How a gimmick to write more became one of the biggest literary events online.
This episode is sponsored by:
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky
I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones

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National Novel Writing Month

The affirming, surprising, and most of all lasting legacy of The Baby-Sitters Club.

This episode is sponsored by:
The Ventriloquists by E.R. Ramzipoor
Circe by Madeline Miller

Links relevant to this episode:
Someday by David Levithan
Yumi Sakugawa
RWBY After the Fall by E.C. Myers
The Baby-Sitters Club Club Podcast
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The Baby-Sitters Club

What if the whole world spoke the same language? How would it work? Who would be interested in speaking it? In this episode, the dream, the reality, and the hope that is Esperanto.

This episode is sponsored by:
Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

Relevant links:
Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language by Esther Schor
Alex Miller's Esperanto YouTube Channel
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The Dream of a Universal Language

Sometimes people refer to a book they really liked as "life-changing." But what if you read a book, and it really did change your life in a big way? In this episode, stories of people reading books and making a big change.

This episode is sponsored by:
The Guest Book by Sarah Blake
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The Life-Changing Magic of Reading a Book

In this episode, the story of the interrupted literary career of Freido Lampe, and how his story reveals the underpinnings of the Nazi obsession with books and literature. 

This episode is sponsored by:
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Relevant Links:
At the Edge of the Night by Freido Lampe, translated by Simon Beattie
The Book Thieves by Anders Rydell
Annotated on Instagram
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#26: You Are Not Alone

In a follow-up to our last episode, an extended conversation with Chris Wilson about what reading while in prison can do. 
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#25: Books Behind Bars, Part 2

There are few places books can be put to better use than in prisons. So why is it so hard to get books into the hands of people in jail? In this episode, we look at how Washington state tried to radically restrict the flow of books into prisons.

This episode is sponsored by:
Whatbooks

Relevant links:
Books to Prisoners
Changing Lives Through Literature
The Master Plan by Chris Wilson
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#24: Books Behind Bars, Part 1

How Khalil Gibran's The Prophet became a quiet cultural powerhouse.
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This episode is sponsored by:
Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott
The Handmaid’s Tale (Graphic Novel) by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Renee Nault

Relevant links:
Roger Allers' The Prophet adaptation
Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires by Juan Cole

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#23: The Prophet

In this episode, a look at how Drag Queen Story Hour became a public library phenomenon.
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This episode is sponsored by:
TBR
The Chef by James Patterson

Relevant Links:
The Official Site of Drag Queen Story Hour
Bix Warden's Drag Queen Story Hour Reading Suggestions
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#22: Drag Queen Story Hour

In this episode, three stories about books, or parts of books, going viral. 

This episode is sponsored by:
The Read Harder Journal
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff and Park Row Books

Related Links:
Rachel Kramer Bussel's Forbes Article on Ben Phillippe's Dedication Going Viral
The Scottish Granny reads The Wonkey Donkey
Craig Smith performing The Wonkey Donkey
Annotated on Instagram
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#21: Viral

Independent bookstores are doing well. Amazon is now the most valuable company in the world. But what of Barnes & Noble and the big chain bookstore? In this episode, how Barnes & Noble became a dominant force, why its not now, and what the future of the big bookstore could be.
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This episode is sponsored by:
The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
The One You Fight For by Roni Loren

Links discussed in this show:
Jesse's Indigo Powerpoint
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#20: The Very Model of A Modern Major Bookstore

As part of Book Riot's Recommended podcast series, Grady Hendrix talked about what makes Ulysses his favorite book. We present it as an interlude as a follow-up to Annotated episode #4, "The United States v. One Book Called Ulysses."
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This episode is sponsored by The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
Check out the full line-up of Recommended.
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#19: Interlude: Grady Hendrix on ULYSSES

In this episode, we profile the most famous American writer you probably never heard of--Edna Ferber. 

This episode is sponsored by:
Penguin Random House Audio
Penguin Random House Audio's Holiday Guide

Books mentioned in this episode:
So Big by Edna Ferber
Ferber and Her Circle by Julie Gilbert
Mood Indigo by Ed Ifkovic

Other links:
Annotated on Instagram
Book Riot's All the Books Podcast
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#18: Edna Ferber

People don't read as much as they used to. At least that's what people say. But is it true? And if they are reading less, why does it matter? Or does it matter? And the internet is bad for reading right? These questions in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by:
Park Row Books and Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen Anthony
Penguin Random House Audio

Relevant links:
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital Age by Maryanne Wolf
Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library by Wayne Wiegand
Annotated on Instagram
Annotated on Twitter
Review Annotated on Apple Podcasts

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#17: Is Reading Endangered?

The story of how Andrew Carnegie transformed the public library in America.

This episode is sponsored by:
Vampires Like It Hot by Lynsay Sands
A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

Relevant Links:
Carnegie Libraries by George Bobinski
Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw
Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library by Wayne Wiegand
Annotated on Instagram
Annotated on Twitter
Review Annotated on Apple Podcasts
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#16: The Patron Saint of Libraries

The story of how Louis Braille brought reading to the blind.
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This episode is sponsored by:
TBR
The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith
The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan
 
Links discussed in this episode:
The National Braille Press
Review Annotated on Apple Podcasts!
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#15: Touch of Genius

Last month, a large used book collection and distribution company suddenly went out of business, leaving a hole in the local used book ecosystem. In this episode, we follow that story into the modern world of used book-selling.
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This episode is sponsored by:
Warlight written by Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient and read by British actor Steve West
Do This For Me written and read by Eliza Kennedy

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#14: Used

In 1975, Truman Capote published a short story in Esquire magazine that led a New York socialite to commit suicide and the fallout effectively ended Capote's literary career. This is the story of the story, "La Cote Basque 1965."

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This episode is sponsored by:
Penguin Random House Audio
Gun Love by Jennifer Clement and read by Imani Parks

Further Reading:
The Ten Restaurants that Changed America by Paul Freedman
Tru Life by Danny Heitman
Truman Capote by George Plimpton
Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke
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#13: La Cote Basque, 1965

Last fall, a woman with no prior political experience decided to run for city commission in her small college-town. So she went to the library, checked out a book called How to Win a Local Election. And she did. This is her story and the story of the book that helped her win.

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This episode is sponsored by:
Penguin Random House Audio
The Punishment She Deserves written by Elizabeth George and read by award-winning narrator Simon Vance
Win the 10 Best Books About Books of 2017

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#12: Democracy by the Book

In a shocking development, the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature will not be awarded. In this episode, we explore what happened, how it happened, and what might happen still.

This episode is sponsored by:
Penguin Random House Audio
Educated written by Tara Westover and read by Julia Whelan


Further Reading:
The Nobel Prize in Literature: Where Do We Go From Here? by Erika Kern
The Nobel Prize by Burton Feldman


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