Kobo in Conversation

In the spirit of "Christmas in July," we're presenting a special live episode of Kobo in Conversation from the Toronto International Festival of Authors' inaugural Ever After, the romance book festival. This was recorded back in November 2025, and though it deals with some extremely seasonal themes, we don't mind a little Christmas in July and we thought you might be into it as well. 
For a session called "Snowflakes and Sparks," Michael Tamblyn spoke with authors Marissa Stapley and Karma Brown writing under their pen names Julia McKay and Kristine Winters, about what Christmas and Christmas Romance means to them, as well as their COVID-era collaborations as Maggie Knox.
LIVE from Ever After, with Julia McKay & Kristine Winters
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Michael Tamblyn spoke with Patrick Radden Keefe, who has been writing for the New Yorker since 2006 and is the author of nonfiction bestsellers including Empire of Pain and Say Nothing. His latest book is London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth. They were joined by an intimate studio audience.
Patrick Radden Keefe on London's dark descent

Nathan Maharaj spoke with the novelist and journalist Jowita Bydlowska about her new book Unshaming: A Memoir of Recovery, Relapse, and What Comes After. It's a frank, unflinching recounting of the years following the publication of her first book, the memoir Drunk Mom. And it's a thoughtful, fearless meditation on the concept of shame. 
Jowita Bydlowska speaks about her accidental expertise in shame

For this special bonus episode of Kobo in Conversation, producer and co-host Nathan Maharaj was joined by one of Kobo's booksellers (and frequent Staff Picks contributor), Deandra Lalonde. They sort through the buzziest books to take along to the beach, the books landing in the next few weeks that you won't want to miss, and how best to bring a little Hollywood into your summer reading this year.
Books mentioned:
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Whistler by Ann Patchett
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune From 2023: Carley Fortune on summer love and second chances

Heartstopper #6 by Alice Oseman
Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
The Odyssey by Homer
There's Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson
On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle
And check out dozens more summer picks HERE.

Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Sharon Bala, author of the award-winning 2018 novel, The Boat People. Her new book is called Good Guys. It's about a nearly bankrupt international aid charity called Children of the World, and how their stumbling into the good graces of an A-list celebrity raises a lot of money, and a lot of questions about who the good guys really are.
You can watch their conversation too: https://youtu.be/6_YeVizUPr4 
Sharon Bala on the absurdity of so-called Good Guys