Gays Reading

In the season finale, host Jason Blitman talks to Jessica Knoll about her latest thriller,  Helpless , plus what actually makes a "poolside book" and the best ones to have in your bag this summer.  Jessica Knoll is the  New York Times  bestselling author of  Bright Young Women ,  The Favorite Sister ,  and  Luckiest Girl Alive —now a major motion p...

In this episode of  What Are You Reading?  host  Jason Blitman  talks to designer  Nate Berkus  about what he's been reading and about his newest book,  Foundations. Nate Berkus  is one of the world’s most influential interior designers, known for his elevated yet accessible approach to interiors. Along with creating award-winning interiors for private clien...

Host Jason Blitman welcomes back author and editor Jenny Jackson ( Pineapple Street ) to discuss her new novel, The Shampoo Effect , a Read with Jenna pick. Come for the chat about donuts (Lookin at you, Dunkin!), stay for Jenny's anticipated book recommendations. Jenny Jackson  is the  New York Times  bestselling author of  Pineapple Street.  A graduate of Willi...

Host  Jason Blitman  talks to  Ryan O'Connell  (Netflix's  Special ) about what he's been reading and learn about his newest book,  Inspiration Porn .  Ryan O’Connell  is the Emmy-winning creator, writer, and star of Netflix’s  Special , which is based on his memoir,  I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves . He’s also written for other TV sh...

Host  Jason Blitman  talks to newly minted Oprah's Book Club author  Sophie Chen Keller  about her new novel,  Little Wonder .  Conversation highlights include How becoming a parent helped shape the story Social inequalities as added context for the book Capturing the leaps in technology in China  Sophie Chen Keller  is the author of  The Luster of Lost...

In this special Father's Day episode, host Jason Blitman sits down with Colton Underwood to talk fatherhood and learn about his new book, a letter he wrote (and read) to his son,  Dear Bishop .  Colton Underwood is an American TV personality, executive producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur and NY Times Best Seller. During his time in the NFL, Colton was inspired by his young cousin Harp...

Jason Blitman talks with Pulitzer Prize winer Andrew Sean Greer (Less) about his newest novel, Villa Coco. This conversation was recorded live in Los Angeles at the First Congressional Church sponsored by Book Soup.  Conversation highlights include: 🇮🇹 How living in Italy inspired aspects of the book 👑 His experience with a real-life princess 🎶 Intel on the musical adaptation of Less ANDREW...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by debut novelist Haili Blassingame to hear about what she's been reading and learn about her book, They All Fall in Love at the End . Haili Blassingame is a producer for the NPR program  1A . She has written for publications like  The New Republic  and  The New York Times , in which she published the viral “My Choice Isn’t Marriage or Loneliness” f...

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Matt Haig ( The Midnight Library ) about his latest novel, The Midnight Train . This conversation was recorded live at University of San Diego presented by Warwick's.  Matt Haig  was born in Sheffield, England. His novels include  The Humans ,  How to Stop Time,  and  The Midnight Library , which has been a number one  New...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by prolific author Melissa Albert to talk about her debut adult novel, The Children , named June 2026's Read with Jenna Book Club pick.  Melissa Albert  is the  New York Times  and indie bestselling author of  The Bad Ones, Our Crooked Hearts,  and the Hazel Wood series. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and incl...

Host  Jason Blitman  welcomes  Ann Patchett  back to the podcast—last heard discussing her annotated  Bel Canto  in fall 2024—for a conversation about her newest novel,  Whistler . Conversation highlights include: ⏱️ Changes made to the book moments before it went to print 😔 The relationship between missing something and grief  🎭 Whether Ann might ever wri...

Host  Jason Blitman  is joined by the most frequent  Gays Reading  guest,  Rasheed Newson , to discuss his latest book,  There's Only One Sin in Hollywood . Conversation highlights include: 📖 Stories that don't get their due in the history books 🎥 Rumors in Hollywood and how they continue today 🪞How the understanding of ourselves change as we get older Rasheed News...

Host  Jason Blitman  talks to debut novelist  Sonia Feldman  about her book  Girl's Girl , this month's The Nod™️ by Gays Reading with Aardvark Book Club.  Conversation highlights include: 👯‍♀️ What it means to be a good friend 💧 Why Sonia describes the book as "dewey"  🌎 The universality of specific stories and what it means to love Sonia Feldman  lives...

