Transcript / LoLT: The Big Read Book Club & New Books — 16 December 2022

This is a transcription of ‘The Big Read Book Club & New Books — 16 December 2022’

[cheerful music]

Melissa: Coming up, a novel about when family traditions turn deadly.

David: Two books that celebrate the unusual.

Melissa: Plus, our distraction of the week. I’m Mel.

David: I’m Dave. This is the library of lost time.

Melissa: I have a recommendation for a thriller that’s perfect for the holiday season — if you like your holidays with dangerous intrigue. This story includes ice skating in Rockefeller Center, a super awkward family Thanksgiving, a Krampusnacht party, and an unforgettable Christmas.

Melissa: The book is called The Family Game, and it’s by Catherine Steadman. The story revolves around Harriet, known as Harry to her friends. She’s a best-selling author of thrillers. And there are hints that she has a shady background in England. But now, she’s in New York City. She’s engaged to Edward, the oldest son of the prestigious Holbeck family. The Holbecks are like American royalty. They’re old money, very sophisticated, and glamorous. Committed to tradition.

Melissa: As it turns out, they’re also kinda mean and scary. They like playing dangerous games. At Harry’s first meeting with her father-in-law-to-be, he slips her a cassette tape that he says contains a book he’s been working on. When Harry listens to the tape, she’s drawn into a deadly mystery… while trying to keep her fiance happy and be a good sport about his family’s Christmas traditions.

Melissa: The book was written by Catherine Steadman, who is also an actress. Fans of Downton Abbey would know her as Mary’s romantic rival Mabel Lane Fox. She was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her work on the stage in London’s West End.

Melissa: And that matters because she narrates the audiobook. It is fantastic. I’m listening to it right now, and I keep looking for busy-work that will allow me to pop in my headphones. The story is written in the first person, and the voice she gives to the heroine Harry is so velvety. You should definitely consider this audiobook for when you’re wrapping presents or going on a holiday road trip.

Melissa: It’s The Family Game by Catherine Steadman.

David: I suspect that, if you listen to us, you’re also familiar with Atlas Obscura. But, just in case you’re not… Atlas Obscura started as a site about unusual travel. You can go to the site, type in, say ‘Los Angeles,’ and it will tell you about quirky stores, cemeteries, an abandoned zoo, a speakeasy, a library of rare occult books, and a whole bunch of other quirky places in and around LA. There are usually plenty of photos and maps so you get an idea of what you’re getting into.

David: It’s not for everybody, but, for the people it’s for, it’s catnip. I always take a look at Atlas Obscura before we go anywhere because otherwise we might miss a rare library or some unusual architecture, and then where would we be? How would I know there’s a statue of Peter Falk dressed as Columbo on a street in Budapest?

David: Since they launched, Atlas Obscura also gotten into the tourism business. They have package tours that we plan to do some day. And they’ve released some books. Which, finally, brings me around to the title I wanted to talk about.

David: It’s called The Explorer’s Library: Books That Inspire Wonder. This is two hardcover books in a single slipcase. One of the books is, perhaps confusingly, titled ‘Atlas Obscura, the second edition.’ It’s a beautiful, magazine-quality book full of unusual places to visit. The second book is Gastro Obscura, which is a book about unusual foods from around the world. These are books that have been published before. But now they’re in a very pretty slipcase.

David: Together, these two books are more than 900 pages of adventure ideas. I should mention that it might be cheaper to buy those two books separately. But maybe you’re like me and you’re fond of slipcases. I’ll leave that decision to you.

David: That is The Explorer’s Library: Books That Inspire Wonder from Atlas Obscura.

David: And now, our Distraction of the Week. [magical sound effect]

Melissa: I recently discovered a new-to-me book club and a newsletter about books that you all need to know about.

Melissa: A few weeks ago, I contributed an essay to the Notes From Three Pines newsletter. It’s a collaborative newsletter devoted to the Inspector Gamache mystery novels by Louise Penny. One of the other guest writers was Jeremy Anderberg. His essay was about how reading Still Life, the first Inspector Gamache novel, pulled him out of a reading slump. I loved how he described the book and why it appealed to him.

Melissa: He wrote: Armand Gamache is not just another literary detective. He’s a person. Jean-Guy Beauvoir is not just another underling. He’s a guy at work you might be friends with — or not. Clara Morrow isn’t just a two-dimensional ‘townsperson,’ she’s my neighbor. And in a world of increasing polarization and increasing immersion into a virtual existence, we could all use a bit more humanity.

Melissa: I hit reply and started an email conversation with Jeremy, and that’s when I learned about his other work. And now I’m going to tell you all about it.

Melissa: First, there’s his free weekly newsletter called Read More Books. It comes out on Fridays and includes well-written reviews of what Jeremy’s been reading. He goes beyond the plot to get to the heart of what each book is really about and shares his feelings about the reading experience. Even when he writes about a book that sounds like it’s not for me, I enjoy reading his words.

Melissa: He also has a newsletter called The Big Read. That one is a group reading project and book club. The way it started is really cool. In 2021, he started a book club to read Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. That thing is a doorstopper. It’s about 1300 pages, depending on the edition. But it’s broken up into 360 short chapters. Jeremy’s idea was to read one chapter per day for the year and discuss it with the group. It was so successful, he repeated it in 2022.

Melissa: When I asked Jeremy what the best part of the book club is for him, he said that it’s hearing other people’s ideas on the classics. That when you bring in other people’s opinions, it expands not only your perspective of the book, but your entire worldview.

Melissa: For 2023, he’s moving beyond War and Peace. Next year, he’ll guide the members of The Big Read through five other hefty classics. It’s a pretty great list of books, including Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and more. He provides a reading plan to get through long books and weekly recaps filled with background and context for the reading. There’s also a place for group discussion and interviews with bookish experts.

Melissa: I am very tempted to join, even though I’d had to wedge it in among my Strong Sense of Place books. I love the idea of tackling classics with other people, and I’ve only read one of the five books they’re doing.

Melissa: When I told Jeremy I was going to talk about him today, he offered a discount for Strong Sense of Place listeners who want to join The Big Read. How cool is that? Word nerds really are the nicest people.

Melissa: Visit strongsenseofplace.com/library for more details about the books we discussed and Jeremy’s Big Read, including the link for the discount code. Also, send me email and answer the question: Should I join?

David: Thanks for joining us in the Libary of Lost Time. Remember to visit your local library and your independent book store to lose some time yourself.

Melissa: Stay curious! We’ll talk to you soon.

[cheerful music]

Top image courtesy of New Africa/Shutterstock.