Steve Bertrand on Books

Steve Bertrand on Books: Henry Wise

Novelist Henry Wise joins Steve Bertrand on Books this week to talk about Promised Land, a story of loyalty and simmering antagonism set in the swamps of Virginia. Of par

Steve Bertrand on Books: Alex Hay

Did you know there’s a book genre called the feminist caper? It’s having its moment with help from Alex Hay’s novel The Midnight Guests. This is a fun read that follows D

Steve Bertrand on Books: Elizabeth Letts

Author Elizabeth Letts’ novel Fallen for France takes us from the farthest reaches of Morocco to the front lines in France during the early days of World War l with a cap

Steve Bertrand on Books: Joe Bond

Hope House is described as a tender, and yet profane, study of masculinity. Put another way: Hope House follows a group of delinquents trying to find a better life (in mo

Steve Bertrand on Books: Stephanie Soileau

The Mississippi Delta and the Cajuns who live there are under threat. When the land dwindles, the culture erodes. That’s the setting behind Stephanie Soileau’s novel, Sho

Steve Bertrand on Books: Imogen Willetts

Nightlife is under attack. In Imogen Willetts’ book Up All Night, she says the UK lost half of its nightclubs from 2013 to 2024. And the story is the same elsewhere. Why

Steve Bertrand on Books: Catherine Ryan Howard

Would you buy a house where you know something terrible had happened in the past? That’s the question behind “Buyer Beware,” the latest novel from Irish writer Catherine

Steve Bertrand on Books: Mark Billingham

If you’re a fan of British crime drama, you probably know Mark Billingham. His Tom Thorne series, and other projects, have made the jump to TV. His latest novel is The Sh

Steve Bertrand on Books: Steven Rowley

You might know novelist Steven Rowley for his book The Guncle or The Guncle Abroad. His lead character really travels in his latest, Take Me With You. Imagine waking up i

Steve Bertrand on Books: Ben Reeves

Ben Reeves has written a beautiful debut novel about…death. Travis seems like an ordinary guy; he’s single and lives alone with his cat in his apartment. But his job is t

Steve Bertrand on Books: Courtney Maum

You have too much stuff and Alan Anderson is the guy who convinced you to buy it. Now he sees the error of his ways and he’s shunned his worldly goods, living in a shed i

Steve Bertrand on Books: Bobby Finger

You might know Bobby Finger from his two earlier novels, The Old Place and Four Squares, or maybe you follow his podcast, Who? Weekly, where he and his cohost Lindsey Web

Steve Bertrand on Books: Lisa See

New York Times bestselling author Lisa See’s latest book is Daughters of the Sun and Moon. Publisher’s Weekly calls it one of the best books of the summer. She talks with

Steve Bertrand on Books: Phil Melanson

In this week’s podcast, Steve catches up with author Phil Melanson as he teaches in London. Phil is the author of Florenzer…it’s a great account of life in Medici Florenc

Steve Bertrand on Books: Melanie Benjamin

Chicago writer Melanie Benjamin has made a career out of writing historical fiction with stories that largely center around women. Put another way, Melanie has given us f

Steve Bertrand on Books: Djamel White

Djamel White is being called a powerful new voice in Irish literature. His debut novel, All Them Dogs, takes a look inside the crime underworld of west Dublin, focusing o

Steve Bertrand on Books: Hannah Thurman

Hannah Thurman’s smash debut novel is set in Raleigh, North Carolina, mostly at an under-pressure mental institution. At the center of Mercy Hill is a family of four daug

Steve Bertrand on Books: Charlie Schutt

Charles Schutt is a former Chicago priest who left the Church after 17 years and then successfully moved to the world of corporate recruiting. And he wants you to know wh

Steve Bertrand on Books: Rachel Khong

Maybe it’s in our 30s that the rubber finally meets the road and it’s time to confront life, maybe accept the fact that you can’t be anything you want to be after all. In

Steve Bertrand on Books: James H. McCommons

Sometimes a small story can help to paint a much bigger picture. That’s the case with The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons. Actually, his is not a small story at all, i