Bookends with Mattea Roach cover art

Bookends with Mattea Roach

Bookends with Mattea Roach

By: CBC
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When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.

Copyright © CBC 2026
Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • A raunchy workplace satire ... about deradicalizing ISIS brides?
    Jun 14 2026

    When Nussaibah Younis decided to write a book about ISIS brides, everyone expected it to be an academic tome. Instead, she wrote a raunchy satire about a woman who takes a job in a warzone to get over a recent heartbreak. Nussaibah's debut novel, Fundamentally, sees protagonist Nadia in over her head working for the UN in Baghdad. But her sense of purpose renews when she connects deeply with Sara, a young ISIS bride who Nadia becomes intent on saving. Drawing on her own professional experience, Nussaibah tells Mattea Roach why the UN's work culture is ripe for satire, why the conversation about ISIS brides needs nuance and what it really takes to deradicalize someone.


    Liked this conversation? Keep listening:

    • Exploring the shady side of charity organizations
    • Need cash fast? Become a corpse bride today


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    35 mins
  • Here’s why Fran Lebowitz needs a cigarette
    Jun 7 2026

    Fran Lebowitz is a legendary writer and critic. She’s made a career of sharing hot takes without apology, and she didn’t hold back when she joined Mattea Roach for a special on-stage event in Toronto. You might know Fran from her books Metropolitan Life and Social Studies or her appearances in two Martin Scorsese documentaries. Fran is perhaps most famous for sharp social commentary — from airplane fashion, to the silly questions asked by educated youth, to the return of smoking ... Fran had plenty to share with the Toronto crowd.


    Photo credits to Brigitte Lacombe.


    Liked this conversation? Keep listening:

    • Scaachi Koul calls herself a professional ex-wife
    • For Louise Penny, stories come from hurt


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    30 mins
  • Dive into the dark underbelly of rural Ontario
    Jun 3 2026

    It’s easy to glamorize small town life … but Kevin Hardcastle’s new novel, County Road Six, is all about the darkness lurking in rural Canada. When Arthur O’Hare dies, his three daughters return to the family farm to sort through what he left behind. But what they inherit is more than land — it’s a shadowy history they never knew existed. County Road Six is a dramatic thriller about economic decline, family secrets and the lengths people will go to survive. It’s a compelling and unsettling story that pulls from Kevin’s own background growing up as a working class kid in rural Ontario. This week, Kevin tells Mattea Roach about exploring the rural Canadian experience, adding elements of horror to his stories and why towns can be more dangerous than cities.


    Liked this conversation? Keep listening:

    • The beauty and despair of Appalachia
    • Buffoon or genius? What makes a cult leader?


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    22 mins
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