On today's episode of the Libro.fm Podcast, we sit down with Christine Bollow, co-owner and events manager for the DC based, community-oriented Loyalty Bookstore. We discuss the importance of book events to communities, Christine’s previous career in audiobooks, how Loyalty raises up young authors and marginalized voices, and our least favorite household chores.

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Books discussed on today’s episode: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781250824479-light-from-uncommon-stars

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781549113482

In this episode of the Libro.fm Podcast, we interview Kalima DeSuze, the owner of Cafe con Libros, an intersectional feminist bookstore and coffee shop in Brooklyn, New York. Kalima discusses the challenges of running a bookstore, the importance of community support, and the decision-making process behind stocking books. She also talks about the power of book clubs as spaces for discussion and connection, and the role of audiobooks in making reading more accessible.

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Books discussed on today’s episode:

• The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

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