Beatrice.com's Ron Hogan recruits authors and booksellers to help readers find their next favorite book.
Rebecca from Connecticut likes the following books:
- U and I, Nicholson Baker
- Out of Sheer Rage, Geoff Dyer
- The Silent Woman, Janet Malcolm
- Footsteps, Richard Holmes
What books do Tommy Wieringa and I recommend for Rebecca? (You’ve probably got some great suggestions of your own; add them when you re-blog!)
Tommy Wieringa is the author of Little Caesar. His previous novel, Joe Speedboat, won the Bordewijk Prize in 2006 and was long-listed for the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, as well as nominated for the AKO Literature Prize. He lives in Amsterdam.
(taped at WORD Brooklyn, Greenpoint)
Jennie from Virginia likes the following books:
- Wicked, Gregory Maguire
- The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson
- Fables: Cubs in Toyland, Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham
What books do Emily Pullen and I recommend Jennie read next? (Actually, when you watch the video, you’ll see that Emily has half a dozen suggestions—a heady blend of fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels—including some picks from her colleagues at WORD.)
Emily Pullen worked at Skylight Books in Los Angeles, and then she moved to the East Coast and became a store manager at WORD Brooklyn in Greenpoint. She also works closely with Two Dollar Radio, a fantastic independent publishing company.
“I finally got time to read the two recommendations I got and loved them both, so now I’m reading Kristopher’s book too, and it’s wonderful so far.”—Jessica from Port Washington
Jessica Francis Kane had so much fun the first time she appeared on The Handsell, she came back and did it again! In this episode, in addition to talking about the differences between writing novels and short stories, she helps make recommendations for somebody who loved these books:
- My Year of Meats, Ruth Ozeki
- The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
- The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
What books did Jessica and I recommend for this reader? (Be sure to watch the video for Jessica’s other recommendation, a memoir that we both loved…)
Jessica Francis Kane’s first novel, The Report, was a finalist for both the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize and the Indie Booksellers’ Choice Award. She also has two short story collections, including 2013’s This Close.
(taped at Community Bookstore, Brooklyn)
Pamela from Glasgow likes the following books
- The Silver Linings Playbook, Matthew Quick
- A Spot of Bother, Mark Haddon
- The Beautiful and Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald
- A Song of Fire & Ice (series), George R.R. Martin
What books do Jennifer Gilmore and I recommend for Pamela? (That last book threw us a bit of a curveball; be sure to watch the video to see how we dealt with it…and learn about three more recommendations!)
Jennifer Gilmore’s most recent novel is The Mothers. She’s also the author of Golden Country, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Jewish Book Award, and Something Red. (Both of them were also New York Times Notable Books, and I bet The Mothers will be, too.)
(taped at Community Bookstore, Brooklyn)
