to not be able to put (something) down

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 430: Talking About Books.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 430. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download the Learning Guide for this episode, which will help you improve your English even faster.

This episode is called “Talking About Books.” It’s a dialogue between Maggie and Kurt using some common vocabulary we might use in talking about and recommending books. Let’s get started.

Maggie: What did you think of the book you started last week?

Kurt: Oh, I liked it well enough.

Maggie: Wow, that’s a glowing recommendation.

Kurt: Well, it started off with a bang and the suspense in the first half was great. I couldn’t put it down. Then, the pace changed in the second half and it was an effort to finish it.

Maggie: Really? I read it a few months ago and I loved it. I thought the characterization