Shelf Esteem
58 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago -I'm a reader, a writer, and a talker. On Shelf Esteem I talk to people about what they're reading and the books they love.
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Episodes
Episode 57: We Run Only Slightly Towards Danger
March 22, 2024 18:43 - 42 minutes - 41.3 MBJournalist and broadcaster John Gushue joined me in my new recording location at Bad Times Club Studio to discuss what we've been reading lately, particularly the memoirs that have fascinated us. That led us into a deep dive into a book that I read on John's recommendation and we both had a lot of thoughts about: Sarah Polley's collection of personal essays Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations With a Body of Memory.
Episode 56: We Journey to Black Harbour
February 23, 2024 14:19 - 39 minutes - 35.5 MBIn the first podcast episode of 2024, we have a Black History Month special where I visit with Xavier Michael Campbell and Heather Barrett and talk about their book Black Harbour. Our conversation ranges from the record of enslaved people in Newfoundland history, to peppermint knobs, salt fish, and men named Junior, as well as to the idea that "there's no Black people in Newfoundland," why we can sometimes be defensive about our history, and some more reading suggestions for people who'd like...
Episode 55: We Take a Journey to the Discworld
October 25, 2023 22:19 - 42 minutes - 45.2 MBFor my last podcast episode of 2023, I sat down with my frequent co-host and even more frequent daughter, Emma Cole, and two of her friends, Emma Pappas and Myles Bradley, to discuss the book they'd just read for their friend-group book club, Terry Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment.
Episode 54: We Could All Use Some Bunter in Our Lives
September 29, 2023 19:23 - 1 hour - 71.8 MBMartha Muzychka and I enjoyed a thorough discussion of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy L. Sayers, wrapping up my three-episode celebration of the 100th anniversary of Whose Body, the first Lord Peter novel.
Episode 53: We Explore London's Underworld In the Company of Bright Young Things
August 25, 2023 13:52 - 1 hour - 76.5 MBContinuing my summer series celebration 100 years of Lord Peter Wimsey, I bookswapped Murder Must Advertise with Kate Atkinson's Shrines of Gaiety -- two novels set amongst a drug- and crime-ridden London underworld -- in conversation with writers, visual artist, and cousin, Jennifer Morgan.
Episode 52: We Love It When Everyone KNOWS They're In a Mystery Novel
July 26, 2023 17:36 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBBack from an unplanned hiatus, I dive into a summer mini-series where I get my reading partners to read some of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels, my favourite book series of all time, by Dorothy L. Sayers. This month, Emma and I swapped the first of the Lord Peter books, Whose Body, with the Truly Devious mystery series by Maureen Johnson. Tune in to find out what a Gen Z reader thinks of a novel published in 1923, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lord Peter Wimsey.
Episode 51: Stranded on a (Literal or Metaphorical) Island
April 30, 2023 12:25 - 58 minutes - 54 MBIn this month's Bookswap, Lori Savory and I discuss two recent novels that are both, in their way, "pandemic novels," though only one is explicitly set during the Covid19 era. Both deal with isolation, finding your path in life, breaking up with the perfect or imperfect boyfriend ... and somehow, the whole discussion ends with us talking about our dogs.
Episode 50: Sentient Sourdough Starters and Smoking Hot Fire Spirits
March 01, 2023 11:09 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBChristine Hennebury - writer, storyteller, founder of Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl, and all-round powerhouse -- swaps fantasy novels with me. In discussion "The City of Brass" by SA Chakraborty and "A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking" by T Kingfisher, we touch on the topics of powerful young women, hot but jerkish mentors, and the ability of fantasy and sci-fi to let us imagine a better world.
Episode 49: We are FOR Canadian Graphic Novels and AGAINST Internalized Misogyny
February 01, 2023 20:12 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBIn another mother-daughter bookswap, Emma and I discuss Kate Beaton's graphic novel Ducks, and Mariko and Jillian Tamaki's YA graphic novel This One Summer. We touch on coming-of-age stories, the power of the everyday, both external and internalized misogyny, and a whole lot more!
Episode 48: Three Books I Loved in 2022
December 29, 2022 02:48 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBThree fellow avid readers join me for this year-end special, each to discuss one book that both they and I read and loved this year. It's December 28 as I post this and I'm still not ready to commit to a Top Ten of 2022, but these three are definitely in at least my Top 25 of the 125 books I read this year.
