06-13-12 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 48: Leonard Mlodinow, 'Subliminal'
Click image for audio link.
Here's the forty-eighth episode of my new series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. The podcasts/radio broadcasts will be of books worth your valuable reading time. I'll try to keep the reports under four minutes, for a radio-friendly format. If you want to run them on your show or podcast, let me know.
My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
The forty-eighth episode is a look at Leonard Mlodinow, 'Subliminal.'
"Every book just has to have some fun parts for the guy who writes it."
— Richard Ford
I spoke with Richard Ford six years ago, in 2006, about his novel 'The Lay of the Land.' That's a long time, but given the quality of his latest novel, 'Canada,' it was clearly worth the wait. As we sat down to talk in the studio at KQED in An Francisco, we realized that we were in the same room where we had spoken so long ago. That sense of familiarity permeated the conversation. It made discussing the book even more pleasurable.
'Canada' is a fascinating example of The Great American Novel. It's a straightforward narrative about an American family that does not deal well with the travails that life puts in their path. The narrator may not thrive, exactly, but he does get on, and make a good life for himself.
Novels of this stature can be difficult to discuss, simply because the process of creation is almost entirely internalized, but Ford and I explored both the themes and the means of making 'Canada.' His research was unexpected, but when you read the book, you'll see precisely how it plays out. It's so interesting to hear him talk about this, because it will inform your reading experience in a manner that will, I trust, provide even greater pleasure as your read.
The interview begins with a reading by Ford; he talks in the interview about reading his work aloud, and one wishes that he would record it for the audio version of the book. For that matter, that particular reading should be recorded for posterity. We have the technology, and it is clear that generations to come will want to hear this voice. Follow this link to hear Richard Ford read from and talk about his latest book, 'Canada.'
New to the Agony Column
09-18-15: Commentary : William T. Vollman Amidst 'The Dying Grass' : An Epic Exploration of Simultaneity
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William T. Vollman : "...a lot of long words that in our language are sentences..."
09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
