My Life In Books with Red Szell

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. In 2008, award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar accepted an assignment to write about cassoulet, France’s ancestral bean and meat stew. Little did she know that this seemingly bland story would lead her to re-examine her privileged but dysfunctional childhood in Switzerland and force her to reckon with her identity and her own dramatic family history. Her resulting memoir, Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family and The Stew that Saved My Soul, has garnered rave reviews around the world. And with three recipes for the famed French stew, it’s a feast for the body and the mind. Join Sylvie and Red as they discuss heritage, heartache and beans!

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by N.V. Peacock, who by her own admission has "a curiously dark mind" that is driven by a fascination with the "What if" question. In her latest thriller, The Brother, she asks, what if you found out you were adopted and that one of your blood brothers was a serial killer? What follows is a fast-paced game of cat and mouse, as her protagonist tries to establish which of her new-found siblings is a murderer. It’s full of twists and turns and references to the true crime cases that first inspired Nicky Peacock to pick up the pen. And with dual first-person narratives, it’s ideally suited for audio. Join Red and Nicky as they discuss the fascination of true crime, and the power of psychological profiling and forensic genealogy to solve cases.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode Red is joined by Christine Higdon, a Canadian author whose latest novel, "Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue," is a vivid portrayal of life in Vancouver during the early 1920s. It tells the story of four working-class sisters living in the wake of the First World War and the ensuing Spanish flu pandemic that robbed them of their only brother. It’s a man’s world of speakeasys and strict codes of conduct, bootleggers and back-room abortions, where having a child out of wedlock or being gay is considered a crime. As the sisters struggle to find justice, agency, and love in this often hostile world, Christine Higdon invites us to examine questions of choice and inclusion in our society 100 years later. Join Christine and Red as they discuss the power of historical fiction to cast light on contemporary issues, and the place of talking animals in literature!

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Mallory Tater, whose debut novel, The Birth Yard, has attracted both praise and comparisons with The Handmaid’s Tale. Like Margaret Atwood’s classic story, The Birth Yard is a dark and cautionary tale of patriarchal control and the abuse of women’s rights. But Mallory’s novel doesn’t take place in a dystopian future. Instead, it is set firmly in present-day Canada, in a commune cut off from the ordinary world, where women have no agency and serve as brood mares. Join Mallory and Red as they explore cults, misogyny and contemporary Canadian fiction.

This time, Red is joined by Meg Howrey, who was a professional ballet dancer before she took up the pen. Her background in the performing arts is evident both in the subject matter of her novels, and in their deft pacing. Her latest book, They’re Going to Love You, is a pitch-perfect tale of creative ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice. Set across three decades, from New York City during the 1980s AIDS crisis, to present-day Los Angeles, the story unfolds through the memories of its now middle-aged protagonist as she moves towards its final act, revealing the secret that lies at its heart. Meg and Red delve into the choreography of writing a novel, and discover Meg’s comedy thriller side as co-author of the Magnus Flyte books.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Max Wallace, the Canadian journalist, filmmaker, human rights activist, and best-selling author. Max’s most recent work, After The Miracle: The Political Crusades of Helen Keller, offers a new perspective on an individual who remains an international icon nearly 150 years after her birth. But whereas previous biographers have concentrated on the sentimental story of Keller’s struggles as a deafblind and mute child, portraying her teacher, Annie Sullivan, as a miracle worker and so making Keller a secondary character in her own story, Max focuses on Keller’s achievements as an adult. Join Max and Red as they discuss Helen Keller’s lifelong commitment to racial justice, socialism, and disability rights, as well as her love of movies and dirty jokes!

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Leah Redmond Chang, a historian with a background in comparative literature and research. Her latest book, Young Queens, is a fascinating and highly insightful historical biography of three Renaissance women exercising power in a world dominated by men. It tells the dramatic and intertwined stories of Catherine de Medici (Queen of France from 1547 to 1559), Elisabeth de Valois (Queen of Spain from 1559 to 1568) and Mary Queen of Scots (Queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567). Fusing new archival research with rich narrative prose, the book also asks profoundly modern questions about women, gender and power. Join Leah and Red as they explore what it meant to be a queen in Renaissance Europe’s real-life Game of Thrones.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Canadian writer Curtis LeBlanc, who until recently has been best known for his poetry, but with the publication of his debut novel, Sunsetter, he’s finding a far wider audience. Set over a single weekend when the carnival comes to a post-industrial Canadian prairie town, the book is a mesmerizing blend of crime thriller and literary fiction. Across its pages, Curtis unflinchingly peels back the layers to reveal a community in the clutches of small-town police corruption, designer drugs, and teen disillusionment. And yet, for all this, it’s a novel where hope refuses to lay down and die. Join Curtis and Red as they discuss the lure of the carnival, teenage angst, and the natural beauty of the prairies. My Life in Books airs Mondays at 1 p.m. Eastern on AMI-audio, or download the podcast from your favourite provider via this link:https://www.ami.ca/My-Life-Books/recent_episodes

