The Awakening by Kate Chopin

 aired the week of May 18, 2026

The Awakening by Kate Chopin was written in 1899 and is considered a landmark work of early feminism. Edna Pontellier a wife and mother is vacationing on the Gulf of Mexico with her family when she falls for Robert Lebrun.  Robert's mother owns the resort where the Pontelliers are staying and Robert tries to resist his interest in Edna by leaving on a business venture in Mexico. Edna returns home to New Orleans dissatisfied with her life and vows to live on her own terms not those of society.  She cannot return to life as it was before her personal awakening.  

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

 aired the week of May 11, 2026

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is set in a small Georgia town. Theo has just moved there and while he is visiting the downtown coffee shop he notices the pencil sketch portraits that line the walls.  He is taken with them deciding to purchase one and gift it to the subject.  As Theo takes on this venture he meets many of Golden's residents and learns their stories while he himself remains an enigmatic older gentleman.  A beautiful gentle read recommended for fans of Phaedra Patrick, Sarah |Addison Allen and Fredrik Backman.

The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger

 *aired the week of May 4, 2026

 The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger is a fascinating look into the world of plant consciousness, social interactions, and intelligence. In this exploration of cutting-edge botany, Schlanger explores new research that indicates that plants may be so much more than the non-sentient backdrop of our lives. Research indicates some plants can communicate through airborne chemicals, roots may be able to hear, and some plants adapt best when grown next to their family members. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but Schlanger's research shows that plants may have their own, plant-ish intelligence that we are just starting to understand. 

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman

 aired the week of April 27, 2026

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman is a stand alone novel featuring a minor character in several of Lippman's Tess Monaghan series. Muriel Blossom is in her seventies.  Her dear husband Harold has passed away and her daughter and grandchildren are moving to Tokyo.  Muriel plans a trip to Paris before she returns to her home city of Baltimore.  But on the trip she meets many interesting people and becomes embroiled in a mystery.  It is a good thing Muriel Blossom doesn't scare easily and that she has experience working for a private eye.  A fun mystery with a memorable main character.  Recommended for fans of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series and Catherine Mack's Vacation Mysteries.

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens

 aired the week of April 20, 2026

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens is the 2026 All Iowa Reads selection.  Hana Babic works at a library.  She has been very successful at keeping a low profile until her best friend Amina Junuzovic is brutally killed.  Hana knows that the killer has ties to their life before, their life in Yugoslavia during the Bosnian War in the 1990s.  Hana has worked to hard to stay hidden to let a stranger ruin her life.  It is up to her to track down Amina's killer and eliminate the threat.  Recommended for those who enjoyed Geraldine' Brooks' People of the Book.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

 aired the week of April 13, 2026

News of the World by Paulette Jiles is a novella written in 2016 set in Texas after the end of the Civil War.  Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels around to towns in Texas to read the news.  In one town he is entrusted with a young girl who was a captive of the Kiowa Indians for four years.  It is his job to return her to her relatives south near San Antonio.  Only Johanna doesn't want to be returned to white people she doesn't know she wants to go back to her real family in Oklahoma.  Join Johanna and the Captain as they make the long and dangerous journey south.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

 aired the week of April 6, 2026

Animal Farm by George Orwell was published in 1946 and a has become a staple of high school English curriculum.  Manor Farm is taken over by the animals led by the pigs.  They rename it Animal Farm and establish their own rules, the Seven Commandments of Animalism.  But over time the leader Napoleon changes the rules to make his own life easier and the work harder for the other animals.  The book was written as political allegory reflecting what was happening in the Soviet Union at the time.  It is still relevant today and referenced in many currently popular books.

This Beautiful Day: Daily Wisdom from Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers

 *aired the week of March 30, 2026

This Beautiful Day: Daily Wisdom from Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers is a book of 365 bits of wisdom from "America's Favorite neighbor. Some of the entries are quotes that those who remember the show may recognize, but other entries are anecdotes by Mr. Rogers about his life and mentors. This is a lovely little book full of reminders to be more generous, compassionate, and the best neighbor you can be.   

The Cabin by Patrick Hutchison

 aired the week of March 23, 2026

Cabin by Patrick Hutchison tells the story of the author's quest to find meaning in his life by purchasing a tiny off grid cabin in Washington State's Cascade Mountains.   Patrick and his friends learn many life lessons as they practice their carpentry skills on the little cabin and slowly turn it into a retreat.  Join Patrick as he regales the reader with stories from his adventures as a first time homeowner. 

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

aired the week of March 16, 2026

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley is a humorous story filled with quirky characters who all come together to save their local community center.  When the members of the Senior Citizens Social Club and the community daycare band together to show the council how important their shared space is, all kinds of crazy things happen.  Recommended for fans of Elizabeth Berg, Freya Sampson and Colleen Oakley.

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 aired the week of March 9, 2026

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer does talk about the Serviceberry tree but most of the slim volume is a lesson in economics and how we can use the Serviceberry as a model for reciprocity and the gift economy.  Kimmerer encourages us to use the principles learned from the tree in our own lives and community.  Recommended for those who enjoyed Margaret Renkl's book The Comfort of Crows: a backyard year.

