My Life In Books with Red Szell

David Bergen is widely regarded as one of Canada’s best writers. Most of his 11 novels and two short story collections have been in contention for major literary prizes, including The Time In-Between, which won the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize. His latest novel, Away from the Dead, was also longlisted for the Giller Prize, and is set in early-twentieth century Ukraine amidst the chaos and terror of revolution and war. As anarchists, Bolsheviks, and armies of various colours come and go, each claiming freedom and justice, David weaves an unforgettable tale about the resilience of love and hope. Join David and Red as they explore the two very different memoirs that inspired Away from the Dead, and the Russian literature that underpins the novel. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Learn more at AMI.ca Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: @AccessibleMedia@AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio@AccessibleMediaInc@AccessibleMediaIncfeedback@ami.ca

Arjun Basu is a Canadian author and podcaster, whose novel Waiting for the Man was longlisted for the 2014 Giller prize. His latest book, The Reeds, is set in 2017, around Western Montreal, and follows the changing fortunes of a close-knit, middle-class family, across a single summer. By turns wry and poignant, the novel explores questions of work/life balance, identity, nostalgia and compulsive consumerism, against the backdrop of our brave new online world. It’s a wise, and ultimately optimistic story that weighs want against need, and finds solace in art and food! Join Arjun and Red as they discuss identity, branding, consumerism and the regeneration of Montreal. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Learn more at AMI.ca Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: @AccessibleMedia@AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio@AccessibleMediaInc@AccessibleMediaIncfeedback@ami.ca

An Astonishment of Stars is Kirti Bhadresa’s debut volume of short stories. Many of the fourteen tales in the collection chart the lives of women of colour living in Canada, as they navigate relationships, aspirations, and cultural expectations. Like all good authors of short fiction, Kirti takes everyday situations and looks at them from unfamiliar angles, while also examining the emotional lives of a population whose contribution to society all too often goes unseen in mainstream culture. Join Kirti and Red as they explore the ups and downs of trying to fit in while remaining true to oneself, and the joy of cooking. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Learn more at AMI.ca Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: @AccessibleMedia@AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio@AccessibleMediaInc@AccessibleMediaIncfeedback@ami.ca

As a child, K.J. Aiello found hope and escape in magical stories of dragons, wizards, and fantasy. These tales provided a safe space where K.J. could reframe their battle with mental illness and trauma, and envisage the vanquishing of the darkness that haunted them. In The Monster and the Mirror: Mental Illness, Magic, and the Stories We Tell, K.J. blends memoir, research, and cultural criticism, to examine their own mental illness. Exploring The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and other tales, they show how the darker realms of the human psyche have been portrayed and often stigmatised in popular culture; and suggest how the fantasy genre might also have therapeutic benefits. Join K.J. and Red as they discuss K.J.’s quest for the ‘what if’ and explore the regenerative power of creative imagination. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Learn more at AMI.ca Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: @AccessibleMedia@AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio@AccessibleMediaInc@AccessibleMediaIncfeedback@ami.ca

Rachel Stark’s debut, Perris California, is a beautiful and heart-rending novel. Set in the 1990s in what one character calls ‘the land of momma’s boys’, it’s a story of violence, broken dreams, tenderness, and longing that shines a light on the resilience of women living in a mostly unseen America. In a style reminiscent of John Steinbeck and Annie Proulx, Rachel contrasts the vastness and beauty of the landscape with the claustrophobia and grittiness of the lives of its inhabitants, while also insisting that hope exists in our capacity to mend each other. Join Rachel and Red as they discuss the harsh realities and strong bonds binding those scraping a living in the ‘golden’ state. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Learn more at AMI.ca Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: @AccessibleMedia@AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio@AccessibleMediaInc@AccessibleMediaIncfeedback@ami.ca

Tara Moss has much in common with the heroines of her internationally best-selling crime novels. The Canadian Australian former model is glamourous, tenacious, quick-witted, and committed to fighting for justice. She also relishes a challenge, has a Private Investigator license, and as we’ll hear, isn’t afraid of putting herself in the way of danger to learn what she needs to know. Her latest series features Billie Walker, a Second World War correspondent turned private investigator based in Sydney, who evokes the charisma of Lee Miller in the film noir style of Raymond Chandler. Following the publication of the second book in the series, we felt it was high time to get Ms Moss in for questioning. Join Tara and Red as they discuss femme fatales, fact-checking, fast cars, and feminism.

