Poured Over

"All of them, in my mind… were wrestling with the same question, which is — what do I do with either the burden of family or what do I do with the found family that I've made?" Victor LaValle’s Lone Women takes supernatural suspense to early 1900s Montana as one young woman sets out to leave her past and family secrets behind. LaValle talks about the history that inspired this novel, the connection between this story and one of his previous books, the upcoming streaming adaptation of The Changeling and more with Poured Over host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson.  This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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):  Lone Women by Victor LaValle The Changeling by Victor LaValle Big Machine by Victor LaValle The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):   How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann  

“You get to learn a bit about the social issue of Native women and girls going missing and that's really what I hope a lot of people will take away from this, having more awareness…” Nick Medina’s debut novel Sisters of the Lost Nation defies genre — mixing mystery, horror and family drama into the story of one teen girl as she searches for the women who’ve gone missing on her tribe’s reservation, including her own sister. Medina joined us to discuss the unusual way his ideas came to him, preserving culture through legends and stories, his research and the resources he used and more with guest host, Marie Cummings. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Madyson and Jamie. This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Marie Cummings and mixed by Harry Liang. Poured Over is brought to you by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and the booksellers of Barnes & Noble.   New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app.   Featured Books (Episode):  Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis     Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV White Horse by Erika T. Wurth 

“I can even still have my festively neurotic characters, but they can be working their way toward a happy ending, instead of working their way towards crushing disappointment.”  Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy is a playful, smart and fizzy look at love and pop culture through the eyes of a charming and relatable late-night TV writer. Sittenfeld joins us to talk about how a good novel feels like eavesdropping, what makes a character likable, surprising literary influences and more with Poured Over host Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson.  This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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):  Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld  Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld  Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld  The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore  XOXO by Axie Oh 

“I never start a book out with ideas. I always start a book out with people in places, and what could happen here.” Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain, brings readers to the Great Depression-era American West with impeccably researched history in his new novel, The Trackers, featuring a vivid cast holding secrets and ambitions that transcend the past. Frazier talks about the photograph that inspired the characters, the excitement and drama of book tours, taking his time to get the language right and more with Poured Over host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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): The Trackers by Charles Frazier Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton   Featured Books (TBR Topoff): The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg

“It was going to be a story about American instability, and precarity, and what happens when we aren't able to access the things that we need — and yet still have to try to care for each other anyway.” Nicole Chung’s newest memoir, A Living Remedy, reflects on the tragic inequality of access to the American healthcare system and the way it directly affected her family. Chung talks with us about privilege and class, how writing this memoir changed her, her literary influences and more with Poured Over host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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 Living Remedy by Nicole Chung All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka    Featured Books (TBR Topoff): The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow 

“Loneliness is such a universal experience for so many of us — and I do hope that the book is a balm for that and helps make readers feel less alone…” Gina Chung’s debut novel Sea Change explores family ties, grief and growing up through a complicated protagonist that readers will love to root for — and yes, there really is an octopus. Chung joins us to talk about sad girl characters, allowing women to feel anger, how we never stop “coming of age” and more with Poured Over host, Miwa Messer.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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):  Sea Change by Gina Chung  Chemistry by Weike Wang  Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier  Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong  All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Matthews  If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery  Nuclear Family by Joseph Han  Please Report Your Bug Here by Josh Riedel    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin  More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera  

“We all want the same thing; we want respect and security and to be loved — and that's what storytelling does, it connects the similarities that we have.” Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, returns with Hang the Moon, a novel that follows feisty Sallie Kincaid as she comes into her own in the upheaval of Prohibition-era Virginia. Walls talks with us about the language of historical fiction, the differences between writing a memoir and a novel, the impact of telling your story and more live at Barnes & Noble Union Square with Poured Over host, Miwa Messer.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and mixed by Chris Gillespie.  New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app.    Featured Books (Episode):  Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls  The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls   Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls 

“I live on art. I'm an art vampire, that’s how I sustain myself.”  Jacqueline Holland’s debut novel The God of Endings weaves together themes of motherhood, mortality and the human condition in a vampire novel unlike any we’ve seen before. Holland joins us to discuss vampire lore, the power of art, how her novel grew out of a grad school novella, why you should always read the book rather than watch the movie and more with guest host, Kat Sarfas. We end the episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson. This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Kat Sarfas and mixed by Harry Liang. Poured Over is brought to you by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and the booksellers of Barnes & Noble.  Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).   Featured Books (Episode): The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link The Shining by Stephen King   Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu The Lovely War by Julie Berry

“As a kid, you don't know any of that. You're just like, wow, this sounds magical, like, how could this be the sea? How could this be land? How can that just happen? And I think that speaks to a particular quality of life in Singapore, and growing up in Singapore, and all of the changes that you see happening before your eyes…” Rachel Heng’s new novel, The Great Reclamation, is an epic story of love and power and family (with a magical twist) set in mid-century Singapore. She joins us on the show to talk about the legacy of colonialism, rewriting (with an assist from Post-It notes and index cards), Elizabeth McCracken and the Michener Center, the histories that get told (and the ones that don’t), Crazy Rich Asians, and much more with host Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).   Featured Books (Episode): The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng Suicide Club by Rachel Heng The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi The Known World by Edward P. Jones Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell   Featured Books (TBR Topoff): The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

“I'm so interested in the moment when the reader takes over … I wanted it to be a book that feels like I'm walking alongside the reader, learning as they learn.” Katherine May’s first book, Wintering, was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the Year, and we’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting for her follow-up, Enchantment. Katherine joins us on the show to talk about the importance of humor, holding space for joy and curiosity and wonder in her work, journaling (and the scrappy beginnings of all her books), hierophany, the memoirist’s terror, her admiration for the work of Joan Didion and much more in a charming, laughter-filled conversation with Jenna Seery, Associate Producer of Poured Over. And we end the episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. Featured Books (Episode) Enchantment by Katherine May Wintering by Katherine May Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke Featured Books (TBR Topoff) And Yet by Kate Baer The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. Poured Over is brought to you by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and the booksellers of Barnes & Noble. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).