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn

 aired the week of March 2, 2026

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn is a retelling of the myths of Demeter and her daughter Persephone, otherwise known as Core. It is a story told in three parts, beginning with Demeter's point of view and explaining her fear of losing her daughter Core. Then, it tells the story again from Core's point of view, showing her need for freedom and eventual kidnap by Hades. Finally, the story concludes in the third part entitled Persephone. Overall, it is a beautiful book about grief, love, family, and the connection between a mother and daughter. 

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

 aired the week of February 23, 2026

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon starts when high powered real estate broker Lana Rubicon has to move in with her daughter and granddaughter after she finds out she has lung cancer.  On a sleepless night she sees a man hauling something heavy in a wheelbarrow across the slough from their house.  Two days later her granddaughter is accused of murder when someone on her kayak tour finds a body floating in the water. There is no way Lana will let that happen to her family.  The Rubicon women start to investigate on their own.  Recommended for fans of the Finlay Donovan series, Vera Wong series and the Mrs. Plansky series.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

 aired the week of February 16, 2026

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson opens with siblings Byron and Benny returning to their southern California home after the death of their mother.  As they sit and listen to what she recorded for them everything they thought they knew about their parents and family is completely blown apart.  How will these adults reconcile what they have just learned with the life they thought they knew.  Recommended for fans of sweeping family sagas like Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

 aired the week of February 9, 2026

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan is a romance novel featuring a script writer for the Romance Chanel.  After her divorce Nora feels like romance has died for her.  Her latest is the story of the demise of their marriage which has been turned into a feature movie.  Now the production company is parked on her lawn and the leading man is making himself at home in her house, life, family and heart.  What will happen when he returns to Hollywood?  Recommended for fans of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez and Christian Lauren

 

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

 *aired the week of February 2, 2026

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a speculative science fiction that takes place in the totalitarian society of Gilead. When a climate catastrophe causes nuclear disasters, the United States is thrust back into their Puritan roots by an extremist group. Offred, a Handmaid in this new society, has one job: to be the surrogate for a Commander and his wife. However, the Commander doesn't want to play by the rules and Offred is caught between obedience and rebellion to stay alive. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, much like 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, or Fahrenheit 451, has been taught, referenced, and challenged since it came out in 1985 and has definitely made an impact in literary cannon.

A Lonesome Place for Dying by Nolan Chase

 aired the week of January 26, 2026

A Lonesome Place for Dying by Nolan Chase is the first title in a series introducing newly minted Police Chief Ethan Brand.  Ethan is having a rough first day as chief when his rookie deputy calls in a deceased female found along the railroad tracks.  With an unidentified Jane Doe on his hands and the mayor breathing down his back, it is going to be a long first week.  Recommended for fans of C.J. Box and Craig Johnson.

Ethan Brand Series

1. A Lonesome Place for Dying

2. A Lonesome Place for Murder 

Bevin's Top 10 Titles of 2025

 *aired the week of January 19th, 2026

Bevin's Top 10 Titles of 2025 

1. House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

2. 84, Charing Cross Road by |Helene Hanff

3. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

4. The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

5. Blood Over Brighthaven by M. L. Wang

6. Louder than Hunger by John Schu

7. White Robes and Broken Badges by Joe Moore

8. The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger

9. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

10. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher 

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

 aired the week of January 12, 2026

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch has a dual narrative, told from the point of view of Pony and his former owner Penny.  Pony has never gotten over being left by 12-year-old Penny and he is searching for her to exact his revenge.  Penny who is now a teacher has just been arrested for a murder that happened when she was just a girl.  In fact, that was the last day she ever saw Pony.  Pony is the only one who can save Penny, because he knows what really happened that day.  Will Pony be willing or able to help her?  Recommended for fans of Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie mystery series and Rita May Brown's Mrs. Murphy mystery series.  

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

 aired the week of January 5, 2025

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston is a thriller that introduces Evie Porter who has just moved in with her perfect boyfriend Ryan Sumner.  They are planning their future together but what Evie hasn't told Ryan is that she isn't really Evie.  Her past is fabricated.  Ryan is just a job and once she knows what her objective is she will complete it and disappear.  Only, she is starting to fall for Ryan and someone is trying to sabotage her operation.  Recommended for fans of Mary Kubica, Sarah Pekkanen and Frieda McFadden

Carries Top 10 Titles for 2025

aired the week of December 29, 2025

Carrie's Top 10 Titles for 2025

These are in no particular order other than the order read:

1. Foster by Claire Keegan (fiction / novella)

2. Love & Saffron by Kim Fay (fiction / novella)

3. Keeper of Stories by Sally Page (fiction)

4. Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao (historical mystery)

5. Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee & S.J. Rozan (historical mystery)

6. Breadsong by Kitty & Al Tait (non-fiction)

7. An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin (thriller)

8. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (thriller)

9. Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon (mystery)

10. How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley (fiction)