Jim Schumock hosts a "Best Books Special," featuring reviews of some of the best fiction and nonfiction books of the last year with guests Will Peters of Anni Bloom's Books and Sally McPherson of Broadway Books. There will be many literary thank you gifts for listeners who become KBOO members during the show, including a signed first edition of "Fight Club," by Chuck Palahniuk.

Host Dan Johnson speaks with Chana Wilson, author of Riding Fury Home, the harrowing story of her childhood, and how she survived.

Riding Fury Home is Chana Wilson’s inspiring memoir of suicide, despair, and redemption. When Wilson was seven, her mother attempted suicide with a rifle and was sent to a mental hospital; when she returned, Wilson became her solo caretaker. It was only years later that Wilson came to understand that her mother had been institutionalized not just for attempting suicide, but for having an affair with a woman—and it was not until many years after that both mother and daughter came out as lesbians.

On Between the Covers, host Suzanne LaGrande interviews author and painter Ted Katz about his book, The Studio Within.

Katz was born in Philadelphia, PA. While a fellow of Harvard, Katz studied at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts and at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts. The paintings of Ted Katz have been shown across the country, from New York City to Portland.

The Studio Within contains a series of short vignettes that chronicle key moments in his journey as an artist and educator. Among other things, Mr. Katz talks about how he discovered his passion for painting and teaching, and the importance of getting lost in order to make new creative discoveries.

Host Marianne Barisonek speaks with Oregon writer Cheryl Strayed about her new memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Her other books are Torch, a novel and Tiny Beautiful Things, a selection of her "Dear Sugar" columns from TheRumpus.net (forthcoming from Vintage, July 2012). Strayed has written the "Dear Sugar" column on TheRumpus.net since March 2010. She's a founding member of VIDA: Women In Literary Arts, and serves on their board of directors.