The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

EP 234: Imelda Reviews Journey (2012) and Uses It To Reflect on Her Life Journey Since 2024

Host Imelda Wei Ding Lo reviews the video game, Journey (2012), and uses it to reflect on how her life and mindset has changed since taking a break from this podcast (that's why we were on hiatus since January 2023)! Co-host Teresa joins the conversation.

EP 233: Book Review: “Under the Cover of Chaos: Trump and the Battle for the American Right” by Lawrence Grossberg

Hi, everyone. Today, me, Imelda or Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast, will be reviewing Lawrence Grossberg’s “Under the Cover of Chaos: Trump and the Battle for the American Right.” Lawrence Grossberg is the Morris Davis Distinguished Professor in Communication and Cultural Studies at the University of North Carolina. Additionally, he is an internationally recognized leading figure in Cultural Studies whose work has been translated into 18 languages. In this book, Grossberg looks at whether Donald Trump’s “irrationality, cruelty, and bombast” are “symptoms of his personality.” He also looks at whether the chaos Trump has caused is a sign of his incompoetence, and whether his populism, nationalism, and illiberalism is an appeal to existing feelings of rage, resentment, and abandonment. Find out why I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.

EP 232: Book Review: Philip Roth’s “Operation Shylock”

In this episode, podcast host Imelda/Fortunus Games reviews Philip Roth's novel, "Operation Shylock: A Confession." Find out what it's about and why she gave it 5/5 stars!

EP 231: Season Three of “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing” Podcast

Hi, everyone. This is Imelda or Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast. Hope you had a good winter break and happy new year! This is just a short announcement about how we are moving on to season three of “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing” podcast. In this season, we’ll continuing interviewing fiction and non-fiction writers and reviewing books. However, we will also be expanding the scope of our podcast to include literary criticism.

EP 230: Book Review: “American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion” by John D. Wilsey

Today, host Fortunus Games reviews John D. Wilsey’s “American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea.” Find out why she gave this book 5/5 stars and why she found it a useful resource for understanding Christian Nationalism and other current political trends in the U.S. You can get this book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/American-Exceptionalism-Civil-Religion-Wilsey/dp/083084094X [https://www.amazon.com/American-Exceptionalism-Civil-Religion-Wilsey/dp/083084094X]