The Broads Talk Books With: Alex Marzano-Lesnevich

In this new installment of The Broads Talk Books With, we talk to the incredible Alex Marzano-Lesnevich! Erin recommended their book, The Fact of a Body, in Episode 40.

Alex tells us about their reading adolescence, praises new literary loves, and shares an incredible story of a fan interaction.

The Broads Talks Books With is our bonus series where we talk to some of our favorite authors, and nerd out about books. We've talked to Julia Phillips, Andrea Lawlor, Jeannie Vanasco, Mona Awad, Angie Kim, and more! Hit subscribe now in your favorite podcast player, and every episode of this bonus series will come to you direct, like magic.

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Favorite books and authors as a kid and teen:

• Little Women and Jo’s Boys, Louisa May Alcott

• War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy

Authors and books that made Alex want to write:

• The Shell Collector, Anthony Doerr

• The Archivist, Martha Cooley

Books on their TBR pile:

• My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, Jenn Shapland

• Reading Like a Writer, Francine Prose

• My Life in Middlemarch, Rebecca Mead

• The Art of Death, Edwin Danticat (Part of the Art Of series she recommends)

• The Artful Edit, Susan Bell (rereading)

Books that have surprised Alex recently:

• The Well of Loneliness, Radclyffe Hall

• Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy (reread)

How Alex gets book recommendations:

• Lambda Literary Awards candidates

• Pen Open Book Awards candidates

• Blurb requests

• (And some recommendations of recent reads:)

• Fairest: A Memoir, Meredith Talusan

• Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto, Michelle Bowdler

• Say I’m Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets, and Love, E. Dolores Johnson

Books and authors that inspired The Fact of a Body:

• Shot in the Heart, Mikal Gilmore

• Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats, Kristen Iverson

• In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

• Son of a Gun, Justin St. Germain

• Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein’s Brain, Michael Paterniti

• Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

Book Alex demands everyone read:

• The Other Side, Lacy M Johnson

Current pop culture obsessions:

• Sex Education

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Broads and Books is a book podcast. A funny podcast. A feminist podcast. And one of the BEST podcasts. Each week Amy and Erin choose a unique theme. Then we choose two fiction books, two other genre books (short story collections, memoir, non-fiction, true crime, poetry, etc.), and two pop culture picks based on that theme. We surprise each other with our picks, talk about why we like them, and give you unexpected recommendations for every reading taste. Along the way, we share embarrassing stories, pitch amazing-slash-crackpot business ideas, implicate ourselves in future crimes, and so much more. Broads and Books is fresh, funny, thought-provoking, and basically the best time you'll have all week.

Visit us at www.broadsandbooks.com, and talk to us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!