The Nightly

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Paul about his reading comeback, the emotional wallop of Hamnet, and why he still craves the smell of a real book.What You'll Hear:The 1,200-Page Surprise: Greta kicks things off with a friend's funny realization that his new e-book was secretly enormous, sparking a little debate about whether not knowing a book's length is a blessing or a curse.A Reader Finds His Way Back: Caller Paul explains how he traded baking for books, and how a stack of Colleen Hoover novels and an unread Hunger Games series turned into a full-blown reading renaissance.Hamnet, Hamlet, and the Books That Make You Cry: Paul and Greta swap notes on the novels that wrecked them emotionally, the tricky business of movie adaptations, and why a good bookstore can feel like home.CHAPTERS:00:00 The 1,200-page e-book surprise02:11 Welcome, Caller Paul!03:33 Verity, Colleen Hoover, and Anne Hathaway06:55 Hamnet was a tearjerker09:00 Kindles vs. the smell of real books16:29 Falling back in love with reading

Josh Gondelman talks with caller Thomas from Vancouver about déjà rêvé, that eerie feeling that real life is echoing a dream you can't quite place, plus recurring teeth-falling-out nightmares and a dream journal gone whimsically off the rails.What You'll Hear:Déjà Vu's Dreamy Cousin: Thomas explains déjà rêvé, the strange sense that something mundane happening right now was already dreamed, and Josh tries to wrap his head around the difference.A Teeth-Falling-Out Classic: They swap notes on recurring anxiety dreams, including the one where your teeth fall out and you briefly, horribly believe it's real.Dream Journaling Confessions: Thomas remembers his lockdown-era dream journal, a fantastical amusement park with coffee-bean ground and frog-filled water slides, and why he eventually gave it up.CHAPTERS:00:00 Josh's rules for dream calls01:33 Welcome, caller Thomas02:00 What is déjà rêvé, exactly08:32 The teeth-falling-out dream11:44 Keeping a dream journal20:03 Horror movies and dreamy films23:00 Good night

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Annabel about her surprising new love of the beach as an adult, from her Rockaway-bound bagel runs to the best sleep of her life afterward.What You'll Hear:A Late Bloomer Falls for the Ocean: Josh wonders aloud what it's like to discover the beach at 24, and then gets his answer straight from someone living it.The Bagel-to-Blanket Pipeline: Annabel walks through her ideal beach day, down to the exact hour the Atlantic finally feels bearable.Defending the Cold, Gray Atlantic: Annabel and Josh team up to defend East Coast beaches against every West Coast and Caribbean comparison, gray water and all.CHAPTERS:00:00 Josh confesses he's not a beach commuter02:10 Annabel calls in from New York City05:46 A summer measured in beach trips, not days09:00 The freedom of an unstructured adult beach day13:16 A first, humbling attempt at surfing21:46 Good nights to Toronto

Greta Johnsen talks with sports reporter Maggie Hendricks about parallel-universe fan loyalties and why switching teams is never actually on the table.What You'll HearThe Alternate Universe Rewind: Greta replays caller Alex's confession that he could have avoided years of heartbreak by picking the Green Bay Packers over the Minnesota Vikings, then brings in Chicago sports reporter Maggie Hendricks to weigh in on what he got right anyway.Ancestors, Ancestors, Ancestors: Maggie explains why switching teams was never an option growing up Cubs-and-Bears-loyal in Chicago, including the grandmother who died at 96 without ever seeing a World Series win.The Fan Who Also Has a Press Pass: Maggie unpacks the strange balancing act of covering teams she loves, then tells the almost-too-good-to-be-true story of a Chicago Sky rookie who went from a tryout in Poland to a buzzer-beater against the reigning WNBA champs.CHAPTERS00:27 Replaying Alex's Vikings alternate-universe question02:03 Welcoming sports reporter Maggie Hendricks04:31 The Cubs grandmother who'd never forgive a switch09:44 A reporter's balancing act: fan vs. professional14:38 An undrafted rookie's buzzer-beater from Poland18:33 Goodnight to Sully (and "sports feelings")

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Alexa about her lifelong cilantro-soap confusion, the genetic quirk behind picky palates, and the joys of turning suspicious herbs into pesto.What You'll Hear:Ketchup, Pineapple, and Other Hills to Die On: Greta kicks things off by confessing her most controversial Chicago food opinions, ketchup on hot dogs and all.The Cilantro-Soap Mystery, Solved-ish: Caller Alexa unpacks years of confusion over whether cilantro tastes like soap, or if she just didn't like cilantro, and the surprising genetics behind it all.Tupperware Chaos and Herb Garden Dreams: The two wind down with a conversation about wilting herbs, mismatched lids, and the eternal battle for fridge order.CHAPTERS:00:00 Greta's food-related hot takes 01:54 Welcome, Caller Alexa!02:01 The cilantro-soap dilemma begins09:58 The science behind why cilantro tastes like soap12:04 Tacos, pesto, and cilantro's greatest hits16:27 Goodnight to Tiger and Lily!

