more information on Fragment, check out the author's website, which features concept sketches, field journal art from the characters and 3 creepy short videos.<br/><p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a></p> <p>Please visit us there.</p> <br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/z2hUUAnGuC4" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:39:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=492730# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:25:51 books, reading, book, literature, beach reading Books on the Nightstand Ann's recap of BEA; Books we love for the beach; two books we can't wait for you to read Clean Ann's back and gives us her impression of Book Expo America, where she saw several educational panels (and was even part of one!). Social Media, blogs and vlogs were the talk of the show as booksellers and publishers were educated by some of the best in these endeavors, including Chris Brogan, author of the forthcoming Trust Agents, and Gary Vaynerchuk, author of the forthcoming Crush It! In segment two, we talk about great books for your summer vacation plans (when you're not reading classics for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge, of course!). We've already talked about most of our recent faves, so we go back a little further. Michael recommends The Alienist by Caleb Carr, a thrilling, gruesome historical mystery, first published fifteen years ago, and ripe for rediscovery! Michael also raves about His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik, the first book in the Temeraire series which re-imagines the Napoleonic Wars as fought by pilots on dragons. This series has a wonderful Patrick O'Brian feel about it, and is perfect for anyone who wants a little fantasy with their history. Ann Recommends The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin, the perfect summer novel, which examines the meaning of family and the stories that make up a person's past. Set at a remote fishing camp in Maine, this is a book that you will want to read in the hammock with a cool glass of lemonade in your hand. Ann also loves The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken, a love story starring a lonely, curmudgeonly librarian and the tallest boy in the world. One of Ann's favorite books ever, the story of these two misfits who find each other is a smart, funny and poignant choice for a summer novel. As always, we finish with two books we can't wait for you to read. Ann tells us about Trouble by Kate Christensen, an edgy summer read that some have compared to a darker Thelma and Louise, and Michael describes Fragment as "Jurassic Park meets The Ruins." For more information on Fragment, check out the author's website, which features concept sketches, field journal art from the characters and 3 creepy short videos. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=492730#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/33_BOTNS_33__Books_for_your_beach_b.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/p6paogXMv6Q/index.php <p>It's a short podcast this week. I'm just back from Book Expo America (BEA) in New York. Ann stayed in the NY/CT area for a few appointments and is not home yet. So I'm doing the podcast all by myself (yikes).</p> <p>BEA was an exhausting blur, but an amazingly fun one! There are a ton of great books coming throughout the rest of 2009. We got the scoop on many that we're looking forward to reading and telling you about.</p> <p>For Father's Day, I recommend three books (in addition to Ann's Lee Child recommendation from last time): a work of narrative history about Napoleon's march toward Russia and the disease that felled his troops; a biography of Leroy &quot;Satchel&quot; Paige that also goes beyond Satchel's life to examine the integration of the Negro League into the Major League; and a book of sports trivia, stats and tips from the folks at ESPN.</p> <p>NOTE: While editing the podcast, I realized I said &quot;typhoid&quot; several times, instead of &quot;typhus.&quot; They're not the same, but the similar words caused me to misremember which disease Napoleon's army actually faced... apologies!&nbsp;</p> <p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a></p> <p>Please visit us there.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/p6paogXMv6Q" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 3 Jun 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=487208# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:10:05 books, reading, book, literature, Father's Day, Book Expo America, BEA Books on the Nightstand Just back from Book Expo America; Some great Books for Father's Day Clean It's a short podcast this week. I'm just back from Book Expo America (BEA) in New York. Ann stayed in the NY/CT area for a few appointments and is not home yet. So I'm doing the podcast all by myself (yikes). BEA was an exhausting blur, but an amazingly fun one! There are a ton of great books coming throughout the rest of 2009. We got the scoop on many that we're looking forward to reading and telling you about. For Father's Day, I recommend three books (in addition to Ann's Lee Child recommendation from last time): a work of narrative history about Napoleon's march toward Russia and the disease that felled his troops; a biography of Leroy "Satchel" Paige that also goes beyond Satchel's life to examine the integration of the Negro League into the Major League; and a book of sports trivia, stats and tips from the folks at ESPN. NOTE: While editing the podcast, I realized I said "typhoid" several times, instead of "typhus." They're not the same, but the similar words caused me to misremember which disease Napoleon's army actually faced... apologies! Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=487208#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_32_Gifts_for_Dad.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/CZia10zf7WQ/index.php Thanks so much to all of you who have taken our listener survey! Your responses show that nearly an equal number (around 30%) of you only listen to the podcast, or only read the blog, or do both. It's been very interesting to see and we know there are some good reasons (&quot;I read the blog at work, but can't listen to the podcast at work&quot; was a very common one). If you haven't taken the listener survey yet, you can do so at the blog. We'll leave it up until May 25th and we'll announce the winner of the prize pack in early June!<br/><br/>Michael is very excited about a book called Beowulf on the Beach, but was embarrassed to find that he's only read 4 of the 50 classics recommended by the author Jack Murnighan. This is not your usual &quot;read the great books&quot; plea. It's funny, it's witty, it's snarky, it tells you what chapters you can skip! Michael has decided this summer to read 4 classics he's never read before and has created a reading challenge so you can all join in! We're also giving away five signed copies of the book! Ann can't quite commit to the whole reading challenge, but may try to read War and Peace, in its amazing new translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.<br/><br/>Visit the blog to learn more about the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge and Giveaway! <br/><br/>In segment three, Michael tells us about In the Land of Invented Languages which chronicles the attempts of several... interesting people to create their own language. Be sure to check out the website for The Klingon Language Institute and the author's own website for the book. Ann raves about Gone Tomorrow, the latest novel in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. Men want to be like Jack Reacher; women want to be with him. This is the 13th Reacher novel and Ann thinks it's one of his best! <br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><br/>Please visit us there!<br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/CZia10zf7WQ" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 20 May 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=481380# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:24:56 books, reading, book, literature, reading challenge, classics Books on the Nightstand Podcast vs. blog?; Beowulf on the Beach Summer Reading Challenge; Two Books we Can't Wait for you to Read Clean Thanks so much to all of you who have taken our listener survey! Your responses show that nearly an equal number (around 30%) of you only listen to the podcast, or only read the blog, or do both. It's been very interesting to see and we know there are some good reasons ("I read the blog at work, but can't listen to the podcast at work" was a very common one). If you haven't taken the listener survey yet, you can do so at the blog. We'll leave it up until May 25th and we'll announce the winner of the prize pack in early June! Michael is very excited about a book called Beowulf on the Beach, but was embarrassed to find that he's only read 4 of the 50 classics recommended by the author Jack Murnighan. This is not your usual "read the great books" plea. It's funny, it's witty, it's snarky, it tells you what chapters you can skip! Michael has decided this summer to read 4 classics he's never read before and has created a reading challenge so you can all join in! We're also giving away five signed copies of the book! Ann can't quite commit to the whole reading challenge, but may try to read War and Peace, in its amazing new translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Visit the blog to learn more about the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge and Giveaway! In segment three, Michael tells us about In the Land of Invented Languages which chronicles the attempts of several... interesting people to create their own language. Be sure to check out the website for The Klingon Language Institute and the author's own website for the book. Ann raves about Gone Tomorrow, the latest novel in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. Men want to be like Jack Reacher; women want to be with him. This is the 13th Reacher novel and Ann thinks it's one of his best! Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there! http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=481380#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_31_Summer_Reading_Challenge.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/FM0dsajEJPk/index.php <p>We start today's episode by talking about some celebrities that influence the book-buying public. Oprah is an obvious one. For our UK listeners, Richard and Judy are often responsible for books selling hundreds of thousands of copies (and they've just put up their <a target="_blank" href="http://www.richardandjudybookclub.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ChildrensClubGenericContent?storeId=10101&mpe_id=19834&intv_id=105028&contentName=Voting&evtype=CpgnClick&catalogId=15201&langId=100&ddkey=http:ClickInfo">list of summer reads</a>). But there's one other person who's been helping books sell. A <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03Obama-t.html">recent New York Times interview</a> with President Obama included the fact that he's been reading Joseph O'Neill's Netherland (also one of Ann's favorites), and sales picked up right away. The publisher even rushed the paperback to stores - it now goes on sale May 7, 2009. So, tell us, does a famous person recommending a book mean more than a friend, a colleague, or, dare we say it, a trusted blogger/podcaster? </p> <p>Merry, from our <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand">Goodreads group</a>, suggested an episode on plague/pandemic books and now seemed the perfect time to do it. When the news is particularly bad, many of us turn to books for more information or for entertainment. We have chosen several non-fiction books and one novel dealing with the flu and other diseases. If you want more book recommendations, check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2415.Plague_Books">Plague Books Group</a> on Goodreads. (Thanks to Lee for telling us about the group!)<br/></p> <p>In segment three, Ann tells us about Born to Run, a book about long-distance runners of northern Mexico. She only planned to dip into the book, but just couldn't stop reading. Michael recommends Dark Places, the new novel from Gillian Flynn, author of Sharp Objects. If you like your books dark and your protagonists damaged, this book is for you. Michael also reminds us about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society, which is now out in paperback.</p> <p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com</p> <p>Please visit us there.