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Kobo in Conversation

Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj

From Rakuten Kobo, the digital bookseller and maker of eReaders beloved by readers around the world, Kobo in Conversation brings you in-depth conversations with authors about how and why they write, the books and authors they admire, and so much more. Plus, occasional takes on what's going on in the business of books. And year-end roundups of reading recommendations from the Kobo staff.

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S10 · E24
Wednesday · 50 min
Kobo's big fall 2026 books round up!
Producer and Kobo in Conversation co-host Nathan Maharaj enlisted the help of Kobo's Deandra Lalonde to guide readers through this overwhelming fall 2026 season of new books. Here are all the books Deandra and Nathan covered in this episode. Series A Court of Splintered Harmony - Sarah J. Maas Threshing Day - Rebecca Yarros Dead Beat - Leigh Bardugo Victorious - VE Schwab Literary The Disappearers - Marlon James Ply - Hernan Diaz Partita - Barbara Kingsolver American Hagwon - Min Jin Lee The Radiance - Ayad Akhtar Buzz-bound Exit Party - Emily St. John Mandel Life Out of Order - Audrey Niffenegger The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman - Deesha Philyaw Hollywood, Ending - John Green Hollow Bones - Jodi Picoult The Pirate Queen - Ariel Lawhon Switzy - Emma Cline The Sorceress of Sky Serpents - Eden Robinson Nonfiction Swan Song - Charles Spencer The Vanishing Family - Robert Kolker The American Way of Killing - Malcolm Gladwell Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea - Emily Wilson Redwood - Ben MacIntyre Deandra's faves so far Taipei Story - R. F. Kuang Broken Rival - Tessa Bailey The Disappearers - Marlon James More links at: Kobo's big fall 2026 books round up!
S10 · E23
September 16 · 50 min
Is TJ Klune a little bit better every day?
Michael Tamblyn spoke with TJ Klune, author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and the Extraordinaries YA series, to name just a few of his many books. TJ's latest book is We Burned So Bright. It's a story about a couple, Don and Rodney, who set out on a road trip to lay their shared pain to rest while all around them, people are dealing with the very imminent end of the world. And to WATCH Michael and TJ's chat, check out the video version: https://youtu.be/owvD19D0_6Q Is TJ Klune a little bit better every day?
S10 · E22
September 2 · 25 min
Shari Lapena on writing a murder mystery where we already know whodunit
Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Shari Lapena. Since her 2016 novel The Couple Next Door, she's been known as one of the masters of domestic noir. In her newest book Getting Away With Murder, her 10th suspense novel in as many years, we get financial precarity, unlikeable yet relatable characters, mistrust mixed with intimacy, and all the page-turning qualities that readers have come to expect in a Shari Lapena novel. Shari Lapena on writing a murder mystery where we already know whodunit
S10 · E21
August 26 · 36 min
Booktalking - All about StoryGraph!
Nadia Odunayo didn't set out to create the leading competitor to social reading app GoodReads. But somewhere along the way while building her website & app The StoryGraph she discovered that for a lot of folks that's exactly what she'd done. In this episode of our Booktalking series, Kobo in Conversation hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj are joined by Nadia to find out about StoryGraph's origins and where Nadia's taking it in the future. Kobo first met Nadia back in 2021: read our interview Learn about all the ways you can keep track of the books you read, including on your Kobo with StoryGraph: The best ways to track your reading | Kobo Books Blog Join the Kobo in Conversation reading challenge on StoryGraph (and get a sneak peek at the books we're reading for upcoming episodes): Read along with the Kobo in Conversation podcast | The StoryGraph
S10 · E20
August 19 · 48 min
Anita Rau Badami on writing a character who can't stop wounding the people she loves
Nathan Maharaj spoke with Anita Rau Badami, author of novels including the Commonwealth Prize winning The Hero's Walk. Her new book is Asha in Her Garden. It's the story of a woman named Asha, who lives now in Montreal, but left Bangalore, India many years ago. We learn about her childhood, her children, her friends, and the life she's made for herself. Anita Rau Badami on writing a character who can't stop wounding the people she loves
S10 · E19
August 5 · 42 min
David Baerwald on feeling his way through history
Nathan Maharaj spoke with musician and novelist David Baerwald, author of The Fire Agent. It's a story spanning the world wars of the 20th century viewed through the eyes of Ernst Baerwald, a bright and idealistic young man who finds himself at the frontiers of chemistry and war. David Baerwald on feeling his way through history
