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The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
Award-winning writer and producer Arvind Ethan David spoke to me about making sh*t up for a living, late bloomers, and adapting RAYMOND CHANDLER'S TROUBLE IS MY BUSINESS into a graphic novel. Arvind Ethan David is the Stoker Award-nominated graphic novelist who has also written chart-topping Audiodramas (The Crimes of Dorian Gray, Earworms), television (Anansi Boys) and plays (The Boy with Wings). Arvind is also a producer of film and theater, including the Emmy & Grammy award-winning musical Jagged Little Pill with Diablo Cody. His latest adaptation TROUBLE IS MY BUSINESS is a graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novella featuring one of the most well-known characters in hard-boiled fiction, detective Phillip Marlowe. Library Journal called it “A gripping adaptation of a classic short story [...] A compelling exploration of greed and justice in shadowy 1940s Los Angeles.” Arvind is a principal of Prodigal, the entertainment company where he has produced eight feature films including the Asian Academy Award-winning "The Garden of Evening Mists" and theatrical shows including the Tony- and Grammy-winning Alanis Morissette musical "Jagged Little Pill." [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Arvind Ethan David and I discussed: Why he was told to be more like Chekhov or Grisham His past lives as a lawyer and venture capitalist Working with some of the greatest writers in the world How storytelling is genetic Adapting one of the great prose stylists for a graphic novel The most interesting dinner in literary history And a lot more! Show Notes: Raymond Chandler's Trouble Is My Business – May 20, 2025 – by Raymond Chandler and Arvind Ethan David; illustrated by Ilias Kyriazis (Amazon) Arvind Ethan David on IMDb Arvind Ethan David on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Described as ‘the first lady of Irish cycling', Dervla Murphy was renowned for her intrepid spirit, and she remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, conservation and bicycling until her death in 2022. In this episode of the Slightly Foxed podcast we have gathered a number of those who knew and worked with Dervla to discuss the life and work of this extraordinary travel writer. Gail Pirkis and Steph Allen, from Slightly Foxed, worked with Dervla during their time at John Murray Publishers. Rose Baring was her editor at Eland Books and Ethel Crowley was a friend and editor of the recent anthology, Life at Full Tilt: The Selected Writings of Dervla Murphy. Together with our host Rosie Goldsmith they discuss Dervla's early years and inspiration, consider the experience of publishing her work and examine her place in the Ireland of her time. Born in Lismore, Ireland, in 1931, Dervla lived there until the end of her life. She was an only child and her parents, who originated from Dublin, encouraged her independence and love of books. Her father – who later became the much-loved Waterford County Librarian ‒ had been involved in the Irish republican movement and had served time in Wormwood Scrubs prison for his activities. Dervla spent her childhood caring for her mother who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, and then left school at 14 to care for her full-time. When her parents died in 1962 Dervla, at the age of 30, found herself free to travel. She acquired a bicycle and set out on a journey to Istanbul, through Iran and on to India during one of the worst winters in recent memory. This would become the subject of her first, and most famous book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, published in 1965. There followed numerous voyages with her trusty steed and 25 more books, including her highly acclaimed autobiography Wheels within Wheels. She won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Edward Stanford Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and a Royal Geographical Society Award. Dervla took huge risks, mostly travelling alone and in famously austere style, whether in far-flung Limpopo, the Andes, Gaza or closer to home, where she documented the worst of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Battling injury and political circumstance, she immersed herself in the lives of ordinary people caught in the shifting tides of power that dictated the terms on which they lived. To these people, she listened. What resulted was some of the most astute and compelling travel writing of the twentieth century. As the table choose their favourite book of Dervla's, we also have our usual round-up of current reading, including the latest mystery from Kate Atkinson, Death at the Sign of the Rook, the Booker Prize-nominated The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, and Jon Dunn's monograph on the hummingbird, The Glitter in the Green. For episode show notes, please see the Slightly Foxed website. Opening music: Preludio from Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major by Bach Hosted by Rosie Goldsmith Produced by Philippa Goodrich
We're excited to be back in your podcast feeds to pair highly anticipated fall book releases with beloved backlist favorites. Prepare to overload your TBR pile as we dive into an exciting fall publishing season filled with moody, atmospheric titles. In today's episode, we'll share our carefully curated lists of outstanding upcoming fiction from both renowned authors and indie presses, along with a selection of diverse fiction and nonfiction we think you'll enjoy, all paired with a backlist book to explore while you await your library holds and pre-orders. Before diving into the books, we want to remind our community that Chelsey will be on maternity leave this fall. As a small (very small!) business, this requires significant planning and adjustments. To best manage our schedules while preserving the community we've created, we will take a short break from the main feed while focusing on providing fun, nerdy new content on Patreon at patreon.com/novelpairings. We aim to return to the main feed in December or January with a special episode featuring the best books of 2024, along with a thrilling spring season. In the meantime, we will continue to offer bonus episodes, discussion-based classes, and book club events through our Patreon community. You can join us at either the $5 or $10 level, depending on your desired level