WYPL Book Talk: Recent Episodes
Stephen Usery
We are delighted to welcome Lamar Alexander back to the program today for the second of a special two-part interview. Mr. Alexander served three terms as a United States Senator from Tennessee, two terms as the governor of the Volunteer State, served as secretary of education during George H.W. Bush’s administration, and was also the president of the University of Tennessee. He's also authored several previous books including Six Months Off and Lamar Alexander’s Little Plaid Book. Today, we conclude our discussion of his new memoir The Education of a Senator: from JFK to Trump, which is published by Post Hill Press.
We are delighted to welcome Lamar Alexander to the program today for the first of a special two-part interview. Mr Alexander served three terms as a United States Senator from Tennessee, two terms as the governor of the Volunteer State, served as secretary of education during George H.W. Bush’s administration, and was also the president of the University of Tennessee. He's also authored several previous books including Six Months Off and Lamar Alexander’s Little Plaid Book. Today we begin our discussion of his new memoir The Education of a Senator: from JFK to Trump, which is published by Post Hill Press.
Ruth Franklin is an acclaimed American literary critic and biographer, known for her award-winning works Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (Liveright/W.W. Norton, 2016) and A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction (Oxford University Press, 2011). Today, we’ll be discussing her latest release, The Many Lives of Anne Frank, which is published by Yale University Press.
Max Brallier is a prolific and NY Time Bestselling author who has been working most recently in the field of children’s literature. His book series include Mister Shivers, Eerie Elementary, Galactic Hot Dogs, and The Last Kids on Earth. Several years ago, he began a graphic novel spin off from The Last Kids on Earth called The Last Comics on Earth, which he co-writes with Joshua Pruett and is drawn by Jay Cooper and Douglas Holgate. Max stopped by the studio to discuss the fourth and final installment called The Last Comics on Earth: Across the Doodleverse, which is published by Viking Books for Young Readers
I’m pleased to welcome Adam Ross back to the program today for the second of a two-part interview. Adam is the editor of the legendary literary journal, The Sewanee Review. He’s also a novelist and appeared on Book Talk for his debut Mr. Peanut and for the follow-up short story collection Ladies and Gentlemen. Today we will be discussing his second novel, Playworld, which was published last year and has been recently released in trade paperback by Vintage Contemporaries.
I’m pleased to welcome Adam Ross back to the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Adam is the editor of the legendary literary journal, The Sewanee Review. He’s also a novelist and appeared on Book Talk for his debut Mr. Peanut and for the follow-up short story collection Ladies and Gentlemen. Today we will be discussing his second novel, Playworld, which was published last year and has been recently released in trade paperback by Vintage Contemporaries.
Brad Taylor is a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel who served in what is commonly known a Delta Force. Since his retirement, he's become a best-selling thriller writer whose series starring Pike Logan and The Taskforce, a sub rosa kinetic tactical squad, is now up to its twentieth installment, Shadow Strike, which is published by William Morrow.
WYPL Programming Coordinator Andy Hunt hosts his first episode of Book Talk, and his guest is veteran journalist and novelist David Wesley Williams. David appeared on Book talk previously to discuss his novel Long Gone Daddies. Today he and Andy discuss his most recent title, Come Again No More, which is published by JackLeg Press.
Mark Greaney is a best-selling writer of thrillers. He co-authored several Jack Ryan novels with Tom Clancy, and even continued the series for several years following Mr. Clancy's passing. Some of his other titles are Red Metal and Armored, but he is best known to Book Talk listeners as the author of The Gray Man series of books starring the burned CIA operator, Court Gentry. 2026 brings us the 15th installment in the series, The Hard Line.
Matthew Pearl is a best-selling historical novelist and writer of non fiction. His previous novels include The Dante Club and The Technologists. His most recent novel moves him into a more contemporary era dealing with real estate, the literary world, and jealousy. It’s called The Award, and it’s available from Harper.
Dr. Austin McCoy is a professor of history at West Virginia University. Today we’ll be discussing his first book for a general readership about the legendary hip-hop group De La Soul, Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and World De La Soul Made, which is published by Atria.
Gayle Feldman has been with the prestigious industry magazine Publisher’s Weekly for over forty years as a writer and a senior editor. She has previously written the memoir, You Don’t Have to Be Your Mother, as well as a look at the publishing industry called Best and Worst of Times: The Changing Business of Trade Books. Today Gayle and I continue our conversation about her newest title.Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built, which is published by Random House.
Brian Earl to the program today. Brian is the host of the podcast Christmases Past and the author of two books about the holiday, Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions and the recently published, Of Christmases Long, Long Ago: Surprising Traditions from Christmas Past, which is available from Lyons Press.
We welcome Peter Brannen to the program for the final installment of our two-part interview. Peter is a journalist, and his work has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Wired. His book The Ends of the World, about the five major mass extinctions in Earth's history, was published in 2017. Today we’ll conclude our discussion of his latest title, The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World, which is published by Ecco.
We welcome Peter Brannen to the program for the first installment of our two-part interview. Peter is a journalist, and his work has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Wired. His book The Ends of the World, about the five major mass extinctions in Earth's history, was published in 2017. Today we’ll begin our discussion of his latest title, The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World, which is published by Ecco.
Eli Cranor is a former professional football player turned crime fiction novelist. His previous novels are Don’t Know Tough, which won the Edgar Award in 2023 for Best First Novel, Ozark Dogs, Broiler, and today we’ll be discussing his most recent title, Mississippi Blue 42, which is published by Soho Crime.
Food historian and host of TV's TrueSouth John T. Edge returns to Book Talk to discuss his memoir, House of Smoke.
Dr. Coltan Scrivner is a scientist who studies morbid curiosity, or why death and injury demand our attention, ranging from biological instincts to cultural mores. Today we’ll be discussing his new book, Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away, which is published by Penguin.
We welcome Dr. Pue Shaw back to the program today for the final of a two-part interview. Dr. Shaw is a retired reader of Italian and Italian Literature, having taught at The University of Cambridge and the University of London. Much of her research is focused on the medieval poet Dante Alighieri. Her books for a general readership are Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity and the recently published Dante: The Essential Commedia, both are published by Liveright.
We welcome Dr. Pue Shaw to the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Dr. Shaw is a retired reader of Italian and Italian Literature, having taught at The University of Cambridge and the University of London. Much of her research is focused on the medieval poet Dante Alighieri. Her books for a general readership are Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity and the recently published Dante: The Essential Commedia, both are published by Liveright.
Eliana Ramage earned her MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Her debut novel is To the Moon and Back and is published by Avid Reader Press. It’s the story of Steph Harper who wants to be the first Cherokee astronaut in space, as well as the sacrifices and drive it requires from her, and how it affects her relationships with her family, partners, and people.
Susan Gregg Gilmore has appeared on Book Talk for her three previous novels, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove, and The Funeral Dress. Today we’ll be discussing her latest title, The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush which is published by Blair.
Nat Segaloff has worked in show biz as a publicist, producer, writer and more. His previous titles include: Hurricane Billy: The Stormy Life and Films of William Friedkin, A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, and Breaking the Code: Otto Preminger Versus Hollywood’s Censors. Today we’ll be discussing his latest book Bogart and Huston: Their Lives, Their Adventures, and the Classic Movies They Made Together which is published by Pegasus.
Dr. Kate Marvel is a climate scientist. She earned her PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge. She conducted post-doc research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, as well as at the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. She was a columnist for Scientific American for several years. Today, we’ll finish our two-part discussion of her first book for general audiences, Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet, which is published by Ecco.
Dr. Kate Marvel is a climate scientist. She earned her PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge. She conducted post-doc research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, as well as at the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.
She was a columnist for Scientific American for several years. Today we’ll have the first of our two-part discussion of her first book for general audiences, Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet, which is published by Ecco.
Jerry Avorn is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief Emeritus of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His previous book is Powerful Medicines: The Benefits, Risks, and Costs of Prescription Drugs, and today we’ll be finishing our discussion of his recent release, Rethinking Medications: Truth, Power, and the Drugs You Take which is published by Simon and Schuster.
Jerry Avorn is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief Emeritus of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His previous book is Powerful Medicines: The Benefits, Risks, and Costs of Prescription Drugs, and today we’ll begin our discussion of his recent release, Rethinking Medications: Truth, Power, and the Drugs You Take which is published by Simon and Schuster.
