2216 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-1660
© 2025 WYPR
WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore WYPF 88.1 FM Frederick WYPO 106.9 FM Ocean City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The Weekly Reader
Wednesdays at 2:33 p.m.

For lovers of literary fiction and memoir, The Weekly Reader is a four-minute round-up of the best new books on the national scene. University of Baltimore professor, author, and longtime All Things Considered commentator Marion Winik joins WYPR’s producer Lisa Morgan, former co-host of The Signal, in studio to share two picks each week.

They curate the best of the buzzy books you're hearing about elsewhere, and keeping an eye out for those of special interest to Baltimoreans. When Winik, who reviews for People, Kirkus Review, and the Washington Post, brings her trademark humor, thoughtful insights, and refreshing honesty to book criticism, it’s like having a new best friend with very good taste to guide you on your literary adventures.

  • Comic Novels: "Vera, or Faith" by Gary Shteyngart and "Run for the Hills" by Kevin Wilson
    Leave your everyday cares behind and enjoy a good laugh with us this week.
  • Adventures in Travel: "Culpability" by Bruce Holsinger and "Sky Daddy" by Kate Folk
    Travel makes you big!
  • Magnificent Memoirs: "Flowers and Locusts" by Martha Reid Paradis and "Not My Type" by E. Jean Carroll
    Life isn't always pretty, but a good memoir is a thing of beauty.
  • Magnificent Memoirs: "Flowers and Locusts" by Martha Reid Paradis and "Not My Type" by E. Jean Carroll
    Life's not always pretty, but it makes for great memoirs.
  • Seaside Reads: "Next to Heaven" by James Frey and "The Listeners" by Maggie Stiefvater
    Perfect companions to tuck in your tote bag this summer.
  • Must-Read Memoirs from Molly Jong-Fast and Sarah Wynn-Williams
    Some people are born with privilege; what they do with it makes all the difference.
  • Insiders: Dispatches from New York City and Hollywood
    Two new memoirs that take us behind the scenes of glamour and excess from glitzy publishing in NYC to filmmaking in Hollywood.
  • Women on Women: new books from Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson and Sophie Gilbert
    Influential women in the world of fashion and pop culture get the credit, and scrutiny, they deserve.
  • Great Debuts: Aaron John Curtis and Lucas Schaefer
    Exciting debut releases from two new American authors.
  • For Music Lovers: "Matriarch" by Tina Knowles and "Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine" by Callie Collins
    Sometimes, talent is in the blood.