Tune in for close readings that illuminate why McCarthy's prose is so gorgeous, why his influences are key, and why Kimberly is so happy about him finally centering A WOMAN in these, his final texts.Plus! A literary PARLOR TRICK that definitiv

Lecture 54: Joan Didion's DEMOCRACY >> Want to save democracy?? Just kidding. You'd have to do more than listen to this. But this Didion is incredibly timely--and RIVETING.

7 days ago 1h 32m

If you love DIdion's inimitable prose and you're interested in any kind of history or intrigue or scandal--listen in. NO SPOILERS!

Lecture 53: Curtis Sittenfeld's ROMANTIC COMEDY >> Could you use a super-smart, hilarious, uplifting novel right about now? This is it!

10 days ago 58m 35s

Sittenfeld is soooo good. Her latest delivers a fascinating, intimate look at life as a comedy writer on the world's foremost live, nighttime, sketch comedy show--all while promising that she'll work within the conventions of ROMANTIC comedy. O

Lecture 52: André Aciman's CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and ENIGMA VARIATIONS >> Did you love the movie? Do you want to more fully comprehend the idea of the atmospheric novel before summer's upon us?? Listen in!

14 days ago 1h 5m

NO RE-READING NECESSARY! Kimberly only sought out Aciman because she loved the movie Call Me by Your Name--but she loved the fiction enough to seek out more. Tune in to hear about the use of figurative language, the structure, the pacing and th

Lecture 51: Nicholson Baker's FINDING A LIKENESS: HOW I GOT SOMEWHAT BETTER AT ART >> Are you an intelligent, creative person--maybe contemplating a next chapter or new endeavor? Baker's about the provide ALL THE INSPIRATION YOU NEED

17 days ago 44m 3s

Baker's hilarious, inventive prose melds with incredibly well curated images to produce something only Baker could produce. Kimberly LOVED diving in to the many ways in which the guy is creating literary (and visual) magic.

Lecture 50: John Steinbeck's EAST OF EDEN >> Want to see Kimberly conjure John Steinbeck from the dead?? Ever wondered why so many people LOVE EAST OF EDEN? Allow Kimberly to explain why it deserves to be such a perennial favorite. NO RE-READING REQUIRED!

21 days ago 1h 2m

NO RE-READING REQUIRED! PLUS!! SPECIAL GUEST STAR: JOHN STEINBECK!! Tune in to hear all the ways in which this 1952 classic surprised Kimberly. Its insanely great sense of place, its lessons in history, its denigration/elevation of women, its b

Lecture 38: R. F. Kuang's YELLOWFACE

24 days ago 1h 15m

This publishing industry thriller was SUCH GOOD grist for Kimberly's mill. Listen in to appreciate all the elements that made the novel an "instant" best seller. Its literary merit is almost as great as the important philosophical questions is

Lecture 49: Stephen King's CARRIE >> Find out why King is worth serious literary respect, especially on the FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY of this iconic novel.

28 days ago 1h 20m

If you can't remember what's ingenious about CARRIE's narrative stance, its sophisticated structure, its use of motif and of "scientific evidence"--you MUST TUNE IN to fully appreciate the genius King's first novel.

REPOST: Nancy Mitford’s THE PURSUIT OF LOVE>> Never read any Nancy Mitford?? Don't know about the six fabled Mitford sisters??!! Listen in to hear why you'll get so much out of this post-War gem!

Apr 22nd, 2024 35m 45s

NO PRE-READING REQUIRED! This iconic novel from 1945 seems frothy and hilarious–and it is–but it's also a legitimate literary masterpiece. (Plus the BBC three-part tv series is sooooo good.) In part one, Kimberly will argue why you should read

Lecture 48: Megan Nolan's ORDINARY HUMAN FAILINGS >> Looking for a thriller that's incredibly well written? Look no further!

Apr 15th, 2024 1h 13m

Join Kimberly to hear how this behind-the-scenes immersion in British tabloid journalism hits all the right notes. You'll come away with a deeper understanding of why Nolan's masterful narrative stance, pacing, character development and structu

REPOST: Lecture 7: Joan Didion’s The White Album Part 1 > Learn why Didion is such an icon and why her inimitable prose means so much to so many people!

Apr 12th, 2024 29m 39s

Didion needs almost no description. Kimberly argues why you should read this seminal work, touches on Didion’s biography then digs into why her engaging, dark, entirely inimitable prose is almost universally respected. (For parts 2 and 3 of thi

Enriched Read 5: Percival Everett's JAMES in light of Twain's HUCK FINN >> Find out why Everett's incredible re-imagining is a HUGE IMPROVEMENT on the source material.

Apr 8th, 2024 1h 15m

NO PRE-READING REQUIRED! Listen in for all you need to know about HUCK FINN (without spending days reading Twain). Kimberly shares not only why JAMES is an insanely great revisioning of the 1884 adventure story--but why Everett's crucial text i

REPOST: Dorothy Baker’s CASSANDRA AT THE WEDDING > Find out why literally NO ONE to whom Kimberly recommends this 1962 novel about identical 21-year-old twins in California is disappointed.