Elizabeth Birkelund is a novelist whose previous works include The Runaway Wife and The Dressmaker. Prior to writing novels, Elizabeth was a personal finance columnist for Cosmopolitan magazine and a full-time freelance writer for publications such as Glamour, Self, Victoria and Working Woman. Today, we’ll be discussing her recent novel, A Northern Light in Provence, which is published by Ballantine Books.
Heather Clark is a biographer, literary critic and novelist. She is the author of Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, The Grief of Influence: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, The Ulster Renaissance: Poetry in Belfast 1962 – 1972 and Sylvia Plath, a Very Short Introduction. Today we’ll be discussing her novel, The Scrapbook, which is published by Pantheon Books.
Rickey Fayne is a native of western Tennessee but currently makes his home in the upper Midwest. His fiction has appeared in publications such as The Kenyon Review, The Sewanee, and Guernica. Today we’ll be discussing his debut novel, The Devil Three Times which is published by Little, Brown and Company.
Michael Farris Smith is a novelist who has appeared on Book Talk many times discuss his books, including Blackwood and Salvage this World. Today, we’ll be discussing his most recent novel, Lay Your Armor Down which is published by Little, Brown and Company.
Dr. Roxane Gay is writer, editor, social commentator and a professor of media, culture and feminist studies at Rutgers University. She has written many best-sellers, including her essay collection Bad Feminist, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, and the novel An Untamed State. Today we’ll be discussing her latest release, The Portable Feminist Reader, which is published by Penguin Classics.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Dolen Perkins Valdez back to the program today. Dolen is an associate professor of English literature at American University, but our listeners better know her as an award-winning, critically-acclaimed novelist. Her previous works are Wench, Balm, and Take My Hand. Today we’ll be discussing her latest release, Happy Land, which is published by Berkley.
We welcome Amor Towles back to the program today for the second of a two-part interview. Amor is a best-selling novelist known for his historical novels The Rules of Civility, A Gentleman Moscow, which was turned into a miniseries starring Ewan McGregor, and The Lincoln Highway which is development to become a feature film. Today we’ll begin the discussion of his collection of shorties and a novella, Table for Two, which is now in paperback from Penguin Books.
We welcome Amor Towles to the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Amor is a best-selling novelist known for his historical novels The Rules of Civility, A Gentleman Moscow, which was turned into a miniseries starring Ewan McGregor, and The Lincoln Highway which is development to become a feature film. Today we’ll begin the discussion of his collection of shorties and a novella, Table for Two, which is now in paperback from Penguin Books.
Today we welcome a new co-host to the program today, Miriam Oliphant. Miriam is a veteran of the publishing industry and recently joined WYPL on a full-time basis. Her first interview for Book Talk is with novelist Anita Kopacz, who has found great success in the magazine world and become a spiritual advisor. She currently in the midst of a trilogy looking at spirits in the Yoruba tradition. The first book was Shallow Waters, and today she and Miriam will discuss the second installment, which is entitled The Wind on Her Tongue and is available from Atria/Black Privilege Publishing.
Tova Mirvis, a native of Memphis, is an author, who has previously joined us on Book Talk to speak about her memoir The Book of Separation as well as her novels, Visible City and The Outside World. Today, we’ll discuss her latest novel, We Would Never, published by Simon and Schuster.
Preston Lauterbach is a former Memphian who has written extensively about African-American music and history and has helped musicians tell their own stories, as well. Preston has appeared on Book Talk several times to discuss his books, The Chitlin Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll, Beale Street Dynasty, and Bluff City. Today, we’ll be discussing his latest title, Before Elvis:The African American Musicians Who Made The King, which is published by Da Capo Press.
Mark Greaney is a New York Times best-selling author of international thrillers. He co-authored several Jack Ryan novels with Tom Clancy, and continued the series for a few years after Mr. Clancy’s passing. He recently started a new series starring Josh Duffy, a security contractor, but today we’ll be discussing his 14th installment in his Grey Man series, featuring burned CIA asset, Court Gentry. Midnight Black features Gentry trying to infiltrate Russia in order to free his love Zoya Zakharova.
Guest host Dr. David Mason is back to conclude a special two-part interview with historian Dr. Manan Ahmed Asif. Dr. Ahmed is an associate professor of history at Columbia University. A Book of Conquest: The Chachnama and Muslim Origins in South Asia, Where the Wild Frontiers Are: Pakistan and the American Imagination, and The Loss of Hindustan. He and Dr. Mason will wrap up their conversation today about his latest title: Disrupted City: Walking the Pathways of Memory and History in Lahore which is published by the New Press.
Guest host Dr. David Mason is back to host a special two-part interview with historian Dr. Manan Ahmed Asif. Dr. Ahmed is an associate professor of history at Columbia University. A Book of Conquest: The Chachnama and Muslim Origins in South Asia, Where the Wild Frontiers Are: Pakistan and the American Imagination, and The Loss of Hindustan. He and Dr. Mason will begin their conversation today about his latest title: Disrupted City: Walking the Pathways of Memory and History in Lahore which is published by the New Press.
We are honored to welcome Rachel Kushner to the program today. Rachel is an award-winning novelist, whose previous work includes the novels, Telex from Cuba, The Flame Throwers and The Mars Room, as well as the collection of essays, The Hard Crowd. Today we’ll be discussing her recent acclaimed novel, Creation Lake, which is published by Scribner.
We welcome Dr. Russell Muirhead back to the program today for the second of a two-part interview. Russel is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics and Co-Director, Political Economy Project at Dartmouth College. He has many publications, including two books co-written with Dr. Nancy L. Rosenblum, who is the Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government emerita at Harvard University. Their first title together was 2019’s A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy and recently Princeton University Press released Ungoverning: The Politics of Chaos and the Attack on the Administrative State which we will conclude discussing today.
We welcome Dr. Russell Muirhead to the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Russel is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics and Co-Director, Political Economy Project at Dartmouth College. He has many publications, including two books co-written with Dr. Nancy L. Rosenblum, who is the Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government emerita at Harvard University. Their first title together was 2019’s A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy and recently Princeton University Press released Ungoverning: The Politics of Chaos and the Attack on the Administrative State which we will discuss today and next time.
Eugenia Bone previously appeared on the show to talk about her books, The Kitchen Ecosystem: Integrating Recipes to Create Delicious Meals and Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms. It’s been ten years since her last time with us, and today, we’ll be discussing her most recent title Have a Good Trip: Exploring the Magic Mushroom Experience which is published by Flat Iron Books. A note, the possession and use of psilocybe mushrooms is illegal in most of the United States, including Book Talk’s home state of Tennessee. A couple of states are exploring medical usage of them and several, mainly college towns, have decriminalized possession. These are the early days of scientific research, and Book Talk makes no claims on their efficacy, and strongly warns against possession and use where such is in violation of the laws of one’s jurisdiction.
Charles Bock was last on Book Talk for his debut novel, Beautiful Children, which won the 2009 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His second novel was Alice and Oliver. Today, we’re talking about his recent memoir, I Will Do Better: A Father’s Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love published by Harry N. Abrams, which is distributed by Hachette.
We welcome Charles King back to the program today for the final segment of a special three-part interview. Charles is a professor of International Affairs and Government at Georgetown University. His previous titles include Midnight at the Pera Palace and Gods of the Upper Air. Today we will continue to discuss Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah which is published by Doubleday and was just named to the New York Times 100 Best Books of 2024 list.
We welcome Charles King back to the program today for the second of a special three-part interview. Charles is a professor of International Affairs and Government at Georgetown University. His previous titles include Midnight at the Pera Palace and Gods of the Upper Air. Today we will continue to discuss Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah which is published by Doubleday, which was just named to the New York Times 100 Best Books of 2024 list.
Charles King is a professor of International Affairs and Government at Georgetown University. He has written for academic audiences as well as the wider, general readership. His previous titles include Midnight at the Pera Palace and Gods of the Upper Air. In 2024, he brings us Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah which is published by Doubleday.
Wright Thompson is a writer of non-fiction. His journalism has appeared in The New Orleans Times Picayune, The Kansas City Star and currently at ESPN.com. His previous books are The Cost of These Dreams and Pappyland. Today we’ll be discussing his new effort, The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi, which looks at the infamous murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in 1955, but also reveals the socio-economic facts that set the scene for this evil act, as well as the repercussions for the guilty and for Till’s family and friends, which go on until this day.
