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 Is Isaacson’s bio of Steve Jobs the biggest book of the fall? How we record our shows (you asked). Chris Bohjalian’s The Night Strangers and Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table are the 2 books we can’t wait for you to read.

A little retreat update: Manchester, VT is sold out; Oxford, MS is filling nicely, and Santa Cruz, CA is 1/3 full. If you are thinking of joining us, you may want to decide soon. Info at booktopia.booksonthenightstand.com.

Is this the biggest book of the fall?

Many are saying that Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs will be the biggest nonfiction book of the fall.  The book is an authorized biography, and according to the author Jobs was forthright and honest. It’s due in stores on October 24th.

Not even in the same room

Whenever we meet BOTNS listeners in person, they almost always want to know how Michael and I find time to get together to record. The truth is, we don’t.  When we record, Michael and I are each in our own homes at our own desks. We talk on the phone, with a microphone in front of us, so that we each record our own voices. Then we splice the two audio recordings together, and voila! Well, it’s not quite so simple, but in this episode we try to give you an idea of how we put together each week’s show. Enough of you have asked, so hopefully you will find it interesting.

Two books we can’t wait for you to read.

Michael tells us about The Night Strangers, the haunting new novel by Chris Bohjalian. It’s very different from Chris’ other books — it’s truly a ghost story; creepy, gothic-feeling, and perfect for reading on a cool autumn evening.

The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje is my pick this week. The story of a young boy (named Michael) on an ocean voyage in the 1950s is evocative and gorgeously written.