Podcasts about other impossible pursuits

In "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits," author Ayelet Waldman writes a novel about a woman and Harvard Law grad who struggles to connect with her stepson, discovering the meaning of family in the process. This discussion with the author took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. Photo: ayeletwaldman.com

Amanda and Jenn discuss disabled heroines, fast-paced audiobooks, Saga read-alikes, and more in this week's episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen and We Are Gathered by Jamie Weisman.   Questions   1. I am looking for a book for a recommendation where the heroine has a disability. I am trying to find books where the person takes care of themselves, meaning they do not need someone to take care of them. I just do not like how some books make women with disability are helpless. I want to find a women empowerment centered story, that can give women in my community know we can do anything. Thank you for the time and recommendations. --Alicia   2. I'm going on vacation in July, and likely won't have a ton of time to read. I'm looking for some graphic novel/comics I can bring with me for those moments where I can sneak in a few reading minutes. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Saga, but am having a hard time finding other graphic novels/comics that give me the same feelings and can hold my interest. I've tried Monstress and Ms. Marvel, and found they were ok, but not really my thing. I'm new (ish) to this genre, so I haven't read a whole lot in it. Thinking maybe something fantasy related, as I love to read in that genre, but it isn't a necessity. Thanks! --Sherry   3. My husband’s birthday is coming up end of June and I would love to gift him a great book. He mostly reads non fiction war history or science books (he’s a big fan of Jarod Diamond for example). He is a mountaineer, rock and ice climber and a huge outdoor person so enjoys stories about overcoming huge obstacles. He’s read a lot of books about Everest expeditions. When he wants to read something “for fun” he likes Stephen King or James Patterson. Hope you can help!! Thanks! --Heidi   4. I'm planning to challenge myself this summer on school break (I'm a history prof) and read around the world in 80 books. I'm good on Europe, Asia, much of Africa, and the Americas (of course, with some help from some of your previous show recommendations), but I'd like some recommendations from Australia/New Zealand, and perhaps a country that isn't usually a common setting, or a city that is often ignored by this type of atmospheric fiction or one I may not think of on my own. I'd like the physical setting to play an important part in the book; I really want to experience these places through reading, not just read something that could be Anycity, world edition. I'd love to get something by authors with an indigenous background, though women and LGBTQ authors are also encouraged. I'd prefer to have authors that are from the areas or have lived in them for significant periods of time. For this particular challenge, I'd like to read fiction. Favorite genres include mystery/noire (a "Witness the Night" type book would be amazing), I do like literary fiction, women-centered fiction that is feminist leaning and is funny, historical fiction without too much sex abuse--I'm so tired of my main characters getting sold into sex work--and books that center in some way around food and cooking such as "Like Water for Chocolate." I enjoy magical realism. No hurry! I won't be starting this until June, and I've got a number of books to start with before I need more. --Kate   5. Hello! I've recently started reading more romance novels and noticed that most of what I've read has featured men who align with pretty normative ideas of masculinity. I don't mean to say this is inherently bad or that the characters or books are misogynistic. Also, I will say we almost always get to see a softer side to these men. It's just the men aren't usually shown as soft from the get go, if that makes sense. I was just wondering if y'all could recommend any adult romance novels that feature men who exhibit gentleness as a prominent feature of their personality. I tend to read historical romance, but will be happy to take any recommendations. Thank you both so much & have a great day! --Jessica   6. Hi Amanda and Jenn! I'm looking for a good audiobook while i'm in public transportation. I've tried some audiobook and only few were able to keep me active. I've realise that most of it is because of the narrator. Some heavy old british accent made me sleepy! ahah I love fantasy but I prefer to read it instead of listen to it. I realise that I prefer shorter standalone audiobooks because their tends to have faster pace. Some examples of audiobooks that I've loved: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Some other example of books that i loved last year: The Hate U Give and The Night Circus Thank you so much! --Emilie   7. I recently started getting serious with a pretty fantastic guy. The thing is, he has two kids (7 and 9) and I'm a little freaked out about the prospect of being a stepmom. Do you have any book recommendations about navigating this territory? I'm good with fiction or non-fiction, any genres. Bonus if it there's some diversity in the picks as his kids are biracial and we are an interracial couple as well. Thanks ladies! --Amanda   Books Discussed Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi Friend (With Benefits) Zone by Laura Brown Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios ODY-C by Matt Fraction and Christian Ward Shark Drunk by Morten A. Stroksnes Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler The Bone People by Keri Hulme (tw: child abuse) That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott Bound to be a Groom by Megan Mulry Here's a post about beta males in romance A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert (tw: discussion of abusive relationships) Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke Stepmonster by Wednesday Martin Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman (tw: miscarriage)