of participation. We are incredibly thankful for your support. Thank you for being with us! Books Mentioned The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Frankenstein by Mary Shelley I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith Guide Me Home by Attica Locke The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia The Professor by Charlotte Bronte Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout Graveyard Shift by ML Rio If We Were Villians by ML Rio The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osmond The Wildes by Louis Bayard The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Jackie & Me by Louis Bayard The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng Heir by Sabaa Tahir Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Don't Be a Stranger by Susan Minot Sandwich by Catherine Newman All Fours by Miranda July The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann The Starling House by Alix E. Harrow Curdle Creek by Yvonnne Battle-Felton Ours by Philip B. Williams Lone Women by Victor Lavalle The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews Persuasion by Jane Austen The Wedgford Trials by Courtney Milian The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes Homefire by Kamila Shamsie Rental House by Weike Wang Chemistry by Weike Wang Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Kong The Fortnite In September by RC Sheriff Also Mentioned The English Teacher A Discovery of Witches Fiction Matters Substack Joyce Carol Oates Algonquin Books Anonymous Divorce/Sex Substack Cup of Jo Substack
Tan Twan Eng's debut novel The Gift of Rain was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2007 and has been widely translated. His second novel The Garden of Evening Mists won the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012 and the 2013 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Tan divides his time between Kuala Lumpur and Cape Town. His new novel is called The House of Doors and was long listed for the Booker Prize. We talked about W. Somerset Maugham, descriptive writing, historical research, having fun while writing, and the act of creation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tan Twan Eng, in some ways, has the perfect bibliography. He has written three books, all novels. All three have been on the short or long list for the Man Booker Prize. That should tell you how talented he is….and this is the first book he has published in more than a decade. The House of Doors is a lyrical and lovely read about the travels of William Somerset Maugham in Malaysia. Don't know Maugham's work? Doesn't matter. Don't know much about Malaysia? Doesn't matter. Tan Twan Eng's books transcend the familiar-getting to the humanity of every conflict, every story. This book transports readers….and its more than worth the price of the ticket. Books mentioned in this week's podcast: The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng This is Happiness by Niall Williams The Letter by William Somerset Maugham Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham The Casuarina Tree by William Somerset Maugham Time for a Tiger by Anthony Burgess Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The English novelist, playwright, and short story writer Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) lived a life as eventful as his prodigious literary output. In this episode, Jacke takes a look at Maugham's travels and travails, following Maugham across numerous continents as he sought material for his writing - and a safe resting place for himself and his various male companions. Then Jacke is joined by novelist Tan Twan Eng (The Gift of Rain, The Garden of Evening Mists) to discuss his new novel The House of Doors, which is based in part on Maugham's experiences on the Malay Peninsula. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tan Twan Eng was the first Malay writer to win a number of key literary prizes including the Man Asia Prize and the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction. David Oakes and Twan Eng first met whilst in Malaysia shooting the film adaptation of his Booker prize nominated “The Garden of Evening Mists”, and on the eve of publication for Twan Eng's new novel, “The House of Doors”, David seeks to find the secret behind the novelist's skill at crafting pitch-perfect nature metaphors - despite the truth of Twan wanting “…nature to be ordered”. Here we hear how Twan Eng met the Emperor of Japan's Gardener, how one should be weary of jungle spirits and tigers should one be 'caught short' in the Malay Rainforest, and how Twan Eng's heart, despite being born in Malaysia, is actually imbedded into the tow-paths of Richmond upon Thames; “I Dream in English” he says, as he shakes his gin martini... Why not become a "Subscription Squirrel" on our Patreon, and help support the production of this podcast? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tan Twan Eng talks to James Naughtie and a group of readers about The Garden of Evening Mists. A lyrical novel set largely in 1950s Malay (now Malaysia), it tells the story of Yun Ling, imprisoned by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War, and Aritomo, a master gardener who once worked for the Emperor of Japan. It's a complex and moving story about forgetting, forgiveness and mercy. Our next Bookclub recordings: (email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to join us) Wednesday 19th April at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House in London. Sarah Winman will be answering questions about her novel Tin Man. Wednesday 24 May at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House in London Mary Lawson on Crow Lake
Nadifa Mohamed joins James Naughtie and readers to talk about her award-winning novel The Fortune Men. Set in Cardiff in the 1950s, the novel is based on the real-life trial of Mahmood Mattan, a Somali seaman accused of murder. It's a powerful, moving read and a dazzling portrait of a proud, bewildered young man and his life in Cardiff's Tiger Bay. Upcoming recordings: 15 March at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London: Tan Twan Eng will be answering questions about his novel The Garden of Evening Mists. 19 April at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House, London: Sarah Winman on her novel Tin Man Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to come along.
