

Poured Over
Barnes & Noble
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).
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 24, 2025 • 57min
Arundhati Roy on MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME
"Laughter does not mean there's no grief . . . laughter means a deep understanding of something." Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy is a triumphant memoir chronicling Roy's journey to becoming an award-winning author. Arundhati joins us to talk about memory, language, family, imagination, humor 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): Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy My Seditious Heart by Arundhati Roy

Sep 23, 2025 • 56min
Kiran Desai on THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai is a sweeping, big-hearted tale from an award-winning author. Kiran joins us to talk about loneliness on a busy planet, art, storytelling, fame, exile, love, diaspora novels 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. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai The Parisian by Isabella Hammad The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster A Room with a View by E.M. Forster A Passage to India by E.M. Forster Burmese Days by George Orwell Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Rosarita by Anita Desai Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai

Sep 20, 2025 • 47min
Elizabeth Gilbert on ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER
All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert covers the full emotional spectrum, from love and loss to hope and healing. Elizabeth joined us live at B&N Paramus to chat about finding community in reading, leading with truth, letting grief move through you, resilience 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): All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert The Summer Book by Tove Jansson The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway

Sep 18, 2025 • 43min
Agustina Bazterrica on THE UNWORTHY
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica gives us a harrowing look at a dystopian future through an unforgettable heroine. Agustina joined us live at B&N Union Square to talk about active reading, the relationship between humans and nature, literature as a salvation, influences, translation 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 Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici Silent Spring by Rachel Carson The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones The Bloody Countess by Valentine Penrose The Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne de Marcken

Sep 17, 2025 • 46min
M.L. Rio on HOT WAX
Hot Wax by M.L. Rio is a gripping story of grief, love and rock 'n roll. M.L. joins us to talk about method writing, road tripping, creating fictional bands, chapter titles, songwriting 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): Hot Wax by M.L. Rio Graveyard Shift by M.L Rio If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio Kittentits by Holly Wilson Total Chaos by Iggy Pop Bring It On Home by Mark Blake A Year with Swollen Appendices by Brian Eno

Sep 16, 2025 • 38min
Catherine Chidgey on THE BOOK OF GUILT
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey is a unique, genre-bending novel that asks, what would the world look like if no one won WWII? Catherine joins us to talk about sibling stories, setting, translation, literary influences 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 Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey 1984 by George Orwell The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Pet by Catherine Chidgey The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey

Sep 13, 2025 • 51min
Mick Herron on CLOWN TOWN
Clown Town by Mick Herron takes us back into the orbit of misfit spies and heart-racing adventure in the bestselling Slough House series. Mick joins us to chat about his writing process, balancing an ensemble cast, the evolution of his series, bringing Slow Horses from the page to the screen, British humor 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): Clown Town by Mick Herron Slow Horses by Mick Herron Dead Lions by Mick Herron The Secret Hours by Mick Herron The Eights by Joanna Miller Smoke and Embers by John Lawton Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron

Sep 11, 2025 • 46min
Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones on THE PEOPLE'S PROJECT
The People's Project by Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones is a carefully curated collection of poetry, essays and art from some of our greatest voices. Maggie and Saeed join us to chat about finding community in poetry, the challenge of vulnerability, using metaphor as a tool, writing across genres 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 People's Project by Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones Dear Writer by Maggie Smith How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith Generations by Lucille Clifton Prelude to Bruise by Saeed Jones Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith

Sep 10, 2025 • 34min
Dan Brown on THE SECRET OF SECRETS
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown is another mind-bending, globe-spanning maze of a story featuring Robert Langdon. Dan joins us to talk about revisiting his characters, the study of human consciousness, trusting your own taste, puzzles, Prague 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): The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Angels and Demons by Dan Brown The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Sep 9, 2025 • 50min
Andrew Joseph White on YOU WEREN'T MEANT TO BE HUMAN
You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White is a gritty and guttural story of an alien invasion in the mountains of West Virginia. Andrew joins us to talk about reading horror novels, the catharsis of writing, world building, Appalachia, characterization 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): You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White Cows by Matthew Stokoe Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum


