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RadioWest's 2026 Summer Book Show

Aidan Oneida | KUER

Summer is officially here, which means it’s time to gather our trio of local booksellers to hear their picks for what to read poolside, beachside or wherever else you’re spending time this vacation season.

Catherine Weller, Anne Holman and Ken Sanders join us to talk about fiction, non-fiction and books for young readers. From an entertaining take on economics, to a history of hobos and a new novel by the author of “The Life of Pi”, there’s something here for everybody to while away the long, hot days of summer.

GUESTS

Airdate: June 25 and 27, 2026

BOOKSELLERS BOOKLISTS

Ken Sanders (Ken Sanders Rare Books)

Fiction/Poetry

  • Vigil by George Saunders
  • Land by Maggie O’Farrell
  • Kin by Tayari Jones
  • Glyph by Ali Smith
  • The Hill by Harriet Clark
  • Flashlight by Susan Choi
  • Wellwater by Karen Solie
  • With Snow Pouring Southward Past the Window by Joan Naviyuk Kane

Comics/Graphic Novels

  • Catacomb of Torment by John Arcudi, Marguerite Bennett, Matt Bors, Evan Dorkin, et al.
  • Barrier: The Collected Edition by Brian K. Vaughan
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
  • Gay Mormon Dad by Chad Anderson

Children’s & Young Adult Books

  • Just One Oak: What a Single Tree Can Be by Maria Gianferrari
  • Wombat Waiting by Kathryn Applegate
  • A Day Off School by Oliver Jeffers and Kevin Waldron
  • While We’re Here by Anne Wynter and Micha Archer
  • Their Will Undone by RJ Valldeperas
  • Estela, Undrowning by René Peña-Govea
  • Medicine Wheels by Byron Graves
  • Sing the 50 United States! by Dr. Seuss

Non-Fiction

  • The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary by Terry Tempest Williams
  • The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change by Rebecca Solnit
  • The Story of Capital: What Everyone Should Know about How Capital Works by David Harvey
  • The Hobo: A History of America's First Climate Migrants by Robert Suits
  • A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness by Michael Pollan
  • The Land and Its People: Essays by David Sedaris
  • Workers and the World: Fighting Ecological Crisis from Within by Lorenzo Feltrin
  • Handbook for the Revolution: Building a More Perfect Union for the Twenty-First Century by Derrick Palmer
  • The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present by Steve Brusatte
  • Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild by Heather Hansman
  • Water in the Desert: A Pilgrimage by Gary Paul Nabhan
  • The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris
  • Noticing: Intimate Encounters with the Natural World by Richard Louv

Utah

  • The Bryce Canyon Reader, edited by Greer Chesher
  • The Once and Future Lake: Stories for Great Salt Lake
  • A Reed Shaken with the Wind: A Human and Natural History of the Bear River Marsh (Utah Great Salt Lake and the Great Basin) by Andrew H. Hedges

Anne Holman (The King’s English)

Fiction

  • Whistler by Ann Patchett
  • How to Commit a Post-Colonial Murder by Nina McGonigly
  • Cowboys and East Indians: Stories by Nina McGonigly
  • Crux by Gabriel Tallent
  • Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
  • Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
  • Last One Out by Jane Harper
  • Girls Trip by Ally Condie

Non-Fiction

  • The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
  • A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World and How it Can Save Us by Bruce Feiler
  • Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life by Alex Mayyasi

Kids

Chapter Books

  • A Coven of Witches by Alexis Powell
  • In the Country I Love by Alaa Al-Barkawi
  • Iron Man: Super Smash by Dean Hale
  • Every Borrowed Beat by Erin Stewart
  • Hear Ye Mortals by Yamile Saied Mendezsf

Picture Books

  • My Papa Has a Red Mustache by Leo Espinosa
  • The Secret of the Old Clock by Marci Kay Monson

Catherine Weller (Weller Book Works)

Fiction & Poetry

  • Animal Room by Lauren Acampora
  • Archipelago of the Sun by Yoko Tawada
  • Brawler: Stories
  • Disappearing Act by Maria Stepanova
  • Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon
  • John of John by Douglas Stuart
  • Land by Maggie O’Farrell
  • Left and the Lucky: A Novel
  • Python’s Kiss: Stories by Louise Erdrich
  • Son of Nobody by Yann Martel
  • Strange Houses by Uketsu

Non-Fiction

  • Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital Age by Raymond B. Craib
  • Called by the Hills: A Home in the Himalaya by Anuradha Roy
  • Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground by Zyad Meyers Dohrn
  • Deseret Alphabet: A Fixed and Unalterable Sound by Ryan Shosted and NE Davis
  • In Trees: An Exploration by Robert Moor
  • Key to Everything: May Swenson, A Writer’s Life by Margaret A Brucia
  • Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History by Caroline Tracey
  • Sparta: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Superpower by Andrew Bayliss
  • Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old by Mary Beard
  • This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark by Craig Fehrman
  • A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness by Michael Pollan

Misc. Adult Books

  • Art But Make it Sports: Epic Matchups Where Art and Sports Collide by LJ Rader
  • Catherine Opie: To Be Seen by Catherine Opie
  • Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe: A Handbook for the Sad Beige Parent by Hayley DeRoche
  • Emotional Support Animals by Nicole J. Georges
  • Greek Mythology Coloring Book: Epic Scenes from Olympus and Beyond by Jenn Yook
  • Jacque Pepin Complete Techniques 50th Anniversary Edition: A Culinary Master Class from the Legendary Teacher by Jaques Pepin
  • Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart Reynolds
  • New Vegetarian: 500+ Recipes for a Lifetime of Great Meals by America’s Test Kitchen
  • Uzumaki Coloring Book: Selected Art from the Manga by Junji Ito

Kids Books

  • Airports: Behind the Scenes by Maxim Usik (7-10 years old)
  • Anarchy Explained to Children by Jose Antonio Emmanuel (7 years and up)
  • Breath of the Dragon: Breathmarked by Shannon Lee (12-18 years)
  • Goldfinches by Mary Oliver and Melissa Sweet (4-8 years)
  • Midsummer Sisters by Niki Smith (9-12 years)
  • Riot ACT by Sarah Lariviere (14 and up)
  • Sawyer Lee and the Quest to Just Stay Home by Zach Weinersmith (8-12 years)
  • Searching for Wocks by Lucy Kinsley (3-5 years)
  • Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder (5-8 years)
  • Through the Black Gate by Alfredo Caceres (8-12 years)
  • Unicorns in Uniforms by Beth Ferry & A.N. Kang (4-8 years)
  • Watermelon Pool by Bonsoir Lune (4-8 years)
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