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
Aug 21
Kathy Wang Believes in Satisfaction
Kathy Wang’s newest, The Satisfaction Café is the story of Joan Laing, her compromises, her victories, her loves and her loneliness. In this memorable story, Joan and her reflections lead us through the journey of her life…culminating in the opening of a unique, strange and lovel ... Show More
32m 11s
Aug 14
Our Writer in Residence Finishes His First Draft
J. Ryan Stradal is our Writer in Residence, if you have been following along. What does that mean? Well, we have been with him from step one since he started his fourth novel, as yet unnamed. A deeply personal novel that imagines the third act his mother might have lived if she h ... Show More
39m 28s
Aug 7
Classics Series: Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is a feverishly paced, lyrical portrait of an unnamed African American man in the 1930’s. Hauntingly beautiful and raw, this book changed how Americans think about race. Immediately popular and the winner of the National Book Award in 1953, Ralph Ell ... Show More
36m 12s
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
Once a year, I read The Road 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 was he trying to do with this story of a father and son struggl ... Show More
52m 8s
Jun 2023
Cormac McCarthy, The Road, and Carrying the Fire
Once a year, I read The Road 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 was he trying to do with this story of a father and son struggl ... 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
On this episode of Our American Stories, Christopher Klein tells the story of how Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant, the former president and Civil War hero, raced to complete a literary masterpiece that saved his wife from destitution. Donald Sturm tells the story of how his paren ... 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