That Stack Of Books with Nancy Pearl and Steve Scher - The House of Podcasts

That Stack of Books listeners, I am back with an interview with none other than Nancy Pearl.Nancy has written her first novel, "George and Lizzie."  It's a love story, with one partner, Lizzie, trying to figure out just how committed she is to George, who seems to be going along with a heart full of love and a head full of patience.  We met in Seattle at the Bryant Corner Cafe, our ongoing book club haunt, to talk about her foray into fiction.  

Here are some books that should appeal to the fan and the skeptic of science fiction.

Teens at Lake Forest Park's King County Library talk about what they are reading and why.

Award Winning writer Stewart O'Nan on his newest novel and on the craft of writing

Books that take the reader into the darkest places of the human experience.

We have had wonderful weather the past few April days. It made us happy and had us reaching for books that made us happy.

Toure writes about what it is like to be a black person in America now. It is tough.

Nancy wanted to talk about two books that delve into America's civil rights history. But there are so many more books and ideas to consider, we couldn't stop at two.

Rasputin has become a mini-industry. Scholar Douglas Smith gained access to archives that shed new understanding of his place in Russian history.

The recovery of nature is every bit as fascinating as the eruption itself.

The American political system needs a few good books. Not for throwing, for reading.

We are lucky that so many great writers live in the Pacific Northwest.

Throughout this show we debate the difference between thriller and mystery and crime novels and end up suggesting, like always, that maybe we should stop categorizing every thing. But, really, how can we stop. It is what we humans do. Well actually there are two categories of humans, ones who make categories and ones who don’t

How do you respond when a love one is diagnosed with cancer? Steve Scher talks with author Abbe Rolnick about her collection of essays and poems she write while her husband and her dealt with his cancer

What is the difference between a love story and a romance? Which do you prefer?  We sat down at the Bryant Corner Café to talk about love. Valentines Day had everyone thinking about it, but we got into a pretty substantive discussion about the difference between love stories and romances.  Finally, different kinds of love, between different people emerge as our main theme.  Nancy started out, however, by calling our attention to a recently published novel she found remarkable by an author she follows.“A God In Every Stone,” by Kamila Shamsie, is the story of a young English woman who goes on an archeological dig in what would become Pakistan just before WW1 just breaks out. Nancy says, “What we get in this wonderful, wonderful novel is a perspective on WW1 from the Indian soldiers who went to fight for the British and died in great numbers.”  It is also a story of the beginnings of the fight for independence on the sub-continent.  She says it opens up a period of history as only fiction can, bringing new insights and revealing the roots of our present turmoil in the struggles of the past.  It is a challenging book for the way the story is told and for the subject matter, but she says it fabulous. Here are the books we talked about. Some are romances. Most are love stories.What do you think, what is the difference? “Gone With The Wind,” by Margaret Mitchell“Romeo and Juliet,” by William Shakespeare“Soulless” by Gail Carriger, a romance about a young woman who is rudely attacked by a vampire. Nancy loved it. “Astrid and Veronika,” by Linda Olson.  Sharon says two women, one young, one old, share a love, but not a sexual love.“Me Before You,” by JoJo Moyes. A young woman takes care of a wheel-chair bound man.  Nancy loved it because JoJo Moyes doesn’t give into the easy way out andturned what mighthave beenaromance into a love story.“Plainsong,” by Ken Haruf a love story between two old men and the young girl they care for.“Dancing Alone Without Music” by Larry Gildersleeve, who is a friend of Jenny’s. She says it’s an evolution of different loves.Diana Galbadon’s long and involved books. “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson. Judy says it is about love within a family.“Boys In The Boat,” by Daniel James Brown.  Judy said that what amazed her was the love of Mr. Pocock for the boats themselves and the young men in the boat. So now, when defined so broadly, what book isn’t a love story? “Angle of Repose,” by Wallace Stegner, in which Nancy asks, who loves whom? ( well, she said “who loves who,” but you know how autocorrect can be.)  Another love story by this definition can be Stegner’s “Crossing to Safety.”“Still Alice,” by Lisa Genova“Cocoon of Cancer” An Invitation to Love Deeply,” by Abbe Rolnick with Jim Wiggins“Chocolat,” by Joanne Harris is Roz’s choice. That prompts Nancy to plug her other books, which she says don’t get the attention they deserve. She recommends “Gentlemen and Players.”“Like Water For Chocolate,” by Laura Esquivel“Bettyville,” by George Hodgman is the story of a son who leaves his life to take care of his 90 year old mother.  Susie says it is funny and delightful.“Cold Mountain,” by Charles Fraser“Atonement,” by Ian McEwan“Love In The Time of Cholera,” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez“Love Again,” by Doris Lessing. Not about romantic or erotic love,  but about the trembling between them says Elwyn. He also loves the episode in Tom Sawyer where he explores his passion of Becky Thatcher.“Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand,” by Giaconda Belli“Middlemarch,” by George EliotWrapping, we had shout outs for Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache mysteries, Dorothy Sayers’ romance between Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane and to get into the western genre, “Shane,” by Jack Shaefer about the love of a young boy for his father and the man who rides in to help.“Bridges of Madison County,” by Robert Waller, or “Fanny Hill,” by John Cleland, but now we are getting pretty far afield from love or even romance. These are but insubstantial flings, aren’t they?  

