Harriett Gilbert talks with Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah about his hauntingly beautiful novel Paradise. It tells the story of Yusuf, a 12 year-old boy living in East Africa at the beginning of the 20th Century. Sold off to settle his father’s debts, Yusuf embarks on a journey across the African continent. Through his naive and innocent eyes, th…

3:20 Nick Boyd and (uncle/agent) Fred Hill on Boyd's transfer from San Diego St. to Wisconsin. Boyd was undersized and under recruited out of St. Mary's High School in Rutherford. Now he's heading to Wisconsin and the Big Ten for his final season of college ball. Bryan analyzes the recent offseason additions for... 41:45 UConn adds Malachi Smith 45…

Harriett Gilbert talks with Michelle de Kretser about her eighth novel, Scary Monsters, which won the 2023 Rathbones Folio Fiction Prize. This diptych novel consists of the tale of two immigrants, one in the past, and one in a dystopian future that seems all too possible. Which story to start with? That’s the reader’s decision. In the past, Lili. H…

:00 Ian Eagle previews the Final Four 27:15 St. John's signs Bryce Hopkins 31:00 Seton Hall lands Point Guard Budd Clark from Merrimack

3:20 Interview with NYU Women’s Coach Meg Barber who’s program won a 2nd straight D3 Championship after going undefeated at 31-0 again. The Violets have won 62 straight games 26:00 St. John’s falls to Arkansas in 2nd Round of NCAAs 43:26 and what’s next as the portal opens? 47:30 UConn loses to Florida in the 2nd Round of NCAAs, snapping the Huskie…

2:50 New York Post sportswriter Zach Braziller on St. John’s historic season. Zach also previews the Red Storm's first-round matchup versus Omaha, and predicts how far St. John's will go in the NCAA Tournament. 26:40 Jim Maisano of College Hoops Chat Podcast discusses the sudden and unexpected firing of Tobin Anderson at Iona, why the move was made…

3:45 - Interview with Jaden Daly (Daly Dose of Hoops) previewing the MAAC Tournament 26:35 - MAAC Postseason Awards and NIL 32:30 - NEC Championship Preview between Central CT and St. Francis (PA) 36:00 - St. John’s ties UConn’s Big East record with 18 regular season win 42:30 - UConn ends the regular season with 4 straight wins 48:45 - Ivy League …

4:45 Interview with Dave Klatsky (NYU Men) and Meg Barber (NYU Women). Both teams are Number 1 in Division 3 36:30 St. John’s wins the outright Big East regular season title for the 1st time in 40 years 47:45 NEC Tournament Preview; can anyone beat Central Connecticut?

Harriett Gilbert is joined by one of the boldest writers of her generation, Ottessa Moshfegh, to delve into her second novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation. This twisted Sleeping Beauty story is told from the perspective of an unnamed protagonist, a twentysomething art school graduate who, after the death of her parents, quits her gallery job to he…

3:00 - Interview with Drew University Coach Michael McSloy 25:00 - St. John’s sweeps UConn for 1st time in 25 years 37:50 - UConn does not look like a Final Four contender 43:40 - Rutgers wins 2 games it had to have 51:05 - Yale clinches Ivy League regular season title. Princeton still has work to do to make the Ivy League Tournament 55:55 - Quinni…

3:00 Wesleyan University Coach Joe Reilly has his program No. 1 in D3 at 24-0 34:35 St. John’s tops Creighton for 2-game lead in Big East 43:20 Seton Hall stuns UConn and beats the Huskies for the 4th straight time at home 52:30 UConn remains inconsistent in the month of February 58:50 Yale clinches a spot in Ivy Madness while Princeton goes 0-2 an…

2:25 ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla talks St. John’s resurgence and their relentless Head Coach, Rick Pitino 31:40 What’s going on with UConn? 38:20 Rutgers is on life support 45:50 Yale has a stranglehold on the Ivy League 50:40 Sacred Heart and Iona are hot in the MAAC

