The Weekly Reader - podcast cover

The Weekly Reader

WYPR Baltimorewypr.org
----What should I read next?---- Book critic and longtime NPR commentator Marion Winik answers this question in four opinionated, book-loving minutes. With reviews of new releases and older titles you may have missed, it’s like having a new best friend with very good taste to guide you in your literary adventures. The Weekly Reader is produced by WYPR and hosted by Lisa Morgan.
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Episodes

Coming of Age: New Fiction from Jennifer Weiner and Elin Hilderbrand

It’s fun to imagine the real lives of “coming-of-age---- book authors – how much do they draw from their own experiences? Ttoday on The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik shares two new novels about family, faith, and growing up. We review Jennifer Weiner's Mrs. Everything and Elin Hilderbrand's Summer of '69. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 17, 20194 min

Men With Problems: New Fiction from Taffy Brodesser-Akner and James Lasdun

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new novels about men with complicated lives. Book critic Marion Winik shares her thoughts on Taffy Brodesser-Akner's Fleishman is in Trouble and James Lasdun's The Afternoon of a Faun. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 10, 20194 min

Angie Kim - The Weekly Reader Book Club pick for July

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews Angie Kim's fiction debut, Miracle Creek. The new novel is our selection for the July meeting of the Weekly Reader Book Club. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 11, 20194 min

Historical Drama from Lisa Gornick and Roxana Robinson.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews a pair of novels that explore aspects of the American past that you may have missed: Lisa Gornick's The Peacock Feast and Roxana Robinson's Dawson's Fall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 29, 20194 min

THE GUEST BOOK: The Weekly Reader Book Club Pick for June!

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik offers her take on Sarah Blake's ----The Guest Book,---- a gripping tale of family values, mores, and traditions, and the way they evolve over the course of multiple generations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 14, 20194 min

Trust Exercise and A Wonderful Stroke of Luck : Back to High School

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we preview two new novels that are set in high school. Marion Winik shares her thoughts on Susan Choi's Trust Exercise and Ann Beattie's A Wonderful Stroke of Luck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 07, 20194 min

National Book Critics Circle Award Winners: Biography, Criticism, and Poetry.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we feature three winners of the National Book Critics Circle Awards. ----Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous,---- by Christopher Bonanos, ----Feel Free,---- by Zadie Smith, and ----The Crossing,---- by Ada Limon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 09, 20193 min

----A Light of Her Own,---- ----I Was Anastasia,---- and ----The Only Woman in the Room---- - Historical Fiction.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we do a little time traveling through history to meet a trio of extraordinary women for the ages. Book critic Marion Winik gives us her take on Carrie Callaghan's ----A Light of Her Own,---- Ariel Lawhon's ----I Was Anastasia,---- and Marie Benedict's ----The Only Woman in the Room.---- See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 02, 20194 min

----Bowlaway---- - Elizabeth McCracken's new novel

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review Elizabeth McCracken's new novel ----Bowlaway.---- Yes, it's about bowling, but, according to our book critic Marion Winik, it's got a lot more going for it than spares and strikes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 19, 20194 min

----Northern Lights---- and The Martin Chronicles---- - Coming of Age

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review tow new novels for those whose taste in Bildungsroman runs more toward Jim Carroll than Jane Eyre. Marion Winik shares her thoughts on Ray Strom's ----Northern Lights---- and John Fried's ----The Martin Chronicles.---- See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 13, 20194 min

----Still in Love---- and ----My Education---- - Back to School

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get back to work - and, in some cases, that means back to school. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we head back to campus with our book critic Marion Winik and her take on ----Still in Love---- by Michael Downing and ----My Education---- by Susan Choi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 22, 20194 min

----The Museum of Modern Love---- and ----Severance---- - Manhattan Stories

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we feature two very different stories that take place in Manhattan. Our book critic Marion Winik reviews ----The Museum of Modern Love---- by Heather Rose, and ----Severance---- by Ling Ma. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 31, 20184 min

East Coast, West Coast

It’s said that reading can transport you to different worlds. I’m Lisa Morgan and on this episode of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik is here with a pair of novels that will take readers to a fictional past in New York City, and a possible near-future on the west coast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 04, 20184 min

Jailbirds

On this episode of The Weekly Reader, we review a pair of novels about lives derailed by violence and how split second decisions sometimes have long lasting and devastating consequences. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 29, 20182 min

Lucia Berlin Special

Lucia Berlin's posthumous debut, A MANUEL FOR CLEANING WOMEN, was a sensation back in 2015. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review EVENING IN PARADISE, a new collection of short stories that Marion Winik finds just as brilliant as the first. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 06, 20184 min

What's the Matter with Kids Today?

Teenagers have always been fascinating, bewildering creatures - think Romeo and Juliet, or Jim ----You're tearing me apart!---- Stark in Rebel Without a Cause. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik shares a pair of novels full of teenage ----sturm und drang.---- See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 31, 20182 min

The Baltimore Book of the Dead

On this very special edition of The Weekly Reader, we turn the tables and talk to our very own book critic Marion Winik about THE BALTIMORE BOOK OF THE DEAD, her new collection of meditations on mourning, memory, and the healing power of storytelling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 24, 20188 min

More Audio Books

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik shares a pair of books that are as much fun to listen to as they are to read. We preview Daniel James Brown's 2015 classic THE BOYS IN THE BOAT and Rebecca Makkai's THE GREAT BELIEVERS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 16, 20184 min

Dazzling Debuts

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we preview two debut novels from promising new writers, Rae Del Bianco and Tommy Orange. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 03, 20184 min

Laughter is the Best Medicine

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, a new collection of essays from public radio fan favorite David Sedaris, plus a funny new novel about life in London during the blitz from AJ Pearce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 29, 20184 min

Writing Their Lives

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new memoirs - one by the late Poet Laureate Donald Hall, and the other a debut by Glynnis MacNicol. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 15, 20184 min

Book Club Suggestions

On this episode of The Weekly Reader, Marion Winik has two new titles to recommend for your next book club selections. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 01, 20184 min

Trouble Ahead

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, two books about scary nightmares that may or may not be in our future. Dystopia, ho! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 27, 20184 min

Asia Food

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we feature two new novels that both have a distinctly Asian flavor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 26, 20184 min

More Summer Reading

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we bring you two additions to our growing list of summer reading recommendations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 26, 20184 min

Unusual Female Characters

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two books that feature characters that break the mold of the typical leading lady, reminding us that interesting people come in a variety of styles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 15, 20184 min

Money Changes Everything

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, a pair of books that look at the ways in which money, or a lack thereof, changes our lives and relationships in a wide variety of ways. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 01, 20184 min

There is Nothing Like a Good Novel

On this episode of The Weekly Reader, two new coming of age stories that also happen to be great reads. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 19, 20188 min
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