Libro.fm Podcast: Recent Episodes
Libro.fm
Libro.fm - A monthly series of interviews and conversations with authors, narrators, and book lovers from the Libro.fm team.
On today's episode, we sit down with James McBride, a novelist, musician, and educator. We discuss his newest novel 'The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store', the writing process, the state of public education, the power of positive thinking, and much more.
Author photo credit: Chia Messina
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About James McBride: James McBride is an accomplished musician and author of the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, the #1 bestselling American classic The Color of Water, and the bestsellers Song Yet Sung and Miracle at St. Anna. He is also the author of Kill ’Em and Leave, a James Brown biography. A recipient of the National Humanities Medal in 2016, McBride is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
Read James' books:
- Deacon King Kong
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
- The Color of Water
- Five-Carat Soul
- The Good Lord Bird
Books we discussed on today's episode:
- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
- Happiness by Matthieu Ricard
- Pretend I'm Dead by Jen Beagin
- Gone to the Wolves by John Wray
On today's episode, we chat with Nadia Odunayo, Founder and CEO of The StoryGraph, an indie alternative to Amazon-owned Goodreads. We discuss how The StoryGraph was founded, how it grew, and where it's going next, as well as the importance of indie companies in an ever-monopolized industry.
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About Nadia Odunayo: Nadia is the founder and CEO at The StoryGraph. She studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at University College, Oxford. She is a fan of fiction & storytelling, and how these can be used as tools for education, the process and execution around building products, particularly from scratch, and singing & dance.
Books we discussed on today's episode:
- The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
- American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
- Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan
- Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
- American Queen by Sierra Simone
- The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine
On today’s episode, we speak with author V.E. Schwab about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue coming to paperback, the forthcoming addition to the Shades of Magic series, fan art, book tours, and more!
Author photo credit: Jenna Maurice
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Use promo code: LIBROPODCAST when signing up for a Libro.fm membership to get an extra free credit to use on any audiobook.
About V.E. Schwab's: VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
Listen to V.E. Schwab's books:
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
- A Darker Shade of Magic
- Gallant
- The Fragile Threads of Power
- Vicious
Books we discussed on today's episode:
- Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
- Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
- Pageboy by Elliot Page
- I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
On today's episode we travelled to Nashville, TN and sat down in-person for a conversation with author and owner of Parnassus Books, Ann Patchett, to discuss bookstores, audiobooks, licorice, and more.
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About Ann: ANN PATCHETT is the author of seven novels and was the editor of Best American Short Stories, 2006, and has written three books of nonfiction. In November, 2011, she opened Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, with her business partner Karen Hayes. She has since become a spokesperson for independent booksellers, championing books and bookstores.
Use promo code: LIBROPODCAST when signing up for a Libro.fm membership to get an extra free credit to use on any audiobook.
Some of Ann's books:
- The Dutch House
- These Precious Days
- Commonwealth
- Bel Canto
- State of Wonder
- This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Other audiobooks mentioned:
- Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
- The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
- Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
On today's episode we have a conversation with novelist Olivie Blake. She is the author of The Atlas Six, The Atlas Paradox, and many more! We discuss how she pivoted careers, how her book went viral on TikTok, and whats coming up next!
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About Olivie Olivie Blake is the pseudonym of Alexene Farol Follmuth, a writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. She is the author of multiple novels, anthologies, graphic novels, and film scripts, including the internationally bestselling THE ATLAS SIX from Tor Books, with forthcoming TV adaptation from Amazon Studios and Brightstar Productions.
Olivie's books
- The Atlas Six
- The Atlas Paradox
- Masters of Death
- One for My Enemy
- Alone with You in the Ether
Other audiobooks mentioned
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
- If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- Fault Lines by Emily Itami
- Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
- The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
On today's episode we have a conversation about banned books, censorship, and more with Traci Thomas (Host of The Stacks Podcast), Martha Hickson (A high school librarian from New Jersey), Kiese Laymon (author of 'Heavy' and Professor of Creative Writing and English at Rice University), and Nicole Lintemuth (owner of Bettie's Pages bookstore in Lowell, MI).
TRANSCRIPTION: Read transcription of this episode here
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Books mentioned
- Lawnboy by Jonathan Evison
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
- Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
- This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
- All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
- The Black Period by Hafizah Augustus Geter
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- Brown and Gay in LA by Anthony Christian Ocampo
- Fight Like Hell by Kim Kelly
On today's episode we have a conversation with novelist Emma Straub. She is the author of This Time Tomorrow, Modern Lovers, All Adults Here, and many more! She owns and runs an amazing bookstore, Books Are Magic, based in Brooklyn, New York.