S10 · E18
July 22 · 32 min
LIVE from Ever After, with Julia McKay & Kristine Winters
In the spirit of "Christmas in July," we're presenting a special live episode of Kobo in Conversation from the Toronto International Festival of Authors' inaugural Ever After, the romance book festival. This was recorded back in November 2025, and though it deals with some extremely seasonal themes, we don't mind a little Christmas in July and we thought you might be into it as well. For a session called "Snowflakes and Sparks," Michael Tamblyn spoke with authors Marissa Stapley and Karma Brown writing under their pen names Julia McKay and Kristine Winters, about what Christmas and Christmas Romance means to them, as well as their COVID-era collaborations as Maggie Knox. LIVE from Ever After, with Julia McKay & Kristine Winters Join the Kobo in Conversation reading challenge on StoryGraph
S10 · E17
July 8 · 49 min
Patrick Radden Keefe on London's dark descent
Michael Tamblyn spoke with Patrick Radden Keefe, who has been writing for the New Yorker since 2006 and is the author of nonfiction bestsellers including Empire of Pain and Say Nothing. His latest book is London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth. They were joined by an intimate studio audience. Patrick Radden Keefe on London's dark descent
S10 · E16
June 24 · 42 min
Jowita Bydlowska on becoming an expert on shame by accident
Nathan Maharaj spoke with the novelist and journalist Jowita Bydlowska about her new book Unshaming: A Memoir of Recovery, Relapse, and What Comes After. It's a frank, unflinching recounting of the years following the publication of her first book, the memoir Drunk Mom. And it's a thoughtful, fearless meditation on the concept of shame. Jowita Bydlowska on becoming an expert on shame by accident
S10 · E15
June 17 · 21 min
Summer Reading 2026
For this special bonus episode of Kobo in Conversation, producer and co-host Nathan Maharaj was joined by one of Kobo's booksellers (and frequent Staff Picks contributor), Deandra Lalonde. They sort through the buzziest books to take along to the beach, the books landing in the next few weeks that you won't want to miss, and how best to bring a little Hollywood into your summer reading this year. Books mentioned: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Whistler by Ann Patchett Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune From 2023: Carley Fortune on summer love and second chances Heartstopper #6 by Alice Oseman Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson The Odyssey by Homer There's Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle And check out dozens more summer picks HERE.
S10 · E14
June 10 · 39 min
Sharon Bala on the absurdity of so-called Good Guys
Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Sharon Bala, author of the award-winning 2018 novel, The Boat People. Her new book is called Good Guys. It's about a nearly bankrupt international aid charity called Children of the World, and how their stumbling into the good graces of an A-list celebrity raises a lot of money, and a lot of questions about who the good guys really are. You can watch their conversation too: https://youtu.be/6_YeVizUPr4 Sharon Bala on the absurdity of so-called Good Guys
S10 · E13
May 27 · 58 min
Natalie Zina Walschots on good bosses and bad guys [encore]
This week we're bringing you a conversation Michael Tamblyn had in 2021 with Natalie Zina Walschots about her extremely fun novel called Hench. It's about a world where superheroes are out there saving the day in super ways, while villains, who are a lot like you and me, run organizations bent on taking over the world while also trying to keep scores up on Glassdoor. Natalie's just released a sequel to Hench, and it's called Villain. [From 2021:] We learned about some of the fantastical worlds Natalie enjoyed exploring as a young reader "often for sheer escapism," as well as the writers she drew inspiration from while starting out as a writer herself, and as a lifelong student of supervillainy: Robert O'Brien's Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Z for Zachariah High fantasy including J. R. R. Tolkien, but also Shannara, Dragonlance, and "anything with a wizard holding an orb on the cover" or "a skeleton holding a sword" Christian Bök, Karen Solie, bp Nichol, and other writers "doing super weird things with language and the structural materiality of language..." Soon I Will Be Invincible "was the first book I read from the perspective of a supervillain." "Paradise Lost is really important to me ... the relationship between Satan the adversary to the world informs the way I write villains." Neil Gaiman's Sandman, where "a character who's a villain in one context becomes the protagonist in another." Vicious by V E Schwab Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and various writings of Catherynne M. Valente for their "messed up fairy tale feel."