Today we celebrate what I'm calling Dependence Day for Gardeners. We'll also learn about the gutta-percha pioneer - it's a fascinating story. We celebrate the California botanist who is remembered with a plant name and the name of a Canyon - and she was a tremendous conservationist. We also celebrate a botanist who is a sentimental favorite of mine - she died while collecting samples in the Western Himalayas almost eighty years ago today. We honor National Meadows Day - an annual celebration of the wildflower meadows of England - with some poetry. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a fiction book that was the Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize, and the main character finds "solace among the jungle-fringed tea plantations of [the] Cameron Highlands," and she also meets some incredible gardeners. And then we'll wrap things up with the flowers for the birthday of President Calvin Coolidge - in 1924 one newspaper headline said, "Cal's Cool and 52". But first, let's catch up on some Greetings from Gardeners around the world and today's curated news. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Gardener Greetings To participate in the Gardener Greetings segment, send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org And, to listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to play The Daily Gardener Podcast. It's that easy. Curated News Just moved? Build a Temporary Garden at Your New Home by Shawna Coronado "It's a smart plan to set up a temporary garden at your new home when you have just moved because you don't really understand the "lay of the land" in your garden yet. Understanding your garden takes at least a year. A YEAR!?!?! Yes. A year. An example of this is that the sunshine changes throughout your garden. In the winter, you might have the direct sun in some places, creating micro-climates, while in the summer, you could have the opposite. Understanding your sun, water, and other conditions on your property take a while." No Independence Day for Gardener (Click here to read my original blogpost) Alright, that's it for today's gardening news. Now, if you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There's no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events 1804 Today is the birthday of the gutta-percha pioneer Henry Bewley who was born on this day in Dublin, Ireland. A trained chemist, Bewley began work manufacturing soda water. Bewley's work with soda got him in touch with Charles Hancock, who was eager to develop a stopper for bottles. Hancock's solution came to him in the form of gutta-percha - a tough, rubber-like substance that had been discovered in the sap of Malayasian trees and brought to England in the mid-1840s. After Hancock showed Bewley the gutta-percha, he set about inventing the machine that would extrude the gutta-percha into tubing, which would ultimately find a purpose in dentistry and as an insulator for electrical wiring. Although their partnership would not last, Bewley and Hancock formed the Gutta Percha Company in London on February 4, 1845. Twenty years later, Bewley's company was swept up in the merger that created The Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company. Until the mid-1900s, it was gutta-percha that protected the transatlantic cables used for communication. The resin from gutta-percha was used to make all kinds of items like buckets and mugs, soles for shoes, bands for heavy equipment, buoys, and so forth. Early on, the uses for gutta-percha seemed endless - but its original use as tubing (thanks to Bewley) was vital for scientists and engineers working with wiring, liquids, and gases. Gardeners owed a debt of gratitude to Bewley. His gutta-percha tubing was perfect for this in-demand item called a garden hose. I thought you might enjoy hearing a little excerpt from this 1854 advertisement for gutta-percha. It features a testimony from a Mr. J. Farrah, the gardener to a successful attorney who lived on the estate known as Holderness House near Hull. "I have 400 feet of your gutta-percha tubing in lengths of 100 feet each [and I have used them] for the past 12 months for watering these gardens, and I find it... better than anything I have ever yet tried. The pressure of the water is very considerable, but this has not the slightest effect on the tubing. I consider this tubing to be a most valuable invention for gardeners, as much as it enables us to water our gardens in about half the time and with half the labor formerly required." 1976 On the 4th of July in 1976, a very hot day to go hiking, botanist Mary Dedecker made her way back to a spot in the desert of California where she had discovered a new plant earlier in June of that same year. When DeDecker reached the shrub, she was stunned. She remembers seeing the plants in full bloom - a gold profusion - and fondly recalled, "It was just golden. All over the dark cliffs, these golden bunches of this shrub." Mary and her husband, Paul, lived in Independence for over five decades. Paul's job brought them to the town. Mary remembered, "It was a different world up here. My husband would fish in the Alpine lakes of the High Sierra, and I would sketch and make notes on plants. There was virtually no literature on the flora of the eastern Sierra." Mary and Paul's DeDeckera shrub became the only species in the brand new Dedeckera genus, which was the first newly discovered genus in California in almost three decades. The DeDecker's shrub, the Dedeckera eurekensis, is a member of the buckwheat family and is commonly referred to as July gold. It's a rare plant and is only found in California's Inyo and White Mountains. These mountains are remote, but they were well-known by Paul and Mary, who loved to explore the desert and found it utterly enchanting. They lived to see the naming of Dedeckera Canyon, which was a unique honor. Believe it or not, there is a rule that geographic locations cannot be named after living people. In this case, the canyon was officially named after the Dedeckera plant genus named for Mary and Paul - but it clearly honored the couple all the same. It was a sneaky way to get around the rules. As a little girl, Mary learned to garden from her dad, who encouraged her to grow things. Her training as a botanist and her love of nature gave her the drive to search the desert floor on countless hikes in order to collect and catalog over 6,000 plant species. It's no