"Empathy"

Chatter rolls into the holidays with David, Torie, Marc Sterne and our favorite Mayor Jud Ashman. Book news (COB authors continue to crush "best of" lists) and holiday gift ideas start things off. Jud pitches us all on poetry – Billy Collins might just be the exception (and who knew Marc was a fan?). Rebecca Renner zooms in with "Gator Country," her fascinating and beautifully written look at the complex intertwining of people, creatures, and plants all struggling to survive.