Alis Hawkins is a Welsh crime novelist with a keen eye for historical detail. Her latest series, The Oxford Mysteries, is set in the city of dreaming spires during the 1880s, at a time when the first women were being permitted to study there, albeit not on an equal footing. Her protagonist, Rhiannon Vaughan, is one of them, and is named after a fearless and put upon heroine from Welsh folklore. In the latest story, The Skeleton Army, she needs all her wits about her when the Salvation Army arrives in town with its message of temperance sparking murder and mayhem in a city almost as famous for its breweries as its university! Join Alis and Red as they reveal the untold history of The Skeleton Army, and the under-reported lives of a pair of pioneering female academics.

For many of us, the coming of a new year is the time when we resolve to try and quit our bad habits and make a clean start. For most, overindulgence in the things we crave is relatively benign, but for some it is an addiction that causes untold harm to themselves and those around them. Sebastian Wocker is a journalist, musician and recovering addict. In his memoir The Joy of Addiction: Confessions of a Teenage Wastrel, he gives an unflinching account of his descent into the abyss of drug and alcohol dependency. As the highly ironic title suggests, the book is a tragicomedy, offering both an insight into the mind-set of an addict and an invaluable message of recovery. Join Sebastian and Red as they explore some of the causes and effects of drink and drug dependency, and how to find a road to recovery.

Manda Scott is a novelist, podcaster and shamanist practitioner. After building a reputation as one of Britain’s leading crime writers, she achieved international recognition with her highly acclaimed series of historical novels about the warrior Queen Boudica, and a quartet of spy thrillers set in ancient Rome. More recently she had been devoting her time to her podcast Accidental Gods and believed that she had done with writing novels. But then she realised that it was providing her with the material she needed to weave a tale that modelled her hopes for a better future. The result is Any Human Power, a thriller that Manda describes as a Thrutopia, and which blends mythology, technology and compassion to offer a pathway for positive social change. Join Manda and Red as they explore shamanism, sustainability, and an author’s duty to address global crises.

Catherine Bush is a Canadian novelist who has spoken internationally about the importance of addressing the climate crisis through fiction. Her latest novel, Blaze Island, is an ecological retelling of Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, set on a fictional island off Newfoundland. Cut off from the rest of the world after a Category 5 hurricane devastates the East Coast of North America, the younger survivors are left battling a storm of emotions about their compromised future, while their elders wrangle over how best to prosper from the sins of the past. Join Catherine and Red as they discuss adapting Shakespeare, geo engineering, and living at the sharp edge of climate change.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. David Tatel is a recently retired US Federal Appeals Court judge who has spent a lifetime championing equal justice for all. During nearly 30 years’ service on America’s second most powerful court, he ruled on many landmark cases and earned a reputation for his clear-sighted legal opinions. Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa aged 15, he has been legally blind for his entire adult life. Now in his 80s he has published his autobiography, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, in which he not only looks back over his career but also reflects on the years he spent denying and working around his sight loss, before finally embracing it as an essential part of his identity.

Bestselling novelist Helen Simonson revels in setting strength of character against small-minded social convention. While her debut, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, was a contemporary romantic satire, her latest book, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, transports the reader back to the summer of 1919, and an English seaside town emerging from the trauma of World War One and the Spanish Flu pandemic. But for the women who did their bit to aid the war effort, and the men disabled by the conflict, the battle for respect and equality is far from over. With Helen’s trademark blend of wit and poignancy, and her sharp eye for historical detail, the novel joyfully skewers pomposity, celebrates those who defy convention, and extols the timeless beauty of the Sussex landscape. Join Helen and Red as they discuss biplanes, committees, prejudice and the little-known story of a submarine stranded on a Sussex beach…

Alissa York is a Canadian author whose novels and short stories have won her international acclaim. Her latest book, Far Cry, immerses the reader in the harsh conditions of a salmon cannery on the remote north west coast of British Columbia in 1922. It’s a haunting tale of survival, forbidden love, addiction, and jealousy, with a mystery at its heart and the Canadian wilderness all around. Join Alissa and Red as they explore the history of Canada’s working class, and man’s often jagged interaction with nature.