wonder then that Mary successfully fought to preserve the Eureka Dunes, which are adjacent to the northwest corner of Death Valley. In Mary's lifetime, she was able to stop off-road vehicles from destroying the dunes. Regarding her three-decades-long fight, she said, "It was terribly frustrating. I was sick as I went out and watched [off-road vehicle users] tear up the place, spinning out the plants and seedlings, destroying animal habitats. They would be all over the dunes having the time of their lives, so unaware of the damage to the delicate and unique ecosystems. . . ." Much of her work involved researching the flowers of the dunes. Thanks to Mary, the Dunes became part of the over 500 nationally recognized natural landmarks in the United States. Mary DeDecker witnessed many impressive desert blooms during her lifetime. The beauty of the desert and the miraculous desert plant life never failed to hold her attention. Among her many published works, Mary was perfectly suited to write two books on California's desert flora. Today young botanists may be surprised to learn that Mary never received any formal training. Yet, Mary credited the help of countless botanists and the desert itself as her teachers. Through her devotion and fieldwork, Mary came to be regarded as one of the nation's top experts on plants of the northern Mojave Desert and Owens Valley. There is an interesting side note to Mary's story. In 1945, while on one of her desert hikes, Mary discovered the remains of a Japanese-American named Matsumura who had left the internment camp at Manzanar to go fishing with friends. He had been missing for one month when Mary discovered him. Authorities buried him in that spot, and then slowly, the world forgot about his resting place. For decades, people attempted to relocate his burial spot without any luck. His grave remained lost to time until it was re-discovered in 2019. 1939 The English botanist Lady Joan Margaret Legge ("LAY-gee") died after she slipped and fell while collecting samples in the Western Himalayas at Valley of Flowers in India. When she died, Lady Joan was 54 years old and unmarried, and the youngest daughter of the sixth Earl of Dartmouth. In addition to enjoying botany, Lady Joan served the poor through her local church. In 1922, she was nominated for Sheriff of Staffordshire county, but her dad disqualified her on the grounds that she owned no property. Before traveling to the Valley of Flowers, Lady Joan had spent the previous three years tending to her sick father. Then, she had spent the winter before her trip battling pneumonia. Although some of her friends were against her going to India, Lady Joan was eager to go, and many remarked that it was her first real holiday in ten years. The Valley of Flowers was an exciting destination. It had only just been discovered in 1931 - eight years before Lady Joan's visit. Three English mountaineers had stumbled on the Valley after getting lost. The Valley enchanted them, and the flowers made it seem like they were in a fairyland. One of the climbers was a botanist named Frank Smythe. He wrote a book called Kamet Conquered, and in it, he named the area the Valley of Flowers. The Valley of Flowers is a seven-day trip from Delhi. It is now a protected national park. As the name implies, it is a lush area famous for the millions of alpine flowers that cover the hills and slopes and nestle along icy flowing streams. Throughout most of the year, the Valley of Flowers remains hidden, buried under several feet of snow throughout a seven-to-eight-month-long winter. In March, the melting snow and monsoon activate a new growing season. There is a brief 3-4 month window when the Valley of Flowers is accessible – generally during the months of July, August, and September. The Valley of Flowers is home to over 500 varieties of wildflowers, and many are still considered rare. Along with daisies, poppies, and marigolds, there are primulas and orchids growing wild. The rare Blue Poppy, commonly known as the Himalayan Queen, is the most coveted plant in the Valley. Lady Joan ended up traveling to the Valley of Flowers as a direct result of Frank Smythe's book. Smythe's work inspired many, and it attracted the attention of Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden, and they sponsored Lady Joan's trip. After arriving in the Himilayas, Lady Joan was accompanied by guides and porters. As she made her way over the lower foothills, she collected alpine specimens. On the day she died, Lady Joan was traversing the slopes of Khulia Garva, which still attracts tourists. After she fell, her porters recovered her body. They buried her in the Valley at the request of her older sister, Dorothy. All of Lady Joan's belongings were packed up and sent home to England. The following summer, in 1940, Dorothy visited her sister's grave and placed a marker over the spot where she had been buried. Today, Lady Joan's marker is visited by tourists, and it includes poignant words from Psalm 121: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills From whence cometh my help Unearthed Words Today in the UK, it's National Meadows Day - an annual celebration of the wildflower meadows of England. Each year, the event takes place on or around the first Saturday of July. So, in tribute, here are little poems about meadows. How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold. — William Wordsworth, English Romantic poet In the meadow - what in the meadow? Bluebells, Buttercups, Meadow-sweet, And fairy rings for the children's feet In the meadow. In the garden - what in the garden? Jacob's Ladder and Solomon's Seal, And Love-Lies-Bleeding beside All-Heal In the garden. — Christina Georgina Rossetti, English poet, In The Meadow - What In The Meadow? Rose! We love thee for thy splendor, Lily! For thy queenly grace! Violet ! For thy lowly merit, Peeping from thy shady place! But mine airy, woodland fairy, Scattering odors at thy feet, No one knows thy modest beauty, No one loves thee, Meadow-Sweet! — Charles MacKay, Scottish poet, Meadow-Sweet The Meadow-Sweet was uplifting Its plumelets of delicate hue, The clouds were all dreamily drifting Above the blue. On the day when I broke from my tether And fled from the square and the street Was the day we went walking together In the meadow, sweet. The Meadow-Sweet with its clover And bright with Its buttercups lay; The swallows kept eddying over, All flashing and gay. I