Eli Sanders delved into the failures of US Criminal Justice and Mental Health that led to a horrific crime in Seattle. Steve Scher interviews"While the City Slept" author about the people grappling with the aftermath. 

Martha Hawkins is a successful restaurateur. She struggled to achieve her success.

Books have a special power to make a reader sad. We often come back to them for their honesty and power. 

A survey of just a few of the new fiction coming out in 2016. Much more to come in upcoming episodes. This year many major American writers are coming out with new work.

Nick Licata set out to be a citizen activist long before he took his politics into the Seattle City Council. He continues the work now that he is retired, writing, raising alarms and encouraging the next generation of activists. Licata believes you can fight city hall, and you can join it. Elected politicians respond to citizens who organize, rally and compromise. Licata fought and lost a lot of battles during his 5 terms on the council but his voice shaped many debates and policies. He wants more people to step up and enter the battle and to that end he has written  “Becoming A Citizen Activist: Stories, Strategies and Advice for Changing Our World.” We sat down to talk at the Greenlake coffee shop, Revolutions Espresso.Nick Licata’s book, published by Sasquatch Press, is available online and at bookstores. He is taking the stage at Town Hall January 19th to talk about his book and through stories, inspire to get involved.  Permalink

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy SewallRecorded at The Bryant Corner Café in Seattle. With so much turmoil in the world, sometimes a reader just wants to reset before plunging back into the intellectual fray. Nancy Pearl is calling the books you might turn to as palate cleansers.    Pretty quickly, though, the readers around the big table at the Bryant Corner Café started putting their own spin on the notion. First off, though, mark your calendar. Don Delillo has a new book coming out May of this year.  Nancy Pearl says “Zero K” is a cause for celebration. Palate Cleansers From Nancy The author Elinor Lipman. Nancy loves her books. She calls the frothy. She rereads “The Inn at Lake Divine” and “The Way Men Act” from time to time. She finds the writing appealing in all her books.  Leslie turns to her favorite mystery writers including, “Second Watch,” by J.A. Jance.  Other Palate Cleansers Mentioned This EpisodeJanwillem van de Wetering and his characters Grijpstra and de Grier.Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahöö and their character Martin Beck.    Nancy says “The Laughing Policeman” is one of their best. Bob says any good poem is a palate cleaners.  In non-fiction, anything by Bill Bryson  is a palate cleanser and in fiction, anything by P.G. Wodehouse.  Ros likes Stanley Kunitz and his book of poems about gardening. “The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden”   Tom cleanses his palate with The Ascent of Man with Jacob Bronowski  and Civilization by Kenneth Clarke.  Christopher likes the entertaining British writer Professor David Lodge and the American writer Jonathan Tropper.   Those two authors prompted Nancy to recommend Jonathan Coe.    She likes his novel “The Rotter’s Club.” Rita says her palate cleanser is Haruki Murakami.  Everyone's palate is different. Keith turns to Bernard Cornwell,  Margaret Atwood   or Donald Westlake.   Permalink

That Stack is at Town Hall with a panel of readers sharing their choices for 2015

A Panel of Children's Librarians from local schools share some of their favorite books of this year and talk about guiding kids through difficult books.

