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The Book Show: July 14, 2015

.CHRISTOPH.G./FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

My motto on The Book Show is: Life is short, but it can be ever so wide.

Join me and my book buddies for a call-in show recommending terrific books to read in all categories. If you're in a book club, please tell us what you've read and enjoyed.

And, hey, kids, we'd love to hear from you about books you love.

Mystery, classics, science, history, politics, humor, cookbooks, memoirs, biographies, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, instruction, graphic novels, health, happiness, wisdom—you'll hear it all on our book show.

Plus: We Interview Humorist Dave Barry

He writes funny. He writes clear simple sentences that appear effortless, but anyone who knows writing and humor understands comedy writing about the absurdities of life takes exceptional talent. Barry has it. His newest book is called Live Right and Find Happiness, the perfect beach read, the perfect anytime book if you need a mood bath other than one brought on by beer.

And: Check Out Listening to Stone and Will and Davis

This past weekend The New York Times produced one of its best-ever book review sections; it was devoted to books about artists, among them Listening to Stone: The Art and Life of Isamu Noguchi.

Perhaps I'm biased since Noguchi is one of my top ten artists, though I'm certainly not alone in being swept away by what he produced in stone, wood, glass, ceramics and set design materials until his death in 1988. Now we can learn Noguchi's life story presented in the kind of detail his remarkable work deserves. Read Hayden Herrera's Listening to Stone to understand how Noguchi managed to both direct his creative process, and let his materials direct his choices. The end result? Breathtaking.

And Will and Davis (iTunes/iBooks link): This e-book graphic novel which tells the multi-cultural story of Will, Davis, and friends is the creation of Connecticut author Jay Whitsett.

Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.

Pat's picks:

  • The Hand That Feeds You, A. J. Rich
  • Thunderstruck, Elizabeth McCracken

GUESTS:

  • Dave Barry – the author, most recently, of Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer Is Faster)
  • Roxanne Coady – president and CEO of RJ Julia Bookseller
  • Lee Jacobus – the author, most recently, of Hawaiian Tales
  • Pat Towers – founding editor of Vanity Fair magazine

MUSIC:

  • “Gne Gne,” Montefiori Cocktail
  • “Modul 41_17,” Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
  • “Modul 42,” Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
  • “Rewrite,” Paul Simon

Lori Mack, Jonathan McNicol, and Marian Roy contributed to this show, which originally aired June 30, 2015.

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For more than 25 years, the two-time Peabody Award-winning Faith Middleton Show has been widely recognized for fostering insightful, thought-provoking conversation. Faith Middleton offers her listeners some of the world's most fascinating people and subjects. The show has been inducted into the Connecticut Magazine Hall of Fame as "Best Local Talk Show".

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