Podcast Crazy

About a month ago I was going through a box and found my really old 8 gig Ipod and to my surprise it still works great. When I fired up Itunes I decided to see what was out there for podcast and I found some amazing ones. The sports ones I've been listening to at work while I get done the mindless parts of my job and the others I've been listening to mostly on walks with Heather's dog Sailor or just tooling around Boston. Currently I'm subscribed to the following;

New Yorker; Fiction


This has been my absolute favorite podcast. Each month a current author picks one of their favorite stories to read from the New Yorker archives with a conversation between them and the fiction editor Deborah Treisman. The great thing is that all of the podcasts are available from when it started in May 2007. So far I've listened to 12 episodes and they've all been great. It's interesting listening to why the authors liked the story they chose and they provide insight into the story through the conversation. When I met Karen Russell and Jennifer Egan I told them both that I loved their episode and both were very modest and funny about it. Karen Russell chose to read The Jockey by Carson McCullers and Jennifer Egan chose The Reverse Bug by Lore Segal. Both stories were fantastic and they were both authors who I doubt I would have been exposed to otherwise. Another thing that's interesting is seeing whose stories were chosen by multiple authors. So far Donald Barthelme stories have been chosen three times and John Updike along with John Cheever stories have all been chosen twice.

New York Times Book Review


This one is hit or miss for me as they tend to have a lot of non fiction authors reviewed and I tend to read more fiction. Always well done and interesting but most of the time I won't buy the books they're talking about.

Freakonomics Radio


I've downloaded a ton of these but have only listened to a couple. They're fascinating and I'm not really sure why I often choose to listen to other podcasts first. Maybe they're have an issue about what motivates people to prioritize things they way they do.

The Moth


I love The Moth. It's true stories told live on stage without notes & there is usually a theme for each live event. These stories are always amazing and a must listen for anyone who likes great stories. My favorite so far was by Bokara Legendre telling about how she tried to get rid of her mothers big game hunting trophies after she passed away.

NPR Books Podcast


This is another one I've downloaded but haven't listened to a lot. The one's I've heard have been good though, I've enjoyed listening to Juan Williams & Terry Pratchett talk about their books.

Poetry Off The Shelf


Poetry is a genre that I like when I pick it up but have a hard time reading for any amount of time. Over the course of my adult life I've picked up a lot of poetry books that have gone half read so this is another attempt to expose myself to some good poetry writers. I've listened to a few episodes and they've been good so far but again, I keep listening to other things first.

PRI Selected Shorts


Another great story podcast. I just listened to an hour of Etgar Keret read by different actors. He's crazy talented and have loved every story from him I've come in contact with. This is right up there with my other favorites.

This American Life


I was really excited when I remembered about this podcast. I always like to catch the show but I'm rarely in the car when it's on and is the only time I listen to the radio. Can't say enough good things about the program. I've learned a lot listening to it over the years.

BBC World Book Club


This is a monthly podcast where an author talks about and takes questions about their most popular book. I listened to 1 episode but without reading the book it was kind of boring. I have queued up Annie Proulx, Richard Ford, Barbara Kingsolver & Jo Nesbo as I'd like to read their book then listen to the podcast.

ESPN Fantasy Focus


There are actually two, Fantasy Focus Baseball and Football. Both are done by Steven Berry & Nate Ravitz who are absolutely hilarious. I listen to these guys every day as I'm doing the really tedious part of my job and it really helps the time fly by. One of the ongoing jokes is that there's not much practical fantasy advice and it's just jokes but I've often been really helped by listening to how they evaluate players.

ESPN Hockey Today


Huge hockey fan here and it's a good quick podcast about topics around the NHL.

Hockey Night Online


Put out by Hockey Night in Canada it's the audio from their daily tv half hour show. I love the Hockey Night in Canada guys although it doesn't have the brodcast crew they're really knowledgeable and fun to listen to. Sometimes it's a little off as they're referencing a video that you can't see but otherwise it's really good.

Puck Podcast


This is a weekly show out of the LA market by 2 hockey radio guys. I like listening to it as they're a little move focused on the West so it's a great way to increase my knowledge of that division as I'm a huge Bruins fan and far more knowledgeable about the East.

To sum up I think Sailor has benefited the most from the podcasts as I'm talking her on longer walks more often as an excuse to listen. Here she is resting after a particularly long walk

Boston Book Festival = Best Day Ever!

Today I went to the Boston Book Festival in Copley Square. I've been looking forward to this event for a while now and has been in my mind one of the best things about living in the Boston area. When I walk the dog pulling her off of all the trash that's covering our street I remind myself that living this close to the BBF is worth dealing with a more than moderate amount of filthy streets. So I got up early, hopped on the T and began my day of literature. I went to 3 events, got a book signed by two of my favorite authors and had fun walking around all the vendors booths.