Many of us like to read books suggested by family members, others join book clubs just to read books they might not otherwise never be attracted too. Some of us just like to read around, a reference in a book suggests the next read. A curious mind takes you on a wonderful journey.

We met at the Bryant Corner Café for cookies, coffee and a survey of what’s on everyone’s stack of books.  Nancy also had some news about the finalists for National Book Award Short List for Young Adult Novels Laura Rubey “Bone Gap”Neal Shusterman, ”Challenger Deep”Noelle Stevenson, “Nimona”  She also had news about the finalistsfor the Carnegie Award given by the America Library Association(Fiction) Viet Thanh Nguyen, “The Sympathizer”Hanya Yanagihara, “A Little Life”Jim Shephard, “The Book of Aron” (Non Fiction)Sally Mann, “Hold Still” A Memoir in Photographs”Helen Macdonald “H is for Hawk”Andrea Wulf. The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt’s New WorldOthers Readings from our stacks.John Irving, “Avenue of Mysteries” and maybe reread “The World According to Garp.’Peter Guralnick, “Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n Roll Sophie Blackall and Emily Jenkins, “A Fine Dessert” Jon Meachum, “ “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey George Herbert Walker Bush.”Robert Jackson Bennett, “City of Stairs: The Divine Cities.” – Nancy just finished this science fiction book– she calls it entirely original world building.  First of a trilogy, “The Divine Cities.” The 2nd installment, “City of Blades is coming out January 26th, 2016. Ona Russell, “O’Brien’s Desk”  Louis de Bernieres, “Birds Without Wings”Orhan Parmuk, “My Name is Red” ,“A Strangeness In My Mind” Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, Doctor Mutter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine.”Jamie Holmes, “Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing.”Isabelle Allende, The Stories of Eva Luna” Stacy Schiff, “The Witches”Doris Kearns Goodwin, “The Bully Pulpit”Lincoln Steffens, “The Autobiography of Lincoln Steffens.”Kent Haruf, “Our Souls At Night.” 

Political Books for a Political SeasonWe recorded this episode on November 3rd. All the off year electioneering had us thinking about the books that delved into political issues, both fiction and non-fiction. But let's face it, so many books are tinged with politics.   The Books we discussed this episode.Alan Drury, “Advise and Consent.”Robert Penn Warren, “All The King’s Men.”Dale Russakoff,  “The Prize: Who’s In Charge of America’s Schools?” – "Education isn’t separate from quality of life." - NancyGeoffrey Canada, “Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun.”Ari Berman, “Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.” (Noble story about the passage and the legacy of the voting rights act. It is  one that can fill a reader with despair. “I don’t want this history to be forgotten” - Nancy)Kay Mills, “This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer.”John Lewis, “Walking With the Wind.”Duong Van Mai Elliot.“The Sacred Willow: Four Generations In The Life Of A Vietnamese Family”Robert Caro’s “Passage of Power.”Larry Ceplair and Christpher Trumbo,   “Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical”Dalton Trumbo, “Johnny Got His Gun.”Tony Judt, “Ill Fairs the Land.” 

We are back at the Bryant Corner Cafe with a tough task from Nancy Pearl. What has been the best book of 2015. Some of us chose books published this year- which is what Nancy was aiming for, in fiction and non-fiction. Others just mentioned their best read so far. In addition, we offer an excerpt from Steve's interview with Patrick Kennedy about his book "A Common Struggle." We will post the entire interview in a That Stack of Books extra soon.   Here is the list of The Best Book(s) We Have Read (So Far This Year) Nancy was aiming towards best books of the year so far in fiction. Non-FictionChristian Appy, American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity.  (Nancy’s Pick) Other books we liked this year. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin ( Katy’s Pick)Nathaniel Philbrick, The Last Stand: Custer Sitting Bull and The Battle of the Little Big Horn (Tom Bird’s Pick)William Maxwell, FB Eye’s: How J. Edgar Hoover's Ghostreaders Framed African American Literature (Robin’s Pick)Denise Kieman, The Girl’s of Atomic City (Ros’s Pick)Claude Steele, Whistling Vivialdi ( Steve’s Pick)Randy Spelling, Unlimited You: Step Out of Your Past and Into Your Purpose (Jenny’s Pick)Bee Wilson, Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat ( Keith’s Pick)Patrick Kennedy, A Common Struggle ( Steve’s choice for getting on more lists soon.) Fiction Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer ( Nancy’s Pick) Other books we liked reading this year. Jonas Jonasson, The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window And Disappeared (Becky’ s Pick)Black Hills, Dan SimmonsLou Berney, The Long and Faraway Gone ( Katy’s Pick)Lucia Berlin, A Manual For Cleaning Women: Selected Stories Betsey’s Pick) 

That Stack of Books at Town Hall, October 18th, 2015. Puns, grammar jokes, a festive audience great guests and prizes galore. Our guests, Martha Brockenbrough, founder of National Grammar Day and author of  "Things That Make Us (Sic)", and Frida Clements, artist and illustrator, author of "Have a Little Pun." Hope you enjoy our show at Town Hall. Love to see you at The Bryant Corner Cafe November 3rd for the show. We will be talking about political books, both, fiction and non-fiction. See you are 3 pm. Don't forget,Watch Nancy Pearl on "Book Lust" on the Seattle Channel,Listen to Katy Sewall on her podcast "The Bittersweet Life."Listen to Steve Scher on his podcast "The Overlook Podcast."  Follow us on twitter @thatstack. Drop us a line at Facebook at That Stack of Books with Nancy Pearl and Steve Scher

Nancy Pearl has some book news for October, we hear about a whole bunch of great books and author Amy Stewart talks about her first novel, "Girl Waits With Gun." It is a novel of strong women living in the early 20th Century who do not suffer the depredations of bullies silently.

That Stack of Books, the Town Hall Summer Edition.Nancy Pearl, Katy Sewall and Steve Scher were at Town Hall July 23rd, helping celebrate 15 years of great programs at the young, robust and august cultural center.  We hope you like this show. If you do, please join us at Town Hall Sunday October 18th at 6:30- after the Seahawks game. Tickets are just $5.  Invite your friends. Win fabulous prizes.  We told a few book jokes to start the show. Nancy shared book suggestions with audience members.  We played a trivia game which was way too hard.Our guest was author Jason Schmidt whose memoir A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me, chronicles growing up poor in Seattle in the 1980’s.  His mom had left; his single Dad was a gay petty thief, a drug dealer and an addict.  A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me is tough and honest story that takes place in a town some of us may not recognize.  Here are a few of the books we talked about on this podcast. “Cold, Cold Ground,” Adrian McKinty“Hans Christian Andersen Complete Fairy Tales and Stories”, Hans Christian Andersen“Hold Still: A Memoir,” Sally Mann“Unbecoming: A Novel,” Rebecca Sherm“Angle of Repose,” Wallace Stegner“Jayber Crow,” Wendell Berry“The Passion.” by Jeannette Winterson“Why Be Happy When You Can be Normal,” Jeannette Winterson“Things Invisible to See,” Nancy Willard“Me Before You, “Jojo Moyes“Refuge”, Terry Tempest Williams“A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me,” Jason Schmidt We will be back at Town Hall October 18th.  We would love to fill the seats with book lovers and language aficionados. Our guests will be of National Grammar Day founder Martha Brockenbrough, author of Things That Make Us [Sic] and graphic designer Frida Clements, , whose new book is Have a Little Pun: an Illustrated Play on Words. We will be back next week with another episode, taped at the Bryant Corner Café, 32nd and 65th in NE Seattle. Drop on by. We tape on Tuesdays about 3. Check our Facebook page for updates. Find the podcast on ITunes, Stitcher and at thatstackofbooks.com Follow us on Facebook  and on Twitter @thatstack.  

A great armchair travel book can take you to places you just might not ever want to go to in person, too cold, too hot, too many snakes.  Armchair Travel Books from this episode Bill Bryson, “A Walk In The Woods”, “In A Sunburned Country” (Jan) James Morris, “Coronation Climb” and others by MorrisJon Krakauer, “Into Thin Air”Redmond O’Hanlon, “Into the Heart of Borneo” and his other travel books.Robert Van Gulik,  “The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee” and others in the series (China)Collin Cotterill, “The Coroner’s Lunch” and others in the series (Laos)Janet Wallach, “Desert Queen.”Scott Anderson, “Lawrence in Arabia”Vivian Russell, “Monet’s Garden.” Christina Thompson, “Come on Shore and We Will Eat You All”Richard Flannigan, “Wanting”Matthew Kneale, “English Passengers”

We discuss biographies this episode.Their power resides in their place in history. New facts emerge, new understandings reshape our understandings of the person. Biographies remind us the ways the present influences the past. Biographies we mentioned in this episode“Steve Jobs, Insanely Great” by Jesse Hartland“Jonas Salk, A Life,” by Charlotte DeCroes Jacobs“Daughters of the Samuri: A Journey From East and West and Back” Janice P. Nimura“Phillis Wheatley: Biography of a Genius in Bondage,” Vincent Carretta“A Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames,” by Kai Bird“The Bully Pulpit,” Doris Kearns Goodwin “Bolivar: Aerican Liberator” by Marie Arana“The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government,” by David Talbot“Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty,”by Jerry Oppenheimer“Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America's Most Powerful and Private Dynasty” by Daniel Schulman“King of the World: Muhammed Ali and the Rise of an American Hero,” David Remnick“Catharine the Great: Portrait of a Woman,” Robert K. Massie

“I’d Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them,” is the first novel from writer and Air Force officer Jesse Goolsby. Wars impact lingers. It shapes a nation’s life. It also shapes the lives of the combatants, their friends and family. Goolsby wrestles with the ways the war in Afghanistan has shaped his characters and how their characters are reshaped by the experience. Jesse Goolsby has published a number of short pieces of fiction and non-fiction. He holds an English degree from the United States Air Force Academy and a Masters degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Tennessee. He is working on his PhD from Florida State University.Here is an interview I conducted with Goolsby when he was in town in July for a reading at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, which is where we talked.-Steve Scher

People who translate between languages make books accessible to those of us who might otherwise never be able to enjoy the literature of the whole world.  Many of us, probably way too many of us, don’t speak, let alone read, a language other than the one we were born into.  Nancy Pearl talks about a translator who has done award-winning translation. Carol Brown Janeway translates almost exclusively from German to English and Nancy Pearl says you could do well just reading her translations.We discuss other books we can enjoy in translation and ponder the translators relationship to the author. A few of the books discussed: Lost, Hans Ulrich Treichel (Author) Carol Brown Janeway (Translator)Rue , Kim Thuy (Author), Sheila Fischman (Translator)The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad(Author) and Ingrid Christophersen (Translator)Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Author), Lucia Graves (Translator)The President, Miguel Angel Asturias (Author) and Frances Partridge (Translator)Snow, Orhan Pamuk (Author) Maureen Freely 

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and the folks at the Bryant Corner Cafe talk about graphic novels and our imaginative powers. Now here is a contentious episode. Really, you wonder, contentious? Yes, because we discuss the value of the graphic novel and the comic strip and the comic book.The contention comes in when we start to debate whether or not words release our imaginations in a way that the pictures, drawn or filmed do not. Does the book, words on the page, give the readers' imagination the freest flight, the deepest expression?Does the artists rendering constrain our imaginations? Do their pictures force out our own mental pictures? I guess it’s just the same argument that people make about movies. Do the movies ruin the book?It’s a bit of a rambling conversation among the folks around the table, but stimulating.  What do you think? Are books simply inherently better than graphic novels, comics, movies? Are the pictures in your head stimulated from radio different, better, richer than a TV show?We agree the experiences are different and it is a mistake to conflate them. Yet, by the end, we were down to debating the relative value of the different art forms.Rather than list the many books, here are a few references to check out.http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/graphic_novels/index.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-top-10-graphic-novels-of-2014/2014/11/20/6ee20fec-3dc6-11e4-b03f-de718edeb92f_story.htmlhttp://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/drawn-out-the-50-best-non-superhero-graphic-novels-20140505 

