Lydia Kiesling tricked herself into writing a novel by starting with small vignettes about her feelings as a new parent and setting them in a northern California that’s rarely explored in literature. The result of tying those scenes together is her excellent debut, THE GOLDEN STATE. She and James talk about her work as editor of THE MILLIONS, spreadsheets, local newspapers, present tense, and barfing toddlers. Plus, Shuchi Saraswat from Brookline Booksmith talks about the Transnational Literature Series and book sales.

Lydia Kiesling: 

Lydia and James Discuss: 

CAL SUNDAY MAGAZINE

Sarah Smarsh

Hamilton College

OFF COURSE by Michelle Huneven

MODOC COUNTY RECORD

David Lodge

Sarah Blackwood

LUCKY JIM by Kingsley Amis

Tobias Wolff

Brandon Taylor

THE MILLIONS

Laura van den Berg

Emily Bell

Charles Dickens

THE GRADUATE dir by Mike Nichols

C. Max Magee

THE LAST SAMURAI by Helen DeWitt

Shuchi Saraswat

Shuchi and James discuss:

Brookline Booksmith

The Transnational Literature Series

KINGDOM OF OLIVE AND ASH ed by Chabon & Waldman

THIS IS NOT A BORDER ed by Soueif & Hamilton

Ru Freeman

Khury Petersen-Smith

BEACON PRESS

Tom Hallock

HILLBILLY ELEGY by J.D. Vance

VISITATION by Jenny Erpenbeck

GO WENT GONE by Jenny Erpenbeck

Laura van den Berg

DISORIENTAL by Negar Djavadi

POSO WELLS by Gabriela Aleman

Coolidge Corner Theatre

PERSEPOLIS dir by Marjane Satrapi

Words Without Borders

The Forum Network

Bob Woodward

EXIT WEST by Mohsin Hamid

HOME FIRE by Kamila Shamsie

PACHINCO by Min Jin Lee

THE INCENDIARIES by R.O. Kwon

THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner

CIRCE by Madeline Miller

SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller

BookScan