Episode 47 BOOKSWAP 6: The Seven Invisible Husbands of Evelyn LaRue
October 25, 2022 18:22 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBOnce again, Emma Cole joins me for a deep dive into two novels: one that each of us has recommended for the other to read. In this case, though the books are very different, the titles are easily confused: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab. Join us for a conversation about fake celebrity memoirs, sexy devils, and SPOILERS GALORE!!! As always, if you go to www.trudymorgancole.com and click on the Podcast link, you ca...
Episode 46 BOOKSWAP 5: We Are Unclear About What Constitutes a "Beach Read"
August 25, 2022 10:28 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBIn our fifth BOOKSWAP!, Emma reads Jennifer Weiner's "The Summer Place," I read Emily Austin's "Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead," and we talk about what a "beach read" is, or should be.
Episode 45: We Are United by Taika Watiti But Divided by Bats
July 30, 2022 00:31 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBMy guest this month was L'nu playwright and artist Leahdawn Helena. We had a wonderful conversation about books, which led naturally into talking about her brilliant upcoming play, Stolen Sisters. Follow this link to find out everything you need to know about the play, which runs from August 16-28 in St. John's and will later tour to the West Coast of Newfoundland: https://www.persistencetheatre.com/stolen-sisters.html . Go see it!!
Episode 44: We Are Not Really Talking About Jack the Ripper
May 27, 2022 12:58 - 58 minutes - 53.4 MBCultural power couple Ainsley and Andrew Hawthorn joined me for a wide-ranging discussion that touched on beloved and problematic children's books, issues of consent in the Twilight series, why audiobooks, e-books, and graphic novels are all perfectly valid books ... and a lot of talk about Jack the Ripper that was not really about Jack the Ripper, because he gets talked about too much already.
Episode 43: We Can Smell the Olives and Also the Public Toilets
April 10, 2022 16:46 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBMy conversation with authors Michelle Butler Hallett and JoAnne Soper- Cook ranged widely over a lot of topics and included much classic literature, although we did make a conscious choice not to talk about Ernest Hemingway. We also discussed earning our "Lying" badge, and the way vividly written historical fiction can bring you into a time and place so clearly you can ... well, it's all in the episode title. You can read the show notes, where every book we discussed is listed, at: https://sh...
Episode 42: We Honour the Foremothers (and Others)
March 10, 2022 23:33 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBMy first non-family, full-episode, in-person guests since March 2020 are E.B. Reid and Mark Hunter. By total coincidence, this is Episode #42 and we are talking about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy A LOT ... among other books! Please go to trudymorgancole.com and click on the "Shelf Esteem" link to read this episode's show notes because there's some COOL STUFF there in addition to the titles of books we discussed.
Episode 41 BOOKSWAP 4: We Demand the Book About Dylan
January 27, 2022 13:26 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBFor our fourth Bookswap!, and first podcast of 2022, Emma and I read and discuss Throw Down Your Shadows, by Deborah Hemming, and Big Summer, by Jennifer Weiner. Our conversation jumps lightly from discussions of genre to demands that a minor character get his own spin-off. To see show notes for this and all other episodes, go to http://www.trudymorgancole,com and click the Shelf Esteem link.
Episode 40: All Our Quotation Marks Were Destroyed in The Event
December 31, 2021 15:42 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBFor the final episode of 2021, we stay in-house with me and Emma talking about squidburgers, Robert Ludlum's thriller "The Omicron Variant," the apocalyptic loss of punctuation, and, of course, books we've read and thought about this year. The show notes, with the full list of books we discussed, can be found at https://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com/2021/12/31/episode-40-all-our-quotation-marks-were-destroyed-in-the-event/
Episode 39 BOOKSWAP: We Are Never Going To Make It In New York
July 23, 2021 20:18 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBFor this episode, I read a recent favourite book of Emma's, Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi, and Emma read a book that was a favourite of mine when I was around her age, Emma Who Saved My Life by Wilton Barnhardt (which I did not name her after). We discussed nostalgia, the dream of making it in the Big City, the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, whether people in their 20s care about their families or not, and the hardship of Life Before Cellphones.
