This week's book, which can be enjoyed by kingkillers and non-kingkillers alike, manages to be filled with meta-references to fantasy fiction without being annoying, which is rare enough to be the stuff of fantasy all by itself.
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Today
Ep 730 - An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones
<p>What starts as a dismaying story about a wrongful conviction turns into a deep meditation on loyalty, marriage, and independence. Given the subject matter, you might expect a mystery or a courtroom drama. Instead, Jones offers up a moving account of a couple just trying to fin ... Show More
1h 11m
Nov 22
Sit Me Baby One More Time Ep 05 - Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Baby-Sitters Club #5)
<p>Our newest BSC member, Dawn, has a lot to juggle in her debut as a series protagonist. Her mom is dating Mary-Anne's dad. She's low-key feuding with Kristy, the BSC President. And she's been hired by a mother of three who just does NOT have her life together. What a trial by f ... Show More
54m 11s
Nov 17
Ep 729 - I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
<p>A story about a young woman trapped in an underground prison with 39 other women <em>sounds</em> like it could be a stone cold bummer, and it isn’t <em>not</em> that. But this translated French novel from 1995 also hits some affirming, human notes, and it’s those aspects of it ... Show More
1h 13m
Jan 2018
The Shadow of Harry Potter
Saying “It’s like Harry Potter” is a useful way to describe a book, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named should absolutely not be named in children’s publishing. Like Facebook or Instagram, it’s the unicorn that warps the industry, and “sets impossible expectations,” according to editor ... Show More
45m 17s
Jul 2019
Ep 193: Rolling the dice on your next read
Keren Form is a self-professed mega nerd who loves everything from LOTR, and board games, and epic science fiction. Today, Keren and Anne chat about what it really means to be a nerd, and how her wholehearted enthusiasm has sent her on many life-enriching adventures. If you hear ... Show More
51m 56s
Sep 2016
Ep 38: Secrets, cheap tricks, and paradigm-shifting books
Today Anne chats with Anissa Davis, a family physician who lives with her family in California. She likes smart, funny, contemporary fiction with diverse protagonists, and she wants to be blown away by more books. Many of you will relate when Anissa says sometimes finding great f ... Show More
42m 15s
Nov 2020
Ep 258: Reading for peace, joy, and escapism
Reading for pure escapism means something different for every reader. Some of us turn to puzzle-like mysteries, some of us immerse ourselves in fantastical worlds. Today’s guest stays away from doom scrolling by reading lots and lots and lots of romance. “Recovering English major ... Show More
53m 27s
Dec 2020
Ep 262: Books that deliver a little depth, a little distraction
Today’s guest tells a familiar story: he loved reading as a kid, but as an adult without a Scholastic book fair to look forward to, he fell into the habit of rereading or staying in his “safe zone” of sci-fi and fantasy. Geologist Max Lemoine needed just the right book to pull hi ... Show More
46m 21s