The Foxed Page

Garcia Marquez changed literature with the 1967 publication of this surreal, ultra-popular, deeply engaging novel. Kimberly LOVED diving in to the context in which it was written, the way it fits into literary movements and why it's so groundbreaking. And if you're one of the people who couldn't keep all the generations of José Arcadios and Aurelianos straight, Kimberly will reveal a grad-school l...

At the end of TOM LAKE, Ann Patchett exhorts readers to return to the work of Thornton Wilder--so Kimberly did! She LOVED her deep dive into the hugely influential 1938 classic, OUR TOWN. You'll hear analysis of the novel, with a whole section devoted to how the incredibly affecting OUR TOWN inflects Patchett's novel. Lastly? You'll then be treated to some seriously inspiring quotations by Wilder...

Kimberly dips into the Regency Era--don't remember why it's called that? tune in!--then digs into Jane's use of irony and satire to appreciate why the work is so revolutionary, so deft and SO FUNNY.

Cusk's radical approach to the novel makes OUTLINE the perfect text for serious exploration. Its innovative approach to narrative, structure and even basic description meant plenty of grist for Kimberly's mill. Whether you loved OUTLINE or were left wondering what the hell just happened--prepare for some serious edification.

NO READING REQUIRED! Turns out that everyone's favorite picture book is a psychologically complex, highly psychoanalytic, controversial TREASURE TROVE of literary and visual mastery. Listen in! **If you've never watched a lecture on the foxed page YouTube channel, this is a particularly good one, given the plethora of images that help elucidate the visual side of Sendak's genius.**

NO SPOILERS! NO READING NECESSARY! Kimberly comes to you from a wine cellar with a nervous dog to discuss autofiction and how the French are more relaxed about TRUTH than Americans. The Mystery Guest is intriguing, darkly funny and SO SHORT! If you're casting about for something to read and want something different--listen in!

NO SPOILERS! (Obviously. It's s thriller.) This novel was so well done that Kimberly couldn't wait to analyze all the reasons it works so well. The most fun, though, might have been picking out the exceptions that prove the rule: Liz Moore is so good!

Kimberly loved GOODBYE, VITAMIN so much that she's elated to see Khong's latest getting so much attention. Until Kimberly works through her stack and gets to REAL AMERICANS, listen in to this 30-minute intro to Khong's bio, her prose, and all the ways that the opening page of GOODBYE will help you more fully appreciate her insanely great work.

Have you got a pretty good sense of what satire's all about? But could maybe use a breakdown about WHY it works well? And WHEN it works well? Join Kimberly for a close look at Taffy Brodessor-Akner's LONG ISLAND COMPROMISE to understand this delicious literary mode. We'll take a close look at LONG ISLAND, while also getting a bit broader with Andrew Sean Greer's LESS, Lorrie Moore's SELF HELP and...

There are SO many reasons to read (or REREAD) this slim, gorgeous, Paris-based novel. One way to more fully understand the book is to view it through Baldwin's genius use of figurative language. Listen in now!

It was VERY hard for Kimberly to decide on a top ten. So there are five runners-up. She assumed it would be impossible to RANK the top ten, but in a spur-of-the-moment decision, she attempts it. Tune in to see how your list compares!

NO PRE-READING REQUIRED! Allow Kimberly to help you revel in this gem--all while increasing your appreciation by pointing out the echoes of Dickens's David Copperfield.

People. This collection is SO FUNNY and SO DARK. It's unlike any other writing. Whether you've read it or are considering diving in after the book was selected as one of the best of the century, listen in as Kimberly helps understand how this woman pulls it OFF.

Kimberly zips through the 46 books she's read, giving a rating to every one. Check it OUT!

We wrap up SALINGER WEEK with a deep dive into "Zooey" (the story) along with a good hard look at FRANNY AND ZOOEY as a whole. This third and final lecture offers up all sorts of gems--from the source of Franny's crisis to a wider look at why Salinger's prose is so incredibly ENDURING.

This deep dive is SO deep that Kimberly needs a whole lecture just to discuss "Franny." The first 40 pages of FRANNY AND ZOOEY is not only amazing, but the perfect way to look at what makes all of Salinger's prose so unmistakably SALINGER. (A second Salinger lecture will tackle "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," then we'll dive all the way in to the hugely popular FRANNY AND ZOOEY.)

Allow Kimberly to point out the intricacies, the nuance, the FACTS of what Akbar is really saying at the end of his insanely great novel. Tune in to hear Kimberly argue a few sides of this coin. She follows Daniel Mendelsohn's advice to treat literature like a social science: look carefully at the DATA. If you're like all the folks on the internet who have real questions about this novel's close,...

People. This is one of the most intense reading experiences Kimberly has had in ages. The book is so smart, so warm and funny and complicated, that Kimberly realized it deserves two lectures! This first one focuses on the narrative stance, the inventiveness, the humor and complicated compendium-like structure (and a possible small debt to David Foster Wallace). The SECOND lecture (coming soon) tac...

NO SPOILERS! What's summer without a good beach read? By the QUEEN of the beach read?? Kimberly was somewhat alarmed that Hilderbrand is "hanging up her bikini" but thank god we have 26 other Nantucket novels to choose from. People, Hilderbrand is SO GOOD at this stuff. Listen in to find out why her narrative stance, atmospheric elements and structure make these books so solid. (Also: Kimberly has...

ALL FOURS is changing how we think about sex, maternity, marriage--and towels. Touted by the New York Times as "the first great peri-menopause novel," it's July's most accessible, most hilarious and most "filthy" (in the best of ways) work. Listen in while Kimberly uses the lens of humor to appreciate the pathos, the sex, the iconoclasm and the tension in this IMPORTANT BOOK.

Who knew that Collins wrote his doctoral dissertation on the romantic poets?? Tune in to hear Kimberly break down the Romantic Movement and Byron's "She Walks in Beauty"--all in preparation to more fully appreciate our nation's "most popular poet"!

Kimberly does not love poetry. Which she considers a personal failure. But it turns out that she LOVES hearing Paul Chowder, narrator of this novel, teach her all about poetry. If you need a lift, and love hilarious, smart books--listen in!

LIVES OF GIRLS AND WOMEN is Munro's only novel AND it's the ideal way to really dig in to her genius. Listen in now!

NO READING NECESSARY! Think of this talk as a primer that will ensure you won't miss any of the ZILLION REASONS why North Woods was on all those best-of-2023 lists. This novel is so engrossing and wide reaching. It's smart and rich and just plain fun to read. Listen as Kimberly points out aspects you do not want to miss. Already read it? You'll love this even more!

Díaz's Pulitzer-prize-winning, Booker-nominated TRUST has the kind of complex structure Kimberly LOVES to dig into. With vastly differing narrative voices, each of the four texts informs the others, making for an insanely rich read. Also: this exploration of the American dream could not be more timely!