Charles Dickens's late masterpiece Great Expectations is the subject of this episode of Backlisted. Joining John and Andy to discuss the book (and its celebrated author) are journalist and editor William Atkins and returning guest, novelist Lissa Evans. Also in this episode, Andy has been reading Spring by Ali Smith while John has been enjoying Max Porter's ... Show More
Yesterday
Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
Writer and critic Matthew De Abaitua joins Andy, Una and Nicky to discuss Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future (1930), the astounding first novel by Olaf Stapledon. The book is one of the founding texts of science fiction, a fact that has both assured its reputa ... Show More
1h 22m
Nov 11
Transit and the Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk
Something a little different this week. Andy, Una and Nicky discuss the novel Transit by Rachel Cusk, the second part of her award-winning Outline trilogy. Outline, the first volume was published in 2014, with Transit following two years later and then finally Kudos in 2018; our ... Show More
1h 18m
Oct 28
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
For this year's Halloween episode, we take a windswept walk across the Yorkshire moors with Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights — not as a tale of doomed romance, but as a novel steeped in gothic horror, mystery and the supernatural. With our resident spooky authorities, Andrew Male ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2019
Ep 208: The underappreciated art of literary forgery
Charlie Lovett joins Anne to discuss the enduring power of not only stories but the books themselves, how books connect people of all ages, and of all times, how we can preserve literature for future generations, the joy of a book as a physical object, the art of literary forgery ... Show More
50m 4s
Mar 2020
Ep 227: Putting your money where your literary values are
Guest Sterling Hardaway values efficiency and growth in his reading life, which has led him to a hefty serving of nonfiction to learn new exciting things, fiction that sidesteps predictable tropes to deliver a truly unique reading experience, and seeking out authors whose perspec ... Show More
41m 11s
Oct 2019
Ep 204: Nonfiction that reads like a thrilling novel
Today Anne talks books with David Krohse, an Iowa reader who’s woven a love of literature into all aspects of his life — the waiting room of his chiropractic practice, the bar with a group friends, and quality time spent with his wife. David loves larger than life nonfiction, esp ... Show More
42m 12s
Nov 2019
Ep 210: Book gifts are the BEST gifts
Break out the wrapping paper, because our yearly WSIRN holiday recommendation episode is here! Listeners wrote and called in to let us know who they wanted to give the gift of reading to this Winter, and today, Anne is joined by Holland Saltsman of The Novel Neighbor in St Louis ... Show More
57m 7s
Oct 2019
Ep 205: Books that won’t let you stop reading
Readers, sometimes podcasting doesn’t go as planned. Schedules conflict, last-minute emergencies strike, the flu sneaks up on us, Anne loses her voice during pollen season… and any of those situations can end with a guest cancelling their recording at the last-minute. That happen ... Show More
35m 39s