Books
Seven Silver Rings | Ep. 325
Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Can You Ever Forgive Me) and Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, Little Fox and the Wild Imagination) headline...
In new essay collection, two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward muses 'On Witness and Respair'
In her new collection of essays, "On Witness and Respair," Ward reflects on the importance of storytelling, bearing witness to racism, and finding healing and hope.
How 'The Simpsons' revolutionized primetime TV
"The Simpsons" is the longest-running sitcom on television, but some of its self-proclaimed biggest fans stopped watching decades ago.
Barney Frank, now in hospice care, has an urgent message for Democrats hoping to bounce back from Trump
He says Democrats have a chance to defeat President Donald Trump's brand of right-wing populism, but only if the party embraces core economic issues instead of polarizing culture fights.
New York Times reporter Jazmine Ulloa takes a deep dive into her 'El Paso' hometown
In her new book, "El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory," New York Times reporter Jazmine Ulloa recounts the history of the town...
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16 | Lies
Joule doesn’t trust Cap’n Cutthroat as far as she can throw him — which is not far. (He’s huge!) So she makes something up. The bad news? She’s not the...
15 | Joule, Aboard
Bright must not keep the machine! Joule continues the journey alone and slips inside Bright’s shipping vessel. But, squid suckers, it is hot, and she did not bring a water...
14 | Truth
Shocked by the big news, Joule decides to trust Cap’n Cutthroat and tell him she lost the machine. (Twice.) Does he keep his cool? We’re going to let you figure...
13 | Jump Ship
Joule goes back for Buggy and Nico, Bright gets away with the machine, and the trio comes face-to-face with a tattooed pirate in desperate need of anger management classes.
Part II: 12 | Smoke and Sails
The mission is greater! The stakes are stakier! Joule and the others race to Black Marsh — but they are not the only ones searching for the machine. (There’s also...
Leader of the Birds | Ep. 324
Carolyn Michelle (Familiar Touch, The Chi) and Christopher Rivas (Brown Enough, Rubirosa) headline a Maya tale about lies having short legs... and long tails!
Author Patricia Cornwell explores a life of 'True Crime' in her new memoir
Cornwell writes about her tumultuous childhood, her struggles to become a writer, and her commitment to realism in her books about forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta.
With 'Into Thin Air,' author Jon Krakauer remembers the 1996 Everest disaster
In May 1996, a blizzard struck as multiple climbing teams were attempting to summit Mount Everest.
New biography takes a deep dive into the lives and music of 'The Rolling Stones'
The book is a deep dive into the lives and music of the iconic band.
Boston author Kylie Lee Baker's 'Japanese Gothic' upends horror tropes
Conjuring an immersive nightmare with gruesome ghosts, human cruelty and psychological twists that pierce like blades, “Japanese Gothic” strips readers to their primal fear response to stare down death across...
Chicken Scratches | Ep. 323
Musician and podcaster Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder) plays a cocky rooster in this Southern American tale about judging a book by its cover and eating humble pie.
In 'Ghost Town,' Tom Perrotta explores his New Jersey roots
The book centers around 13-year-old Jimmy, who's left reeling the summer after his mother dies.
'Seek Immediate Shelter' captures the fall out after a near-death experience
In his deeply thoughtful debut novel, author Vincent Yu poses the question: Would a life-ending crisis propel you to be the self you aspire to be, or a less attractive...
Growing up in Brazil, language told my family’s story
"There is a particular grief to being a bilingual writer, having access to words and worlds that cannot be easily shared," writes Juliet Faithfull. "But it is also a gift."
'Korean Messiah': Book details how North Korea historically intertwined politics and faith
Christianity was so dominant in Pyongyang that the city was known as the "Jerusalem of the East."