Conversations on the written word from the Los Angeles Review of Books and KCRW.
All Episodes
A Couple LA Writers, a Couple Europeans
CultureReza Aslan's "Zealot" tops bestseller lists from Amazon to the New York Times. Also this week, new books by Aimee Bender, Niccolò Ammaniti, and Javier Marías.
LA Noir
CultureMike Davis, in "City of Quartz," famously said that L.A. is made up of equal parts sunshine and noir. Here are three recent books squarely in the diverse tradition.
New Nonfiction that Reads like Fiction
CultureThree new books on power and excess read like novels, full of larger than life characters, regular plot twists, conspiracies and connivances, reversals and revelations.
Three Great Novels from Local Writers
CulturePercival Everett, Marisa Silver, and Alex Espinoza all write about Los Angeles and all have deep ties to Southern California.
Crying and Doing Nothing
CultureTom Lutz discusses two nonfiction books on tears and a collection of stories by one of our best known slacker authors.
Telling Stories
CultureTwo important authors kick off book tours here this week, legendary fiction writer Jamaica Kincaid and nonfiction provocateur David Shields.
A New Nonfiction Scandal
CultureWe've had William Frey, Mike Daisy, and John D'Agata, now it's Dave Eggers's turn.
Jonestown; Sweet Tooth; Exotic Pets
CultureThree new books, one an oral history of one of the most horrific events of the 1970's, and two novels -- one from England and one from Los Angeles.
More from KCRW
Holiday film picks: ‘See You Next Christmas,’ ‘Better Watch Out’
HolidaysFilm critic Alonso Duralde recommends holiday movies: “See You Next Christmas,” “Better Watch Out, “1985,” and “Christmas, Again.”
Weekend film reviews: ‘Mufasa,’ ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Nickel Boys’
EntertainmentCritics review the latest film releases: “Mufasa,” “The Room Next Door,” “The Brutalist,” and “Nickel Boys.”
Slowing down for Shabbat, a weekly Jewish ritual that brings calm and connection
HolidaysAdeena Sussman continues her mother's tradition of Shabbat and shares a recipe for her grandmother's potato kugel.