Show #156 | Guest: Ayelet Waldman is the author of the novels Love and Treasure, Red Hook Road, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, and Daughter’s Keeper, as well as of the essay collection, Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace, and the Mommy-Track Mystery series. She was a federal public defender and taught a course on the legal implications of the War on Drugs at the UC Berkeley law school. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Michael Chabon, and their four children. | Show Summary: Bestselling author Ayelet Waldman joins In Deep’s Angie Coiro for a conversation on micro-dosing, family, marriage and how it all ties together (or sometimes doesn’t). Coiro sits down with Waldman for a special one-hour edition of In Deep to discuss the problems facing parents today, the underground community of micro-dosers across the country, and her new book “A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life.”

New York Times best-selling author Ayelet Waldman’s new novel, “Love and Treasure,” was called a “treasure trove” by Joyce Carol Oates. Previous books include “Red Hook Road” and “Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace.” Her novel “Love and Other Impossible Pursuits” was made into a film starring Natalie Portman. Waldman’s personal essays, profiles and commentaries have appeared in the New York Times, Vogue, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, "All Things Considered" and "The California Report." She reads to an audience at UC Berkeley. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 28224]

New York Times best-selling author Ayelet Waldman’s new novel, “Love and Treasure,” was called a “treasure trove” by Joyce Carol Oates. Previous books include “Red Hook Road” and “Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace.” Her novel “Love and Other Impossible Pursuits” was made into a film starring Natalie Portman. Waldman’s personal essays, profiles and commentaries have appeared in the New York Times, Vogue, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, "All Things Considered" and "The California Report." She reads to an audience at UC Berkeley. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 28224]

Tune in when Patricia interviews Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Treasure. Ayelet Waldman is the bestselling author of the novels Red Hook Road and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, as well as the essay collection Bad Mother. Love and Treasure ingeniously weaves a surprising tale in triptych around the fascinating, true history of the Hungarian Gold Train in the Second World War

Tune in when Patricia interviews Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Treasure. Ayelet Waldman is the bestselling author of the novels Red Hook Road and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, as well as the essay collection Bad Mother. Love and Treasure ingeniously weaves a surprising tale in triptych around the fascinating, true history of the Hungarian Gold Train in the Second World War

Ayelet Waldman, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

The author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits offers a sane and bracingly honest perspective on the challenges of motherhood.

When the headlines scream about a bad mother, famous or not, we can't seem to get enough. Those most intent on sucking the marrow out of these kinds of stories are mothers. In this podcast I talk with Ayelet Waldman, author of The New York Times bestseller "Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace" (Doubleday 2009). From her perspective as a mother of four, a wife, a writer, and an ardent feminist, Ayelet talks with passion and fearlessness about being a mom in the 21st century. About Ayelet Waldman Ayelet Waldman is writer whose books include The New York Times bestseller "Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace." Her other books include: "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits", "Daughter's Keeper" and the Mommy-Track Mysteries. Her personal essays have been published in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines including the NY Times, Vogue and Parenting. Her radio commentaries have appeared on NPR's "All Things Considered." The film version of "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits", with Natalie Portman in the lead role, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2009. More info at: AyeletWaldman.com Subscribe to Family Confidential on iTunes: http://bit.ly/famconf Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.