4:40 1st Place St. John’s analysis with CBS Announcer Andrew Catalon 23:15 UConn’s huge road win at Marquette 30:00 Yale bullies Princeton to seize control of the Ivy League 39:40 Central Connecticut takes over 1st place in the NEC

Novelist Meg Rosoff joins Harriett Gilbert to answer listeners' questions about one of her best-loved novels, How I Live Now. It is the story of Daisy, an American teenager shipped off to live with her aunt and cousins in England. What is at first an idyllic escape into English countryside life is shattered at the onset of War, when England is sudd…

3:00 Rutgers beat writer Brian Fonseca of NJ.com discusses Rutgers woes after their latest loss to Michigan State, why they've underperformed, and is there any glimmer of hope? 28:50 St. John's is back in the Top 25 and atop the Big East standings 41:20 1st Place Quinnipiac has won 5 straight in the MAAC…

World Book Café heads to Oslo to Europe’s largest Literature House to find out if Norway is the best place in the world to be a writer? Octavia Bright is joined to discuss the highs and lows by the internationally bestselling novelist and climate activist Maja Lunde. Johan Harstad prize winning novelist and the first in-house writer at the National…

2:25- UConn comes back to beat Providence for its 8th straight win 12:50 St. John’s second half surge gets past Butler 26:20 Seton Hall is a no-show at Xavier 31:10 Rutgers is no match for Indiana 40:10 Interview with Seton Hall’s Faith Masonius who was named Big East Player of the Week on January 6

A special programme from the largest public literature house in Europe, Litteraturhuset in Oslo. Harriett Gilbert is joined by one of Scandinavia’s most successful crime writers, Anne Holt. Her novel 1,222 is a tense, twisty story set during a snowstorm in an isolated mountain hotel, a reference to the fact that the hotel is one thousand, two hundr…

2:00 Central Connecticut Head Coach Patrick Sellers talks about his team's 8-4 start, beating Fairfield and Quinnipiac and his "core four" seniors 29:50 Princeton upsets Rutgers again thanks to the late heroics of Caden Pierce 47:10 Zuby Ejiofor and St. John's stun Providence at the buzzer 55:45 Seton Hall's comeback falls short against Georgetown …

2:30 - Rutgers stuns Seton Hall on Dylan Harper’s 3-pointer at the buzzer 16:00 - Seton Hall's worst non-con since 1983, but Shaheen Holloway remains positive 30:40 - UConn takes down Gonzaga for its 4th straight win as Liam McNeeley stars 43:20 - NEC Central Connecticut and Wagner are the teams to beat…

2:00 Columbia Head Coach Jim Engles discusses the Lions 10-1 start, roster retention, upsetting Villanova and his coaching career from Wagner to Rider to Columbia to NJIT and back to Columbia 34:05 Princeton grinds out a win over Monmouth 39:45 Rutgers holds off Penn State to snap a 3-game losing streak. Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper combine for 39 p…

3:25 UConn tops two Texas teams in four days 15:40 St. John’s rallies past Kansas State to honor Lou Carnesecca 30:30 Seton Hall lays an egg vs Oklahoma State 41:35 Rutgers drops Big Ten opener at Ohio State

The Scottish-American writer Douglas Stuart talks about his Booker Prize winning Shuggie Bain. The powerful, heartbreaking story of a young boy's love for his addict mother, and a mother's chaotic love for her son. Photo credit: Martyn PickersgillBy BBC World Service

2:30 Remembering Lou Carnesecca 9:00 St. John’s regroups from the Bahamans 14:40 UConn puts Maui behind them 19:25 Seton Hall suffers first loss ever to Monmouth 25:30 Rutgers takes positives from Las Vegas and begins Big Ten play 33:30 Ivy League: Princeton's Xaivian Lee makes history with a triple-double, and Columbia is 8-0 for the first time si…

Hofstra's Jaquan Sanders was full of pride after upsetting his former team, Seton Hall. Sanders speaks with host Bryan DeNovellis about the victory. Plus Rick Pitino improved to 3-1 against his son Richard, as #22 St. John's defeated New Mexico 85-71 at MSG; Meanwhile, Seton Hall did something it hadn't done since 1947, and #24 Rutgers routs Monmou…

