The History of Literature 753 Tenth-Anniversary Special (with Mike Palindrome and Laurie Frankel) | Giving Thanks | My Last Book with Eve Dunbar
Nov 26, 2025
Laurie Frankel, a novelist known for her insightful stories, shares details about her upcoming novel, Enormous Wings, featuring a surprising twist involving a 77-year-old woman's unexpected pregnancy. Mike Palindrome, a reading organizer, talks about engaging slow-read projects focused on classic literature from 1965-1975. They discuss the cultural climate of that decade, making recommendations like A.L. Doctorow's Ragtime and Flannery O'Connor's short stories. The episode reflects on gratitude and the rich literary landscape shaped by these transformative years.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Spread
- Laurie describes hosting a large, mostly vegetarian Thanksgiving with brunch and dinner for about 20 people.
- She replaces turkey with squash galettes, squash soup, sides, and overnight French toast for breakfast.
Read Big Books In Tiny Daily Chunks
- Mike recommends very short daily reading targets like seven to ten pages to sustain long reads over time.
- He says small daily goals make reading ambitious works doable alongside life obligations.
The Era Felt More Literarily Central
- The guests note 1965–1975 as a coherent cultural decade with seismic shifts in film, music, politics, and literature.
- They suggest literature then was more central to culture and often reached large adult audiences.
