Libro.fm Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we chat with acclaimed author, poet, and painter Percival Everett to discuss his award-winning novel James— the 2024 National Book Award winner and Libro.fm’s Audiobook of the Year. Percival shares his thoughts on the magic of language, the role of place in storytelling, and the whirlwind experience of his recent book tour. He also reflects on balancing his many creative passions, his journey as a writer, and the profound power of literature.

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About Percival: Percival Everett is a celebrated American writer and a Distinguished Professor of English at USC whose 2024 novel James won the National Book Award. His work has earned numerous honors, including the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, the NBCC Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award, and the Windham-Campbell Prize. In 2023, his novel Erasure was adapted into the feature film American Fiction.

Get Percival’s books:

• James
• The Trees
• Erasure

Books discussed on today’s episode:

• The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
• Dvorak's Prophecy by Joseph Horowitz
• Last Room On The Left by Leah Konen
• The Snow Killer by Ross Greenwood
• We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

In this episode, we sit down with Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, author of The Undocumented Americans and Catalina, which was longlisted for the 2024 National Book Awards. Cornejo Villavicencio opens up about her experience with meeting readers for the first time and how the unpredictability of the publishing world has shaped her perspective. She also discusses the process of recording Catalina’s audiobook and how it led to her connecting with the novel in a deeper, more personal way.

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About Karla: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is an Ecuadorian-American writer and the author of The Undocumented Americans and Catalina. Catalina was longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction. Her work, which focuses on race, culture, and immigration, has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, Elle, Interview, and on NPR.

Get Karla's books:

• Catalina
• The Undocumented Americans

Books discussed on today’s episode:

• Model Home by Rivers Solomon
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
• The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi

On today's episode of the Libro.fm Podcast, we speak with Mairi Oliver, a bookseller and owner at Lighthouse Bookshop, a radical bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland. We discuss the shop's mission as an unapologetically activist radical bookshop and its commitment to promoting diverse voices and fighting for social justice. We also talk about the shop’s Pay It Forward program and the importance of accessibility in the book world.

Photo credit: Rethink Retail

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Books discussed on today’s episode: Namesake: Essays on a Warrior Woman by N.S. Nuseibeh

On today's episode of the Libro.fm Podcast, we sit down with NYT Bestselling author Claire Lombardo. We discuss her new book, Same As It Ever Was, as well as her previous novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had. We dive into her love for writing about family dynamics and the process of crafting realistic dialogue. She also shares what it’s like to be a bookseller at Prairie Lights Books and offers book recommendations.

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About Claire Lombardo: Claire Lombardo's debut novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had, was an instant New York Times bestseller and has been translated or is forthcoming in over a dozen languages. Her second novel, Same As It Ever Was, releases in June 2024. Her short fiction has appeared in, among others, Playboy, Barrelhouse Magazine, Little Fiction, and Longform.

Read Claire’s books:

• Same As It Ever Was
• The Most Fun We Ever Had

Books discussed on today's episode:

• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
• The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
• The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
• Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark
• American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
• The Shining by Stephen King
• Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes Hardcover by Eric LaRocca

In the final episode of our first-ever Libro.fm Podcast Extravaganza, we interview author Steven Rowley. We discuss "The Guncle" and its sequel, themes of grief and humor in his books, his experience narrating his own audiobooks, and more. The episode concludes with the hosts discussing plans for Independent Bookstore Day.

Photo credit: Afonso Salcedo

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About Steven Rowley: Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book of 2016, The Editor, named by NPR as one of the Best Books of 2019, The Guncle, a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for 2021 Novel of the Year and winner of the 22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor, and The Celebrants, a TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club pick. His fiction has been published in twenty languages. All of his books are in development for feature film or television adaptation.

Read Steven’s books:

• The Guncle
• The Guncle Abroad
• The Celebrants
• Lily and the Octopus
• The Editor

Books discussed on today's episode: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Block

In this episode of the Libro.fm Podcast Extravaganza, Craig and Karen interview Dr. Darcie Little Badger, author of "Elatsoe" and the prequel "Sheine Lende." Dr. Little Badger discusses her background as an oceanographer and her transition to full-time writing, the influence of her family on her work, and indigenous futurism.

