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For Real episodes

  • #16 True Stories of the Supernatural

    This week, Kim and Alice share some books that try to find the truth behind the supernatural or that might be perfect haunting reading in October.

    This episode is sponsored by Oxford University Press, LibraryReads, and TBR, Book Riot's new subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes.


    NEW BOOKS

    Behold, America: The Entangled History of "America First" and "the American Dream" by Sarah Churchwell

    The Ravenmaster: My Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife

    Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger by Rebecca Traister

    Feuding Fan Dancers: Faith Bacon, Sally Rand, and the Golden Age of the Showgirl by Leslie Zemeckis

    Heart: A History by Sandeep Jauhar

    Six By Ten: Stories from Solitary, edited by Taylor Pendergrass


    TRUE STORIES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

    Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death by Deborah Blum

    The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster by Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito

    American Ghost: A Family's Extraordinary History on the Desert Frontier by Hannah Nordhaus

    The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke


    RIP READING CHALLENGE

    Readers Imbibing Peril

    Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

    In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

    Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson

    Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey


    READING NOW

    Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

    Fallout: Conspiracy, Cover-Up, and the Making of the Atomic Bomb by Peter Watson

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    58 min
  • #15 Cozy Nonfiction for Fall

    This episode of For Real is sponsored by The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King and The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman.

    FOLLOW UP READS

    The Class by Heather Won Tesario

    NEW BOOKS

    The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy by Paige Williams

    Call Them By Their True Names by Rebecca Solnit

    Seeds of Resistance: The Fight to Save Our Food Supply by Mark Schapiro 

    The Personality Brokers: The Strange History of Myers-Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing by Merve Emre 

    The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War by Joanne Freeman

    The Art of Logic in an Illogical World by Eugenia Cheng 

    She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak, edited by Azeenarh Mohammed, Chitra Nagarajan, Rafeeat Aliyu 

    WEEKLY THEME: Cozy Nonfiction for Fall

    House of Stone by Anthony Shadid

    The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

    Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman

    Travels With Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

    SEGMENT THREE: Great Subtitles

    Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them by Donovan Hohn

    Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold, and Murder on the Erie Canal by Jack Kelly

    The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester

    Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek

    READING NOW

    99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown

    Knocking on Heaven’s Door by Katy Butler

    QUESTIONS/COMMENTS?

    Find us on Twitter @itsalicetime and @kimthedork

     

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    56 min
  • #14 Labor Day and Stories About Work

    In this week's episode, Kim and guest co-host Sharifah recommend books by people with interesting jobs and personal essay collections by smart and funny women.

    This episode is sponsored by Unapologetic by Charlene A Carruthers and Elizabeth Warren by Antonia Felix. Book Riot also wants to know about your reading habits. Hop over and take our Fall Reader Survey before Sept. 10 for a chance to win a $100 gift card to the Book Riot Store: bookriot.com/fallsurvey


    NEW BOOKS

    To Obama: With Love, Joy, Anger, and Hope by Jeanne Marie Laskas

    “Dear Mr. President” by Jeanne Marie Laskas in the Guardian

    Ten Letters by Eli Saslow

    Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? by Alyssa Mastromonaco

    The Class by Heather Won Tesoriero

    I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brohi

    Bureau of Spies by Steven T. Usdin

    The Provocative Colette by Annie Goetzinger

    Not Quite Not White by Sharmila Sen


    LABOR DAY/STORIES OF WORK

    Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

    Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

    From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

    This is Just My Face by Gabourey Sidibe

    It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario


    MOSTLY FUNNY PERSONAL ESSAYS

    We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

    A Field Guide to Awkward Silences by Alexandra Petri

    Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

    One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul


    READING NOW

    Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

    The Infamous Harry Hayward by Shawn Francis Peters

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    1 hr 8 min
  • #13 Suffragists, Suffragettes, and Winning the Vote!

    This week, Kim and Alice take a deep dive into books about the campaign for women's suffrage and the passage of the 19th Amendment in August 1920.

    This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, Girl Boner: The Good Girl’s Guide to Sexual Empowerment by August McLaughlin, and Tragedy Plus Time by Adam Cayton-Holland.