Nancy Pearl talks to Steve Scher and the folks around the table about their favorite books.    We had such a good time asking this question a few weeks back, we thought we'd ask folks again to bring in a favorite book they'd saved on the bookshelf at home. We thought asking for a favorite would be a much easier choice then asking a reader to pick the favorite book, but it turns out still to be a tough choice.Nancy’s favorite book of all time is the novel A Gay and Melancholy Sound, by Merle Miller.  It’s a long book about young man recounting his life through a series of reel-to-reel tape recordings. It is a great for book clubs and was the first of her Book Lust Rediscovery Imprints available on Amazon.Amazing that she can even answer that question, considering the thousands of books she reads. She loves the voice of the narrator, a young man who grew up with very difficult parents and had to come to terms with childhood in order to live a good life. She says, though, that it is the writing that always blows her away, and still does, after many re-reads. Favorites From Other Folks Around The Table The Five Languages of Appreciation In The Workplace, Gary D. ChapmanAnthill, E.O. WilsonInvisible Man, Ralph EllisonLove Medicine, Louise Erdrich, also, A Plague of Doves, The Roundhouse- Nancy finds them strong books that illuminate a group of people and a place. And she finds her writing just stunning.The Tiger’s Wife, Tea ObretThe First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, H.W. Brands.  Nancy calls Brands one of our best contemporary historians. 

For some readers, the love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew. Here are some suggestions for mystery readers from Nancy Pearl and the folks around the table at the Bryant Corner Cafe. Nancy Pearl says her enjoyment of mysteries is limited by some wince-worthy writing. But she avoids those writers. The books Nancy recommended and some suggestions from the rest of us around the table at The Bryant Corner Café, 32nd and 65th in the Bryant neighborhood in Seattle. We will be there next Tuesday, June 2nd at 3:15. Drop on by. William McIlvanney, The Laidlaw TrilogyMcIlvanney was the founder of what’s now being called Scottish Noir, and inspired writers Denise Mina, Val McDermid, Ian RankinIsraeli novelist Batya Gur and her Michael Ohayon series Tana French, Dublin Murder Squad seriesThe authors of the sub genre, mediaeval mysteries (suggested by Judy)Ellis PetersMargaret FraserC.J. SansomeHenning Mankell, Inspector Wallander series  (suggested by Bill, though sometimes a little to gruesome for Nancy)Sue Grafton, Kinsey Milhone (we are up to X in the alphabet.)Faye Kellerman, (a few books featuring the Orthodox Jewish Rina Lazarus and police detective Peter Decker. These were a favorite of Nancy’s father.)Peter Temple (we can’t leave a mystery discussion without Nancy touting the Australian writer and the book, “The Broken Shore.)H. R. F Keating, Inspector Ghote series. Rose liked S.J. Gazan, The Dinosaur FeatherRobin likes Alexander Mccall Smith, The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. (Though Nancy finds them less mysteries than character driven stories. She isn’t sure they even belong in the mystery section and are an example of why she chaffs at putting books into different categories. ) Judy calls out Sherlock Holmes for re-reading. Nancy calls for Agatha Christie, even if, as she says, all the characters are just collections of ticks. For good mysteries with Roman themes, Keith enjoys the Flavia Alba mysteries by Lindsey DavisFor good writing and good mysteries with contemporary themes, Nancy recommends Walter Mosley and his Easy Rawlins series.Donna Leon’s Inspector Brunetti series and Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano series are Steve’s favorites. Also, he suggests Pierre Magnan, “Death in the Truffle Woods.” Of course that takes us to Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police novels, also set in France.We mentioned that Soho Press has a Soho Crime imprint of interesting translated foreign mysteries.  Also, here is a page from Dartmouth College that list mysteries from other lands. Other than the U.S. that is.What are your favorite mysteries by non-American writers?  Share some titles with us, so we can read the mysteries folks across the world enjoy. 

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and folks at the Bryant Corner Cafe share some of the books they just couldn't part with. The Lions of Al Rassan , Guy Gavriel KayThe Wright Brothers, David McCulloughA Canticle For Leibowitz, Walter M. MillerThe Tough Guide to Fantasyland:The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel, Diana Wynne JonesA Thread of Grace, Mary Doria RussellThe Wild Braid , Stanley KunitzDarwin and the Beagle, Alan MoreheadThe Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael ChabonThe City & The City, China MievilleCannery Row, John Steinbeck84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff

Nancy Pearl brings a book she says is going to be the book all the Harry Potter fans will flock to.   "The Iremonger Trilogy, written and illustrated by Edward Carey.  "Heap House" is the first of the trilogy.  Nancy says that ever since the Harry Potter books, she has been looking for the next book that will appeal to Potter fans with a story that is new and fresh. Here it is. Carey is telling a tale not of good versus evil, but of humans doing what they do to our little world.  Also, "Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War," by Ari Kelman gives a reader a different way to look at a history that is still in dispute in this country.  She says it also gives her a renewed respect for the power of the graphic book.  

The past, present and future walk into a bar. Bartender says, "you need a drink. You're tense." Here is a discussion offering some funny books to read. Here also are some satires. Here are some books that are laugh out loud funny and some that might need some historical context to truly get the jokes. Also here, a discussion we just started, really.What is the difference between comedy and satire? Here is a web-based definition I found helpful.  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-comedy-and-satire.htm#didyouknowout“Comedy and satire are different in that comedy is a much broader genre. All satire is comedy, but not all comedy is satire. Comedy includes everything from intelligent, witty repartees and dark humor to slapstick and baseline jokes. Satire, on the other hand, is a literary genre primarily focused on highbrow social criticism. “Though even here, the lines sure seem to blur. What is the difference between highbrow and lowbrow these days?  Isn’t there lowbrow satire? Southpark comes to mind. The Daily Show is a mix of highbrow and lowbrow that often offers trenchant social criticism.  And who is to say what is laugh out loud funny? It’s all so personal.Anyway, here are a few of the books we discussed.Won’t you add to our list of comedy books?Inherent Vice, by Thomas PynchonThe Bear Went Over The Mountain, by William KotzwinkleThe Evolution Man or How I Ate My Father, by Roy LewisBossypants, by Tina FeyThe One Hundred Year Old Many Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared, by David LodgeVanity Fair, William Thackeray.Where’d you go Bernadette, Maria SempleCheaper by the Dozen, Frank B. Gilbreth, Ernestine Gilbreth CareyCandide, by VoltaireGracie, A Love Story, by George BurnsThe Princess Bride, William GoldmanHitchihiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas AdamsGood Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.Some other funny authors we mentioned too.P.G. WodehouseMindy KalingAmy PoehlerJames ThurberAnthony TrollopeJane AustenDavid Sedaris

We sat down at the Bryant Corner Café after a few weeks away, so we took a survey of what folks have just completed. We also remember the great and generous writer, Ivan Doig. Books from this episode:The Belly of Paris, Emile ZolaDays of Rage, Bryan BurroughThe Buried Giant, Kazuo IshiguroThe Imperfectionists, Tom RachmanThe Circle, Dave EggersSo You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon RonsonWinter Brothers, Ivan DoigAll The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and the big table of readers at the Bryant Corner Cafe talk about the status of the memoir these days.  We all lead lives that generate stories.  Do these stories only have credibility when they are shared with others?  Do we need to try to get them published to feel good about our efforts?  Some critics are wondering whether this self-congratulatory age is producing too many memoirs.When author Ryan Boudinot published a critical article about fledgling writers,  he struck a note so sour that he undermined support for efforts to get Seattle designated as a UNESCO City of Literature.  Among his quotes of note from the article:“For the most part, MFA students who choose to write memoirs are narcissists using the genre as therapy. They want someone to feel sorry for them, and they believe that the supposed candor of their reflective essay excuses its technical faults. Just because you were abused as a child does not make your inability to stick with the same verb tense for more than two sentences any more bearable. In fact, having to slog through 500 pages of your error-riddled student memoir makes me wish you had suffered more.”The folk at The New Yorker Out Loud Podcast are also thinking about memoirs.  In particular they were wondering about the state of the memoir in the era of instant reportage thru social media. Around the table at the Bryant Corner Café, we talk about some of our favorite memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, all the while musing on the state of the memoir in the modern times.  

Nancy Pearls tells Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and our table full of readers at the Bryant Corner Cafe her thoughts on book awards.   We get some behind the scenes glimpses of the awards process, and find out, among other things, that the publishers self nominate for some awards. How do you use awards to help you find the next book to read?  Nancy recommends reading the whole list of nominees and not just the winners, because there you will find books for many tastes. 

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher and Katy Sewall nibble at the Bryant Corner Cafe while talking about two books that offer different approaches to the same overarching theme- how empire builders move across the landscape into history. The first is an historical account of the American Vietnam War.  Christian Appy, “American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity” connects our current foreign policy actions to the attitudes that were revealed during our long war against Vietnam. "The Strangler Vine" is a classically styled mystery set in the British Raj. Though lighter and more of a swashbuckler, the actions of the British colonialists are on full display. We also touched on a couple of American crime writers, Ross Macdonald and Ross Thomas.  Both worth a look and worth a whole show. That is coming soon.We won't be at the Bryant Corner Cafe for a few weeks. We will be back with the live taping April 21st, 3:15. Love to see you there with books to share while we explore what books to add to our growing stack.

Steve Scher's pilgrimage to the American South triggers a conversation with Nancy Pearl and all the folks around the table about southern writers. But pretty soon we are trying to define the essence of a region and describe the cover of "Mandingo." If you are looking a place to start thinking about southern writers, here are a few websites to check out. Flavorwire's list "of the best ever!"Ten Contemporary Southern Writers.The Fellowship of Southern Writers.

Nancy Pearl talks about the benefits of book clubs with Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and the rest of folks around the table at The Bryant Corner Cafe. Nancy says there are some rules to follow that can make the book selections and the book chats much more meaningful. We will be back recording at the Cafe Tuesday, March 24th at 3:15. Please join us.  You can check in on Nancy's book picks and all the places where she is sharing her love of reading at Nancy Pearl.comKaty Sewall hosts a very smart and funny podcast about living abroad, the bittersweetlife.Steve Scher produces a few other podcasts and provides commentary at NWCN.

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and our great readers are at the table at the The Bryant Corner Cafe again. We are talking about the books to read for March, Women's History Month.  We also get into a discussion of just whether or not these months set aside to particular groups are a positive or not.If you want to donate some books the Seattle Literacy Council is looking for you. They hold a fundraiser soon and need your support. Join us at the cafe next tuesday afternoon at 3:15.  Hope to see you. 

Steve Scher and Nancy Pearl take up Katy Sewall's question, what books shaped you in high school? Our friends around the table have their own favorites. What are the books that shaped you?

Who recommends books to you? We survey the different ways we try to sort through all our choices. Do you get your ideas for your next book from newspapers, librarians, friends? Maybe you follow your book club lists, or listen to the radio.  How do you decide what to read next?  If you have other unique ways for finding the books you want to read, please write us at thatstackofbooks@gmail.com. Happy reading. 

We gather again at The Bryant Corner Cafe to talk about books. Two new fiction works garnered glowing reviews from Nancy Pearl, the novel "Vanessa and Her Sister" by Priya Parmar and "Single Carefree, Mellow," short stories by Katherine Heiny.  Then we take up the perils and pleasure's of re-reading books.   Find us on Facebook. We twitter @thatstack.  Write us with your comments and suggestions for future topics at thatstackofbooks@gmail.comHappy reading.  

What books sit on your shelf, waiting for you to finally pull them off and read them? For Nancy Pearl, it's Anthony Trollope. For Steve Scher, it's a number of natural history books. What's on your shelf? Let's follow up with Nancy's suggestion and listen to her interview with the writer Stewart O'Nan.You can find many interviews Nancy has conducted at the Seattle Channel, Book Lust.