Get ready, book lovers: Check This Out is back for Season 5.
Beginning Saturday, Sept. 27, you can join novelist Rachel Barenbaum for 12 fresh episodes of NHPR’s favorite author interview series — now with even more high-stakes storytelling, plot twists, and yes... some well-earned romantasy.
This season, we’re embracing the full spectrum of fiction — from historical convents and family curses to snails in Ukraine and sword-wielding, brooding fae warriors.
Check This Out will air Saturdays at 3 p.m. beginning September 27, 2025 and will run through December 13 on NHPR and NHPR.org. Check This Out will also be heard on Vermont Public stations at this same time. You can subscribe to the podcast here.
“Each season, Check This Out stretches a little further — the conversations go deeper, the stories get bolder,” says producer Jessica Hunt. “We’re exploring fiction that plays with form, embraces imagination, and isn’t afraid to get a little wild."
Every conversation will be paired with a downloadable PDF discussion guide, perfect for book clubs or readers who want to dive deeper.
Here's a look at the upcoming books and authors this season:
Maria Reva — Endling - Saturday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m.
Set in Ukraine, an eccentric scientist breeding rare snails crosses paths with sisters posing as members of the marriage industry. As Russia invades, they embark on a wild journey involving kidnapped bachelors and a last-of-its-kind snail.
Jennifer Armentrout — The Primal of Blood and Bone - Saturday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.
“Romantasy” titles from indie presses, along with their enormous fan bases on BookTok, are reshaping the publishing landscape. Jennifer Armentrout is proving that the next giant of fiction doesn’t need a giant publisher. This is the sixth book in the Blood and Ash series- all published by a tiny Indie press that is taking publishing by storm.
Ruben Reyes Jr. — Archive of Unknown Universes
A genre-blending, speculative historical novel about revolution and empire, following two families across alternate timelines of the Salvadoran civil war.
Xenobe Purvis — The Hounding
Based on a strange historical anecdote, this novel tells the story of five sisters in18th-century England whose neighbors become convinced they’re turning into dogs.
Katie Yee — Maggie: Or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into A Bar
When a young mother’s life unravels after a divorce and a cancer diagnosis, she spins her pain into sharp, comedic fiction that’s equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious.
Quiara Alegría Hudes — The White Hot
Told as a letter from mother to daughter, this luminous novel explores a moment of abandonment that stretches from ten days to ten years—and reshapes a family forever.
Addie E. Citchens — Dominion
A Southern Black family drama unfolds as long-held secrets about a beloved son surface, shaking the foundation of a Mississippi town.
Rickey Fayne — Devil Three Times
In this debut novel, eight generations of a Black family in West Tennessee are visited by the Devil himself, each offered a different kind of salvation—while he wonders if redemption is possible for him, too.
Janet Rich Edwards — Canticle
Set in 13th-century Bruges, this historical debut centers on a young woman’s search for faith, agency, and love in a convent—and in a world that wants to silence her.
Special Episode — Best Books of 2025
A conversation with judges from the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what makes a book stand out—and their favorite books you might have missed.
Whether you're looking for your next book club pick or a deeper dive into today’s most compelling fiction, Check This Out is your literary destination this fall.
Check This Out is part of our NHPR Books family of literary programs. There you will also find archival audio from NHPR’s Writers on a New England Stage and Authors on Main—featuring literary greats past and present.