Photo: Bekah M. Photography

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About Dr. Darcie Little Badger: Darcie Little Badger is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Nebula Award, an Ignyte Award, and a Newbery Honor and is on the National Book Awards longlist. Her third book, Sheine Lende, is the prequel to Elatsoe and will be published in 2024.

Read Darcie’s books:

• Elatsoe
• Sheine Lende
• A Snake Falls to Earth

Books discussed on today's episode:

• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
• The Grip of It by Jac Jemc
• James by Percival Everett

On today’s episode, we sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ‘Less,’ Andrew Sean Greer. We discuss how he approached writing the sequel ‘Less is Lost’, book recommendations, his favorite burrito in San Francisco, and what it's like to be a crossword clue and question on Jeopardy.

Photo credit: Kaliel Roberts

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About Andrew Sean Greer: Andrew Sean Greer is the author of seven works of fiction, including the bestsellers The Confessions of Max Tivoli and Less. Greer has taught at a number of universities, including Stanford and the Iowa Writers Workshop, been a TODAY show pick, a New York Public Library Cullman Center Fellow, a judge for the National Book Award, and a winner of the California Book Award and the New York Public Library Young Lions Award. He is the recipient of a NEA grant, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Read Andrew's books:

• Less is Lost
• Less
• The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells
• The Story of a Marriage

Books discussed on today's episode:

• The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
• The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
• Funny Story by Emily Henry

In this episode, we interview author Hanif Abdurraqib about his new book, "There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension," his writing process, and the themes of aging and mortality in his book. We also discuss his upcoming tour and the importance of place and community in his work, as well as his favorite style of french fry.

Photo: Kate Sweeney (https://www.katesweeneyphotography.com)

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About Hanif Abdurraqib: Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio, and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant. His most recent book, A Little Devil in America, was the winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Gordon Burns Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award. His first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was named one of the books of the year by NPR, Esquire, BuzzFeed, O: The Oprah Magazine, Pitchfork, and Chicago Tribune, among others.

Read Hanif’s books:

• There's Always This Year
• They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
• A Fortune For Your Disaster
• A Little Devil in America

Books discussed on today's episode:

• The Apology by Jimin Han
• The Men Can't Be Saved by Ben Purkert
• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

Join Craig and Karen for the first ever Libro.fm Podcast Extravaganza, a week-long celebration of authors, narrators, booksellers, and more leading up to Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday April 27th, 2024! Stay tuned for conversations with authors Hanif Abdurraqib, Andrew Sean Greer, Darcie Little Badger, and Steven Rowley. Libro.fm also has a huge sale and Golden Ticket Giveaway this week—head over to https://libro.fm/ibd for more details.

Use promo code: SWITCH when signing up for a new Libro.fm membership to get 2 extra free credits to use on any audiobooks.

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In this episode of the Libro.fm Podcast, we sat down with S.A. Cosby, bestselling author of All the Sinners Bleed and Razorblade Tears. We discussed his background and inspiration for becoming a writer, as well as his experiences with growing up in the South and writing a middle-grade book with Questlove.

Photo credit: From the author @leoking8473

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About S.A. Cosby: S. A. Cosby is an Anthony Award-winning writer from Southeastern Virginia. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Razorblade Tears & Blacktop Wasteland, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book, and was named a best book of the year by NPR, The Guardian, andLibrary Journal, among others. When not writing, he is an avid hiker and chess player.

Read S.A. Cosby’s books:

• Razorblade Tears
• All the Sinners Bleed
• My Darkest Prayer
• Blacktop Wasteland
• The Rhythm of Time

Books discussed on today's episode: Ozark Dogs Everybody Knows Beware the Woman Lowdown Road She’s Not Sorry Sociopath: A Memoir