Books To Jump Up and Down Over
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell: This marvelous collection of essays chronicles everything from film shoots to novelists rescued from oblivion. (The essay on the Underground Literary Alliance, with its portrait of raucous factions, unexpectedly reveals how soft today's literary world has become.) But if you peer between the cracks of these smart pieces, you may very well see how cultural lives are formed from the most unexpected life choices. And as we follow Bissell's development as a writer over the years, that goes for Bissell as well. (Bat Segundo interview with Bissell)
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious.
podcast Archive
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The Bat Segundo Show: Cynthia Ozick II
Posted on December 13, 2010 | 2 CommentsIn this special one hour radio interview, Bat Segundo visits Cynthia Ozick at her home to discuss Foreign Bodies, Henry James, the present tense, strange dreams, and Twitter. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Susan Straight
Posted on December 3, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 50 minute radio interview, novelist Susan Straight discusses her latest novel, Take One Candle Light a Room and offers some unusual uses for bacon. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Isabel Wilkerson
Posted on November 19, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 45 minute radio interview, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson discusses The Warmth of Other Suns, the Great Migration, and many neglected aspects of 20th century history. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Tom McCarthy II
Posted on November 19, 2010 | 1 CommentIn this 40 minute radio interview, novelist Tom McCarthy discusses his latest novel, C. Free association between correspondent and novelist ensues. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Paul Harding
Posted on November 8, 2010 | No CommentsIn this wildly philosophical 45 minute radio interview, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Paul Harding discusses Tinkers, the material world, Moby Dick, accidental symmetry, roving homes, and numerous other topics. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Yiyun Li
Posted on October 29, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 45 minute radio interview, recent MacArthur fellow Yiyun Li discusses her new collection, Gold Boy, Emerald Girl and the music within her head. -
The Bat Segundo Show: David Rakoff II
Posted on October 28, 2010 | No CommentsIn this one hour radio interview, Half Empty author David Rakoff and Our Correspondent hide from robocalls, look up "vitiate" in the dictionary, and assign various forms of depression and optimism to each other. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Andrew Ervin
Posted on October 27, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 40 minute radio interview, Extraordinary Renditions author Andrew Ervin spends a needless amount of time discussing freedom. There are also inappropriate jokes. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Neal Pollack II
Posted on October 26, 2010 | No CommentsIn this candid 30 minute radio interview, Neal Pollack discusses his new book, Stretch, whether or not yoga can tame the inner beast, and the difficulties of being a writer in transition. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Matthew Sharpe II
Posted on October 11, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 40 minute radio interview, novelist Matthew Sharpe discusses wild improvisation and what led him to hit a character in the head with a pool cue. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Scarlett Thomas II
Posted on September 9, 2010 | No CommentsIn this one hour interview, Scarlett Thomas discusses her most recent novel, Our Tragic Universe. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Mary Robinette Kowal
Posted on September 9, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 45 minute radio interview, Mary Robinette Kowal discusses her novel, Shades of Milk and Honey. -
The Bat Segudo Show: Allegra Goodman
Posted on September 9, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 25 minute radio interview, Allegra Goodman discusses her latest novel, The Cookbook Collector. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Prince of Broadway & Adam Langer II
Posted on September 8, 2010 | 1 CommentIn this one hour radio interview, we talk with Prince of Broadway filmmakers Sean Baker and Darren Dean and Thieves of Manhattan author Adam Langer. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Daniele Thompson
Posted on August 27, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 30 minute radio interview, director Daniele Thompson discusses Change of Plans, how people act during certain times of the day, and how cinematic fantasy can reflect real life. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Gary Shteyngart II
Posted on August 20, 2010 | 5 CommentsIn this 40 minute radio interview, novelist Gary Shteyngart discusses Super Sad True Love Story, singularity, conceptual knishes, and whether or not the novel is dead. -
The Bat Segundo Show: David Mitchell III
Posted on August 12, 2010 | 1 CommentIn this 45 minute radio interview, David Mitchell returns to Bat Segundo to discuss The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, aphorisms, words, morality, language, games, and historical truth. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Ken Russell
Posted on July 30, 2010 | 2 CommentsIn this 30 minute radio interview with the maverick British director, Ken Russell discusses getting pinned down by Oliver Reed, making nuns comfortable in The Devils, and his dispute with Paddy Chayefsky on Altered States. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Sally Potter
Posted on July 23, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 20 minute radio interview, director Sally Potter discusses Orlando and the long journey of adapting Virginia Woolf's novel, but avoids discussing the controversial subject of toasting cheese in an Italian fireplace. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Jennifer Weiner III
Posted on July 21, 2010 | 3 CommentsIn this lively 45 minute radio interview, Jennifer Weiner discusses her latest book, Fly Away Home, the new Wonder Woman costume, and the problems with insular New York literary culture -- among many other topics. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Dan Chaon
Posted on July 16, 2010 | No CommentsIn this 50 minute radio interview, the author of Await Your Reply and You Remind Me of Me discusses narrative momentum, online trolls, regional voice, Nabokov, and the ever-shifting nature of identity. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Marcy Dermansky
Posted on July 2, 2010 | 2 CommentsIn this 40 minute radio interview, novelist Marcy Dermansky discusses Bad Marie, French geography, potential alliances between authors and copy editors, and people who ask you to sign books for Alexa. -
The Bat Segundo Show: John Waters
Posted on June 22, 2010 | 2 CommentsIn this jam-packed 40 minute radio interview, the filmmaker discusses taxes, Leslie Van Houten, 3-D porn, horror, William Castle, and numerous other subjects. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Gary Rivlin
Posted on June 16, 2010 | No CommentsRivlin: One in every five customers is taking twenty or more payday loans a year. So suddenly this effective interest rate of 400% becomes the actual interest rate. I mean, if you're taking out twenty payday loans a year, that's pretty much a loan every two weeks. And so you've got a couple million people a year in this country who are essentially paying 400% for their money to put it into dollars and cents. For that $500 loan, they're paying $2,000 in fees for the year. So it's the trap that a payday loan becomes, that I focus in on. -
The Bat Segundo Show: Ander Monson II
Posted on June 4, 2010 | 1 CommentAnder Monson appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #338. Mr. Monson is most recently the author of Vanishing Point, as well as a poetry collection called The Available World, which... -
The Bat Segundo Show: Daniel Okrent
Posted on May 21, 2010 | No CommentsDaniel Okrent appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #337. Mr. Okrent is most recently the author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Bombarded... -
The Bat Segundo Show: Barry Gifford
Posted on May 14, 2010 | No CommentsBarry Gifford appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #335. Mr. Gifford is most recently the author of Sailor & Lula: The Complete Novels. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Wilder than his... -
The Bat Segundo Show: Robin Black
Posted on April 30, 2010 | No CommentsRobin Black appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #333. Ms. Black is most recently the author of If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This. Condition of Mr. Segundo:... -
The Bat Segundo Show: Adam Thirlwell
Posted on April 23, 2010 | 1 CommentAdam Thirlwell appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #332. Mr. Thirlwell is most recently the author of The Escape. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Wondering if a piña colada might serve... -
The Bat Segundo Show: Chang-Rae Lee
Posted on March 25, 2010 | 2 CommentsChang-Rae Lee appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #327. Mr. Lee is most recently the author of The Surrendered Condition of Mr. Segundo: Searching for the middle-ground between “beat” and...