Episode 38 BOOKSWAP: One of These Books is BONKERS
June 06, 2021 23:16 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBIn the second episode of our "BookSwap!" summer series, Trudy gets Emma to read "Ayesha at Last" by Uzma Jalaluddin, a wonderful modern day twist on Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim community in Toronto. Emma gets Trudy to read The Natural Daughter, a 1799 novel by Mary Robinson, which is ... a buck-wild ride from start to finish. Plus, we talk about Jane Austen an awful lot for a podcast where we don't even read one of her books. Find the blog post with links to almost everything we talke...
Episode 37: Our Year of Being Mostly Normal People
May 05, 2021 11:01 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBFor the first episode in our summer series, Emma and I discussed "Normal People" by Sally Rooney, and "My Year of Rest and Relaxation," by Otessa Moshfegh. Find out which book I said I "kinda hated with the burning passion of a thousand suns"!
Episode 37 BOOKSWAP: Our Year of Being Mostly Normal People
May 05, 2021 11:01 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBFor the first episode in our summer series, Emma and I discussed "Normal People" by Sally Rooney, and "My Year of Rest and Relaxation," by Otessa Moshfegh. Find out which book I said I "kinda hated with the burning passion of a thousand suns"!
Episode 36: My Metaphorical "Guests," In Quotes
March 31, 2021 16:15 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBThis month's episode, after another unplanned, COVID-inspired hiatus, is a roundup of my reading recommendations and those of three writers: Michelle Butler Hallett, Sharon King Campbell, and Bridget Canning -- plus a look ahead at my future plans for Podcasting In The Time of Covid.
Episode 35: We Do Enjoy a Good Christmas Story
December 23, 2020 23:12 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBFor the first podcast in a long time, and a Christmas special, I gathered a collection of avid readers and talked with each of them about their favourite books to read at this time of year. From children's picture books that are "sweet, but not twee," to chilling ghost stories, to literary classics ... we discuss them all. For a list of all the books discussed in this episode you can go to http://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com
Episode 34: We Can Definitely Remember Shapes and Colours
August 17, 2020 23:53 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBThis episode starts with me rambling about how there's been no new podcast since the end of April because ... well, Covid-19, plus I've discovered I don't really enjoy recording podcasts on Zoom, so I'm rambling a bit about the future of the podcast for the foreseeable future. Then I call in my in-house book expert, my daughter Emma Cole, and we had a lively conversation about what we've been reading and how, even when we can't remember anything else about books, we're still pretty good with ...
Episode 33: We Are All a Little Shack-Whacky
May 01, 2020 13:28 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBI got three good friends together via Zoom and we talked about what we're reading during quarantine/lockdown/pandemic, how we feel about dystopian literature at this stage, and whether people will inevitably behalf like a-holes in the apocalypse. Also, we learn a new word. Check out http://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com for show notes where I list all the books we talked about.
Episode 32: We Are All Afraid to Cough in Public
March 21, 2020 21:39 - 44 minutes - 41 MBWell, maybe it's just me who's afraid to cough. But the cough I edited out, and this whole very strange current moment in the midst of a global pandemic, definitely did come up during this episode. Do you read about plagues during a plague, or do you read to escape the current reality? My guests were two brilliant writers: Leslie Vryenhoek and Russell Wangersky. You can find links to their books, plus all the books we talked about, in the show notes at: https://wp.me/p8n9NX-fR
Episode 31 We Should Start Wearing Purple Now
February 24, 2020 01:31 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBI had a great conversation with writer/researcher Michelle Porter, and community outreach worker/roller-derby-ist Jane Bannister. We touched on poetry, writing by indigenous writers, science fiction, and why we should not wait till we are old ladies to wear purple. (You'll need to forgive the audio quality on this one: due to a microphone error on my part there's some background noise and echo that's distracting, though my fabulous sound technician Chris Cole did a great job of cleaning it ...
Episode 30: We Love a Good Literary Pilgrimage
January 27, 2020 01:36 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBAvid readers Olivia Robinson and Elizabeth Hicks join me in studio for the first podcast of 2020. As usual, we talk about what we're currently reading and the books that have shaped us in the past -- as well as giving a little glimpse into some literary pilgrimages we've taken in the past. To see the full list of books we discussed in this episode, go to http://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com
Episode 29: We Have Not Kissed Any Decapitated Prophets (but we have read some good books!)
December 29, 2019 23:04 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBFor 2019's year-end episode I invited my in-house expert on young-adult fiction, Emma Cole, so we could both sit down and talk about books we'd read and liked -- or at least had opinions about -- this year. Also about things like: how we define "young adult" literature and whether you're supposed to outgrow it, sympathetic stab wounds, what you read when you're majoring in English, and how one of Emma's best books of 2019 was written in (checks notes) 1891.
