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
Aug 26, 2024 • 49min
THE MYSTERY GUEST by Gregoire Bouillier >> You asked for more international books! This short French riff on Mrs. Dalloway is a REALLY GOOD ONE!
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!
Aug 19, 2024 • 1h 8min
THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore >> Feel like you fully appreciated what makes this thriller so good? Kimberly wants to point out a few points when you might've been too engrossed to notice!
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!
Aug 15, 2024 • 34min
GOODBYE, VITAMIN by Rachel Khong >> You've seen REAL AMERICANS on every bookstore front table lately? That's because Khong is SO GOOD. Listen in to hear what makes Khong's work so approachable, smart and deeply affecting.
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.
Aug 12, 2024 • 1h 1min
LONG ISLAND COMPROMISE by Taffy Brodesser-Akner >> Is this really satire?? (also feat. Lorrie Moore, Paul Beatty and Andrew Sean Greer!)
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 Paul Beatty's THE SELLOUT. Enrich yourself now!
Aug 8, 2024 • 58min
GIOVANNI'S ROOM by James Baldwin >> It's a crime that I JUST read this novel for the first time. Take a listen to more fully comprehend this masterpiece.
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!
Aug 5, 2024 • 26min
Kimberly's TOP TEN books of the 21st century! >> The New York Times did NOT ask Kimberly for her top ten when they made their list, but here they are! Tune in to see how your favorites compare!
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!
Aug 1, 2024 • 44min
DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver >> Have you read the NYT best of the century title #61?? Were you a reader who voted it NUMBER ONE on the readers' list? Listen in if you want to better understand WHY it's so good!
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.
Jul 29, 2024 • 49min
A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMEN by Lucia Berlin >> I would basically give this an ELEVEN. Listen in as she explains why this collection deserves to be read over and over and over again!
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.
Jul 25, 2024 • 49min
Lecture 65: FORTY-SIX of the New York Times's 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE CENTURY >> Have you read the same titles as Kimberly? Is she about to deeply offend you by panning your favorite?? Listen in to see!
Kimberly zips through the 46 books she's read, giving a rating to every one. Check it OUT!
Jul 22, 2024 • 58min
FRANNY AND ZOOEY (but mostly "Zooey") by J. D. Salinger >> Ever wondered why Salinger is SO ENDURING? And what's actually going on with Franny?? Kimberly's about to offer up some answers.
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.
