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Tangentially Speaking

413 – WMTBG? (The Liar, by Tobias Wolff)

By April 3, 2020June 16th, 20229 Comments

This first episode of What Makes This Book Great? (WMTBG?) features “The Liar,” one of my favorite short stories, by Tobias Wolff.

Music: “Home Again,” by Michael Kiwanuka; “Lovely Day,” by Bill Withers.

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9 Comments

  • Robert says:

    I really like this and hope you record a lot more episodes of WMTBG! It was such a welcoming surprise to be able to listen to this today 😉

  • Faye Holluday says:

    WMTBG…
    Is so good!
    Dig it.

  • Roy says:

    Really enjoyed this! Introduces me to great literature and various perspectives. Hope this continues!

  • Jess says:

    Thanks for doing this, really enjoyed it.

  • dmcg.fort.myers says:

    Chris: Thanks so much for enriching my fourth week of distancing with this skillful telling of Tobias Wolff’s story “The Liar.” It was just long enough to carry me through weeding and realigning the bricks from the sunporch to the dock. “…The truth is that the short story form has reliably inspired brilliant performances by our best writers, in a line unbroken since the time of Poe…” -Tobias Wolff.

  • Seb Georgioi says:

    Absolutely loved the WMTBG segment, it’s great to have you rambling about one of the books that is special to you.
    Looking forward to more WMTBG 🙂
    Thank you Chris

  • Truls says:

    I really enjoyed this, please do more.

  • Sharon says:

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Please make this a regular podcast segment. I’m standing in my kitchen listening to the music companion song, “Home Again” & allowing myself to experience that whimsical, nostalgic, heart weighted feeling I get when I’ve finished a really good book or story that I’ve willingly gone along for the ride. That feeling that makes me so glad that this type of art is available and that I get to experience it. Ahhhh

    And my dear husband is watching some reality show, thankfully w/ear phones… but he pauses to ask if I’m okay since I’m just standing there in the kitchen with a cheshire smile. And I respond…. “Words, words, words…”

  • Steve says:

    I was really moved by your powerful reading of this story. I liked it so much I listened to it a second time with my wife because I always share beautiful things I find with her. Looking forward to another WMTBG episode. Cheers

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