{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 347: A Bookish Christmas (with Nancy Pearl)","description":"Just in time for last-minute Christmas shopping, the &quot;world's librarian&quot; Nancy Pearl, who is also a best-selling author herself, shares her favorite books for giving (or reading yourself) this holiday season (find titles and links below). Nancy also shares her advice for testing out a new friendship: give your new friend a book for Christmas, and whether they bother to read it (or love it or hate it) might inform whether your friendship has longterm potential.&amp;nbsp; Here our Nancy's picks for this holiday season:  The Company: A Novel of the CIA&amp;nbsp;by Robert Littell The Quiet Americans: Four CIA Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War-a Tragedy in Three Acts&amp;nbsp;by Scott Anderson The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas&amp;nbsp;(illustrated) by Gertrude Stein and Maira Kalman Here We Are&amp;nbsp;by Graham Swift Hench: A Novel&amp;nbsp;by Natalie Zina Walschots Set My Heart to Five: A Novel&amp;nbsp;by Simon Stephenson Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret&amp;nbsp;by Craig Brown Find Nancy on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or at her website.&amp;nbsp;  -------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started. BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more. TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue. SUBSCRIBE:  Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps. WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on  iTunes so more listeners can find us. JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here.&amp;nbsp;You can also connect to us through&amp;nbsp;Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag&amp;nbsp;#thebittersweetlife&amp;nbsp;with your expat story for a chance to be featured! NEW TO THE SHOW?&amp;nbsp;Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon. TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to&amp;nbsp;tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!&amp;nbsp; ","author_name":"The Bittersweet Life","author_url":"http:\/\/www.thebittersweetlife.net","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/17245844\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/91492928"}