KGNU Radio Book Club

The May 2022 selection for the Radio Bookclub is The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara. This is the story of a global society run by a corporate board where democracies have been replaced and citizens are now shareholders. Legendary tech mogul King Rao has died in mysterious circumstances leaving his daughter to preserve his […]

The March 2022 selection for the Radio Bookclub is The Tenderest of Strings, a novel by author Steven Schwartz set in a fictitious small town in northeast Colorado. The novel tells the story of Reuben and Ardith Rosenfeld and their two children who move from Chicago to the small town of Welton, Colorado. A fatal […]

Fort Collins author Steven Schwartz joins us for Afterhours at the Radio Bookclub to further discuss the themes explored in his novel the Tenderest of Strings, including the explosive growth that’s happening in small towns in Colorado. Listen to the Radio Bookclub interview with Steven Schwartz broadcast on KGNU on March 24 at 9am.

The February 2022 selection for the Radio Bookclub is They Can’t Take Your Name, a novel set in Five Points in Denver by author Robert Justice. This is a crime novel–inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes–about a brokenhearted man who attempts to help a desperate daughter find freedom for her wrongfully convicted father. Robert […]

Author Alison Ames joined us at the Boulder Bookstore to discuss her latest book To Break a Covenant. Listen to more of the conversation where Alison recounts stories from the time she worked in the used book office at the Boulder Bookstore and shares her love of Taylor Swift. Listen to the Radio Bookclub interview […]

The January 2022 selection for the Radio Bookclub is To Break A Covenant, a YA novel from former Boulder Bookstore employee Alison Ames. The coming of age story tells the tale of Clem and her best friend, Nina, who live in the haunted town of Moon Basin, known for its accidents and murders that are […]

Author Jenny Shank joined us at the Boulder Bookstore to discuss her latest collection of short stories, Mixed Company. In this podcast-only edition of the show, Jenny discusses the challenges of breaking into comedy writing, and how she almost interned with Conan O’Brien. Listen to the Radio Bookclub interview with Jenny Shank broadcast on KGNU […]

Boulder-based author Jenny Shank joined us at the Boulder Bookstore to discuss her collection of short stories Mixed Company. The stories are inspired by Shank’s experiences growing up in Denver, and they reveal poignant and often humorous moments of grace and connection between people. https://objects-us-east-1.dream.io/kgnu-news/2021/12/12-23-21_RadioBookclubJennyShankPodcast.mp3 This interview...

Fort Collins-based author EJ Levy joined us at the Boulder Bookstore to discuss her latest novel The Cape Doctor. The book was inspired by the real life of Dr. James Miranda Barry and tells the fictionalized Dr. Jonathan Mirandus Perry’s journey from daughter to son in order to enter medical school and provide for family, […]

Author EJ Levy joined us at the Boulder Bookstore to discuss her latest novel The Cape Doctor, a fictionalized account of the real-life Dr. James Miranda Barry, born Margaret Anne Bulkley in Cork, Ireland in 1789. EJ Levy’s book tells the fictionalized Dr. Jonathan Mirandus Perry’s life and career as a military doctor. In this […]

Boulder-based author Hermione Hoby joined us at the Boulder Bookstore for a socially distanced live event, to discuss her latest novel Virtue, which tells the story of Luca. Originally from Broomfield, Colorado, Luca goes to New York City for an internship at an elite but fading magazine. Among his peers is Zara, a young Black […]

Best-selling horror author Stephen Graham Jones joined us at the Boulder Bookstore for a live event on September 2, 2021. In this Afterhours at the Radio Bookclub podcast, he answers audience questions and talks more about the art of writing a slasher novel. Listen to the Radio Bookclub interview with Stephen Graham Jones broadcast on […]

Stephen Graham Jones joined us at the Boulder Bookstore in September for a socially distanced, mask-wearing live event, to discuss his new novel My Heart is a Chainsaw, a slasher novel that tells the story of Jade, “an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing […]

The August 2021 selection for the Radio Bookclub has been The Guide, a thriller from Denver author Peter Heller. The book, set in Colorado, features Jack, a character we previously met in Heller’s book The River. Jack is hired as a fishing guide at Kingfisher Lodge, nestled in a canyon on a mile and a half of […]

Listen to more of our conversation with best-selling author Peter Heller who joined us to discuss his latest book The Guide at an event at the Boulder Bookstore. This is Heller’s fourth visit to the Radio Bookclub. Listen to the broadcast interview with Peter Heller at the Radio Bookclub.

For July 2021 we’ve been reading The Leave-Takers, a thriller from local author Steven Wingate, which tells the story of Jacob and Laynie whose relationship blew apart but fate pulled them back together in a windblown, isolated house on the plains of South Dakota. https://objects-us-east-1.dream.io/kgnu-news/2021/07/7-21-21_RadioBookClubJulyWeb.mp3 This interview was broadcast on KGNU on July 22 a...

Author Steven Wingate returns to the Radio Bookclub for a second visit to talk about his latest novel The Leave-Takers. In this special podcast-only version of the Radio Bookclub, Wingate speaks about the impact of losing a parent at a young age on his writing and parenting. Listen to the broadcast interview with Steven Wingate […]

For June 2021 we’ve been reading The Dead Husband, a thriller from local author Carter Wilson. Twenty years ago an unspeakable tragedy rocked Rose Yates’s small, affluent hometown… and only Rose and her family know the truth about what happened. https://objects-us-east-1.dream.io/kgnu-news/2021/06/6-24-21_RadioBookClubDeadHusband.mp3 This interview was broadcast on Thursday, June 24 at 9 am. Liste...

Colorado author Carter Wilson joins us for this special podcast-only version of the Radio Bookclub to speak about the process of writing a mystery/thriller and why the coronavirus pandemic won’t be featured in any of his future work. Listen to the broadcast interview with Carter Wilson on the Radio Bookclub.

Fort Collins author Jim Davidson joins us for this special podcast-only version of the Radio Bookclub to speak about the lessons in resilience that he learned while summiting Everest, lessons that he applies to the rest of his life. Listen to the broadcast interview with Jim Davidson on the Radio Bookclub.

For May 2021 we’ve been reading The Next Everest by Colorado author Jim Davidson. The book chronicles his attempts to summit the world’s tallest mountain. His first summit attempt was thwarted by a natural disaster. On April 25, 2015, an earthquake released avalanches killing 18 people on Everest. Davidson, a climber based in Fort Collins, […]

The April selection for the Radio Bookclub was Tiny by Colorado author Mairead Case. The book is a contemporary, poetic retelling of Sophocles’ Antigone, set in the mossy greens and foggy grays of the Pacific Northwest. Instead of two brothers who kill each other in a civil war, Tiny has a brother who kills himself after coming home from a far-away war.

Listen to more of our conversation with author Mairead Case in which she talks about the pop culture references that are scattered throughout her novel Tiny. Listen to the broadcast interview with Mairead Case, originally aired on KGNU at 9am on Thursday, April 22. […]

Listen to more of our conversation with author Helon Habila where he talks about immigration policy in Europe and modern African literature. Listen to the broadcast interview with author Helon Habila, broadcast on KGNU at 9am on Thursday, March 25th.

The February selection for the Radio Bookclub is Perestroika In Paris, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley. The novel’s protagonist is a runaway racehorse who befriends a German shorthaired pointer. Together they live on the streets of Paris until they befriend a human boy, Etienne, and discover a new, otherworldly part of the city.