KBC - Kirti’s Book Club

Episode Summary: "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver Kirti Mutatkar sits down with Anagha Bapat to discuss Barbara Kingsolver's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Demon Copperhead," a modern retelling of Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield" set in Appalachia. The Story: Demon Copperhead is born into poverty in rural Virginia to a drug-addicted mother. The novel follows his journey from a difficult...

In this Season 2 episode, Kirti Mutatkar sits down with Lynne Yadlin to discuss TJ Klune's "Somewhere Beyond the Sea," the sequel to "The House in the Cerulean Sea." The Story: Arthur Parnassus runs an orphanage on Marsyas Island for magical youth—children with special abilities marginalized by society. Arthur, himself a phoenix and former abused orphan, creates a safe haven where these children c...

Ghachar Ghochar  by Vivek Shanbhag Kirti Mutatkar sits down with Smitha Rau to discuss Vivek Shanbhag's slim but powerful novella about a family transformed by sudden wealth. The Story: A modest Indian family lives within their means—the father is a salesman, they eat out weekly with set dishes, and if the kids want something extra, dad suddenly won't have coffee. They're in tune with each other's...

Kirti Mutatkar and Reva Nevrekar from Pune discuss Ocean Vuong's lyrical debut novel about immigration, identity, and intergenerational trauma. The Story: Written as a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, the novel follows Little Dog, a Vietnamese American immigrant in Hartford, Connecticut. Through non-linear storytelling, Vuong explores poverty, language barriers, his first love with Trev...

Kirti Mutatkar and Paige Macias discuss Ilyon Woo's extensively researched account of Ellen and William Craft's daring 1848 escape from slavery. The Story: Ellen, who was 3 quarters white, disguised herself as a white male slaveholder traveling with her "slave"—actually her husband William. Their journey from Georgia took them to Boston, then England, and eventually back to America after the Civil...

Kirti Mutatkar sits down with Meenal Limaye to discuss Yvon Chouinard's business memoir about building Patagonia while staying true to environmental values. The Story: A reluctant businessman transforms his passion for rock climbing and surfing into Patagonia, one of the most respected outdoor brands in the world. Starting from Ventura, California over fifty years ago, Chouinard built equipment fo...

Host Kirti Mutatkar concludes Season 1 of KBC (Kirti's Book Club) with David Shepherd to discuss Jostein Gaarder's "Sophie's World" - a philosophical novel that serves as an accessible introduction to Western philosophy.   About the Book Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder follows a teenage girl named Sophie who receives mysterious letters asking philosophical questions. As the story unfolds, Sophie...

Host Kirti Mutatkar continues KBC (Kirti's Book Club) with Dr. Pankaj Rao to discuss Venki Ramakrishnan's Why We Di e - a scientific exploration of aging, death, and the quest for immortality. About the Book Why We Die by Venki Ramakrishnan examines the biological mechanisms behind aging and death from a Nobel laureate's perspective. The book explains complex genetic concepts in accessible terms,...

Host Kirti Mutatkar continues KBC (Kirti's Book Club) with Sarah Ahmad to discuss Matt Haig's  The Midnight Library - a novel about alternate realities and the choices that shape our lives. About the Book The Midnight Library by Matt Haig follows Nora Seed, a woman in her thirties who finds herself in a magical library between life and death. Each book represents a different life she could have li...

Host Kirti Mutatkar continues KBC (Kirti's Book Club) with Pranav Mutatkar to discuss John Williams' "Augustus" - a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical fiction novel about Rome's first emperor told through letters and documents.   About the Book Augustus by John Williams follows the life of Octavius (later Emperor Augustus) through an epistolary structure of letters, documents, and correspondence. T...

Host Kirti Mutatkar continues KBC (Kirti's Book Club) with Peggy Plair to discuss Ann Patchett's "Tom Lake" - a novel about family, memory, and the stories we tell about our lives, set during the COVID-19 pandemic. About the Book Tom Lake by Ann Patchett follows a mother telling her three adult daughters stories about her past while they work together on their family cherry farm in Michigan during...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of KBC (Kirti's Book Club) ! Host Kirti Mutatkar launches the podcast with Aniket Mutatkar to discuss Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" - a science fiction novel about an unlikely hero's mission to save Earth from extinction. About the book Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir follows Ryland Grace, a science teacher who awakens alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he...