remember a fairylike feather Sailed down your coming to greet, The day we went walking together In the meadow, sweet. Ahl the Meadow-Sweet! and the singing Of birds in the boughs overhead l And your soft little hand to mine clinging, And the words that you said When bold in the beautiful weather I laid my love at your feet, The day we went walking together In the meadow, sweet. — Francis Wynne, Irish poet, Longman's Magazine, Meadow-Sweet In summer fields the Meadow-Sweet Spreads its white bloom around the feet Of those who pass In love or play The golden hours of holiday; And heart to answering heart can beat Where grows the simple Meadow-Sweet Embosomed in some cool retreat The long seed grasses bend to meet The stream that murmurs as it flows Songs of forget-me-not and rose; The filmy haze of noon-tide heat Is faint with scents of Meadow-Sweet. Ah, Love ! do you know Meadow-Sweet? Does some pale ghost of passion fleet Adown this dreary lapse of years, So void of love, so full of fears? Some ancient far-off echo greet The once loved name of Meadow-Sweet — William Leonard Courtney, English author and poet, Meadow-Sweet Grow That Garden Library The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng This book came out in 2012, and it won the Man Asian Literary Prize. Kirkus Reviews said, "The unexpected relationship between a war-scarred woman and an exiled gardener leads to a journey through remorse to a kind of peace. After a notable debut, Eng (The Gift of Rain, 2008) returns to the landscape of his origins with a poetic, compassionate, sorrowful novel set in the aftermath of World War II in Malaya…Grace and empathy infuse this melancholy landscape of complex loyalties enfolded by brutal history, creating a novel of peculiar, mysterious, tragic beauty." The book is a 4.5 star rated book on Amazon. It is 352 pages - and the perfect summer read for gardeners. You can get a copy of The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $3. Today's Botanic Spark 1924 President Calvin Coolidge is the only American President to have been born on the 4th of July and celebrated his 52nd birthday at the Whitehouse. To mark the occasion, he received a nearly 6-foot-tall floral arrangement from the Florist Telegraphers Association. The president was born at Plymouth, Vermont. Newspapers pointed out that while he was turning 52, the country was turning 148. One newspaper headline said, "Cal's Cool and 52". The Wilkes-Barre Record reported: "The President made no unusual observance of his birthday but joined with the nation in the July Fourth celebration. He spoke [in the] morning before the National Education Association. Later in the day, he planned to board the Presidential yacht (Mayflower) for a cruise down the Potomac. There were no White House guests, although the two sons of the President and Mrs. Coolidge, John and Calvin, Jr, were at home. E. T. Clark, private secretary to the president, said more than 46,000 cards and letters of congratulation had been received." Today, if you google "Calvin Coolidge 1924 birthday", you can see him standing on the south lawn next to the very large floral arrangement that was delivered to the White House. Three days after his birthday, Coolidge and his family suffered a personal tragedy. His younger son and namesake, Calvin Jr., developed an infected blister. He died on July 7 from sepsis. Although Coolidge became depressed, the public voted him into office, and he won a three-way race and the popular vote by 2.5 million votes over his two opponents' combined totals.
Want to remember what life was like pre-COVID? Tune into this episode (recorded in early March) with screenwriter Richard Smith as the Hollywood Uncorked panel engages in forbidden activity like sitting face-to-face, sharing several bottles of Italian Nero d’Avola, and wantonly leaving the house. Along the way they talk about Smith’s screenwriting career, which got off to an auspicious start when his very first film project, Leonard, went from British short to premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. This was followed by his feature-length writing debut, Trauma, starring Colin Firth, as well as Smith’s latest project, The Garden of Evening Mists, based on the acclaimed Malaysian novel and currently rolling out across HBO platforms in Asia.
Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Set in 1954, this Booker Prize winning novel follows a quintessential English butler named Stevens on a road trip to visit his manor’s former housekeeper Miss Kenton. This is the perfect novel for Downton Abbey fans, but it’s darker and more introspective than the show. In addition to the historical context of this modern classic, we discuss character-driven novels and four of Sara’s all-time favorite books. Our discussion includes: Personal reading preferences and the appeal of character-driven novels (6:55) The theme of regret (20:00) Connections to Downton Abbey and why fans needs to read this book (28:28) Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic including a time-hopping literary fiction novel and a cozy historical mystery. Today’s episode is brought to you by Libro.fm, the only audiobook company that allows you to purchase audiobooks directly from your favorite indie bookstore. You can get THREE audiobooks for $15 by clicking this link or by using code NOVELPAIRINGS at checkout. Librofm: https://libro.fm/membership/new Bookshop List: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-the-remains-of-the-day-by-kazuo-ishiguro-and-downton-abbey-fans Contemporary Pairings & Timestamps: Chelsey’s Pairings: Atonement by Ian McEwan (33:45), Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (39:24), Americanah by Chimamamnda Ngozi Adichie (46:15) Sara’s Pairings: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (36:37), The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (42:08), Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (49:07) Sara’s Pick: You’re Wrong About Podcast (52:38) Chelsey’s Pick: The Plot Against America on HBO (55:10)
'The Garden of Evening Mists' sees a young woman, a survivor of the Japanese Occupation, trying to build a memorial for her lost sister who she saw killed during the brutal Japanese Occupation. Aiming to build a Japanese garden, Yun Ling seeks out Aritomo - who was once the gardener for the Emperor of Japan. Michelle Martin speaks with Tan Twan Eng, Author of ‘The Garden of Evening Mists'.
