NO RE-READING NECESSARY! Kimberly only sought out Aciman because she loved the movie Call Me by Your Name--but she loved the fiction enough to seek out more. Tune in to hear about the use of figurative language, the structure, the pacing and the choice of details that make this work so ATMOSPHERIC.

Baker's hilarious, inventive prose melds with incredibly well curated images to produce something only Baker could produce. Kimberly LOVED diving in to the many ways in which the guy is creating literary (and visual) magic.

NO RE-READING REQUIRED! PLUS!! SPECIAL GUEST STAR: JOHN STEINBECK!! Tune in to hear all the ways in which this 1952 classic surprised Kimberly. Its insanely great sense of place, its lessons in history, its denigration/elevation of women, its biblical underpinnings...Kimberly's list of its attributes could go on and on. Whether EAST OF EDEN is your favorite of all time, or whether you have only hazy ninth-grade memories of Lenny squeezing that bunny in OF MICE AND MEN--tune in to hear why Steinbeck really deserved that Nobel Prize.

This publishing industry thriller was SUCH GOOD grist for Kimberly's mill. Listen in to appreciate all the elements that made the novel an "instant" best seller. Its literary merit is almost as great as the important philosophical questions is raises. This book is sooooo good.

If you can't remember what's ingenious about CARRIE's narrative stance, its sophisticated structure, its use of motif and of "scientific evidence"--you MUST TUNE IN to fully appreciate the genius King's first novel.

Join Kimberly to hear how this behind-the-scenes immersion in British tabloid journalism hits all the right notes. You'll come away with a deeper understanding of why Nolan's masterful narrative stance, pacing, character development and structure make this so much more than an excellent thriller.

Didion needs almost no description. Kimberly argues why you should read this seminal work, touches on Didion’s biography then digs into why her engaging, dark, entirely inimitable prose is almost universally respected. (For parts 2 and 3 of this lecture, scroll down through the episodes to Lecture 7!)

NO PRE-READING REQUIRED! Listen in for all you need to know about HUCK FINN (without spending days 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 important, hilarious, unique and JUST SO GOOD.

Kimberly always describes Cassandra at the Wedding as a near-perfect novel. From Baker’s insanely great use of figurative language to nostalgia for the Berkeley and the Central Valley of the early 60s, to an incisive exploration of individuation in the case of identical twins–the novel is a huge crowd pleaser every time Kimberly teaches it. (NOTE: this lecture kind of assumes you've read (or are reading) the novel. There are likely references to spoilers. If you're trying to get a sense of the book, maybe check out the five-minute recommendation further down in the episode list!)

Listen in as Kimberly parses the many reasons why LONGBOURN is her favorite of all Austen adaptations. You'll end up with a much deeper understanding of why this insanely novel has it all.