Julie Otsuka doesn't just write, she crafts. Trained as a painter, Otsuka took up writing as her second career, and man oh man are we lucky she did. Her latest, The Swimmers, is just coming out in paperback and it is one of the most lyrical rich character portraits we have read. Julie joins us to talk about her unique style, and to tell us how she has kept each one of her novels to less than 200 pages. Trust us, each page is packed with beauty. Our bookstore this week is Book Ends in Winchester Massachusetts with its two brand new owners.

Books mentioned in this podcast:

• The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
• When the Emporer was Divine by Julie Otsuka
• The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
• Second Place by Rachel Cusk
• A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk
• The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk
• The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
• Camino Island by John Grisham
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
• Art of Cooking by Jacques Pepin

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