S10 · E12
May 13 · 53 min
Why Chanda Prescod-Weinstein sees hope in cosmic curiosity
Nathan Maharaj spoke with physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of the 2021 book The Disordered Cosmos, a highly personal reflection on the human and inherently flawed practice of scientific inquiry and her career as a Black Jewish scientist. Her new book is The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie. In it she explains to readers, what's really going on with quantum cats? what does a light-swallowing black hole actually look like? what can we learn about quantum theory from the Afrofuturist jazz musician Sun Ra? —and a whole lot more. Why Chanda Prescod-Weinstein sees hope in cosmic curiosity
S10 · E11
May 6 · 48 min
Booktalking - All about Shy Girl and whether AI in publishing is more like plutonium or salt
Hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj dove deep on the controversy around the book Shy Girl, which was cancelled by its publisher who alleged it was largely AI-generated. Links on Shy Girl: The video from January 2026 that seems to have led to Shy Girl's cancellation: i'm pretty sure this book is ai slop - YouTube Publishing news journalist Alexandra Alter on the controversy over the cancellation of Shy Girl: A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared. - The New York Times Publishing industry analyst Thad McIlroy on what NYT omitted from their piece: I Broke the Year's Biggest Literary Story. The New York Times Took the Credit | The Walrus Two very "inside baseball" overviews of what happened: The New Publishing Standard's deep dive on Shy Girl Publisher's Weekly industry analysis What might be the last extant page on any of Hachette's sites about the book: Shy Girl: Read the femgore revenge novel that EVERYONE is talking about! by Mia Ballard - Books - Hachette Australia Other links from this episode: Why AI detection is hard People who frequently use ChatGPT for writing tasks are accurate and robust detectors of AI-generated text - ACL Anthology (mistakenly attributed to MIT in the episode) Past episodes of this show that touched on the use of AI in book publishing: Michael bets on "AI Sally Rooney" (from October 2024) Anna Gomez enlisted AI for research assistance when writing a romance road trip (November 2024) Sean Michaels wrote a book about AI and art by using AI for parts of it (November 2023) More author interviews at kobo.com/conversation Find past Booktalking episodes here
S10 · E10
April 29 · 36 min
How Heather Marshall brings readers into places of the past
Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Heather Marshall. She is a writer of historical fiction, including her 2022 debut bestselling novel Looking for Jane and 2024's with The Secret History of Audrey James. Heather Marshall's new book is Liberty Street. It's the story of a young journalist's quest to expose the cruelty and corruption of the Mercer Women's Prison from the inside, the women she meets there, and a police detective trying to uncover a secret 30 years later. How Heather Marshall brings readers into places of the past
S10 · E9
April 15 · 50 min
Why Rainbow Rowell's Cherry Baby had to be her sexiest book yet
Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Rainbow Rowell. She's the author of books including Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, as well as the novel Slow Dance, which she discussed on the show in 2024. Rainbow Rowell's new book is the novel Cherry Baby. It's about a woman named Cherish, who everybody calls Cherry, at a moment in her life when her marriage seems to have ended and she's figuring out what comes next. Why Rainbow Rowell's Cherry Baby had to be her sexiest book yet
S10 · E8
April 1 · 34 min
Tara Gereaux on finding the words for an unspoken identity
Nathan Maharaj spoke with Tara Gereaux, author of the novel Saltus and the novella Size of a Fist. Her new book is called Wild People Quiet. Set in 1946, it's the story of Florence, or Mrs. Banks as she's known down at Pratt's Insurance, the company where she's worked diligently for years. While out for lunch with her colleagues one day, Florence encounters a man whose mere presence threatens to upend the life she's made for herself in the town of Torduvalle, Saskatchewan. Tara Gereaux on finding the words for an unspoken identity
S10 · E7
March 18 · 52 min
How Eliana Ramage set her sights on the stars for her debut novel
Michael Tamblyn spoke with Eliana Ramage, author of To the Moon and Back. It's a novel about Steph, a young Cherokee woman who from the earliest age is obsessed with space and space travel, dreaming about one day becoming a NASA astronaut. How Eliana Ramage set her sights on the stars for her debut novel
S10 · E6
March 4 · 41 min
George Newman on getting good at bad ideas—so great ideas can happen
Nathan spoke with George Newman, psychologist and associate professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. His new book is How Great Ideas Happen: The Hidden Steps Behind Breakthrough Success. It's a guide to generating ideas, hopefully great ideas, and learning about mental habits that often get in the way, and how creativity is a skill you can train and exercise. George Newman on getting good at bad ideas—so great ideas can happen | Kobo Books Blog
S10 · E5
February 18 · 34 min
Leanne Toshiko Simpson on self-care and writing a prize-winning rom-com
Joined by a live audience in Kobo's intimate event space, Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Leanne Toshiko Simpson, author of Never Been Better and winner of the 2025 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Never Been Better is the story of a group of three friends who met in a psych ward, but time has passed and now two of whom are about to get married while the third tries to figure out whether to swallow her feelings or let it all out. Leanne Toshiko Simpson on self-care and writing a prize-winning rom-com

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