A new book from Lauren Groff is always a hit with us, from her early novels, The Monsters of Templeton and Arcadia, to her massive 2015 bestseller, Fates and Furies, and her story collections, Delicate Edible Birds and Florida. We can't get enough of her gorgeous sentences, evocative details, and the worlds she conjures. We'll follow Lauren anywhere, and now that includes a 12th Century Abbey; her fabulous new novel, Matrix, is out today, and it's our September Barnes & Noble Book Club selection. Lauren joins us on the show to talk about how the past and present collide in Matrix, her love of research, the joy of reading, and more. Featured books: Matrix by Lauren Groff, Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen, Middlemarch by George Elliott and Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Featured poets and writers: Emily Dickinson, Anne Carson, James Salter, Dennis Johnson, Grace Paley and Alice Munro. Produced/Hosted by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang.

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