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Bernadette about her sudden urge to join a book club, the perils of a 6:30 a.m. book meeting, and how to build a club that runs on wine, snacks, and no spoilers.What You'll Hear:The Greta Graham Book Club: Greta shares how her monthly Zoom book club has thrived for over two years, complete with a beloved regular who complains about every single book.A Book Club Born Yesterday: Bernadette calls in with a brand-new plan to join or start a book club, and together they sort through professional book clubs, thickies versus palate cleansers, and the golden rule of keeping the group small.No Spoilers Allowed: The two dig into the tricky etiquette of talking about twists before everyone's finished reading, and why the right book club needs the right kind of trust.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome to book club night02:51 Hello, caller Bernadette04:19 The GRETAGRAM Book Club explained06:10 The 6:30 a.m. book club is not the vibe09:20 Sorting through book club options15:11 Building a club that actually sticks

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Joe about the sprawling wooden town of the Maryland Renaissance Faire, his new life as a stone-giant magician in a virtual D&D group, and the search for a hobby that won't leave him talking to himself.What You'll Hear:The Wax Hand That Started It All: Greta opens with a childhood memory of dipping her hand in colored wax at the Renaissance Faire, and wonders aloud why that particular kind of magic sticks with us.A Town Built Just for Jousting: Caller Joe describes the enormous, semi-permanent Ren Faire town outside DC, complete with ninja stars, real jousting, and costumes way more ambitious than his own.Desk Monkey by Day, Stone Giant by Night: Joe opens up about his surprisingly wholesome virtual D&D group, the mysterious character he can't quite control, and the search for a hobby that scratches a very different itch.CHAPTERS:00:00 Wax hands and Ren Faire memories02:04 Welcome, caller Joe from the DC area03:08 Inside Maryland's sprawling Renaissance Faire07:16 Joining a D&D group as a desk monkey14:38 How Dungeons and Dragons actually works17:09 Weighing pottery, cello, and other hobbies20:53 Goodnights

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Alex from New York about his lifelong loyalty to the maddening Minnesota Vikings (despite note being from Minnesota) and why some paths in life are simply neutral.What You'll Hear:Dragons, Basketball, and a Ten-Year-Old's Fate: Greta opens with a childhood memory of a college basketball game, a fantasy novel, and the moment her dad accepted she wasn't destined for sports stardom.A Team Chosen by Vibes Alone: Alex explains how one very cool wide receiver sealed his lifelong, often heartbreaking devotion to the Minnesota Vikings.Alternate Universes, Not Regrets: Greta and Alex trade stories about college, cities, and teams they almost picked, and agree that some choices are simply neutral.CHAPTERS:00:00 Dragons, basketball, and a very tall 10-year-old02:39 Welcome, Caller Alex!04:47 The Impact of Randy Moss 10:25 Redemption arrives via the Lakers and Kobe/Shaq days16:53 College, culture shock, and choosing to be weird21:03 Good night to Justin Jefferson!

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Kammi all about memory: from nap science and grandma's soap to why eyewitnesses (and spouses) never agree on the color of the car.What You'll HearThinking in scents and songs: Kammi joins from Tucson to unpack why a quick nap might lock in a memory better than a long snooze, and why smell can transport you faster than almost anything else.The unreliable narrator in all of us: Greta and Kammi get into why retelling a memory might actually change it, and what that means for family stories, memoirs, and blue cars that were definitely green.A wedding day worth remembering: Kammi's pre-wedding advice, followed by a story of Greta's own microphone mishap at a wedding she officiated.CHAPTERS00:00 Keys, wallets, and a confession about GPS trackers01:35 Welcome, caller Kammi!04:24 The 20-minute nap that helps you remember06:52 The smell of nana's soap08:54 Live music as a memory trigger14:49 The one wedding-day trick worth stealing