FictionMatters

Sara Hildreth
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Book recommendations from avid readers and your favorite writers. fictionmatters.substack.com

  1. APR 27

    Books That Matter: Rob Franklin on CRUSH by Richard Siken

    Welcome to the FictionMatters Podcast. I’m your host Sara Hildreth and this is Books That Matter. In this series, I’ll speak with writers I admire to learn about their lives as readers and deep dive into a book that matters to them.Today, I’m joined by Rob Franklin. Rob Franklin is the author of Great Black Hope, which was published in June 2025. A national bestseller, his debut novel was nominated for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize, the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence — it was named a “Best Book of the Year” by TIME, Vogue, NPR, and Vanity Fair, among others. A co-founder of Art for Black Lives, Franklin holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from NYU’s Creative Writing program. He teaches writing at School of Visual Arts and edits fiction for Joyland. He lives in New York. In this episode, Rob and I discuss Richard Siken’s debut poetry collection, Crush. Not only was this my first time reading Crush, I had never even heard of it before Rob’s recommendation. I found this collection to be urgent and astonishing. I’m so grateful to Rob for bringing it to my attention and for this fascinating discussion about poetic language, the development of taste, and the interplay between writer, reader, and text. I hope you love this conversation and that getting to know Rob as a reader encourages you to go pick up Great Black Hope–it’s an excellent summer read! Books and Links * Crush by Richard Siken * The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky * Claudia Rankine * Citizen by Claudia Rankine * Mark Doty * Terrance Hayes * Lighthead by Terrance Hayes * Ben Lerner * Zadie Smith * Katie Kitamura * Raven Leilani * Transcription by Ben Lerner * Open City by Teju Cole * Donna Tartt * Joan Didion * Hilton Als * White Girls by Hilton Als * Bluets by Maggie Nelson * “You Are Jeff” by Richard Siken * True Grit by Charles Portis (Audiobook read by Donna Tartt) * The Secret History by Donna Tartt * Edmund White * Audition by Katie Kitamura * Mary Oliver * W.H. Auden * Chloe’s Scene by Jay McInerney * What I Saw at Taylor Swift’s Delirious Eras Tour by Taffy Brodesser-Akner * How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow Company Worth $250 Million by Taffy Brodesser-Akner * Another Country by James Baldwin *This post contains affiliate links. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m

  2. APR 13

    Books That Matter: Nora Lange on A LIFE'S WORK by Rachel Cusk

    Welcome to the FictionMatters Podcast; this is Books That Matter. In this series, I’ll speak with writers I admire to learn about their lives as readers and deep dive into a book that matters to them. Today, I’m joined by Nora Lange. Nora’s debut novel Us Fools was awarded the The Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction, named a best book of 2024 by The Boston Globe and NPR, a Los Angeles Times bestseller, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice pick. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, The Believer, BOMB, Hazlitt, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from Brown University and is a fellow at USC’s Los Angeles Institute of the Humanities. She recently moved to Salt Lake City with her family. In this episode, Nora and I discuss Rachel Cusk’s classic motherhood memoir, A Life’s Work as well as Nora’s new short story collection, Day Care, which published on April 7th Additionally, we both get a little personal about how motherhood has impacted our creative lives and Nora shares how her recent reads are all connecting back to her current work in progress. Books and Links * Day Care by Nora Lange * When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut * Philip Roth: The Biography by Blake Bailey * The Dry Heart by Natalia Ginzburg * A Life’s Work by Rachel Cusk * All Fours by Miranda July * Live Flesh movie directed by Pedro Almodóvar * How Pregnancy and Childrearing Alter Our Perception of Time and Aging (Lit Hub) * The King’s English Bookshop * Us Fools by Nora Lange * Joan Didion Connect with Nora * Website * Instagram * Order Day Care *This post contains affiliate links This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    55 min
  3. Olympic Figure Skating Debrief

    FEB 25

    Olympic Figure Skating Debrief

    Your girls are back! This Olympics was too dramatic to keep our commentary in the group chat so we’re back on mic to debrief it all. We chat through every event sharing our highlights and heartbreaks as well as answering some of your questions along the way. Plus we give some tips on how to keep up with the world of figure skating in between Olympic Games. You can follow Layne Fargo on Instagram and Substack. If you’re currently experiencing ice dance withdrawal, get yourself a copy of The Favorites and then read all about The Ice Queens, coming in 2027. You can follow Denne Michele Norris on Instagram and keep up with her work at Electric Literature through their IG and website. Her debut novel When the Harvest Comes is out now and will release in paperback in April. Read, Watch, Listen * The Nice Capades * The Runthrough * The Runthrough Ice Dance Lore Part 1 * Surya Bonaly’s 1998 Olympic free skate * Ryan Bradley’s celebratory backflip * Ilia and Adam’s synchronized backflips * Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier free dance * Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnak free dance * Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko free dance * Adam Siao Him Fa Olympic short program * Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara free skate * Alysa Liu Olympic free skate * Amber Glenn Nationals short program * So You Want to Watch Figure Skating This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 49m

  4. FEB 23

    Books That Matter: Alli Hoff Kosik on PREP by Curtis Sittenfeld

    Welcome to the FictionMatters Podcast. This is Books That Matter. In this series, I’ll talk with writers about reading to learn about their tastes, their habits, and the books that matter to them. Today, I’m joined by Alli Hoff Kosik. Alli is a full-time writer and editor. For seven years, she independently produced and hosted The SSR Podcast. Alli holds an MFA from Temple University and lives in Philadelphia with her family. Her debut novel Too Blessed to Stress comes out March 3rd. Alli has long been one of my favorite readers on the internet. Her fun and thoughtful examination of middle grade classics in the SSR Podcast is a wonderful example of conversational criticism and how every book, no matter the genre or intended audience, can be read with care and insight. Today, we get to apply that same framework to one of Alli’s favorite novels, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. Then, she shares a bit about her own debut novel, Too Blessed to Stress. Kiley Reid calls Alli’s debut “a delightful satire full of tenderness and heart” and I couldn’t agree more. Watching Alli make the leap from public reader to published author has been incredible and I highly recommend listening to her Behind the Scenes of Too Blessed to Stress podcast all about her process. Too Blessed to Stress is out March 3rd, and you can preorder it now from Bookshop.org or your favorite indie bookstore. Books and Links * Too Blessed to Stress by Alli Hoff Kosik * The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy * What a Time to Be Alive by Jade Chang * The Wangs Vs. The World by Jade Chang * Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld * The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger * Bloomability by Sharon Creech * American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld * The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer * Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks * Workhorse by Caroline Palmer * Kylie Reid Connect with Alli * Instagram * Is This a Thing? * Getting It Alli Together * Pre-Order Too Blessed to Stress *This post contains affiliate links. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 13m
  5. The Best Stories in Olympic Figure Skating with Layne Fargo and Denne Michele Norris

    FEB 7

    The Best Stories in Olympic Figure Skating with Layne Fargo and Denne Michele Norris

    The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan have begun. The torch is lit and the figure skating team event is underway. As you may know, I’m a former figure skater, and I love the winter Olympics. And so, I couldn’t resist asking two of my favorite authors and fellow figure skating fans to join me to share our Olympic enthusiasm and give you a little preview of what to watch for. Layne Fargo is the bestselling author The Favorites, They Never Learn, and other fierce stories for fearless femmes. She is an ice-dance superfan and just announced a forthcoming novel, The Ice Queens, set in the same high stakes ice dance world as The Favorites. She lives in Chicago with her partner and their pets. Denne Michele Norris is the editor and chief of Electric Literature, winner of the 2022 Whiting Literary Magazine Prize. She is the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication. Last year, Denne released her debut novel, When the Harvest Comes as well editing and publishing the essay collection Both / And. A former figure skater herself, she is currently at work on a writing project that features figure skating. These women are two of my favorite people to talk about this sport with. They are knowledgeable, fiercely funny, and willing to talk shit when shit needs to be talked. I hope you love this conversation as much as I did and that it adds some joy into your Olympic viewing. Links * Follow Layne on Instagram and Substack * Follow Denne on Instagram and at Electric Literature * The Favorites by Layne Fargo * When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris * Both / And by Denne Michele Norris * Glitter and Gold * Deanna’s Dream * Jane Torville and Christoper Dean’s “Bolero” * Michelle Kwan’s “The Red Violin” * Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” * Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s “Moulin Rouge” * Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli * Ice Princess * The Cutting Edge Get more FictionMatters podcast episodes by upgrading to a paid subscription! For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. I love hearing from you! This email contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, please forward it to a book-loving friend. That’s a great way to spread bookish cheer and support the newsletter! Happy reading! Sara This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 17m

