Advertise on podcast: Books Are My People

Yup, I finally read part of a romance novel and watched two romance shows. Who am I in 2026? In episode #158 I announce some new forthcoming screen adaptations, we get a guest author book recommendation from Nalini Singh, author of Such A Perfect Family and I recommend five books to add to your TBR.  Join me on Substack.  Books Recommended: Such a Perfect Family Nalini Singh The Midnight Taxi - Yosha Gunasakera The Irish Goodbye - Heather Aimee O’Neill The Infamous Gilberts - Anjela Tomaski Only Son – Kevin Moffett Is This A Cry For Help? – Emily Austin The Housemaid - Freida McFadden Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week on episode #157, I speak with one of my favorite authors, the delightful Sara Levine, author of The Hitch, out tomorrow. I talk about some of my New Year’s resolutions, the amazing new skill I taught my dog and winter break travel plans gone wrong. We also get a guest author recommendation from Mark Medley author of Live to see the Day.  PODCAST NOTES: The Hitch by Sara Levine Treasure Island by Sara Levine War with the Newts – Karel Capek  Heart The Lover by Lily King Nature Poem by Tommy Pico Often I am Happy by Jens Christian Grondhal Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth Instagram @hitchface Substack Sara Levine’s website Live to see the Day by Mark Medley Joyride by Susan Orlean Saturday Night by Susan Orlean   Read The Empusium with me on Substack Listen to Episode #3 of Books Are My People, where my dad and I talk about Sara Levine’s Treasure Island!!! (It was only my third episode, so please forgive any sound editing issues!)  Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, I go back in time to 2012 to share some of my favorite reads as well as discuss other, notable reads from that year.  We have a special guest author recommendation from Emily Wiberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka authors of Seeing Other People .  Happy New Year, everyone!  Shownotes:  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey  Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane Every Day by David Levethan Me Before You by Jojo Moyes The Round House by Loise Erdrich Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carole Rifka Brunt Links to Books Are My People mugs Link to my Chair Art Link to Empusium Read Along Link to National Book Award winners Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Check out my top reads of 2025. I also include some books I read in 2025 that were previously published. I share what craft I'm struggling with, what Thanksgiving crop I grew this year as well as some bookish news.  Books Published in 2025 Mentioned: Heart The Lover by Lily King The Ten-Year Affair by Erin Somers A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toews Runs in the Blood by Matthew J. Trafford  Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy  Endling by Maria Reva Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li  Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley  Books Published Other Years:  This Motherless Land by Nikki May How to Read a Book by Monica Wood  How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair  Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell Send me a photo of your specialty library card! You can send it to: [email protected] Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, I speak with Aja Gabel, author of Lightbreakers. We talk about loss, writing and book recommendations, of course! We also get a guest author recommendation from Amie McNee, author of To Kill A Queen. Books recommended: Stories of Your Life by Ted Chiang The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor Maggie: or a man and a woman walk into a bar by Katie Lee Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead   Find Aja Gabel on Instagram @AjaGabel   Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Every once in a while I like to just record on my own! Especially when life gets hectic!  We get a guest author recommendation from Kristin Bair, author of Clementine Crane Prefers Not To. I share a story about why I'll never wear white pants again, I talk about the National Book Award fiction contenders and I recommend five great reads. Enjoy! In November, we'll be reading Washington Black and watching the TV series in my online bookclub on Substack. Come join us!  Books Recommended:  The Ex-Boyfriend’s Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki Kawashiro  Ghost Fish by Stuart Pennebaker A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toews Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma Register to watch the National Book Awards   Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, we're joined by Nick Medina, author of The Whistler. We talk about superstitions, narrative voice and so much more! We also get a book recommendation from  Julian Brave NoiseCat, author of We Survived The Night.  Books Recommended: Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones The Red Car by Marcy Dermasnky Villain Hitting for Viscous Little Nobodies - Lindsay Wong (this one is forthcoming and not yet listed online.)  The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy Angel Down by Daniel Krause Other Books Mentioned: Never Whistle At Night - Shane Hawk, et al. There, There by Tommy Orange Find Nick on Social Media: @nickmedinawrites X @medinanick www.nickmedina.net Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

On episode 151 Kristine Eckart visits and talks about her new book, Meet Me At Luke's: Lessons in Life and Love from the Gilmore Girls.  We talk about Rory's booklist, sense of community and important lessons we can learn from the beloved series.  Books Recommended: Spells and Forgotten Things by Brianne Randall Hazel Says No by Jessica Burger Gross Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood Babel by RF Kuang Where to find Kristine Eckart Website Instagram Facebook Enter Carpool Detective Giveaway. Closes November 15th.  Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

