Book Nook

By Vick MickunasArts Books

Book Nook episodes

April 18, 2020 Book Nook: Abraham Lincoln, by George McGovern
I collect articles related to President Richard M. Nixon. I call my collection my Nixonia. I have the things you might expect; buttons, bumper stickers, books, and photos. I also have some more unusual items like a cast iron Nixon bank, a Dick Nixon board game, and a box of Nixon bubble gum cigars from his 1960 campaign. The things I treasure most are the Nixonia items I have been able to create. Those would be the interviews I have done with individuals who are big parts of the Nixon story. I
29 min
April 09, 2020 Book Nook: Darling Rose Gold, by Stephanie Wrobel
Some novels are so fresh and original it is always a pleasant shock to discover them. "Darling Rose Gold" by Stephanie Wrobel is one of those books. Her premise is so original. As the book begins our protagonist, Darling Rose Gold, of our title, is picking her mother up to bring her home from prison. Her mother has been serving time for something she did. Her mother had been afflicted with what is known as Munchausen's syndrome by proxy. The things she had forced her daughter to endure as a
29 min
April 06, 2020 Book Nook: Storm Lake: Change, Resilience, and Hope in America's Heartland, by Art Cullen
Last year I had Art Cullen on to talk about his book "Storm Lake: Change, Resilience, and Hope in America's Heartland." It was one of my favorite books of 2019 and I made a mental note to myself to ask him to come back for another appearance when the book came out this year in paperback. I contacted him in January-he asked me to check back with him after the Iowa caucuses. So I did that. Then he asked me to get back to him after the Super Tuesday primaries. I did that, too. You see Art is a busy
50 min
April 03, 2020 Book Nook: Long Range, by C.J. Box
C.J. Box returned to the program to talk about his latest book in a long-running crime series that features a protagonist who is a game warden in Wyoming. These books have attracted a significant readership and are routinely best-sellers. As this story opens someone has just fired a bullet and readers are given the slow motion vantage point of that projectile as it passes over a long distance and eventually (in a couple of seconds) crashes through the window of a home and hits someone. Who was
29 min
April 01, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: The Assassin, by Clive Cussler
Clive Cussler, who died last month, was a publishing legend. Over the course of his long career Clive Cussler sold over 100 million books. Not bad, for a guy who had to resort to trickery to obtain his first publishing contract. Cussler was immensely prolific and would often produce a book every 3 months. They were not meant to be great literature. His intent was clear; he wished to entertain his readers. In 2015 his publicist suggested that I might want to interview him. So I did. He was
35 min
March 30, 2020 Book Nook: Dark Towers, by David Enrich
President Trump has a complicated financial history. When he was running for president in 2016 he refused to release his tax returns. Presidential candidates who are interested in providing some transparency regarding their financial records will usually disclose such information. He said he could not release his tax returns because they were under audit but that he would release them eventually. That was three years ago and he continues to block any efforts to have that information revealed.
29 min
March 25, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: White Doves at Morning, by James Lee Burke
James Lee Burke has made more appearances on the program than any other author. In 2002 I interviewed him for his book "White Doves at Morning," a stand-alone novel that remains one of my favorite books that he has written. There are quite a few books to choose from, he will publish his 40th book in May. I have many favorite interviews with Jim as well but I have to admit that this one holds a special place in my heart. Everything about it felt just right. If this isn't my favorite conversation
50 min
March 23, 2020 Book Nook: The Dark Corners of the Night, by Meg Gardiner
Meg Gardiner remembers living in southern California when a serial killer known as The Night Stalker was on the prowl. She derived her inspiration for her latest thriller, "The Dark Corners of the Night," from that real life crime rampage but this story is definitely a work of her imagination. If you enjoy stories that keep you flipping pages while you are barely holding on to the edge of your chair then you might like this one. It contains the most exciting chase scene that I have read in years
29 min
March 21, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: In Dog Years I'd Be Dead: Garfield at 25, by Jim Davis
Garfield the Cat is one of the most enduring characters in the world of comics. It rivals legendary franchises like Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, and The Far Side in popularity. And unlike those other strips Garfield just keeps chugging along as the creator of this chubby, sarcastic feline, Jim Davis, continues to crank out the work at his studio in Indiana. In 2002 the Garfield strip celebrated the 25th anniversary of his widely syndicated production and Jim Davis put out a special book to mark
50 min
March 11, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: Galileo's Daughter, by Dava Sobel
The astronomer Galileo had a daughter and they were very close. She lived a fairly cloistered life because she was a nun but she did keep a diary. The author Dava Sobel mined her diary entries to fashion a truly exquisite book. This has been Dava Sobel's only appearance on the program to date. What a pleasure it was to have a conversation with someone who is so articulate and who has such a fine mind. The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support
29 min

About Book Nook

From the publisher's feed

Listen to the Book Nook with Vick Mickunas for intimate conversations about books with the writers who create them.Vick Mickunas introduced the Book Nook author interview program for WYSO in 1994.…