Episodi

  • HANGSAMAN by Shirley Jackson >> HOW HAD I NEVER READ THIS BOOK??

    HANGSAMAN by Shirley Jackson >> HOW HAD I NEVER READ THIS BOOK??
    Jan 23 2026
    Actually, probably, I'd never read it because I was scarred by "The Lottery" in grade school and was afraid of her novels. I should NOT have been. This book is incredible! It also has some verrrrry confusing elements that deserve the deepest of analysis. Listen in for exactly that. What a masterpiece.
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    1 ora e 2 min
  • "ARGOS" by Joy Williams (from The Pelican Child) >> Never read Williams? Don't really love short stories? Allow me to change all that.

    "ARGOS" by Joy Williams (from The Pelican Child) >> Never read Williams? Don't really love short stories? Allow me to change all that.
    Jan 15 2026
    NO READING REQUIRED! I READ IT TO YOU! Once again we dive into an entire story! In just 45 entertaining, engaging minutes, you'll end up feeling smarter and maybe a little better about DEATH. It's amazing: in three mere pages, Williams takes us well beyond Homer's Odyssey into the kind of land only Williams can create. Kick back and listen to all the reasons why speculation about Williams and the Nobel Prize doesn't seem crazy at all.
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    44 min
  • "GIRL" by Jamaica Kincaid >> NEW EXPERIENCE! Don't know this incredible short story? I'll read it to you! Complete with thoughts as to why it's soooo good.

    "GIRL" by Jamaica Kincaid >> NEW EXPERIENCE! Don't know this incredible short story? I'll read it to you! Complete with thoughts as to why it's soooo good.
    Jan 9 2026
    NO READING REQUIRED! Kick off 2026 with a new foxed page experience: an entire short story read to you--with my analysis--in one brief(ish) lecture! Come away feeling transported and inspired by true literary genius (Kincaid's, haha, not mine).
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    35 min
  • "A PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH" by J.D. Salinger >> If you love The Catcher in the Rye or Franny AND Zooey but don't REALLY know this story, you must listen in!

    "A PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH" by J.D. Salinger >> If you love The Catcher in the Rye or Franny AND Zooey but don't REALLY know this story, you must listen in!
    Jan 2 2026
    We all read The Catcher in high school (when it was largely wasted on us) but too few of us explore Salinger's short fiction. His stories are SO GOOD. A deep dive into "Bananfish" will not only help you appreciate the inimitable dialogue, the spareness, the characterization and all that makes Salinger one of America's best writers--but you'll end up feeling a little smarter and a little more HUMAN as we kick off 2026.
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    1 ora e 1 min
  • FLESH by David Szalay >> Just after this won the Booker NO BOOKSTORES had a copy. I got my hands on one. And I might have some VERY HOT TAKES.

    FLESH by David Szalay >> Just after this won the Booker NO BOOKSTORES had a copy. I got my hands on one. And I might have some VERY HOT TAKES.
    Dec 29 2025
    I fully agree with the Booker Prize judges that FLESH is "singular" and "extraordinary." I can see why it won! I do, though, have a few arguments to make.
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    41 min
  • HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (and its SEQUEL??) >> Feeling a little Christmas crankiness? Or LOVING the season? Tune in to find out why the Grinch's ENORMOUS presence is what everyone needs.

    HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (and its SEQUEL??) >> Feeling a little Christmas crankiness? Or LOVING the season? Tune in to find out why the Grinch's ENORMOUS presence is what everyone needs.
    Dec 22 2025
    NO READING REQUIRED! Find out why we are SO DRAWN to this unlikely, enduring classic. Also: I grapple with the sequel.
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    53 min
  • KNICK KNACK, TCHOTCHKE, OBJET D'ART?? >>Ever wonder why you prize that seashell on your windowsill? Listen in!

    KNICK KNACK, TCHOTCHKE, OBJET D'ART?? >>Ever wonder why you prize that seashell on your windowsill? Listen in!
    Dec 19 2025
    This deep dive into the importance of our everyday objects--together with compelling reason why we homebodies love home--was such an eye-opener! Listen in to hear how our things provide crucial, existential cues. Also: allow me to GIVE YOU FULL PERMISSION to handle that not-so-wanted gift you're about to receive this holiday season.
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    13 min
  • TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson >> The movie's supposed to be the most gorgeous of the year, but what are we to make of this haunting, uncanny, beautiful novella?

    TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson >> The movie's supposed to be the most gorgeous of the year, but what are we to make of this haunting, uncanny, beautiful novella?
    Dec 17 2025
    This work might only be 116 pages, but it feels enormous--in the very best of ways. You could study it for years and not fully comprehend its unique structure, its strange atmosphere and the uncanny originality of this prose. Listen in now to find out why Johnson is held as one of the best American writers of all time.
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    1 ora e 1 min