Looking for your next great read? Ask a bookseller! Join us to check in with independent bookstores across the U.S. to find out what books they’re excited about right now.
One book, two minutes, every week.
From the long-running series on MPR News, hosted by Emily Bright. Whether you read to escape, feel connected, seek self-improvement, or just discover something new, there is a book here for you.
Bonnie Garmus's debut novel, “Lessons in Chemistry,” (https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9780593314487) published when she was in her 60s, hit the New York Times bestseller list and sparked a miniseries on Apple TV in 2023.
Garmus’ new novel “Peck & Peck” (https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9781668251065) features characters who are equally single-minded about their passions, though the subject is not chemistry but poetry, said bookseller Kia White of Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake.
“Peck & Peck” is set in 1980s New York City, where recent college grad Batter Gray has one real passion and skill: poetry. He lands what he thinks is his dream job at the prestigious poetry magazine “Peck & Peck,” where he winds up as a copy boy in the basement, which he refers to as the "bomb shelter." He quickly becomes embroiled in office drama. The magazine, for example, is run by twin brothers who hate each other.
White appreciated the “next level ridiculous” names of the characters, whom she describes as “both larger than life and super relatable.” Batter's mother, for example, is a typeface expert and designer.
“She treats her career and her passion so seriously, but also with so much joy, and I think that runs through the whole book,” White said. “There’s sort of humor in how seriously everybody is taking poetry and art, almost like they’re running it like a big corporate business. But also, the seriousness of that makes it all really beautiful.”
20 Oct 2026
Ask a Bookseller: 'Between Two Fires' by Christopher Buehlman
We can't let the Halloween season go without featuring one horror book, and Sarah Gerton of Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior said her pick is “Between Two Fires” (https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9781250439208) by Christopher Buehlman.
The setting is medieval France: The black plague era. A disgraced ex-knight named Thomas encounters a girl who tells him of her visions of a war between heaven and hell that will be raged over control of Earth. Are her words the ravings of a person gone mad, or is she expressing saintly visions? Thomas himself has lost his faith, but he finds himself accompanying the girl and a priest across France to help her with her quest.
"I would definitely recommend [this novel] for adults with a strong stomach," cautions Gerton. "This a very, very dark book, so all the trigger warnings [apply]."
And yet, this book has garnered a following. It was originally self-published in 2012, and over the years it gained such a devoted social media following that earlier this year, Tor — part of major publisher Macmillan — released a hard cover edition with black sprayed edges.
Gerton said she was struck by the tone, which to her felt epic and “almost biblical,” like the translation of an ancient tale. She'd love to see this story make its way to film.
“Some of the monsters that they encounter are, like, crazy, and like I would love to see this adapted. But at the same time, I don’t know how they could translate some of the battle scenes,” says Gerton.
Subscribe to The Thread newsletter (https://www.mprnews.org/newsletters)for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.
13 Oct 2026
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt’ by Ben Reeves
Amy Erickson of Bluebird Books in Detroit Lakes loved the novel “Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt” (https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9781668216361) by Ben Reeves, but it’s a difficult one to describe. The book is about a man named Travis, who lives in a normal apartment with a cat and has a job he takes seriously: he is literally Death.
“Please don't let that put you off, because it is actually really fascinating,” says Erickson.
Giving Death a name is not a punchline, nor is it morbid. Travis visits people in their final moments, offers comfort, and delivers them to where they go next (which is not specified in the book). Because Travis is constantly aware of everyone, everywhere, the novel is filled with vignettes and snippets of the lives of ordinary people in a way that reminded Erickson of Allen Levi’s blockbuster novel, “Theo of Golden.” (https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2026/03/21/ask-a-bookseller-theo-of-golden-by-allan-levi)
Travis does not intervene with a person’s fate. He avoids making friends with the living until he is drawn into the lives of the woman and her two daughters living across the hall, who invite him to take part in the precious moments of everyday life.
“It is so well written. I just fell in love with this book,” says Erickson.
Subscribe to the Thread newsletter (https://www.mprnews.org/newsletters)for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.
Who has been a guest on Ask a Bookseller
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Katherine Nazzaro
Jo Harkin
Aaron John Curtis
Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 41 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
62
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Contact Ask a Bookseller
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