On this episode of  What Are You Reading? , host  Jason Blitman  is joined by  New York Times  bestselling author  Steven Rowley  for a conversation about what he's been reading, what goes into writing a great blurb, and his latest novel,  Take Me With You , an instant  USA Today  bestseller. Steven Rowley  is the  New York Times  be...

Host Jason Blitman finally sits down with author Rachel Howzell Hall now that he's survived a full year of agony waiting for the follow-up to her cliffhanger-ending crime novel,  Fog and Fury . Today, they're celebrating the arrival of  Mist and Malice , the long-awaited sequel. New to the series? No problem. This spoiler-free conversation is the perfect entry point into the world of Hav...

Host Jason Blitman talks to Ayelet Waldman about what she's been reading (spoiler alert: a lot of audiobooks while quilting!) and about her new book,  A Perfect Hand . Come for the book recs, stay for the  Heated Rivalry  conversation.  Ayelet Waldman  is the author of  A Really Good Day, Love and Treasure ,  Red Hook Road ,  Love and Other Impossible Pursui...

Host  Jason Blitman  is joined by debut novelist  Paige Lewis  to talk about their book,  Canon .  Conversation highlights include: ⚠️ Perseverance in the face of danger 🐀 Animal fun facts 🦸 What makes a hero Paige Lewis  is the author of the poetry collection  Space Struck  and coeditor of  Another Last Call: Poems on Addiction and Delivera...

Host  Jason Blitman  talks to author  Davin Malasarn  about what he's been reading and the books that influenced his debut novel,  The Outer Country .   Davin Malasarn  was born and raised in Southern California. After completing his PhD in biology at the California Institute of Technology, he earned his MFA in creative writing from Bennington College and complet...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by debut author Portia Elan to talk about her book, Homebound , named May 2026's Good Morning America Book Club selection. Highlights from this spoiler-free conversation: 💾 evolution of technology 🏳️‍🌈 history of the queer community 👍 how people experience different truths  Portia Elan   studied history at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the Uni...

Host Jason Blitman talks to Pulitzer Prize-winner Elizabeth Strout about her latest novel, The Things We Never Say .  Conversation highlights include: 🧠 Thoughts on free will 🧐 Things we find interesting ✨ What it means to become a grown-up Elizabeth Strout  is the #1  New York Times  bestselling author of  Lucy by the Sea; Oh William! , which was shortlisted...

In the 200th episode of Gays Reading , host Jason Blitman talks to Booker Prize-winning novelist, Douglas Stuart ( Shuggie Bain , Young Mungo ) about his latest book, John of John . Conversation highlights include: 🎶 The Spice Girls 🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Filial duty in the queer community ⏳ What happens to gay people as we age? Douglas Stuart  is a Scottish-American author. His  New York Times -bes...

In this episode of What Are You Reading? debut novelist  Stephanie Sy-Quia  shares what she's been reading and talks about her new book,  A Private Man .  Stephanie Sy-Quia was born in California in 1995 and is based in London. Her writing and criticism have been published in  The Guardian ,  The White Review ,  The Boston Review ,  Granta , and el...

Host Jason Blitman talks to acclaimed author Xochitl Gonzalez ( Olga Dies Dreaming ) about her lates book,  Last Night in Brooklyn. Conversation highlights include: 🎉 Parties in the aughts  🌃 The magic of New York 🏘️ Urban planning and future extrapolation  Xochitl Gonzalez  is a contributor to The  Atlantic , where she was recognized as a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist in...

In this episode of  What Are You Reading? , Jason sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning author  Jayne Anne Phillips  to discuss books she's been reading and her highly anticipated memoir-in-essays,  Small Town Girls , which Oprah named her #1 most anticipated read of the year. Jayne Anne Phillips  is the author of  Black Tickets, Machine Dreams, Fast Lanes, Shelter, M...

Host Jason Blitman talks to debut novelist Abigail Savitch-Lew about Livonia Chow Mein . Conversation highlights include: 🪧 Local activism 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Family legacy Abigail Savitch-Lew is a writer of fiction and nonfiction and an American of Jewish and Chinese (Ashkenazi and Toisanese) descent. She 🪧has a BA in literary arts from Brown University and an MFA in fiction from Rutgers Universit...