In this episode, sponsored by Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids (Highlights Pres, Aug 10), Kaveh Akbar discusses ‘Pilgrim Bell’ (Graywolf, Aug 3), a stellar sophomore poetry collection in which “words assume physical, palpable form—as reverberations in the mouth and ear—but can just as easily take on a spectral aura, reminding us of worlds and selves no longer within reach….” (Andrew Chan, The New Yorker). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Reem Faruqi and Mikela Prevost, Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, Peter Bergen, and Anthony Veasna So.

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Britta Lundin discusses ‘Like Other Girls’ (FreeForm Books, Aug 3), an standout YA novel about an Oregon girl who goes out for her high school football team. Kirkus: “Fiercely charming and achingly relatable—a glorious, empowering touchdown” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Bill Harley, author of ‘Now You Say Yes’ (Peachtree Publishing, Aug 21), a poignant middle-grade novel Kirkus calls, “a grand journey measured in both physical and emotional distance.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Adama Bah, Alex Richards, and Katie Kitamura.

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Leigh Patel discusses ‘No Study Without Struggle: Confronting Settler Colonialism in Higher Education’ (Basic Books, July 20), “a lively, politically engaged jeremiad on issues of identity, multiculturalism, and efforts to redress enduring wrongs.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Victoria Ying, Dana Spiotta, and Rachel Cusk.

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7/20 episode summary: Katie Kitamura discusses ‘Intimacies’ (Riverhead, July 20), “a barbed and splendid meditation on peril” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Victor Piñeiro, author of ‘Time Villains’ (Sourcebooks, July 6), a “magnificent” new middle grade adventure (starred review). Then our editors join with their top picks in books for the week.

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7/13 episode summary: On this special Audiobooks Episode, Helen Ellis discusses recording the audiobook for her “smart, sassy, page-turning” new essay collection ‘Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light’ (Doubleday/Penguin Random House Audio, July 13). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Christine French Cully, Editor-in-Chief of Highlights for Kids, about the forthcoming anthology ‘Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids’ (Highlights Press, Aug. 10). Then editors Tom Beer, Vicky Smith, and Laura Simeon join Megan to discuss all things audiobook.

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6/29 episode summary: Anuk Arudpragasam discusses the novel ‘A Passage North’ (Hogarth, July 6), “A luminously intelligent, psychologically intricate novel - slow in always rewarding ways” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Shakirah Bourne, Yvonne Woon, and Diane Johnson.

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6/29 episode summary: Marie-Helene Bertino discusses the novel ‘Parakeet’ (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; June 2020), out now in paperback, “a vivid book about lives visited by violent strangeness but lived with authentic humor and hope” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Marilyn Singer and Leah Nixon, Kalynn Bayron, and Elin Hilderbrand.

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Philip D’Anieri discusses ‘The Appalachian Trail: A Biography’ (HMH, June 8), “an incisive take on an American treasure that shines with illuminating detail and insight” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Eva Montanari, Dhonielle Clayton et al, Matt Sullivan, and Jonathan Lee. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Dylan Thuras and Cecily Wong of Atlas Obscura about their forthcoming book Gasto Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide (Workman, Oct. 12).

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It’s the Pride Episode! celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ authors creators around the world. Author Grace Perry discusses ‘The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture’ (St. Martin’s Griffin, June 1), “a humorous and reflective journey of self-discovery via pop culture.” Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for Pride 2021, with books by Robin Stevenson and Julie McLaughlin, Adiba Jaigirdar, Sarah Schulman, and Casey McQuiston.

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Elissa Washuta discusses essay collection ‘White Magic’ (Tin House, April 27), which Kirkus calls “a fascinating magic trick of a memoir that illuminates a woman's search for meaning” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Alex Aster, Caroline O’Donoghue, Suzanne Simard, and Zakiya Dalila Harris.

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