The Fat Bidin Film Club Ep 194 - The Garden of the Evening Mists A woman seeking a quiet life in post-World War II British Malaya finds love and a common interest in gardening with a mysterious Japanese man. The Fat Bidin Film Club is also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9d-zWwtLKOU Copyright (C) 2020 Fat Bidin Media For more, visit http://fatbidin.com Interested in making your own films? Then why not get Zan Azlee's book 'Guide to indie filmmaking' today: https://fatbidin.com/guide-to-independent-filmmaking/ Buy Fat Bidin books, films and merchandise at http://fatbidin.com/store/
With the launch go The Garden of Evening Mists movie, we got author Tan Twan Eng in the studio to spill the beans on borrowed sceneries, horimonos and, the thrill of seeing your characters come to life on the big screen. Of course we needed out on books too!
閱讀完整影評: 【方格子】https://vocus.cc/@XXY2018/5de5ff86fd8... 【幕迷影評】https://www.movier.tw/post.php?SID=16... 入圍本屆金馬獎包括最佳影片、導演、女主角、改編劇本、美術設計、造型設計、攝影、剪輯、配樂等九項整體、演技、技術類型獎項;《夕霧花園》入圍的獎項涵蓋範圍可說是全方位。整部電影所散發出的時代氛圍十分迷人,讓人沈浸其中,久久無法自拔。 故事藉由李心潔所飾演的女主角張雲林,和妹妹在二戰期間,因日本南方作戰佔領馬來西亞半島的時空背景下而受到日軍迫害。在戰後,雲林承受著失去妹妹的傷痛,求助一位隱居金馬崙高原上的日本造園師,希望能夠委託造園師打造妹妹生前夢想的花園,並在打造花園的過程中獲得自我救贖。 你也有看過《夕霧花園》了嗎? 歡迎留言分享你的想法喔! 《夕霧花園》The Garden of Evening Mists 片 長 | 120分鐘 分 級 | 輔導級 12+ 上映日期 | 2019.11.29 導 演 | 林書宇 演 員 | 李心潔、阿部寬、張艾嘉 產 地 | 英國 發 行 | 甲上 語 言 | 英文 ------------------------------ 別忘了隨時關注XXY的影評和活動動態喔! ▶️ YouTube頻道: http://pcse.pw/9ZNYT ▶️ 臉書粉絲團:https://www.facebook.com/XXYanimalofv... ▶️ XXY @Yahoo頁面 https://tw.tv.yahoo.com/xxy/ ▶️ IG:xxy_djfishmb ▶️ XXY @方格子 https://vocus.cc/user/@XXY2018 以行動贊助我持續創作: ▶️ XXY @方格子 https://vocus.cc/user/@XXY2018 #影評 #電影 #點評 本節目由 Firstory Studio 上傳
On this episode of Checking In, Shirley Maylock joins us to discuss being a radio performer on the hit show The Lone Ranger. She talks about her time in radio and growing up in Detroit. She sees podcasting as the radio shows of the present and is surprised in the type of resurgence this form of media has. It's an exciting conversation and we hope you enjoy it. After the break, Annie & I talk about the things we've been doing and get sidetracked talking about studios teenagers and microbrews. Thanks for listening. Books: Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Watching: 27 Dresses Gilmore Girls Succession New Girl Chef Volume 2 Maren Morris' "Once" closes this weeks episode out.
