In this episode of Afterhours at the Radio Bookclub, author Edward Hamlin talks more about the inspiration for his novel Sonata in Wax, including how the Spanish Flu pandemic and a tuberculosis outbreak ravaged Boston.

The January 2026 selection for the Radio Bookclub is "Sonata in Wax," by Edward Hamlin. The book weaves together two timelines: a contemporary story in 2018 about a music producer in Chicago, and a story set during World War I in Boston and France, that focuses on a mysterious, lost sonata recorded on wax cylinders.

In 2018, Ben Weil, the music producer, attempts to recreate the sonata that is recorded on the wax cylinders, and discovers more than he could have anticipated about the composer and performer.

 Listen to more of our conversation with R.L. Maizes, where she talks about being part of a writing community in Colorado, and the reality of being a writer after having had a career in law.

The December 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is "A Complete Fiction," by R. L. Maizes. The book tells the tale of two feuding authors: George Dunn, an author and editor at Peapod Press, a small publisher, and P.J. Larkin, an author who has accused him of plagiarizing her novel. At the center of the novel is the question "Who has a right to tell a story?" This interview was broadcast on KGNU at 9 am on Thursday, December 25, 2025. 

This special episode of the Radio Bookclub features book sellers from the Boulder Bookstore sharing their favorite books of the year.
Arsen Kashkashian's recommendations:

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Barrie Kenyon children's book recommendations: 

The 13th Day of Christmas (picture book) by Adam Rex

Flora and the Jazzers by Astrid Sheckels

Scarlet Morning by ND Stevenson 

Stephanie Schindhelm's recommendations:

Replaceable You. Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach

Ew It's Beautiful. A False Knees Comic Collection by Joshua Barkman 

Julia Atwood's recommendations: 

The Hounding: A Novel by Xenobe Purvis 

We Love You, Bunny: A Novel by Mona Awad 

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig 

Clement De Hoe's recommendation:

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm 

Stacy Silverstein Apple's recommendation:

Long Winter by Colm Tóibín 

Alyssa Galvin's recommendation:

Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers

Leah Powers' recommendation: 

Heart the Lover by Lily King 

Reghan Gillman's recommendation:

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth 

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Find out more about the upcoming reading retreat that will feature a special recording of the KGNU/Boulder Bookstore Radio Bookclub.

Listen to more of our conversation with author Robert McBrearty, where he talks about the art of the short story and combining light and dark tones in his stories.

Robert McBrearty's new collection of short stories is called "The Problem You Have." The stories explore the pressures of daily life, personal regrets, and the lasting impact of trauma. From a stranded man finding an unexpected bond in “Cold Night in Waterloo” to fathers and soldiers grappling with loss and moral dilemmas in “Convergence” and “Sarge and Hollings.” This interview was broadcast on KGNU at 9 am on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

Listen to more of our conversation with best-selling author Shelby Van Pelt from the live event at the Boulder Public Library Foundation gala on September 18, 2025. In this special Afterhours segment, Shelby answers questions from the audience. 

The October 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is Remarkably Bright Creatures, which tells the story of Tova Sullivan, an elderly widow who forms an unlikely friendship with Marcellus, a remarkably intelligent yet curmudgeonly Pacific octopus living at the aquarium where she works.

This episode was recorded at the Boulder Public Library Foundation annual gala on September 18, 2025, and was broadcast on KGNU on October 22, 2025, at 9 am.

Listen to more of our conversation with best-selling science writer David Baron from the live event at the Boulder Public Library on August 26, 2025 In this special Afterhours segment, David answers questions from the audience.