KGNU Radio Book Club

Listen to more of our conversation with Laura Pritchett where she talks more about nature writing and the urgency for literature to address the climate crisis. 

The April 2026 selection for the Radio Book Club is "Three Keys" by Colorado author Laura Pritchett. The novel follows Ammalie, a recently widowed woman who sets out on a journey across the Mountain West and eventually to New Zealand. Along the way, she begins to reconsider her role as a mother, what it means to be a woman in her fifties, and how to navigate life after the loss of her husband.The three keys in the title refer both to literal keys that give Ammalie access to empty homes during her travels, and to three significant people in her life, as well as the new connections she forms along the way.The novel explores themes of grief, invisibility, middle age and self-discovery.This interview was broadcast on KGNU at 9 am on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

In this edition of Afterhours at the Radio Book Club, author Thea Weiss answers questions from the audience. This episode was recorded at Chautauqua as part of the inaugural Boulder Bookstore Reading Retreat on Sunday, March 1st, 2026. Thea talks more about her debut novel The Second Chance Cinema, and how her background as a screen writer influenced the book.

The March 2026 selection for the Radio Book Club is "The Second Chance Cinema" by Thea Weiss. The novel blends magical realism and  romance, telling the story of Ellie and Drake, an engaged couple preparing for their wedding. When they stumble upon a mysterious, seemingly abandoned movie theater, they find it’s anything but empty. Inside, films begin to roll, but instead of fictional stories on the screen, they see movies of their own pasts, revealing secrets each has kept hidden, not only from each other, but from themselves. This episode was recorded at Chautauqua as part of the inaugural Boulder Bookstore Reading Retreat on Sunday, March 1st, 2026.This interview was broadcast on KGNU at 9 am on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

In this episode of Afterhours at the Radio Book Club, Peter Heller answers questions from the audience at the event that was recorded at the Boulder Public Library on Thursday, January 15th, 2026. Peter talks about his writing process, the upcoming movie version of his novel The Dog Stars, and his favorite places to visit in Boulder.

The February episode of the Radio Bookclub features The Orchard, the latest novel by best-selling author Peter Heller. The story's protagonist is Frith, a little girl who lives with her mother, Hayley, on a remote Vermont apple orchard. The story weaves in strands of Chinese poetry to explore memory, loss and the enduring complexity of love between parent and child. This episode was recorded at the Boulder Public Library on Thursday, January 15th, 2026.

In this episode of Afterhours at the Radio Bookclub, author Edward Hamlin talks more about the inspiration for his novel Sonata in Wax, including how the Spanish Flu pandemic and a tuberculosis outbreak ravaged Boston.

The January 2026 selection for the Radio Bookclub is "Sonata in Wax," by Edward Hamlin. The book weaves together two timelines: a contemporary story in 2018 about a music producer in Chicago, and a story set during World War I in Boston and France, that focuses on a mysterious, lost sonata recorded on wax cylinders.In 2018, Ben Weil, the music producer, attempts to recreate the sonata that is recorded on the wax cylinders, and discovers more than he could have anticipated about the composer and performer.

 Listen to more of our conversation with R.L. Maizes, where she talks about being part of a writing community in Colorado, and the reality of being a writer after having had a career in law.

The December 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is "A Complete Fiction," by R. L. Maizes. The book tells the tale of two feuding authors: George Dunn, an author and editor at Peapod Press, a small publisher, and P.J. Larkin, an author who has accused him of plagiarizing her novel. At the center of the novel is the question "Who has a right to tell a story?" This interview was broadcast on KGNU at 9 am on Thursday, December 25, 2025. 

