NPR, Books and Music

I love interview shows on National Public Radio. I love to hear a musician or an author interviewed on one of their shows. I always feel so connected to the artist/author. Perhaps it’s the seious, low-volume voice of the interviewer that gets me. I don’t really know. I just know that over the years, I have heard interviews on NPR with an author or musician, and it wouldn’t be long before I wanted to own the book or cd (Often the interviews gave me great ideas for cd gifts for hard-to-buy for family members.)

It has happened again. I heard an interview last week with author Marilynne Robinson about her new book, Gilead. Now, since I am recently into reserving books at the library, I planned to reserve this one. However, instead, I told Mark it would make a nice Valentines Day gift for me, and voila, I own it. So far I am enjoying the book as much as I enjoyed the author’s interview.

First, I was drawn in by the lovely cover. Matte finish. Cool art. Good cover copy praising the author’s last novel. I confess, I am one who believes you can tell a book by it’s cover–especially a novel. But that’s another entry . . .

I hope to write more about this book when I am finished. In the meantime, if you want a good source for recommended reading, turn on your NPR station.

Wives and Daughters

In a recent entry on Leslie’s blog, (link to come, doing this quick) she listed a book called Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell as one she has read lately. Her description of the book was tantalizing enough to me to cause me to reserve it with the local library. I picked it up today. As soon as I saw it, I realized that it is the book on which a movie that Mark and I watched over Christmas was based. I felt sort of silly that I hadn’t realized it when I first read about the book, but I felt more happy than silly that I was now going to have an opportunity to read the book.

I never heard of Elizabeth Gaskell, but the introduction to her novel makes it clear she was quite a player in the literary world of the 1800s. One of the most notable facts about her is that she worked with Charles Dickens, and he could not reign her in regarding her particular agenda for the project on which they worked together.

The “‘takeaway” from this blog entry should be to: look for the dvd of the movie “Wives and Daughters.” It is an A&E production that rivals all the Jane Austen movies they have produced; also if you get a chance, read the book too. I am already enjoying it after just getting it from the library today. (Waiting for the boys to finish gymnastics class does have the fringe benefit of a quiet opportunity for reading.)