Book Imprint | The books that change our lives before the age of 25

Author, literary agent, and the creator of the Agents + Books newsletter Kate McKean read The World According to Garp by John Irving when she was 14. She read it with her high school boyfriend, and still has their jointly-annotated copy. In this episode, Kate and host Rebecca Thandi Norman discuss this classic, wide-ranging novel, including questions like: is this a protest novel (John Irving says...

In this live podcast recording at Books & Company, host Rebecca Thandi Norman and cultural historian and author Emma Holten discuss the blockbuster book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Emma talks about how this book led her to think about history like solving a mystery, why she recently wanted to re-read it, and the power of "comfort reading." There's a discussion of the book's flaws, its meri...

Join Domino magazine managing editor Samantha Weiss-Hills as she discusses how reading Redwall by Brian Jacques (that's JAKES, btw!) changed her perception of food and food writing. Growing up in a small town in Indiana, Weiss-Hills was first exposed to many types of foods - and the language around them - when she first read this book. Find out how it piqued both her interest and palate.... Read R...

Content warning: this episode contains multiple references to suicide. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to a loved one or a dedicated hotline: 988 in the USA, or any international hotline that can be found here . This is the first live episode recording of Book Imprint! Taking place at Books & Company in Hellerup, Denmark, this interview took place in front of a...

Join Vancouver-based content creator, writer and model Lydia Otello and host Rebecca Thandi Norman in talking about Ann Brashares's 2001 YA classic, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants . Lydia recounts when they first read the book, how they related to the characters, and whether this book is actually magical realism. Read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Follow Lydia on Instagram Follow Ly...

Co-founder of Dossier Magazine (both iterations), formerly of Playgirl, Departures, and T-Magazine, Skye Parrott has seen her fair share of good writing. But Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brookly n is the book that stands out to her as life-changing, from when she first read it as a young girl to the many (many) time she re-read it afterwards. Skye takes us through her time running photographer Na...

In this episode, host Rebecca Thandi Norman and comedian & writer Tocarra Elise dive into the 1991 Faith Ringgold classic Tar Beach. Told from the point of view of eight year old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, the book is based on the story quilt by the same artist. Tocarra shares where she was when she first read this book - her local library - what it felt like, and how it continues to impact her...

Content warning: this episode contains references to sexual assault, child abuse, and suicide. Nashville-based songwriter Bonnie J. Baker comes from an ultra-convservative Christian background and knew she had to leave; Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale gave her the push she needed, reflecting back to her the oppressive system she lived in, allowing her to identity it and understand...

Musician, writer, and record producer Adam Schatz drops in to talk about From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a 1968 middle grade book by E.L. Konigsburg about two siblings who run away from their suburban Connecticut home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Are the kids kind of annoying? Yes. Do they talk about money a lot? Also yes. But there's something so charming and g...

Senior Staff Writer at "The Ringer" Michael V. Pina share the book that showed him what he could do one day, if he worked hard - write about basketball. Playing for Keeps by David Halberstam is the seminal 1999 sports biography that's not exactly a biography - it's about basketball, it's about the NBA, and it's about how sports brings people together. Michael talks through what he loves about the...

Beauty editor and creative director Anne-Marie Guarnieri shares the book that made her want to move to New York City as a teenager - The Andy Warhol Diaries . She and host Rebecca Thandi Norman dive into the format of the diary (it's written by someone else), the tone of the entries, and how reading the diary can change one's perspective on Andy Warhol as both an artist and a human being. It's a n...

In the first episode of season 1, host Rebecca Thandi Norman welcomes comedian and writer Josh Gondelman to discuss the classic kids' comedy book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. They dive into how to structure jokes for kids that still resonate with adults and to how this book is reflected in Josh's own work. How does a comedian build his comedic sensibility? Books are a pre...

Book Imprint is a podcast about the books that change our lives before the age of 25; the books that imprint on us. Host Rebecca Thandi Norman, previously host of Tea & Murder: An Agatha Christie Podcast , interviews each guest about the book that they feel changed their life. From writers to comedians to musicians and anyone else you can imagine, Rebecca takes the perspective that "everyone i...