Political pundit and former bureaucrat Bob Plecas talked with Joseph Planta about his new book, Bill Bennett: A Mandarin’s View (Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), a memoir on the former premier of British Columbia (1975-1986).

Satirist and bestselling author Tony Hendra talked with Joseph Planta about his new novel, The Messiah of Morris Avenue (Henry Holt, 2006), a funny and insightful novel about what would happen if Christ came back to walk amongst a nation where the religious right dominates every aspect of American life. Hendra also offers his thoughts about the current political climate in the United States, and his previous memoir, Father Joe, is also discussed.

What are the issues that most concerns the world today? The gap between the rich and poor? Terrorism? Hunger? Jean-Marc Leger, President of Leger Marketing was on to talk with Joseph Planta about a new worldwide survey he’s directed, a remarkable poll of 53,749 citizens in 68 countries on what the world is concerned with. Accompanying the survey is a new book which reports on their findings, Voice of the People 2006: What the World Thinks on Today’s Global Issues (Transcontinental, 2006).

Acclaimed journalist and conservationist Terry Glavin talked with Joseph Planta about his new book Waiting for the Macaws: And Other Stories from the Age of Extinctions (Viking, 2006), a fascinating and well-written book on his travels around the world encountering peoples attitudes toward plant and animal species, as well as languages that are seemingly fading away.

Former National Post film columnist, Katrina Onstad talked with Joseph Planta about her new book, How Happy to Be (McClelland and Stewart, 2006), an engaging book about an entertainment writer at a failing neo-con paper, who’s celebrity-obsessed and trying to find herself.

Author and journalist Heather Pringle joined Joseph Planta to discuss her new book, The Master Plan: Himmler’s Scholars and the Holocaust (Viking, 2006), an engrossing and fascinating look at Heinrich Himmler and the elite Nazi institute, the Ahnenerbe, which was responsible for manipulating science and re-writing pre-history during Hitler’s regime.

Leah McLaren from the Globe and Mail talked with Joseph Planta about her new bestselling novel, The Continuity Girl (HarperCollins, 2006). She discussed her book’s heroine, the ‘sperm bandit’ Meredith Moore, and the reaction that the book has had so far, including a rather savage review from Ryan Bigge.

Michael Adams, president of Envronics, talked with Joseph Planta about his new book, American Backlash: The Untold Story of Social Change in the United States (Viking, 2005). As a pollster, he offered his thoughts on the current federal election campaign in Canada, and the substance of his book, the direction of America, politically and culturally.

Journalist and author Adam Daifallah, co-author of Rescuing Canada’s Right: Blueprint for a Conservative Revolution, talked with Joseph Planta about the conservative revolution in Canada and how it’s going, offering his thoughts on what right-minded people should do.

University of Toronto political science professor Stephen Clarkson talked with Joseph Planta about his new book, The Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics (UBC Press, 2005).