Sonia Purnell is a former journalist and current author of non-fiction. She first appeared on Book Talk for her previous book, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II. Her other books include Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill and Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition - A Biography of Boris Johnson. Today we conclude our two-part interview for her new book, KINGMAKER: Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue, which is published by Viking.
Sonia Purnell is a former journalist and current author of non-fiction. She first appeared on Book Talk for her previous book, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II. Her other books include Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill and Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition - A Biography of Boris Johnson. Today we have the first of a two-part interview talking about her new book, KINGMAKER: Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue which is published by Viking.
Guest host Linda Lloyd welcomes back best-selling cookbook author, Anne Byrn. Anne is known by millions as the Cake Mix Doctor, who has shown us how to start with a boxed cake mix and customize it to create truly memorable desserts. In her new book, Anne is expanding her purview with Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories, which is published by Harper Celebrate.
Jessica Mills is a journalist who has written for The Wall Street Journal and The Independent. Today, we’ll be discussing her debut novel, The English Chemist. It is based on the life of pioneering scientist Rosalind Franklin whose imaging work in capturing the structure of DNA was sidelined and buried by Frances Crick and John Watson who won the Nobel Prize in 1952 and did not credit Franklin. The English Chemist is published by Pegasus Books which is distributed by Simon and Schuster.
Danica Nava's debut novel is The Truth According to Ember, a romantic comedy set in central Oklahoma, where a young woman fudges her resume’ hoping to jump start her career and overcome discrimination against people of Native American heritage. The Truth According to Ember is published by Berkley.
Hena Khan is a prolific author of children’s books including Amina’s Voice and Amina’s Song, the second of which won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature in 2022. She has enjoyed great success with picture books and middle-grade novels, but today we’re talking about her newest endeavor, graphic novels. We are Big Time is the story of a teen girl whose family moves from Florida to Wisconsin. She joins the girls’ basketball team at her new high school, who then try to overcome low expectations from their fellow students and show their neighbors that Muslim girls can shoot the rock with the best of them. We Are Big Time is illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers.
I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky back to the program for the concluding installment of our two-part interview. Dr. Chervinsky recently was named the executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. She has previously written The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution and co-edited Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Today we finish our discussion about George Washington’s vice President and successor in her new book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic which is published by Oxford University Press.
I’m happy to welcome Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky back to the program for the first of a two-part interview. Dr. Chervinsky recently was named the executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. She has previously written The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution and co-edited Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Today we will begin our discussion about George Washington’s vice President and successor in her new book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic which is published by Oxford University Press.
Dr. Amanda Bellows teaches history at The New School in New York. In addition to many contributions to academic journals and scholarly books, her writing has also appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, in addition to many others. Her first book was American Slavery and Russian Serfdom in the Post-Emancipation Imagination, and today we conclude our discussion of her recent release, The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions which is published by William Morrow.
Dr. Amanda Bellows teaches history at The New School in New York. In addition to many contributions to academic journals and scholarly books, her writing has also appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, in addition to many others. Her first book was American Slavery and Russian Serfdom in the Post-Emancipation Imagination, and today we begin our discussion of her recent release, The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions which is published by William Morrow.
Steve Wynn is the founder and creative force behind the influential L.A. rock band The Dream Syndicate, which never quite made the leap to mainstream, but they were probably one of your favorite bands’ favorite bands. In addition to a solo career, Steve has played with many of genre’s heaviest hitters, including four albums with The Baseball Project, which also includes Peter Buck and Mike Mills of REM, Scott McGaughey of The Young Fresh Fellows, and Lita Pitmon of Filthy Friends. Steve recently published his first book, I Wouldn't Say It If It Wasn't True: A Memoir Of Life, Music, And The Dream Syndicate, which is published by Jawbone Press. His new solo album is called Make It Right and is available from Fire Records.
Eli Cranor played college football, and even professionally in Sweden for a bit. He came back to Arkansas to teach high school and coach football. His debut novel, Don't Know Tough, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel and was on The New York Times and USA Today’s best books of the year lists. Eli appeared on Book Talk for his second novel, Ozark Dogs, which landed on The New York Times and The Guardian’s lists of best crime novels of the year. He return to the program today to conclude our discussion about his latest novel, Broiler, which is published by SOHO Crime. Broiler is a novel of desperation involving two couples, the white, upper middle-class Mimi and Luke and the undocumented Gabriela and Edwin who work at the chicken processing plant which Luke manages.
Eli Cranor played college football, and even professionally in Sweden for a bit. He came back to Arkansas to teach high school and coach football. His debut novel, Don't Know Tough, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel and was on The New York Times and USA Today’s best books of the year lists. Eli appeared on Book Talk for his second novel, Ozark Dogs, which landed on The New York Times and The Guardian’s lists of best crime novels of the year. He joins us today to talk about his latest novel, Broiler, which is published by SOHO Crime. Broiler is a novel of desperation involving two couples, the white, upper middle-class Mimi and Luke and the undocumented Gabriela and Edwin who work at the chicken processing plant that Luke manages.
Paul Haddad is a television producer as well as a writer, having published novels and non-fiction alike. Born in Hollywood, he has a keen interest in Los Angeles, and some his previous books include High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania, as well as Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles. Today we’ll begin our two-part conversation about his latest title, Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles which is published by Santa Monica Press.
Paul Haddad is a television producer as well as a writer, having published novels and non-fiction alike. Born in Hollywood, he has a keen interest in Los Angeles, and some his previous books include High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania, as well as Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles. Today we’ll begin our two-part conversation about his latest title, Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles which is published by Santa Monica Press.
Boyce Upholt is a writer whose work has been published in the Atlantic, National Geographic, and the Oxford American, among others, and he was awarded the 2019 James Beard Award for investigative journalism. Today we’ll conclude our two-part discussion about his debut book, The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, which is published by W.W. Norton.
Boyce Upholt is a writer whose work has been published in the Atlantic, National Geographic, and the Oxford American, among others, and he was awarded the 2019 James Beard Award for investigative journalism. Today we’ll begin our two-part discussion about his debut book, The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, which is published by W.W. Norton.
Mark Greaney is best known for his Grey Man series starring the burned CIA operator turned assassin Court Gentry. But today we’ll be discussing the second book in his other series, starring Josh and Nicole Duffy. The first book Armored came out in 2022, and today we’ll be talking about Sentinel which is newly available from Berkely Books.
Dr. Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her previous works include Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution and The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent. Today is the final installment of a special three-part interview about her recently released book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, which is available from Random House.
Dr. Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her previous works include Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution and The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent. Today is the second installment of a special three-part interview about her recently released book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, which is available from Random House.
Dr. Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her previous works include Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution and The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent. Today we begin our conversation about her recently released book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, which is available from Random House.
Hampton Sides is a veteran journalist and non-fiction writer, with his work appearing in many publications, including National Geographic and Outside magazine. Book Talk listeners may best know him for his appearances discussing his titles like, Hellhound on His Trail, Blood and Thunder, and In the Kingdom of Ice. Today, we will begin a two-part interview talking about his latest book, The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, which is published by Doubleday.
Hampton Sides is a veteran journalist and non-fiction writer, with his work appearing in many publications, including National Geographic and Outside magazine. Book Talk listeners may best know him for his appearances discussing his titles like, Hellhound on His Trail, Blood and Thunder, and In the Kingdom of Ice. Today, we will begin a two-part interview talking about his latest book, The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, which is published by Doubleday.
Sara Koffi is a native of Memphis, who currently calls western Pennsylvania home. We’ll be discussing her debut, a thriller called, While We Were Burning, which is set in Harbor Town, one of the few majority-white neighborhoods in Memphis, and how that lack of integration exacerbates the grief felt by the leading women characters, both black and white.
This is the second of a two-part interview with, Alice Randall, who is best known for her best-selling novels The Wind Done Gone, Rebel Yell, Black Bottom Saints and others. But before writing prose, Alice wrote country songs in Nashville, including "XXXs and OOOs", which went to top the charts for Trisha Yearwood, making Alice the first African-American woman to write a number one country hit record. Her new book, My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future, interweaves her life story and the history of African-American musicians who helped make country music what it is today, despite attempts at sidelining or erasing their contributions. Also, the CD and vinyl of My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall is available from Oh Boy Records.
Book lovers know Alice Randall for her best-selling novels including The Wind Done Gone, Rebel Yell, Black Bottom Saints and others. But before writing prose, Alice wrote country songs in Nashville, including "XXXs and OOOs", which went to top the charts for Trisha Yearwood, making Alice the first African-American woman to write a number one country hit record. Her new book, My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future, interweaves her life story and the history of African-American musicians who helped make country music what it is today, despite attempts at sidelining or erasing their contributions. Also, the CD and vinyl of My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall is available from Oh Boy Records.
Dr. SunAh M. Laybourn is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Memphis. Her research has been published in Ethnic & Racial Studies, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Sociology Compass, and Asian Pacific American Law Journal. Her co-authored book entitled, Diversity in Black Greek-Letter Organizations: Breaking the Line, was published by Routledge in 2018. Today we will be discussing her new book, Out of Place: The Lives of Korean Adoptee Immigrants which is published by NYU press.
We welcome Kurt Wagner back for the second of a two-part interview today. Kurt is an award-winning business and technology journalist covering social media for Bloomberg and has been writing about Twitter and other social media companies and their impacts on society since 2013. Kurt’s debut book is Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul, which is published by Simon & Schuster.
We happily welcome Kurt Wagner for the first of a two-part interview today. Kurt is an award-winning business and technology journalist covering social media for Bloomberg and has been writing about Twitter and other social media companies and their impacts on society since 2013. Kurt’s debut book is Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul, which is published by Simon & Schuster.
Mark Greaney is now best known for his long-running Grey Man series, starring the burned CIA op, Court Gentry. And as a special treat, Mark brought along his editor, Tom Colgan, who is Vice President, Editorial Director for Berkley Books. Today we’ll be talking about entry number 13 in the series, The Chaos Agent.
Guest host Matt Ward welcomes retired gangster and current historian Louis Ferrante on for an epic two-hour interview. Ferrante's new book is Borgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia, first part of the planned Borgata Trilog,) covering the Mafia's first one hundred years, from 1860's Sicily to 1960's America.
Prior to becoming a best-selling thriller writer, Brad Taylor served in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years retiring as a lieutenant colonel after serving in several special-forces capacities in multiple deployments around the globe. His Pike Logan thriller series began in 2011 with One Rough Man, and today we’ll talk about the 18th entry, Dead Man’s Hand, which is published by William Morrow.
Dr. David Mason back today as guest host. Dave is a professor of religious studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. This week he speaks with a returning guest, Dr. Vanessa Sasson, who is also a professor of religious studies, but at Marianopolis College in Quebec. They last spoke about her debut novel, Yasodhara, and today they will be discussing her most recent work of historical fiction, The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women, which is available from Equinox Publishing.
Avery Cunningham joins me to discuss her debut novel, The Mayor of Maxwell Street which is published by Hyperion. A native of Jackson, TN and now a resident of Memphis, Avery has crafted a tale set in the early 1920s in Chicago, as the wealthiest African-American families have gathered for the funeral of the son of the richest black man in the nation. The Sawyer family’s daughter, Nelly, only wants to become a journalist, but her parents have other plans for her future, as she chases after the most mysterious criminal in Chicago’s underworld, The Mayor of Mawell Street.
Fergus M. Bordewich is a former journalist and now a longtime historian. His books include THE FIRST CONGRESS: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government, BOUND FOR CANAAN: The Story of the Underground Railroad, KILLING THE WHITE MAN'S INDIAN: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century. Today we wrap up with the second of our two-part conversation about his latest book, KLAN WAR: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction which is published by Knopf.
Fergus M. Bordewich is a former journalist and now a longtime historian. His books include THE FIRST CONGRESS: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government, BOUND FOR CANAAN: The Story of the Underground Railroad, KILLING THE WHITE MAN'S INDIAN: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century. Today we begin the first of our two-part conversation about his latest book, KLAN WAR: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction which is published by Knopf.
Martin Clark is a retired circuit court judge from Patrick County, Virginia and is the author of six novels, including Plain Heathen Mischief and The Jezebel Remedy. Today is the conclusion of a two-part interview about his newest novel, The Plinko Bounce which is published by Rare Bird Books.
Martin Clark is a retired circuit court judge from Patrick County, Virginia and is the author of six novels, including Plain Heathen Mischief and The Jezebel Remedy. Today is the first half of a two-part interview about his newest novel, The Plinko Bounce which is published by Rare Bird Books.
Laurence Leamer is a journalist and author with quite an accomplished body of work under his belt. His journalism has appeared in publications including Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, and Newsweek. His books have covered gritty topics like coal mining and lynching, political titans like the Kennedys and Ronald Reagan, and the brightest stars in the arts including, Johnny Carson, Ingrid Bergman, Truman Capote and now Alfred Hitchcock, in the recently released Hitchcock's Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director's Dark Obsession which is published by GP Putnam’s Sons.
Maureen Corrigan is the Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown University. She is perhaps bet known as the longtime book critic for the NPR program Fresh Air and is the author of Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading, and So We Read On: How “The Great Gatsby” Came to Be and Why It Endures. Earlier this year continuing education company The Great Courses made available her series of lectures, entitled, Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works.
Stephan Pastis is best known as the writer and artist for the wildly successful daily comic strip Pearls Before Swine. The latest collection of strips, Pearls Seeks Enlightenment was recently published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. Stephan also writes novels for all ages, but the publisher says that they are great especially for middle schoolers. His Timmy Failure series was successful, even spawning the major motion picture Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. The Trubble Town books followed in 2021 and 22. His new novel, appropriate for middle grade readers and older, is entitled, Looking Up, and it is published by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
Hayley Arceneaux is a physician's assistant with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Not only an employee, she is also a successful patient who recovered from pediatric cancer at St. Jude. A couple of years ago, she was offered a seat on a Space X flight to orbit the earth for three days and raise money for St. Jude. In 2022, her Memoir Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships was published, and 2023 sees the young readers' adaptation Wild Ride: My Journey from Cancer Kid to Astronaut, which is published by Convergent Books.
I’m happy to welcome Jonathan Eig back to the program today for the second of our two-part conversation about his new, exhaustive biography of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ent, King: A Life which is published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Jonathan is a best-selling and award-winning author of non-fiction. His titles are Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season, Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster, The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution, and the multi-award-winning Ali: A Life, about boxer and activist Muhammad Ali.
Jonathan Eig is a best-selling and award-winning author of non-fiction. His titles are Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season, Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster, The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution, and the multi-award-winning Ali: A Life, about boxer and activist Muhammad Ali. Today, we’ll begin the first of a two-part interview about his new exhaustive biography of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., King: A Life which is published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Polly Stewart is an associate professor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at Virginia Military Institute. Her essays have a appeared in The New York Times, Poets and Writers, among others. Today we will be speaking about her new novel, a thriller, entitled The Good Ones which is published by Harper.
This week we have the second of a two-part interview as Dr. David Mason speaks with Dr. Julie Carr about her book, Mud, Blood, and Ghosts: Populism, Eugenics, and Spiritualism in the American West published by the University of Nebraska Press. David is the director of the Asian Studies Department at Rhodes College. Julie is the director of the Women’s Studies Department and professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.
This week we have the first of a two-part interview as returning guest host Dr. David Mason speaks with Dr. Julie Carr about her book, Mud, Blood, and Ghosts: Populism, Eugenics, and Spiritualism in the American West published by the University of Nebraska Press. David is the director of the Asian Studies Department at Rhodes College. Julie is the director of the Women’s Studies Department and professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.
We're happy to welcome Blake McVey back as guest host of the program today. Blake is the public services director of the historic Cossitt Library in downtown Memphis. Today is the second of a two-part interview with journalist and author Paul Kix. Paul's journalism has appeared in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New Yorker. His first book is The Saboteur: The Aristocrat Who Became France's Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando, and today he and Blake will conclude their discussion of his latest title, You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America which is published by Celadon Books.
We're happy to welcome Blake McVey back as guest host of the program today. Blake is the public services director of the historic Cossitt Library in downtown Memphis. Today is the first of a two-part interview with journalist and author Paul Kix. Paul's journalism has appeared in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New Yorker. His first book is The Saboteur: The Aristocrat Who Became France's Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando, and today he and Blake will begin discussing his latest title, You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America which is published by Celadon Books.
Peter Cozzens is on the program today for the second of a two-part interview. Peter is a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and a historian. He has edited or written almost twenty books, having won many awards along the way. Today we will wrap up our chat about the last book in his trilogy of books looking at U.S. government wars against Native Americans. The first two were: The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West and Tecumseh and the Prophet. The new one is A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South which is published by Alfred A. Knopf.
Peter Cozzens is on the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Peter is a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and a historian. He has edited or written almost twenty books, having won many awards along the way. Today we will begin talking about the last book in his trilogy of books looking at U.S. government wars against Native Americans. The first two were: The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West and Tecumseh and the Prophet. The new one is A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South which is published by Alfred A. Knopf.
Memphis native Elizabeth Passarella is a writer and editor. Currently, she is a contributing editor for Southern Living, and previously worked as an editor at Vogue and Real Simple. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Parents, The Wall Street Journal, among many others. In 2021, she published her first collection of essays, Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York, and recently Thomas Nelson Books released her second collection, It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway: And Other Thoughts on Moving Forward.
Michael Farris Smith is a novelist who has previously appeared on Book Talk for his books, Rivers, Desperation Road, The Fighter, and Blackwood. His other titles are Nick and The Hands of Strangers. Today we’ll be discussing his latest, Salvage This World, which is published by Little, Brown.
Rebecca Boggs Roberts is a journalist and author, having been a correspondent for NPR, PRI, and the BBC, including the programs Morning Edition, The World, and Talk of the Nation. She is currently the deputy director of events for The Library of Congress. Her first book in 2012, co-authored with Sandra Schmidt, was Historic Congressional Cemetery. Her second was 2017’s Suffragists in Washington, D.C. : The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote. 2020 brought The Suffragist Playbook : Your Guide to Changing the World, co-authored by Lucinda Robb. Today, we’ll continue our discussion of her newest work, Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson, which is published by Viking.
Rebecca Boggs Roberts is a journalist and author, having been a correspondent for NPR, PRI, and the BBC, including the programs Morning Edition, The World, and Talk of the Nation. She is currently the deputy director of events for The Library of Congress. Her first book in 2012, co-authored with Sandra Schmidt, was Historic Congressional Cemetery. Her second was 2017’s Suffragists in Washington, D.C. : The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote. 2020 brought The Suffragist Playbook : Your Guide to Changing the World, co-authored by Lucinda Robb. Today, we’ll begin our discussion of her newest work, Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson, which is published by Viking.
Eli Cranor is a former pro football player and high school football coach. He’s now a writer with a column in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and has recently published his second novel set in the Arkansas River valley. The first one was Don’t Know Tough, and the new one, recently released by Soho Crime, is Ozark Dogs.
Dr. Oline Eaton is a lecturer at Howard University. Today we'll be talking about her first book, Finding Jackie: A Life Reinvented, which is published by Diversion Books.
Adam Brookes is back on the program for the second of a two-part interview. Adam is a true world traveler, having been born in Canada, grew up in Britain, and worked all over Asia. He is a journalist and novelist. He primarily served as BBC correspondent for Beijing, Jakarta, and Washington, DC. His novels are Night Heron, Spy Games, and The Spy’s Daughter. Today we’ll finish our discussion his new non-fiction title, Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasure of China’s Forbidden City, which is published by Atria.
Adam Brookes is on the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Adam is a true world traveler, having been born in Canada, grew up in Britain, and worked all over Asia. He is a journalist and novelist. He primarily served as BBC correspondent for Beijing, Jakarta, and Washington, DC. His novels are Night Heron, Spy Games, and The Spy’s Daughter. Today we’ll begin discussing his new non-fiction title, Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasure of China’s Forbidden City, which is published by Atria.
New York Times Best-Selling author Mark Greaney returns to the program to talk about the latest installment in his Gray Man series, Burner, which finds Court Gentry facing off against a Russian hit team as they both race to find a phone drive full of international, money-laundering secrets.
Chuck Thompson has appeared on Book Talk for his three previous titles, Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer, To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism, and Better Off Without ’Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession. Today, we have the second of a two-part interview about his most recent book: The Status Revolution: The Improbable Story of How the Lowbrow Became the Highbrow which is published by Simon and Schuster, and we’ll also talk about the recent documentary he wrote about soft rock called, Sometimes When We Touch, which is streaming on Paramount Plus.
Chuck Thompson has appeared on Book Talk for his three previous titles, Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer, To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism, and Better Off Without ’Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession. Today, we have the second of a two-part interview about his most recent book: The Status Revolution: The Improbable Story of How the Lowbrow Became the Highbrow which is published by Simon and Schuster.
Andy Davidson is an author of literary horror who has garnered much acclaim for his three published novels. The first was In the Valley of the Sun. He visited the WYPL studios in early 2020 to talk about The Boatman's Daughter. Today, he speaks to us from his home in Georgia about his most recent release, The Hollow Kind, which is published MCDxFSG Originals.
Stacy Schiff is a Pulitzer-winning biographer, having won forVéra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), among her other works are The Witches: Salem, 1692, Cleopatra: A Life, and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. Today we have the second of a two-part interview about her most recent biography, in which she returns to the American Revolution, with The Revolutionary, about the life and times of Samuel Adams, which is published by Little, Brown, and Co.
Stacy Schiff is a Pulitzer-winning biographer, having won forVéra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), among her other works are The Witches: Salem, 1692, Cleopatra: A Life, and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. Today we have the first of a two-part interview about her most recent biography, in which she returns to the American Revolution, with The Revolutionary, about the life and times of Samuel Adams, which is published by Little, Brown, and Co.
Teresa Lim is a journalist originally from Singapore, now living in England. She has recently published in America her debut book, a multigenerational memoir of her family’s journey from Southern China in the late 19th century up to the Japanese invasion of Singapore during World War II, entitled: The Interpreter’s Daughter, and it is available in America from Pegasus.
Aram Goudsouzian is a professor and the chair of the history department at the University of Memphis. He’s appeared on Book Talk before to discuss his books, King of the Court about NBA legend Bill Russell, Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear, and The Men and the Moment: The Election of 1968 and the Rise of Partisan Politics in America. Today we’ll be talking about his latest project, Man on a Mission:James Meredith and the Battle of Ole Miss, an illustrated graphic history of James Meredith’s attempts to attend The University of Mississippi in the early 1960s during Jim Crow. The illustrator for the book is Bill Murray, and the editor is Vijay Shah, and it is published by The University of Arkansas Press.
Jake S. Friedman is a former animator and current educator, as well as a researcher and writer about the history of animation. His first book was The Art of Blue Sky Studios, and today in the second of a two-part interview, we'll discuss his new book, The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age, which is published by Chicago Review Press.
Jake S. Friedman is a former animator and current educator, as well as a researcher and writer about the history of animation. His first book was The Art of Blue Sky Studios, and today in the first of a two-part interview, we'll discuss his new book, The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age, which is published by Chicago Review Press.
Grant McCracken is an anthropologist and author who researches culture and commerce. His previous books include: Culture and Consumption, Plenitude, and Chief Culture Officer. Today we’ll be discussing his most recent title, Return of the Artisan: How America Went from Industrial to Handmade, which is published by Simon Element, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
Andrew Lownie is the founder of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, one of the premier literary agencies in Great Britain. In addition to his status as a fellow of the British Historical Society, Andrew has written several non-fiction books, including, The Mountbattens: The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten and Stalin's Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War, and the Cambridge Spy Ring. Today we have the second of a two-part interview discussing his most recent release, Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, which is published in America by Pegasus Books.
Andrew Lownie is the founder of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, one of the premier literary agencies in Great Britain. In addition to his status as a fellow of the British Historical Society, Andrew has written several non-fiction books, including, The Mountbattens: The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten and Stalin's Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War, and the Cambridge Spy Ring. Today we have the first of a two-part interview discussing his most recent release, Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, which is published in America by Pegasus Books.
Steve Berry has over 25 million books in print in 40 languages. His first three novels were stand-alone thrillers, The Amber Room, The Romanov Prophecy, and Third Secret. In 2006, he began his tremendously successful Cotton Malone Series with The Templar Legacy, with book number 16, The Kasier’s Web having been published in 2021. He even spun off the popular character Cassiopeia Vitt into several stories co-written with MJ Rose. And there have been short stories and contributions to anthologies over the years. The seventeenth Cotton Malone book is scheduled for February of 2023, but today we’ll be discussing his first stand-alone novel since 2012, The Omega Factor which is published by Grand Central.
