It’s the same for his short stories. His latest collection of stories is The News From Dublin. I’m thrilled to have him on this edition of Steve Bertrand on Books.

Colm is something special. He makes this podcast special, too.

And, would you wear a book on your purse? Coach is betting on it. They’ve created high fashion book charms for purses. Chris Kelly from Marketing Drive will explain.

Johnny Compton writes horror/fantasy stories and his latest is Dead First. Johnny has and interesting theory on horror stories. He says most of our most famous stories all have some aspect of horror in them. You might agree after you hear what he has to say.

Also in this episode we hear from Jordy Rosenberg. Jordy has created a fantastic character, who might actually be his mom. In the novel Night Night Fawn, Barbara Rosenberg is dying. She tells her story from two perspectives: one is a very funny, disgruntled Jewish woman in New York looking back on her disappointments in a way that will make you laugh while the other is a present-day Barbara hopped up on painkillers as she waits to die. Each version of Barbara complains about her child…whose sexuality she considers the biggest disappointment of her life. Jordy succeeds in tackling some of our major issues a very entertaining way.

And did you know Rockford has a poet laureate? The newest laureate just took over a few weeks ago. Adam al-Sirgany talks with Steve about the poetry of living in the Midwest.

Kazuo Ishiguro, who has won the Man Booker Prize and been awarded the O.B.E., has been called one of Britain’s most important living novelists. His latest, The Buried Giant, examines the frailty of collective memory with the story of an elderly post-King Arthur era couple on their way to visit their long lost son. Their memories aren’t altogether reliable. In this interview with Steve Bertrand on Books, Ishiguro says ours aren’t either.

He explains it all in this chat with Steve Bertrand on Books.