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Selina Mills, a British journalist and disability activist. In her new book, Life Unseen, A Story of Blindness, Selina uses her own experience of losing her sight to explore the history of blindness. From the myths of Ancient Greece to the apps of Silicon Valley, her quest reveals the stories and achievements of people who are blind, as well as those of their sighted peers who sought to patronize, demonize and cure them. But as Selina sets out to show that blindness has always been an active force in Western society, she also questions why we, as people who are blind, have always been treated differently. Join Selina and Red as they uncover enduring notions that blindness is a state to be feared and pitied and hear how Selina set about narrating the audiobook version of Life Unseen herself.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by internationally best-selling crime writer Sam Blake. Beginning with her 2016 debut Little Bones, the Irish writer has published a slew of crime novels that have won her acclaim and fans around the world. After the success of Little Bones and its sequels, Sam moved from police procedurals to writing twisty psychological crime thrillers, the latest of which, The Mystery of Four, was published earlier this year. And in case anyone should accuse her of resting on her laurels, this summer also saw the publication of Sam’s first foray into Young Adult fiction, Something Terrible Happened Last Night. Both novels are absolute page-turners, with Sam’s trademark keen eye for character, detail, and country-house hotel settings making it seem as if Agatha Christie had just been resurrected clutching an iPad! Join Sam and Red as they discuss how modern technology can be both a help and a hindrance to crime writers and explore the timeless tropes that continue to thrill readers.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Canadian author Andrew F. Sullivan. Over the past decade, Andrew has built a reputation as an author of gritty tales for gritty times. His debut novel, Waste, was described by the Toronto Star as "Keystone Cops meet horror in Oshawa." His latest, The Marigold, is set in a post-climate catastrophe Toronto ravaged by extreme weather, unfettered development and a toxic mould that’s rising from the groundwater and becoming sentient. It’s not a tale for the faint-hearted, but in its often grotesquely funny portrayal of a shiny city being consumed by the very land it stands on, it poses serious questions about mankind’s corruption of nature through our relentless desire for growth. Join Andrew and Red as they explore Toronto’s sinkholes, and the pitfalls and possible ramifications of late-stage capitalism. My Life in Books airs Mondays at 1 p.m. Eastern on AMI-audio, or download the podcast from your favourite provider via this link: https://www.ami.ca/My-Life-Books/recent_episodes

For this episode, Red is joined by Irish author Sheila Armstrong whose writing has been described as, "elegiac and atmospheric, dark and disquieting." Her debut novel, Falling Animals, was inspired by a real-life mystery and like the sea off the coast of her native northwest Ireland, the tale it tells is alive with undercurrents. Each chapter focuses on a different character caught up in the wake of an unidentified man’s body appearing on a remote Irish beach. It’s a haunting tale which, like Sheila’s short stories, is rich with the landscape and thwarted dreams of a community living on the storm-tossed edge of the world. Join Sheila and Red as they explore the real-life mystery that inspired Falling Animals and how Sheila blurs the lines between the bizarre and the every day through her lyrical prose.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Irish actor and voice artist Aoife McMahon, who is one of the most in-demand audiobook narrators in the business. Her range is astonishing. She has appeared in leading roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company and in numerous celebrated television dramas on both sides of the Atlantic, including as Mary Bundle Kean in the Canadian TV mini-series Random Passage, for which she won the 2002 Gemini Award for Best Actress in a leading role. Aoife has narrated over 200 audiobooks, holds a degree in English, and is an avid reader and a nascent writer. Her recent accolades include numerous AudioFile Awards and a place in the Top 10 Audiobooks as listed in The Irish Times, The New York Times and Amazon's top picks. Join Aoife and Red as they explore some of the titles narrated by her that will be featured in this series of My Life in Books and discover the narrator’s side of the story. My Life in Books airs Mondays at 1 p.m. Eastern on AMI-audio, or download the podcast from your favourite provider via this link: https://www.ami.ca/My-Life-Books/recent_episodes

For this episode, Red is joined by Mat Osman, best known as the bassist and a founding member of the English rock band Suede. But even as their ninth studio album, Autofiction, continues to achieve worldwide success, Mat is also making a name for himself in the world of literary fiction. His second novel, The Ghost Theatre, is a gripping historical fantasy that is set in London in 1601 among a troupe of child actors forced to perform under Queen Elizabeth I’s royal warrant. Join Mat and Red as they discuss this spellbinding tale of double lives and the beguiling effect of performance on both the audience and players.

