Check This Out with Rachel Barenbaum

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.

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. 

THE COMPLEX moves between the U.S. and modern India to follow the illicit liaisons, real estate dramas, political ambitions and betrayals of a prominent Delhi family, unraveling in the shadow of a nation's transformation.

A conversation with Deesha Philyaw and Gwydion Suilebhan from the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Foundation offering a behind-the-scenes look at what makes a book stand out—and their favorite books you might have missed.

Set in 13th-century Bruges, this historical debut centers on a young woman’s search for faith, agency, and love in a convent—and in a world that wants to silence her.

A sweeping, multi-generational story of a young woman obsessed with becoming an astronaut and escaping her complicated past, and the extraordinary lengths she will go to find space for herself.

The romantasy series that began with “Quicksilver” is back with “Brimstone.” Originally self-published, the series has been picked up by a traditional publisher and is back with more drama, higher stakes, and deadly consequences.

Told as a letter from mother to daughter, this luminous novel explores a moment of abandonment that stretches from ten days to ten years—and reshapes a family forever.

Maggie: Or A Man and A Woman Walk Into A Bar - When a young mother’s life unravels after a divorce and a cancer diagnosis, she spins her pain into sharp, comedic fiction that’s equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious.

 

The Bone Thief - When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town, a place with dark ties to an elite historical society, archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate.

In this debut novel, eight generations of a Black family in West Tennessee are visited by the Devil himself, each offered a different kind of salvation—while he wonders if redemption is possible for him, too.