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08-09-13 UPDATE: Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 114: Phillip Meyer, 'The Son'

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Here's the one hundred and fourteenth episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. Hitting the two-year mark, I'm still trying to make an effort to stay ahead, so that podcast listeners can get the same sort of "sneak preview" effect that radio listeners get each Friday morning.

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 one hundred and fourteenth episode is a look at Phillip Meyer and 'The Son.'

Here's a link to the MP3 audio file of Time to Read, Episode 114: Phillip Meyer, 'The Son'




08-09-13: A 2013 Interview with Gabriel Roth

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"...going to parties and not really knowing how to have ordinary interactions with people..."

— Gabriel Roth

Gabriel Roth is, of course, impossibly young. As we sit down to talk about his new novel, 'The Unknowns,' I'm thinking that he looks like a programmer I might have hired back in the before-time, when dinosaur-like giant disc drives three-feet across spun in stacks above hollow flooring filled with thick cables.

But Roth is from about two generations after those years. Still, it's clear that in 'The Unknowns,' he's on to some timeless truths about how some of us think and live. As one of the folks with a squeaky hamster wheel in his head, I found Roth's novel hilarious and horrifying.

Roth knows whereof he speaks. One of the great appeals of 'The Unknowns' is his insight into the minds of the computer programming generation, and he and I spoke about what it takes to program. As this becomes more and more a part of our daily lives, these sorts of insights become more necessary than ever. We live in a world where we must spend a lot of time dealing with abstractions that impact our lives, and that distancing has got to take a toll.

One of the strengths of this book is the level of empathy you feel for characters who are over the border of pathetic and sometimes into the realm of the repulsive. You might not like what the people you read about, but you will enjoy the reading experience. That's a very difficult feat to pull off and it was fun to talk to Roth about doing so.

Roth spent time as a journalist in the Bay Area, and actually made money. That was, of course, a different era for journalism. To hear what he is doing in the current era, which will last another six months, just follow this link to the MP3 audio file.




08-07-13 UPDATE: Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 113: Gabriel Roth, 'The Unknowns'

Click image for audio link.
Here's the one hundred and thirteenth` episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. Hitting the two-year mark, I'm going to make an effort to stay ahead, so that podcast listeners can get the same sort of "sneak preview" effect that radio listeners get each Friday morning.

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 one hundred and thirteenth episode is a look at Gabriel Roth and 'The Unknowns.'

Here's a link to the MP3 audio file of Time to Read, Episode 113: Gabriel Roth, 'The Unknowns'




08-05-13: A 2013 Interview with Lisa Lutz
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"I follow most of the laws, right?"

— Lisa Lutz

It was a sad day when Lisa Lutz decided to move from San Francisco to New York. She tells us, after a fashion, just how sad it proved to be in Spellman Document #6, 'The Last Word.' Lutz's novels are personal. This time more so than usual.

I always have fun when I speak with Lutz, who is super smart and every bit as witty as her novels. She has a great combination of fearlessness and spontaneity that makes conversation about her books, life and writing process a joy. And talking about this book, it became clear to me once again how books break away from their authors and the creative process; that is, this super-fun, witty and insightful novel that is over before you know it was not so easy to write as it is to read.

When you read the novel, it seems that Lutz is practically channeling Isabel. It's method acting. But all that ease is not so easy to put on the page, apparently. There are some definite call-outs in here, particularly with regards to moving. If you are in any way considering moving, you need to read this book to determine what not to do.

Readers and listeners who are familiar with the podcast know that in general I begin the interview by having the writer read from the work we are going to discuss. But Lutz told me that she had prepped something original for her tour, and I had her read that; first at the beginning and then the rest later in the interview. What's of course interesting is that Lutz as Lutz is eerily reminiscent of Lutz as Isabel Spellman. I guess you could call it reverse method acting.

I'd suggest that readers get all their Lutz titles lined up nice and neat in a row before listening to this interview. I know I went back and revisited my favorite parts of each book in the series after the conversation. When I spoke with Karen Joy Fowler recently, she told me that she found books with ample doses of humor and comedy to be eminently re-readable. And thus the Spellman library stays accessible.

You can find out just what might happen should you meet Isabel Spellman Lisa Lutz under the wrong circumstances by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



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..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 213: Susan Casey : Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins

08-24-15: Commentary : Felicia Day Knows 'You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)' : Transformative Technology

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Felicia Day : "I think you have to be attention curators for audience in every way."

08-22-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 212: Felicia Day : You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

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]

08-10-15:Agony Column Podcast News Report : In Memory of Alan Cheuse : Thank you Alan, and Your Family, for Everything

07-11-15: Commentary : Robert Repino Morphs 'Mort(e)' : Housecat to Harbinger of the Apocalypse

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Robert Repino : "...an even bigger threat. which is us, the humans..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Robert Repino : Mort(e)

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..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Michael Gazzaniga : Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience

06-26-15: Commentary : Neal Stephenson Crafts an Eden for 'Seveneves' : Blow It Up and Start All Over Again

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Neal Stephenson : "...and know that you're never going to se a tree again..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 207: Neal Stephenson : Seveneves

06-03-15: Commentary : Dan Simmons Opens 'The Fifth Heart' : Having it Every Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Dan Simmons : "...yes, they really did bring those bombs..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 206: Dan Simmons : The Fifth Heart

05-23-15: Commentary : John Waters Gets 'Carsick' : Going His Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with John Waters : "...you change how you would be in real life...”

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 205: John Waters : Carsick

05-09-15: Commentary : Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD and 'Shrinks' : A Most Fashionable Take on the Human Mind

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : "..its influence to be as hegemonic as it was..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 204: Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry

04-29-15: Commentary : Barney Frank is 'Frank' : Interpersonally Ours

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Barney Frank : "...while you're trying to change it, don't ignore it..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 203: Barney Frank : Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage

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 UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 202: Kazuo Ishiguro : The Buried Giant

04-17-15: Commentary : Erik Larson Follows a 'Dead Wake' : Countdown to Destiny

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Erik Larson : "...said to have been found in the arms of a dead German sailor..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 201: Erik Larson : Dead Wake

04-15-15: Commentary : Peter Bell Reflects 'A Certain Slant of Light' : Strange Stories of Modern Scholars

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Peter Bell : "...I looked up some of the old books..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 200: Peter Bell : Strange Epiphanies and A Certain Slant of Light

03-14-15: Commentary : Marc Goodman Foresees 'Future Crimes' : Exponential Potential

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

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