Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Books on the Nightstand published our final episode in July 2016. This is a place for listeners to find old episodes. 

I'm sorry that we don't have show notes for all of the episodes, and that the episodes do not have consistent filenames. Still, we hope you find that the content is valuable enough to overlook those annoyances.

Thank you to all who have listened to BOTNS over the years and for those who are just discovering the podcast. 

Dec 14, 2010

Thanks to McSweeney's, we now have a chart on how to pronounce those pesky author names. We recommend a selection of beautiful books fit for any coffee table. Two books we're gifting this holiday season.

It's Lee-thum, not Leth-um

The fine folks at McSweeney's put together a recent issue of their magazine and made it look like a newspaper facsimile. The book review section included this handy chart on how to pronounce some of the more difficult author names. There's one on here that Ann and I have been mis-pronouncing all along. How have you been doing with these names?

Why We Still Have Coffee Tables (4:37)

Kristen called our voice mail line asking for recommendations of good coffee table books. Kristen had just purchased Where to Go When: Great Britain and Ireland, loved it, and wondered what else was out there. After a quick detour to Wikipedia for a little insight into the term "coffee table book," Ann had the following books to recommend:

Of course, being the geek that I am, I chose to recommend some "nerdier" coffee table books:

 

Two Books We're Gifting This Year (19:23)

My wife is a knitter, so when I heard about the children's book Annie Hoot and the Knitting Extravaganza, I knew I had to get it. And, since it's a picture book about a knitting owl who goes in search of animals who will appreciate her knitted creations, it's also a gift for my kids! Ann found the perfect present for her daughter's sixth-grade English teacher: The Book of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks by Bethany Keely. We've all seen the signs: "Fresh" Milk or "Thanks" for Shopping Here. This small hardcover is a hilarious photo collection of misused quotation marks. It's a "perfect" gift!

For a huge selection of kid's book gift recommendations, be sure to check out our friends at Random Acts of Reading, who have compiled a Holiday Gift Guide along with a wonderful list of Christmas Books to Read With Your Family.