

Poured Over
Barnes & Noble
Poured Over is a show for readers who pore over details, obsess over sentences and ideas and stories and characters; readers who ask a lot of questions, just like Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer, a career bookseller who's always reading. Follow us here for surprising riffs, candid conversations, a few laughs, and lots of great book recommendations from big name authors and authors on their way to being big names. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional bonus episodes on Saturdays).
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 9, 2025 • 53min
Charles Duhigg on SUPERCOMMUNICATORS
Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg expertly examines how to understand others and be understood through effective communication. Charles joins us to talk about identifying conversation types, connection, attention, the power of questions, neuroscience, habits and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity by Charles Duhigg

Dec 6, 2025 • 51min
Simon Winchester on THE BREATH OF THE GODS
The Breath of the Gods by Simon Winchester is a fascinating deep dive into a familiar phenomenon. Simon joins us to talk about changing wind speeds, the moon landing, oboes, human migration, tumbleweeds and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind by Simon Winchester The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic by Simon Winchester

Dec 4, 2025 • 56min
Bill Bryson on A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING 2.0
A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 by Bill Bryson is the fully revised and updated exploration of life's biggest questions. Bill joins us to talk about advancements in research over the last 20 years, making science accessible, narrativizing history, Isaac Newton, humanity and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 by Bill Bryson A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

Dec 2, 2025 • 52min
Elizabeth McCracken on A LONG GAME
A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken is a thoughtful and engaging guide to the craft of writing filled with tips, tricks and personal anecdotes from an acclaimed author. Elizabeth joins us to talk about breaking story rules, short stories vs novels, character physicality, setting, plot, dialogue and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken Thunderstruck & Other Stories by Elizabeth McCracken Here's Your Hat What's Your Hurry: Stories by Elizabeth McCracken The Souvenir Museum: Stories by Elizabeth McCracken Sweet Talk: Stories by Stephanie Vaughn The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories by Edward P. Jones Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel North Woods by Daniel Mason

Nov 29, 2025 • 45min
Garth Greenwell on SMALL RAIN
Small Rain by Garth Greenwell is a haunting story of one man's emotional reckoning. Garth joins us to talk about bewilderment, memory, interiority, James Baldwin, home ownership, intimacy and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Small Rain by Garth Greenwell Nocturnes for the King of Naples by Edmund White Confessions by Saint Augustine Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin Another Country by James Baldwin

Nov 27, 2025 • 1h 1min
Samin Nosrat on GOOD THINGS
Good Things by Samin Nosrat — our 2025 Gift Book of the Year — is a unique guide to forming a deeper sense of connection through food, paired with gorgeous photos and heartwarming anecdotes. Samin joins us to talk about reconnecting with cooking, writing recipes, teaching new thought processes in the kitchen, sharing a meal with loved ones, time, attention, community and more with guest host Brenda Allison. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Brenda Allison and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat Canal House: Cook Something: Recipes to Rely On by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Hechel The Sabbath World: Glimpse of a Different Order of Time by Judith Shulevitz Featured Books (TBR Top Off) Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook: A Cookbook by Sohla El-Waylly Measure with Your Heart: Southern Home Cooking to Feed Your Family and Soul: A Cookbook by Hannah Taylor

Nov 26, 2025 • 52min
Jen Percy on GIRLS PLAY DEAD
Girls Play Dead by award-winning journalist Jen Percy is a powerful and poignant portrait of women and survival. Jen joins us to talk about understanding trauma, PTSD, gender expectations, wartime reportage, self-preservation, research and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Girls Play Dead: Acts of Self-Preservation by Jen Percy Demon Camp: The Strange and Terrible Saga of a Soldier's Return from War by Jen Percy Metamorphoses by Ovid The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brian Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee Bluets by Maggie Nelson

Nov 25, 2025 • 42min
Lily King on HEART THE LOVER
Heart the Lover by Lily King is a gripping story of family, identity, life and love from the bestselling author of Writers & Lovers. Lily joined us live at B&N Upper West Side to talk about crafting an emotional arc, writing little moments between characters, details, process, vulnerability and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Heart the Lover by Lily King Writers & Lovers by Lily King The Pleasing Hour by Lily King The English Teacher by Lily King Father of the Rain by Lily King Euphoria by Lily King The Evening of the Holiday by Shirley Hazzard Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Nov 22, 2025 • 57min
W. David Marx on BLANK SPACE
Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century by author and critic W. David Marx is a gripping retrospective that examines our culture today — and questions where we might be headed. David joins us to talk about living in Tokyo, the internet, merging art and commerce, nostalgia, smartphones and more with cohosts Chris Gillespie and Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and Chris Gillespie, and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century by W. David Marx Status and Culture by W. David Marx The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib Immediacy: Or, The Style of Too Late Capitalism by Anna Kornbluh Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s by John Ganz Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture by Kyle Chayka Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It by Kaitlyn Tiffany

Nov 20, 2025 • 54min
Susan Orlean on JOYRIDE
Joyride by Susan Orlean is a vibrant memoir about the craft of writing and the pursuit of creativity from an acclaimed author. Susan joins us to talk about reportage, capturing place, detail, writers as outsiders, curiosity and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Joyride: A Memoir by Susan Orlean The Library Book by Susan Orlean The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean


