Bookish with Sonya Walger
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 91 ratingsCould you pick the 5 books that have shaped you most? Every week actress and avid reader Sonya Walger invites a guest to explore their five most formative books and how they affected their lives.
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Episodes
Huma Abedin
May 16, 2022 07:00 - 1 hourHuma Abedin has spent her entire career in public service and national politics, beginning as an intern in First Lady Hillary Clinton’s office in 1996. After four years in the White House, she worked in the U.S. Senate as Senior Advisor to Senator Clinton and was Traveling Chief of Staff for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. In 2009, she was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of State. Huma served as Vice Chair of Hillary for America in 2016, resulting in the first wom...
John Simm
January 01, 2022 08:00 - 1 hourJohn Simm is an English actor, director, and musician, best known for playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars, the master in Doctor Who, and DS Roy Grace in Grace. His other television credits include State of Play, The Lakes, Crime and Punishment, Exile, Prey, and Cracker. He has been nominated for a BAFTA for best actor and the Lawrence Olivier Award for best actor. John's Books Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, 1951 Salem's Lot by Stephen King, 1975 Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, 1838 Crime...
Dan Houser
November 29, 2021 08:00 - 1 hourMy guest this week is one of my closest friends, Dan Houser. Dan created a cultural phenomenon. He is the former lead writer and creative director of Rockstar Games and he was the head writer and creative director of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. GTA5 is the most successful entertainment product in history. It has sold over 150 million copies. Red Dead Redemption 2 made a billion dollars in three days. Dan is my dearest friend from Oxford and Godfather to my daughter. Dan's Books ...
Aimee Mullins
November 22, 2021 08:00 - 1 hourMy guest this week is Aimee Mullins. Aimee is an American athlete, actress, model, and public speaker. She was born with a medical condition that resulted in the amputation of both of her lower legs when she was one year old. She was told that she would use a wheelchair for the rest of her life but by the age of two she was walking with prosthetics. She went on to be the first amputee to compete against able bodied athletes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association events. She competed ...
Krista Tippett
November 15, 2021 08:00 - 1 hourThis week my guest is Krista Tippett, creator and host of the spiritual nourishment podcast, On Being. She has interviewed everyone of spiritual consequence from the Dalai Lama to Mary Oliver. She was the recipient of the National Humanities Medal at the White House, given by Barack Obama. She has won a Peabody award. She reported and wrote for The Times, Newsweek, the BBC, the International Herald Tribune, and Die Zeit. Krista has authored many books, and her book Einstein's God, was a New Y...
William H. Macy
November 08, 2021 08:00 - 1 hourMy guest this week is my friend Bill, better known as William H. Macy. Bill is an American writer, actor, and director. He has written films, tv series, and screenplays. He has won two Emmy awards, and has been nominated for 15. He has won four screen actors guild awards. He was nominated for an Academy award for best supporting actor for his performance in Fargo. Bill's Books The Kid Who Batted a Thousand by Bob Allison and Frank Ernest Hill, 1951 Call of the Wild by Jack London, 1903 Elec...
Douglas Stuart
November 01, 2021 07:00 - 1 hourMy guest this week is Scottish writer Douglas Stuart. Douglas' debut novel, Shuggie Bain was awarded the 2020 Booker Prize. It was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Pen/Hemingway, the National Book Critics Circle, and named a notable book of the year by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Douglas' Books Jude The Obscure by Thomas Hardy A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst Young Adam by Alexander Trocchi The Trick is to Keep Br...
Chris Anderson
October 25, 2021 07:00 - 1 hourMy guest this week is British American businessman Chris Anderson. Chris is the head of TED, a non-profit organization that provides idea-based talks and hosts an annual conference in Canada. He is also the founder of Future Publishing. He published a book, TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, which immediately became a New York Times best seller. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis, 1956 How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker, 1997 The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, 2006 T...
Isha Sesay
October 18, 2021 07:00 - 55 minutesIsha Sesay is a British journalist of Sierra Leonean descent who became a TV news star in 2014 when she led a CNN team to a Peabody award for her coverage of the kidnapping of 276 school girls in Nigeria. Isha stayed with the story over the years and spent time with the girls that escaped, as well as with the families of the girls that are still unaccounted for. She put her experiences into a book, Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram. ...