St. John's storms back in the 2nd half to beat Quinnipiac and now the Red Storm crack the Top 25 for the first time since 2019; Meanwhile UConn shakes off a ragged 1st half to rout New Hampshire; Seton Hall falls to Fordham for the first time in 34 years; and Princeton comes from behind to win all 3 of their games. 1:55 St. John’s 15:10 UConn 23:50…

UConn beat writer Dave Borges previews the Huskies and Big East Conference. Can UConn 3-peat as national champions? Who are UConn's biggest challengers in the Big East Conference? Plus Bryan offers his predictions and analysis of St. John's and Seton Hall. 5:00 - Dave Borges on UConn and Big East Bryan's Breakdown: 34:00 - St. John's analysis and p…

Ahead of its 20th anniversary early next year, the author Kate Mosse talks to Harriett Gilbert and readers from around the world, about her globally bestselling novel, Labyrinth. It’s a historical thriller set between medieval and contemporary France where the lives of two women, living centuries apart, are linked in a common destiny. In 13th centu…

Bryan DeNovellis recaps an exciting exhibition game between Rutgers and St. John's, won by St. John's 91-85. Bryan gives his analysis of both team's performances and individual players, plus post game comments from Rick Pitino and Steve Pikiell. Podcast Topics 3:40 - 21:30 St. John’s 3:50 Zuby Ejiofor 7:50 RJ Luis 11:00 Kadary Richmond, Simeon Wilc…

Jaden Daly from "A Daly Dose of Hoops" has been covering the MAAC men's basketball for 14 years. He knows the league better than anyone and offers his team by team breakdown of (Quinnipiac, Iona, St. Peter's, Marist, Fairfield, Sacred Heart, Merrimack and Manhattan) predictions, players to watch, surprise teams and more.…

In this month’s edition of BBC World Book Club bestselling American writer Elif Batuman discusses her acclaimed debut novel. ‘The Idiot’ follows Selin, a Turkish-American fresher at Harvard in the mid-1990s, delving into her experiences as she navigates the challenges of university life, grappling with identity, language, and the complexities of re…

Full coverage of Rutgers MBB Media Day and observations from open practice. Comments from Steve Pikiell and Bryan's 1 on 1 interview with senior captain Jeremiah Williams (29:00 - 39;00) Other topics include: Impact of freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Rutgers length and depth, Center battle between Emmanuel Ogbole and Lathan Sommerville, trans…

Ivy League Player of the Year, Caden Pierce, joins the podcast to preview the Tigers season. Caden also discusses why he ultimately returned to Princeton and turned down NIL opportunities elsewhere. He and fellow junior, Xaivian Lee, promise to be one of the best 1-2 junior tandems in the country, as Princeton tries to regain the Ivy League Title w…

Author Richard Kent joins Bryan to talk about his latest book, "The Madness of Ivy Basketball" which chronicles a wild season of men's and women's basketball in the Ivy League. Richard, who grew up in New Haven, CT as a fan of Yale and Princeton too, is currently a color commentator for Yale basketball. He offers plenty of anecdotes and insight int…

German author Ewald Arenz answers readers' questions about his bestselling novel Tasting Sunlight. It’s the moving story of Liss, a reclusive woman who single-handedly runs her family farm, and teenage runaway Sally who takes refuge there. As they work together, Liss and Sally form an unlikely – and nurturing – friendship. Image: Ewald Arenz (Credi…

In one of the last broadcast interviews, the acclaimed Irish author Edna O’Brien, who died aged 93 in July 2024, is in conversation with Kim Chakanetsa. In this bonus episode, shediscusses her final novel, Girl – which tells the story of a young girl in Nigeria who is captured by the Islamist group Boko Haram – the effects of lockdown and her love …

Another chance to hear Harriett Gilbert talking to bestselling American writer Paul Auster, who died earlier this year on 30 April 2024. Paul Auster joined Harriett in 2012, with a literary festival audience and readers from around the world, to discuss his acclaimed work The New York Trilogy. In three brilliant variations on the classic detective …

