February’s book club pick is ‘How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures’ by Sabrina Imbler. From a mother octopus, to shimmering salps on the shores of a queer beach, to predatory worms, Sabrina looks at each creature as a symbol for their own life experiences. Part memoir, part science journalism, their essays explore themes of survival, gender, care, and joy. Sabrina joined us for this spoiler-free conversation about the book. We talked about what draws them to the sea, craft, and “charismatic creatures.” You can join in the conversation too! Record a voice memo with your thoughts on the book and email the file to NerdettePodcast [at] Gmail [dot] com by February 23. We will try to include your voice in our panel conversation! Here’s one question that you can answer: what sea creature do you identify with and why?

We are bringing you an episode of NPR’s ‘Book of the Day’ podcast! Everyday, that podcast highlights a recent story or interview about books from NPR. Listen to host Leila Fadel speak with author George M. Johnson about their memoir ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ and the challenges to books by school boards across the country.

We discuss the nostalgia and magic in ‘Now Is Not the Time to Panic’ by Kevin Wilson. Our panelists this month are Angie Kim, author of ‘Miracle Creak,’ and Gwen Kirby, author of ‘S*** Cassandra Saw.’ Be warned! We do not hold back on spoilers in this episode! Also, we extend a very special thanks to all of the listeners who called in!

Our weekly panel chat is back! NPR’s Code Switch hosts B.A. Parker and Lori Lizarraga join us to discuss the week’s pop culture news. We cover the Academy Award nominations, cultural expectations for tipping and a man who survived off of ketchup while lost at sea. Then, Maintenance Phase co-host Aubrey Gordon tells us about her new book ‘You Just Need to Lose Weight: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People.’ In it, she tackles untruths like "being fat is a choice" and “fat people don’t experience discrimination.” We talk about how to combat anti-fat bias and Aubrey’s hope for greater legal protections.

In the final installment of our “Undercover” series, we head to the movies (or just your living room couch)! Some of today’s biggest films and TV shows are adaptations of books. So what does it take to make a written story just as evocative on-screen? Can the movie *ever* be as good as the book? We take you inside the creative process for series like ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ ‘Little Fires Everywhere,’ and more.

For our special series “Undercover,” we are taking a deep dive into some of the different ways a book comes to life! This week, we’re peeking behind the curtain to learn more about one of Greta’s favorite ways to experience a story: the audiobook! We follow the lifecycle of a “book on tape” from author to producer to narrator to the sounds coming out of your earbuds.

Nerdette Book Club is back for another year of reading! Our January pick is ‘Now Is Not the Time to Panic’ by Kevin Wilson. It’s about Frankie, a misfit teen girl in rural Tennessee, and the one summer she will never forget. She meets Zeke, a fellow weirdo, and the two create an enigmatic poster together that upends their small town and, eventually, the world. Kevin joined us for a conversation about how the book came to be, his interest in strange, stunted characters, and why he sees this as his most personal novel yet. We would love to include you in our book club conversation! First, read the book. Then, record a voice memo on your smart phone with your thoughts. Send it to NerdettePodcast [at] gmail [dot] com by Monday, January 23. We’ll try to include you in the episode. Happy reading!

Nerdette is embarking on "Undercover," a three-part series into the different ways a book comes to life. First up, we take a look at a seemingly small, but very important element of a book: blurbs. Praise from well-known writers can help a new author find their footing, but the system is all about who knows who. We talk to authors, editors and readers about whether it’s time for a revamp.

Happy Holidays! Team Nerdette is taking a break this week and we're bringing you a special episode from our friends at WBEZ's Making podcast. Robyn Rihanna Fenty was just 16 when she signed a record deal with Jay-Z. She was 19 when her smash hit “Umbrella” took the world by storm. Now at 34, she is not only known as a popstar but also a fashion mogul and billionaire. But how did she get here? Listen, and find out!

Nerdette Book Club’s December selection, Hernan Diaz’s critically-acclaimed ‘Trust,’ is a novel that invites readers to question the very act of reading. The historical novel is actually four different pieces of writing — a novella, an unfinished autobiography, a memoir and an excerpt from a personal diary. Each section changes the meaning of the preceding piece, creating what critic Hillary Kelly called a “puzzle box” in her review for LA Times. Kelly joined Lupita Aquino, who you can find on Instagram as @LupitaReads, to unpack the elements of this multi-layered story.