Steve Bertrand on Books

Nightlife is under attack. In Imogen Willetts’ book Up All Night, she says the UK lost half of its nightclubs from 2013 to 2024. And the story is the same elsewhere. Why is that and is the traditional Saturday night doomed? Willetts talks with Steve about the history of nightlife, going back to feudal Japan, and its future, a future that you might be holding in your hand right now. 

Would you buy a house where you know something terrible had happened in the past? That’s the question behind “Buyer Beware,” the latest novel from Irish writer Catherine Ryan Howard. She talks with Steve about her novel, about watching her earlier books adapted for TV, and about and about one of her favorite breakfast places in Dublin, which happens to be Steve’s favorite as well. 

If you’re a fan of British crime drama, you probably know Mark Billingham. His Tom Thorne series, and other projects, have made the jump to TV. His latest novel is The Shadow Step, the third in his Detective Declan Miller series. Miller is a good cop who likes to crack a joke. Some of them are funny. Some, not so much. Billingham talks with Steve about Miller, ballroom dancing, and those author book signings when no one shows up! 

You might know novelist Steven Rowley for his book The Guncle or The Guncle Abroad. His lead character really travels in his latest, Take Me With You. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and finding a bright light inviting you to be swept off to outer space. Would you go with and learn the secrets of the universe, or would you stay ground on earth in the company of your loved ones?  Steven might surprise you with his answer.

Ben Reeves has written a beautiful debut novel about…death. Travis seems like an ordinary guy; he’s single and lives alone with his cat in his apartment. But his job is to be with us when we die. Some of us recognize him at that moment while others don’t. Either way, Reeves’ accounts of their deaths remind us that ours is coming. But…don’t let that get you down. In the end, readers will be uplifted by the wonderful novel. In learning that death is everywhere, we realize that life is, too. Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt deserves to be the word-of-mouth book of the summer. Listen to our chat and then read the book!

You have too much stuff and Alan Anderson is the guy who convinced you to buy it. Now he sees the error of his ways and he’s shunned his worldly goods, living in a shed in his backyard and bathing in Long Island Sound. That’s the notion behind this very funny novel from Courtney Maum: Alan Opts Out. While advertising executive Alan is clearing out the clutter, his wife is collecting more. Maum tells us what we all know: we’re too consumed with consumerism. Maybe Alan has the right idea? Courtney laughs along with Steve as she speaks…from a shed in her backyard.

You might know Bobby Finger from his two earlier novels, The Old Place and Four Squares, or maybe you follow his podcast, Who? Weekly, where he and his cohost Lindsey Weber keep track of would-be celebrities so you won’t have to. His latest novel is We Are Gathered Here Today, where he returns to Texas for a funny and meaningful look at marriage: gay, straight, or whatever.

New York Times bestselling author Lisa See’s latest book is Daughters of the Sun and Moon. Publisher’s Weekly calls it one of the best books of the summer. She talks with Steve about the little-known story of the 1870 massacre of Chinese immigrants in what was then a small, dusty and very dangerous Los Angeles.

In this week’s podcast, Steve catches up with author Phil Melanson as he teaches in London. Phil is the author of Florenzer…it’s a great account of life in Medici Florence told through the lives of Lorenzo de Medici, Francesco Salviati and Leonardo de Vinci. The book is now in paperback.

Chicago writer Melanie Benjamin has made a career out of writing historical fiction with stories that largely center around women. Put another way, Melanie has given us fictional accounts of our non-fiction world. In her latest, The Windsor Affair, she looks into the abdication of King Edward Vlll. It’s a story that’s been told many times, but not like this. The Windsor Affair focuses on the rivalry between Wallis Simpson and Queen Elizabeth, the woman we would later know as the Queen Mum. Melanie talks with Steve about her writing, her love of Chicago, and more.