Our first book show of the year is a first-time novelist, Karissa Chen. Her new book Homecoming is a novel a portrait in longing, an epoch love story between two characters torn apart by political unrest at the time of the Communist Revolution in China. It’s ambitious, it’s beautiful and it’s one of the best historical portrayals of China’s complex histori ... Show More
Yesterday
Ashley Kahn and the Wonder of Paul Simon’s Graceland
Graceland, by the great Paul Simon, was always a big deal in our house. From the Boy in the Bubble to the Myth of Fingerprints, it was on almost constant repeat, the soundtrack of my childhood. Ashley Kahn’s book, Days of Miracle and Wonder, is a thorough, beautifully researched ... Show More
35m 3s
Aug 20
Jennifer McMahon and the Allure of Haunted Towns
Jennifer McMahon has been called the Shirley Jackson of her generation. Her newest, Stay Buried, is a fascinating look at what can happen to a small town when beset with an almost inhuman pandemic, and how they turn on each other as the diseases claims victim after victim (sound ... Show More
30m 43s
Jan 2022
378 Liu Xinwu and the "Scar Literature" of China (with Jeremy Tiang) | Bharati Sneak Preview (with Mira Sundara Rajan)
In this episode, Jacke talks to Jeremy Tiang about his new translation of The Wedding Party, a Chinese classic contemporary novel written in the early 1980s by Liu Xinwu, one of the originators of what has been termed "scar literature." PLUS we feature a sneak preview of our conv ... Show More
49m 26s
Jan 2022
The Chinese Language Revolution
<p>Jing Tsu’s new book, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/books/review/kingdom-of-characters-jing-tsu.html" target="_blank">“Kingdom of Characters,”</a> is about the long and concerted efforts of linguists, activists and others to adapt Chinese writing to the modern wor ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 2025
From the Archive – On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous: Ocean Vuong On Beauty, Grief & The Language That Saves Us
Welcome to the Service95 Book Club with Dua Lipa, a new podcast dedicated to the books that stay with us – and the brilliant minds behind them. As well as bringing you a brand-new episode every month, we’ll also be dipping into the archive of fascinating conversations Dua has had ... Show More
53m 4s
Aug 2021
Love at First by Kate Clayborn
<p>Ellen and Mom discuss the beloved neighbors, bathroom renovations, and bad parenting in Love at First by Kate Clayborn. Plus, we go over diverse stories and LGBTQ+ representation in our NoYoMo Beginners' Guide to Reading Romance! <br/><br/>Come hang out with us! <br/>Tw ... Show More
1h 15m
Nov 2021
Best Books of 2021- Fiction- Lily King
On our first Best Books episode, Lily King discusses Five Tuesdays in Winter (Grove, Nov. 9), one of Kirkus’ Best Books in fiction for 2021. Kirkus: “The first collection of stories from an acclaimed novelist…. Full of insights and pleasures” (starred review). Then fiction editor ... Show More
51m 24s