<br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/FM0dsajEJPk" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 6 May 2009 04:15:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=474560# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:21:34 books, reading, book, literature, Books on the Nightstand Big Names in Book Recommendations; Fiction and Non-Fiction about Flus and Epidemics; Two Books we can't wait for you to read Clean We start today's episode by talking about some celebrities that influence the book-buying public. Oprah is an obvious one. For our UK listeners, Richard and Judy are often responsible for books selling hundreds of thousands of copies (and they've just put up their list of summer reads). But there's one other person who's been helping books sell. A recent New York Times interview with President Obama included the fact that he's been reading Joseph O'Neill's Netherland (also one of Ann's favorites), and sales picked up right away. The publisher even rushed the paperback to stores - it now goes on sale May 7, 2009. So, tell us, does a famous person recommending a book mean more than a friend, a colleague, or, dare we say it, a trusted blogger/podcaster? Merry, from our Goodreads group, suggested an episode on plague/pandemic books and now seemed the perfect time to do it. When the news is particularly bad, many of us turn to books for more information or for entertainment. We have chosen several non-fiction books and one novel dealing with the flu and other diseases. If you want more book recommendations, check out the Plague Books Group on Goodreads. (Thanks to Lee for telling us about the group!) In segment three, Ann tells us about Born to Run, a book about long-distance runners of northern Mexico. She only planned to dip into the book, but just couldn't stop reading. Michael recommends Dark Places, the new novel from Gillian Flynn, author of Sharp Objects. If you like your books dark and your protagonists damaged, this book is for you. Michael also reminds us about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society, which is now out in paperback. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=474560#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/30_BOTNS_30__We_Go_Viral.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/7bQVkhPp_2U/index.php <p>In honor of our One Year Birthday, we've created a survey that we're asking all of our readers and listeners to take. The blog readers have inundated us with responses... let's see if all of you podcast listeners can beat their number!</p> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/2009/04/its-our-birthday-please-answer-our.html"> <h4 align="center">Take Our Listener Survey Here!</h4></a> <p>Ann thanks her daughters for actually giving her books for her birthday and we remind you that books make great gifts for any holiday or special occasion, not just Christmas!</p> <p>In honor of Earth Day, we pick a few books about the natural world including a classic, a history of the Beaufort wind scale, a novel about Thoreau, and the new book from Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence. The green rating site Ann mentions is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goodguide.com/">Good Guide</a>.</p> <p>In segment three, Ann raves about Colson Whitehead's new novel, Sag Harbor, which is set during the 80's in an African-American community in the Long Island resort town. Then Michael finally gets to tell you about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, one of the most enjoyable novels he's read in a long time, featuring Flavia DeLuce, an 11-year-old with a predilection for poisons.</p> <p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/7bQVkhPp_2U" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:15:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=456849# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:22:57 books, reading, book, literature, Earth Day, Mother's Day, Books on the Nightstand Books as gifts all year round; Celebrating Earth Day with books; Two books we can't wait for you to read! Clean In honor of our One Year Birthday, we've created a survey that we're asking all of our readers and listeners to take. The blog readers have inundated us with responses... let's see if all of you podcast listeners can beat their number! Take Our Listener Survey Here! Ann thanks her daughters for actually giving her books for her birthday and we remind you that books make great gifts for any holiday or special occasion, not just Christmas! In honor of Earth Day, we pick a few books about the natural world including a classic, a history of the Beaufort wind scale, a novel about Thoreau, and the new book from Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence. The green rating site Ann mentions is Good Guide. In segment three, Ann raves about Colson Whitehead's new novel, Sag Harbor, which is set during the 80's in an African-American community in the Long Island resort town. Then Michael finally gets to tell you about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, one of the most enjoyable novels he's read in a long time, featuring Flavia DeLuce, an 11-year-old with a predilection for poisons. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=456849#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_29_Grab_a_Book_and_Go_Outside.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/gSDJirJcKjs/index.php <p>It's our birthday! One year ago we launched Books on the Nightstand and we start today's episode by reflecting on the past year. As we look to the future, we'd love your input! Leave comments at our blog, on our voicemail line (206.350.2068), or at our Goodreads or Facebook groups. </p> <p>Next, we offer a look at some of the best books coming out this Summer (May - August). Many of these are titles you'll hear much more about on future episodes, so we'll keep it short here.</p> <p>This time around our usual third segment becomes &quot;Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read - And We Can't Wait to Finish.&quot; Our reading preparation for sales conference has kept us both from finishing books we're loving. Ann tells us about the new novel from Anne Michaels of Fugitive Pieces fame and Michael talks about Red Orchestra, the story of a group of German citizens who resisted the Nazis. <br/></p> <p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com</p> <p>Please visit us there.<br type="_moz"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/gSDJirJcKjs" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 8 Apr 2009 08:45:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=452223# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:26:42 books, authors, read, reading, summer reading Books on the Nightstand Happy Birthday to Us!; A Sneak Peek at Some Great Books Coming This Summer; Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read Clean It's our birthday! One year ago we launched Books on the Nightstand and we start today's episode by reflecting on the past year. As we look to the future, we'd love your input! Leave comments at our blog, on our voicemail line (206.350.2068), or at our Goodreads or Facebook groups. Next, we offer a look at some of the best books coming out this Summer (May - August). Many of these are titles you'll hear much more about on future episodes, so we'll keep it short here. This time around our usual third segment becomes "Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read - And We Can't Wait to Finish." Our reading preparation for sales conference has kept us both from finishing books we're loving. Ann tells us about the new novel from Anne Michaels of Fugitive Pieces fame and Michael talks about Red Orchestra, the story of a group of German citizens who resisted the Nazis. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=452223#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_28__A_Peek_Into_Summer.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/pb_K9RkMplM/index.php In this episode,we begin with a deep dark secret: we don't really &quot;get&quot; poetry. <br/><br/>For full episode details, please visit the <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/2009/03/books-on-nightstand-podcast-episode-27.html" title="Books on the Nightstand">Books on the Nightstand blog</a>.<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/pb_K9RkMplM" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=447031# 00:23:30 poetry, michael schiavo, michelle filgate, marie gauthier Books on the Nightstand In celebration of National Poetry Month Clean In this episode,we begin with a deep dark secret: we don't really "get" poetry. And as difficult as that is for us to admit, we suspect that some of you are in the same position. But it is almost National Poetry Month, so we decided to go to the experts for this edition of the podcast. You can learn more about National Poetry Month at Poets.org, and be sure to sign up for Knopf's Poem A Day email newsletter -- it really is terrific. Next, we are thrilled to feature an interview with Michael Schiavo, who is first a poet, but also a bookseller at the renowned Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, VT. Michael believes that it's okay to read poetry and not understand the meaning, so that makes him a man we wanted to talk with. Michael is the author of The Mad Song and an editor of the literary journal Tight, both of which are printed using the Espresso Book Machine at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont where he is a bookseller. His poetry and nonfiction have appeared in The Yale Review, Tin House, The Believer, LIT, Painted Bride Quarterly, The Normal School, Seneca Review, the Hartford Courant, and elsewhere. He is a contributing editor to CUE and a reader for the Best American Poetry series. Lastly, we've outsourced this edition of "Two Books We Can't Wait For You To Read," turning it over to our poetry-loving bookseller friends. Marie Gauthier recommends The Plath Cabinet by Catherine Bowman. Poet and bookseller extraordinaire, Marie Gauthier worked at the Jeffery Amherst Bookshop in Amherst, MA from 1998 until its closing on Nov. 28, 2008. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in many journals, including Cave Wall, Existere, Rattle, Nerve Cowboy, Tulane Review, Good Foot, New Zoo, among others. Her chapbook manuscript, The Opposite of Deaf, was a semi-finalist in Black Lawrence Pressâ Fall 2007 Black River Chapbook Competition. She was the recipient of a 2008 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize. Her chapbook, Hunger All Inside, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in September 2009. Visit Marie's blog at A View from the Potholes. Michelle Filgate tells us about Essential Pleasures: A New Anthology of Poems to Read Aloud by Robert Pinsky. Michelle is the Events Coordinator for RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She lives and breathes for books, hence the name of her blog: Reading is Breathing. Literary fiction is my favorite, but I also love poetry, creative nonfiction, and short stories. Michelle is also a Book Reviews Editor for Identity Theory, and a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, CBS News, and other publications. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=447031#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_27_National_Poetry_Month.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/xOeoO_zIiOg/index.php Why do we buy a book that we really want to read, and then keep it on the shelf, unread, sometimes for years? We ask ourselves that question in segment one.<p>Then, in celebration of February's <a href="http://www.openthatbottlenight.com/">Open That Bottle </a>night. But instead of opening a bottle (of wine), we are opening books that we have saved for some special occasion. The occasion is now. Ann finally reads Barbara Kingsolver's <font style="font-weight: bold;">The Bean Trees</font>, and Michael dives into <font style="font-weight: bold;">The Book Thief</font>, asking himself why he waited so long to read this fantastic book.</p> <p>Speaking of The Book Thief, there's a great video of the author, Marcus Zusak, from a Good Morning America appearance. We can't embed the video in this post, but if you click on the video image, below, it will take you to the link where you can watch it.</p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=1737821"><img border="0" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ad2-nEc5igc/SbW8Im98QjI/AAAAAAAAAPs/kQ02HfFi_v4/s320/rsz_1abc_news.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311358191638692402"/></a></p> As always, we have two books we can't wait for you to read:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> The Frozen Thames</span> by Helen Humphreys and <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Brother Gardeners</span> by Andrea Wulf. Both are great reads, and we hope you enjoy them!<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/xOeoO_zIiOg" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:03:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=442009# 00:18:58 books, Kingsolver, Book Thief Books on the Nightstand Why did we wait so long to read these? Clean Why do we buy a book that we really want to read, and then keep it on the shelf, unread, sometimes for years? We ask ourselves that question in segment one. Then, in celebration of February's Open That Bottle night. But instead of opening a bottle (of wine), we are opening books that we have saved for some special occasion. The occasion is now. Ann finally reads Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees, and Michael dives into The Book Thief, asking himself why he waited so long to read this fantastic book. Speaking of The Book Thief, there's a great video of the author, Marcus Zusak, from a Good Morning America appearance. Please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com for a link. As always, we have two books we can't wait for you to read: The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys and The Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf. Both are great reads, and we hope you enjoy them! comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=442009#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_26_Open_That_Book.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/8ffCSY_4lHc/index.php It's housekeeping time! We open the show with a few items unrelated to the main content of today's podcast. First, thank you to all who have left reviews of Books on the Nightstand on iTunes. It truly does help us to get more listeners, and we love the feedback. <p>We are asking, no, <font style="font-style: italic;">begging</font>, you to call our voicemail line at <span style="font-weight: bold;">(206) 350-2068</span>. We want to hear your voices! You may leave a comment or question, tell us about a book you love, or recommend an audio book for our upcoming episode about audio books.</p> <p>We also remind listeners that we post additional text content on the Books on the Nightstand blog in between podcast episodes, so do visit us often.<br/></p> <p>In our first &quot;real&quot; segment, we talk about where to find books that are out of print or otherwise hard to find. If the book is in print, your local bookseller can probably order it for you. If it's out of print, libraries and used bookstores are good places to start. We are also seeing more &quot;general&quot; new bookstores begin to carry used books, so your local store might have just the book you are looking for.<br/></p> <p>In segment 2, we highlight some books that we love that may be hard to find. All of these are worth hunting down, so keep a look out.</p> <p>Our &quot;2 Books We Can't Wait for you to Read&quot; segment features: <font style="font-weight: bold;">The Last Dickens</font> by Matthew Pearl, recommended by Michael. You can listen to author interviews, audiobook excerpts, and see if Pearl is touring to a bookstore near you at <a href="http://www.matthewpearl.com/">www.matthewpearl.com</a>. I love the gallery, where you can see some very cool old photos of Dickens and others of the time.</p> <p>And I rave about<font style="font-weight: bold;"><font style="font-weight: bold;"> </font>The Lost City of Z</font> by David Grann, a tale of the ill-fated Fawcett expedition down the Amazon in 1925. I'm particularly fascinated by the maps and photo gallery at <a href="http://www.davidgrann.com/">David Grann's website</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/8ffCSY_4lHc" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:45:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=437142# 00:23:08 bookstores, used books, out of print books Books on the Nightstand Please call in with a comment or recommendation: +1 (206) 350-2068 Clean It's housekeeping time! We open the show with a few items unrelated to the main content of today's podcast. First, thank you to all who have left reviews of Books on the Nightstand on iTunes. It truly does help us to get more listeners, and we love the feedback. We are asking, no, begging, you to call our voicemail line at (206) 350-2068. We want to hear your voices! You may leave a comment or question, tell us about a book you love, or recommend an audio book for our upcoming episode about audio books. We also remind listeners that we post additional text content on the Books on the Nightstand blog in between podcast episodes, so do visit us often. In our first "real" segment, we talk about where to find books that are out of print or otherwise hard to find. If the book is in print, your local bookseller can probably order it for you. If it's out of print, libraries and used bookstores are good places to start. We are also seeing more "general" new bookstores begin to carry used books, so your local store might have just the book you are looking for. In segment 2, we highlight some books that we love that may be hard to find. All of these are worth hunting down, so keep a look out. Our "2 Books We Can't Wait for you to Read" segment features: The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl, recommended by Michael. You can listen to author interviews, audiobook excerpts, and see if Pearl is touring to a bookstore near you at www.matthewpearl.com. I love the gallery, where you can see some very cool old photos of Dickens and others of the time. And I rave about The Lost City of Z by David Grann, a tale of the ill-fated Fawcett expedition down the Amazon in 1925. I'm particularly fascinated by the maps and photo gallery at David Grann's website. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=437142#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_25_Elusive_Books_We_Love.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/uRk434Wm2Ns/index.php We begin the podcast with a look at different ways to keep track of what you've read and what you want to read. Do you have a million scraps of paper or do you write everything down neatly in a notebook? Do you use one of the online library sites (like <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/">Goodreads</a> or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.librarything.com/">Library Thing</a>) or do you keep everything in a Word or Excel document? Let us know in the comments or over at our <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand" target="_blank">Goodreads Group</a>.<br/> <p>In segment two, we respond to a listener's request and discuss some books that made us laugh (not a bad thing to look for in a book these days!). They are also books that would make for great reading group discussions.<br/></p> <p>As usual, we end with two books we can't wait for you to read. Ann discusses <strong>Pictures at an Exhibition</strong> by Sara Houghteling, a novel based on true stories of spies and art during World War II. Michael discusses <strong>Shannon</strong>, Frank Delaney's new novel set in Ireland just after the 1921 Treaty with Britain.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/uRk434Wm2Ns" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:10:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=432089# 00:19:23 books, reading, goodreads, librarything Books on the Nightstand Funny Pages Clean We begin the podcast with a look at different ways to keep track of what you've read and what you want to read. Do you have a million scraps of paper or do you write everything down neatly in a notebook? Do you use one of the online library sites (like Goodreads or Library Thing) or do you keep everything in a Word or Excel document? Let us know in the comments or over at our Goodreads Group. In segment two, we respond to a listener's request and discuss some books that made us laugh (not a bad thing to look for in a book these days!). They are also books that would make for great reading group discussions. As usual, we end with two books we can't wait for you to read. Ann discusses Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling, a novel based on true stories of spies and art during World War II. Michael discusses Shannon, Frank Delaney's new novel set in Ireland just after the 1921 Treaty with Britain. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=432089#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/24_BOTNS_24__Funny_Pages.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/AkmKqD0ZJOM/index.php Today's podcast is a bit of a mishmash. We are both in the middle of a heavy schedule of bookstore meetings, to help booksellers decide what books to carry this summer. In segment 1, we tell you a little bit about that process.<p>Then we each talk about a book that was outside of our normal reading categories, and that we loved. Surely you have at least one or two of those, right? Please tell us about them in the comments (or better yet, call our voicemail line and leave a message that we can play on the show. Just call <font style="font-weight: bold;">(206) 350-2068</font> and wait for the beep).</p> <p>Michael tells us about <font style="font-weight: bold;">Ice Time</font> by Jay Atkinson, a story of high-school hockey. (We also learn that Michael was really good at kickball!) And Ann can't say enough about Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, a fantastic time-travel series that combines history, fantasy, and a hunky red-headed heroes who wears a kilt. Do be sure to check out <a href="http://www.cco.caltech.edu/%7Egatti/gabaldon/gabaldon.html">author Diana Gabaldon's website</a>, especially if you want a <a href="http://voyagesoftheartemis.blogspot.com/">sneak peak</a> at the graphic novel that Diana is working on.<br/></p> Lastly, as always: 2 Books We Can't Wait for your to Read. My choice, <font style="font-weight: bold;">The Book of Dead Philosophers</font>, is also a bit out of my typical reading categories, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Michael <font style="font-style: italic;">finally</font> gets to tell you about <font style="font-weight: bold;">Hands of My Father</font>, a book that he has been talking about incessantly since he read it. Do us all a favor and read it, so that he can move on to another obsession, please (you know I'm just kidding, right, Michael?).<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/AkmKqD0ZJOM" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 28 Jan 2009 05:15:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=426974# 00:18:25 gabaldon, books, reading, outlander Books on the Nightstand Reading Outside our Comfort Zone Clean Today's podcast is a bit of a mishmash. We are both in the middle of a heavy schedule of bookstore meetings, to help booksellers decide what books to carry this summer. In segment 1, we tell you a little bit about that process. Then we each talk about a book that was outside of our normal reading categories, and that we loved. Surely you have at least one or two of those, right? Please tell us about them in the comments (or better yet, call our voicemail line and leave a message that we can play on the show. Just call (206) 350-2068 and wait for the beep). Michael tells us about Ice Time by Jay Atkinson, a story of high-school hockey. (We also learn that Michael was really good at kickball!) And Ann can't say enough about Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, a fantastic time-travel series that combines history, fantasy, and a hunky red-headed heroes who wears a kilt. Do be sure to check out author Diana Gabaldon's website, especially if you want a sneak peak at the graphic novel that Diana is working on. Lastly, as always: 2 Books We Can't Wait for your to Read. My choice, The Book of Dead Philosophers, is also a bit out of my typical reading categories, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Michael finally gets to tell you about Hands of My Father, a book that he has been talking about incessantly since he read it. Do us all a favor and read it, so that he can move on to another obsession, please (you know I'm just kidding, right, Michael?). comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=426974#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_23_Reading_Outside_Our_Comfort.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/-4546lqpyYw/index.php We always have a lot of fun blogging, and recording the podcast, but what truly makes our day is when you leave comments, or join in on a discussion at Goodreads or Facebook. So we thought we'd take this episode to formally participate. Because while we love giving you recommendations of books to read, we like to hear recommendations as well. And I think that many of you would enjoy sharing recommendations amongst yourselves.<p>So, here's how to join in:</p> <p>Call our voicemail line and leave a book recommendation or other message. You can leave a message up to 5 minutes in length. We're hoping to put together another show of listener recommendations, since many of you seemed to like it (I loved it!). Just call <font style="font-weight: bold;">(206) 350-2068</font> and wait for the beep. Don't worry about how you sound! Michael and I are just now getting used to hearing our own voices...</p> <p>We'd love it if you would join our <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand">Goodreads group</a>. Goodreads is free to join. In addition to our discussion group, you can also use Goodreads to catalog your library, leave book reviews, and join in other discussions with book lovers.</p> <p>If you're on Facebook (150 million are, including my mother), <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Books-On-The-Nightstand/18839407351?ref=s">we have a Books on the Nightstand page</a>. There's a discussion board there that I would love to see get more action. Best of all, if you become a &quot;fan&quot; of our page (OK, I hate that term, but that's what Facebook calls it), and you have a photo in your profile, we'll get to put a face to the people on the other end of the recording equipment!</p> <p>In segment 2, we tell you about two book recommendations that we received that we just couldn't ignore -- <font style="font-weight: bold;">Doctor Olaf Van Schuler's Brain</font> by Kirsten Menger-Anderson, and <font style="font-weight: bold;">Remainder</font> by Tom McCarthy . Do you have a friend, colleague, or other trusted source that you know will suggest great books to read? Tell us about it in the comments.