Carol Dysinger
October 11, 2021 07:00 - 1 hourMy guest this week is Carol Dysinger, Director of the short documentary, Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone if You're a Girl. This film won the Academy Award for best short documentary as well as the BAFTA for best short, and best documentary short from the IDA and the Tribeca Film Festival. She is the recipient of multiple awards, among them the David Payne Carter award for excellence in teaching and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is Associate Professor at NYU Film School. Under My Skin: Vol...
Rory Stewart
October 04, 2021 07:00 - 56 minutesMy guest this week is Rory Stewart, British academic, diplomat, explorer, author, soldier, and politician. Rory is a Senior Fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, where he teaches politics and international relations. He has served as a Minister in four different departments of the UK government, including Secretary of State for International Development. He resigned from this role when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. He was also a Member of Parliament. He has ...
Darin Strauss
September 27, 2021 07:00 - 55 minutesMy guest this week is best selling author Darin Strauss. His book Half a Life received the National Book Critics Circle award for memoir. He is also the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in fiction writing and numerous other awards. Darin is an Associate Professor of writing at NYU. Darin's Books Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, 1877 Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov, 1957 Like Life by Lorrie Moore, 1990 Collected Stories by VS Pritchett, 1990 Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett, 1978 Learn more about ...
Marion Turner
September 20, 2021 07:00 - 1 hourThis week I spoke with Dr. Marion Turner, a professor of English Literature at Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. Her latest book, Chaucer: A European Life is a major biography of the great medieval poet. Her book was chosen as Book of the Year in 2019 in The Times, The Sunday Times, and the TLS. In 2020 it was shortlisted for the Wolfson History prize and for which she was awarded the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize. Marion's Books The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis, 1950...
Garrett Reisman
September 13, 2021 07:00 - 1 hourMy first guest of season 3 is my friend and colleague, Garrett Reisman. Garrett is a NASA veteran who flew on all three space shuttles. During these missions Garrett performed three space walks. After leaving NASA Garrett joined Elon Musk at SpaceX, most recently as the Director of Space Operations, and now a Senior Advisor. He now works full time as a Professor of Astronautical Engineering at USC. I met Garrett on my show, For All Mankind, where he serves as Consultant, Producer, and sometim...
Season 3 Preview Episode
September 06, 2021 13:15 - 3 minutesLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eric Garcetti
July 02, 2018 05:00 - 49 minutesMy final guest of season 2 is Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles. Mr. Garcetti is the 42nd Mayor of LA; a member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in 2013 and won re-election in 2017. He is married with one daughter and it was my absolute honor and pleasure to talk to him about his formative books in the Rare Books room of the Central Library in downtown LA. Eric's Books • Ficciones, by Jorge Luis Borges, 1941 • Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Natio...
Amanda Foreman
June 25, 2018 05:00 - 57 minutesThis week my guest is historian Dr. Amanda Foreman. Amanda is author of award-winning best sellers, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and A World on Fire as well as the BBC/Netflix series The Ascent of Woman. She writes a column for the Wall Street Journal and her next book, The World Made By Women is scheduled to be published later this year. Amanda's Books • A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1905 • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, 1813 • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkie...
Iggy and Phoebe and Jack and Hayden
June 18, 2018 05:00 - 55 minutesIggy (10) and Phoebe (8) are brother and sister; Jack (11) and Hayden (10) are best friends. Their Books: • Ig 1: The Odyssey (Graphic Novel version), by Homer. Illustrated by Gareth Hinds: 2010 • Ig 2: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein: 2013 • Phoebe 1: Raymie Nightingale, by Kate DiCamillo: 2016 • Phoebe 2: Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo: 2000 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Piers Torday
June 11, 2018 05:00 - 1 hourThis week my guest is my friend novelist Piers Torday. Piers’s first book The Dark Wild won the Guardian’s Children’s Fiction Prize. His books include The Dark Wild trilogy, There May Be a Castle, A Wisp of Wisdom and Winter Magic. Piers' Books • The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding, by Beatrix Potter: 1908 • The Swimming-Pool Library, by Alan Hollinghurst: 1988 • A Dance to the Music of Time, by Anthony Powell: 1951-1975 • The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, by Eliza...
