Book Lust with Nancy Pearl (Seattle Channel)
Seattle's own 'action figure librarian' and best-selling author Nancy Pearl sits down each month with top writers from around the country for conversations about books and the process and art of writing. There's no one better qualified than Nancy to discuss books and writing, bringing an informed reader's perspective to lively conversation and in-depth dialogs about all things literary.
Episodes
Nancy Pearl talks with legal scholar and author Michelle Adams about her new book "The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North." Adams' book dives into the landmark Milliken v. Bradley case, which haulted efforts to desegregate Detroit schools in 1974. "The Containment" is a gripping legal and historical drama about policies that shaped a city—and a nation—with a few unexp...
Nancy Pearl speaks with author Erika Swyler about her new genre-bending novel, "We Lived on the Horizon." It's a little bit speculative fiction, but it's also mystery, sci-fi, romance, political thriller, and horror, too. The book takes place in a thought-provoking world where AI is in charge and sacrifice is rewarded. They discuss AI and robots in fiction, how Swyler builds characters and stories, and how they would rearrange the ...
Nancy Pearl speaks with author and Booklist editor Donna Seaman about her latest publication, "A River of Books: A Life in Reading." In it, Seaman tells the story of her life as defined by books. They discuss what she hopes for in the works she reviews and reads on her own time, her past as a child who "really didn't like being a child at all," and the poet she recommends these days to those seeking solace and clarity.
Nancy Pearl speaks with author Nick Harkaway, son of the great British espionage novelist John le Carré. Harkaway just released “Karla’s Choice: A John le Carré Novel,” a new installment in the saga that stars le Carre’s most iconic character, Cold War spy George Smiley. Set in the decade between “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” with S...
Leah Hager Cohen joins Book Lust host Nancy Pearl to discuss her latest novel, "To & Fro." The story follows two girls—one in a parable-like world, the other in Manhattan—whose lives both mirror and contrast each other. Cohen reveals that this seventh novel is her most spiritual work yet, which contributed to it being her most challenging book to write.
The returning Book Lust guest told host Nancy Pearl the fictional town of Blue Deer is based on her own hometown, though perhaps with a few more suspicious deaths per capita. They discussed the challenge of returning for this fifth installment of the Jules Clement novels, the fun of writing from the perspective of someone not quite like the author herself, and what she's working on next.
Bill Morris' nonfiction book "The Lions Finally Roar" was nearly titled "Natural-Born Losers," that is, of course, until the Detroit NFL team's record took a turn for the better. Morris told host (and Detroiter herself) Nancy Pearl he found a compelling story in what he called the Lions' "culture of futility," fueled largely by loyalty to the wrong people. The book isn't just about sports, though, as he said, "I didn't want to writ...
The protagonists in Jasper Fforde's "Red Side Story" live in Chromatacia, a place where "The hierarchy is based not on something mundane like voting for people, but on the colors that you can see." A sequel to "Shades of Grey," the book is packed with humor, adventure, murderous plots, and a dash of romance. In this edition of Book Lust, Fforde and host Nancy Pearl delve into Chromatica's reflections of our own world, as well as th...
Marie-Helene Bertino's "Beautyland" is based on the author's short story about "an unnamed alien faxing notes on human beings to who she believes are her superiors." Bertino based the story's structure on the lifespan of a star and lent much of her own story to her protagonist's "Earth life" and "magical vocation." She tells host Nancy Pearl she herself has a folder on her computer called "Notes on Human Beings," where she collects...
The history books may lead us to believe it's the grand successes that shape our world, but what about the failures? The epic disasters, the inventions ahead of their time, and the plain bad ideas – surely they have a place in humanity's tale, too? If you've ever wondered about the wins that weren't, comic artist and editor Kel McDonald has the graphic novel for you. "Failure to Launch: A Tour of Ill-Fated Futures" compiles c...
Author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket of "A Series of Unfortunate Events") discusses his new book, "And Then? And Then? What Else?" He tells host Nancy Pearl that it began as a book about the poems of Baudelaire but transformed into something more personal. It offers a peek behind the scenes of the industry and an explanation of how he went from being "tiresome in every undergraduate way" to the writer he is today. Essentially,...
A "Rosie the Riveter"-hunting serial killer roams World War II Seattle in author Kevin O'Brien's first historical fiction thriller, "The Enemy at Home." He and Nancy Pearl discussed the very real history of murder in Seattle that caught his attention, the gendered dynamics of serial killing, and a bit of publishing drama in this latest episode of Book Lust.
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