</p> <p>Lastly, two books we can't wait for you to read. Michael recommends<font style="font-weight: bold;"> In Lincoln's Hands</font> as a way to get a head start on the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration that is coming in February. And this episode, I really truly mean it when I say that I cannot wait for you to read my selection, <font style="font-weight: bold;">Cutting for Stone</font> by Abraham Verghese. It's on sale February 3rd. <br/></p> <p>For full information, please see our blog at <a href="http://">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/-4546lqpyYw" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=422059# 00:17:40 books, recommendations, verghese, remainder Books on the Nightstand Join in the conversation; Recommendations we couldn't ignore Clean We always have a lot of fun blogging, and recording the podcast, but what truly makes our day is when you leave comments, or join in on a discussion at Goodreads or Facebook. So we thought we'd take this episode to formally participate. Because while we love giving you recommendations of books to read, we like to hear recommendations as well. And I think that many of you would enjoy sharing recommendations amongst yourselves. So, here's how to join in: Call our voicemail line and leave a book recommendation or other message. You can leave a message up to 5 minutes in length. We're hoping to put together another show of listener recommendations, since many of you seemed to like it (I loved it!). Just call (206) 350-2068 and wait for the beep. Don't worry about how you sound! Michael and I are just now getting used to hearing our own voices... We'd love it if you would join our Goodreads group. Goodreads is free to join. In addition to our discussion group, you can also use Goodreads to catalog your library, leave book reviews, and join in other discussions with book lovers. If you're on Facebook (150 million are, including my mother), we have a Books on the Nightstand page. There's a discussion board there that I would love to see get more action. Best of all, if you become a "fan" of our page (OK, I hate that term, but that's what Facebook calls it), and you have a photo in your profile, we'll get to put a face to the people on the other end of the recording equipment! In segment 2, we tell you about two book recommendations that we received that we just couldn't ignore -- Doctor Olaf Van Schuler's Brain by Kirsten Menger-Anderson, and Remainder by Tom McCarthy . Do you have a friend, colleague, or other trusted source that you know will suggest great books to read? Tell us about it in the comments. Lastly, two books we can't wait for you to read. Michael recommends In Lincoln's Hands as a way to get a head start on the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration that is coming in February. And this episode, I really truly mean it when I say that I cannot wait for you to read my selection, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. It's on sale February 3rd. For full information, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=422059#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_22_Its_All_About_The_Recommends.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/d2T0ZrWfXOM/index.php Today we start with a conversation about the many year-end best-of lists that have come out recently. How much attention do you pay to them and do they make you want to run out and buy more books? Next, we offer a glimpse into the first four months of 2009, which are filled with books we're excited about. Many of these are titles you'll hear much more about on future episodes, so we're keeping it short here... just whetting your appetite! [A note about the title links below: usually we link to LibraryThing, where you can get general info to take to your local bookstore. Since some of these books don't come out for four months, we've decided to link to the publishers' websites instead. We'll return to our normal format next time.] Lastly, we present our usual &quot;Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read.&quot; Michael helps you keep your &quot;eat healthy&quot; resoultion by talking about Whole Grains for Busy People by Lorna Sass. Ann tells us about Elsewhere USA by Dalton Conley, which looks at how the cultures of work and home life have changed over the last several decades. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/d2T0ZrWfXOM" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:15:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=417605# 00:18:48 books, 2009, best, reading, list, preview, novel, mystery, memoir, graphic novel Books on the Nightstand Year-end best-of lists; a sneak peek at books coming early in 2009; and two books we can't wait for you to read Clean Today we start with a conversation about the many year-end best-of lists that have come out recently. How much attention do you pay to them and do they make you want to run out and buy more books? Next, we offer a glimpse into the first four months of 2009, which are filled with books we're excited about. Many of these are titles you'll hear much more about on future episodes, so we're keeping it short here... just whetting your appetite! [A note about the title links below: usually we link to LibraryThing, where you can get general info to take to your local bookstore. Since some of these books don't come out for four months, we've decided to link to the publishers' websites instead. We'll return to our normal format next time.] Lastly, we present our usual "Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read." Michael helps you keep your "eat healthy" resoultion by talking about Whole Grains for Busy People by Lorna Sass. Ann tells us about Elsewhere USA by Dalton Conley, which looks at how the cultures of work and home life have changed over the last several decades. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=417605#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/21_BOTNS_21__A_Peek_Into_2009.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/lf5eJ_rCu6s/index.php Today, we talk about the love triangle of the 21st century: do you read the book, or the e-book? Michael and I share just a few of our true feelings about the Sony Reader and the e-book platform.<br/><p>Next, we talk about science fiction -- a category that Ann doesn't read very often. Still, a book that could be categorized as science fiction is one of Ann's favorite books of all time, and she tells you about it. The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell is also a literary novel, so even those readers who think they don't like science fiction should give it a try. Michael, who is a science fiction reader at least occasionally, tells us about of one his favorites, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein -- also a book that can be enjoyed by anyone..<br/></p> Lastly, we present our usual &quot;Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read.&quot; Ann talks about Life Class by Pat Barker, which will be published in paperback on January 6th. Michael talks about Firmin by Sam Savage..<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/lf5eJ_rCu6s" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:15:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=413746# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:18:18 books, reading, science fiction Books on the Nightstand Sci-Fi for the Rest of US Clean Today, we talk about the love triangle of the 21st century: do you read the book, or the e-book? Michael and I share just a few of our true feelings about the Sony Reader and the e-book platform. Next, we talk about science fiction -- a category that Ann doesn't read very often. Still, a book that could be categorized as science fiction is one of Ann's favorite books of all time, and she tells you about it. The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell is also a literary novel, so even those readers who think they don't like science fiction should give it a try. Michael, who is a science fiction reader at least occasionally, tells us about of one his favorites, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein -- also a book that can be enjoyed by anyone.. Lastly, we present our usual "Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read." Ann talks about Life Class by Pat Barker, which will be published in paperback on January 6th. Michael talks about Firmin by Sam Savage.. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=413746#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/20_BOTNS_20__Sci-Fi_for_the_Rest_of.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/D8sebRIf4lI/index.php We're still polishing off the Thanksgiving leftovers, so this episode is a little bit like our refrigerators -- a little of this, a little of that...<br/><p>First, we answer the most often-asked question related to our jobs: &quot;Do you have to read all of those books?&quot;<br/></p> <p>In the second segment, we tell you what books we hope to find under our Christmas trees this holiday season, as well as some books we'd want to find there if we didn't already own them. If we didn't have them, we'd both want every book in our <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/2008/11/books-on-nightstand-2008-holiday-gift.html">2008 Holiday Gift Guide</a> (wouldn't you?), but we picked out some favorites nonetheless. Oh, and Ann wants someone to pick out a great graphic novel for her (no superheroes, please). The books that we don't yet have we are hoping to unwrap in a few weeks -- we'll let you know.<br/></p> Lastly, we present our usual &quot;Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read.&quot; Ann discusses The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller, which will be published in paperback on January 6th. Michael talks about Colum McCann's This Side of Brightness -- it was published in 1998 but Michael wants you to read it now so that you can look forward to the summer 09 publication of McCann's new novel.<br/><br/>For full details, please visit our blog at <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/D8sebRIf4lI" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 3 Dec 2008 05:10:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=409233# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:19:11 books, gifts, holiday Books on the Nightstand How we read all those books, Books we want to receive Clean We're still polishing off the Thanksgiving leftovers, so this episode is a little bit like our refrigerators -- a little of this, a little of that... First, we answer the most often-asked question related to our jobs: "Do you have to read all of those books?" In the second segment, we tell you what books we hope to find under our Christmas trees this holiday season, as well as some books we'd want to find there if we didn't already own them. If we didn't have them, we'd both want every book in our 2008 Holiday Gift Guide (wouldn't you?), but we picked out some favorites nonetheless. Oh, and Ann wants someone to pick out a great graphic novel for her (no superheroes, please). The books that we don't yet have we are hoping to unwrap in a few weeks -- we'll let you know. Lastly, we present our usual "Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read." Ann discusses The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller, which will be published in paperback on January 6th. Michael talks about Colum McCann's This Side of Brightness -- it was published in 1998 but Michael wants you to read it now so that you can look forward to the summer 09 publication of McCann's new novel. For full details, please visit our blog at http://www.booksonthenightstand.com http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=409233#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_episode_19.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/hk3g3Ix1pes/index.php It's all about book groups in this episode. We begin by talking a bit about our jobs, something the folks over at our Goodreads group have been asking for. We'll cover a little about our jobs at the beginning of the next few episodes. This time around it's the presentations we give to book groups. Talking about books to fellow book lovers... how great is that? In the second segment, we give you several titles we think would be good for any book group whether it's made up of all women, all men or a mix. In addition to the four main books, we also mention six books we've discussed before: Any Human Heart Miracle in the Andes Water for Elephants The Road Fraction of the Whole Anything by Ian McEwan Lastly, we present our usual "Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read." Ann discusses Blindspot, a fun, historical-fiction romp from two very well-respected academics. Michael geeks out over Fables, a long-running comic book, which has just released a pivotal trade paperback collection.