Horse Racing and "Lord of Misrule" from On Point with Tom Ashbrook Podcast

We speak with 2010 National Book Award winner Jaimy Gordon about her novel "Lord of Misrule" -- and ride into the world of horse racing. William Nack, author of "Secretariat," joins.

Download that On Point podcast here. She's a Brown University alum, and The Brown Daily Herald had this to say about the author and her recent win for Lord of Misrule:

In fact, her decision to attend Brown for graduate school instead of the University of Iowa was partly due to the fact that there was a racetrack nearby. The other deciding factor was novelist John Hawkes, who was on the faculty at the time. "I'm very proud to say I went to Brown when people ask me where I went to graduate school," Gordon said. "As graduate programs go, this one has a very special character. It welcomes idiosyncrasies." At Brown, she interacted with students and faculty who were "powerful influences." It is also where she met McPherson, then an undergraduate, with whom she worked at Hellcoal, a student-run literary press. Through Hellcoal, they published three books written by prisoners whom Gordon taught creative writing in Cranston.

Read that Brown Daily Herald article here. The New York Times also covered the writer and her publisher, really well; they did well to put in a lot of good context here. It turns out that the publisher, McPherson, is an indie; expected. But they're a special company, with the sole proprietor of the publishing business Bruce McPherson, being its lone full time employee. The publisher is the sort that "the kind of publisher who sometimes seems more concerned with how his books look than how they sell. “Lord of Misrule,” for example, has a full cloth cover and a stitched binding, which is practically unheard of these days." If you believe in "you are what you read," and if you believe in reading well in the same way that people eat well to live well, then you should check out McPherson's catalog. Here's the publisher's website. Here's that NYT piece. Gordon also wrote: She Drove without Stopping: A Novel, Shamp of the City-Solo: A Novel, Bogeywoman (Sun & Moon Classics), Circumspections from an Equestrian Statue

Holiday Books 2010 from KQED's Forum Podcast

What was the best book you read this year? We open the phone lines to ask listeners about their recent and all-time favorites.

Download the podcast here. See also: A Christmas Carol, The Judge Who Stole Christmas, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (Stories Behind Books), The Case for Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger (Strobel, Lee)

At 51, David Shannon stays in touch with his inner child‎ Los Angeles Times - Susan Carpenter

There will be no peeking. No snitching. No playing with the Christmas ornaments. There will be no opening presents early. No staying up late waiting for Santa. And definitely no peeing of one's name in the snow. No, it isn't fair. That's just the way it is for a kid. 'Tis the season for temptation. It's these off-limits holiday enticements that are the focal point of "It's Christmas, David!" (Blue Sky Press), the new picture book from Los Angeles-area author and illustrator David Shannon, who paints this festive time from a child's point of view, with an impish spirit and in full-color detail. "Christmas is when you get in the most trouble and you get told 'no' the most. There's all this excitement that you have to be patient for," said Shannon, who, many years ago, was the David at the center of "It's Christmas, David!" and the other "David" books he's penned over the last dozen years on subjects as varied as potty training and getting ready for school.

Check the LA Times piece out, here. See also: Oh, David!, No, David!, David Gets in Trouble, David Smells!: A Diaper David Book

Big Book of New York: Week 2 from WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

The second edition of The Encyclopedia of New York City is newly published. Hear about some of the tidbits of city lore each week in December. This week: the encyclopedia's editor-in-chief Kenneth T. Jackson and executive editor Lisa Keller join the discussion. Event: Reading and discussion of The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition with Kenneth T. Jackson at the Museum of the City of New York at 6:30. Click here for more info.

Download the podcast here. See also: The Encyclopedia of New York City, Frommer's New York City 2011 (Frommer's Complete), New York City (Brooklyn Bridge & Skyline at Night) Art Poster Print - 24x36, Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City

How Gay Soldiers Serve Openly Around The World from NPR Podcast Fresh

December 7, 2010 A study of five U.S. allies who ended bans on gays openly serving in their militaries showed that the wide-scale disruptions feared by opponents had never materialized, says historian and study author Nathaniel Frank. He discusses his findings and what they suggest for efforts to end the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Download the podcast here. See also: Gays in the Military Military Dark T-Shirt by CafePress, Gays In The Military, A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military: A comprehensive reference to the customs, language and structure of the Armed Forces

Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake from Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That? from WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake Serves 6 to 8 This recipe is inspired by a cranberry pie from Sarah Chase’s book Cold Weather Cooking. My friend Barbara Liberman calls it “easy cake”—I call it delicious. It’s even better served warm with vanilla ice cream. Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on [...]

Find the full recipe here. See also: Nantucket Open-House Cookbook, Cold-Weather Cooking, Pedaling Through Provence Cookbook, Sarah Leah Chase's Year Around Cookbook

The Colbert Report - December 6, 2010 - Garry Trudeau

December 06, 2010 - Garry Trudeau Views: 76,690 Aired: 12/06/10 Episode 06154 Obama tries to win over Republicans, and Garry Trudeau looks back on 40 years of "Doonesbury."

View the episode here. See also: 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective, Garry Trudeau: Doonesbury and the Aesthetics of Satire (Great Comics Artists Series), Signature Wound: Rocking TBI (Doonesbury Collection)

Some Books Considered - Program 070 from TPR: Some Books Considered

Novelist Kathy Reichs talks about how her series of books about forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan inspired the television show Bones. She discusses her latest book, Virals, the first in a new series of novels for young adults featuring the Torey Brennan, the grand niece of Temperance Brennan. In addition to be great stories, Reichs hopes that young adults and girls in particular will be inspired to study science and pursue careers in science. More information is available at kathyreichs.com.

Download the podcast here. See also: Virals, Spider Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels), Deja Dead: 10th Anniversary Edition (Temperance Brennan Novels), 206 Bones

Some Books Considered - Program 069 from TPR: Some Books Considered

W. Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose is a New York Times best seller. The novel is about a dog named Baily that finds himself reincarnated over the years as various types of dogs in a search for his reason for being. Cameron believes the book has struck a chord with readers because it strives to tell the story of what it is like to be a dog and how dogs relate to humans. Baily is not a “magic” dog with the thought process of a human, but instead he is a real dog with limited understanding of human speech and he must learn how to deal with people through physical interaction. More information is available at brucecameron.com.

Download the podcast here. See also: A Dog's Purpose, 8 Simple Rules for Marrying My Daughter: And Other Reasonable Advice from the Father of the Bride (Not that Anyone is Paying Attention), How to Remodel a Man: Tips and Techniques on Accomplishing Something You Know Is Impossible but Want to Try Anyway, 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter

Please Explain: Espionage from Please Explain from WNYC New York Public Radio Podcast

Today's Please Explain looks at spying, the organizations that do it, and how it's carried out and why. We're joined by Thomas S. Blanton, from George Washington University National Security Archives, and Joseph Weisberg, former CIA operative and author of An Ordinary Spy.

Download the podcast here. See also: White House E-Mail: The Top-Secret Messages the Reagan/Bush White House Tried to Destroy/Book and Disk, Secrecy, Biography - Blanton, Thomas S. (1955-): An article from: Contemporary Authors

The Colbert Report - December 2, 2010 - David Alan Stockman

December 02, 2010 - David Stockman Views: 46,809 Aired: 12/02/10 Episode 06153 Stephen covers the war on Christmas and asks David Stockman what it was like when America had a budget.

The full interview can be found here. See also: Triumph of Politics: Why the Reagan Revolution Failed, The Education of David Stockman, TRAITOR, The Real David Stockman

"Higher Learning" from Newsweek by Joel Schectman

For more than two decades, as the cost of college has climbed at twice the rate of inflation, critics have argued that bloated bureaucracies, overpaid faculty, and unnecessary amenities are inflating tuition. Yet in a new book—Why Does College Cost So Much?—economists Robert Archibald and David Feldman argue that college isn’t actually overpriced. The reason: although the total cost of attending an in-state, four-year public university has nearly doubled to $16,140 since 2000, the benefits that come with it have increased considerably, too. Indeed, over the same time period, the difference in wages between those who attend college and those who don’t has climbed by 20 percent. Yet in the aftermath of the recession, a more important question is who’s losing out in the process? Even though aid packages have risen by more than 50 percent since 2000, one recent study found that college enrollment could fall by 3.6 percent due to the housing bust, which has made it harder for families to finance their children’s education.

Read the full Newsweek article here. See also: Tuition Rising: Why College Costs So Much, With a new preface, Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs Too Much, Why Does College Cost So Much? [Hardcover]

NPR: 11-22-2010 Tell Me More from NPR: Tell Me More Podcast

America's system of criminal justice is based on the presumption of innocence. But what happens when innocent people are wrongly convicted? A new book, titled "Tested: How Twelve Wrongly Imprisoned Men Held Onto Hope" answers these questions. Host Allison Keyes speaks with co-author Dorothy Budd and two former prisoners profiled in the book, Billy Smith and Christopher Scott.

Read the full NPR Tell Me More feature here. Download the podcast here. See also: Wrongly Convicted: Perspectives on Failed Justice, The Hurricane, Presumed Guilty: When Innocent People Are Wrongly Convicted

My Generation from WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

William Upski Wimsatt, hip hop and graffiti writer, founder of the League of Young Voters and the author of Please Don't Bomb the Suburbs: A Midterm Report on My Generation and the Future of Our Super Movement, talks about the state of (no longer so) young radical Americans.

Listen to the podcast here. Download the podcast here. See also: Bomb the Suburbs: Graffiti, Race, Freight-Hopping and the Search for Hip-Hop's Moral Center, No More Prisons: Urban Life, Homeschooling, Hip-Hop Leadership, the Cool Rich Kids Movement, a Hitchhiker's Guide to Community Organizing, and Why Philanthropy ... the Greatest Art Form of the 21st Century!, How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office: The Anti-Politics, Un-Boring Guide to Power