December 27, 2008

James J. O'Donnell's "The Ruin of the Roman Empire" is written with an overture, three acts and an epilogue. The book gives a brilliant image of life in 500-604: what people ate, health conditions, the lot of women and children, what the clothing was like, bathing habits and travel. In addtion you will learn about Theoderic, Justinian and Gregory and the message those Roman years have for us today.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

December 20, 2008

John Baxter, author of "Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas" will have you salivating! John is a transplanted Australian whose gourmet feasts for his French in-laws are amazing. In the book he talks about his quest for oysters, Clouchard apples, pork, cheese, and pears...all ingredients in the perfect holiday dinner he is planning. Along the way you'll learn the Christmas customs of France. A perfect holiday read.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

December 13, 2008

Sarah Lyall, a New York Times reporter, has lived in London since the mid-1990's. "The Anglo Files: a Field Guide to the British" is an insider's look at the ways of the British. In it you'll discover what Brits think of Americans, how they handle achievement, that their health care is not all that bad, the truth about British food, bits about politicians, the English love of alcohol and much, much more. Sarah said that Englishmen are articulate and sound charming but that charm often masks a degree of chauvanism. And, to my delight, she's met and talked with Hugh Grant!

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

December 6, 2008

Edward Dolnick exposes the world of art forgery in "The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century." The forger is a mediocre painter named Han van Meegeren who delvelops a method of aging paintings and manages to convince art experts and art collectors, including Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering, that his work is that of Vermeer. It is a fascinating story.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, November 29, 2008

David Lebedoff reveals the similarities of two seemingly different writers in "The Same Man: George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh in Love and War." Both men were born in 1903 into a similar class but Waugh coveted high society and celebrity while Orwell lived a penniless existence. Lebedoff's dual biography covers their early lives, education, loves, writing and experiences in World War II. The account of Waugh with Randolph Churchill during the war is priceless. However unalike they were, Lebedoff maintains that both deplored modernity. Discover more about these two brilliant men.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, November 22, 208

Louis Bayard tells the story of the world's first plain clothes detective in "The Black Tower." The detective's name was Vidocq. He was once a convict, worked in Paris in the first part of the 17th century, and was a master of disguise. In this story he is involved in the mystery of a lost royal, the son of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI. You will love this atmospheric historical novel.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, November 15, 2008

Hollis Gillespie's "Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Efforts Toward Upward Mobility," is a hilarious collection of essays. The chapters reveal the stories of this former flight attendant who was afraid to fly; her parents who were an often drunk trailer salesman and a missile designer; her sisters, one very good and one rather crazy and her friends: Daniel, Grant and Larry. Hollis' adventures have been optioned to television and in the interview she reveals that Laura Dern may play the lead.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm