Host Nathan Maharaj spoke with Claire Cameron, author of the novels The Bear and The Last Neanderthal. Her new book is How to Survive a Bear Attack. It’s a memoir of family, of illness, of love, and the author’s ongoing fascination with a 1991 bear attack that happened in a wilderness she knows so well.

Claire Cameron on what she's learned from studying monsters

Host Michael Tamblyn spoke with mystery novelist Nita Prose, author of the international bestseller The Maid. It’s the story of Molly Gray, a 20-something hotel maid whose job perfectly suits her need for order and predictable routine. As tends to happen in mystery novels set in hotels, Molly discovers a dead guest and finds herself a suspect in the ensuing murder investigation—an investigation which she undertakes in parallel, with the help of her friends.

In Nita’s latest book, The Maid’s Secret, Molly is riding high: she’s been promoted to Head Maid & Special Events Manager, she’s engaged to the love of her life—the dashing Juan Manuel, and she’s just learned that she’s the owner of a piece of art that might be worth millions… If, that is, she can find out who stole it on the day it was supposed to be sold at auction.

Nita Prose on saying goodbye to Molly Gray

In our latest installment in this series, hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj caught up on a book whose author they're not going to get to interview.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Meta's problem with an ex-employee's tell-all memoir
• The cognitive perils of being a billionaire
• The publishing perils of nonfiction
• Moving fast and breaking things as sage wisdom from the elders of Silicon Valley
• LibGen and the fight in the courts over Faire Use in AI models

Books mentioned:

• Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism - A Memoir by Sarah Wynn-Williams
• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Host Nathan Maharaj spoke with podcaster Nate DiMeo about his book The Memory Palace, based on the podcast by the same name. In The Memory Palace, history comes in vignettes, as short stories, as jewels carefully mined from a variety of sources. Nathan and Nate talked about history as story, how Nate realized the thing that made him the best guy to sit next to at the bar was a great idea for a podcast, and the making of The Memory Palace's star-studded audiobook.

Nate DiMeo on shaking up the past in The Memory Palace

Host Michael Tamblyn spoke with David A. Robertson, author of many books including the Governor General’s award-winning When We Were Alone, and On the Trapline, both illustrated by Julie Flett. He’s also the author of the ongoing series for young readers, The Misewa Saga. And he’s the author of the 2022 novel for adults, A Theory of Crows, as well as a memoir from 2020 called Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory.

David and Michael spoke about his new book, All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety. In it, David tells the story of the mental health struggles he’s faced all his life.

David A. Robertson and his little monsters go to uncomfortable places

Host Nathan Maharaj spoke with Christina Cooke, author of the novel Broughtupsy. It’s a book about a young woman who returns to Jamaica to reconnect with her sister and to spread the ashes of their little brother amidst the places that make up the history of their family.

Christina Cooke wrote the 90s story only she could tell

Following our last episode all about the best books we read in 2024, host and producer Nathan Maharaj connected over Zoom with even more Kobo staffers (including one that'll be very familiar Kobo in Conversation listeners) to talk about the books that have stuck with them over the past 12 months.

So welcome back once more, to our year in books.

The best books we read in 2024

We'll be back in your feed soon with more amazing author interviews.

Listen in as Kobo staffers share the best books they read in 2024. It's all here, from the buzziest new releases to bucket list classics.

The best books we read in 2024