Book Nook

By Vick MickunasArts Books

Book Nook episodes

December 23, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: A Memorial Tribute To Robert K. Massie
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
51 min
December 18, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster by Melissa Fay Greene
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
29 min
December 17, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Miracle at St. Anna, by James McBride
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
52 min
December 09, 2019 Book Nook: The Bodies in the Library, by Marty Wingate
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
29 min
December 06, 2019 Book Nook: 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, by Tiffany Shlain
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
50 min
December 02, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Salt: a World History, by Mark Kurlansky
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
29 min
November 25, 2019 Book Nook: Desk 88 - Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America, by Sherrod Brown
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
50 min
November 22, 2019 Book Nook: The Long Call, by Ann Cleeves
Since I began interviewing authors on WYSO in 1994 I have kept a list of people I would really like to have on the program. Now and then I'll get to check a name off my list but it doesn't happen that often. Some names I simply have to cross off without ever having done an interview. Obviously when authors die that forces me to remove them from my list. Then there are the writers who are simply so famous that I do not realistically have a chance of ever interviewing them. Stephen King would be a
29 min
November 20, 2019 Book Nook: The Library Book, by Susan Orlean
Susan Orlean made her first appearance on the program to discuss the paperback reissue of her bestseller "The Library Book." I had wanted to interview Susan for some time. A number of years ago she wrote a book about Rin Tin Tin and I really wanted to interview her for that non-fiction history of the 1950's canine TV star but I could never arrange to get her on the schedule to do that. Then when "The Library Book" came out in hardcover I tried again to get an interview but had no luck again. I
50 min
November 18, 2019 Book Nook: If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians, by Neenah Ellis
Some years before Neenah Ellis came to WYSO to become our station manager she passed though our region on a publicity tour for her book "If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians." I liked the book so much that I had her on the program twice, once for the initial hardcover release, then again when it came out the following year in paperback. This collection of interviews that Neenah conducted with Americans who had been living for over a century was originally conceived to be a radio
29 min

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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.…