I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still

watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you,

soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making,

Stories Without End from WB EZ Chicago.

Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure.

Listen wherever you get your podcast.

From WBEZ Chicago, this is Nerdette.

I'm Greta Johnson.

And because it is somehow already and yet only September, we thought it would be a good time to check in with a pal about what books

you don't want to miss this fall. Barry Hardiman is NPR's books editor. Barry, hey. Hello. Hello

again. Here we are even further into the pandemic. I know.

Like, what? It's still glowing. That's very nice of you to. I mean, I think it's just because

this closet is a little stuffy, but I mean, well, it's great to be able to control our own lighting,

isn't it? That's the thing we didn't have in the pre-pandemic world. So I wish I wasn't in a basement, but what are you

going to do? You look great. You look great. Thanks. So before we actually talk about books,

I thought it would be kind of fun to ask you about the controversy that is what actual fall is.

Like, you know, we're in the first week of September now. Like, it's almost Labor Day. Does that mean it counts? Or do we wait till

September 21st? Or is it, you know, like, where do you fall on this? I have to say,

I used to live in, I lived in L.A. for two years, which I adored L.A., but the passing of seasons

makes me remember time. Like, otherwise, I'd be like, how old am I? I mean, I know how old I am I? But like,

you know what I mean? Like, it's just like a thing that Mark's like, okay, here we are again.

You get another chance. And without seasons, I was kind of like, wait a second, what's like,

...