Hi. I’m a reader, a high school principal, and now a listener of your podcast. I started with the poetry episode which made me cry on the way to school that day and now I find myself thinking about what good Hot Topix question I could send in or how I could write and just tell you how much I like hearing your voices. Today is not the day I thought I would write. But the HT question about books decorating shelves made me want to offer two things. First, and most especially, that as an educator, I am well aware of how we know that just growing up in a house with books (my mother also only owned Readers Digest condensed books but there were always stacks of library books) makes a difference. And also, how often have we ended up in a home for some reason and had the library (or the four romance novels in a basket in the bathroom) saved our sanity for ten minutes. So thumbs up from me on buying books and putting them in a home. They are quietly magic as we know, emitting a low light that will eventually draw someone in. Second, I wanted to share that my brother, who is not a reader (though that seems to be changing a little in his late 40s) asked me once, as a young man in finance, how he should spend $500 of his money on a Christmas present for his new business partner (the older, established finance dude of the pair). The only thing I had to offer really was loving books. And he knew the man cared about presenting an intelligent front to the world, and I’m sure he was smart, but not a reader anyway (are any of the finance dudes? Please write G&F and say) but my brother knew he would be impressed by books. And I went to his local bookstore, telling myself only that I would not go elsewhere, I would use their selection. And it was super fun. And yeah I included a few financy things but I made sure he had bel canto and a Jack Reacher novel and the Left Hand of Darkness. And I don’t know what happened or if he ever cracked a title but I like to hope that on a terrible day, he turned and grabbed something off the shelf, but maybe he got clients because they thought he was really into Jennifer Egan. I’ll never know but I guess I just wanted to say Better with Books, than without. And now I’ll go back to the podcast, to hear about Pushkin, because even though I ended up a high school math teacher and now high school principal, once upon a time, I earned a masters in Russian Literature and I can’t wait to see what you read and how you felt about it. With much gratitude for your wonderful podcast, Michele

My professor's wife worked for a rate book dealer in LA and they would get calls from people buying books as decorations and your Hot Topix reminded me of a story she told about the assistant to someone famous calling about books. The book seller is British, so she asks the assistant, " Are these books to be read?" Assistant: "red or blue or green..." Love your show! Thanks!

Hi, I'm an avid listener and so enjoyed this episode! I studied Russian and Russian literature in college so Pushkin, of course, is a favorite of mine. If you enjoyed the verse in Eugene Onegin and want to experience it more in English, consider reading The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth.