We need the escape that books provide now more than ever. So this week, we're joined by the National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas, calling in from Los Angeles, and New York Times-bestselling author and Books Are Magic owner Emma Straub, who's currently self-isolating with her family in Brooklyn. Throughout the episode, we share the books that are transporting us to the places we miss (New York City included) and the places we’ve never been (and can't wait to get to). Plus, we have tips for getting out of a reading rut, how to support local bookstores when they need it most, and more.

What we're reading right now:

All Adults Here by Emma Straub

Surviving Autocracy by Mashe Gessen

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

The Most of Nora Ephron by Nora Ephron

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin

Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman

The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante

The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Eagan

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Preorder, out June 2)

Middlemarch by George Elliot (a.k.a Mary Ann Evans)

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

My Autobiography of Carson McCulle…