Episode 3: Still a Classic? Jane Eyre
In our third episode, Leah and Susan reread Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. We both read the book in college and both of us were surprised at how political the book was, tackling issues from economic disparity to religion to sexism. From today’s perspective, we focused on female rage and how in many ways, not […]
Episode 2: Still a Classic? The Remains of the Day
In episode two of Still a Classic, Leah and Susan talk about the 1989 novel The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, which follows Stevens, a head butler with a long record of service at Darlington Hall, an English estate. It won the Booker Prize, was made into an acclaimed 1993 film, and was […]
Episode 1: Still a Classic? The Lovely Bones
In the first episode of our new podcast series, Still a Classic? Leah Eichler and Susan Catto debate whether or not Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones still deserves its status.
Esoterica’s The Interview with Cara Robertson, author of “The Trial of Lizzie Borden”
In this interview, we meet Cara Robertson, author of The Trial of Lizzie Borden. In her nail-biting book, Robertson takes us behind the scenes of the trial and the ensuing media circus to bring a fresh and modern take on a case that continues to captivate popular culture. Don’t miss this!
Esoterica’s The Interview with Oren Schneider on “The Apprentice of Buchenwald”
This episode is close to our heart. Oren (like Leah Eichler) is a third generation Holocaust survivor. Coincidentally, their grandfathers come from the same city and likely knew each other. In this book, Oren channels his grandfather to tell the stories he recounted to his grandson over the years. Oren’s father died young and his […]
The Interview with Nathan Greenfield on “Hanged in Medicine Hat”
During World War II, 12,000 Nazis were kept in a POW camp in Medicine Hat, Alberta, a remote city with about the same population as the camp. The POW camp operated as a nearly autonomous region during the war, and the city enjoyed the additional jobs it provided. That all changed when two men were […]
The Interview with Jowita Bydlowska on her novel, “Possessed”
In this week’s episode, we speak with Jowita Bydlowska on her new novel, Possessed, about a women’s love obsession. The novel was inspired in part by a break up, according to the press material. Yet, the author corrects this idea, and explains that it tackles bad relationships in general — a universal theme that any […]
The Interview with Chelsea Wakelyn on “What Remains of Elsie Jane”
In this episode we meet Chelsea Wakelyn, who discusses her debut novel, What Remains of Elsie Jane, about a young mother coping with grief after the sudden death of her husband from a drug overdose. Inspired by true life events, the novel explores what happens when a grieving widow’s actions don’t live up to society’s […]
The Interview: Andrew Brobyn on his Memoir, “Babble On”
In this episode we meet Andrew Brobyn, who discusses his psycho-philosophical memoir, Babble On, where he navigates the consequences of his eccentric choices and struggles with profound ambivalence toward his own health and well-being. The prose and writing style mimics the feeling of being on an acid trip. Don’t miss out!
Esoterica’s The Interview with
In this episode, we meet Alison Maclean, a publishing executive and professor; a former vice-president at Wiley, and now a publishing consultant in the UK. Tune in to her insights on the future of publishing.