Emily Mortimer
June 04, 2018 04:00 - 1 hourIn this episode I talk to my friend, actress, screenwriter and producer Emily Mortimer. Emily’s many credits include Doll and Em, The Newsroom, Shutter Island, Lars and the Real Girl, Lovely and Amazing, and the new Mary Poppins. Emily's Books • A Hero of Our Time, by Mikhail Lermontov: 1839 • Tale Of Mr. Tootleoo, by Bernard & Elinor Darwin: 1925 • Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens: 1861 • Hons and Rebels, by Jessica Mitford: 1960 • The River Cafe Cookbook, by Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray:...
Nancy Baker Cahill
May 28, 2018 05:00 - 1 hourThis week I talk to my friend, multidisciplinary artist Nancy Baker Cahill. Nancy is an award-winning artist and founder of the 4th Wall AR art app. Nancy's Books • To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee:1960 • Inferno, by Dante Alighieri: 14th Century • The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning, by Maggie Nelson: 2011 • Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole: 1980 • Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, by Gregory Boyle: 2011 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...
John Burnham
May 21, 2018 05:00 - 1 hourIn this episode I talk to novelist John Burnham Schwartz. John’s works include Bicycle Days, Reservation Road, Claire Marvel, The Commoner and Northwest Corner. John's Books • The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion, by Ford Madox Ford: 1915 • Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov, by Anton Chekhov, complied in 1979 • The Regeneration Trilogy, by Pat Barker [Regeneration: 1991; The Eye in the Door: 1993; The Ghost Road:1995] • Seize the Day, by Saul Bellow: 1956 • Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee: 1999 Lea...
Barbara Bestor
May 14, 2018 05:00 - 1 hourThis week my guest is award-winning architect Barbara Bestor. Barbara is the principal of Bestor Architecture, and the vision behind LA landmarks such as Intelligentsia Coffee, the Silverlake Conservatory of Music and the headquarters for Beats by Dre and Nasty Gal. Barbara's Books • The Code of the Woosters, by PG Wodehouse: 1938 • The Wings of the Dove, by Henry James: 1902 • Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, by Robert Venturi: 1966 • Five California Architects, by Esther McCoy...
Dawn O'Porter
May 07, 2018 05:00 - 1 hourThis week I talk books with novelist, journalist and fellow podcaster, Dawn O’Porter. Dawn writes about feminism and women’s lifestyle for numerous publications, hosts the podcast Get It On and is the author of 4 novels, most recently the bestseller, The Cows. Dawn's Books • A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf: 1929 • Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte: 1847 • We Need To Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver: 2003 • Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson: 1985 • Legendary Authors ...
Danzy Senna
April 30, 2018 05:00 - 1 hourThis week my guest is novelist Danzy Senna. Danzy’s works include Caucasia (winner of Whiting Award, LA Times Book of the Year), Symptomatic, Where Did You Sleep Last Night? and You Are Free. Danzy's Books • Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin: 1956 • Quicksand, by Nella Larsen: 1928 • The Easter Parade, by Richard Yates: 1976 • The Talented Mr. Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith: 1955 • A Handful of Dust, by Evelyn Waugh: 1934 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Damon Lindelof
April 23, 2018 05:00 - 59 minutesThis week I talk to my former boss, writer-producer Damon Lindelof. Co-creator and showrunner of Lost, Damon is currently adapting The Watchmen for HBO and counts Cowboys & Aliens, Prometheus, The Leftovers (HBO) and Star Trek into Darkness among his many writing and producing credits. Damon's Books • The Stand, by Stephen King: 1978 • The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand: 1943 • Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons: 1987 • Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens: 1861 • The Underground Railroad,...