Jenn and Liberty discuss cozy mysteries, books set in Malaysia, readalikes for Amélie and more in this week's episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Upgrade Soul by Ezra Claytan Daniels and Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS here, or via Apple Podcasts here. The show can also be found on Stitcher here. Questions 1. I really love the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, I love their feel. Maybe you could recommend something with a similar feel? Friendship and a great cast of characters, and not just action but also domestic things and hobbies and maybe some gentle humour. I would also love to find a book with a badass character such as the main protagonist of the Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie. --Anna 2. Hello there! I have recently been picking up a few cozy mysteries and I'm finding that I really enjoy the idea of these murder mysteries where nothing truly terrible happens (aside from the murder). I was wondering though, do you have any recommendations for cozies that have younger protagonists? I picked up Death by Dumpling on Liberty's recommendation on her show, and really liked it! Bonus points if it's bookish! tldr; cozy mysteries with protags in their 20s or so? Thank you so much! I love the show! --Ashleigh 3. Hello, I am a photographer and will be traveling to Kuala Lumpur for a photo festival in October. I would love to find some good books based in Malaysia to read prior to and during my trip. I usually read fiction, but I love nonfiction as well; especially Bill Bryson-esque travel writing. I am not very picky about what I read, but would prefer something that isn't too much of a "love story". My favorites range from Harry Potter to The Martian to Fahrenheit 451, so fantasy/sci-fi/magical realism are definitely up my alley, but I love a good mystery or realistic drama also. I know Malaysia is a fairly small country, so I will also accept books based in Singapore, Thailand, or the other small Asian countries surrounding Malaysia, but Malaysia based books would be preferred. Thank you! --Sean 4. One of my favorite movies is Amélie. I was wondering if you two know of any similar books? I don't need or even necessarily want the book to have the same kind of plot, but I'm more interested in the atmospheric quirkiness that Amélie captures so perfectly. Bonus points of the books is in France because I'm a bit of a francophile, but location doesn't actually matter all that much to me. Thanks! --Anon 5. Hi, I'm a long time listener, first time question-asker. I regularly pause to download kindle samples or go ahead and buy the book :) I am looking for chapter books/longer pictures books to read to my 3 year old son. (I am part way through listening to the early kid recommendation episode.) My husband read the Hobbit aloud and when Toby asked for a reread he essentially wanted the scenes where they were eating dinner (ie less scary things). We recently read and enjoyed the Mrs Noodlekugel series, we read the Thomas and Friends original books/stories, and we are currently in our Cars phase. (we have not yet read the Princess in Black series). I have the Wild Robot from the library but am thinking of pre-reading some to see if that's right. He has a decent attention span but after the Hobbit I want to make sure we're more level appropriate. Thank you! --Rhiannon 6. Hello Ladies! Thank you so much for doing this podcast-l have read so many new books because of your recommendations. I'm looking for new books for my husband. He's enjoyed The Radium Girls by Kate Moore, Packing for Mars by Mary Roach, and various YA non-fiction titles like Red Bandana and books on Jack London. His reading time is limited so shorter books that aren't too dense would be ideal. He likes history, adventure, and booze. Any recs would be greatly appreciated. If you have time, my son is 9 and will only read graphic novels. He loves Doug TenNapel and Dav Pilkey. Any other age appropriate authors we could binge read? He's read Amulet and Bone and enjoyed both. Thank you so much for your time. I love your show and can't wait to hear what you come up with! --Michelle 7. Hello, I am looking for books, fiction or nonfiction, to learn more about the trans community and gender fluidity. I hope I'm not coming across as rude or offensive; I am just not trans or gender fluid myself, and so don't know much about either of these communities. Nonfiction explaining the science of the transition process or the ideas of gender would be great; I'd also be interested in a memoir of someone who has transitioned or experiences gender fluidity. I'm open for whatever fiction you'd suggest as well. Thanks! --Becca Books Discussed How Long Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James All Systems Red (Murderbot #1) by Martha Wells Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle A Trifle Dead by Livia Day The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan (trigger warning: child abuse) The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, translated by Alison Anderson (tw: suicidal ideation) Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord Knights vs Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum Astronaut Academy by Dave Roman Being Jazz: My Life as a Transgender Teen by Jazz Jennings Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (trigger warning: child abuse)
Amanda and Jenn discuss romantic comedies, books about strong women, non-murdery true crime, and more in this week's episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Sadie by Courtney Summers, Mirage by Somaiya Daud, and Chica Chocolate. Feedback For Bess who wants full cast audiobooks: Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo both have great full cast recordings and I think they would work well for someone who liked His Dark Materials. --Insider Sibyl For the same person, anything by Tamora Pierce. At least one of her books was specifically written for audio and at least some were done by the company Full Cast Audio, who frankly has a lot of good middle grade fantasy stuff. --Insider Alanna Questions 1. Hello! I’m a huge fan of your podcast! I was hoping you could help me find some books to get me through a sort of stressful time. For the next two months I’m going to be working three jobs in two states - with 7 hours of travel each way when I switch states every week! I’m hoping to find some lighthearted yet well-written romantic comedies to help me de-stress during the long bus rides. I am open to almost any genre, as long as it’s smartly written. I love Jane Austen (though not Austen retellings unless they involve zombies), Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Eleanor Oliphant, and This is Where I Leave You. Stardust is my favorite Neil Gaiman novel. I was less keen on Attachments and Eligible because they felt a bit heavy handed/cheesy. It’s been tough to find the right balance of lighthearted without being too sugary, so I would love any suggestions! Thanks! --Andrea 2. Hello, ladies! I'm looking for a book about strong women that has a specific flavor to it. I can't describe it exactly, but books that have that feeling that I've read are The Help and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe. I love books that