Apr 1st, 2024 1h 28m

Kimberly always describes Cassandra at the Wedding as a near-perfect novel. From Baker’s insanely great use of figurative language to nostalgia for the Berkeley and the Central Valley of the early 60s, to an incisive exploration of individuatio

Lecture 45: Jo Baker's LONGBOURN > Have you always wanted Downton Abbey in the form of a REALLY WELL WRITTEN novel?? PLUS JANE AUSTEN ELEMENTS??!! This is it, people!

Mar 29th, 2024 52m 27s

Listen in as Kimberly parses the many reasons why LONGBOURN is her favorite of all Austen adaptations. You'll end up with a much deeper understanding of why this insanely novel has it all.

Lecture 46: Janice Hadlow's THE OTHER BENNET SISTER > Ever wondered what MARY Bennet was up to?? Wonder no more!

Mar 28th, 2024 55m 53s

Jane Austen week continues! Janice Hadlow gives us a new perspective on familiar parts of Pride and Prejudice--then goes beyond to imagine a whole new world. Join Kimberly for insights on history, usage of the source material and levity in the

Lecture 44: Melinda Taub's THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA BENNET, WITCH > Let Kimberly (and Taub) answer all the questions about Pride and Prejudice that you didn't even know you had!

Mar 27th, 2024 51m 48s

Ever wondered what the Bennet family BLACK SHEEP was actually up to? Wonder no more! Taub's juicy, witchy novel is so well done. Listen as Kimberly explains how Taub's witchy-ness is an important feminist statement! Even if you aren't a huge Ja

Enriched Read 4: History and satire in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE >> Dive into Jane's historical period--while seeing her as a true SATIRIST--to more FULLY appreciate her genius!

Mar 25th, 2024 1h 2m

Kimberly dips into the Regency Era--don't remember why it's called that? tune in!--then digs into Jane's use of irony and satire to appreciate why the work is so revolutionary, so deft and SO FUNNY.

Lecture 43: Virginia Woolf's ORLANDO>> This fantastical ROMP--what with Orlando living 400 years, and both as a man and a woman--has never been more crucial!

Mar 18th, 2024 1h 19m

Listen in to see how to get the most out of Woolf's most hilarious, inventive, ground-breaking novel--while reveling in some of the best prose in the English language.

REPOST: Judy Blume's ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET>> Seriously, who needs a reason to revisit this touchstone?? Find out why this classic is such a literary feat!

Mar 15th, 2024 45m 28s

Your 12-year-old self will come rushing right back–in the very best of ways! Kimberly digs in to the excellent prose, why MARGARET has never been out of print, and all the ways the novel is more about deep, engaging, questions than it is about

Lecture 42: Rebecca Yarros's FOURTH WING>> Two burning questions: Why is so much fantasy set in the medieval era? and Why is so much written by mormon writers??

Mar 11th, 2024 1h 30m

Tune in to find out some answers to these fascinating questions. Also learn why Kimberly is skeptical of bestsellers--and why Yarros is doing so much so well!

Episode 41: Jesmyn Ward's LET US DESCEND > Readers, Kimberly LOVED this rewriting of Dante's Divine Comedy. Listen to why this best seller DESERVES its place on all those BEST OF 2023 lists!

Mar 4th, 2024 1h 8m

Kimberly was really moved by Salvage the Bones. Tune in to find out why Ward's work just keeps getting better and better.

Lecture 40: POOR THINGS! Readers! AHHHHH!!! The movie streams today--and Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel (the source material) is SOOO GOOD! You MUST LISTEN TO THE PODCAST AND READ THIS BOOK!

Feb 27th, 2024 1h 23m

Kimberly read Gray's Scottish novel (because of the movie) and was BLOWN AWAY. Listen to why this brainy, unique, super-engaging ROMP is a must read--whether or not you love Emma, Yorgos, Willem, Mark and the gang.

REPOST: Sally Rooney's BEAUTIFUL WORLD WHERE ARE YOU >> Honestly? Kimberly did not love Conversations with Friends. She dove into this to figure out why Rooney left her a tad cold. She ended up with serious appreciation–while also discovering the thing!

Feb 23rd, 2024 1h 34m

Description: Rooney is obviously part of Kimberly's Irish lit. obsession and after watching Paul Mescal in Normal People she needed to dig back in. The deep dive did into BEAUTIFUL WORLD not disappoint! Listen to hear all she discovered.

Lecture 39: Virginia Woolf's LIBERTY (A Room of One's Own)

Feb 16th, 2024 1h 2m

NO READING REQUIRED! Did you read "A Room of One's Own" a million years ago and can't quite recall it? Did you NEVER read it?? Listen in as Kimberly gives you the highpoints--proving why Woolf's revolutionary essay collection from 1928 is more

REPOST: Gustave Flaubert's MADAME BOVARY

Feb 12th, 2024 1h 35m

Listen in as Kimberly explains all the ways the novel changed literature forever. She explores realism, Flaubert’s revolutionary narrative stance and just what to make of wacky Emma–this REAL HOUSEWIFE from 1856.