I am a very slow reader. My affinity for book culture (very high!) is also inversely correlated with the actual amount of time I spend reading (disappointingly, perpetually low!). Browsing bookstores or libraries is a slice of heaven, and yet the amount of books I read in a year barely cracks double digits. The last thing I need is to hear from interesting authors who will introduce me to more titles. But actually, this podcast - guided by Linn Ullmann and House of Literature in Oslo - may be exactly the cure for a world awash in amazing books. The structure is a familiar one - each episode features a renowned guest, and the host and featured author engage in a conversation. It really flows freely with casual discourse that inevitably turns into an author offering insight on the nature of their own work or of writing and reading more broadly. It satisfies an itch I’ve had since working at a bookstore in high school and memorizing the best sellers list - yet another avenue of book-adjacent fodder that doesn’t require the discipline of sitting down and reading something from cover to cover. And as tempting as it may be to cherry pick familiar names, I’d endorse starting at the beginning and working through each episode sequentially. The show seems to have concluded with just 14 authors in total, so it’s not a huge lift. Oh, and episodes are linked with each author asking the next author a question relating to their work - another bonus for those willing to listen in order.