Episode list

Aimee Nezhukumatathil is an award winning poet and her latest publication, "World Of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments" is her debut work-a collection of essays about the natural world.

"Leave the World Behind" is Rumaan Alam's 3rd novel and it's his 1st to be nominated for the National Award. The book has captured not only the zeitgeist of our era, but the attention of readers and book clubs across the country.

"There were plenty of books in middle grade that had kids with differences but they were side characters. I wanted to create a kid who wasn't just this passive person you park in a corner." Author Jamie Sumner discusses "Tune It Out."

"I decided very early on that I wanted to write an antihero character - I really wanted to show a female character and how she would bring about her own downfall." Author Susie Yang discusses "White Ivy."

Twenty-five years into his career, Nick Hornby has become a household name. His book "Just Like You," the warm/funny love story is in many ways a classic Hornby novel that dives into territory he hasn't written about before.

"It was important to me to show two aspects of living in a small town, especially as a young person." K.J. Dell'Antonia discusses growing up in a small town and her debut novel "The Chicken Sisters" with host Mary Laura Philpott.

"Memorial wouldn't have been written - if not for the work of queer folks in this country." Author Bryan Washington discusses the importance of queer culture in America and his debut novel "Memorial" with host J.T. Ellison.

Maggie O'Farrell book "Hamnet," a fictionalized portrayal of William Shakespeare's family, captured the attention of readers and earned her the Women's Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.

Robert Kolker is the author of "Hidden Valley Road," a nonfiction instant number one New York Times best-seller that was named a Top Ten Book of the Year by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Slate.

You may have seen Robert Jones Jr. in the New York Times Magazine feature "Black Male Writers of Our Time." One thing's for sure: his powerful first book, "The Prophets," became an instant bestseller for good reasons.

Author Alka Joshi discusses her book "The Henna Artist" and the long process of how it came into being. Set in India, 1955, the book explores the road for women's rights that was inspired by the life Joshi's mother wanted to live.

Ever been in a reading slump, when nothing holds your attention? Here's the cure: "What Could Be Saved," the 3rd novel by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz. If this high-stakes drama doesn't revive your reading life, maybe you can't be saved?

Marie Benedict is New York Times bestselling author and a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women.

Zakiya Dalila Harris debut novel, "The Other Black Girl," seeks to inform society about the duress that Black people go through day-to-day life and how this toll on social and mental health gets passed down through generations.

In 2017, Kazuo Ishiguro received the Nobel Prize in Literature. His books have been nominated for the Booker Prize four times. What does a writer who has reached these heights do next? This year we received an answer.

We say goodbye and thank you to host Mary Laura Philpott, who along with J.T. Ellison has hosted the series for five seasons. In this special episode Mary Laura is interviewed by J.T. about her most challenging and memorable interviews.