Mary Laura Philpott has appeared on Book Talk for both of her previous books, first in 2015 with her collection of cartoons, Penguins with People Problems. In 2019, we spoke about her collection of personal essays, I Miss You When I Blink. Today we’ll discuss he most recent release, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives which is published by Atria Books.
We are happy to welcome Lucy Ward back to the program for the second part of our interview. Lucy is a writer and former journalist having written for The Guardian and The Independent. Today, we continue our conversation about her debut book, The Empress and the English Doctor: How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus, which is published Oneworld Publications and distributed by Simon and Schuster.
We are delighted to welcome Lucy Ward to the program for the first of a two-part interview. Lucy is a writer and former journalist having written for The Guardian and The Independent. Today we will begin our conversation about her debut book, The Empress and the English Doctor: How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus, which is published Oneworld Publications and distributed by Simon and Schuster.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the current Chair of the Board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, as well as an associate professor of English at American University in Washington, D.C. However, for Book Talk listeners, she is a highly respected writer of fiction. Her debut novel was Wench, followed by Balm, and today we’ll be talking about her newest book, Take My Hand, which is published by Berkley.
William Hazelgrove has written over twenty books including, Madam President: the Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson and Al Capone and the 1933 World’s Fair. Today we’ll be talking about his most recent title, Greed in the Gilded Age: The Brilliant Con of Cassie Chadwick which is published by Rowman & Littlefield.
We welcome Polly Barton to the show today. Polly is an author, as well as a Japanese literary translator. She is the author of Fifty Sounds: A Memoir of Language, Learning and Longing which is published by Liveright. Polly is the winner of the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize for "Fifty Sounds." She currently resides in Bristol.
Jared Goldstein is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Roger Williams University School of Law. Today, we have the second of our two-part interview about his recently published book, Real Americans: The Problem of Constitutional Nationalism, which is published by University Press of Kansas.
Jared Goldstein is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Roger Williams University School of Law. This is the first of a two-part interview discussing his recently published book, Real Americans: The Problem of Constitutional Nationalism, which is published by University Press of Kansas.
Mark Greaney returns to the program today. We’ve discussed his co-authoring some of and continuing Tom Clancy’s legendary Jack Ryan thrillers. He’s also written a best-selling military thriller with retired Marine Lt. Colonel H. Ripley Rawlings IV, entitled, Red Metal. But most readers know Mark for his successful Gray Man series starring burned CIA operative, Court Gentry. We’ll be talking about his 11th installment in the series, Sierra Six, which is now available from Berkley.
We welcome Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky to the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Dr. Chervinsky is a presidential historian, as well as a columnist at Governing and Washington Monthly. She is the author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution which is now available in paperback from Belknap Press an imprint of Harvard University Press.
In this episode, Dave Mason of Rhodes College and WYPL interviews Hasanthika Sirisena, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Susquehanna University. She has published a collection of stories, The Other One. She and Dave discuss her collection of essays, Dark Tourist. which was recently published by Mad Creek/Ohio State University Press.
Brad Taylor is a retired Army Lt. Colonel who served in what is popularly known as Delta Force. After his service he became a thriller author, creating the Pike Logan series. We’ll be talking about his brand new one, End of Days, where a member of an international religious charity has gone rogue and is trying to bring about Armageddon.
We welcome Daniel de Visé to the program today, in this second part of two episodes. Daniel de Visé is a journalist, writer and graduate of Wesleyan and Northwestern universities. He has worked at The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and a multitude of other newspapers in a career spanning 23 years. In 2001, he was the co-recipient of a team Pulitzer Prize, and has acquired over two dozen other national, as well as regional awards in journalism. He is the author of The King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King, which is published by Grove Press.
We welcome Daniel de Visé to the program today, in this first part of two episodes. Daniel de Visé is a journalist, writer and graduate of Wesleyan and Northwestern universities. He has worked at The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and a multitude of other newspapers in a career spanning 23 years. In 2001, he was the co-recipient of a team Pulitzer Prize, and has acquired over two dozen other national, as well as regional awards in journalism. He is the author of The King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King, which is published by Grove Press.
Robert K. Elder is a veteran photographer, journalist, author and podcaster. Today we’ll be talking about his latest book, Christmas with Elvis: The Official Guide to the Holidays from the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, which is published by Running Press.
Linda Lloyd talks to Anne Byrn, known as The Cake Mix Doctor, about her latest cookbook, A New Take on Cake, in which she shows how to begin with a packaged cake mix and create new variations that seem to be from scratch. She revisits old recipes and updates them for the new cake mix sizes, and introduces readers to fresh new flavors, as well as recipes for cake lovers with restricted diets.
We welcome H. Ripley Rawlings IV back to the program today. Rip is a retired Marine Corps Lt. Colonel. His first book was the New York Times best-seller co-authored with Mark Greaney, Red Metal. Last year was his solo debut, the first in the Tyce Asher series, Assault by Fire. Today we have the second of a two-part interview about his latest, The Kill Box, which is published by Pinnacle Fiction.
We welcome H. Ripley Rawlings IV back to the program today. Rip is a retired Marine Corps Lt. Colonel. His first book was the New York Times best-seller co-authored with Mark Greaney, Red Metal. Last year was his solo debut, the first in the Tyce Asher series, Assault by Fire. Today we’ll have the first of a two-part interview about his latest, The Kill Box, which is published by Pinnacle Fiction.
Margaret Renkl is the founding editor of Chapter16.org and a weekly contributing Opinion writer for The New York Times. We recently spoke about her second book, Graceland, At Last, which is a collection of her columns for The Times.
Susan Orlean is one of the most respected writers of writers in America. In addition to her almost thirty-year position as staff writer with the New Yorker, she has published many best-selling books, including The Orchid Thief, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup, and The Library Book. Today we’ll be talking about her latest, On Animals, which is published by Avid Reader Press.
I’m happy to welcome Dr. Christina Lane back to the program today for the second of a two-part interview. Dr. Lane is a professor of film studies and the chair of The Cinematic Arts Department at the University of Miami. Her most recent work, which we’ll finish talking about today, is Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock which is now in paperback from Chicago Review Press.
I’m happy to welcome Dr. Christina Lane to the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Dr. Lane is a professor of film studies and the chair of The Cinematic Arts Department at the University of Miami. Her most recent work, which we’ll be talking about today, is Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock which is now in paperback from Chicago Review Press.
Dr. Dave Mason is back today as guest host. Dave will be talking to journalist Chaney Kwak about his debut book, The Passenger: How a Travel Writer Learned to Love Cruises & Other Lies from a Sinking Ship which is published by David R. Godine.
Jeff Shesol is back today for the second of a two-part interview. Jeff worked as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, as a communications strategist, and even as a cartoonist. His previous books include Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court and Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade. Today we’ll be talking about his latest book, Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War which is published by W.W. Norton.
Jeff Shesol is here today for the first of a two-part interview. Jeff worked as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, as a communications strategist, and even as a cartoonist. His previous books include Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court and Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade. Today we’ll be talking about his latest book, Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War which is published by W.W. Norton.
Olivia Campbell is a respected journalist having written for outlets such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, among others. Today we’ll be talking about her debut book, Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine, which looks at three women who blazed the trail for others to attend medical schools and earn MD degrees in 19th century America and Britain. I’d also like to add a note that internet weather didn’t do our connection any favors, so the audio is a bit dicey at times, but it is a very interesting conversation which I hope that you’ll stick around for.
We're pleased to welcome a new guest host, David Mason, to the program today. Dave is an associate professor at Rhodes College. He is also the editor of Ecumenica : Journal of Theatre and Performance. He’s the author of the books The Performative Ground of Religion and Theatre (Routledge, 2019) Brigham Young: Sovereign in America (New York: Routledge, 2014) Theatre and Religion on Krishna’s Stage (New York: Palgrave, 2009)
Dave will be speaking with Vanessa R. Sasson, a professor of religious studies at Marionopolis College in Quebec. She has a good deal of academic writing and editing under her belt, including the collection, Little Buddhas: Children and Childhood in Buddhist Texts and Traditions and the forthcoming, Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary. But today, she and Dave will be discussing her debut novel, Yasodhara and the Buddha, which was recent published in the United States by Bloomsbury Academic.
John Archibald is a long-time reporter and columnist for The Birmingham News. In 2018, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Today we’ll be discussing his first book, Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution, which is published by Knopf.
