Bookmarked

Todd Crickmer talked with me about Scout of the Oregon Trail: The story of an American family traveling the Oregon Trail in 1852 as told by Scout, the family's dog . His memorable re-creation of the 2,000-mile journey over the Oregon Trail brings to life the real experience of an American myth.

San Marcos author Jerry Whitus talked with me about his vivid, compelling short story collection, The Innocent and Others .

Johnny B. Truant is the bestselling author of  Fat Vampire,  adapted by The SyFy Network as  Reginald the Vampire .   and over 100 other titles across many genres, including fiction and non-fiction.  We talked about his experience as an indie writer, his wide-ranging imagination, and his writing process. Truant fan Blake Farrar added his own insights.

50 years ago, a devastating explosion killed dozens in this small Missouri town. Now, nobody wants to talk about it. Author Michelle Collins Anderson talked with me about her vivid re-imagining of this real event and its lingering consequences.

Garrie Borden and I explore Manuel Muñoz's powerful short story collection, The Consequences , set in the cities and fields of California's Central Valley. His memorable characters struggle with the limitations of their circumstances—sometimes of their own making.

Corey Long's biography brings Ritchie Valens to life and makes us mourn his loss all over again. Priscilla Delgado Hermiller served as guest host for this episode.

Fellow KZSM radio host El Tio/Uncle Gene joined me to read, listen, and talk about some scary stories for Halloween.

Native Texan is a literary road trip through a Texas that might surprise you. Author Joe Holley joined me to talk this collection of his colorful, thought-provoking columns.

A wise man contemplates life's deepest mysteries--including joy. Bookmarked regular Chris Gardner joined me for a discussion of Marilynn Robinson's Pulitzer-prize-winning American classic, Gilead

In her inspiring and timely book, Melinda Gates draws on her experiences as a philanthropist and her own history to show that lifting up women lifts up everyone. Rebecca Bell-Metereau was my guest.

Wimberley singer/songwriter Chick Morgan talked with me about her funny, poignant memoir--devastating personal losses finally sent her back where she thought she never wanted to be!

Clay DeStefano spent some 30 years working within the American health care system, and he thinks it's just not working, as he explains in this thought-provoking book. He talked with me about it on July 23.

My guest Jennifer Kabay described the memoir: Burroughs is a high-paid professional and RAGING alcoholic. Like—bad. Like stinking up the elevator with gin seeping from his pores bad. And from page 1 you’re sucked into his personal cocktail of lies, shame, co-dependency, and self-destruction. Maybe it’s my toxic trait to find these memoirs utterly fascinating. But really, I want to understand. Beca...

"She was the one among them who ruined his hate for them." In t his amazing, joyous best seller, James McBride considers hate and the forces that ruin it in a small Pennsylvania town. Chris Gardner joined me to explore this novel.

Jayne Anne Phillips' powerful novel weaves an account of a little-known Korean War atrocity with the struggles of a West Virginia family. Dr. Jaime Mejia was my guest.

What's the difference between the law and justice? Michael Nelson Miller talked with me about his compelling new mystery novel, The Two Deaths of Father Romero: A Novel of the Borderlands.

Eight (or is it nine?) translators in a primeval Polish forest in search of a missing author, complete with ghosts and flammable mushrooms. Brandon Beck and I explore this compelling, mysterious novel by translator Jennifer Croft.

Small Acts of Courage chronicles the history of Velshi’s family and their migrations from India to South Africa to Kenya to Canada. Throughout, Velshi uses their experience to reflect on what it means to be a citizen—what happens when some people are denied full participation in a society, the best way to strive for full participation, and the responsibilities that go along with citizenship. Dr. R...

Garrie Borden and I explored Celeste Ng's powerful novel, depicting a dystopian America that's way too much like this one.

Listen to a conversation with author David Meischen about his lyrical short story collection "Nopalito, Texas"--a compassionate look at the secret longings beneath the surface of life in a small Texas town.

Listen in for a conversation with San Marcos author Debbie Roppolo about her very funny take on family life and her award-winning children's books.

55 pages into this dark, compelling 1963 mystery , one word changes everything! Mystery enthusiast Joan Worley joined me to explore this fascinating example of West Coast Noir.

How do we remain hopeful in the face of ongoing injustice? a conversation with San Antonio Express-News columnist Cary Clack about his powerful new book, More Finish Lines to Cross: Notes on Race, Redemption, and Hope.

This wonderfully subtle novella reveals the adult world through a child's eyes, revealing layers of meaning within everyday life. Chris Gardner explored those layers with me.

What happens when an Irish photographer and a Jewish medical student fall wildly in love as their country moves inexorably towards war? Author Anna Bliss talks with me about her compelling debut novel, which opens in 1936 and Nazi sympathizers march through the heavily Jewish East End of London.