2002 was the breakout year for the humorist Bruce Cameron. The previous year he had finally gotten his first book published and in 2002 as "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter: And other tips from a beleaguered father [not that any of them work]" was coming out in paperback he was on a roll. Bruce was coming through Dayton to honor the late Erma Bombeck when I caught up with him. The book was being developed for a television pilot which then became a TV series and he was definitely on

Andy Martin spent a year shadowing the best-selling author Lee Child. Child allowed Martin to watch him as he was writing another one of his novels in the blockbuster series that features Jack Reacher. He sat there like a fly on the wall as Child typed away in his apartment which overlooks Central Park. He went out to eat with Child. He encountered Lee Child's fans. He gives us an up close and personal view of the man behind these popular books. He even reveals this nervous author who was

Professor Keith Doubt returned to the program to discuss his latest book about Bosnia. If you want to gain a better understanding of this region and the impact that the Dayton Peace Accords have had on the nation of Bosnia this interview could serve to enlighten you. The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library , Clark County Public Library , Dayton Metro Library , Wright Memorial Public Library , and

In 2012 I had an opportunity to interview Robert K. Massie. The author was probably best known for his blockbuster biography of the last monarchs of imperial Russia, the doomed "Nicholas and Alexandra." Massie had also written a highly regarded biography of another czar, Peter the Great. 8 years ago he published another monumental biography of a Russian ruler in "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" and he joined me on the telephone to talk about the paperback release of what ultimately

In 1958 a mining disaster in Canada made headlines all over the world. The design of the mine had been a risky one and when it collapsed it did not come as a huge surprise. There were many fatalities that day but miraculously some miners remained alive, trapped inside the mine. In her book "Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster" Melissa Fay Greene describes the rescue efforts that followed and what it was like for the men who were struggling to survive down below. Their food

Back in 2002 James McBride made his first appearance on the program to talk about his first novel "Miracle at St. Anna." James has come back to be my guest on a number of other occasions and he has become one of my favorite guests. James is a brilliant writer. His novel "The Good Lord Bird" won the National Book Award. He finally has another novel due to come out next year so hopefully we can have him back for another interview. One of my favorite aspects of this first interview with him was the

Marty Wingate made her first appearance on the program to discuss her latest mystery novel, "The Bodies in the Library." This is the initial installment in her First Edition Library series and fans of mysteries might recognize the title is an homage to that Queen of Mystery; Agatha Christie. Her protagonist in this story is Hayley Burke, the recently installed curator of Lady Georgianna Fowling's First Edition Library in Bath, England. Hayley is no sleuth, in fact she's barely a curator. She

The debut of the iPhone seems to have signaled a tipping point in our culture. A dozen years later millions of us are addicted to our screens; on our televisions, on our computers, and on those now ubiquitous "smart" phones. Tiffany Shlain was just as entranced by technology as the rest of us but about ten years ago she decided to make a conscious effort to draw the line and put up some resistance to all those screens that had taken over her life. Her solution is described in her book "24/6: The

Mark Kurlansky made his one and only appearance on the program to discuss his fascinating study of a substance that seems ubiquitous to us in "Salt: a World History." Kurlansky has distinguished himself by publishing scholarly studies that are treasure troves of trivia. In the past the people who had access to large quantities of salt possessed enormous power. You can learn so much from reading this book and Kurlansky gives a great interview. He has published a number of books since this

Our senior U.S. Senator from Ohio is Sherrod Brown. When he was first elected to the U.S. Senate he was brought on to the floor of the Senate chamber along with the other newly elected first-time Senators. They were there to choose their desks. The desks are numbered. In this interview he described the moment when he decided he wanted to be seated at a particular desk. Over the past century or so many of the legislators who have been seated in that assembly have carved or written their names