Books Are My People

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**Books Are My People**

Find your next great read. Book recommendations, book news and guests, including top authors and other book enthusiasts who discuss what’s happening in the world of books with a focus on frontlist and backlist fiction including literary fiction, suspense, historical, memoir and nonfiction.

Latest Episodes:

A Quick Fire Update Jan 13, 2025

Show notes

Be back in two weeks. Stay safe out there. Be kind to one another.

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I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Best Books of 2024 Dec 23, 2024

Show notes

On Episode #138 I share my favorite reads and audiobook listens from 2024 as well as some favorite backlist titles I read this past year.
Watch me recommend books on The Mark Thompson Show.
Win a copy of Guilt and Ginataan. Click here to enter. Closes Thursday, January 2nd, 2024.
Read Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luisella with me on Substack starting January 6th.
Books Recommended:
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zeran
Still Life With Remorse by Maira Kalman
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
James by Percival Everett
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
Bear by Julia Phillips
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Audiobooks Recommended:
Long Island by Colm Toibin
Mother Doll by Katya Apekina
The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
Backlist Recommended:
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Jackie by Dawn Tripp
Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
Other Books Mentioned:
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley et al

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Get your Books Are My People merch here!
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Back In Time: Favorite Books From 2013 Plus A Very Special Holiday Guest Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

This week, my favorite guest is back, my dad, writer Ron Clark! Plus, there’s even a special bonus guest. We all giggle. A lot. Then, I go back in time and recommend some of my favorite reads from 2013.

This episode is sponsored by Out Like A Lion by Tracey L. Thompson

Books Recommended:

Life After Life by Atkinson

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner

The Interestings Meg Wolitzer

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Other Books Mentioned:
Read with Me Pick on Substack: Valerie Luisella’s Faces in the Crowd

The Neopolitan Series by Elena Ferrante

Wickedby Gregory Maguire

Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Position by Meg Wolitzer

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

Watch some behind the scenes Wicked content.

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Get your Books Are My People merch here!
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Daughters of Bronze - Reimagining the Past Nov 25, 2024

Show notes

A.D. Rhine - the pseudonym for co-authors Ashlee Cowles and Danielle Stinson are here to discuss their latest novel, Daughters of Bronze, a retelling of Homer's Iliad from the women who were there.

This episode is sponsored by Out Like A Lion by Tracey L. Thompson

Books Recommended:

Horses of Fire by A.D. Rhine

Daughters of Bronze by A.D. Rhine

A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: a Diary by Anonymous

James by Percival Everett

Versailles by Katheryn Davis

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

1177 BC: A Graphic History of the Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline and Glynn's Fawkes

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Other Books Mentioned:
Read with Me Pick: Valerie Luisella’s Faces in the Crowd

The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography by Sophia Lambton

Colored Television by Danzy Senna

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes
Find A.D. Rhine on social media:

Tiktok: @adrhineauthor

Instagram @adrhineauthor

Adrhine.com

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I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Nayantara Roy - Finding A Way Home Nov 11, 2024

Show notes

This week, I speak with Nayantara Roy about her debut novel The Magnificent Ruins. We speak about how she managed the logistics of her page-turning family saga, how her lived experience influenced this novel, as well as how long it took her to write this expansive novel.

This episode of Books Are My People is sponsored by Out Like A Lion by Tracy L. Thompson.

Guest author recommendation Mia P Manansala, author of Guilt and Ginataan recommends A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherri Thomas.

Books Recommended:

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Harry Sylvester Bird by Chinelo Okparanta

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Other Books Discussed:

Parade by Rachel Cusk

Nayantara Roy on Social Media:

Instagram: @tararoi

Twitter: @yanta

Website: www.nayantararoy.com

Other News:

Giveaway: The New Naturals by Gabriel Bump

Closes 11/27 Open to U.S. Mailing addresses only

FREE Wednesday 11/13 11:30 am PT November Chat and Draw

November Substack Book to Film: Poor Things by Alisdair Gray

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Get your Books Are My People merch here!
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Writing Advice and Origin Stories Oct 28, 2024

Show notes

This week, on episode 134, I'm joined by podcaster and writer Jonathan Small, author of the recently published Write About Now: Successful Authors on Overcoming Obstacles, Finding Inspiration and the Birth of Their Careers. He also has an incredible podcast called Write About Now!
We talk about origin stories, our shared love of book to film adaptations and Jonathan’s unique hybrid version of consuming books.
This episode is sponsored by Now You Owe Me by Aliah Wright.
Enter to win a copy of Night Magic. Closes October 30th, 2024.
Join me for my Book To Film Series where we will be reading / watching Poor Things in November. Click here to join.
Books Recommended:
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zeran
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
The Anthropologists by Aysegul Savas
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Writing Books Recommended:
On Writing by Stephen King
Bird by Bird Anne Lamott
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give A Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing) by Lisa Cron
Bookish news links:
Ursula K Le Guin 2024 Prize
winner: It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over by Anne de Marcken
Kirkus Prize Finalists
National Book Award Finalists
Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award
Nobel Prize in Literature
Where to find Jonathan Small online:
Instagram: @writeaboutnowpod
TikTok: @writeaboutnow
Website: Writeaboutnowmedia.com
Take a class with Jonathan!

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I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Night Magic - Marvels of the Dark Oct 14, 2024

Show notes

In episode 133, I'm visited by Leigh Ann Henion author of Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark. We discuss artificial light, glowworms, mothapalooza and the biodiversity of night.
Plus, we get a guest recommendation from Dianne C Braley author of The Summer Before.
Book Recommendations:
Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark by Leigh Ann Henion
Wintering by Catherine May
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach
The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape by James Rebanks
Intermezzo byy Sally Rooney
The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Benton
The Summer Before by Dianne C. Braley
The Making of Genevieve by Judy Lannon
Poor Things: Read With Me on Substack
Link to my substack account.

Support the show

Get your Books Are My People merch here!
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Louis Bayard - Oscar Wilde Was A Family Man Sep 29, 2024

Show notes

On episode 132 Louis Bayard discusses his latest historical novel, The Wildes: a novel in five acts. We talk about our shared affinity for Oscar Wilde, Bayyard's favorite work of Wilde's and we share some recent reads we loved.
In addition, Shannon Bowring, author of Where the Forest Meets the River recommends a favorite read.
Books Recommended:
The Wildes: A Novel In Five Acts by Louis Bayard
James by Percival Everett
Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey with Leslie Jamison
This is Happiness by Niall Williams
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
The Screw Tape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know : the Fathers of Wilde , Yeats and Joyce by Colm Toibin
Louis bayard on social media:
Facebook: Louis bayard
Instagram: @louisbayardauthor
Threads: @louisbayyardauthor
Where the Forest Meets the River by Shannon Bowring
The Woods by Janice Obuchowsky

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Get your Books Are My People merch here!
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

A Puzzling Mystery with Janice Hallett Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

This week, on episode 131, I speak with the incredibly creative and talented Janice Hallett about her latest novel, The Examiner. We discuss how she goes about crafting her novels and she shares some of her favorite reads.
Guest Author Recommendation:
Caroline Woods, author of The Mesmerist recommends The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird.
Get your Books Are My People coffee mug here!
Books Recommended:
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
You'd Look Better As A Ghost by Joanna Wallace
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
The Stars Turned Inside Out by Nova Jacobs
This episode is sponsored by Paris Lost & Found: A Memoir of Love by Scott Dominic Carpenter.
Image of Margaret Atwood from Bookish News.
Find Janice Hallett here:
X: @janicehallett
Instagram: @janice.hellett