Bookworm - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Michael Silverblatt is simply the most insightful reader I have ever had the privilege of hearing discuss books. He’s a deft interviewer and always hosts interesting writers, and have found writers whose work I love on numerous occasions. It is proudly intellectual and thankfully respects the intelligence of its audience.

Michael is so on-point, so generous with his guests - he's the perfect reader and he's turned me onto some of my absolute favorite writers and given insight into their work.

Many of the books that Silverblatt reviews and authors that he interviews have led to my reading the book or everything the author had published!
If you enjoy serious fiction, this podcast will help you to go beyond the most popular choices and discover quirky, not so ordinary fiction.

Michael Silverblatt is a gift to all bookworms. He loves to read and talk about his experience reading, feeling, and thinking about books. His questions aren’t so much questions as rolling, rambling invitations for conversation with guests. Plus that voice. Oh that voice.

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, so surveying the episodes of KCRW “Bookworm,” I was eager to hear what Orlean had to say about the process and content of her great read. I came away wanting more from Orlean, which means more interview method from Silverblatt and less of his talk about the book. At one point, Silverblatt cut Orlean off mid-sentence in order to offer his own ideas? The topic was feminism in the world of librarians —surely Orlean had important things to say.

An interviewer is most effective using a voice and manner that does not interrupt the presence of the one interviewed, or the listener. The cadence of Silverblatt's voice made me impatient instead of at ease.