The Weekly Reader

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.

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.

What happens when you find out that the story of your life, which you've been telling for years, is not exactly what it seemed? On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we learn about the wild evolution of memoirist Dani Shapiro.

There's nothing like a whiff of scandal to bring out the hypocrisy surrounding sex, politics, and social class in our everyday lives. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, reviews of Idra Novey's "Those Who Knew" and Alan Hollingshurst's "The Sparsholt Affair."

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.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new books about brotherly love. Featured are "The Day That Went Missing" by Richard Beard and "What Drowns the Flowers in Your Mouth" by RigobertoGonzalez.

If you've never read a graphic, now may be the time to give one a try. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews "Sabrina" by Nick Drnaso and "Belonging" by Nora Krug.

On this episode of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews Michelle Obama's highly anticipated and wildly popular new memoir, "Becoming." 

It’s said that reading can transport you to different worlds. 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.

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.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new short story collections from Lauren Groff and Deborah Eisenberg.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we preview two new books from a brand new series by prolific writer and fan favorite Elizabeth Berg.

Lucia Berlin's posthumous debut, "A Manual 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.

*"Evening in Paradise" was selected for WYPR's Holiday Reading List 2018. 

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."

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.

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." 

*"The Great Believers" was selected for WYPR's Holiday Reading List 2018. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we go in search of The American Dream! Marion Winik previews two new memoirs about growing up in the United States under complex circumstances.

*"All You Can Ever Know" was selected for WYPR's Holiday Reading List 2018. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we preview two debut novels from promising new writers, Rae Del Bianco and Tommy Orange.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik reviews two new books about fearless women who did things their way.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new "must read" novels with Baltimore accents.

*"Lake Success" was selected for WYPR's Holiday Reading List 2018. 

Looking for a good book for a long flight? On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new, short books that we're calling "Airplane books." They pack a punch...and you can pack them easily in your carry-on bag!

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik highlights three new memoirs from Claire Tomalin, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, and Clementine Wamariya.

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.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we preview "The Secrets Between Us," Thrity Umrigar's highly anticipated sequel to her best-seller "The Space Between Us."

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.