  6. JAN 26

    Books That Matter: A. Natasha Joukovsky on EVELINA by Frances Burney

    Welcome to Books That Matter. Today, I’m joined by A. Natasha Joukovsky. a. natasha joukovsky is the author of the novels The Portrait of a Mirror and Medium Rare (forthcoming March 2026). Her writing has been published in Literary Hub, The Common, and Still Alive, and she writes the “quite useless” Substack newsletter. Natasha holds a BA in English from the University of Virginia and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. She lives in Washington, DC. In today’s episode, Natasha and I talk about her theory of choice novels, different flavors of myth retellings, and why Evelina by Frances Burney is a book that matters to her–and to Jane Austen. Later we get into Natasha’s sophomore novel Medium Rare, a sharp, funny, piercing social novel about a mid-tier lobbyist who flies too close to the sun with a potentially perfect March Madness bracket. I adored this novel and I appreciate it all the more after this conversation. Medium Rare is available now for preorder. Books and Links * Evelina by Frances Burney * Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery * Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren * Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary * Emma by Jane Austen * Mansfield Park by Jane Austen * Middlemarch by George Eliot * The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James * The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton * The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton * Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen * Beloved by Toni Morrison * The Age of Choice by Sophia Rosenfeld * Metamorphoses by Ovid * Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace * The Portrait of a Mirror by A. Natasha Joukovsky * A. Natasha Joukovsky on Substack: How to read like a novelist * A. Natasha Joukovsky on Substack:The Austen Math cumulative report * Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney * Rebecca Romney on Pawn Stars * The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe * Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen * The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne * The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy * Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy * Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton * Roman Fever by Edith Wharton * House of Mirth by Edith Wharton * Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner * Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner * The Book of Anne by H.A.Thurston * Sky Daddy by Kate Folk * Prodigals by Greg Jackson * Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte * The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers * The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller * Circe by Madeline Miller * The Sellout by Paul Beatty * The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen * Ars Longa, Via Brevis by Russell Bittner *This post contains affiliate links. For more podcasts from FictionMatters, upgrade to a paid Substack subscription or become a member of the FM Patreon Literary Society. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 29m

  7. JAN 12

    Books That Matter: Anika Jade Levy on THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger

    Welcome to Books That Matters. Today, I’m joined by Anika Jade Levy. Anika is a writer from Colorado, a founding editor of Forever Magazine, and an instructor in the Writing program at Columbia. Her fiction and reporting have appeared in The Paris Review, Vogue, Playboy, GQ, Interview Magazine, and elsewhere. Her debut novel Flat Earth came out from Catapult in 2025. In today’s episode, Anika and I chat about voice in fiction, the male literacy crisis, and why The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger is a book that matters to her. Later we get into Anika’s novel Flat Earth, a raw and funny novel that excels at capturing both voice and place. Anika shares about the novel’s origins as a stream of consciousness exercise, how art and ideas are contagious, and her hopes for her future writing . You can find links to Anika’s work and the books she recommends in the show notes. Alright let’s get into my conversation with Anika Jade Levy. Books and Links * Forever Magazine * Flat Earth by Anika Jade Levy * The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger * Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert * The Babysitter at Rest by Jen George * Dorothy Project * Books That Matter with Jade Chang * Taipei by Tao Lin * Leave Society by Tao Lin * NYT Review * Guardian Review * Kirkus Review * UnHerd Review * That text * Female Loneliness Epidemic by Danielle Chelosky * “Worst Friends Forever” - Kazou Robinson’s review of Flat Earth * Anika at Aspen Lit Festival * Anika’s Review of Shadow Ticket * Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon * Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon * Rayne Fisher Kwann and what it means to be woman’d * “I’m Crazy” by J.D. Salinger * Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte * At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard * “The Sentence is a Lonely Place” by Gabrielle Lutz * Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov * A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) * Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt *This post contains affiliate links. For more podcasts from FictionMatters, upgrade to a paid Substack subscription or become a member of the FM Patreon Literary Society. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 13m
  8. The FictionMatters Best Books of 2025

    2025-12-17

    The FictionMatters Best Books of 2025

    This episode needs no introduction. Today Liz and I are share our favorite books of the year--all new releases. This was a weird year in books, but we each managed to come up with lists we feel excited to share and champion before the new year. As always, we hope you’ll let us know about your best books in the Substack comments. If you want to hear Liz and I talking about books all year long, now is a great time to upgrade your subscription. With a paid membership, you’ll get our bonus superlatives episode and This Month in Books, our ongoing book discussion series. Subscriptions are 20% off through the month of December, so it’s the perfect time to join! Alright, let’s get to it! Books Mentioned * Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt * The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré * Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell * The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd * Liz’s Ranking of her 100 Favorite Reads from the past 5 years * James by Percival Everett * Heart the Lover by Lily King * Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy * 21:26 - Mother Mary Come to Me by Arundhati Roy (Liz’s #10) * Hanif Abduraquib * 24:15 - Days of Light by Megan Hunter (Sara’s #10) * 26:56 - The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes (Liz’s #9) * 32:31- Stag Dance by Torrey Peters (Sara’s #9) * Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters * 35:330 - The Antidote by Karen Russell (Liz’s #8) * Swamplandia! by Karen Russell * 40:48 - The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne (Sara’s #8) * Medium Rare by Natasha Jouvkosky * Natasha Joukovsky on “the choice plot” * 44:28 - Ending by Maria Reva (Liz’s #7) * 47:35 - Among Friends by Hal Ebbott (Sara’s #7) * A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter * 51:05 - The Lack of Light by Nino Haratischvili (Liz’s #6) * The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili * 55:10 - Fox by Joyce Carol Oates (Sara’s #6) * 1:00:18 - People Like Us by Jason Mott (Liz’s #5) * Hell of a Book by Jason Mott * 1:05:46 - Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor (Sara’s #5) * 1:11:02 - Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski (Liz’s #4) * House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski * 1:17:41 - Flashlight by Susan Choi (Sara’s #4) * 1:19:12 - Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (Liz’s #3) * 1:22:00 - Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian (Sara’s #3) * 1:26:15 - North Sun, or the Voyage of the Whale Ship Esther by Ethan Rutherford (Liz’s #2) * Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky * 1:31:42 - The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken (Sara’s #2) * My Work by Olga Ravn * The Employees by Olga Ravn * 1:37:35 - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Liz’s #1) * 1:42:30 - Audition by Katie Kitamura (Sara’s #1) * The Director by Daniel Kehlman * Tyll by Daniel Kahlman * The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy * The Mobius Book by Catherine Lacey * Flat Earth by Anika Jade Levy * Universality by Natasha Brown * The Pilgrimage by John Broderick * Hunchback by Saou Ishikawa, translated by Polly Barton * Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno * One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad * Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith * Original Sins by Eve Ewing * Sarah’s Bookshelves Superlative Episode This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 52m
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About

Book recommendations from avid readers and your favorite writers. fictionmatters.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Sara Hildreth
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Sara Hildreth
  • Show Website
    FictionMatters

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