Happy To Be Here

We are reflecting on a year of reading by tallying up the books that we just can’t stop thinking about. Two professional readers – Miwa Messer, host of Barnes & Noble’s book podcast Poured Over , and Andrew Limbong, host of NPR’s Book of the Day podcast – join us to share their best of the year lists. Here are the books mentioned in the episode. For pictures, links and more details, head to ou...

It’s that time of year where we sit back, relax and reflect on some of the best stuff that came out this year! First up, we asked Alex Beggs — freelance food writer, former staffer at ‘ Bon Appetit’ and all-around friend of the show — to tell us about her favorite cookbooks of 2023. Here’s Alex’s list. You can find pictures, links and more details at our website ! - ‘ More is More’ by Molly Baz -...

This week, we're sharing a podcast from our public radio friends KUOW in Seattle. It's called "Text Me Back" and it's all about friendship and making your favorite people laugh, even when this dumpster fire of a world gets you down. Bestselling writer Lindy West and democracy policy expert Meagan Hatcher-Mays are two award-winning best friends from high school. Each week, Lindy and Meagan will hil...

This week, we are asking the important questions about 2024. Like, what plant will we fall in love with? And what body part will be in style? Those are some of the ponderings included in a recent story on next year’s trends in T: The New York Times Style Magazine . We put the co-hosts of ‘ Fanti ,’ Tre’vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill, to the test. They are also the co-authors of ‘ Historically Blac...

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss our November selection, ‘ Land of Milk and Honey ’ by C Pam Zhang! It’s a novel about survival, privilege, and seeking pleasure at the end of the world. Our readers this month are Aliza Abarbanel, co-founder and co-editor of ‘ Cake Zine ,’ an independent print publication exploring society through sweets, and co-host of the podcast ‘ This is TASTE ,’ and Miria...

Academy Award winning writer, actor, and director Emerald Fennell tells us about her intoxicating new movie ‘ Saltburn ,’ which is out this week. It’s a British country house thriller about obsession, excess, and desire. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, so it’s time to get cooking! First, we ask chef Tanya Holland to share some fun, fresh ideas for the big meal. Tanya is the author of three cookbooks, including most recently the gorgeous ‘ California Soul .’ You can find the recipes for her stuffed sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts salad at our website ! Since one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is the leftover...

This week, Vocalo host Nudia Hernandez and host of WBEZ’s ‘ The Rundown ’ Erin Allen join us to unwind from the week that was. We chat about Barbra Streisand’s extremely long memoir, The Simpsons’ attempts to keep up with the times, and how to cope with shorter days. Then, we talk to two of the showrunners on the Apple TV+ show ‘ For All Mankind ,’ Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi . The series supposes...

It is the month of November and our Book Club selection is C Pam Zhang’s Land of Milk and Honey . It takes place in an alarmingly conceivable future where the world is on the brink of ecological collapse. A smog is enveloping the earth, making it difficult for crops to grow. Our narrator is a chef who is straddled with inherited debt and locked out of the United States. She takes a mysterious job...

This week, we chat about long movie intermissions, the business of Taylor Swift, and the delight of keeping oddball rituals. Our panelists are Lauren Chooljian, senior reporter, producer and host of the NHPR podcast The 13th Step , and Anisa Khalifa, producer and host of the WUNC podcast The Broadside and the indie podcasts Dramas Over Flowers and Muslim in Plain Sight . Then, we talk to one of ou...

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss our October selection, Lauren Groff’s ‘ The Vaster Wilds .’ It’s about a girl in early American colonial history who runs away from the Jamestown settlement during a period of starvation. She then struggles to survive in the woods during freezing cold days and nights, armed with only a pewter cup and leather gloves. We asked long-distance dogsledder Blair Brav...

We are leaning into Halloween this week! Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post columnist and author of Extremely Online , and Margaret Willison, culture writer and faculty at Not Sorry Productions, dared to join us to discuss the very tall, very viral Halloween decorations named Skelly and Lewis, along with more Halloween nonsense. Then, comedian Sam Reece tells us about her new book S****y Craft Club: A...

This week, we talk about Netflix’s reinvention of the video store , the right way to board a plane , and the art of advice-giving with Chicago Sun Times ’ new advice columnist Ismael Perez and Brandon Pope, who hosts WBEZ’s Making podcast and On the Block from Block Club Chicago and WCIU. Then, author V.E. Schwab talks about the latest installment in her “Shades of Magic” fantasy series, The Fragi...

On this cursed October day, we’re talking about Croc’s new cowboy boots and other outrageous stories from the week. Our panelists are Patrick Hinds, co-host of the True Crime Obsessed podcast and author of the new book Failure Is Not Not An Option , and Kristen Meinzer, the co-host of the Daily Fail podcast. Then, author Chuck Wendig tells us about his apple-filled horror novel Black River Orchard...

This week, we discuss Barbies, bedbugs, and centenarian skydivers with comedian and host of the podcasts ' In The Cards ' and ' Dead Eyes ' Connor Ratliff and Bridget Todd, host of ' City Cast DC ' and ' There are No Girls on the Internet .' Then, comedian Aparna Nancherla opens up about her struggles with imposter syndrome in her new essay collection ' Unreliable Narrator .' See Privacy Policy at...

It is the month of October and Nerdette Book Club’s selection is ‘ The Vaster Wilds ’ by three-time National Book Award finalist Lauren Groff. This historical novel is about a servant girl who is on the run from her corrupt, smallpox-riddled colonial settlement. She struggles to survive in the unforgiving wilderness. In this spoiler-free interview with the author, we talk about changing the narrat...

This week, R. Eric Thomas, TV writer and author of Congratulations, The Best Is Over! , and Alex Abad-Santos , senior correspondent for Vox, joined us to reflect on the end of the writers’ strike and the 20th anniversary of the pumpkin spice latte. Then, we revel in the best new books coming out this fall! We called up some of our favorite readers and writers to find out what they’re most excited...

Nerdette Book Club is back to dig into our September pick, Angie Kim’s novel ' Happiness Falls .' During the lockdown era of COVID, college student Mia is stuck at home with her parents and two brothers. Her father, Adam, stays at home to take care of the youngest son Eugene, who has autism and does not speak. One day, Adam and Eugene leave to go on a walk, but only Eugene comes back. The more the...

This week, comedian and ‘ Glamorous Trash ’ host Chelsea Devantez and podcast producer Kristina Lopez stop by to chat about the Senate's extremely chill new dress code, the slow death of paper checks, and the Roman Empire. Plus, the Nerdette Book Club pick ‘ Loot ’ by Tania James is one of the top 10 contenders for this year’s National Book Award for fiction! ‘ Loot’ is historical fiction at its f...

In today’s episode, we play our favorite game, Burden or Delight, with Meha Ahmad, senior producer at WBEZ’s ' Reset ,' and Niala Boodhoo, host of ' Axios Today !' They decide whether a new Apple charger, a flood of wine, and extended birthday celebrations are delightful or burdensome. Then, we talk all about periods. Up until now, no one has ever published a study on menstrual products that used...

This week, City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran and WBEZ metro reporter Adora Namigadde stop in to talk about Burning Man, a truly horrific accident on a plane, and whether there’s hope for salvaging New Year’s resolutions 9 months into the year. Plus, when should we start masking in public again? How long should we isolate for if we get COVID? What’s the deal with a new booster? Is it safe to ge...

Our selection this month is Angie Kim’s sophomore novel, ' Happiness Falls .' It’s narrated by Mia, a whip smart college student who moves back under her parents’ roof during the early days of COVID. This isn’t a pandemic novel, though, as much as lockdown is used as a device to bring everyone together and move the plot forward. One day, Mia’s younger brother Eugene, a teenager with autism who doe...

We’re starting off the weekend with two excellent panelists: Anne Helen Petersen, ' Work Appropriate ' podcast host and writer of the newsletter “ Culture Study ,” and Nick Quah , Vulture’s podcast critic. We discuss the late night hosts turned daytime podcasters , the gender reveal of cocktail glasses , and Meg Ryan’s return to the romcom. Then, we talk about a brewing reckoning in reality televi...

Our selection this month is Andrew Leland’s memoir ‘ The Country of the Blind .’ It’s about Andrew’s constantly shifting world as his vision deteriorates, and it explores the mythology that blindness is a binary. It’s also about how seeing-culture perceives blindness, and the history of blindness in the US. The wide-ranging discussion includes M. Leona Godin, a self-described “blind punk” who wrot...

Today’s episode starts with our friends Araceli Gomez-Aldana of WBEZ and Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks podcast. We chat about finding back-to-school vibes in scorching hot weather, why Zoomers are collecting CDs , and the biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster in over 50 years. Then, Houston Chronicle critic Joey Guerra catches us up on some of the biggest stories in the music world, from the...