The Book Dialogue

The Book Dialogue
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Two sisters in conversation about books, how they change lives, enrich our communities and allow us to grow and evolve as people. Sarah Ahmadi and Rebecca Budd

  1. 3d ago

    At the Library: More Than Books

    S7 E6: At the Library: More Than Books Welcome to The Book Dialogue. What does a public library offer us beyond the books on its shelves? In this episode, we come to you from the sound studio at North Vancouver City Library, a new recording space for our conversations. We are grateful to the library for making this creative opportunity available. Our conversation begins with childhood memories of libraries and opens into a discussion of why they still matter. We explore the library as a place of belonging, where everyone is welcome without having to make a purchase. We also consider how libraries preserve a community’s memory and make learning possible throughout our lives. Thank you for joining us on The Book Dialogue. We are glad that you are here. Sarah & Rebecca 🎙️The Book Dialogue Podcast Music by Epidemic Sound “Information Overload” by Riverworn https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/977d3e17-bbef-3a56-98c1-379cc425c53a/

  2. Oct 16

    Discovering Lives Through Non-Fiction | The Book Dialogue Why

    S7 E5: Discovering Lives Through Non-Fiction | The Book Dialogue Why Welcome to The Book Dialogue. Have you ever been so caught up in a biography that you hoped the ending might somehow be different? In this episode, we talk about reading non-fiction and the lives we discover through its pages. Rebecca recalls listening to audiobooks on her walks home from work and remembers how deeply a biography of George Washington moved her. Our conversation takes us back to our father, who encouraged us to read non-fiction as a way of understanding the world. We discuss choosing books that follow our curiosity and taking time to reflect on what we read. Sarah considers those quiet moments of discovery in another person’s life that might help us see something differently in our own. Thank you for joining us on The Book Dialogue. We are glad that you are here. Sarah & Rebecca 🎙️The Book Dialogue Podcast Music by Epidemic Sound “We Need Air” by Sleeping Vines https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/cf7205d9-13b2-3135-bc19-ac56ecd07413/

  3. Sep 24

    The Happiness Cure by Anders Hansen

    S7 E4: The Happiness Cure by Anders Hansen What if our brains aren’t designed to make us happy? In this episode of The Book Dialogue, we discuss “The Happiness Cure: Why You’re Not Built for Constant Happiness, and How to Enjoy the Journey”, by renowned psychiatrist and well-being expert Dr. Anders Hansen. Blending cutting-edge neuroscience with real-life stories, Dr. Hansen takes us on a fascinating journey into the evolutionary roots of happiness — and why it often feels just out of reach. We explore why our modern quest for constant happiness clashes with how our brains are wired, and how understanding this can actually empower us. From the science behind our moods to practical steps that lead to lasting joy, this episode unpacks Dr. Hansen’s groundbreaking guide to mental well-being. If you’ve ever wondered why happiness can feel so elusive — and what you can do about it — this book may be one that should be added to your TBR stack of books! Thank you for joining us on The Book Dialogue. We are glad that you are here. Rebecca & Sarah Music by Epidemic Sound “Catharsis” By David Celeste https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/7Y8Il1GyZs/

  4. Aug 24

    The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

    S7 E3: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr  Welcome to The Book Dialogue, where thoughtful reading meets lively conversation.In this episode, we dive into The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr — a provocative and timely book that challenges us to think deeply about how our digital habits are shaping our capacity for attention, memory, and reflection. Carr’s central question is one we can’t afford to ignore: as we become more connected, are we also becoming more distracted?Sarah brings her eloquent insights to this conversation, highlighting the essential role of critical thinking in navigating our technological world. With the brain’s remarkable neuroplasticity – its constant capacity to reshape itself, comes both potential and vulnerability. Are we training our minds for speed and skimming at the expense of depth and understanding? Together, we explore what it means to reclaim focus, restore our inner lives, and engage more consciously with the tools that surround us.Thank you for joining us on the Book Dialogue. We are glad that you are here. Sarah and Rebecca Music by Epidemic Sound Admitting the Truth By Trailer Worx https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/wyeQ8OerS5/

  5. Aug 9

    The Stories We Carry: The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson

    S7 E2: The Stories We Carry: The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson In 1627, hundreds of Icelanders were taken from their homes and carried across the sea into slavery in Algiers. Among them were a Lutheran minister, his wife Ásta, and their children. In The Sealwoman’s Gift, Sally Magnusson enters one of the silences left behind by history. While the captivity of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson was recorded, far less is known about what his wife experienced. Through imagination grounded in historical events, Magnusson gives Ásta a voice—and places the stories of women, mothers, and captives at the centre of the narrative. Separated from her homeland and confronted by unimaginable loss, Ásta carries one precious inheritance with her: the Icelandic sagas and stories held within her memory. They become a source of courage, connection, and survival in a world she could never have imagined. In this episode of The Book Dialogue, Sarah and Rebecca discuss The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson—a novel of resilience, love, displacement, hope, and redemption. Together, they reflect on the power of storytelling to preserve identity, the complicated meaning of home, and the human capacity to endure circumstances that cannot be changed. Their conversation also turns to Viktor Frankl, who wrote: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Ásta cannot return to the life she once knew, nor can she remain untouched by the world into which she has been carried. Her story asks whether adapting to survive means surrendering the person we once were or discovering a self we could not have known under different circumstances. The Sealwoman’s Gift leaves us with profound questions about captivity and freedom, exile and belonging, and the redemptive possibilities of love and hope. When every possible choice carries loss, where does freedom truly reside? And when our circumstances cannot be changed, how might we find the courage to change while still holding fast to who we are? Sarah & Rebecca 🎙️The Book Dialogue Podcast Music by Epidemic Sound "Watercolor Fountain" by Trailer Worx https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/e178eaee-b7b1-3436-beef-a2ddb6e602be/

  6. Jan 12

    The Launch of the Letters to Vincent Podcast

    S7 E1: The Launch of the Letters to Vincent Podcast Welcome to The Book Dialogue! In this special episode, we open the first letter in a new series that invites quiet contemplation and creative connection: Letters to Vincent. Inspired by the life and art of Vincent van Gogh, this project uses his profound, deeply emotional paintings as a form of meditation—a visual gateway to introspection, beauty, and the enduring human spirit. This journey begins not alone, but together. We have come together in the launch of “Letters to Vincent” to reflect on Vincent’s world and open the door to a new way of reading, seeing, and feeling. Through these letters, we step into the colours and textures of Vincent’s canvases and ask: What would we say to him now? And what might he be saying to us? Join us as we begin Letters to Vincent, a shared meditation across time, guided by brushstrokes and spirit. Thank you for joining us on The Book Dialogue. We are so pleased that you are here! Sarah and Rebecca Music by Epidemic Sound Friend of Mine By Johannes Bornlöf https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/W63NlXY6F3/

  7. 11/18/2025

    Into the Unknown: A Book Dialogue on Mystery, Wilderness, and Wonder

    S6 E10: Into the Unknown: A Book Dialogue on Mystery, Wilderness, and Wonder Featuring “The Whisper on the Night Wind” by Adam Shoalts and “In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond” by John Zada What draws us into the forest, beyond the last known path? Why do we seek the places where maps grow vague and stories grow strange? In this episode of The Book Dialogue, we delve into two compelling narratives that explore our human longing for the unknown: Adam Shoalts’s The Whisper on the Night Wind, a chilling true tale of an eerie legend deep in Labrador’s wilds, and John Zada’s In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond, an evocative exploration of the Sasquatch mystery in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest. At the heart of both books lies a profound question: Do we need the unexplained in our lives? Might mystery itself be a kind of nourishment for the imagination—and a compass for the soul? Join us as we journey through landscapes where myth and reality blur, where silence is thick with possibility, and where the search for truth often reveals more about ourselves than the world we wander. Sarah and Rebecca Music by Epidemic Sound Forest Trekking By Adriel Fair https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/M...

  8. 08/02/2025

    Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything by James Gleick

    S6 E9: Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything by James Gleick Welcome to The Book Dialogue, where thoughtful reading meets lively conversation. In this episode, we dive into Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything by James Gleick, bestselling author of Genius and Chaos. With his signature wit and clarity, Gleick invites us to explore what it means to live in an age defined by speed. “When every moment is measured, time seems to vanish.” James Gleick, Faster We’ve entered what he calls the “epoch of the nanosecond”—a world where time-saving devices multiply and yet somehow, we feel we have less and less time. Hurry sickness, microwave moments, and the quiet erosion of simple pleasures all come under the microscope. Sarah brings her brilliant perspective to this conversation, offering a thoughtful lens on how Gleick’s insights connect to our everyday lives—how we eat, relate, love, and slow down (or don’t). Whether you’ve read Faster or are simply feeling the rush of modern life, we invite you to pause with us for a while. Take a deep breath, settle in, and listen. The pace may be accelerating, but here, reflection still matters. It seems that we are in a rush without knowing why—saving seconds only to lose whole seasons. Thank you for listening in, Sarah and Rebecca Music by Epidemic Sound Solitude in Motion By Golden Age Radio https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/L1wFapK56R/

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Two sisters in conversation about books, how they change lives, enrich our communities and allow us to grow and evolve as people. Sarah Ahmadi and Rebecca Budd

Information

  • Creator
    The Book Dialogue
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Book Dialogue