CRIME FICTION
The first event I went to was Crime Fiction held at the Old South Church Sanctuary and included Joseph Finder, Chuck Hogen & George Pelecanos. I wish I knew who the moderator was as she was great, funny and kept things moving along nicely. The program says Hank Phillipi Ryan but if so she's the pertiest Hank I ever done see. I haven't read anything by the following presenters but I'm still glad I went, they were an entertaining bunch.


Joseph Finder is the author of multiple crime books the latest is Buried Secrets. He was funny & charming. At one point the moderator put him on the spot asking him to sign after he told a story about singing with Ella Fitzgerald back in the day and he took it really well. He would often ask the other 2 presenters questions that you could tell he was curious about rather than setting them up for something good to say for the performance.


Chuck Hogan is best known for Prince of Thieves: A Novel that was turned into the movie The Town, a Ben Affleck movie with bank robberies. He came across as a genuinely nice guy who seemed down to earth and humble about his success. There were quite a few moments where I would have liked more as I think he was trying to be diplomatic. The process of taking his book to the screen would have been fascinating to hear more about too as it seems to me that Ben must have done a lot of reshaping to fit what he wanted. There were some really funny moments when the moderator and he were discussing how people associate his book with Dennis Lehane.


George Pelecanos is the author of multiple crime novels based out of DC the most recent is The Cut. He's best known for being a writer then producer on The Wire. I can't tell if The Wire was based off one of his books or not. He was also funny, seemed tough and valued hard work. He talked about coming from a rough background in the DC area and getting to where his is based on a strong work ethic. Interesting person.


FICTION: TIME IS...
The second event I went to was called Fiction: Time is... The presenters were Jennifer Egan, Peter Mountford & Lawrence Douglas. The overall theme was how to deal with time in Fiction. I've read quite a bit by Jennifer Egan and love her work. She along with Karen Russell were the two authors I was most excited about going into today. I feel bad for the other 2 performers, standing outside everyone kept asking if I was in line for Jennifer Egan, not one person mentioned the other presenters. On a side note, I seem to be the type of person who is always singed out of a group when someone needs some information or help. Just a thought.




Jennifer Egan is amazing. Her book A Visit From The Goon Squad was the first book I purchased on my kindle and well deserving of the Pulitzer. I was extremely excited to see her and she didn't disappoint. She was also aware that she was a much larger star than her panel mates showing a lot of class. When I met her to have her sign my copy of Best American Short Stories 2010 where her story Safari was included she was really nice we had a brief conversation which I appreciated as she had already signed a lot of books. So excited I got to say hi and that I loved her work. I know she gets it all the time but it feels nice to say thank you for putting out such amazing stories.


Peter Mountford published his first novel A Young Man's Guide To Late Capitalism this year and had his short story Horizon was included in Best New American Voices 2008. I was impressed by Peter. He was extremely well spoken, smart and insightful. After hearing him I'd like to read his novel. I kind of feel like an idiot though because when I said hi during after getting my book signed by Jennifer I said that I had the best american 2008 which the program said he was in and would have loved to have him sign it but the program messed up and he was only listed in the back as having a notable story.


Lawrence Douglas is a law professor at Amherst College and has published 2 novels The Catastrophist and The Vices. He was also really smart and insightful. I enjoyed his comments and you could tell he was thinking about what he wanted to say before speaking.


FAR OUT FICTION
The last event I went to was Far Out Fiction who included Gregory Maguire, Karen Russell, Chuck Klosterman & Kate Beaton. This was the big event for me as I didn't go to the keynote speaker as it wasn't an author I'm particularly interesting in reading despite being extremely talented. This event was great, they each did a short reading and spoke a little about their work. They had the entire audience laughing throughout and left the event ecstatic.


Gregory Maguire is best known as the author of Wicked with 2 soon to be 3 sequels. If you've read my blog you'll know I wasn't a big fan of What The Dickens but not everything can resonate with everyone. His reading was great, you could tell he genuinely liked the performance aspect of the event.




OMG I can't believe I got to meet Karen Russell! She is amazing! Not only is she in my opinion one of the best fiction authors I've ever read but she's insanely nice. I was so nervous when I actually met her that I was awkward and she was patient while I bumbled a little trying to get out what I wanted to say. I said that I loved her reading on the New Yorker Fiction podcast where she picked a story out of the New Yorker archive to read. She laughed and we talked about how she had a hard time with it and was even told to stop doing one of the characters voices haha! On stage she was hilarious and she seemed to be having a genuinely fun time. I can't say enough good things and feel so lucky to have her sign by book! I decided to ask her to sign the Best American Short Stories as well that way I'll have the copy signed by both her and Jennifer. It's instantly one of my favorite possessions!


Chuck Klosterman was far and away one of 2 authors who was so awesome that I'm absolutely going to have to read his new book The Visible Man. He's someone I've always said I should read but have never gotten around to it. Good god is he hilarious, if anyone was going to be an eclectic mad professor/scientist it would be him. The combo of hair, glasses, beard, orange ringer t-shirt & unzipped hoodie ensemble were a nice touch to class up a literary event.