On episode #150, I sit down with Matthew J. Trafford to talk about his short fiction collection Runs in the Blood. We explore the grounded fantastic—where everyday life meets the surreal—and how queerness, family, and myth shape his stories.   Books Discussed:  This is It – Matthew Fox Endling - Maria Reva How to Restore A Timeline - Peter Counter The Hounding - Xenobe Purvis Cuckoo – Gretchen Felker-Martin Other Books Mentioned: How to Survive A Bear Attack - Claire Cameron A Truce That Is Not Peace - Miriam Toewes Swing Low, A Life - Miriam Toews Monsters - Claire Dederer Find Matthew J. Trafford:   IG @MatthewJTrafford Knitting and crafting: IG @ Fairygodfatherknits YouTube Fairygodfatherknits   Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, on episode #149 with Laura Dickerman, we discuss her debut novel, HOT DESK - a funny and touching book about two people who share a desk in the publishing industry, some of our favorite books that subvert expectations and, I've decided I only want to read whatever Laura Dickerman has read because she picks the best books! We also get a guest author recommendation from Thomas Schlesser, author of MONA'S EYES.  I just so happen to be running a book giveaway for MONA'S EYES over on Instagram. Click here to see how to enter. This giveaway will close on September 15th, 2025 and is open to U.S. mailing addresses only.  Books Recommended: Hot Desk - Laura Dickerman Beautyland – Marie Helene Bertino A Marriage at Sea - Sophie Elmhurst  Trust Exercise - Susan Choi Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy The Road to Tender Hearts - Annie Hartnett   Find Laura Dickerman: Instagram:  @Lauradickermanwriter  website: Lauradickermanwriter.com Book review site: Bookclique.org Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, we speak with the delightful Samantha Dion Baker, artist and author of Draw Your Adventures: Making Art to Celebrate Everyday Experiences and Travel Near and Far. This episode is sponsored by The Housekeeper’s Secret by Sandra Schnakenburg. Enter the Mona’s Eyes Giveaway: closes September 15th, 2025 Open to U.S. Mailing addresses only Thank you to Europa Editions for sponsoring this giveaway. Guest author recommendation from Jessica Francis Kane, author of Fonseca.  Check out What Dan Read here. https://what-dan-read.com Books Discussed: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving This Motherless Land by Nikki May The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin How to Read A Book by Monica Wood The Guest by Emma Cline   Find Samantha Dion Baker online: Website www.sdionbaker.com Instagram @sdionbekerdesign Substack @Draw Your World Samantha Dion Baker's Skillshare Classes Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, I'm joined by Lisa Pahl who talks about an inventive way to talk about death and dying, through use of The Death Deck. We also discuss books that deal with this topic.  The Clouds Far Behind Me by Laurie Lo Cicero Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor  Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better Living by Penny Hawkins Smith Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yin Li The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family by Marguerite Magnuson Learn more about The Death Deck The Death Deck on Instagram Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

An adorably short episode where I talk about the Pulitzer winning book of fiction as well as ponder whether or not dead authors' work should be publishing after their death and without their permission. Plus, I recommend five books.  The Names by Florence Knapp Sleep by Honor Jones How Not To Drown In A Glass of Water by Angie Cruz Warhol's Muses by Laurence Leamer Is Mother Dead by Videos Hjorth Check out Peggi Kroll Roberts on Instagram.  Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, I'm in conversation with Annie Hartnett, author of the recently published Road to Tender Hearts. We talk about the inspiration for her protagonist, PJ as well as how many pages she wrote before she sold this novel.  Books Recommended: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett The Red Grove by Tessa Fontaine Tilt by Emma Pattee Women! In! Peril! by Jessie Ren Marshall Three Bags Full by Leoni Swann Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky Guest Recommendation from Dean Van Nguyen, author of Words For My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur Find Annie Hartnett on Instagram @Annie_hartnett Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, I'm in conversation with Lauren Steinstra, author of The Beauty of the End. We discuss genetics, how her career in science influenced her work and whether or not people should delete their 23 and Me accounts. Plus, lots of book recommendations.  This episode is sponsored by People of the Titanic by Shawn Carlow Andrew Porter, author of The Imagined Life recommends a favorite read.  Giveaway: Girls and Their Horses Books Discussed: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker Sky Full of Elephants by Cabo Campbell The Unthinkable: Who Survives Disasters and Why by Amanda Ripley Dan and Jane at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill Other books Mentioned: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Gallery info: I have a piece of art on display at the Rod Briggs Gallery through May 24th. Click here for more info.  Art Hang Recording: Draw Book Covers Support the show Get your Books Are My People merch here! I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!