Episode 28: We Have Not Had Enough of the Whale Blubber
October 07, 2019 00:24 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBIn a conversation that ranged from snails to insects to whale blubber -- yet was, somehow, all about books -- I visited with avid readers Melissa Barbeau and Lara Maynard. Be sure to check out Melissa's beautiful and critically-acclaimed novel, The Luminous Sea. To see a complete list of all the books we talked about, go tohttps://wp.me/p8n9NX-eH
Episode 27: We Are Getting a Consciousness-Raising Slurpee Headache
September 15, 2019 12:25 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBMy first crossover episode! Jenny Wright and Amanda Bittner, hosts of the podcast "The Academic and the Activist," come to MY podcast to talk about what they're reading now, the books that shaped their feminist sensibilities, and how Nice White Ladies are, unfortunately, gonna kill everyone (and how reading widely can help us NWLs, you know, not do that).
Episode 26: We Have Never Shushed Anyone
June 21, 2019 22:59 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBLibrarians Leigha Chiasson-Locke and Emily Blackmore talk about their favourite kids' books, fantasy, literary fiction and so much more. Plus, we discuss the "death of books" (spoiler: they're still alive!) and why libraries are so much more than just big rooms full of books. Also, shushing. Check out the shownotes with links to books and other things we discussed at: https://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/episode-26-we-have-never-shushed-anyone/
Episode 25: We Wish to Clarify That It Is a Merman Not a Dolphin
April 30, 2019 11:30 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBI started talking about books with journalist Andrew Sampson when I ran across his book-focused newsletter on Twitter. That led to me inviting Andrew and his friend Nicole Boggan, who works in arts administration, onto the podcast to talk about nonfiction vs fiction, the value of being able to say "Same!" when you read a book, and the perils of choosing a novel your whole book club might hate. As always you can read a complete list of all the books we discussed at: https://shelfesteem2017.wo...
Episode 24: "A Lot" is Two Words and That Is The Hill We Will Die On
March 24, 2019 13:43 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBWe may all be English teachers and a little obsessed with the fact that "a lot" is not one word -- but we also all love books. Dave Walsh and Alison Edwards are, unlike me, on the frontlines of educating junior-high and high-school students, so they have their fingers on the pulse of YA fiction (and some non-fiction), what kids are reading these days, what kids used to read, and what they think about what kids should be reading (which is, spoiler, pretty much what kids want to read!) Click th...
Episode 23: We Do Not Feel Guilty About Our Pleasures
March 10, 2019 14:52 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBLocal journalists Angela Antle and Stephanie Tobin joined me in the studio for a chat about what we're currently reading, the books that have shaped us, TV and movie adaptations of favourite books, whether anyone can put pressure on Margaret Atwood, and why you shouldn't read dystopian fiction during an extended power blackout. And, of course, we reject the concept of the "guity pleasure." As always, go to trudymorgancole.com and click the "Shelf Esteem" link for a list of all the books we ta...
Episode 22: NL Reads All Kinds of Books
February 17, 2019 22:09 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBOn February 28, books by Sharon Bala, Lisa Moore, Jamie Fitzpatrick, and me, Trudy Morgan-Cole, are competing for the NL Reads book award. I got the nominated writers together to talk about books that have inspired us, which led to us talking about all kinds of writing-related things. Check out the show notes at http://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com for links to NL Reads and to all the books we talked about.
Episode 21: We All Need to Cast a Spell on Someone Now and Then
October 21, 2018 09:00 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBWriters Elisabeth de Mariaffi and Maggie Burton joined me to talk about what we're reading, characters we identify with, what we read when we just want to unwind with something formulaic, and the occasional need to hex someone in these trying times. As always, if you go to http://shelfesteem.wordpress.com you'll see the show notes listing every book we talked about.
Episode 20 We Should All Be Wearing Hats
October 07, 2018 09:00 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBLocal writers, activists, and members of the Order of Canada, Bernice Morgan ad Helen Porter, joined me for a wide-ranging talk about books and writing, punctuated by crackers and cheese. Find the show notes including our book list at http://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com
Episode 19: This Podcast is Both Lit and Clutch
September 23, 2018 11:41 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MBTwo bright lights of the Newfoundland theatre world, Jenn Deon and Sharon King-Campbell, join me to talk about everything from hot fantasy angels, to historical romance, to books you think everyone should read. And if the episode title makes no sense to you, you're probably too old. Just like us.
