Gays Reading

Latest Episodes:

Patrick Radden Keefe, London Falling Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Host Jason Blitman talks to acclaimed journalist Patrick Radden Keefe about his latest book, London Falling. London Falling is the April 2026 Late Show with Stephen Colbert Book Club pick.

Conversation highlights include:

🤫 How we all tell lies in one way or another

🐱 Cats, the musical

⚽️ The various sports Keefe has played

PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of The New York Times bestsellers Rogues, Empire of Pain (winner of the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize) and Say Nothing, which received the National Book Critics Circle Award and was named one of the Twenty Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times Book Review. His work has been recognized by a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Magazine Award for Feature Writing and the Orwell Prize for Political Writing. He served as an Executive Producer on the award-winning FX series “Say Nothing,” based on his book. He is also the creator and host of the eight-part podcast “Wind of Change,” about the strange convergence of Cold War espionage and heavy metal music, which The Guardian and Entertainment Weekly named the #1 podcast of 2020.

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What Are You Reading? feat. Emma Brodie Apr 10, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of What Are You Reading?, Jason is joined by author Emma Brodie to discuss the books she's been recommending lately and to celebrate her new novel, Into the Blue, this month's Reese's Book Club pick.

Emma Brodie has worked in book publishing for fifteen years, currently as an Executive Editor at Clarkson Potter. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University’s Writing Seminars program, and her debut novel, Songs in Ursa Major, received the American Book Award. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard with her husband and their very good dog, Freddie Mercury.

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Caro Claire Burke, Yesteryear Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

Jason Blitman sits down with Caro Claire Burke to discuss her debut novel Yesteryear, April 2026's Good Morning America Book Club pick.

Conversation highlights include:

🩰 Ballerina Farms

🐳 Why all millennials wanted to be marine biologists

📱 TikTok, culture at large, and fitting in

CARO CLAIRE BURKE received her Master’s in Fine Arts from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She is the co-host of Diabolical Lies, a politics and culture podcast. Yesteryear is her first novel.

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What Are You Reading? feat. Lisa Lee Apr 03, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of What Are You Reading?, host Jason Blitman sits down with Lisa Lee to talk about the books that shaped and sustained her through the decade-long journey to her debut novel, American Han.

Lisa Lee is the recipient of the Marianne Russo Emerging Writer Award from the Key West Literary Seminar, an Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Center for Fiction, and a Pushcart Prize. She has received other fellowships and awards from Kundiman, Millay Arts, Hedgebrook, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, Tin House, Jentel Artist Residency, and the Korea Foundation. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, VIDA, North American Review, Sycamore Review, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. Lee holds an MFA from the University of Houston and a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Southern California. She lives in Los Angeles.

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Yann Martel, Son of Nobody Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

Host Jason Blitman talks to prolific author Yann Martel (Life of Pi) about his latest novel, Son of Nobody. They talk about religion versus art, dreams versus reality, Greek gods like Hades, and Martel’s enthusiasm for CrossFit burpees.

Yann Martel is the author of Life of Pi, the international bestseller that won the 2002 Booker Prize and was adapted to the screen in the Oscar–winning film by Ang Lee. He lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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What Are You Reading? feat. Felicia Day Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of What Are You Reading?, host Jason Blitman sits down with actor, writer, and all-around fandom icon Felicia Day to talk favorite books, current reads, and her brand-new graphic novel, The Last Daughter of Sparta.

Felicia Day has appeared as an actress in numerous television shows and films, including Supernatural, The Magicians, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. However, Felicia is best known for her work in the web video world, behind and in front of the camera. She costarred in Joss Whedon’s award-winning internet musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and created and starred in the seminal web series The Guild. She is the New York Times bestselling author of three books, including her debut graphic novel The Last Daughter of Sparta. Find out more at Felicia.Day and follow her on X and Instagram @FeliciaDay.

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Lauren Groff, Brawler Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

Host Jason Blitman talks to Lauren Groff about her new story collection, Brawler. This conversation was recorded live at Warwick's in San Diego.

Conversation highlights include:

📓 A therapy session about story collections

💡 How Lauren knows an idea is a story and not a novel

🇫🇷 Expectations of Paris

Lauren Groff is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates and Furies, Matrix, and The Vaster Wilds, and the celebrated short story collections Delicate Edible Birds and Florida. She has won the Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2024 she was named one of the “TIME 100 most influential people.” Groff ’s work regularly appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Her work has been translated into thirty-six languages. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, where she and her husband run an independent bookstore, The Lynx.

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What Are You Reading? feat. Saleem Haddad Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

Jason Blitman talks with novelist Saleem Haddad about what he's been reading, his new novel Floodlines, and the story behind its stunning cover.

Saleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City to a Palestinian-Lebanese father and an Iraqi-German mother, and educated in Jordan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has worked as an aid worker with Doctors Without Borders in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, and has advised on humanitarian and peacebuilding issues throughout West Asia and North Africa. He is the author of the acclaimed debut Guapa, a 2017 Stonewall Honor Book and the winner of the 2017 Polari Prize. His 2019 directorial debut, Marco, was nominated for the 2019 Iris Prize for “Best British Short Film” and is available to watch on YouTube. He is currently based in Lisbon.

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April Book Club: Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Almost Life Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

Announcing the April Gays Reading Book Club pick with Allstora

ALMOST LIFE by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Two young women meet in Paris one sultry summer in a decades-spanning tour de force about the enduring power of young love and the poignant heartbreak of missed chances—perfect for fans of One Day and Normal People.

New to the club? Get your first book for just $1!

When you join the Gays Reading Book Club with Allstora, here’s what you get:

A SIGNED copy of the book!
30% off everything on Allstora’s website
Access to our Book Club chat
Every subscription donates a children’s book to an LGBTQIA+ youth
A book club that exclusively supports LGBTQIA+ authors
And more along the way

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Tara Menon, Under Water Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

Host Jason Blitman is joined by debut novelist Tara Menon to talk about her new book, Under Water.

Conversation highlights include:

🍦 The food textures that Tara hates

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Chosen family

🐦‍⬛ Venery nouns

Tara Menon was born in India, grew up in Singapore, spent a decade in New York, and now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she is an assistant professor of English at Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, the Nation and the Paris Review.

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