Listen Up! August 2022 on Poured Over
We’ve been fans of Anthony Marra since his extraordinary debut, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and he joins us on the show to talk about his epic and often witty new novel, Mercury Pictures Presents, a story of love and war, of exile and finding home in unexpected places. Ryka Aoki dazzles with Light from Uncommon Stars—T.J. Klune and Becky Chambers are also big fans of this delightful coming-of-age novel about found family, space aliens, donuts, and much more. The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty is one of the most assured debuts we’ve read in years, and our hearts grew bigger with every page of this luminous novel. Jasmine Guillory is one of the most exciting writers working today, and her novels are pure delight; she joins us for a joyful conversation about her work before her latest book, Drunk on Love, lands in September. Jana Casale joins us on the show to talk about her How to Fall Out of Love Madly, (“Everyone who loves Sally Rooney should be reading Jana Casale!”says Julie Buntin, author of one of our favorite recent-ish debuts, Marlena.) Julian Barnes (The Sense of an Ending) delivers Elizabeth Finch, a deceptively slim novel about a middle-aged man and the professor who changes his life. Have you been marveling over the photos from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope like we have? Astrophysicist, folklorist and science communicator Dr. Moiya McTier shares her love of The Milky Way, the galaxy we all call home. Beth Macy returns with Raising Lazarus, her doggedly reported, page-turning follow-up to her last bestseller, Dopesick, the inspiration for the Emmy-nominated Hulu streamer of the same name. R.F. Kuang’s Poppy War series blew our minds wide open; just wait until you hear how she switched gears from space opera to dark academia with her newest novel, Babel. We finish out the month with Jessie Burton and The House of Fortune, a companion novel to her bestseller The Miniaturist, set in 18th Century Amsterdam.