Book Nook

By Vick MickunasArts Books

Book Nook episodes

February 11, 2017 Book Nook: Substance-Inside New Order, by Peter Hook
Peter Hook returned to the program to discuss his latest music memoir. Some listeners will recall that Peter joined us a few years ago to talk about his Joy Division book. After Joy Division's vocalist Ian Curtis killed himself 37 years ago the band reformed as the New Order and Peter Hook carried on as their bassist for many years. New Order enjoyed great commercial success but as Peter relates in this new book their fame came with a heavy cost. This book is massive. Hooky, as he is known,
52 min
February 09, 2017 Book Nook: An interview with Harry Campbell, Rare Book Conservator at the Ohio State University
The Book Nook is an author interview program. Over the years almost every guest I have featured on the show has had a new book out. On occasion I'll interview a guest who doesn't have a book. I will do this because I think our listeners will enjoy the interview and hopefully, a change of pace. A number of years ago I interviewed a woman who called herself Julia Butterfly. She had not written a book. But I was holding out hope that she would because she was doing a very interesting thing at the
29 min
February 04, 2017 The Best of the Book Nook: A Memorial Tribute to Eugene Cernan
We have had some famous astronauts on the program. John Glenn made an appearance that became the longest interview in the history of the Book Nook. It ran over an hour. I rolled over NPR's news headlines at the top of the hour because I was still talking to John on the telephone and it was a live interview! Buzz Aldrin has made two appearances on WYSO. He was the second man on the moon. He's quite famous for that. Buzz can be somewhat combative. Some years ago he encountered a fellow who
51 min
February 02, 2017 Book Nook: Baby Birds - An Artist Looks Into the Nest, by Julie Zickefoose
Nobody had ever done this before. Julie Zickefoose spent years drawing pictures of baby birds from life. She studied these tiny creatures as they developed in the nest. Each day she would create new portraits of these delicate nestlings. Her paintings of birds are magnificently rendered. Nobody had ever attempted a study like this one. Why? Because Julie Zickefoose is apparently the only person with this kind of ambition and talent and perseverance. She's also a fabulous writer. After you read
29 min
January 31, 2017 The Best of the Book Nook: A Memorial Tribute to Nat Hentoff
Many years ago I was spending a quiet Saturday afternoon inside a music listening room at my high school. There were shelves jammed with old record albums in there along with a turntable and a set of headphones. For a young music buff who was just discovering jazz that was my version of heaven. As I riffled through the stacks I discovered a pile of ten inch, 33 1/3 RPM platters from the 1950's. I cued up a record called "Jazz from Storyville" and as I sank into the vibe that was emanating from
51 min
January 26, 2017 Book Nook: Burning Bright, by Nick Petrie
Lee Child is one of the most generous writers around. He is an advocate for other writers. He provides enthusiastic blurbs for books he has enjoyed reading. A blurb from Lee Child can really give an unknown author a boost. I have Lee Child to thank for turning me on to a writer named Nicholas Petrie. Lee returned to the program recently and I quizzed him about books that he has really liked. He responded with a hearty endorsement of the work of Nick Petrie. I tracked down Nick's first novel and
29 min
January 23, 2017 Book Nook: The Great Forgetting, by James Renner
Over the years I have had the opportunity to interview authors at various stages in their careers. Some of the writers that I have interviewed have gone on to become spectacularly successful. Nicholas Sparks comes to mind. When I interviewed him for "The Notebook," his first book, he seemed slightly dazed by the positive early reviews and he was reluctant to believe that fame was in his future. Well, he has sold a gazillion books since our first interview and he quit his day job as a
50 min
January 12, 2017 Book Nook: Sowing, by Angie Grigaliunas
Angie Grigaliunas has created a stunning imaginary world in her dystopian fantasy novel "Sowing." This is the first book in her "Purification Era" series. She is still planning the series and during this interview she stated that it will probably take at least eight books to complete it. In "Sowing" a city is being brutally ruled by a group known as the Hulcondans. Groups of rebels are plotting to overthrow this regime. These rebels are being hunted down and any insurrection will be violently
29 min
January 10, 2017 Book Nook: The Great Surge - the Ascent of the Developing World, by Steven Radelet
Did you realize that over the last several decades millions of people around the world who have been living in poverty have seen their standards of living improve? It is true. One large factor in this improvement has been due to the surging economy of China as millions of Chinese have been able to see their economic standings rise. This has been happening in many other countries as well. Steven Radelet decided that it was time to start spreading this good news. Radelet is an authority on these
51 min
January 05, 2017 Book Nook: The Passenger, by Lisa Lutz
Lisa Lutz gave us one of the standout novels of 2016. "The Passenger" was so clever, so enthralling, so devilishly twisted, that I had Lisa on the program for the hardcover release early in the year, then after I had spoken to her that first time I was so enchanted by her wit (and her novel) that I invited her back to the program for another visit when the book was issued in paperback later in the year. During that first interview Lisa suggested that I might also enjoy the work of Megan Abbott.
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.…