This special episode of the Radio Bookclub features book sellers from the Boulder Bookstore sharing their favorite books of the year. Arsen Kashkashian's recommendations:What We Can Know by Ian McEwanThe Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham JonesMartyr! by Kaveh AkbarBarrie Kenyon children's book recommendations: The 13th Day of Christmas (picture book) by Adam RexFlora and the Jazzers by Astrid SheckelsScarlet Morning by ND Stevenson Stephanie Schindhelm's recommendations:Replaceable You. Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary RoachEw It's Beautiful. A False Knees Comic Collection by Joshua Barkman Julia Atwood's recommendations: The Hounding: A Novel by Xenobe Purvis We Love You, Bunny: A Novel by Mona Awad The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig Clement De Hoe's recommendation:There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm Stacy Silverstein Apple's recommendation:Long Winter by Colm Tóibín Alyssa Galvin's recommendation:Monk & Robot by Becky ChambersLeah Powers' recommendation: Heart the Lover by Lily King Reghan Gillman's recommendation:Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth __________________________________________________________________________________Find out more about the upcoming reading retreat that will feature a special recording of the KGNU/Boulder Bookstore Radio Bookclub. 

Listen to more of our conversation with author Robert McBrearty, where he talks about the art of the short story and combining light and dark tones in his stories.

Robert McBrearty's new collection of short stories is called "The Problem You Have." The stories explore the pressures of daily life, personal regrets, and the lasting impact of trauma. From a stranded man finding an unexpected bond in “Cold Night in Waterloo” to fathers and soldiers grappling with loss and moral dilemmas in “Convergence” and “Sarge and Hollings.” This interview was broadcast on KGNU at 9 am on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

Listen to more of our conversation with best-selling author Shelby Van Pelt from the live event at the Boulder Public Library Foundation gala on September 18, 2025. In this special Afterhours segment, Shelby answers questions from the audience. 

The October 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is Remarkably Bright Creatures, which tells the story of Tova Sullivan, an elderly widow who forms an unlikely friendship with Marcellus, a remarkably intelligent yet curmudgeonly Pacific octopus living at the aquarium where she works.This episode was recorded at the Boulder Public Library Foundation annual gala on September 18, 2025, and was broadcast on KGNU on October 22, 2025, at 9 am.

Listen to more of our conversation with best-selling science writer David Baron from the live event at the Boulder Public Library on August 26, 2025 In this special Afterhours segment, David answers questions from the audience. 

The September 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America, the latest book by best-selling science writer David Baron.In the early 1900s, “Mars mania” gripped America, driven by astronomer Percival Lowell’s claim that vast canals on Mars revealed an advanced civilization. In his new book, David Baron recounts how Lowell’s vision of a utopian Mars captured the public imagination, inspiring lectures, books, and even serious debate from figures like Nikola Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell.This episode was recorded at the Boulder Public Library on August 26, 2025, and was broadcast on KGNU on September 25, 2025, at 9 am.

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, Erika Wurth talks about themes of identity in her new book, The Haunting of Room 904, and she discusses her writing process and why she is attracted to horror as a genre.

The August 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is The Haunting of Room 904, the latest novel by author Erika Wurth.As with Erika’s previous book White Horse, this is a horror novel that incorporates Native American history and mythology. The story tells the story of Olivia Becente, who discovers she has the ability to commune with the dead after her sister Naiche dies unexpectedly and under strange circumstances in room 904 of the Brown Palace in Denver. Olivia becomes a paranormal investigator who must confront her sister’s death, and a mysterious and possibly dangerous cult.

In this episode, David Hicks talks more about his new book, The Gospel According to Danny, and discusses life as a professor who teaches writing. 

The July 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is The Gospel According to Danny, the latest novel by author David Hicks.The story follows Danny Gausepohl, a man who appears to have it all — a marriage to his college sweetheart and a steady job as head waiter at a local restaurant. But as the nation reels from tragedies like the Columbine shooting and the Sept. 11 attacks, Danny finds his own life unraveling.As he navigates personal and national upheaval, Danny struggles to hold on to his identity as a husband, father and American. Hicks’ novel is described as “a deeply human story about love, fatherhood, and the cost of a divided nation.”

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Marcia Douglas answers questions from the audience at the live taping of the show at the Boulder Bookstore on May 13, 2025. Marcia's latest book is The Jamaica Kollection of the Shante Dream Arkive: Being Dreamity, Algoriddims, Chants & Riffs.

