Poured Over-logo

Poured Over

15 Favorites

Poured Over is a show for readers who pore over details, obsess over sentences and ideas and stories and characters; readers who ask a lot of questions, just like Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer, a career bookseller who's always reading. Follow us...

Location:

United States

Description:

Poured Over is a show for readers who pore over details, obsess over sentences and ideas and stories and characters; readers who ask a lot of questions, just like Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer, a career bookseller who's always reading. Follow us here for surprising riffs, candid conversations, a few laughs, and lots of great book recommendations from big name authors and authors on their way to being big names. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional bonus episodes on Saturdays).

Language:

English


Episodes
Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Karan Mahajan on THE COMPLEX

3/14/2026
The Complex by Karan Mahajan is a captivating family drama that moves between the US and India during a time of political transformation. Karan joins us to talk about Russian novels, the American Dream, New Delhi, connection, memory vs nostalgia, exile and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Complex by Karan Mahajan The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Paradise Lost by John Milton Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy This Is Not That Dawn by Yashpal The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing Ravelstein by Saul Bellow Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

Duration:00:46:03

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

T Kira Madden on WHIDBEY

3/12/2026
Whidbey by T Kira Madden is a gripping story of three women and the complex ties that bind them. T Kira joins us to talk about life-changing moments, balancing fact and fiction, immersive research, interactive reading, truth, storytelling and more with cohost Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Whidbey by T Kira Madden Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden Geek Love by Katherine Dunn Cruddy by Lynda Barry The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

Duration:00:49:24

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Caitlin Breeze on THE FOX HUNT

3/11/2026
The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze follows students at an elite university concealing a dark and deadly secret. Caitlin joins us to talk about the publishing process, attending Cambridge, patriarchy within academia, tradition, the gothic, fairy tales and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce Metamorphoses: Translated by Stephanie McCarter Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Duration:00:51:55

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Patricia Finn on THE GOLDEN BOY

3/10/2026
The Golden Boy by Patricia Finn is a deeply funny and tender novel following a former Hollywood executive who must finally confront a long-buried secret to build a brighter future. Patricia joins us to talk about ghostwriting, hope, voice, boundaries, Aristotle, connection and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Golden Boy by Patricia Finn The Correspondent by Virginia Evans The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst Angel Down by Daniel Kraus The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro My Antonia by Willa Cather Featured Books (TBR Top Off) The Golden Boy by Patricia Finn Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Duration:01:00:05

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Markus Zusak on THE BOOK THIEF

3/7/2026
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a beautiful, soul-searing story about the power of books. Markus joins us to talk about bookstores, looking back on the last 20 years, TBR piles, creative intuition, language, connection and more with cohost Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Book Thief by Markus Zusak I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye Blue Monday by Kurt Vonnegut Featured Books (TBR Top Off) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Lions' Run by Sara Pennypacker The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Duration:00:59:59

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ron Currie on THE SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE

3/5/2026
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie is a hard-boiled crime novel from a Pushcart Prize-winning author. Ron joins us to talk about beginning with character, Franco-Americans, imperfect love, the butterfly effect, Maine and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie Everything Matters by Ron Currie Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles by Ron Currie The One-Eyed Man by Ron Currie A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean

Duration:00:49:18

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Tayari Jones on KIN

3/3/2026
Kin by Tayari Jones examines the complex relationships between mothers, daughters, sisters and friends in the American South. Tayari joined us live at B&N Union Square to talk about Atlanta, Spelman College, tradition, family, friendship, community and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Kin by Tayari Jones Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones Sula by Toni Morrison Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Tar Baby by Toni Morrison How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Duration:00:42:46

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Cameron Sullivan on THE RED WINTER

2/28/2026
The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan weaves history with chilling mythology for a dark and haunting love story. Cameron joins us to talk about the Beast of Gevaudan, interconnected timelines, historical research, the supernatural, fight scenes and more with cohost Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova The World: A Family History of Humanity by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Duration:00:37:29

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Anna Quindlen on MORE THAN ENOUGH

2/26/2026
More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen is tender novel of self-exploration which reminds us it's never too late to discover something new about yourself. Anna joins us to talk about friendship, teachers, Jane Austen, motherhood, chosen family and more with guest host Brenda Allison. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Brenda Allison and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

Duration:00:54:45

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Michael Pollan on A WORLD APPEARS

2/24/2026
A World Appears by Michael Pollan is a fascinating meditation on the mysterious world we live in. Michael joins us to talk about sentience, theory of mind, AI, hubris, computers vs human brains, faith, immersive journalism and more with cohost Chris Gillespie. Featured Books (Episode): A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness by Michael Pollan This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan Featured Books (TBR Top Off) Replaceable You: : Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross

Duration:01:04:21

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Jo Nesbø on WOLF HOUR

2/21/2026
Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø is a gripping crime story centered on the chilling exploration of a murderer's mind. Jo joins us to talk about travel, crime novels, Minneapolis, taxidermy and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø The Bat by Jo Nesbø

Duration:00:44:01

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Nina McConigley on HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER

2/19/2026
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley follows two sisters who plot to kill their uncle in the summer of 1986. Nina joined us live at B&N Upper West Side to talk about story adaptation, the mythology of the American West, biracial characters, Wyoming, extraction, colonialism and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley Cowboys and East Indians by Nina McConigley Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Ulysses by James Joyce In the Distance by Hernan Diaz Stoner by John Williams Butcher's Crossing by John Williams A Passage to India by E.M. Forster Folktales from India by A.K. Ramanujan On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Duration:00:42:00

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Namwali Serpell on ON MORRISON

2/17/2026
On Morrison by Namwali Serpell is Toni Morrison like you've never seen her before. Namwali joins us to talk about teaching Morrison's texts, genre, the literary canon, language and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): On Morrison by Namwali Serpell Toni at Random by Dana Williams Beloved by Toni Morrison Jazz by Toni Morrison Seven Modes of Uncertainty by Namwali Serpell A Mercy by Toni Morrison Sula by Toni Morrison The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Black Book by Middleton A. Harris Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Tar Baby by Toni Morrison Corregidora by Gayl Jones Fish Tales by Nettie Jones Love by Toni Morrison Paradise by Toni Morrison Paradise Lost by John Milton The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain James by Percival Everett Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Moderation by Elaine Castillo Mansfield Park by Jane Austen God Help the Child by Toni Morrison Featured Books (TBR Top Off) God Help the Child by Toni Morrison Home by Toni Morrison

Duration:01:13:52

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Amity Gaige on HEARTWOOD

2/14/2026
Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a taut tale about mothers and daughters, survival and life. Amity joins us to talk about the Appalachian Trail, the COVID pandemic, loneliness, connection, friction, identity and more with guest host Brenda Allison. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Brenda Allison and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Heartwood by Amity Gaige Sandwich by Catherine Newman Wreck by Catherine Newman Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar

Duration:00:47:10

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Poured Over Double Shot: Matthew F. Delmont and Wil Haygood

2/13/2026
Until the Last Gun Is Silent by Matthew F. Delmont is a detailed account of the Vietnam War's effect on Black American communities and the ongoing fight for justice, from the battlefields to the home front. Matthew joins us to talk about PTSD, Coretta Scott King, questioning the historical record and more. The War Within a War by Wil Haygood analyzes the mirrored struggle of Black Americans who were on the frontlines during the Vietnam War with those living in the states and fighting for freedom. Wil joins us to talk about Skip Dunn, the intersection of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights revolution, Marvin Gaye and more. Listen in as these authors speak separately with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Featured Books (Episode): Until the Last Gun Is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and the Fight to Save America's Soul by Matthew F. Delmont Four Hours in My Lai by Michael Bilton and Kevin Slim Half American: The Heroic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad by Matthew F. Delmont The Bitter Heritage: Vietnam and American Democracy 1941-1966 by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. What Comes Naturally: Miscegenation Law and the Making of Race in America by Peggy Pascoe A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home by Wil Haygood Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History by Wallace Terry Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World by Wil Haygood Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America by Wil Haygood

Duration:01:28:15

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Chloe Michelle Howarth on HEAP EARTH UPON IT

2/12/2026
Heap Earth Upon It by Chloe Michelle Howarth is a razor-sharp tale of family and obsession from the author of Sunburn. Chloe joins us to talk about sibling dynamics, the Irish gothic, gender roles, childhood, queerness and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Heap Earth Upon It by Chloe Michelle Howarth Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth My Husband by Maud Ventura Creep by Emma van Straaten The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

Duration:00:44:45

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Patmeena Sabit on GOOD PEOPLE

2/10/2026
Good People by Patmeena Sabit is a riveting, timely and thought-provoking story of family and resilience. Patmeena joins us to talk about voice, writing in an interview style format, language, active reading, community and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Good People by Patmeena Sabit The 42nd Parallel: The U.S.A. Trilogy, Volume 1 by John Dos Passos

Duration:00:44:34

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Heather Ann Thompson on FEAR AND FURY

2/7/2026
Fear and Fury by Heather Ann Thompson revisits the shooting that rocked the Reagan 80s. Heather joins us to talk about the 1980s, digital archives, investigative journalism, media literacy, history and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage by Heather Ann Thompson Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson The Cycles of American History by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Duration:00:48:40

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Madeline Cash on LOST LAMBS

2/6/2026
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash is a witty and wry story centered on the enigmatic and ever-entertaining Flynn family. Madeline joins us to talk about world building, puns, humor, character and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Underworld by Don DeLillo The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt

Duration:00:47:12

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Adam Higginbotham on CHALLENGER

2/5/2026
Challenger by Adam Higginbotham is a definitive account of the infamous 1986 disaster told in a gripping, detailed account. Adam joins us to talk about the public's perception of NASA, the space shuttle program, investigative journalism, humanity, risk and more with cohost Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Challenger by Adam Higginbotham Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

Duration:00:52:24