FROG AND TOAD by Arthur Lobel >> I hate to self-aggrandize, but this might be some of my finest work.
What an honor to add my voice to the important chorus extolling everyone's favorite kid book, Frog and Toad. Allow me to explain how structure, monosyllabic word choice, vowel sounds and syntax all combine to result in PROFOUND resonance. The big bonus is that the queer elements of the work make reading Lobel not only a nostalgic delight, but an important act.
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WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOVE by Raymond Carver >> If you've never read Carver, tuck in to just ONE of his insanely great stories then skedaddle back here.
People. Raymond Carver's short fiction is so good that it's essentially responsible for the American short fiction heyday in the 1980s. Listen in to why the content and the STYLE makes Carver entirely inimitable and so compelling.
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JAMES by Percival Everett >> Dig in to all the ways Everett's re-imagining is a HUGE IMPROVEMENT on the source material.
Even if HUCK FINN is your favorite ever, you have to admit that what Everett has done is amazing. Listen in for all the nuance you need about HUCK (without spending days [re]reading Twain). Kimberly shares not only why JAMES is an insanely great revisioning of the 1884 adventure story--but why Everett's crucial text is hilarious, unique and JUST SO GOOD.
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MOBY DICK by Herman Melville >> Whether this doorstop is your favorite of all time, or whether you don't quite get the hype--listen in to why it deserves its status as one of the very best.
Melville's classic is always right at the top of BEST EVER novels lists. We really dig into what is so appealing about this masterpiece: its weird structure, its likeable, unique narrator, an open-mindedness that seems pretty radical for 1851 (including some serious homoeroticism)--and, of course, the appeal of Queequeg, everyone's favorite harpooner.
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HEARTBURN by Nora Ephron >> Rom-com tropes and history are waaay more interesting than you think. See how Ephron blazed a trail!
Before When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and Julie andJulia, Nora Ephron wrote the BEST NOVEL. Heartburn is light and funny, but also complex, nuanced and full of compassion.
Kimberly runs through the history of romantic comedy--not as simple as you'd think--and all the tropes that make the genre what it is. She then takes a close look at how Ephron UPENDS so many of these rom-com conventions. For a new appreciation of this excellent art form, tune in now.
If you love to read, The Foxed Page is for you. With these deep dives into the best books, you’ll gain a richer understanding of the title at hand, all while learning to read everything better.
Choose from long-form lectures, quick recommendations, talks on old favorites and plenty of episodes from the archives.
Listen to The Foxed Page--with Kimberly Ford, best-selling author, former adjunct professor and Ph.D.
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