For this episode, Red is joined by Alka Joshi, whose Jaipur Trilogy of books has become an international sensation. The book that completes the series, The Perfumist of Paris, was published earlier this year. It’s set in the 1970s, amid the highly competitive Parisian perfume industry. The story follows Rada, a young Indian woman with a painful secret, who is determined to forge her own career in an industry dominated by men. The novel richly evokes both a past era, and timeless fragrances, many of which are blended using essential oils sourced from India. With fans around the world and a Netflix series of her first novel The Henna Artist, in production, Alka’s success as an author is proof positive that there is no upper age limit to achieving our dreams. Join Alka and Red as they discuss the power of perfume to evoke sensation and some of the more subtle ways India has long been a part of Western culture.

Raising the curtain on our brand-new series, Red is joined by Emily Urquhart. Based in Kitchener, Ontario, Emily is a journalist with a doctorate in folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her latest book, Ordinary Wonder Tales, is a collection of essays exploring the way in which we weave fables and fairy tales into our own personal narratives, using them to make sense of new or disturbing situations. Often deeply autobiographical, Emily’s essays are meditations on, among other subjects, fear, grief, genetics and memory, that draw universal truths from the stories we tell ourselves. Join Emily and Red as they trace some of the timeless traditional tales that continue to resonate through our own daily narratives.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. Ece Temelkuran is an award-winning author and journalist and one of Europe’s most highly respected political thinkers. Her 2019 book, How to Lose a Country: The Seven Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship, was hailed as an urgent call to action to combat a global rise in populism. Two years later, in a world blighted by COVID-19 and more divided than ever, she might have been excused for publishing a post-mortem. Instead, in Together: 10 Choices for a Better Now, she set out a manifesto for social and political change. "This is not about how we messed things up," she says, "This is about what kind of world we want to live in now, and the joy we can take in finding our dignity again." Join Ece and Red as they discuss the roles of faith, hope, and community in a world of deception, fear and inequality.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. Pamela Mulloy’s debut novel, The Deserters, was published in 2018, and explores the tangled relationship between a lonely wife on a New Brunswick farm and an American soldier who goes AWOL while on leave from Iraq. Whereas The Deserters examines the aftermath of war, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder, Pamela’s follow-up, As Little as Nothing, explores the effects of war’s approach. Set in the south of England in the 12 months leading up to the Second World War, the novel is a vivid portrait of a community still coming to terms with events of the past while also preparing for an uncertain future. Join Pamela and Red as they discuss trauma, resilience and the various ways we reinvent ourselves. My Life in Books airs Mondays at 1 p.m. Eastern on AMI-audio, or download the podcast from your favourite provider via this link: https://www.ami.ca/My-Life-Books/recent_episodes

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. By her own admission, Dr. Catherine Raven is more comfortable in nature than among people. The biologist, university lecturer and former U.S. National Park Ranger lives off the grid in the wilderness of Montana. Her prizewinning memoir, Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship, tells the fascinating and moving story of her unexpected and transformative friendship with a wild fox. It is both a hymn to empathy and a reminder that we share more than our habitat with our fellow creatures. Join Catherine and Red as they probe the limits of the scientific method and discuss the role of storytelling and intuition in defining our place in the world. My Life in Books airs Mondays at 1 p.m. Eastern on AMI-audio, or download the podcast from your favourite provider via this link: https://www.ami.ca/My-Life-Books/recent_episodes

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. Sara Sheridan is a Scottish author who writes historical novels based on the real-life stories of late Georgian and early Victorian explorers. She has also penned a highly successful series of cozy crime noir mysteries set in 1950s Brighton; and, in 2016, she founded a perfume brand called Reek, whose signature scent, Damn Rebel Bitches, has been called "the first feminist fragrance." "History is a treasure chest of stories,” she says, and her latest novel, The Fair Botanists, is built around a gem of a tale. Set in Edinburgh in 1822, it reimagines the suspense ahead of King George IV’s inaugural visit against the extraordinary background of a parade of full-grown trees being transported through the city on horse-drawn carts, from the old Botanical Garden to their new home. Join Sara and Red as they discuss Enlightenment-era Edinburgh: a hotbed of new money, grinding poverty, shrewd women and botanical espionage My Life in Books airs Mondays at 1 p.m. Eastern on AMI-audio, or download the podcast from your favourite provider via this link: https://www.ami.ca/My-Life-Books/recent_episodes