Jim Foster: Conversations On The Coast

In this episode, the late Kathi Kamen Goldmark talks about the debut event for Book Group Expo which was designed to bring together book lovers and independent book sellers to promote discussion about books and authors, in addition to readers forming new book groups. Dozens of authors were grouped together by themes such as death & grieving, historical fiction, and writing from life. This disc...

In "The Widower's Tale," author Julia Glass writes a novel about a retired man living in a rural community many decades after the sudden death of his wife as he comes to the realization that he can't stay isolated anymore from his community, two adult daughters, or from a new love. This discussion with the author took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originat...

In "Midnight in Europe," author Alan Furst writes a novel set at the start of World War 2 in 1938 following the story of a lawyer in Paris who is approached to help supply weapons to the Spanish Republic's army. This discussion with the author took place on a 2014 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. Photo Credit: facebook.com/alanfurstb...

In this episode, Jim Foster shares what recent guest and author John Updike had to say at the 2006 annual book seller convention about the future of book writing and publishing. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. Photo Credit: Robert Costa

In "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet," author Jamie Ford writes his debut novel about a Chinese American man named Henry Lee who reflects decades later on what it was like growing up during World War 2 in Seattle, the conflict between his father's insistence that he grow up American and the sad history of what happened to Japanese Americans swept up in the internment camps, including a spec...

In "Blood's a Rover," author James Ellroy writes the concluding third book in his Underworld USA trilogy with the end of the 1960s laced with violence, greed, and conspiracy theories. This discussion with the author took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. Photo Credit: facebook.com/JamesEllroy/

In "Fault Line," author Barry Eisler writes a novel about a patent lawyer named Alex Treven who calls upon his estranged brother for help when the inventor of a promising application that Alex was linked to is murdered. This discussion with the author took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. Photo Credit: Douglas Sonders...

In "Simple Courage: A True Story of Peril on the Sea," the late author Frank Delaney writes an account of the 1951 disastrous voyage of the freighter S.S. Flying Enterprise as it encountered an epic storm during the journey from Europe to America. This discussion with the author took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Killer Weed," author Michael Castleman writes the fourth in his Ed Rosenbery mystery series in which a Silicon Valley billionaire hires Ed to research the hippie era centered in the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco, while a popular mayoral candidate and ex-hippie drug dealer is assassinated present-day as Ed's wife is serving on the campaign. This discussion with the author took place...

In "Full Cry," author Rita Mae Brown writes the third novel of her foxhunting series in which "Sister" Jane investigates dishonest hunting practices leading to a shocking connection with what was thought to be an unrelated murder. This discussion with the author took place on a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Wild Child: Stories by T.C. Boyle," author T.C. Boyle presents a collection of fourteen wide-ranging short stories filled with suspense and imagination. This discussion with the author took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "California the Beautiful," Editor Peter Beren talks about the photography book from the late Photographer Galen Rowell which presents a collection of beautiful images from the Golden State of California and pairs them with the voices of fifty California writers. This discussion with the author took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Franc...

In "Before, During, After," author Richard Bausch writes about the story of a love affair that blooms and then falters against the background of a national tragedy, the September 11 terrorist attacks. This discussion with the author took place on a 2015 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Great Transformation," author and religious scholar Karen Armstrong writes a book about how a variety of religious traditions began and how they could possibly answer problems in our society today. In this interview, Armstrong talks about her appointment to a United Nations initiative called The Alliance of Civilizations, a diverse group of people from around the world who gather to help i...

In "Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend," author Mitchell Zuckoff writes about the life of Charles Ponzi, an immigrant from Italy, and what the world was like in 1920 when he promised to double investors' money in just three months ending up as the most successful financial scheme in history. This discussion took place on a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Fost...

In "Wash," author Margaret Wrinkle writes a novel about a slave forced to work as a breeding sire for a Revolutionary War veteran set on building and maintaining his empire in early 1800s Tennessee during the age of westward expansion. This discussion took place on a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Hard Way Around: The Passages of Joshua Slocum," author Geoffrey Wolff writes a biography about 19th-century sea explorer Joshua Slocum, how he became the first man to circle the globe by himself by using his engineering smarts, and how he inspired others onto their own adventures. This discussion took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in S...

In "The Godfather Returns," author Mark Winegardner writes another novel in "The Godfather" series which picks up the story after the years covered in Mario Puzo's book and in Francis Ford Coppola's classic films. This discussion took place on a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "What Paul Meant," author Garry Wills writes about Paul and how his intentions were consistent with the teachings of Jesus instead of corrupting them as has been argued. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Sag Harbor," author Colson Whitehead writes a coming-of-age novel about a boy who finds himself to be one of the few black students at a Manhattan prep school as he recalls the summer of 1985 where he escaped to Sag Harbor in the Hamptons and discovered a different world. This discussion took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco,...

In "After Auschwitz: A Love Story," author Brenda Webster writes a novel about a man suffering from Alzheimer's Disease who chronicles it in his journal, along with his marriage to a woman who had survived the death camps in Auschwitz as a child. This discussion took place on a 2014 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Hollywood Station," author Joseph Wambaugh writes a novel about life as a modern-day L.A.P.D. cop, based on real-life interviews from men and women officers. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Terrorist," the late author John Updike writes a novel about an eighteen-year-old named Ahmad who grows up without a father who disappeared when he was three, as he strives to find his own path guided by the Qur'an and his neighborhood mosque. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Weight of Heaven," author Thrity Umrigar writes a novel about a young American couple living in a small village in India as they cope with the loss of their young son due to a sudden illness. This discussion took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine & the Birth of Al Qaeda," author Yaroslav Trofimov writes about the attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979 which eventually led to the rise of al Qaeda. This discussion took place on a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.