Following the death of the Irish author Edna O’Brien in July 2024, another chance to hear a 2008 World Book Club episode in which she talked to Harriett Gilbert and an audience of readers about her renowned debut novel The Country Girls. Banned in her homeland on publication, it has become one of O’Brien’s most admired and renowned works. Producer:…

Toronto is a bustling city on Lake Ontario which is growing at an astonishing rate. Almost a third of Torontonians have arrived in the last decade and more than half were born outside of Canada. The city’s Mohawk name is , which means “the place on the water where the trees are standing".Noah Richler explores the fictional landscape of the city wit…

Kevin Kwan discusses his internationally best-selling novel, Crazy Rich Asians, with readers from around the world. Chinese-American academic Rachel Chu lives a modest and happy life with her boyfriend and fellow academic Nick. But when Nick invites her home to Singapore to meet the family, everything changes – starting with the first class flights…

As summer workouts are underway at Rutgers, Head Coach Steve Pikiell assesses his most talented roster ever. Pikiell talks about: dealing with high expectations adding experienced players through the portal addressing free throw woes incoming freshman class team size, depth and versatility what the offense will look like 2024-25 schedule and more!…

In Miriam Toews’s novel, Women Talking, the women of a remote Mennonite colony are hold secret meetings to talk about the crimes of the men who they live alongside. After years of being told that they were suffering from hysterical delusions, the women “came to understand that they were collectively dreaming one dream, and that it wasn’t a dream at…

UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley joins Bryan DeNovellis in the wake of Alex Karaban's announcement that he's returning to Storrs. Hurley covers a number of topics including: Karaban's return His "deepest roster ever" Incoming transfers (Reed and Mahaney) and freshman McNeeley Why he engages opposing fans Next Year's non-conference schedule Quest to 3-Pe…

Percival Everett will be discussing his Booker-shortlisted novel The Trees. This powerful and fiercely funny satire centring on revenge and racial justice in America shifts genres between police procedural, magical realism and horror with wit and consummate skill. Percival Everett addresses some of America’s darkest history with an unusual mix of p…

Seton Hall Radio Announcer Dave Popkin joins Bryan to discuss Seton Hall's thrilling win over Indiana State to claim the program's 2nd NIT Championship and recap the Hall's 25-win season. Plus Bryan analyzes UConn's dominating win over Purdue to claim their 2nd straight NCAA Title and 6th in program history. Hear Bryan's thoughts along with postgam…

Fran Fraschilla previews the NIT Final Four and the NCAA Final Four as Seton Hall and UConn both try to win national titles. Fraschilla will broadcast the NIT Final Four and Title Game on ESPN. He breaks down Seton Hall's road as the Pirates try to win what would be their 2nd NIT Title in program history (1953). And Fraschilla also breaks down UCon…

Award-winning Australian novelist Charlotte Wood joins Harriett Gilbert to answer questions from readers around the world about her novel, The Weekend. It's a story of grief and friendship; three women meet to clear their deceased friend’s beach house and find themselves uncovering secrets and stirring up memories. (Image: Charlotte Wood. Photo cre…

Veteran CBS Broadcaster Ian Eagle previews the NCAA Tournament, first round matchups in Brooklyn, and his promotion to lead play by play announcer. Ian also recounts a story of when NBA center, Rick Mahorn, gave him a "wedgie" on an airplane! Yes, it really happened! Plus Bryan recaps Wagner's win over Howard and preview's St. Peter's and Yale :00 …

Donald Copeland joins Bryan to discuss Wagner's historic NEC Championship run and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It's just the 2nd time in program history. It's even more amazing Copeland did it with 7 healthy players for 2 and a half months. Plus Bryan breaks down the St. John's win over Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament. What went righ…

Quinnipiac Coach Tom Pecora joins Bryan to talk about QU's first-ever MAAC Regular Season Title and how his team is preparing for the MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City. Plus the MAAC Coach of the Year shares stories from his 40 years of coaching in high school, JUCO, and schools like UNLV, Hofstra, Fordham and Quinnipiac. Plus Bryan goes Around the …