In this episode, we speak with Marcia Douglas about her latest book, which weaves together stories from the past with the present day. It follows a young woman, known to the reader only as 20A, who is fleeing immigration officers in the United States, and combines it with the stories of many other lives, including that of an enslaved woman fleeing her captors. The stories are juxtaposed against botanical, animal, and planetary migrations in Jamaica. This episode was taped in front of a live audience at the Boulder Bookstore on May 13, 2025.

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Stephen Graham Jones answers questions from the audience at the live taping of the show at the Boulder Public Library on April 9, 2025. Stephen’s latest book, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, is a historical horror novel featuring a vampire seeking vengeance for the 1870 massacre of members of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana by U.S. Army forces.

The May 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by bestselling horror author Stephen Graham Jones. Set against the backdrop of the 1870 Marias Massacre, in which U.S. Army forces murdered members of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, this historical novel follows a vampire named Good Stab on a decades-long quest for justice. Years later, Good Stab recounts his tale of vengeance to a Lutheran minister who records the tale in his diary.This special episode of the Radio Bookclub was recorded before a full house at the Boulder Public Library auditorium on April 9. It marks Stephen Graham Jones’ sixth appearance on the Radio Bookclub.

In this edition of Afterhours at the Radio Bookclub, author Jon Bassoff answers questions from the audience at a live taping of the show at the Boulder Bookstore on March 7, 2025. Erika Krouse's latest book, his tenth, is a psychological thriller, The Memory Ward.

The April 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is Memory Ward, the latest book by Longmont author Jon Bassoff. The psychological thriller is set in Bethlam, Nevada, a seemingly perfect suburban idyll. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.Postal worker Hank Davies begins to suspect something is off and sets out to uncover what’s real and what isn’t.This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Boulder Bookstore on March 7, 2025.The episode aired on KGNU Thursday, April 24, at 9 a.m.

In this edition of Afterhours at the Radio Bookclub, author Erika Krouse answers questions from the audience at a live taping of the show at the Boulder Bookstore on March 12, 2025. Erika Krouse's latest book is a collection of short stories, Save me Stranger.

The March 2025 edition of the Radio Bookclub welcomes local author Erika Krouse for a return visit. Erika's latest book is a collection of short stories called Save Me Stranger. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Boulder Bookstore on March 12. This episode was broadcast on KGNU on March 26, 2025.

In this special podcast-only conversation, author Kristin Koval speaks about how she became a writer after many years of working as a corporate lawyer and why she moved from New York City to Colorado. 

 The February 2025 selection for the Radio Bookclub is Penitence, the debut novel by author Kristin Koval. Set in a fictional ski town in southwest Colorado, the book centers on a shocking crime—a fratricide—that tests the limits of a family's capacity for forgiveness. 

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Kaveh Akbar talks about using dream sequences in his novel Martyr! and how the novel also explores themes of identity.

The January selection for the Radio Bookclub is Martyr! the debut novel by Iranian American poet Kaveh Akbar. A finalist for the 2024 National Book Award, the book examines the concept of martyrdom and what it means to have a meaningful death.

 In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Steven Dunn talks more about writing books collaboratively as well as his new projects, which includes a travel book about the rapper Nas. 

The December selection for the Radio Bookclub is Tannery Bay, a novel co-written by Steven Dunn and Katie Jean Shinkle. The story takes place in the fictional town of Tannery Bay, where residents are stuck in a perpetual July. Caught in this eternal loop, the townspeople unite in defiance of The Owners, who control the local tannery, casino, and newspaper.With elements of magical realism, the novel explores themes of Black joy, Queer joy, and the transformative power of art and love.Steven Dunn joined the Radio Bookclub to discuss the novel. The episode aired on KGNU on Thursday, Dec. 26, at 9 a.m.

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author William T. Taylor speaks more about the history of horses. He talks about efforts to domesticate zebras, how we’re rethinking archaeology and historical research to include Indigenous perspectives.

Dr. William T. Taylor is an Assistant Professor and Curator of Archaeology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, whose work explores the domestication of the horse and the ancient relationships between people and animals. In his new book Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History, he explores how four dynamic pulses (hoof ‘beats’) in the story of humans and horses – their initial domestication, the invention of horse transport, the explosive shift to mounted riding, and their dispersal into the New World – transformed ancient societies and created the world we live in today.