Throughout the history of talking books, the question of how to bring illustrations to life has posed problems for authors and audio producers. But it’s a challenge that artist James Norbury was eager to meet. Following the international success of his illustrated book Big Panda and Tiny Dragon, James set about adapting his story to bring its message of friendship, hope and acceptance to a listening audience. It is a craft that he has honed in Big Panda’s sequel, The Journey, and perfected in his latest book The Cat Who Taught Zen. And, as we’ll hear, it all began in a second-hand bookshop! Join James, Red, and a litter of kittens, as they explore mindfulness and the power of words to change the way we think.

Valerie Jerome’s grandfather John “Army” Howard was Canada’s first Black Olympian, and her brother Harry Jerome was one of the most recognizable Black athletes of the 1960s. He set a total of seven world records, earning him the title of the world's fastest man, and competed at three Summer Olympics, including Tokyo in 1964 where he won bronze in the 100m. Valerie herself became Canadian senior women’s champion in the sprints and long jump at the age of 15 and went on to represent Canada at the 1960 Rome Olympics. In her memoir Races: The Trials and Triumphs of Canada’s Fastest Family, Valerie gives the inside track on her family’s remarkable history, and the racism that they fought along the way – from their community, the press, their country, and even within their home.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Szell for the latest episode of AMI-audio's My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. Since the publication of her debut, The Secret of the Ninth Stone, Kylie Fitzpatrick has established a reputation as a historical novelist that has won her fans around the globe. Her latest novel, Under the Black Mountain, is written under the pen name KT Fitzpatrick and blends history with mystery, to transport the reader back to 1919 and far northern Queensland, Australia. It's a tale that reveals how the shockwaves of the First World War radiated to effect even that remote corner of the world. Join Kylie and Red as they discuss the shell shock, narcotics and strange goings-on in the outback.

Naben Ruthnum is an award-winning author whose work encompasses memoir, food writing, screenplays and thrillers. His latest book takes a pinch of all those ingredients, ventures into the realm of Young Adult fiction, and adds a dash of classic 1990s supernatural horror. The result is The Grimmer, which is a must-read for fans of Stranger Things and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but which is also subtly seasoned with questions around identity and addiction. So, prepare to be hooked, and irresistibly reeled back into the realm of 1996.

There’s an old adage among authors that you should write what you know. And as a prize-winning New York Times theatre critic, Alexis Soloski has an intimate knowledge of the theatre scene both on and off-Broadway. Her debut novel, Here in The Dark, follows an acid-tongued theatre critic as she investigates a stranger’s disappearance. By turns caustically funny and brutally dark, the book draws the reader deep into a world where the boundaries between theatre and reality become increasingly blurred and tenuous. Join Alexis and Red as they discuss how life and art reflect each other, and the star performance given by Broadway actress Laura Benanti as the narrator of the audiobook.

For this episode, Red is joined by Canadian author Erum Shazia Hasan, whose compelling debut novel, "We Meant Well," explores the complex moral and emotional landscape of international aid work. Set in an unnamed post-colonial failed state, the book grapples with timely questions about what it means to be charitable, who deserves what, and who gets the power to decide. With her background as a Sustainable Development Consultant for various UN agencies, it’s a world that Erum is well qualified to discuss. Join Red and Erum as they explore the contradictions and consequences of Western intervention in the developing world. .

PAGING ALL BOOK LOVERS! Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. Tyler LeBlanc was working as a bicycle tour guide when a chance encounter led him to look into the history of his name. Growing up on the south shore of Nova Scotia, he’d been unaware of his Acadian roots. But the discovery that he could trace his family all the way back to the Acadian Expulsions parked a curiosity that has transformed the way he views identity, family and the place he calls home. Painstakingly researched, his book, Acadian Driftwood, pieces together the lives of his ancestors after they were shattered by their enforced removal from their homeland by the British in 1755. Join Tyler and Red as they explore the history behind and legacy of Le Grand Dérangement.