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/hk3g3Ix1pes" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=404674# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:21:13 book groups, co-ed book groups, books, reading, Books on the Nightstand The best job in the world, part 1; book group choices that men and women will enjoy; two books we can't wait for you to read Clean It's all about book groups in this episode. We begin by talking a bit about our jobs, something the folks over at our Goodreads group have been asking for. We'll cover a little about our jobs at the beginning of the next few episodes. This time around it's the presentations we give to book groups. Talking about books to fellow book lovers... how great is that? In the second segment, we give you several titles we think would be good for any book group whether it's made up of all women, all men or a mix. In addition to the four main books, we also mention six books we've discussed before: Any Human Heart Miracle in the Andes Water for Elephants The Road Fraction of the Whole Anything by Ian McEwan Lastly, we present our usual "Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read." Ann discusses Blindspot, a fun, historical-fiction romp from two very well-respected academics. Michael geeks out over Fables, a long-running comic book, which has just released a pivotal trade paperback collection. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=404674#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/18_BOTNS_episode_18.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/jlni9iv_FxU/index.php Maybe we were feeling a little lonely, I don't know. In any event, today's show is all about orphans in literature. Why are orphans so often the main characters in beloved novels? We've pondered this question for over a year, and we're happy to see that <a target="_blank" href="http://forthekibbitz.blogspot.com/2007/06/back-with-harry-part-5.html" title="http://forthekibbitz.blogspot.com/2007/06/back-with-harry-part-5.html">others have, too</a>. Ann and Michael discuss, and then weigh in on some of their favorite novels featuring orphans. <p>Also, we announce plans for a special project that we are rolling out on the blog beginning November 16th, and we give you a sneak preview of that project by discussing two books, <strong>The Oxford Project</strong> by Peter Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom and <strong>The Man Who Invented Christmas</strong> by Les Standiford</p> The Oxford Project is an incredible book that grabbed me the minute I heard about it. Take a look at the short video on <a href="http://">our blog</a> to see what I mean.<br/><br/>Full details of the episode including books discussed is available at http://www.booksonthenightstand.com.<br/><br/><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/jlni9iv_FxU" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 5 Nov 2008 05:02:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=399905# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:24:58 podcast, orphans, holiday recommendations Books on the Nightstand Orphans in literature, special Holiday project Clean Maybe we were feeling a little lonely, I don't know. In any event, today's show is all about orphans in literature. Why are orphans so often the main characters in beloved novels? We've pondered this question for over a year, and we're happy to see that others have, too. Ann and Michael discuss, and then weigh in on some of their favorite novels featuring orphans. Also, we announce plans for a special project that we are rolling out on the blog beginning November 16th, and we give you a sneak preview of that project by discussing two books, The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom and The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford The Oxford Project is an incredible book that grabbed me the minute I heard about it. Take a look at the short video on our blog to see what I mean. Full details of the episode including books discussed is available at http://www.booksonthenightstand.com. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=399905#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_Episode_17.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/AV_Do5K_QUg/index.php <p>While this is not a Halloween episode, we take advantage of the season to talk horror. The horror category has evolved from the types of books that we read as teenagers, and in fact many books that would be considered &quot;horror&quot; can now be found in the general fiction section at your local bookstore.</p> <p>We tell you about 5 books that can be considered &quot;the new horror,&quot; including two that we've <a target="_blank" href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/2008/03/best-airplane-book-ever.html" title="The Best Airplane Book Ever">blogged</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/2008/04/another-opinion.html" title="Another Opinion">about</a> in the past.</p> <p>And as always, two new books that we can't wait for you to read. Michael tells you about The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames, while I go on about Doomed Queens by Kris Waldherr. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kriswaldherr.com/books/dq/index.html" title="Doomed Queens">Doomed Queens</a> is a very visual book, and just listening to me talk about it does not give you a sense of the experience. Visit our blog at <a href="http://">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a> to view a short video to give you a taste of the tone and the artwork:</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/AV_Do5K_QUg" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=395170# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:23:33 books, horror, scott sigler, book recommendations Books on the Nightstand The "new" horror Clean While this is not a Halloween episode, we take advantage of the season to talk horror. The horror category has evolved from the types of books that we read as teenagers, and in fact many books that would be considered "horror" can now be found in the general fiction section at your local bookstore. We tell you about 5 books that can be considered "the new horror," including two that we've blogged about in the past. And as always, two new books that we can't wait for you to read. Michael tells you about The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames, while I go on about Doomed Queens by Kris Waldherr. Doomed Queens is a very visual book, and just listening to me talk about it does not give you a sense of the experience. Visit our blog at http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to view a short video to give you a taste of the tone and the artwork: http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=395170#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/Ep_16_FINAL.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/3F6OokAD2VQ/index.php Picking up on a topic Ann wrote about in a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/2008/07/read-book-see-movie-unless-kids-are.html">previous blog post</a>, we're discussing books vs. movies. Are the books always better? Entertainment Weekly <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20229113,00.html">seems to think so</a>! <p>Next, we talk about four novels that either are, or will be, movies, including The Road and Revolutionary Road. Check out this <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/movies/27road.html?partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all">New York Times article</a> about the making of the movie version of The Road. Also, you can watch the trailer for Revolutionary Road <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/09/21/revolutionary-road-movie-trailer/">here</a>.</p> <p>Two other links on this topic:</p> <ul><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/New-York-NY/Vintage-Books-Anchor-Books/69761195295?ref=ts">Vintage Books and Anchor Books Facebook Page</a> - Vintage and Anchor have many movie-tie-ins out now and more coming out. Their Facebook page is a great way to keep up to date on all of them, plus all of the other great Vintage/Anchor titles. </li><li>Roxanne Coady, owner of RJ Julia Booksellers has written a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wowowow.com/books/books-movies-and-more-roxanne-j-coady-106288">column</a> with her take on three book-based-movies out this fall. </li></ul> As usual, we finish the episode with two books we can't wait for you to read, including The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgPW2QD4ve4&eurl=http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385337458">Here's a video</a> of Hannah, describing the book and its genesis.<br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><br/>Please visit us there.<br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/3F6OokAD2VQ" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 8 Oct 2008 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=388930# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:21:03 books, movies, adaptations Books on the Nightstand Books vs. Movies; 4 books we love that have been or will be movies; Two books we can't wait for you to read Clean Picking up on a topic Ann wrote about in a previous blog post, we're discussing books vs. movies. Are the books always better? Entertainment Weekly seems to think so! Next, we talk about four novels that either are, or will be, movies, including The Road and Revolutionary Road. Check out this New York Times article about the making of the movie version of The Road. Also, you can watch the trailer for Revolutionary Road here. Two other links on this topic: * Vintage Books and Anchor Books Facebook Page - Vintage and Anchor have many movie-tie-ins out now and more coming out. Their Facebook page is a great way to keep up to date on all of them, plus all of the other great Vintage/Anchor titles. * Roxanne Coady, owner of RJ Julia Booksellers has written a column with her take on three book-based-movies out this fall. As usual, we finish the episode with two books we can't wait for you to read, including The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. Here's a video of Hannah, describing the book and its genesis. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=388930#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_15__Is_the_Book_Always_Bet.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/ExfO5IZU7UE/index.php Today, we mark the annual arrival of <font style="font-weight: bold;">Banned Books Week</font>, which this year runs from September 27 - October 4. Read more about banned and challenged books at the <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.cfm" target="_blank" title="ALA Banned Books Week website">American Library Association Banned Books Website</a>. Then we tiptoe carefully into the kids' section of the bookstore. Don't worry -- these are books that adults will love as much as young readers. Listen as we tell you about a few of our favorites. City of Ember hits theaters on October 10th, and looks terrific. See the trailer here, but read the book before you see the entire movie:<p> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0hF72jiaj5Y&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0hF72jiaj5Y&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> </p> <p> </p> <a href="http://www.the39clues.com/" target="_blank">The 39 Clues Website</a>, is an integral part of the hunt for the Cahill treasure. It will be very interesting to watch how the books and website work together as the series progresses. Are you a grownup who likes to read children's books? We look forward to hearing your opinions in the comments or at the<a title="Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand" target="_blank"> Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads</a><br/><br/> And then, as always, two books that we can't wait for you to read. Trespass is new in paperback, and highly recommended for book group discussions. Michael tells us about American Lightning, a book of history and true crime that grabbed him from the first page. <br/>Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. We'd love for you to call in and leave a book recommendation, question, or comment by phone, our voicemail line is (206) 350-2932. We may play it on an upcoming podcast. Thanks!<br/><br/>Full details of books discussed<br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/ExfO5IZU7UE" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=383771# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) banned books week, young adult books, book recommendations Books on the Nightstand Banned Books Week, Kids Books that Adults will Love, 2 New Books Clean Today, we mark the annual arrival of Banned Books Week, which this year runs from September 27 - October 4. Read more about banned and challenged books at the American Library Association Banned Books Website. Then we tiptoe carefully into the kids' section of the bookstore. Don't worry -- these are books that adults will love as much as young readers. Listen as we tell you about a few of our favorites. City of Ember hits theaters on October 10th, and looks terrific. See the trailer at our blog, but read the book before you see the entire movie. The 39 Clues Website, is an integral part of the hunt for the Cahill treasure. It will be very interesting to watch how the books and website work together as the series progresses. Are you a grownup who likes to read children's books? We look forward to hearing your opinions in the comments or at the Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads And then, as always, two books that we can't wait for you to read. Trespass is new in paperback, and highly recommended for book group discussions. Michael tells us about American Lightning, a book of history and true crime that grabbed him from the first page. Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. We'd love for you to call in and leave a book recommendation, question, or comment by phone, our voicemail line is (206) 350-2932. We may play it on an upcoming podcast. Thanks! http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=383771#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_episode_14.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/Cjo_NK8uGrs/index.php Today, it's all true, as we look at several works of nonfiction that are so good, we recommend them to people who normally read fiction. <ul><li>Which do you prefer, fiction or nonfiction? And why? And is there a specific type of nonfiction that you can't resist? Michael and Ann discuss this, and we look forward to hearing your opinions in the comments or at the<a title="Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads" target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand">Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads</a> <br/> <br/></li><li>We've got a great lineup to books to tell you about, and then, as always, two books that we can't wait for you to read. <p> Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. We'd love for you to call in and leave a book recommendation, question, or comment by phone, our voicemail line is (206) 350-2932. We may play it on an upcoming podcast. Thanks!</p> </li></ul> Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com <br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/Cjo_NK8uGrs" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=376389# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:21:29 books, authors, read, reading group, book group, fiction, non-fiction Books on the Nightstand Fiction vs. Non-Ficton; Four Non-Fiction books that will appeal to Fiction readers; 2 books we can't wait for you to read Clean Today, it's all true, as we look at several works of nonfiction that are so good, we recommend them to people who normally read fiction. * Which do you prefer, fiction or nonfiction? And why? And is there a specific type of nonfiction that you can't resist? Michael and Ann discuss this, and we look forward to hearing your opinions in the comments or at theBooks on the Nightstand group at Good Reads * We've got a great lineup to books to tell you about, and then, as always, two books that we can't wait for you to read. Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. We'd love for you to call in and leave a book recommendation, question, or comment by phone, our voicemail line is (206) 350-2932. We may play it on an upcoming podcast. Thanks! Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=376389#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_episode_13.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/VOiECG84NAk/index.php Today's show is just a little bit different. Michael is away, and Ann's going solo. Well, almost <ul><li>First, a word of thanks for your support. We are honored that you've chosen to read our blog and listen to our podcast, and we very much appreciate all of your comments and contributions.<br/></li><li>Next, we have some special guests! Five of you answered our request to call in with a book recommendation. Your messages are fantastic, and I can't wait for everyone to hear. Contributors to today's show:: </li><ul><ul><ul><li><strong>Elaine McCarty</strong> recommending <strong>The Tenderness of Wolves</strong> by Stef Penney. You can find Elaine at <a href="http://www.librarything.com/profile.php?view=eembooks">Librarything</a>.<br/></li><li><strong>Amrita</strong> called in to tell us about <strong>The Custodian of Paradise</strong> by Wayne Johnston. Amrita's blog is at <a href="http://tinkutales.blogspot.com/">http://tinkutales.blogspot.com</a>.</li><li><strong>Rebecca</strong> told us about <strong>Why We Hate Us</strong> by Dick Meyer. Read about more of Rebecca's reads at <a href="http://rjsbooklady.wordpress.com/">http://rjsbooklady.wordpress.com</a></li><li><strong>Amy Rea</strong> called in with a true favorite -- <strong>Angle of Repose</strong> by Wallace Stegner, which she's read 4 times (!). Amy blogs at <a href="http://www.flyover-land.com/">http://www.flyover-land.com</a></li><li><strong>Christine</strong>, my good friend and reading buddy, left a wonderful message with several of her favorites (too many to list, but thankfully most have been discussed previously here at Books on the Nightstand. Christine can be found at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1218951">Goodreads</a>.<br/><br/></li></ul> <li>As always, something that we can't wait for you to read. Today, it's <strong>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</strong> by Steig Larsson. Don't miss this one!</li></ul> </ul> </ul> Full details of the book discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><br type="_moz"/><p>Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. If you were too shy to call in, or missed the initial call, please leave your book recommendation here in the comments. We truly enjoy hearing about books that you love! We'll also be talking about this topics over on the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand" title="Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads">Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads</a> -- it's free to join; please come say hello!</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/VOiECG84NAk" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:30:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=372228# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:16:33 book recommedations Books on the Nightstand Heartfelt thanks for your support; 5 listeners tell us about books they recommend; and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Clean Today's show is just a little bit different. Michael is away, and Ann's going solo. Well, almost * First, a word of thanks for your support. We are honored that you've chosen to read our blog and listen to our podcast, and we very much appreciate all of your comments and contributions. * Next, we have some special guests! Five of you answered our request to call in with a book recommendation. Your messages are fantastic, and I can't wait for everyone to hear. Contributors to today's show:: # Elaine McCarty recommending The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney. You can find Elaine at Librarything. # Amrita called in to tell us about The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston. Amrita's blog is at http://tinkutales.blogspot.com. # Rebecca told us about Why We Hate Us by Dick Meyer. Read about more of Rebecca's reads at http://rjsbooklady.wordpress.com # Amy Rea called in with a true favorite -- Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, which she's read 4 times (!). Amy blogs at http://www.flyover-land.com # Christine, my good friend and reading buddy, left a wonderful message with several of her favorites (too many to list, but thankfully most have been discussed previously here at Books on the Nightstand. Christine can be found at Goodreads. + As always, something that we can't wait for you to read. Today, it's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Don't miss this one! Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. If you were too shy to call in, or missed the initial call, please leave your book recommendation here in the comments. We truly enjoy hearing about books that you love! We'll also be talking about this topics over on the Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads -- it's free to join; please come say hello! http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=372228#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_episode_12.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/dDQ51Tfm0hQ/index.php Today's show is all about mysteries. <ul><li>First, we solve a common mystery: is that book a mystery, or is it suspense? <br/></li><li>Next, we talk about three great mysteries that will keep you guessing: </li><ul><ul><ul><li><strong>Black and White and Dead All Over</strong> by John Darnton is set in the newspaper world, and teams up a young cop with a rebellious reporter to find out who killed a high-powered editor. </li><li>In <strong>Sharp Objects</strong> by Gillian Flynn, a newspaper reporter must return to her hometown to write about the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of another; meanwhile, she must face some demons from her past and dig up some family secrets. </li><li><strong>Mind's Eye</strong> is the first book in Hakan Nesser's series featuring Chief Inspector Van Veeteren. One morning, Janek Mitter wakes up surrounded by empty wine bottles, and finds his wife dead in the bathtub. Did he murder her? Van Veeteren is on the case ... </li></ul> </ul> </ul> </ul> <p>Lastly, two new books we can't wait for you to read: <strong>Tethered</strong> by Amy MacKinnon, and <strong>Still Waters</strong> by Nigel McCrery. Listen in to hear why you should search out these new mysteries. <br/></p> <p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com</p> <p>Please visit us there.<br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/dDQ51Tfm0hQ" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=368109# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:17:57 books, reading, mysteries, suspense, novels, reading group, Books on the Nightstand Is it a mystery or is it suspense?; A few great mysteries on shelves now; Two books we can't wait for you to read Clean Today's show is all about mysteries. * First, we solve a common mystery: is that book a mystery, or is it suspense? * Next, we talk about three great mysteries that will keep you guessing: # Black and White and Dead All Over by John Darnton is set in the newspaper world, and teams up a young cop with a rebellious reporter to find out who killed a high-powered editor. # In Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, a newspaper reporter must return to her hometown to write about the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of another; meanwhile, she must face some demons from her past and dig up some family secrets. # Mind's Eye is the first book in Hakan Nesser's series featuring Chief Inspector Van Veeteren. One morning, Janek Mitter wakes up surrounded by empty wine bottles, and finds his wife dead in the bathtub. Did he murder her? Van Veeteren is on the case ... Lastly, two new books we can't wait for you to read: Tethered by Amy McKinnon, and Still Waters by Nigel McCrery. Listen in to hear why you should search out these new mysteries. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=368109#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_episode_11.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/mjGtBIWcPmA/index.php In Episode 10 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: <ul><li>Do you judge a book by its cover? We ask: what makes you decide to buy a book? Leave a comment on our blog, or join our <a title="Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand" target="_blank">Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads</a> and let us know what propels you to pick up a book. <br/><br/></li><li>We talk about the fascinating back-stories behind two new books that people are talking about: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. If we've piqued your interest:<br/><br/> <ul><li>watch a fascinating <a title="Video trailer for Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle" href="http://doubleday.com/2008/07/28/video-interview-with-andrew-davidson/" target="_blank">video trailer for The Gargoyle</a>. Author Andrew Davidson talks about the inspiration behind the book, his writing style, and gives you a peek into the book. If you're quick, <a href="http://readerville.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/giveaway-the-gargoyle/trackback/">head over to Readerville and enter her contest to win an advanced reading copy of the book</a> -- she loved The Gargoyle so much that she bought a copy to keep, so she's giving away her ARC! The contest ends at 11:59 pm on Friday, August 1st EDT.<br/><br/></li><li>Read an excerpt of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society at the <a title="Excerpt from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90251891" target="_blank">NPR website</a>. You can also read more about the book's backstory in this <a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/books/ci_9946254">Contra Costa Times article</a>.<br/><br/></li></ul> </li><li>And lastly, two new books that we can't wait for you to read! </li></ul> <p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/mjGtBIWcPmA" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:10:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=363661# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:21:58 books, authors, read, reading group, book group Books on the Nightstand What makes you pick up a book? - Books with buzz - Two books we can't wait for you to read! Clean In Episode 10 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: * Do you judge a book by its cover? We ask: what makes you decide to buy a book? Leave a comment on our blog, or join our Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads and let us know what propels you to pick up a book. * We talk about the fascinating back-stories behind two new books that people are talking about: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. If we've piqued your interest: o watch a fascinating video trailer for The Gargoyle. Author Andrew Davidson talks about the inspiration behind the book, his writing style, and gives you a peek into the book. If you're quick, head over to Readerville and enter her contest to win an advanced reading copy of the book -- she loved The Gargoyle so much that she bought a copy to keep, so she's giving away her ARC! The contest ends at 11:59 pm on Friday, August 1st EDT. o Read an excerpt of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society at the NPR website. You can also read more about the book's backstory in this Contra Costa Times article. * And lastly, two new books that we can't wait for you to read! Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=363661#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_episode_10.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/S1bWdS64sGM/index.php <p>In Episode 9 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast:</p> <p>We battle the bumping microphone -- sorry, folks, those thumps are the microphone cord bouncing around. We tend to talk with our hands when we get excited, which makes the cord swing. I know the sound quality on this episode could be better. We're working on it. We do this podcast because we love books, but that doesn't make us audio experts. I hope the content of the show makes up for the less than professional audio. </p> <p>As for the show itself: </p> <p>We confess to a &quot;book collecting sickness&quot; -- but we need a better term for it. If you are linguistically gifted, help us out please. If not, send more bookshelves!</p> <p>We talk about our favorite cookbooks -- those books that never seem to get put away because they are used so often. Several of these cookbooks have related links that you can check out until you can get to the bookstore:</p> <ul><li>Here's an <a title="interview with Bobby Flay from the Hartford Courant" href="http://www.courant.com/features/food/hc-flaygrill.artmay22,0,3728983.story?page=1" target="_blank">interview with Bobby Flay from the Hartford Courant</a>. It includes 2 recipes from the book(and annoying pop-up ads -- just a warning).</li><li><a title="Mark Bittman's blog" href="http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">Mark Bittman's blog</a>, Bitten, at The New York Times website. Bookmark this one, it's a winner.</li><li>The recipe for the <a title="turkey burger recipe" href="http://www.marthastewart.com/favorite-turkey-burger?autonomy_kw=favorite%20turkey%20burger&rsc=header_1" target="_blank">turkey burgers</a> are at the <a title="Everyday Food website" href="http://www.marthastewart.com/everyday-food" target="_blank">Everyday Food website</a></li><li><a title="Wine Library TV" href="http://tv.winelibrary.com/" target="_blank">Wine Library TV,</a> home of Gary Vaynerchuk, whose book <strong>101 Wines</strong> Ann reviews in this episode. Warning, Gary's wine reviews can be addicting. He has thousands of followers that call themselves &quot;Vayniacs&quot; -- will you become one of them?</li></ul> <p>And at the end of the episode, as usual, 2 new books we can't wait for you to read!</p> <p>Information on all titles discussed in this episode is at <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com">Books on the Nightstand</a>. Please share your thoughts about this episode with us over there. Do you have a similar affliction? What are your favorite cookbooks? Let us know in the comments, or come chat with us at the <a title="Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand" target="_blank">Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/S1bWdS64sGM" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:30:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=359253# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:25:18 Books on the Nightstand We discuss our favorite cookbooks and confess our deep-dark book-buying secret Clean In Episode 9 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: We battle the bumping microphone -- sorry, folks, those thumps are the microphone cord bouncing around. We tend to talk with our hands when we get excited, which makes the cord swing. I know the sound quality on this episode could be better. We're working on it. We do this podcast because we love books, but that doesn't make us audio experts. I hope the content of the show makes up for the less than professional audio. As for the show itself: We confess to a "book collecting sickness" -- but we need a better term for it. If you are linguistically gifted, help us out please. If not, send more bookshelves! We talk about our favorite cookbooks -- those books that never seem to get put away because they are used so often. Several of these cookbooks have related links that you can check out until you can get to the bookstore: * Here's an interview with Bobby Flay from the Hartford Courant. It includes 2 recipes from the book(and annoying pop-up ads -- just a warning). * Mark Bittman's blog, Bitten, at The New York Times website. Bookmark this one, it's a winner. * The recipe for the turkey burgers are at the Everyday Food website * Wine Library TV, home of Gary Vaynerchuk, whose book 101 Wines Ann reviews in this episode. Warning, Gary's wine reviews can be addicting. He has thousands of followers that call themselves "Vayniacs" -- will you become one of them? And at the end of the episode, as usual, 2 new books we can't wait for you to read! Information on all titles discussed in this episode is at Books on the Nightstand. Please share your thoughts about this episode with us over there. Do you have a similar affliction? What are your favorite cookbooks? Let us know in the comments, or come chat with us at the Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads. books,book,reading,publishing,Random,House,literature,authors,bookstores,bookstore,literaryhttp://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=359253#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_Episode_09.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/bRQFToJVxF0/index.php <p>We usually break our podcasts up into three &quot;segments.&quot; For this episode, we deviate from our usual format and forgo segment one (where we usually discuss a general topic relating to books or reading, without getting into specific titles) and segment three (where we look ahead at two books due out soon). </p> <p>The end of every calendar year sees many newspapers, magazines, radio shows etc. choose their best books of the year. If we waited until December, our list would be way too long. Since we're halfway through the year, we thought we'd pick our faves for the year so far.</p> Many of Michael's favorites for the year aren't out just yet, so he cheats a bit and chooses some books that came out last year but were released in paperback this year. And Ann narrows down her huge list of favorites and tells you about four, including one that is impossible to describe but is definitely worth your time.<br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/bRQFToJVxF0" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 2 Jul 2008 04:30:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=354933# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:19:58 favorites, books, reading, 2008 Books on the Nightstand Our Favorite Books of 2008 (So Far) Clean We usually break our podcasts up into three "segments." For this episode, we deviate from our usual format and forgo segment one (where we usually discuss a general topic relating to books or reading, without getting into specific titles) and segment three (where we look ahead at two books due out soon). The end of every calendar year sees many newspapers, magazines, radio shows etc. choose their best books of the year. If we waited until December, our list would be way too long. Since we're halfway through the year, we thought we'd pick our faves for the year so far. Many of Michael's favorites for the year aren't out just yet, so he cheats a bit and chooses some books that came out last year but were released in paperback this year. And Ann narrows down her huge list of favorites and tells you about four, including one that is impossible to describe but is definitely worth your time. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=354933#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/episode_8_063008.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/GrHEbnlNXzQ/index.php <h4><strong>Show Notes:</strong></h4><p>Summer has struck hard here in New England, so in today's episode, we take a look at the concept of &quot;Summer Reading.&quot;&nbsp; We've been having a conversation about it over on the Books on the Nightstand <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4862.Books_on_the_Nightstand" title="Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads">Good Reads group</a>.&nbsp; There, our friend <a target="_blank" href="http://sawbookshelf.blogspot.com/" title="http://sawbookshelf.blogspot.com/">Stephen</a> invented the phrase &quot;mental popcorn,&quot; which is a perfect way to describe one style of summer reading.&nbsp; What's your style?</p> <p>Then we talk about five books that we recommend for summer reading.&nbsp; Some are newly published, others are old favorites, and all will keep you entertained during the long, hot days of summer.</p> <p>Lastly, as always, two new books that we can't wait for you to read.</p> <p>Thanks for listening.&nbsp; Stay cool.&nbsp; And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere ... send plane tickets and your address -- we'll be right over!</p> <p>Please visit the official Books on the Nightstand blog for more content -- <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/GrHEbnlNXzQ" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:05:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=350503# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:22:00 summer reading, beach books, books, reading, random house Books on the Nightstand We try to define summer Reading; 5 books for the beach or the backyard; 2 books we can't wait for you to read Clean Summer has struck hard here in New England, so in today's episode, we take a look at the concept of "Summer Reading." We've been having a conversation about it over on the Books on the Nightstand Good Reads group. There, our friend Stephen invented the phrase "mental popcorn," which is a perfect way to describe one style of summer reading. What's your style? Then we talk about five books that we recommend for summer reading. Some are newly published, others are old favorites, and all will keep you entertained during the long, hot days of summer. Lastly, as always, two new books that we can't wait for you to read. Thanks for listening. Stay cool. And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere ... send plane tickets and your address -- we'll be right over! Please visit the official Books on the Nightstand blog for more content -- http://www.booksonthenightstand.com http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=350503#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_0007_Our_Read_on_Summer.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/yzx0bxOFdMo/index.php <p>In Episode 6 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast:<br/>We reveal how well-read we are (or aren't) thanks to a list of titles that's been circulating around the web.<br/></p> <p>Just in case we aren't showering you with enough book recommendations, we feature four books about books. <br/></p> And, we discuss 3 books newly or nearly in stores: On Chesil Beach (in paperback) by Ian McEwan, Mexican High by Liza Munroy and Outstanding in the Field by Jim Denevan.<br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/yzx0bxOFdMo" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 4 Jun 2008 04:15:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=346186# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:18:34 books, reading, Good Reads Books on the Nightstand We reveal how well-read we are (or aren't), 4 books about books, and 3 new books we can't wait for you to read Clean In Episode 6 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: We reveal how well-read we are (or aren't) thanks to a list of titles that's been circulating around the web. Check out the discussion board in the Books on the Nightstand Group on GoodReads to test yourself! Share your results with us by posting a comment here on the blog, or on the discussion board. You don't have to be a member to view the title list or read the discussion, but you do need to sign up for Good Reads to post a message there (it's free). Just in case we aren't showering you with enough book recommendations, we feature four books about books. Two include lists of things to read, one is essays by famous writers about the most influential book in their life, and one is a near-encyclopedia of real-world locations with connections to books and authors. And, we discuss 3 books newly or nearly in stores: On Chesil Beach (in paperback) by Ian McEwan, Mexican High by Liza Munroy and Outstanding in the Field by Jim Denevan. http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=346186#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_Episode_0006.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/gNDpS9eywN8/index.php In Episode 5 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast:<br/>We discuss author events in general and specifically talk about a few of the big ones that we've attended recently. <a href="http://www.librarything.com/local">LibraryThing Local </a>is a great place to see what's happening at bookstores and libraries in your area.