Advertise on podcast: Kobo in Conversation

Nathan Maharaj spoke with journalist Carol Off. She was the long-running cohost of CBC Radio's award-winning program, As it Happens. She is also the author of The Lion, The Fox, and the Eagle, The Ghosts of Medak Pocket, and 2024's At a Loss For Words: Conversations in the Age of Rage. Her new book is True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Frontlines of Canadian Sovereignty.  Carol Off on why Canada is a good idea

Nathan Maharaj spoke with Marc Bendavid, winner of the 2026 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction for his novel The Sapling. It's a love story, but unlike any love story you've ever read. Klara Bloem is an art teacher, and Marc—yes, there is autobiography woven through this work of fiction—he's a thoughtful boy who's drawn to Klara's encouraging, lively presence. They forge a friendship that lasts years and endures upheavals in each of their lives. How Marc Bendavid found permission to write his award-winning novel

This bonus episode comes courtesy of our friends at the Kobo Writing Life Podcast. Co-hosts Vanessa Salemi and Laura Granger interviewed Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife and the long-awaited sequel: Life Out of Order. That's a book that came up a couple weeks ago in another bonus episode we had with Deandra Lalonde, all about the biggest books coming out this fall 2026 season. If you're a writer looking for tips on developing your craft and growing your self-publishing business, check out the Kobo Writing Life Podcast and get started with Kobo Writing Life.

Nathan Maharaj spoke with Jamaluddin Aram, 2024 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize-winner and author of the novel Nothing Good Happens in Wazirabad on Wednesday about his new collection of essays called The Blood of Things: A Love Letter to Afghanistan.  Jamaluddin Aram on writing beyond lines of division

Producer and Kobo in Conversation co-host Nathan Maharaj enlisted the help of Kobo's Deandra Lalonde to guide readers through this overwhelming fall 2026 season of new books. Here are all the books Deandra and Nathan covered in this episode. Series A Court of Splintered Harmony - Sarah J. Maas Threshing Day - Rebecca Yarros Dead Beat - Leigh Bardugo Victorious - VE Schwab Literary The Disappearers - Marlon James Ply - Hernan Diaz Partita - Barbara Kingsolver American Hagwon - Min Jin Lee The Radiance - Ayad Akhtar Buzz-bound Exit Party - Emily St. John Mandel Life Out of Order - Audrey Niffenegger The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman - Deesha Philyaw Hollywood, Ending - John Green Hollow Bones - Jodi Picoult The Pirate Queen - Ariel Lawhon Switzy - Emma Cline The Sorceress of Sky Serpents - Eden Robinson Nonfiction Swan Song - Charles Spencer The Vanishing Family - Robert Kolker The American Way of Killing - Malcolm Gladwell Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea - Emily Wilson Redwood - Ben MacIntyre Deandra's faves so far Taipei Story - R. F. Kuang Broken Rival - Tessa Bailey The Disappearers - Marlon James More links at: Kobo's big fall 2026 books round up!

Michael Tamblyn spoke with TJ Klune, author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and the Extraordinaries YA series, to name just a few of his many books. TJ's latest book is We Burned So Bright. It's a story about a couple, Don and Rodney, who set out on a road trip to lay their shared pain to rest while all around them, people are dealing with the very imminent end of the world.  And to WATCH Michael and TJ's chat, check out the video version: https://youtu.be/owvD19D0_6Q  Is TJ Klune a little bit better every day?

Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Shari Lapena. Since her 2016 novel The Couple Next Door, she's been known as one of the masters of domestic noir. In her newest book Getting Away With Murder, her 10th suspense novel in as many years, we get financial precarity, unlikeable yet relatable characters, mistrust mixed with intimacy, and all the page-turning qualities that readers have come to expect in a Shari Lapena novel.  Shari Lapena on writing a murder mystery where we already know whodunit

Nadia Odunayo didn't set out to create the leading competitor to social reading app GoodReads. But somewhere along the way while building her website & app The StoryGraph she discovered that for a lot of folks that's exactly what she'd done. In this episode of our Booktalking series, Kobo in Conversation hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj are joined by Nadia to find out about StoryGraph's origins and where Nadia's taking it in the future. Kobo first met Nadia back in 2021: read our interview Learn about all the ways you can keep track of the books you read, including on your Kobo with StoryGraph: The best ways to track your reading | Kobo Books Blog Join the Kobo in Conversation reading challenge on StoryGraph (and get a sneak peek at the books we're reading for upcoming episodes): Read along with the Kobo in Conversation podcast | The StoryGraph

Nathan Maharaj spoke with Anita Rau Badami, author of novels including the Commonwealth Prize winning The Hero's Walk. Her new book is Asha in Her Garden. It's the story of a woman named Asha, who lives now in Montreal, but left Bangalore, India many years ago. We learn about her childhood, her children, her friends, and the life she's made for herself.  Anita Rau Badami on writing a character who can't stop wounding the people she loves

Nathan Maharaj spoke with musician and novelist David Baerwald, author of The Fire Agent. It's a story spanning the world wars of the 20th century viewed through the eyes of Ernst Baerwald, a bright and idealistic young man who finds himself at the frontiers of chemistry and war. David Baerwald on feeling his way through history

In the spirit of "Christmas in July," we're presenting a special live episode of Kobo in Conversation from the Toronto International Festival of Authors' inaugural Ever After, the romance book festival. This was recorded back in November 2025, and though it deals with some extremely seasonal themes, we don't mind a little Christmas in July and we thought you might be into it as well.  For a session called "Snowflakes and Sparks," Michael Tamblyn spoke with authors Marissa Stapley and Karma Brown writing under their pen names Julia McKay and Kristine Winters, about what Christmas and Christmas Romance means to them, as well as their COVID-era collaborations as Maggie Knox. LIVE from Ever After, with Julia McKay & Kristine Winters Join the Kobo in Conversation reading challenge on StoryGraph

Michael Tamblyn spoke with Patrick Radden Keefe, who has been writing for the New Yorker since 2006 and is the author of nonfiction bestsellers including Empire of Pain and Say Nothing. His latest book is London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth. They were joined by an intimate studio audience. Patrick Radden Keefe on London's dark descent

Nathan Maharaj spoke with the novelist and journalist Jowita Bydlowska about her new book Unshaming: A Memoir of Recovery, Relapse, and What Comes After. It's a frank, unflinching recounting of the years following the publication of her first book, the memoir Drunk Mom. And it's a thoughtful, fearless meditation on the concept of shame.  Jowita Bydlowska on becoming an expert on shame by accident

For this special bonus episode of Kobo in Conversation, producer and co-host Nathan Maharaj was joined by one of Kobo's booksellers (and frequent Staff Picks contributor), Deandra Lalonde. They sort through the buzziest books to take along to the beach, the books landing in the next few weeks that you won't want to miss, and how best to bring a little Hollywood into your summer reading this year. Books mentioned: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Whistler by Ann Patchett Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune From 2023: Carley Fortune on summer love and second chances Heartstopper #6 by Alice Oseman Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson The Odyssey by Homer There's Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle And check out dozens more summer picks HERE.

Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Sharon Bala, author of the award-winning 2018 novel, The Boat People. Her new book is called Good Guys. It's about a nearly bankrupt international aid charity called Children of the World, and how their stumbling into the good graces of an A-list celebrity raises a lot of money, and a lot of questions about who the good guys really are. You can watch their conversation too: https://youtu.be/6_YeVizUPr4  Sharon Bala on the absurdity of so-called Good Guys