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#235 - August 2023 Book News

On our mid-month check in for July 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while catching up on a pretty terrible few weeks for the Asian American literature commu

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Amor Towles Sees Dead People

The novelist Amor Towles, whose best-selling books include “Rules of Civility,” “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “The Lincoln Highway,” contributed an essay to the Book Review recently in which he discusse

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BFRH 2023 08 18: Lord of a Shattered Land, Part One; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 13. Vi

Howard Andrew Jones on Lord of a Shattered Land, Part One; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 13. View the podcast in video form at

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The Internet's Disappointed Mom

Rebecca and Vanessa talk about a trio of AI-related publishing shenanigans, the private equity firm that bought Simon & Schuster, and a cringey moment for the hockey romance community.For more industr

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What to Read in August

Sarah Lyall discusses a new thriller in which a scuba diver gets swallowed by a sperm whale and Joumana Khatib gives for five August titles.Books discussed on this week's episode:“Anan

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#234 - Author Chat w/ Kelly Loy Gilbert

On this episode, we sit down with author Kelly Loy Gilbert to talk about her latest novel, Everyone Wants to Know, a coming of age story following Honor Lo, the youngest daughter of a family who grew

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BFRH 2023 08 11: UAP Roundtable, Part Two; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 12. Video at bae

Sean Patrick Hazlett discusses the UAP/UFO Phenomenon with Les Johnson, Patrick Chiles, Joelle Presby, and Robert E. Hampson, Part Two; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 12. View the podcast in video fo

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Pass the Grudge Around

Jeff and Rebecca end up spending most of this episode talking about a new publishing company that is cutting influencers in on the action.For more industry news, sign up for our Today in Books daily n

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Ann Patchett on Her Summery New Novel

Ann Patchett returns to the podcast to talk about her new novel, Tom Lake, waxes poetic on Thornton Wilder's Our Town (which plays a big part in her book), and talks about the joys of owning an in

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BFRH 2023 08 04: UAP Roundtable, Part One; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 11. Video at bae

Sean Patrick Hazlett discusses the UAP/UFO Phenomenon with Les Johnson, Patrick Chiles, Joelle Presby, and Robert E. Hampson, Part One; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 11. View the podcast in video fo

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#233 - The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke by Tina Makereti

On this episode we discuss our July 2023 book club pick The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti. A coming-of-age story of a Maori boy, armed with a British education and eager to see the

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Ninth in the Line of Cultural Currency

Jeff and Rebecca spend a long time talking about how the sheer quantity of books published is the central issue in book publishing. Plus, they hit a couple of quick news items and talk about recent re

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It's Getting Hot Out There

The author Jeff Goodell joins to talk about his book “The Heat Will Kill You First,” about the consequences of a warming planet. Times critic Jennifer Szalai also discusses three books about the natur

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BFRH 2023 07 28: July Mass Market Papberback Roundup; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 10. V

We review the July 2023 Mass Market Paperbacks with a clips show of interview about The Icarus Plot, Trouble Walked In, and Robosoldiers: Thank You for Your Servos; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 10.

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#232 - Author Chat w/ Thien Pham

On this episode, we welcome Thien Pham, the author and illustrator of Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam, his graphic memoir recounting his life growing up as a refugee in America, wit

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UPDATED: The Ladder of Pockets

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the best-selling books of 2023, Obama's summer reading list, The Covenant of Water, and much more.Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The show can also

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Colson Whitehead and His Crime Novel Sequel

Gilbert Cruz is joined by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, who talks about his novel Crook Manifesto and Harlem in the '70s. He also reflects on his famous post-9/11 essay about New

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BFRH 2023 07 21: Between Princesses and Other Jobs; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 9. Vide

D.J. Butler discusses the latest Indrajit & Fix novel, Between Princesses and Other Jobs; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 9. View the podcast in video form at

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#231 - July 2023 Book News

On our mid-month check in for July 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while catching up on a pretty terrible few weeks for the Asian American literature commu

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Beneficent Ben

Jeff and Rebecca talk recent book banning developments, why book awards need to change their calendars, recent reading, and more.Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The show can a

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Great Books from The First Half of 2023

Gilbert Cruz is joined by fellow editors from the Book Review to revisit some of the most popular and most acclaimed books of 2023 to date. First up, Tina Jordan and Elisabeth Egan discuss the year’s

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BFRH 2023 07 14: Tales from LibertyCon ; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 8. Video at baen.c

D.J. Butler, Griffin Barber, Marissa Wolf, Monalisa Foster, and Robert E. Hampson discuss LibertyCon; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 8. View the podcast in video form at

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#230 - Author Chat w/ Thao Thai

On this author chat, we welcome Thao Thai to talk about her debut novel Banyan Moon, a story about three generations of Vietnamese women, and the gothic southern mansion that ties them all together. W

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Both Eyebrows Raised, But in Different Directions

Jeff and Rebecca talk about #booktwitter, do a little book of the year talk, wonder about how all-in Oprah is on THE COVENANT OF WATER, novelists suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, whether Tik

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The Magic of Literary Translation and 'Bridget Jones' at 25

The editors of The Book Review talk about the nitty gritty of literary translation. And then, a conversation about the legacy of the novel “Bridget Jones’s Diary.What makes translation an art? How do

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BFRH 2023 07 07: What Makes a Baen Cover? ; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 7. Video at bae

Longtime Baen cover designer Carol Russo discusses the art of cover design and what makes a memorable Baen cover; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 7. View the podcast in video form at

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#229 - Author Chat w/ Susie Luo

For this author chat, we sit down with Susie Luo to talk about her debut novel Paper Names, a decades spanning tale of a Chinese immigrant trying to build a new life in America, his Chinese American d

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You Are Your Own Lottery Ticket

Jeff and Rebecca talk Obama declaring once and for all (?) that he does read the books he says he does. Also, a discussion of the realities of author finances along with structural problems with Goodr

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#228 - We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

On this episode we discuss our June 2023 book club pick, We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen. A Sci-Fi psychological thriller following Dr. Grace Park, a psychologist who hates people, serving on

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BFRH 2023 06 30: Salvage Right; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 6. Video at

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller discuss Salvage Right; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 6. View the podcast in video form at

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Unsocial Situations

Danika Ellis joins Jeff to talk about the last decade in LGBTQ+ books, Amazon's best books of the year so far, a recent essay about black women in publishing, and more.Follow the podcast via RSS, Appl

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Remembering Cormac McCarthy and Robert Gottlieb

Howard Andrew Jones on Lord of a Shattered Land, Part One; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 13. View the podcast in video form at3