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.
Latest Episodes
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Cats From Japan: "The Blanket Cats" by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and "Mornings Without Mii" by Mayumi InabaIn Japan they call it iyashakei – a term that can be applied to anything that is comforting and uplifting: a person, a meal, a walk in the park. These books fit the bill! -
Never trust the teller, trust the tale? Not when the "teller" is as compelling as the "tale!" -
The Weekly Reader's Marion Winik will be in conversation with four local writers who have been receiving raves for their new work in fiction and poetry. -
World War II and its aftermath left an indelible mark on the world and inspired countless artists to try to make sense of such a calamity. -
Joan Didion died in 2021, but interest in her life and work has only increased since then. -
Inheritance: "The Magnificent Ruins" by Nayantara Roy and "Like Mother, Like Mother" by Susan RiegerWe can inherit so many things from our ancestors – physical traits, like hair and eye color, a quick temper, musical talent, a bunch of money, maybe even a big old house! -
Joni Mitchell gets the biographical treatment in a pair of books as unconventional as the artist herself. -
We love short stories, and we're going to make you love them, too. -
Who hasn’t dreamed of running away, leaving it all behind, totally reinventing yourself? -
Great art is often created in the wake of terrible tragedy – think Guernica, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, The Vietnam Memorial.
The Weekly Reader
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On this edition of The Weekly Reader our book critic Marion Winik reviews the winners of this year's Booker Prize for Fiction, Bernadine Evaristo's Girl,… -
Since news of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal broke in 2017, the phrase "Me Too" has become standard shorthand for inappropriate sexual… -
On this episode of The Weekly Reader, we preview Myla Goldberg's Feast Your Eyes, our pick for the December meeting of our Book Club, and we also review… -
On this edition of The Weekly Reader, two new collections of short stories that run the gamut from funny to sad, and everything in between. We review… -
On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we celebrate the return of one of literature's most memorable recent characters, Olive Kitteridge. Book critic… -
On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new memoirs about growing up in extraordinary circumstances. Marion Winik shares her thoughts on… -
On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review the next selection for The Weekly Reader Book Club, Susan Orlean's The Library Book. It's part… -
On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review Stephen King's latest thriller, The Institute. Plus, our book critic Marion Winik recalls two other books… -
On this edition of The Weekly Reader, it's all about True Crime! We review Rachel Monroe's Savage Appetites, a new work of narrative non-fiction about… -
Who doesn't want to live in a mansion? On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review Ann Patchett's latest novel The Dutch House, and we remember Bill…
