Book Nook

By Vick MickunasArts Books

Book Nook episodes

March 07, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: Couldn't Keep It to Myself, edited by Wally Lamb
Wally Lamb returned to the program for his third visit in 2003. Wally is one of those fortunate writers who has had books chosen to be featured by Oprah's Book Club. Writers used to pray that Oprah would pick one of their books. She picked Wally Lamb twice. Ever since he had that good fortune Wally Lamb has been returning the favor by performing good works and acts of charity. For many years he has been teaching writing classes for women at a prison in Connecticut. This book, "Couldn't Keep It
51 min
March 04, 2020 Book Nook: What Is Time to a Pig? by John Straley
If you asked me to name my favorite living writer in Ohio I would tell you it is Donald Ray Pollock. If you asked me to name my favorite living author in any other state I could not do it, with one exception: my favorite living author who lives in Alaska is a guy named John Straley. John lives in Sitka and he recently retired from his job as a public defender. Now he has time to write lots of books! Oh, how lucky we are. His latest offering, "What Is Time to a Pig?" is set in the very near
29 min
March 02, 2020 Book Nook: Harvest the Vote: How Democrats Can Win Again in Rural America, by Jane Kleeb
Jane Kleeb believes the Democratic Party has a serious problem and if they remain unwilling to recognize it and attempt to fix it they stand little chance of regaining a US Senate majority or even getting another candidate elected to the White House. The problem as Kleeb sees it is this: the Democrats have written off rural voters. Their national candidates can hardly be bothered to campaign in rural areas. Rural voters feel marginalized and ignored as a result. Kleeb knows what she is talking
50 min
February 28, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: President Nixon - Alone in the White House, by Richard Reeves
If you have been listening to the show for a number of years you might have observed that I am intrigued by our former president Richard M. Nixon. I collect Nixon stuff. People who know me understand that if they possess memorabilia related to Nixon, material I refer to as Nixonia, then they have found a guaranteed way to impress me. On this program I have been able to invent some unusual techniques for adding to my Nixonia archive by hosting interviews that are related to that disgraced
29 min
February 20, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: The Special Prisoner, by Jim Lehrer (A Memorial Tribute)
When President Richard M. Nixon resigned from office he did so after millions of Americans had watched the Watergate hearings being broadcast from our US Congress on television. I was one of the viewers of that captivating, historic coverage. A number of journalists were able to use that exposure to a larger audience as a springboard to long, illustrious careers. One of those reporters was a young Jim Lehrer, he who went on to have a remarkable, distinguished career with PBS as the host of The
51 min
February 18, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: Good In Bed, by Jennifer Weiner
In a recent podcast post I mentioned how much I enjoy interviewing authors who have just published their first books. Sometimes those writers will go on to have successful careers. The majority of them will just keep plodding along without ever making any best-seller lists. When Jennifer Weiner came to see me 19 years ago to do a live radio show before her book signing that night in Dayton she had just published her first book in what became a series that features Cannie Shapiro. The book, "Good
29 min
February 15, 2020 Book Nook: The Shape of Regret, by Herbert Woodward Martin
The poet Herb Martin has made a number of appearances on the show over the years. It is always such a treat to be able to feature him as a guest. Herb just published a new poetry collection, "The Shape of Regret," and I invited him out to our studios in Yellow Springs to talk about it. There are so many lovely poems in this collection and Herb shared some of them with our audience. If you listen to the entire podcast you'll find a tasty poetic surprise right at the end of this recording. The
50 min
February 13, 2020 Book Nook: How Quickly She Disappears, by Raymond Fleischmann
One of my favorite aspects about the process of talking to authors about their work are those times when I have opportunities to interview writers who have just published their first books. Some of these authors have gone on to become very well known. When that happens I like to recall what it was like to talk to them when they were still unknown, still fresh, still uncertain about their prospects. The other day I recorded a radio show with an author who was about to publish her first book.
29 min
February 11, 2020 Best of the Book Nook: The Social Lives of Dogs, by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Twenty years ago I had the pleasure to meet Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. She was on book tour for her book "The Social Lives of Dogs: The Grace of Canine Company" and she came out to our studios in Yellow Springs to talk to me about it on the radio. Her previous book "The Hidden Life of Dogs" had been a surprise best seller. If you love dogs you will hopefully savor this interview. This was my one and only opportunity to talk to her and we had so much fun that day. I'll give this book and this
51 min
February 06, 2020 Book Nook: The Hollows, by Jess Montgomery
Jess Montgomery returned to the program to talk about her second novel in her Kinship series of historical fiction. "The Hollows" is set in SE Ohio during the mid 1920s and her protagonist, the first female sheriff in Ohio, is trying to solve a mysterious death that she thinks might have been a homicide. Some members of her community are insisting that the death of this elderly woman was a suicide and that there's no reason to investigate any further. Montgomery picks up where she left off in
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.…