The Weekly Reader

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, a preview of our 'Weekly Reader Book Club' pick for October, Tope Folarin's A Particular Kind of Black Man. The book is a complex and nuanced story of alienation and identity in America. It's the debut novel by Folarin, a Nigerian American writer based in Washington, D.C.

on this edition of The Weekly Reader, we check in with our "British Cousins." Our book critic Marion Winik reviews Craig Brown's Ninety-nine glimpses of Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, and Nick Hornby's State of the Union, a book in ten chapters about a marriage in trouble.

Here at The Weekly Reader, we are big fans of literature, no matter how you choose to consume it. On this edition of the show, our book critic Marion Winik previews two new novels that sound as good as they read: Nicole Dennis-Benn's Patsy, and Curtis Sutterfeld's You Think It, I'll Say It.

What happens when people suddenly disappear, without a trace? On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we look at two new books that address that question. Marion Winik reviews Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips and The Van Apfel Girls are Gone by Felicity McLean.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we are excited to re-introduce you to Rebecca Makkai's beautiful book, The Great Believers. It is our pick for the next meeting of WYPR's Weekly Reader Book Club on September 12th at 7pm at Bird in Hand. We also look back at book critic Marion Winik's First Comes Love, her memoir of love and loss during the early years of the AIDS crisis.

On this episode of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews Campusland, a satirical debut novel by Scott Johnston, and a new one from an old favorite, Chances Are by Richard Russo.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review Colson Whitehead's latest novel, The Nickel Boys. Inspired by real events, the story also features "a beautiful, unforgettable young hero who walks right off the page and into your heart."

It’s fun to imagine the real lives of “coming-of-age" book authors – how much do they draw from their own experiences? Today 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.

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.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we travel to "exotic" locales, and commune with the locals, with two new novels. Marion Winik reviews Garth Ginder's Honestly, We Meant Well, and Chip Cheek's Cape May.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we feature two new books that explore the some of the hidden trauma of everyday life in the Middle East in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Marion Winik reviews Correspondents by Tim Murphy and The Tiny Journalist by Naomi Shihab Nye. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we kick off the summer reading season with two new, fun books: Sloane Tanen's There's A Word for That and Marcy Dermansky's Very Nice. Bring on the sun!

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.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik reviews two novels by the young Irish novelist Sally Rooney, Conversations with Friends and Normal People.

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. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader we preview two great new memoirs. Our book critic Marion Winik shares her thoughts on Megan Stack's Women's Work and Sunita Puri's That Good Night. 

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.

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.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik shares two novels about coming of age in the multicultural milieu of the United States. We preview Laila Lalami's "The Other Americans" and Maria Kuznetsova's "Oksana, Behave!" 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we feature two novels that examine the complexities of women's relationships. Our book critic Marion Winik reviews "Feast Your Eyes" by Myla Goldberg, and "Lost and Wanted" by Nell Freundenberger.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we preview our selection for the May meeting of the Weekly Reader Book Club, Sigrid Nunez's "The Friend." book club meets on May 9th at 7 pm at Bird in Hand!

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.

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."

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we feature two new novels from the UK. Our book critic Marion Winik reviews "Milkman" by Anna Burns, which is about a quirky teenage girl surviving "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, and Candice Carty-Williams' "Queenie," which is about a hip Jamaican Brit navigating life in oh-so-modern London.

There's something about Australia...its ancient culture, its vast expanses, its rough terrain. The fact that it was a penal colony! On this edition of The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik reviews Jane Harper's "The Lost Man" and Josephine Wilson's "Extinctions."

On this edition of The Weekly Reader podcast, our book critic Marion Winik reviews "The Falconer" by Dana Czapnik. Not only is this debut novel a stunner, it is also the first pick for the new Weekly Reader Book Club!

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we feature two new novels that are short reads but pack a big punch. Book critic Marion Winik reviews "Binstead's Safari" by Rachell Ingalls and"Ghost Wall" by Sarah Moss.

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. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two 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."

Looking for the perfect book to curl up with this winter? On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new thrillers: "The Boy" by Tami Hoag, and "An Anonymous Girl" by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.