Julia Cooke is a writer whose journalism has appeared in The New York Times, Smithsonian, Salon and many others. Her first book was The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba, and today we’ll be discussing her latest, Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am which is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Patricia Engel, with her novel, Vida, translated into Spanish, was the winner of the Premio Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana, Colombia's national prize in literature. Her next novel was It’s not Love, It's just Paris, and then her following, The Veins of the Ocean won the 2017 Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her latest, Infinite Country, is published by Avid Reader Press, a division of Simon and Schuster.
Memphian Mark Greaney return to talk about his latest Gray Man novel, Relentless, and about The Grey Man being developed for Netflix.
E.A. Barres is a pseudonym of the crime fiction writer, E.A. Aymar, who is also known as Ed. As E.A. Aymar, he’s published the novels The Unrepentant, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, and You’re As Good As Dead, as well as contributed to several anthologies. He has taken on the pseudonym E.A. Barres to publish They’re Gone, which is available from Crooked Lane Books.
Mateo Askaripour to the program. He’s a former director of sales for a tech company who has shifted to the written word. His writing has appeared in Entrepreneur, The Rumpus, and Medium, among others. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has recently published his debut novel, Black Buck.
Anthony Amore is the head of security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston. He and Tom Mashberg co-wrote Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists. Anthony then wrote The Art of the Con. His most recent book is The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist which is published by Pegasus Crime.
Victoria Bond is a poet and teaches writing at the City University of New York. She and T.R. Simon co-wrote the award-winning middle grade novel, Zora and Me, in which a young Zora Neale Hurston and friends must solve a murder in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida. In an unusual move, T.R. Simon wrote the second installment, Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground, and Victoria wrote the recently published final book in the trilogy, Zora and Me: The Summoner, which is published by Candlewick Press.
Mara Fitzgerald's day job is as a scientist, but she has recently published her first book, a young adult fantasy novel where the water and heroes are in short supply while expectations of piety are rather high. It's called Beyond the Ruby Veil, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Michelle Stacey is a journalist and writer of non-fiction, frequently looking at nutrition and health. Among her previous books are Consumed: Why Americans Love, Hate and Fear Food and The Fasting Girl: A True Victorian Medical Mystery. Today, we'll be discussing her latest Holiday Keto which is published by Centennial Books.
Jenny Colgan is a tremendously successful Scottish novelist, with 35 published books, many of them best sellers, to her credit. She's a versatile writer, having written science fiction, including Doctor Who novels, stand alones, and several romantic comedy series. Today we'll be talking about the latest one in her series set on the fictional island of Mure, Christmas at the Island Hotel, which is available in the United States from William Morrow Paperbacks.
Connor Towne O'Neill's writing has appeared in New York Magazine, Vulture, Slate, and The Village Voice. A graduate of the creative writing program at the University of Alabama, O'Neill teaches at Auburn University and with the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project. Today we will be talking about his debut, Down Along with That Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy which is published by Algonquin Books.
Jeffrey H. Jackson is a professor of history at Rhodes College and was last on Book Talk to discuss Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910. Today we'll be talking about his brand new one, Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis.
Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist and producer. Her last book, The Last Castle, was an instant New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. Today, we'll be discussing her new book that is seasonally perfect, We Gather Together: A Nation Divided, A President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace which is published by Dutton.
H. Ripley Rawlings IV is a recently retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who has entered into the world of writing military thrillers. He made his publishing debut last year with Red Metal, which he co-authored with best-selling author, Mark Greaney. Today, we'll be talking about Rip's retirement from the Corps and his first solo novel, Assault by Fire, which is published by Pinnacle Books.
Peter Baker and Susan Glasser are our guests today. Susan Glasser is currently a writer for The New Yorker where she pens the column "Letter from Trump’s Washington." She's previously been the editor of Politco, editor-in-chief for Foreign Policy, and was national news editor for the Washington Post. She has written the book, Covering Politics in a "Post-Truth" America. Peter Baker is currently the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, and worked for The Washington Post for 20 years. He's published several books among them are The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton and Obama: The Call of History.
Glasser and Baker are married, served as co-Moscow Bureau chiefs for The Washington Post, and together wrote the book Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin's Russia and the End of Revolution. Recently, Doubleday has published their second co-authored book, The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III, which we will be discussing today.
Laura E. Gómez is a professor of law, sociology, and Chicana/Chicano studies at UCLA Misconceiving Mothers: Legislators, Prosecutors and the Politics of Prenatal Drug Exposure, Mapping “Race”: Critical Approaches to Health Disparities Research, and Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race. Today we'll be talking about her new book. Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism, which is published by The New Press.
Michael Imperioli is probably best known for his acting, writing, and directing for television, movies, and theater. He won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor for his portrayal of Christopher Moltisanti in the legendary series, The Sopranos. He pursues many creative endeavors, and his fiction writing has recently found its way to the reading public. His debut novel, The Perfume Burned His Eyes, was published in 2018, and he has a story in the new anthology from Akashic books, The Nicotine Chronicles, which is edited by Lee Child and also includes contributions from Joyce Carol Oates, Jerry Stahl, Hannah Tinti, and Eric Bogosian.
Hannah Brenner Johnson is Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Professor of Law at California Western School of Law in San Diego. Renee Knake Jefferson is Professor of Law and holds the Joanne and Larry Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston Law Center.
These legal scholars have collaborated on Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court. It's a look at the history of women who were considered for the Supreme Court prior to Sandra Day O'Connor's appointment in 1981. It also looks at what appears to being an honor by being a finalist for important positions is a way to pay lip service to diversity without actually achieving it.
Ariel Sabar is a former newspaper reporter for The Providence Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and The Baltimore Sun. He is currently a freelance journalist having written for publications such as Smithsonian, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Wall Street Journal. His previous books include My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for his Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq and Heart of the City. Today we'll be discussing his most recent one, Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife which is published by Doubleday.
Daniel Hornsby earned his MFA from the University of Michigan, and a Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. His stories and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Electric Literature, The Missouri Review, and Joyland. Today we'll be talking about his debut novel, Via Negativa, which is published by Knopf.
Dr. David Stebenne teaches at Ohio State University in the history department and their law school. David has authored two academic books, Arthur J. Goldberg: New Deal Liberal and Modern Republican: Arthur Larson and the Eisenhower Years. He and Joseph Mitchell co-authored New City Upon A Hill: A History of Columbia, Maryland. Today, we'll be looking at his most recent book, which is aimed a general audience, Promised Land: How the Rise of the Middle Class Transformed America, 1929-1968.
Wendy Williams' journalism has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Scientific American, and many other august publications. She's written seven book to date, including about the resilience of cancer patients, the history of the horse, and today we'll be talking about her latest, The Language of Butterflies: How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World's Favorite Insect, which is published by Simon & Schuster.
Walter Thompson-Hernández is a former New York Times reporter who is now moving into the fields of podcasting and documentary film making. While at the Times, he traveled the world looking for and profiling fascinating subcultures. One of those was the group of black horse riders known as The Compton Cowboys. Their story piqued Walter's interest, and he recently released his book looking at their fascinating and fraught life trying to hold onto their horses and non-profit during a tumultuous year of changing leadership at the top of the program. The book is The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland, and it is published by HarperCollins.
Sydney Ladensohn Stern has was a reporter for Fortune and Money and her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times. She has also written three books of non-fiction, Toyland: The High-Stakes Game of the Toy Industry, Gloria Steinem: Her Passions, Politics and Mystique, and most recently, The Brothers Mankiewicz: Hope, Heartbreak, and Hollywood Classics, which is published by The University of Mississippi Press and was recently released in audio book format by Random House Audio.
In addition to being a international best-selling author, Scott Turow is an attorney and has served as the president of The Authors Guild. His novels often take place in the fictional Kindle county, which is a stand in for Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. The heart, but not always the star of these is books is defense attorney, Alejandro Stern, known to most as Sandy Stern. Now in his mid 80s, Sandy is contemplating his retirement in the new novel, The Last Trial, which is published by Grand Central. Mr. Turow joined us from Naples, Florida.
Book Talk veteran Scott Phillips joins us for our first remote interview during the Covid-19 era. Scott's writing mixes noir with biting wit. His novels include The Ice Harvest, Cottonwood, and Rake. Today we'll be talking about his most recent book, That Left Turn at Albuquerque.
Lee Durkee's work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Best of the Oxford American, and New England Review. His first novel was Rides of the Midway, and today we'll be talking about his latest, The Last Taxi Driver, which is published by Tin House Books.
