"One of my favorite places to take a little walk around is the public cemetery, which is on a little hill that overlooks the bay. And you know, if you ever wanted to be buried somewhere, that's the place to be buried. And right across the street from it, and a little ways down the road is this beautiful canyon you can walk up. The trees are covered with Spanish moss, and there's fog. And so it's perfect place — if you believe in ghosts — to see one."

A murder mystery set in 1850's Monterey, California, Jane Smiley's latest novel, A Dangerous Business, is a bit of a departure for the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. She joins us on the show to take readers behind the scenes of her new book (as well as some of her earlier work) and talk about the books and writers who've inspired her along the way (including what she learned from reading Charles Dickens), what she loves about novels and more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie.

Featured Books (Episode):

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley

Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley

Moo by Jane Smiley

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

The Hundred Years Trilogy (Some Luck, Early Warning and Golden Age) by Jane Smiley

The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley

Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley

The Transylvanian Trilogy by Miklos Banffy (Vol 1) and (Vol 2 + 3)

The Kellys and the O'Kelleys: Or, Landlords and Tenants by Anthony Trollope

Featured Books (TBR Topoff):

The Collective by Alison Gaylin

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).