    NEW BOOKS

    A Deal with the Devil: The Dark and Twisted True Story of One of the Biggest Cons in History by Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken

    Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man by Thomas Page McBee

    Reader, Come Home: The Fate of the Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf

    A Life of My Own by Claire Tomalin

    Proud: My Fight for An Unlikely American Dream by Ibtihaj Muhammad

    The Kill Jar: Obsession, Descent, and a Hunt for Detroit’s Most Notorious Serial Killer by J. Reuben Appelman


    WEEKLY THEME: WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE

    News: Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg Bringing Women's Voting Drama to TV

    For fun: Bad Romance - Women's Suffrage

    The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss

    A Woman’s Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot by Mary Walton

    The Myth of Seneca Falls by Lisa Tetrault

    Quick Hits: Women Will Vote: Winning Suffrage in New York State by Susan Goodier / Lucy Stone: An Unapologetic Life by Sally G. McMillen / Fighting Chance: The Struggle Over Woman Suffrage and Black Suffrage in Reconstruction America by Faye E. Dudden / To Keep the Waters Troubled: The Life of Ida B. Wells by Linda O. McMurry / Frances Willard: A Biography by Ruth Bordin / The Scarlet Sisters: Sex, Suffrage, and Scandal in the Gilded Age by Myra MacPherson


    FICTION/NONFICTION

    Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

    Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else by Chrystia Freeland

    Singapore: Unlikely Power by John Curtis Perry

    The Dinner List by Rebecca Searle

    Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. by Sam Wasson (2010)

    The Slenderman Mysteries: An Internet Urban Legend Comes to Life by Nick Redfern

    The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

    Pilgrim’s Wilderness by Tom Kizzia


    READING NOW

    Yes We (Still) Can by Dan Pfeiffer

    Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown

    The Secret Token by Andrew Lawler

    Forever Nerdy by Brian Posen

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    59 min
  • #12 Scandal!

    This week, Kim and Alice talk presidential scandals, Victorian affairs, and the inside scoop on the Jell-O dynasty.

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    57 min
  • #11 Nonfiction Beach Reads

    This week, Kim and Alice take a deep dive into types of nonfiction that are great for reading at the beach -- stunt and celebrity memoirs, science and nature stories, and historical true crime reads.

    While you’re here, don’t forget Book Riot’s YA giveaway! Go here to win $500 of the year’s best YA fiction and nonfiction: bookriot.com/500yagiveaway.


    FOLLOW UP

    From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein

    Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

    Drinking in America by Mark Edward Lender


    NEW BOOKS

    Barons of the Sea by Steven Ujifusa

    Blood and Ivy by Paul Collins

    A Bite-Sized History of France by Stephane Henaut (translated by Jeni Mitchell)

    Killing It: An Education by Camas Davis


    NONFICTION BEACH READS

    Stunt Memoirs!

    My Year with Eleanor by Noelle Hancock

    Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis

    The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

    The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman

    Nature/Science Books!

    A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

    The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

    Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

    The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

    A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

    The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan

    The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

    Light/Historical True Crime!

    The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum

    Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

    The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perry

    Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

    The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

    Comedy Memoirs!

    Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

    Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

    The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

    Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir by Eddie Huang

    I Know I Am But What Are You by Samantha Bee

    Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

    So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’All Don’t Even Know by Retta


    READING NOW

    Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

    Fighting Chance by Faye Dudden


    OTHER

    Ask a Slave (web series)

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    51 min
  • #10 Revolutionary History!

    This week, Alice and Kim talk Revolutionary War history, Persian empresses, and the tragic fire that society buried.

    While you're here, don’t forget Book Riot’s YA giveaway! Go here to win $500 of the year’s best YA fiction and nonfiction.

    bookriot.com/500yagiveaway

     

    NEW BOOKS

    Don't You Ever by Mary Carter Bishop                                  

    Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire by Robert E. Fiesler 

    Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan by Ruby Lal

    No One Tells You This: A Memoir by Glynnis MacNicol 

    From the Corner of the Oval by Rebecca Dorey-Stein

     

    WEEKLY THEME: Revolutionary History

    Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts

    Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts

    The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell

    Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

    Jefferson’s Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America by Catherine Kerrison

    Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

    Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

     

    SEGMENT THREE: Fiction/Nonfiction

    The Ensemble by Aja Gabel

    Gone by Min Kym

    The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte

    How to Build a Dinosaur: The New Science of Reverse Evolution by Jack Horner and James Gorman

     

    READING NOW

    Stalking God by Anjali Kumar

    Drinking in America: A History by Mark Edward Lender

     

    OTHER

    Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

    Age of Jackson Podcast

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    56 min
  • #9 Pride Month!

    This week, Kim and Alice dive into some new books and backlist reads to read during Pride Month (although, of course, they’re also great any time!).

    This week’s episode is sponsored by Book Riot’s Annotated, an audio documentary podcast series about books, language, and reading. Give it a listen!


    NEW BOOKS

    Alone Time by Stephanie Rosenbloom

    Troublesome Science by Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall

    The Ambition Decisions by Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace

    90s Bitch by Allison Yarrow

    Squeezed by Alissa Quart


    PRIDE MONTH!

    Dear John, I Love Jane by Candace Walsh

    Does Jesus Really Love Me? by Jeff Chu

    Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality by Jack Rogers

    Surpassing the Love of Men by Lillian Faderman

    Tomorrow Will be Different by Sarah McBride

    Then Comes Marriage by Roberta Kaplan with Lisa Dickey

    The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich


    READING NOW

    Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Eatwell

    Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Schaefer


    OTHER TITLES

    Momo by Michael Ende

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    55 min
  • #8 The Nonfiction of Book Expo

    This week, Kim and Alice do a recap of some of the best nonfiction of Book Expo America, the publishing industry's big trade show each spring.

    This episode is sponsored by Book Riot’s Annotated and Recommended podcasts. Give them a listen! And don’t forget that Book Riot is giving away a $500 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. Go to bookriot.com/bookstore500 before June 21 to enter.


    FOLLOW UP

    Locking Up Our Own by James Forman Jr.

    Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmeri

    Bombay Anna by Susan Morgan


    NEW BOOKS

    What Would the Great Economists Do? by Linda Yueh (June 5, Picador)

    The Secret Token by Andrew Lawler (June 5, Doubleday)

    First in Line by Kate Andersen Brower (June 5, Harper)

    Woman at the Devil’s Door by Sarah Beth Hopton (June 1, Indiana University Press)


    BOOK EXPO

    The Impatient Dr. Lange by Seema Yasmin (July 2018, Johns Hopkins University Press)

    Call Them By Their True Names by Rebecca Solnit (September 2018, Haymarket)

    American Prisons by Shane Bauer (September 2018, Penguin)

    One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson (September 2018, Bloomsbury)

    Black Flags, Blue Waters by Eric Jay Dolin (September 2018, Liveright)

    Born Criminal by Angelica Shirley Carpenter (September 2018, South Dakota Historical Society Press)

    Interior States by Meghan O'Gieblyn (October 2018, Anchor Books)

    8-Bit Apocalypse by Alex Rubens (October 2018, Overlook Press)

    How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England by Ruth Goodman (October 2018, Liveright)


    BEA EDITOR'S BUZZ (Nonfiction)

    Small Animals by Kim Brooks (August 21, Flatiron Books)

    The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman (Sept. 11, Ecco/HarperCollins)

    There Will Be No Miracles Here by Casey Gerald (October 2, Riverhead Books)

    Maid by Stephanie Land (January 2019, Hachette Books)


    READING NOW

    City of Devils by Paul French (July 2018, Picador)

    The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke


    OTHER TITLES

    Sioux Women by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

    Newjack by Ted Conover

    Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly

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    58 min
  • #7 Memorial Day Inspired Reads

    This week, Kim and Alice talk about books related to Memorial Day, lady serial killers, and some capital "R" Romantics.

    This episode is sponsored by American Fire by Monica Hesse.

    Follow Up

    Damnation Island and Imperfect Harmony by Stacy Horn

    New Books

    So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know by Retta

    Baracoon by Zora Neal Hurston

    Great American Outpost by Maya Rao

    Like a Mother by Angela Garbes

    Feminist Freedom Warriors by Chandra Mohanty and Linda Carty

    Weekly Theme: Memorial Day

    Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel

    Drift by Rachel Maddow

    Mum's Army by Winifred Philips

    Ashley's War by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

    A Life in Secrets by Sarah Helm

    Fiction/Nonfiction

    Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

    Lady Killers by Tori Telfer

    Charlotte Brontë: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman

    Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

    Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon

    Reading Now

    Bombay Anna by Susan Morgan

    Locking Up Our Own by James Forman Jr.

    Don't forget! Book Riot is giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice. Visit bookriot.com/bookstore500 to enter!

     

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    57 min

About For Real

From the publisher's feed

For Real is a biweekly nonfiction podcast that puts the spotlight on new books and old favorites that tell it like it is, or at least try to.

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