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Bonnie Garmus speaks more about her best-selling novel Lessons in Chemistry, and answers questions from the audience at this live taping of the Bookclub at the Boulder Library Foundation’s 50-year gala celebration on September 26, 2024.

The October selection for the Radio Bookclub is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the novel follows Elizabeth Zott, a scientist who faces misogyny in her research career and ultimately becomes the host of a TV cooking show, Supper at Six, inspiring countless women. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Boulder Public Library on September 26, 2024, as part of the Boulder Library Foundation’s 50-year gala celebration.This episode was broadcast on KGNU on Thursday October 24 at 9.00am.

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Peter Heller answers questions from the audience at this live taping of the Bookclub at the Boulder Bookstore. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Boulder Bookstore on August 27th, 2024. Listen to the broadcast interview with Peter Heller where he talks about his latest novel Burn. That interview was broadcast on KGNU on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 9.00 am.

The September selection for the Radio Bookclub is Burn, the latest novel by Peter Heller. The novel is set in rural Maine and tells the story of two men, Jess and Storey — friends since boyhood — who emerge from the woods after a hunting trip to find a dystopian country wracked by bewildering violence. This is Peter’s sixth time as a guest at the Radio Bookclub. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Boulder Bookstore on August 27th, 2024. This episode was broadcast on KGNU on Thursday September 26th at 9.00am.

This month's guest on the KGNU Radio Bookclub is Kyla Scanlon, author of "In This Economy? HOW MONEY & MARKETS REALLY WORK".Scanlon is an economic commentator who explains how the economy works on social media platforms and has become one of the internet's most popular financial educators.Her new book expands on that work and is an illustrated guide to the mad math and terrible terminology of economics, examining and explaining everything from the national debt to mortgage rates.She coined the term "vibecession" to explain the disconnect between the economy of a country and the general public's negative perception of it. You can find Kyla on social media platforms (@kylascan) and sign up to her newsletter.This episode aired on August 29, 2024.

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Peter Heller answers questions from the audience at the Boulder Bookstore on August 17. Listen to the broadcast interview with Peter Heller where he talks about his latest novel, The Last Ranger. That interview was broadcast on KGNU on Thursday, August 24 at 9 am.

The August selection for the Radio Bookclub is the Last Ranger by Colorado author Peter Heller. The book tells the story of Officer Ren Hopper, an enforcement ranger with the National Park Service, tasked with duties both mundane and thrilling. When Ren, hiking through the backcountry on his day off, encounters a tall man with […]

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Finn Murphy answers questions from the audience at the Boulder Bookstore on June 22. Listen to the broadcast interview with Finn Murphy where he talks about his latest book, Rocky Mountain High. That interview was broadcast on KGNU on Thursday, July 27 at 9 am.

The July selection for the Radio Bookclub is Rocky Mountain High: Boom and Bust in the New Wild West by Boulder author Finn Murphy. The book tells Finn’s own story of trying to capitalize on the recent hemp growing revolution in Colorado, only to watch those dreams crumble as the price of hemp plummeted. This […]

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Gregory Hill talks more about his latest novel Sister Liberty and talks tooth whistles, future adventures of the Stables family and more! Listen to the broadcast interview with Greg Hill where he talks about his latest novel, Sister Liberty. That interview was broadcast on KGNU on […]

The June selection for the Radio Bookclub is Sister Liberty by Colorado author Greg Hill. This is Greg’s third visit to the Radio Bookclub and this time he talks about his new novel Sister Liberty, which tells the tale of two widows and a child-philosopher who flee their native French village for America in 1885. […]

The May selection for the Radio Bookclub is To Die Beautiful, by Boulder author Buzzy Jackson. The novel is a fictionalized retelling of the true story of Hannie Schaft, a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II. She became known as “the girl with the red hair”. We first meet Hannie in the novel in […]

In this podcast-only episode of the Radio Bookclub, author Buzzy Jackson answers audience questions about her new book To Die Beautiful and talks about the process of writing her first fiction book. Listen to the broadcast interview with Buzzy Jackson where she talks about her new book, her first novel, To Die Beautiful. That interview […]