10 Memorable Conversations From 15 Years of the Book Reviewâs Podcast
Talks with Toni Morrison, Jeanette Winterson, Reginald Dwayne Betts and others, from the eras of both the showâs hosts, Sam Tanenhaus and Pamela Paul.
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Clockwise, from top left: Toni Morrison, Jeanette Winterson, Reginald Dwayne Betts; Andrew Solomon.Credit.From top left: Michael Lionstar/Alfred A. Knopf, via Associated Press; Lily Richards; Mamadi Doumbouya; Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
This month weâre celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Book Reviewâs podcast, the first podcast at The Times and still going strong. Pamela Paul, the showâs host and the editor of the Book Review, recently wrote about 15 of her favorite episodes from the eight years she has been at the helm. I thought I would expand the scope to the entire archive â Sam Tanenhaus, Paulâs predecessor, hosted for seven years â and share 10 more memorable conversations. (As an editor at The Times,
Konnikova Will Join FIDF’s First-Ever National Poker Tournament By JLNJ Staff | April 15, 2021
“FIDF’s mission is one I feel strongly about.”
(Courtesy of FIDF) Prize-winning author and international poker champion Maria Konnikova is confirmed to join celebrity poker players Eli Elezra and commentator Jeff Platt for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces’ (FIDF) first-ever National Poker Tournament on Sunday, May 2, at 7 p.m. ET.
Konnikova most recently authored “The Biggest Bluff,” a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of 2020. While researching the book, she became an international poker champion and the winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings inadvertently turning into a professional poker player.
âThe Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to
Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Winâ
By Maria Konnikova
326 pages
Konnikova is a psychologist with an interest in con artistry and game theory. She approached her publisher inspired by Colson Whiteheadâs Noble Shuffle, where a magazine gave a novelist 10K to play a Vegas poker tournament. It was an entertainment. Konnikova does another take â ultimately as entertaining, and more helpful to the novice.
The author wasnât a player when she pitched the idea to her publisher, but gave herself a year to try to win at a Vegas tournament. She gained the interest of Eric Seidel, a famous tournament player, who gave her lots of insight and advice. Going in, her view of the poker world was very much colored by poker movies and poker memoirs, but she chose the right mentor.
How a Neurosurgeon (and Netflix Star) Spends His Sundays
“I exhaust myself mentally during the week,” said Dr. David Langer, whose down time includes reading and walks in Central Park.
Dr. David Langer with his wife, Dr. Nancy Lipsitz, and their dogs, Cooper and Stark, in Central Park. Credit.Gili Benita for The New York Times
By Alix Strauss
Published Feb. 12, 2021Updated Feb. 13, 2021
Yes, it’s possible to be a doctor and play one on TV. Just look at the career of Dr. David Langer, who is the chairman of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, which also provides the backdrop for “Lenox Hill,” a Netflix documentary series. The show follows four doctors including Dr. Langer and their patients, at the hospital.