Episode 18: A Wrinkle in the Process of Adaptation
April 29, 2018 12:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBMichelle Butler Hallett and I take a deep dive into the recent movie adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. Along with obsessively analyzing every aspect of the book and movie we talk about the process of adaptation itself, as well as about Madeleine L'Engle, Ava DuVernay, Star Wars, and what SHOULD have happened to Charles Wallace.
Episode 17: Amanda Was a Teenager For a Really Long Time
March 05, 2018 18:21 - 1 hour - 55 MBBook reviewer Jean Graham and publisher Amanda Will joined me in the studio to talk books. We covered a lot of local books and invoked The Sacred Name of Michael Crummey several times - as well as the names of f Kathleen Winter, Joel Thomas Hynes, and others. We also diverged into Stephen King and other horror novels, TV and movie adaptations of books, social history, and whether kids' books are objectively better today than when we were young.
Episode 16: We Have All Googled Prince Philip a Lot
February 12, 2018 01:21 - 57 minutes - 52.2 MBIt's Valentine's Day, romance is in the air, and romance novelists are in the studio! Victoria Barbour and Melanie Martin stopped by and we chatted about romance novels (theirs and the ones they like to read), historical fiction, and obsessive googling while watching The Crown. They also talk about how romance is more than just the sterotypes of ripped bodices and bare-chested heroes. To see their recommendations, go to www.trudymorgancole.com and click the Shelf Esteem link.
Episode 15: We Do Not Want Anything Bad to Happen to the Dog
January 14, 2018 15:16 - 46 minutes - 43 MBAward-winning writers Terry Doyle and Susie Taylor joined me in the studio to talk about some of our favourite books of 2017 as well as our all-time favourites, what we're looking forward to reading next, and why at least two of us do not want to read a story where anything bad happens to a dog. Some of us, however, consider bats fair game and do not care what happens to them.
Episode 14 A Surprising Number Of Writers Named Richard
December 17, 2017 12:52 - 58 minutes - 54 MBLocal writer and actor Paul Rowe, and his partner Mona Rossiter, sometime local politician, political organizer, and activist, dropped by the studio to talk about the books they have read and loved. Turned out a lot of them -- more than I would have expected -- were by writers named Richard. Check out the full list of books we discussed at http://shelfesteem2017.wordpress.com
Episode 13 We Do Not Want To Turn Into Big Hallmark Cards
December 03, 2017 01:35 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBLocal authors Jamie Fitzpatrick ("The End of Music") and Kerri Cull ("Rock Paper Sex") dropped in to talk about what we're reading lately, how we choose books, whether you can trust the books you love, and why I have such weird issues about monkeys.
Episode 12 The BadAss Librarians Of Mount Pearl
November 19, 2017 16:26 - 58 minutes - 53.4 MBLibrarians Cindy Foote, Renee Farrell, and Krista Hart joined me to talk about books they're reading and books they've loved, as well as giving us a glimpse into the secret lives of librarians.
Episode 11: The Podcast is Coming from INSIDE the House
October 31, 2017 01:45 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBI guess a spooky episode about horror books might be appropriate to release at the end of October, but I can't do that because I DON'T READ SCARY BOOKS. Instead, you'll get me talking about what I've been reading lately, then a lively and funny discussion between me and my daughter Emma about young adult novels, diversity and representation in YA fiction, and why most (but not all) novels by YouTubers are lame.
Episode 10: A Post-Anything Theology
October 01, 2017 16:08 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBAirdate: October 1, 2017. An Anglican priest, a Pentecostal post-graduate student, and a Seventh-day Adventist novelist walk into a basement studio. And they talk about the books that have guided, inspired and challenged them along their spiritual paths. Yes, we all read Mere Christianity when we were teenagers and it changed things for all of us ... but what's been on our bookshelves since then?
Episode 09: He Lost His Shirt Playing Solitaire
September 17, 2017 01:27 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBAirdate: September 17, 2017. I invited up-and-coming Newfoundland writers Bridget Canning, author of The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes, and Sharan Bala, author of the upcoming The Boat People, to the studio to talk about books we love, books that shaped us as kids, and why you should be careful what you say around writers -- we're always taking notes.