focus on women's relationships with each other, bonus points if it's historical fiction. Thanks in advance! --Therese 3. Hi, My mother retired a couple of years ago, and has been using some of her newfound free time to read a lot more. I am one of her main sources of reading recommendations, and am wondering if there is some stuff out there that I am missing that she might love. My recommendations tend to mostly be SFF, historical fiction, and non-fiction, with some YA that usually overlaps with SFF or historical. She also reads mysteries, but I am not looking for recommendations in that genre at this time. One of my main goals in my recommendations has been writer and character diversity: there are enough recommendation lists out there of books by straight white guys. We are also both white women, so I feel that it is important for us to educate ourselves on the stories and perspectives of people different from ourselves. Now, I am going to give a lot of examples of books she has read, because I worry about getting a recommendation back of something she has read. Of the books I have recommended, she has loved The Night Circus, A Tale for the Time Being, The Queen of the Night, Bad Feminist/ Difficult Women, The Signature of All Things, Tears We Cannot Stop, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, and Homegoing. She has also really liked books by Nnedi Okorafor, Connie Willis, Donna Tartt, Ruta Sepetys, Elizabeth Wein, Kate Atkinson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Junot Diaz, Stacey Lee, Carlos Ruiz Zafron, and Ursula Le Guin, as well as You Can’t Touch My Hair, The Library at Mount Char, Never Let Me Go, Swing Time, Greenglass House, We Need New Names, Americanah, Lab Girl, Another Brooklyn, Garden of Evening Mists, and Kindred. Books she just liked: Station Eleven, An Unnecessary Woman, Rise of the Rocket Girls, Everything Leads to You, Ninefox Gambit, Bone Witch, and Boy, Snow, Bird. Books already on my suggestion list: Shrill, Radium Girls, I contain Multitudes, Behold The Dreamers, Pushout: the Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, The New Jim Crow, Men Explain things to me, Pachinko, Inferior: How Science got Women Wrong, The Cooking Gene, the Winged Histories, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The Hate U Give, Infomocracy, Citizen by Claudia Rankine, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, Uprooted, Speak by Louisa Hall, The Fifth Season, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, George by Alex Gino, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Too Like the Lightning, Electric Arches, Labyrinth Lost, N.K. Jemisin, Zen Cho, and Jesmyn Ward. I would prefer backlist recommendations I may have missed, as I am pretty good at keeping up with new releases and determining if they seem interesting to either one or both of us. Thanks! --Mary 4. Hi! I'm wanting to read more fantasy and sci fi books as they're two of my favorite genres even though I haven't read a ton of books from either. I grew up reading Harry Potter. I've recently read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and mostly enjoyed them but I was very disappointed in the lack of female characters. I would love to read a fantasy or scifi book where several of the main characters are women, and that isn't graphically violent and doesn't include explicit sex scenes. I've read and enjoyed the first two books in the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer (reading 3 now) and Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. Thanks!! --Valerie 5. Hi, I'm looking for an audiobook for the Dr. I work for. He and his family with children aging from 18 to 6 years of age travel by car often. I'm looking for an adventure even a true life adventure, that would capture the attention of the children as well as the adults without a lot of swearing as they are a religious family. I know it's last minute. Your help is much appreciated --Tiffany 6. I need a recommendation to fulfill the Read Harder Challenge #2, a book of true crime. So far a lot of what I'm finding is things about serial killers or school shootings and for various reasons, books about murders, shootings, extreme violence etc are too triggering for me to get into a this point in life. But surely there must be true crime books about other topics? If it were a movie, I'd think something like Oceans 11 or Catch Me if You Can. Books about abductions or kidnapping are okay as long as they aren't too grisly or graphic. Thanks in advance for your help! --Jessica 7. Greetings, Jenn and Amanda! This is perhaps oddly specific, but I have recently realized that a premise I always love, whether in movie, TV, or books, is “unlikely group stranded together somewhere due to inclement weather.” I have always loved huge snowstorms and the resulting inability to go anywhere or do anything but hang out at home and read. I love seeing or reading about characters in a similar situation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a snowstorm that’s keeping the characters stranded, but that’s my favorite. I am open to any genre, but prefer romantic or other interesting interpersonal plot points to scary ones (i.e. group of people stranded by snowstorm deals with deranged killer on the loose). I love your show and I thank you! --Darcy Books Discussed For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig (out Sept 25) Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn The Color Purple by Alice Walker Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela Bone & Bread by Saleema Nawaz (TW: eating disorder) The Five Daughters of the Moon by Leena Likitalo Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis (rec’d by Jess) The Big Bang Symphony by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
This month we’re in The Book Lounge Bookshop in Cape Town, South Africa and talking to the Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng about his Man Asian Literary Prize-winning novel, The Garden of Evening Mists. This haunting tale, set in the jungles of Malaya during and after World War II, centres on Yun Ling, the sole survivor of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in which her sister perished. Driven by the desire to honour her sister’s memory through the creation of a lush and sensuous garden Yun Ling falls into a relationship with the enigmatic Japanese gardener Aritomo and begins a journey into her past, inextricably linked with the secrets of her troubled country’s history. (Picture: Tan Twan Eng. Credit: Lloyd Smith.)
This month we bring you a discussion on The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. Next month we discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. (Musical Credit: Confluence by John Williams)
We close 2014 with Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt. Next month we read The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. (Musical Credit: Georgia on my mind by Ray Charles)
Listen to an audio interview with Tan Twan Eng, 2012 Man Booker Prize shortlisted author on his novel The Garden of Evening Mists. For more information about the Man Booker Prize visit http://www.themanbookerprize.com/
Listen to audio extracts from the six shortlisted novels for the 2012 Man Booker Prize.