TRANSCRIPTION: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kiNJchlDrRmGuUZFm4UNkQxB_7FW1dNOGa3rD5ZQ4T0/edit?usp=sharing
About Emma Emma Straub is the New York Times-bestselling author of five novels—This Time Tomorrow, All Adults Here, The Vacationers, Modern Lovers, Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures—and the short story collection Other People We Married. Her books have been published in more than 20 languages, and All Adults Here is currently in development as a television series. She and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York.
Emma's books
- This Time Tomorrow
- Modern Lovers
- All Adults Here
- The Vacationers
- Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures
- Other People We Married
Other audiobooks mentioned
- The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
- On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
- Recitatif by Toni Morrison
- Heartburn by Nora Ephron
- Heiresses by Laura Thompson
- I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
On today's episode we chat with Clint Smith a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, and the poetry collection Counting Descent.
Episode Transcription
About this month's guest: Clint has received fellowships from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, New America, the Emerson Collective, the Art For Justice Fund, Cave Canem, and the National Science Foundation. His essays, poems, and scholarly writing have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review, the Harvard Educational Review, and elsewhere. He is a former National Poetry Slam champion and a recipient of the Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review.
Clint's books:
- How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
- Counting Descent
Use promo code: LIBROPODCAST when signing up for a Libro.fm memberhsip to get an extra free credit to use on any audiobook.
Audiobooks mentioned in this episode:
- The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
- The Movement Made Us by David J. Dennis Jr. & David J. Dennis Sr.
- An Immense World by Ed Yong
- Lost & Found: A Memoir by Kathryn Schulz
- The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.
- Dirty Work by Eyal Press
On today's episode we chat with author and narrator Julia Whelan. She is an Audie award winning narrator who has narrated over 500 books and also authored multiple books of her own. We discuss a wide range of topics including her new book Thank You For Listening (on sale 8/2/22), the audiobook industry, how narration works, what AI means to the industry and more!
About this month's guest: Whelan is one of the top narrators recording today. She was named Audible’s Narrator of the Year in 2014 and is a Grammy-nominated audiobook director. She has acquired multiple Audies and Society of Voice Arts Awards, including for the performance of her own novel, My Oxford Year. She has won dozens of Earphone Awards, The Audie Award for Best Female Narrator of 2019, and was presented with Audiofile Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Golden Voice Award in 2020.
She can be found on Instagram @JustJuliaWhelan, Twitter @JustJuliaWhelan, and TikTok @JustJuliaWhelan.
Julia's books:
- Thank You for Listening
- My Oxford Year
Use promo code: LIBROPODCAST when signing up for a Libro.fm memberhsip to get an extra free credit to use on any audiobook.
Audiobooks mentioned in this episode:
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
- Educated by Tara Westover
- Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
On this month's episode we chat with Kendra Winchester of Book Riot and Read Appalachia. We talk about audiobooks and why they DO count as reading, Disability Pride Month, Appalachian writing and literature, podcasting, and more.
About this month's guest: Kendra Winchester is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot where she writes about audiobooks and disability literature. She is also the Founder of Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Previously, Kendra co-founded and served as Executive Director for Reading Women, a podcast that gained an international following over its six-season run. In her off hours, you can find her writing on her Substack, Winchester Ave, and posting photos of her Corgis on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester.
Use promo code: LIBROPODCAST when signing up for a Libro.fm memberhsip to get an extra free credit to use on any audiobook.
Audiobooks mentioned in this episode:
- Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau
- Disability Visibility by Alice Wong
- True Biz by Sara Novic
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell
- Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
Trailer for the Libro.fm podcast, a monthly series of interviews and conversations about audiobooks with authors, narrators, booksellers, and the Libro.fm staff.
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On this week's episode, Karen and Craig chat with the Libro.fm staff about the things we do while we listen to our audiobooks. From long car drives to weight lifting and everything in between.
Get more ideas for listening activites on the Libro.fm blog:
- 18 Things to Do While You Listen to an Audiobook
- 8 Top Audiobook Listening Activities
Who we chat with this week:
- Jenna Clark (Software engineer)
- Madi Mullen (Product manager)
- Nick Johnson (Creative director)
- Avery Johnson (Android developer)
The audiobooks we discuss:
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
- 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting by Miles Rapoport and E.J. Dionne
- Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
- The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
- Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis
- Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
- Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
- Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard
- Shopgirl by Steve Martin
- Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
- Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Welcome to the first ever episode of the Libro.fm podcast!
On today's episode we interview the founders of Libro.fm, Mark, Nick, and Carl about how the business got started, how it grew to where it is today, and where it's headed in the future!
Use the promocode LIBROPODCAST for a free audiobook when you sign up for a new membership.
Learn more at:
- http://www.libro.fm