Kate Walsh
April 16, 2018 05:00 - 58 minutesIn this first episode I talk to my good friend, actress Kate Walsh. Kate's Books • Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck: 1945 • Howards End, by EM Forster: 1910 • Barrel Fever and Other Short Stories, by David Sedaris: 1994 • Away, by Amy Bloom: 2007 • A Visit From The Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan: 2011 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Season 2 Preview Episode
April 13, 2018 15:11 - 38 minutesJoe Betance and I discuss upcoming episodes and Season 2 highlights Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Robin Coste Lewis
December 11, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourIn this final episode, my guest is Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, author of Voyage of the Sable Venus, Robin Coste Lewis. Robin’s Books • The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson • The Poetry of the Negro 1746-1949 by Langston Hughes • The Black Stallion by Walter Farley • Tar Baby by Toni Morrison • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sonya Walger
December 04, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourIn this episode, I am the GUEST! interviewed by my wonderful producer & friend, Joe Betance. Sonya’s Books • Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak • A Feast for All Seasons?? (children’s cookbook – my mum is scouring her bookshelves to locate the exact title!) • The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James • Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates • Last Night by James Salter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jared Harris
November 27, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourIn this episode I interview actor/director Jared Harris. Jared’s Books • The Greek Myths by Robert Graves • Love Honor and Dismay by Elizabeth Rees Harrison • Audition by Michael Shurtleff • Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion by Joseph Campbell and Diane K. Osbon • Travels (Vintage Departures) by Michael Crichton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Cass Sunstein
November 20, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourThis week my guest is Harvard legal scholar and prolific author Cass Sunstein. Cass’s Books • Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham • Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts by Samuel Beckett • A Theory of Justice by John Rawls • The Morality of Law by Lon L. Fuller • Possession by A. S. Byatt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jenni Konner
November 14, 2017 04:44 - 55 minutesThis week I interview showrunner, writer and producer Jenni Konner. Jenni showran and wrote the HBO series Girls and together with Lena Dunham is the co-founder of Lenny Letter and the Random House imprint, Lenny Books. Jenni’s Books • Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher • American Pastoral by Philip Roth • Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • The Silver Palate Cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso • Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...
Jon Hamm
November 06, 2017 13:00 - 1 hourThis week I interview actor Jon Hamm. Hamm's credits include Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, Absolutely Fabulous; the Movie, Baby Driver. Jon’s Books • The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe • A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers • The World According to Garp by John Irving • A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving • The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mireille Enos
October 30, 2017 11:00 - 1 hourThis week I interview my friend (and erstwhile co-star) Mireille Enos. Mireille's credits include Big Love, The Killing, World War Z and The Catch. Mireille’s Books • The Diviners by Jim Leonard Jr. • Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry • Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy • One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sean Carroll
October 23, 2017 12:00 - 1 hourMy guest this week is physicist and author at Caltech, Sean Carroll. Sean's books include Spacetime and Geometry; From Eternity to Here and The Big Picture: On the origins of Life, Meaning, & the Universe itself. Hardly intimidating at all........ Sean's Books • One Two Three ... Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science by George Gamow • Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen • Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon • Time and Chance by David C. Albert Learn more ...
Julie Bowen
October 16, 2017 12:00 - 1 hourActress Julie Bowen is my guest this week. Julie is best known for her roles on Ed, Lost, Boston Legal and Modern Family, Juile's Books • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett • Wifey by Judy Blume • Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger • Riven Rock by T.C.Boyle • Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
David Goyer
October 09, 2017 12:00 - 1 hourIn this episode I interview writer/director/producer David Goyer at his home in LA. David is best known for his work on the Blade trilogy, Dark Knight trilogy and FlashForward (where he and I met). David's Books • The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolf • The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov • A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor • Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond • The Keep by Jennifer Egan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Felicity Huffman
October 02, 2017 12:00 - 1 hourIn this episode, I talk to actress Felicity Huffman. Her credits include Desperate Housewives, Transamerica and American Crime. Felicity's Books • James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl • Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis • Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert • The Last Lion by William Manchester • Help Thanks Wow by Anne Lamott • Stand Before Your God by Paul Watkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chris Weitz
September 22, 2017 03:32 - 1 hourChris Weitz is a film producer, screenwriter, author, actor and film director. He and his brother, Paul wrote a little known movie called American Pie, and also together adapted and directed About a Boy which went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. He directed New Moon from the Twilight series, the film adaptation of The Golden Compass and co-wrote Rogue One; A Star Wars Story. He was generous enough to be my guinea pig and tell me about his 5 most formative ...
Introducing Bookish, trailer for S1
September 22, 2017 03:12 - 2 minutesSubscribe now to Bookish, a new podcast hosted by actress Sonya Walger. Each week she interviews a guest about the five books that have shaped them most. Releases weekly starting Monday 25th September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices