Unsolicited Book Reviews

Unsolicited book review Tuesday. Today's installment: Conversation with Richie Billing about his book Together We Rise (2025)Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer Richie Billing--who's across the pond in Liverpool. Richie reached out via email, and truly I was just captured by his book from the jump. Both the inventiveness of including a score, the beauty of the maps, and, of c...

On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Michael David MacBride (that's me!) and Francine Romine MacBride sat down in front of a live audience at Fine Print Bookshop in Saline, Michigan to launch MacBride's latest novel: At The Wake. Recorded live with no edits. Enjoy! Grab a copy from Fine Print or anywhere you can buy books. Here's the blurb from the book: At the Wake  is an unflinching exploration of fam...

Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer Bronson Lemer, and even though we're on Zoom he's also in Minnesota. He chose the book we both read--The Evening Crowd at Kirmser's--and we sit down to talk about the book, writing, memoirs, queer history and culture, and any number of other things. Here's his bio:Bronson Lemer is the author of The Last Deployment: How a Gay, Hammer...

Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer, William D Dyer, along with his old friend John Gottcent. John read and responded to both of Dyer's books--Teaching Fools and Traumatizing Linda--and I wanted to get them together to chat about them. So, slightly unorthodox unsolicited book review format, but I think you'll enjoy it nonetheless. Here's Bill's bio: Originally from Bo...

Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer, who's also apparently a musician, and truly just all around great person who's a joy to talk with: Traci Lambrecht. She chose the book we both read--The Partisan--and we sit down to talk about the book, writing, literature in general, her stint as a lead singer for a 90s indie/punk band, and why she chose this particular book for us to cha...

Unsolicited book review Tuesday... except it's not on a Tuesday. Today's installment: Conversation with Colin Scharf about Bret Eason Ellis' Less Than Zero Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with my friend, fellow writer, musician, cinematographer, music producer, and all around great guy, Colin Scharf. He chose the book we both read--Less Than Zero--and we sit down to talk about the book,...

Hey hey! Quick mailbag episode to answer a couple questions! Thanks for listening and/or watching! Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher! http://www.michaelmacbride.com

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with my friend, fellow writer, and professor Christopher Field. He chose the book we both read--Book 2 of My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris)⁠⁠--and we sit down to talk about the book, teaching, literature in general, and why he chose this particular book for us to chat about. Book 1: https://amzn.to/4dFg3Ng Book 2: https://amzn.to/4dFDdTG Thank...

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with my friend Anthony to talk about a book he chose: The Beatles Couldn't Read Music? from the Wait! What? series , by Dan Gutman and illustrated by Allison Steinfeld. You can grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/4bRC0rN Thanks for listening! Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher! http://www.michaelmacbride.com

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with Leslie Ritenour (aka: Babybeanlettuce) who is the artist and illustrator and artist for Who Gives a Duck?! We chat about her background, influences, how she approached this project, and a variety of other topics. You can find Leslie online: https://babybeanlettuceartllc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/babybeanlettuce/ https://www.tiktok.com/@babybeanl...

Kate Murphy, Sue Black, Tommy Orange, Bill Hammack, and Ben Goldfarb walk into a bar... and I review their books: You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters; Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind; Wandering Stars and There There; The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans; and Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping...

Jake Berman, John E. Morris, Paul Murray, George Saunders, and Temple Grandin walk into a bar... and I review their books: The Lost Subways of North America; Subway; The Bee Sting; A Swim in a Pond in the Rain; and Visual Thinking. What can you expect? Quick unsolicited book reviews of whatever Michael David MacBride is reading and has enjoyed recently. Typically 3-5 minutes per review, and typica...

Hannah Ritchie, Patrick Radden Keefe, Anya Davidson, David Hu, and Gene Smith walk into a bar... and I review their books: Not the End of the World; Say Nothing; Band for Life; How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls; and When the Cheering Stopped. What can you expect? Quick unsolicited book reviews of whatever Michael David MacBride is reading and has enjoyed recently. Typically 3-5 minutes per r...

Shannon Gibney, Richard Campanella, Audible, Daniel J Levitin, and Sami Adwan, Dan Bar-On, Eyal Naveh, and Peace Research Institute in the Middle East walk into a bar... and I review their books: The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be; Draining New Orleans; Side By Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine; Words and Music Series; and The World in Six Songs. What can you expect? Quick unsolicite...

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with my friend and fellow writer, Graham Johnson. He chose the book we both read--⁠ The Fisherman (by John Langan)⁠ --and we sit down to talk about the book, gothic/horror fiction, and why he chose this particular book for us to chat about. You can learn more about Graham Johnson and his writing with the Chaska Herald here . Thanks for listening! Your fri...

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with my friend and fellow author, Rob Jung. He chose the book we both read-- The Memory Keeper of Kyiv (by Erin Litteken) --and we sit down to talk about the book, historical fiction, and why he chose this particular book for us to chat about. You can learn more about Rob Jung and his writing here: https://robjungwriter.com/ And, you can also check out Mi...

Today's installment: Sudhir Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with musician and friend, Mike Lee. He chose the book we both read--Gang Leader for a Day--and we sit down to talk about the book, the larger ramifications of Venkatesh's research, and why he chose this particular book for us to chat about....

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with Fine Print Bookshop owner, Bill Gibson. He chose the book we both read--Legends and Lattes (by Travis Baldree)--and we sit down to talk about the book, how books get on the shelves of his bookshop, and why he chose this particular book for us to chat about. Grab a copy from Fine Print here: https://fineprintbookshop.com/book/9781250886088 You can lea...

No book reviews for this end-of-the-season mini-episode. In short, that's it for Season 1 Season 2 will be coming in a couple months Season 2 will also feature conversations with other people who are reading the same book as I do. It will be a mix of what you liked before, and this new conversation version And, if you want to be part of it... shoot me a message. I'd love to chat about book...

Rosa Lowinger, Ed Yong, Katie Hickman, Roxane Gay, and Victor Hugo walk into a bar... and I review their books: Dwell Time, An Immense World, Brave Hearted, Opinions, and Les Miserables. What can you expect? Quick unsolicited book reviews of whatever Michael David MacBride is reading and has enjoyed recently. Typically 3-5 minutes per review, and typically 3-5 reviews per episode. Michael's we...

Mona Susan Power, Brian Duren, Paul Brannigan, and Lucille Ball walk into a bar... and I review their books: A Council of Dolls, The Gravity of Love, Birth School Metallica Death and Into the Black, and Love, Lucy. What can you expect? Quick unsolicited book reviews of whatever Michael David MacBride is reading and has enjoyed recently. Typically 3-5 minutes per review, and typically 3-5 reviews p...

David Graeber and David Wengrow, Kate Summerscale, Allie Brosh, Shehan Karunatilaka, and David Macaulay walk into a bar... and I review their books: The Dawn of Everything, The Book of Phobias and Manias, Solutions and Other Problems / Hyperbole and a Half, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Motel of the Mysteries. What can you expect? Quick unsolicited book reviews of whatever Michael David MacBri...

Anna Wiener, Bill Bryson, Blake J Harris, Edward Powys Mathers, and Dennis Duncan walk into a bar... and I review their books: Uncanny Valley: A Memoir, At Home: A Short History of Private Life, Console Wars, Cain's Jawbone, Dennis Duncan Index, a History of the. What can you expect? Quick unsolicited book reviews of whatever Michael David MacBride is reading and has enjoyed recently. Typicall...

Steven Levy, Miguel Cervantes, Peter Wohlleben, Kristal Leebrick, and Michelle Obama walk into a bar... and I review their books: Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, Don Quixote, The Hidden Life of Trees, Thank You for Shopping: The Golden Age of Minnesota Department Stores, and The Light We Carry. What can you expect? Quick unsolicited book reviews of whatever Michael David MacBride is re...

James Bridle, Lucy Cooke, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Donovan Hohn, and Tamar Adler walk into a bar... and I review their books: Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence, Bitch: On the Female of the Species, The Five Wounds, Moby-Duck : the true story of 28,800 bath toys lost at sea, and of the beachcombers, oceanographers, environmentalists, and fools-- includin...