

The Foxed Page
Kimberly Ford
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 11, 2025 • 1h 15min
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.

Sep 8, 2025 • 1h 8min
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.

Sep 4, 2025 • 54min
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.

Sep 1, 2025 • 30min
THE BOOK OF BASKETBALL by Bill Simmons >> Sure, you might need to like basketball to love this lecture--but it's a good one!
NO READING REQUIRED! NO SPOILERS! (lol)
Kimberly expected this to be some kind of sports encyclopedia--which, let's be honest, it is. But it's also a really compelling memoir! Simmons's prose, which she does subject to a (brief) close reading, allows fans to RELIVE and deepen iconic moments (some new to Kimberly) because of its narrative voice and structure, its selection of details and all those footnotes.
She does acknowledge that this is NO FEMINIST TREATISE. But she also understands that the book knows its audience and even succeeds with someone who's really NOT the intended reader.
And maybe most importantly Simmons reveals, in these pages, THE SECRET. One that has the potential (does it???) to change Kimberly's life. Listen in to find out how!

Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 5min
THE SUMMER BOOK by Tove Jansson >> Sad that summer’s ending? Quick! Treat yourself to this slim masterpiece and listen in!
If you’re even remotely sad that summer’s ending, if you have any feelings about the beauty of nature, if you have aging parents, if you think even occasionally about mortality (lol), you MUST read this book. It’s slim, gorgeous, funny, sad and a complete joy. Of all Kimberly’s recommendations, The Summer Book might be the one that's most universally loved. And honestly, Kimberly must say, this deep dive is some of her very best analysis. Tove Jansson is TOO GOOD to warrant anything less.

Aug 25, 2025 • 55min
THE BUCCANEERS by Edith Wharton and APPLETV >> Did you even know that the excellent, frothy AppleTV series is based on a classic?? Allow Kimberly to fill in juicy parts that only Wharton can supply!
NO READING REQUIRED! Kimberly is actually really NOT suggesting you read The Buccaneers. You SHOULD, though, read Wharton's The Age of Innocence or The House of Mirth. Her prose is engaging, gorgeous and so fun to read. Listen in to hear all about what happens with Nan and her men, with Laura Testvalley and Dick, with Honoria and Mabel and all the girls. Honestly, it's just such a treat to hear Wharton's writing. Indulge yourself now!

Aug 21, 2025 • 56min
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODY by Muriel Spark >> Whether you've always loved Spark's sassy, ridiculously inventive prose or whether you're new to her, Kimberly will show you why she's truly a GENIUS.
Ready to head back to school? DREADING back to school ? Allow Kimberly to make the most of this transition. Spark's masterpiece is brief but wow does it pack a punch. Her prose SEEMS simple but her original, sometimes startling syntax, the way she plays with time, and the unique structure of this work mean there's soooo much for Kimberly to dig in to.

Aug 13, 2025 • 1h 12min
PEDRO PARAMO by Juan Rulfo >> Rulfo suggested you read his MASTERPIECE three times if you want to get it. Allow Kimberly to provide a short cut!
This 1955 novella--it's slim, tricky and SO GOOD--is the bedrock of Mexican literature. Its complexities and virtuoso innovations make it particularly exciting to look at in depth. Kimberly breaks down key elements, explains the revolutionary aspects and helps you understand what the hell is going on. She likes to think she added something new to the conversation: arguing that Pedro Pàramo is NOT in fact magic realism. Listen in to see how you feel about her daring thesis, and end up feeling just a little smarter!

Aug 6, 2025 • 50min
10:04 by Ben Lerner >> Can you even begin to recall the warmth, the complexity, the genius of this novel from 2014?? Listen in for a deep dive into all the ways that Lerner is SO GOOD.
Lerner says, "Art has to offer more than stylized despair." 10:04 offers so much more! (With, also, some excellent stylized despair.) Kimberly low-key compares the work to Slaughterhouse Five, before diving in to a close look postmodernism, narrative stance and why HUMOR adds so much to this incredible piece of auto-fiction. If you love Lerner, or WANT to love Lerner--listen in!

Jul 30, 2025 • 40min
THE MOBIUS BOOK by Catherine Lacey >> Whether you were wowed by this inventive fiction-memoir or a little disappointed, allow Kimberly to help you dig deeper into this original text.
NO SPOILERS! Kimberly picked up this hybrid memoir-novel because she was intrigued by Lacey's inventiveness. Listen in to see which parts of the text met her high expectations and which might have fallen a bit short. And if you haven't thought through the difference between a mobius strip and the infinity symbol, Kimberly promises to add a little insight to your Mobius Book experience..