Check This Out with Rachel Barenbaum

Ep. 165 NHPR Portia Elan: HOMEBOUND + Rachel Kanter for the Book Biz

In this novel of friendship and hard-won hope, four lives are entangled across time by one story, saved to a floppy disk in the 1980s and destined to ripple across the centuries. For fans of punk rock, robots, 80’s nostalgia, and post-apocalyptic pirates.

And on our Book Biz segment, bookseller Rachel Kanter discusses the boom in audiobooks.

Ep. 164 NHPR Bar Fridman-Tell: HONEYSUCKLE + Ron Charlies on the Book Biz

This debut novel, based on a Welsh myth, explores the themes of autonomy and choice when a lonely boy has a magical playmate created for him. It’s a lush, unsettling tale blending romance, horror, and fairytale elements, with a nod to Frankenstein.

And on our Book Biz segment, former Washington Post book critic, Ron Charles, on the future of literary criticism.

Ep. 163 NHPR H.M. Wolfe: DAGGERMOUTH + Sarah MacLean on the Book Biz

A viral dark dystopian romance set in a corrupt surveillance state ruled by the masked elite, following a mercenary who botches the assassination of the president’s son and ends up forced to marry him. Plus, Sarah MacLean discusses romance as the engine of the book industry. 

Ep 162 NHPR Susan Donovan Bernhard: WESTERLY

In a saga of survival and the secrets that haunt us, one desperate decision creates a fault line that spans decades and threatens to break a family wide open.

Ep. 161 NHPR Tolani Akinola: LEAVE YOUR MESS AT HOME + Laura B. McGrath discusses literary agents

In the wreckage of a fateful Thanksgiving reunion at their Nigerian-American family’s table, four siblings are forced to reckon with the past, take stock of what really matters, and find a way back to each other.

On the Book Biz we talk with Laura McGrath, an English professor at Temple University and the author of the new book, "Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction" about the role of agents in publishing today and whether we still need them.

Ep. 160 NHPR Stacia Stark: WE WHO WILL DIE

A young woman faces a deadly competition where survival depends on mastering forbidden powers she barely understands. As secrets about her past and the ruling powers emerge, Arvelle must decide whom to trust before the trials—and her enemies—claim her life.

Ep. 159 NHPR Daniyal Mueenuddin : THIS IS WHERE THE SERPENT LIVES + Vauhini Vara Discusses AI

Through intertwining narratives set in both the U.S. and Pakistan, the novel reveals how class, power, and desire trap its characters in cycles of deception and emotional isolation.

And on our segment, The Book Biz, journalist Vauhini Vara, author of "Searches; Selfhood in the Digital Age," discusses how AI is changing writing, reading, and publishing.

Ep. 158 NHPR Judy Batalion: THE LAST WOMAN OF WARSAW + Rachel Kanter of Lovestruck Books

In 1938, Fanny Zelshinsky, is deciding whether or not to go through with her upcoming wedding. Meanwhile, Zosia Dror has fled her religious family to become part of a new youth movement. But when artist Wanda Petrovsky goes missing, this unlikely duo works together to find Wanda before it’s too late.

And on our segment, The Book Biz, Rachel Kanter, owner and founder of Lovestruck Books, discusses digital-first publishing.

Ep. 157 NHPR Rebecca Lehman: THE BEHEADING GAME

We all know what happened to Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. But what if she woke up the day after her execution and took it upon herself to seek justice? A fantastical journey through the wilds of England and Tudor history, filled with danger and magic and steeped in Arthurian legend.

Ep. 156 NHPR Claire Oshetsky & Rachel Kanter: EVIL GENIUS and Lovestruck Books

EVIL GENIUS is a darkly comedic, surreal noir novel set in 1974 San Francisco, following 19-year-old Celia Dent as she becomes obsessed with murder and desire after a co-worker's death, leading her to challenge her controlling husband and her mundane life.

Also on the show we introduce a new recurring segment: The Book Biz. On this show, Rachel Kanter, the owner and founder of Lovestruck Books, talks about the growth of romance bookstores and how they are changing publishing.