The General and Julia is a wonderful novel, delving deeply into the final days of Ulysses S. Grant. Not many know this, but at the end of his life, Grant was financially destitute and in a race to write his memoirs before his death. He knew that if he wrote his memoirs and did it well, it would leave his family financially stable. His love for his wife and c ... Show More
Nov 20
John Irving Creates a Queen
We DO love talking to John Irving. In our winding, wandering and wonderful conversation we cover it all from his newest, Queen Esther, the art of writing backwards, skiing in Vienna and the eccentricities of bike pump usage. If this description doesn’t entice you to listen, we ... Show More
35m 8s
Nov 6
Catherine Newman and Bittersweet Motherhood
Catherine Newman’s latest, Wreck, is a beautiful meditation on the act of motherhood. Revisiting the family from Sandwich as they enter a new phase of familial life. We all know that successful parents raise kids just to lose them to the world, and that this launch into independe ... Show More
36m 30s
Nov 2019
#3 - Time Travel, Stand Alones, and Books About Being Lost!
In episode three we Ariel is still reading the same thing but we manage to have a great time regardless! We find books for people feeling lost, books that have weird uses of time, and stand alones that aren't contemporary. Submit your book requests to booksunboundpodcast@gmail.co ... Show More
42m 33s
Jul 2024
The best books to read this summer
What should you read on the beach this summer? What about if you’re stuck indoors, or if you need a break from kids? Each June, our literary editor Fred Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle put together the FT’s summer books special, and today they give us their recomme ... Show More
23m 25s
Dec 2021
Cormac McCarthy, The Road, and Carrying the Fire
<p>Once a year, I read <a href="https://amzn.to/3cV0jYK" target="_blank"><i>The Road</i> </a>by Cormac McCarthy. It's a cathartic annual ritual for me. What is it about this novel that has such an impact on my soul and those of other readers? Who is the man who wrote it, and what ... Show More
52m 8s
Jun 2023
Cormac McCarthy, The Road, and Carrying the Fire
<p>Once a year, I read <a href="https://amzn.to/3cV0jYK" target="_blank"><i>The Road</i> </a>by Cormac McCarthy. It’s a cathartic annual ritual for me. What is it about this novel that has such an impact on my soul and those of other readers? Who is the man who wrote it, and what ... Show More
52m 18s
Nov 2019
YA Books for Adults + Adult Books for YA | 219
Nicole has a fantastic bookstagram account, and she particularly loves reading the Young Adult genre. So in this chat, she and Tsh talk about why so many adults like them love to read YA, along with lots of recommendations for dipping your toes into the YA waters as an adult read ... Show More
41m 8s
May 2022
EP298: How Mark Twain Helped a Bankrupt and Dying Ulysses S. Grant, I Lived Through The Depression And Didn’t Even Know It! and Overcoming the Loss of Both My Arms
<p>On this episode of <em>Our American Stories</em>, <strong>Christopher Klein</strong> tells the story of how <strong>Mark Twain</strong> and Ulysses S. Grant, the former president and Civil War hero, raced to complete a literary masterpiece that saved his wife from destitution. ... Show More
38m 15s
Dec 2023
Books books books! You asked, we answered
Today, we talk books. The FT’s books team recently published our annual books of the year special, and they join us to share their personal recommendations. They also answer listener questions: what books will get you out of ‘reader’s block’? What’s a good gift for a family membe ... Show More
18m 7s