Kate Beaton is a cartoonist who takes historical figures or events and fictionalizes them. Her book is called Hark! a Vagrant and looks amazing. I feel like a complete idiot for not knowing about her before coming into the event and I'm definitely adding her book to my list of must gets. She is the other author along with Klosterman who was too good not to have read. She was possibly the funniest person at the event and had the entire audience losing it almost every time she spoke. She compared the great Canadian novel as being about cold Saskatchewan winters with nothing going on with the great American novel The Great Gatsby as being about getting drunk & running someone over with a car. Brilliant!


To sum up my day, HOLY CRAP IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!


PS. Did I mention how excited I am to have met and have a book signed by Jennifer Egan & Karen Russell? Yes? ok good, I felt like I was kind of glazing over it.

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

This is the first book I've read after the bet to finish 30 books out of my collection before adding anything new. Heather bought it for me as a surprise present because she knows how badly I've wanted to read it. I'm a big fan of Ms. Russell's work ever since I first read her short story Vampires in the Lemon Grove republished in the 2008 edition of Best American Short Stories. Her imagination, humor and voice are amazing and what makes me such a huge fan. I loved her book St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised by Wolves and was interested that she flushed out the last story in that collection into this book. Swamplandia! is an amazing book about a family of alligator wrestlers who are dealing with the loss of the mother and prime star of the show. It's fast paced, darkly funny and amazing.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Boston Book Festival where Ms. Russell will be part of a talk that I bought a reserve seat for and I'm ecstatic. I hope I get to meet her and get a book signed.

Video games-X-Men Destiny, NHL12 & Madden12

Recently I've been balancing my time a little more than I have in the past where I've still been reading but have been spending more time watching the new fall shows, listening to podcasts & playing video games in my free time. I'll write about podcasts soon as I found some amazing ones but I'd like to write a little about my 3 new video games X-Men Destiny, NHL 12 & Madden 12.



X-Men Destiny
I bought this on a whim as I was slightly hung over and looking for an excuse to stay in all last Saturday. I've read quite a few negative reviews and I definitely get their point, it's a really short game, the story is just ok and the in game decisions don't have a lot of meaningful impact. That being said, I've had a lot of fun with the game after the first run through. There are 3 new mutants that you choose from to play, you give them one of three main powers and then grow your powers. My only real complaints were that the game was too short and I would have like there to have been more areas to fight and gain experience to develop powers. By the end of the game I wasn't able to fully develop my last power which annoyed me. When you clear out a room of bad guys that's it, there are no more random battles. But overall I like it, I think if I was a good gamer it would have been too easy but luckily I'm not that good.



NHL 12
I had been playing NHL 11 and the improvements this year are good but it's really hard if you're not playing with an elite player. I like to play with 1 player in be a pro mode as I like to play with and without the puck. This year they've added where you can play as a legend giving you Jeremy Roenick to start and you have to unlock all the other players. I unlocked Chris Chelios and then realized that when I started playing with him the games & stats didn't carry over so I had to start all over. It's a great game and fun but I'm getting frustrated as I kind of suck at it.



Madden 12
I've played Madden the least so far but it's a great game. Definitely offensive orientated which makes every game a shootout but breaking a tackle for a big gain is one of my favorite things to do. So far I've found myself using running plays way more than I thought. Really fun and can't go wrong if you like football.

30 of 30- Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

I can't believe I've done it. I read 30 books out of my own collection prior to purchasing or borrowing any other books. And since completing this book last week I've even been to a book store and walked away empty handed as there wasn't anything I was dying to read new and nothing overly cool used. As to this book, I hate to say it but in a word meh. Just meh. I still however love Neil Gaiman and will continue to read and love his books.

29 of 30- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I can't say enough good things about American Gods & Neil Gaiman. I read this book a long time ago and wanted to reread it before I read a sequel, Anansi Boys. Luckily I had forgotten enough of the details to remember as I went along without giving too much away. The book is absolutely hilarious and extremely well written. It revolves around Shadow, a large, endearing ex-con who gets involved with american gods. I bought this for my kindle and the ebook included excerpts from a blog that Neil had written between when he finished the book and when it was released in hardcover. It shed a bit of light into the area of editing that was an amazing addition to the book. One of my favorite books and I can't wait for the HBO miniseries or show to come out.

28 of 30- The Falconer by John Cheever

The Falconer by John Cheever

I have recently been on a huge podcast tear listening to some amazing stuff. I'll probably write about some of my favorites so I won't get into it here but one of the podcasts included a story by John Cheever called Reunion that was amazing. I remembered that I had purchased The Falconer used at a book store years ago after watching a hilarious SNL skit without knowing anything about the author. And to be fair, the cover is pretty sweet and worthy of purchase on it's own. The story is about a drug addict who starts serving jail time in Falconer Prison for killing his brother. Overall I liked the story although I think some of the scandalous bits are tampered a bit by time and must have packed a bigger punch back in the 70's. Cheever's style and originality are great and I definitely want to read more. One of my favorite quotes from the book was;

"You is worse than dead. You shit. The dead don't shit."