Caroline Bicks grew up reading and loving Stephen King's work. She never would have imagined that one day she'd be working alongside the King of Horror himself. After teaching and writing about Shakespeare for many years, she changed direction and took the inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine. Eventually she had the opportunity to explore the archives and original manuscripts of some of King's most iconic work. She compiled her findings into her new book Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks

Carrie by Stephen King

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The last Saturday of April is Independent Bookstore Day. This week Carmela Vedar, the owner of The Book Wardrobe, joins the show to talk about her store in Streetsville, Mississauga and how it came to be. Plus, scholar David Williams discusses the everlasting impact of the great Irish poet, Seamus Heaney.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Wintering Out by Seamus Heaney

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Kim Echlin doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. She's an author, translator and teacher who has written about political unrest and violence, and, in her reading life, is inspired by the writers who do the same. Her favourite writers bear witness to the world’s darkness and make meaning from these difficult stories. Kim’s latest book of essays pays tribute to her favourites, and it’s called Tell Others: Storytelling for a World in Turmoil. Plus, Toronto musician Lia Pappas-Kemps talks about her undying love for Zadie Smith.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Tell Others: Storytelling for a World in Turmoil by Kim Echlin

Intimations by Zadie Smith

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