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 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.
Jul 19, 2024 • 1h 1min
Lecture 64b: J. D. Salinger's "A PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH" >> If you love FRANNY AND ZOOEY but don't REALLY know this story, you must listen in!
"Franny" and "Zooey" (and Franny and Zooey) depend on many important (but subtle) ways upon Seymour Glass. Published in the New Yorker in 1948, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" introduces us to Seymour--in the moments before his death. Even in his absence, Seymour is foundational for the entire Glass Family. He might be MOST crucial to the youngest Glasses, Franny and Zooey. If you love the book FRANNY AND ZOOEY, a deep dive into "Bananafish" will make you love it even more!
Jul 15, 2024 • 1h 37min
FRANNY AND ZOOEY (but really just "Franny") by J. D. Salinger >> Even if you haven't read this GEM of a book, tune in to see what makes Salinger's prose SO GOOD.
This deep dive is SO deep that Kimberly needs a whole lecture just to discuss "Franny." The first 40 pages of FRANNY AND ZOOEY is not only amazing, but the perfect way to look at what makes all of Salinger's prose so unmistakably SALINGER. (A second Salinger lecture will tackle "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," then we'll dive all the way in to the hugely popular FRANNY AND ZOOEY.)
Jul 11, 2024 • 54min
MARTYR! (the ENDING) by Kave Akbar >> If you think you fully understood the nuance of Kaveh Akbar's (possible double) ending, you might be crazy.
Allow Kimberly to point out the intricacies, the nuance, the FACTS of what Akbar is really saying at the end of his insanely great novel. Tune in to hear Kimberly argue a few sides of this coin. She follows Daniel Mendelsohn's advice to treat literature like a social science: look carefully at the DATA. If you're like all the folks on the internet who have real questions about this novel's close, you're in the right place.
