The Bourne Shadow by Brian Freeman - Summer Reading Spectacular!
The Bourne Shadow by Brian Freeman - Summer Reading Spectacular!
Circulating Ideas 269
This is the final episode of the Summer Reading Spectacular, which means it’s time to head back to school and prepare to watch the leaves change color. We’ll be back to our regular episodes focused more on libraryland issues next episode. If you liked these episodes with author interviews, let me know!
For this episode’s newsletter, I invited Rebecca Vnuk, Executive Director of Library Reads and co-host of Circulating Ideas’s own Circ Desk segment, to write a little something because (unknown to me at the time I booked the author) Rebecca already had a pre-existing friendship with him!
Here’s Rebecca’s story:
I rarely get the chance to combine my two careers (theater major-turned-librarian) but in 2014 I was invited to perform a short story "live audiobook" program at ALA Annual. That's when I first met Brian Freeman, author of "Spitting Devil," a standalone audio original in his Jonathan Stride series. I became fast friends with Brian and his amazing wife, Marcia, and I'm pleased to say that 10 years later we remain so (I like to think that he named his main character in The Ursulina after me, although it's not true, LOL). But even if I didn't know Brian personally, he'd still be one of my go-to thriller recommendations, especially for male readers and for those looking for a new series. Readers have three series heroes to choose from (charming L.A. detective Cab Bolton, flawed Duluth cop Jonathan Stride, and suave San Francisco homicide inspector Frost Easton) as well as many stand-alone thrillers.
The cherry on top is that Brian was selected by the estate of Robert Ludlam to reboot the amazing Jason Bourne books. When Steve let us know he had booked Brian for Circulating Ideas to talk about his newest Bourne title, I was so thrilled because pre-pandemic, Brian and Marcia would travel all over the country to speak at libraries, bookstores, and book clubs. THey had to stop when travel became difficult and once things got back to “normal” the idea of long bouts of travel lost some appeal. I know that they both missed connecting with library folks and readers so I am so pleased that the podcast is another way for Brian to connect with readers and gain new fans!
- Rebecca Vnuk, 2 August 2024
Check out my interview with Brian Freeman now, either as a podcast or the transcript!
It’s been over a decade since Nash Rollins recruited a brilliant, talented, but disaffected young man named David Webb to join Treadstone. Webb became the agent known as Cain—and later took on the identity of Jason Bourne.
That violent winter—which included Cain’s first mission for Treadstone—was also a story of betrayal in ways that David never knew. So after the injury that erased Bourne’s whole life, Nash lied about the circumstances of David’s recruitment to Treadstone. He was afraid that learning the truth might drive Bourne out of the agency forever.
But now, when Bourne meets a woman who recognizes him as David Webb, the secrets of those days begin to come out—and Bourne is forced to confront the dangerous ghosts of a past he doesn’t even remember.
Summer Reading List
Listeners and readers, I present the final 2024 Circulating Ideas Summer Reading List, as chosen by our authors!
The Steerswoman (Cory Doctorow’s pick)
How to Solve Murders Like a Lady; Children of Anguish and Anarchy; Georgette Heyer; Saara El-Arifi; the Daevabad Trilogy (City of Brass, Kingdom of Copper, Empire of Gold) (Amita Murray’s picks)
How the Word Is Passed (Kirsten Miller’s pick)
James Madison's Notes on the Debates in the Federal Convention, May 25, 1787 (A. J. Jacob’s pick)
Summer Romance; Expiration Dates (Jessie Rosen’s picks)
Bitter Seeds (Andy Runton’s pick)
The Villa (Gwenda Bond’s pick)
There's Always This Year (Eva Jurczyk’s pick)
Year of the Rabbit (Brian Freeman’s pick)
Ready Reference
Mentioned on the podcast:
The Bourne Identity (novel)
The Bourne Identity (2002 film)
The Bourne Identity (1988 film)
The Circ Desk
Out of the shadows of the past come two secret agents fighting… to recommend the best books to you! Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from NoveList are back for their final (for now…?) shift on The Circ Desk, and discuss Rebecca’s friendship with Brian Freeman and his work, page-to-screen adaptations, and cinematic novels!
The Circ Desk recommends:
Steve Thomas is a public library manager who lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with his wife, two kids, and one dog. He has worked in libraries since the year 2000 and has hosted the Circulating Ideas podcast since 2011. He really likes Coke Zero.
Currently Reading: The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin