 Once again we asked the hosts and producers of WILL-AM 580’s radio programs for summer reading suggestions.
Some of them even sent in some listening suggestions.
What are other WILL staff
recommending?
(Pictured, left to right: Harriet Williamson,
David Inge, Celeste Quinn, Martha Diehl) |
From Martha Diehl, associate producer,
Focus 580
Blue Wolf in Green Fire: A Woods Cop Mystery by
Joseph Heywood.
Set in Michigan's upper peninsula, the reader gets a
look at the life of a state conservation officer, the
ruggedness of the land, and competing interests with a
bit of animal rights' politics thrown into the mix.
Dean and Me (A Love Story) by Jerry Lewis and
James Kaplan.
Lewis' story of his meeting, partnership, and break-up
with Dean Martin. Lewis doesn't paint himself a saint,
but truly pays homage to a man he loved, and felt never
got due credit when they were partners.
Mariner's Compass by Earlene Fowler.
Imagine inheriting a house not far from your own, but
only if you live alone in it for two weeks. Then you
find your lost jacket in the closet, and given clues
one-by-one to learn the identity of the giver.
From David Inge, host
Focus 580
The Revenge of Thomas Eakins by Sidney
Kirkpatrick (Yale University Press. A biography of
America's greatest portrait painter. Author was on
Focus on 4/5/06. Listen to the interview:
 RealAudio
| MP3 Download
Pets in America: A History by Katherine Grier
(University of North Carolina Press).
Fascinating story of the development of pet keeping over
the last century. Author was on Focus on 3/22/06.
Listen to the interview:
RealAudio
| MP3 Download
Theft: A Love Story by Peter Carey (Knopf).
The latest novel by a two-time winner of the Booker
Prize. (This book contains "adult language and
situations," as they say.) Author was on Focus on
5/24/06. Listen to the interview:
RealAudio
| MP3 Download
From Celeste Quinn, host,
The
Afternoon Magazine
The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton: The
First Domestic Goddess by Kathryn Hughes.
This is a biography of Isabella Mayson Beeton. It is
also social history. Beeton's Book of Household
Management, edited by Mrs. Isabella Beeton (a
newlywed of 21), was first published in 1861, and Mrs.
Beeton became the domestic authority for British
homemakers. The book contained 2000 recipes. It also
contained all manner of other domestic advice. For
example, it could help you determine if you were well
off enough to hire a footman. Within a decade, millions
of copies were in print. Mrs. Beeton, however, never
knew the extent of her success, or her legacy. She died
in 1865 at the age of 28. But the advice continued. Mrs.
Beeton became a "brand," (a bit like our Betty Crocker),
made over and over again for later readers and the
latest fashions. Listen to The Afternoon Magazine
interview:
 RealAudio
| MP3 Download
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
by Nathaniel Philbrick, winner of the National Book
Award for In the Heart of the Sea.
The war was King Philip's War--a war largely forgotten
today, but historian Philbrick argues it was a pivotal
time in the history of North America. Philip was the son
of Massasoit, a Native American leader at the time of
the Mayflower's landing in 1620. The war began 55 years
after the Mayflower's landing and lasted 14 months.
Philbrick says, "It had taken 56 years to unfold, but
one people's quest for freedom had resulted in the
conquest and enslavement of another." Listen to
Celeste's interview with Philbrick about In the Heart
of the Sea:
 RealAudio
| MP3 Download
From Harriet Williamson,
producer Focus 580 and
The Afternoon Magazine
I like to have several books on hand to
read depending on my mood, i.e., learning,
entertainment, general interest. At this time here are
the books in my reading pile that fit those categories.
My "learning" books are Photographers Guide to the
Digital Darkroom (Alworth Press) by Bill Kennedy to
help me develop work flows for printing quality
photographs on my home computer printer. A second title
is Urgent 2nd Class (Chronicle Books) by Nick
Bantock. The subtitle describes the book, Creating
Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, And Other Art From
Ephemera.
My general interest book is by David Remnick titled
Reporting (Knopf). These are pieces he wrote for
The New Yorker. I particularly enjoyed his
profiles of Tony Blair and Kay Graham. Jack Brighton
interview Remnick on Focus 580. You can listen to the
interview:
RealAudio
| MP3 Download
An article in a June issue of The Guardian
titled "Hot Reads" gave me some new book titles to
investigate for "entertainment" reading. One writer
providing recommendations in this article was Ian
Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series, terrific
police procedurals which are set in Edinburgh Scotland.
Among Rankin's list of summer reading is Anthony
Powell's A Dance To The Music of Time (Arrow)
which consists of 12 volumes, and Rivals by Jilly
Cooper. Both Powell (literary fiction) and Cooper
(blockbusters) are well known prolific British writers.
I am currently reading Cooper's book Riders (Ballantine
Books) and will then start the first volume of Powell's
Dance series titled A Question Of Upbringing
(University of Chicago Press).
One the albums on my CD player is Trio (Warner
Brothers), pop and country music with Dolly Parton,
Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt--a gorgeous album. I
am also listening to a few songs by Chelo Silva whom I
learned about from one of the guests on Focus580 (link).
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