Front Porch Book Club Podcast
Grab your book and iced tea and join the Front Porch Book Club, your no-commitment, casual, and eclectic podcast about books. We examine the relationship between characters, the worlds they live in, and what that means to us.
Latest Episode
113: Crazy Rich Asians
This month we’re talking about CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan. This book was published in 2013. This is basically a romantic comedy. In fact, a movie of the same name was released in 2018 based on this book. CRAZY RICH ASIANS is the first book in a trilogy, with the...
113: Crazy Rich Asians
This month we’re talking about CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan. This book was published in 2013. This is basically a romantic comedy. In fact, a movie of the same name was released in 2018 based on this book. CRAZY RICH ASIANS is the first book in a trilogy, with the other books being CHINA RICH GIRLFRIEND and RICH PEOPLE PROBLEMS.
Rachel is an economics prof and her boyfriend Nick is a history prof at NYU. When Nick invites Rachel to accompany him on a trip back to Singapore where he’ll be best man at his friend’s wedding, Rachel finds out Nick is not just wealthy, but crazy rich. So rich, other rich people haven’t heard about him. Rachel is faced with culture shock, jealousy, prejudice, suspicion, and betrayal as she tries to figure out whether Nick is still the man of her dreams.
Linda says this is definitely a beach read type of book. We get love but we also get a lot of glitz and glamour about how the one-percenters live. In the opening chapter, Nick’s mom impulsively buys a hotel when the staff don’t welcome them.
Nancy asks Linny, since she loves a good romance, whether this is the kind of book she might typically pick up. Linny says, no, because she typically reads boys meets girl and the conclusion is that they get together. In CRAZY RICH ASIANS, Rachel and Nick are already a serious couple when we meet them. Linny said it was an enjoyable book for her to read, especially given we were in the middle of the Biafran War last month!
Linny also tells Nancy about her latest acting gig outside Washington, DC and why she understands the motivation behind arranged marriages.
About Front Porch Book Club
I honestly was blown away by the deep dive Nancy and Linny did into SPARKS LIKE STARS and really appreciated the personal perspectives they brought.
Nadia Hashimi, Author
Every month the Front Porch Book Club features two episodes on our selected book. In the first episode Linda and Nancy introduce the book and discuss their thoughts. In the second episode, Linda and Nancy are joined by the author or an expert to delve deeper into the book. Our book selections are eclectic: fiction, autobiography, history, memoir, investigative journalism, and classics. They are books that give us insights into how we may be more intentional, creative, and loving.
Recent Episodes
53: Author Nadia Hashimi
Nadia Hashimi joins us to discuss her bestselling book, Sparks Like Stars. This book is the darling of book clubs. The story of Sitara, a privileged young girl living in Kabul, draws you in as the 1978 coup strips everything away from her that she loves. Nadia tells...
52: Sher Jan Ahmadzai discusses Afghanistan
Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Sher Jan Ahmadzai tells us his remarkable story: fleeing Afghan as a child, returning to work for the President of Afghanistan, and eventual immigrating to the United States. He...
51: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
Discussing Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi, we dive into the harrowing tale of Sitara, a young girl from a privileged Kabul family whose life changes forever in the 1978 coup of the government. Sitara must assume another identity and travel across the ocean to find...
50: Grief experts discuss A Man Called Ove
Grief experts, Alyssa Christensen and Amy Lipins join us on the front porch to discuss A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. We discuss the power of community and support to help those who have lost a loved one honor their person and learn to heal. Alyssa and Amy work...
Meet The Hosts
Growing up, Nancy always had her nose in a book. She never remembers not loving to read books. Linda, on the other hand, hated libraries and spent her childhood trying to lure Nancy away from books into some other activity that she thought would be way more fun. That’s right – we’re sisters. Nancy was more of an introvert and Linda was more of an extrovert. But, somewhere along the way, Linda started loving books and Nancy started loving talking about books. Nancy is a recovering academic in Nebraska who writes and Linda is a licensed counselor in Pennsylvania.