<br/><br/>There are so many great books we wanted to talk about this time that we've moved our usual recommendations to the main segment of the show. We'll tell you about 5 new or recently released books we love.<br/><br/>And, finally, a plea for feedback. Let us know you're listening and let us know what you think:<br/><ul><li>via the comments section here on the blog</li><li>via email: <a href="mailto:comments@booksonthenightstand.com">comments@booksonthenightstand.com</a></li><li>via phone on our listener comments line: 206-350-2932 </li></ul> Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a> <p>Please visit us there.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/gNDpS9eywN8" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 21 May 2008 13:25:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=341693# comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand) 00:19:46 books, authors, library thing, reading, author events, Bobby Flay, Lloyd Jones, Carrie Brown, Chris Bohjalian Books on the Nightstand Author events, Recommendation Free-for-all, and a request for feedback Clean In Episode 5 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: We discuss author events in general and specifically talk about a few of the big ones that we've attended recently. LibraryThing Local is a great place to see what's happening at bookstores and libraries in your area. There are so many great books we wanted to talk about this time that we've moved our usual recommendations to the main segment of the show. We'll tell you about 5 new or recently released books we love. And, finally, a plea for feedback. Let us know you're listening and let us know what you think: * via the comments section here on the blog * via email: comments@booksonthenightstand.com * via phone on our listener comments line: 206-350-2932 http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=341693#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/20080519ep5.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/9IUCuZTcD7Y/index.php In Episode 4 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: <br/><p>Ann discovers the world of Reading Challenges. Use some of these links to explore for yourself <br/></p> <ul><li><a href="http://novelchallenges.blogspot.com/" title="A Novel Challenge">A Novel Challenge</a> - A list of all reading challenges in the blogosphere. This a great place to start. <br/></li><li><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANovelChallenge/files/" title="A Novel Challenge Yahoo Group">A Novel Challenge Yahoo Group</a> - Join this group to discuss reading challenges, track your own reading, and get updates on new challenges. <br/></li><li><a href="http://bookmineset.blogspot.com/2007/10/canadian-book-challenge.html" title="Canadian Book Challenge">Canadian Book Challenge</a> - also contains fabulous lists of Canadian novels arranged by Province. And this one offers great prizes! <br/></li><li><a href="http://exlibrisbb.blogspot.com/2008/03/orbis-terrarum-challenge.html" title="Orbis Terrarum Challenge">Orbis Terrarum Challenge</a> - for the internationally-minded; read 9 books, each by an author from a different nation <br/></li><li><a href="http://annie-whatsinaname.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=6" title="What's in a Name Challenge">What's in a Name Challenge</a> - a clever challenge hosted by a very sophisticated 11 year old <br/></li></ul> <p>In the last episode, Michael issued his own challenge to Ann: read an entire graphic novel. Ann did, and talks about the experience. If you think you don't like graphic novels, our podcast may be enlightening. <br/></p> <p>And we preview two new books that hit the shelves on May 13th: The Boat, by Nam Le and The Steel Wave, by Jeff Shaara.</p> <p>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a></p> <p>Please visit us there.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/9IUCuZTcD7Y" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 7 May 2008 00:45:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=336651# 00:22:10 reading challenge, graphic novel, persepolis, cancer vixen, pride of baghdad, green lantern, black hole Books on the Nightstand Ann discovers Reading Challenges; Michael gets Ann to read her first graphic novel; and we preview 2 new books Clean In Episode 4 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: Ann discovers the world of Reading Challenges. Use some of these links to explore for yourself * A Novel Challenge - A list of all reading challenges in the blogosphere. This a great place to start. * A Novel Challenge Yahoo Group - Join this group to discuss reading challenges, track your own reading, and get updates on new challenges. * Canadian Book Challenge - also contains fabulous lists of Canadian novels arranged by Province. And this one offers great prizes! * Orbis Terrarum Challenge - for the internationally-minded; read 9 books, each by an author from a different nation * What's in a Name Challenge - a clever challenge hosted by a very sophisticated 11 year old In the last episode, Michael issued his own challenge to Ann: read an entire graphic novel. Ann did, and talks about the experience. If you think you don't like graphic novels, our podcast may be enlightening. And we preview two new books that hit the shelves on May 13th: The Boat, by Nam Le and The Steel Wave, by Jeff Shaara. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: www.booksonthenightstand.com Please visit us there. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=336651#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_Episode_0004.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/bIY8mboSn3U/index.php In Episode 3 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast:<br/><ul><li>Michael tells us about his weekend at Comic-Con, and Ann makes a shocking confession.</li><li>We discuss the bad rap given to short stories, and talk about our favorite story collections. If you think you don't like short stories, we dare you to give one of these a try!</li><li>And we preview two new books that hit the shelves on May 6th: Skeletons at the Feast, by Chris Bohjalian and The Mysterious Montague, by Lee Montville.</li></ul> The story about Unaccustomed Earth debuting on the New York Times Bestseller list at #1 appeared on the New York Times' <a href="http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/">Paper Cuts blog</a> on <a href="http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/jhumpa-lahiri-with-a-bullet/">April 10</a>. The essay about short stories that Michael referenced is from Michael Chabon's <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/4517498">Maps and Legends</a>.<br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com">http://www.booksonthenightstand.com</a> -- please visit us there.<br type="_moz"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/bIY8mboSn3U" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:21:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=332125# 00:20:55 short stories, comic-con, lahiri, tobias wolff, aimee bender Books on the Nightstand Michael goes to Comic-Con; Why do short stories get a bad rap?; and we preview 2 new books. Clean In Episode 3 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast: * Michael tells us about his weekend at Comic-Con, and Ann makes a shocking confession. * We discuss the bad rap given to short stories, and talk about our favorite story collections. If you think you don't like short stories, we dare you to give one of these a try! * And we preview two new books that hit the shelves on May 6th: Skeletons at the Feast, by Chris Bohjalian and The Mysterious Montague, by Lee Montville. The story about Unaccustomed Earth debuting on the New York Times Bestseller list at #1 appeared on the New York Times' Paper Cuts blog on April 10. The essay about short stories that Michael referenced is from Michael Chabon's Maps and Legends. Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: http://www.booksonthenightstand.com -- please visit us there. comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=332125#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_Episode_0003.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/FaS-SoNW0Bk/index.php In Episode 2 of the Books on the Nightstand Podcast, we first discuss a recent essay in the New York Times Book Review, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/books/review/Donadio-t.html?scp=1&sq=rachel&st=nyt">It's Not You, It's Your Books</a> by Rachel Donadio.&nbsp; Can <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> find true love if your significant other has bad taste in books?<br/> <br/> Then we spend a few minutes talking about some of our favorite authors.&nbsp; Michael likes William Boyd and Jonathan Lethem; Ann's favorites are Ian McEwan and Valerie Martin.&nbsp; Ann shows her cultural illiteracy by confusing John Lithgow with John Malkovich (it was Malkovich that starred in <span style="font-style: italic;">Mary Reilly</span>, of course).<br/> <br/> In the last segment, we preview two books that have just been or will soon published in the next few weeks:&nbsp; Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (on sale today) and Peace by Richard Bausch (on sale April 15th).<br/><br/>Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: http://www.booksonthenightstand.com<br/><br/> <a href="http://odeo.com/claim/feed/94923040ca0e85ba">My Odeo Channel</a> (odeo/94923040ca0e85ba)<br/><br/> <a href="http://www.podcastalley.com/"> My Podcast Alley feed!</a> {pca-147ce1d500edca3a97cb80e25a5de496}<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/FaS-SoNW0Bk" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 9 Apr 2008 01:54:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=326653# 00:16:51 Ann & Michael And You Shall Know Us By Our Bookshelves Clean In this episode, we first discuss a recent essay in the New York Times Book Review, It's Not You, It's Your Books by Rachel Donadio. Can you find true love if your significant other has bad taste in books? Then we spend a few minutes talking about some of our favorite authors. Michael likes William Boyd and Jonathan Lethem; Ann's favorites are Ian McEwan and Valerie Martin. Ann shows her cultural illiteracy by confusing John Lithgow with John Malkovich (it was Malkovich that starred in Mary Reilly, of course). In the last segment, we preview two books that have just been or will soon published in the next few weeks: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (on sale today) and Peace by Richard Bausch (on sale April 15th). Full details of the books discussed are at our blog: http://www.booksonthenightstand.com comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)books,book,reading,publishing,Random,House,literature,authors,bookstores,bookstore,literaryhttp://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=326653#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_Episode_2.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/arnqK5P38ps/index.php Introducing Books on the Nightstand -- who we are, and what we are all about.<br/><br/>In this episode, we talk about the concept of &quot;comfort reading&quot;, rereading beloved books, and Michael discovers the perfect read for &quot;Pi Day.&quot;<br/><br/>All information about the Books on the Nightstand podcast is available at on our blog at <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com/">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><br/><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/arnqK5P38ps" height="1" width="1"/> podcasts Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:51:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=321577# 00:13:31 book, books, reading, literature, Random House, publishing Ann & Michael In this episode, we discuss comfort reading, rereading beloved books, and the perfect read for Pi Day Clean Introducing Books on the Nightstand -- who we are, and what we are all about. In this episode, we talk about the concept of "comfort reading", rereading beloved books, and Michael discovers the perfect read for "Pi Day." All information about the Books on the Nightstand podcast is available at on our blog at www.booksonthenightstand.com comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=321577#http://media.libsyn.com/media/booksonthenightstand/2008-03-16-final.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~3/0cQDRd-EgaY/index.php <br/>This site is a placeholder.&nbsp; <br/><br/>All information about the Books on the Nightstand podcast is available at on our blog at <a href="http://www.booksonthenightstand.com">www.booksonthenightstand.com</a><br/><br/>We apologize for any inconvenience.<br/><br/>Thank you.<br/><br/>Ann &amp; Michael<br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BOTNSPodcast/~4/0cQDRd-EgaY" height="1" width="1"/> general Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:52:00 GMT http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=318640# Ann & Michael www.booksonthenightstand.com No comments@booksonthenightstand.com (Books on the Nightstand)http://booksonthenightstand.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=318640# Books on the NightstandnonadultAdding to your stack, one book at a time...