Monday on Talk of the Bay Christine Barrington goes Behind the Mic with Rick Kleffel host of Friday’s Narrative Species, a show that features writers whose works of fiction and non-fiction shape our world. After more than 2,000 shows spanning decades, Rick has hosted Pulitzer and Booker prize winners, as well as some of the greatest known masters of the written word. While exploring his history in interviewing, Rick will share some of his most delightfully diverting reads to buoy readers in times of trouble.
Links to Rick’s inteviews with these authors below. Links to purchase the books are in bold.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
Rick’s Interview with Michael Finkel
Finkel’s ability to use literary ju-jitsu to describe the thievery of Breitwieser and Kleinklaus is a hint of what’s to come. Here’s a book that accomplishes in a mere 211 pages to offer in-depth portraits of three main characters; Stéphane, Ann-Catherine and Stéphane’ mother, Mireille, over a span of 30 years and a life-arc that encompasses the theft of an estimated $2.5 BILLION worth of art. Going in, the touch is light, almost like ballet. But as readers, we’re hooked. Even though we know what’s to come, our emotional impact is stunning. This is the ride of your life, and the feelings of envy are inevitably transformed to terror and a regret so powerful that tears are a reasonable response.
The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Favorite Recipes from Bread in 5. by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois.
Rick’s interviews with these two authors: Jeff Hertzberg The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Favorite Recipes from Bread In 5
Jeff Hertzberg, MD and Zoe Francois: Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Little decisions an have a life-changing impact. Thirteen years ago, I decided to interview Jeff Hertzberg M.D. and Zoë François abo0ut their first book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. My mother had just given me a bread machine, guaranteed to work. For me, it made excellent bricks. I knew I could not bake bread, full stop. I’d read the book, try the recipe, fail, and then have a conversation about what I did wrong. But the recipe did not fail, and I’ve baked most of my own bread since that time.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. Interview with Holly Gramazio
Fun, lots of it, and big thinks in small choices. In The Husbands, game-designer Holly Gramazio lets readers walk in the life of Lauren, a young, single woman living in London who returns from a “hen party” to find a man waiting up for her. She’s never met him before, but he speaks to her as if they’re married. She’s alarmed, wants to call the cops, but, what if…?
Pam Kowolski is a Monster by Sara Langan. This book is not out until May 21, 2025, and the interview is not yet posted. Look for it soon!
“simply genius in the way it explores the changeable nature of memory and whether it’s possible to escape a traumatic past. No one writes defiant, damaged characters like Sarah Langan; no matter how they try to hide it, you see every bruise.” – Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor
Space Opera / Space Oddity by Catherynne Valente
Rick’s interview: Catherynne Valente Space Opera Space Oddity
Catherynne Valente is far too talented for this world. Her ability to craft gob-smackingly great prose ensures that anything she writes will send her readers into spiraling ecstasy. She is that great. She’s also versatile. With Space Opera and Space Oddity she sets her sights on humorous science fiction and delivers two novels that bring to mind the best that genre has to offer.
The Dog of the North by Elizabeth MacKenzie
Rick’s interview: Elizabeth McKenzie The Dog of the North
For The Dog of the North, I’m nominating Elizabeth Mackenzie for an in-your-brain Oscar for Best Narrative Character Voice for her performance as Penny Rush, the novel’s first-person narrator. It’s a commanding, stellar and stealthy creation that makes every word of this novel a joy, and, importantly, a tribute to the unique artistry to be found in a reading experience.
