Eye on Books - Author Interviews

Ted Leonsis - "The Business of Happiness"

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:25:27 CST

If you become a success, happiness will follow. Right? No, you've got it exactly backward, says Ted Leonsis, the owner of one of the NHL's most successful franchises, the Washington Capitals. Some years back, he was hugely successful as a self-made multi-millionaire. But when he came through a brush with death and realized he was profoundly unhappy despite his success, he realized big changes were necessary. Now in his book "The Business of Happiness" Leonsis shows us what he did, and how we can do it.

Steven Solomon - "Water"

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:22:40 CST

You need water, you go to the tap, turn it on, and there's all the water you need. That's about as much thought as most Americans, most westerners, put into water and its availability. But elsewhere around the world clean, accessible water is more valuable than oil. Journalist Steven Solomon traces the history of water -- which is, indeed, the history of civilization -- and also presents some cautionary advice to take-it-for-granted westerners, in his book, "Water."

Tracy Chevalier - "Remarkable Creatures"

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:18:06 CST

Two women and their unlikely 19th century friendship are "Remarkable Creatures," as Tracy Chevalier's new novel tells it. But the title also references the prehistoric beings, whose fossilized remains Elizabeth Philpott and Mary Anning find in their walks on the beach. Based on the lives of two actual women, Chevalier's book is also a snapshot of Victorian attitudes on gender, class, and religious values.

Elizabeth Kostova - "The Swan Thieves"

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:22:56 CST

An apparently deranged man tries to deface a painting in a Washington, D.C. museum, in Elizabeth Kostova's new novel "The Swan Thieves." The attacker, it turns out, is himself a painter, a renowned artist, in fact. Getting to the root of Robert Oliver's mysterious attack falls to psychiatrist Andrew Marlow, who at first can't even get Oliver to talk to him. But when Oliver shows Marlow a stack of old letters, an obsession takes root.

Len Colodny - "The Forty Years War"

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:31:34 CST

The neoconservative movement was not born in the George W. Bush era. Or even in the Clinton years that preceded "Dubya." It was born four decades ago, in the Nixon presidency, according to the authors of the book "The Forty Years War." Veteran investigative reporters Len Colodny and Tom Shachtman traced the neocons' origins back to an almost entirely unknown figure, a low-profile but high-influence German immigrant who handpicked, groomed, and mentored Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig, among others.

Richard Wiseman - "59 Seconds"

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:08:50 CST

Improving your life -- becoming happier, more productive, and all that -- takes a lot of time, doesn't it? And it's hard, hard work, isn't it? Well. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Psychologist Richard Wiseman has studied the studies and out-experted the experts to show us how we can make real, substantive changes in our lives in one minute or less. His book is called "59 Seconds."

Robert Wistrich - "A Lethal Obsession"

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:23:27 CST

For two millennia there has been hatred of the Jews - from the earliest recorded pogrom in the year 38, to the widespread resurgence of anti-Semitism in our own time. For the last two decades, historian Robert Wistrich has been tracing, studying, analyzing, and putting into context the history of anti-Semitism. The result is an exhaustive 1200-page history and sociological and cultural examination he calls "A Lethal Obsession."

Gabrielle Bernstein - "Add More ~ing To Your Life"

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:05:45 CST

She was once on the treadmill with all us other rats in the race. Then Gabrielle Bernstein had a life-changing revelation, leading her to make a transformation that's all the more remarkable for the fact that it came when she was still in her mid 20s. Eschewing the traditional definitions of success and fulfillment, Bernstein added more "~ing" to her life - rethinking, moving, receiving, for example. Now she coaches others who want to do the same. Her book is called "Add More ~ing To Your Life."

John Naisbitt - "China's Megatrends"

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:07:06 CST

In just 30 years' time, China has gone from being a backward, nearly-bankrupt Third World nation to being the third-largest economy in the world. What has fueled this spectacular transformation? And what, therefore, does China's future hold? And how will the United States fit into that future? Those questions, and a thousand others like them, inform the new book by famed futurist John Naisbitt and his wife Doris, called "China's Megatrends."

Amber Tamblyn - "Bang Ditto"

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:38:11 CST

She's been writing poetry just about as long as she's been acting, and for Amber Tamblyn, that means she's been doing both since about age eleven. She's pretty good at each - she's been nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her acting, and a Borders Choice Award for Breakout Writing. She wields her poetry like a fine instrument, revealing and analyzing what's going on inside her head. Her book of poetry is called "Bang Ditto." ADVISORY: Adult conversation in this interview.

Audrey Niffenegger - "Her Fearful Symmetry"

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:55:07 CST

Two young women -- college dropouts, identical twins from Chicago -- inherit a London apartment from their mother's twin sister, in Audrey Niffenegger's novel "Her Fearful Symmetry." That the apartment is adjacent to Highgate Cemetery is not a coincidence, as this is a ghost story, melded to a mystery and to a love story, complete with secrets and ghosts aplenty.

Mike Farrell - "Of Mule and Man"

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:24:20 CST

Actor-producer Mike Farrell's book tour for the paperback edition of his 2007 memoir "Just Call Me Mike" was no ordinary book tour. His publisher asked him if he would consider driving himself from city to city - a 25-stop odyssey that covered nearly nine thousand miles. Mike said, sure. He rented a Prius and was on his way. Kind of. His new book "Of Mule and Man" tells the story...

Frank Warren - "PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God"

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:47:32 CST

So much can be said in just a few words on a postcard. And the postcards come in by the thousands to Frank Warren, curator of PostSecret.com, a mind-boggling collection of extraordinary postcards that contain secrets their creators have chosen to reveal. Now in his fourth collection, Warren focuses on those secrets that deal with the things that weigh on all of us daily: life, death, and God.

Julie Andrews - "Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies"

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:32:31 CST

Actress-singer-author Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, have been writing children's books for years. And now they have collected their favorite poems and songs in a new book called "Julie Andrews' Collection Of Poems, Songs And Lullabies." The book and included CD are designed to introduce children to the world of poetry. But it's probably no surprise that this is a book that adults will savor, as well.

Christina Asquith - "Sisters in War"

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:25:29 CST

Overlooked in most discussions of the war in Iraq is any mention of women's lives, and the effort to improve their situation, under U.S. occupation. When journalist Christina Asquith befriended two Iraqi sisters, and two Americans - a soldier and a women's rights advocate - she had the foundation for her book "Sisters in War."