Michael Farris Smith is a novelist and has been on Book Talk before to talk about his novels, Rivers, Desperation Road, and The Fighter. Today we'll be talking about his latest, Blackwood, which is available from Little, Brown. And as a note, this interview was recorded on March 11th, prior to many of the safer at home orders began taking effect.
Andy Davidson holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Mississippi. His debut novel, In the Valley of the Sun, was nominated for the 2017 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel, This Is Horror’s Novel of the Year, and the 2018 Edinburgh International Book Festival’s First Book Award. Today we'll be talking about his second novel, The Boatman's Daughter, which is published by MCDxFSG Originals.
Alexander Weinstein is the director of The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing and an Associate Professor of creative writing at Siena Heights University. He was last on Book Talk to talk about his debut story collection, Children of the New World. Today we'll be talking about his latest story collection, Universal Love, which is published by Henry Holt and Company.
Sonia Purnell is a journalist and non-fiction author. Her books include: Just Boris: A Tale of Blonde Ambition, Clementine: The Life of Mrs Winston Churchill, and today, well be talking about he most recent title, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II, which is now in paperback from Penguin.
Candacy Taylor is a visual artist, photographer and writer. Her previous books are Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress and the Moon Route 66 Handbook. Today, we'll be talking about her latest book, Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America which is published by Abrams Press. It will be the companion book for the Smithsonian touring exhibition The Negro Motorists' Green Book and American Story which opens at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis in June 2020.
Maria Kuznetsova teaches at Auburn University and is an editor at The Bare Life Review, a journal of immigrant and refugee literature. Her writing has appeared in publications such as McSweeny's, The Southern Review, and Slate. 2019 saw the publication of her debut novel, Oksana, Behave! which is now in paperback from Random House.
Blake McVey talks with former Jackson(MS) Clarion-Ledger reporter and MacArthur genius grant recipient Jerry Mitchell about his book, Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era, which is published by Simon & Schuster.
Michael Zapata is a former Chicago public School teacher, the founding editor of Make Literary Magazine, and he has recently published his first novel, The Lost Book of Adana Moreau, which is published by Hanover Square Press/Harper Collins.
Mark Greaney co-wrote several years with Tom Clancy, and for his estate several years after Mr. Clancy's passing, for a total of seven novels. Last year, he published Red Metal, co-written with recently retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Rip Rawlings. But listeners of Book Talk know Mark best for his best-selling Gray Man thriller series, starring erstwhile CIA operator Court Gentry. Today we'll be discussing the ninth installment of the series One Minute Out.
Beatriz Williams and Karen White have both appeared on Book Talk before to talk about their best-selling novels, Beatriz with The Summer Wives, and Karen with The Beach Trees and A Long Time Gone. New to Book Talk is Lauren Willig, who has published six stand-alone novels and 13 installments of her successful Pink Carnation English historical series. All three authors together have collaborated on three novels, The Forgotten Room, The Glass Ocean, and today we'll be talking about All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of The Ritz Paris, which is published by Harper Collins. It's a story of honor and courage as three women, each in a different era in French history, World Wars I and II as well as the 1960s, strive for truth and autonomy while navigating a number of different battlefields.
Tara Conklin studied law and worked as a litigator here in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom. Her love of writing eventually won out, and she published her best selling debut novel, The House Girl in 2013. in 2019, she returned with her follow up, The Last Romantics, which was also a best seller, and has just been published in paperback by William Morrow.
Nic Stone is a successful writer of YA novels, those being Dear Martin, Jackpot, and Odd One Out. Today, we'll be talking about her first book for middle-graders, Clean Getaway, which is already a bestseller and published by Crown Books for Young Readers.
The Honorable Debra H. Goldstein is a retired federal judge who is now making mystery writing her career. She has published four novels to date, including two installments in the Sarah Blair series, One Taste Too Many and Two Bites Too Many. Linda Lloyd talks to her about these delightful novels and about her transition from jurist to scribe.
Jeremy Scott is perhaps best known for being the voice and co-founder of the extremely popular YouTube channel Cinema Sins where he nitpicks the plots an details of movies. A few years ago, he started a young adult book series about a world were super heroes are real, but must remain in the shadows while keeping the world safe. It starts Philip a young, but blind hero, who bands together with other young, but physically handicapped fellow students, to help protect the protectors. The first book was called The Ables, and Turner has recently released the second book in the series, Strings.
Jan Brett is one of the most-respected authors and illustrators of children's book in the world. Among her dozens of books are Berlioz the Bear, The Umbrella, and The Animals' Santa. Today we'll be discussing her latest, The Tale of the Tiger Slippers, which is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.
Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne was an editor for The Atlantic Monthly, and her writing has also appeared in The Boston Globe, GlobalPost, and elsewhere. In this episode, she talks to Linda Lloyd about her east Tennessee roots and her debut novel, Holding On To Nothing, which is available from Blair.
Jami Attenberg is a best-selling novelist whose titles include The Kept Man, The Middlesteins, and All Grown Up. Today we'll be talking about her latest, All This Could Be Yours, which was named to best books of the fall lists by many media outlets, including Time, Entertainment Weekly, and BBC.
Gene Ha is four-time Eisner award-winning comic artist, having worked on books like Alan Moore's Top 10, Batman, Green Lantern, and Marvel Knights. Today we will be talking about the series he created, Mae, which he writes and draws, as well. Lion Forge recently released the second volume collection, which is about a pair of sisters from Indiana who find a portal to an amazing alien world.
Kristen Meinzer is a former public radio producer and current podcaster, whose podcasts include By The Book, Movie Date, and We Love You (And So Can You). She's recently written a why and how to book called So You Want to Start a Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story, and Building a Community That Will Listen, which is published by William Morrow.
Pico Iyer is one of the world's great writers on our current age of travel and what it means to our connected societies. He writes for many publications, including Time Magazine and Harper's, and he has authored 15 books. Today we'll talk about his latest, A Beginner's Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations which is published by Knopf.
Karen Abbott is a best-selling and respected writer of historical non-fiction. Her previous efforts are Sin in the Second City, American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare, and Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War.Today, we'll be talking about her latest, The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder that Shocked Jazz-Age America, which is published by Crown
Guest host Blake McVey talks with writer Paul Tough about his new book, The Years That Matter Most:How College Makes Or Breaks Us, which was inspired by a chapter in his previous bestseller, How Children Succeed. It is a wide-ranging look at how cultural and economic factors can drastically affect students in higher learning, which is supposed to be one of the biggest contributors to social mobility in our society.
Lisa Howorth and her husband Richard are owners of Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi, one of the most beloved independent book stores in the country. In 2014, Lisa published her debut novel, Flying Shoes. Today we'll be talking about her second one, Summerlings, which is set in suburban Washington, DC during the summer of 1959.
William Kent Krueger is best known for his award-winning Cork O'Connor mystery series set in Minnesota. He's also written three stand-alone novels, The Devil's Bed, Ordinary Grace, which won the Edgar award for best novel, and the latest one, This Tender Land, which is published by Atria.
Brock Clarke is the chair of the English department at Bowdoin College and has written three collections of short stories and five novels, including An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England. He was previously on the program to talk about the novel, The Happiest People in the World, and today we'll be talking about his latest, Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe?, which is published by Algonquin.
The Honorable Martin Clark is a recently retired circuit court judge from the Commonwealth of Virginia and a respected writer of legal fiction. His previous novels are The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living, Plain Heathen Mischief, The Legal Limit, and The Jezebel Remedy. Today, we'll be talking about his latest book, The Substitution Order,which is published by Knopf.
Richard Zoglin has worn many hats at Time Magazine of the the years, writer, critic, and editor. He's also written three books looking at the history of American entertainment: Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America, Hope:, Entertainer of the Century, about Bob Hope and now Elvis in Vegas: How the King Reinvented the Las Vegas Show which is published by Simon and Schuster.
Philip Mudd worked for the CIA for 20 years and the FBI for five. His last position a the CIA was a deputy director of the Counter Terrorism Center, in 2005 then FBI Director Robert Mueller appointed him the deputy director of the newly-established National Security Branch. He left government service in 2010, started a consulting company, began speaking in the media on security issues, and has written three books, Takedown: Inside the Search for Al Qaeda, The HEAD Game: High-Efficiency Analytic Decision Making and the Art of Solving Complex Problems Quickly, and today we will be talking about his latest, Black Site: The CIA in the Post-9/11 World, which is published by Liveright.
Linda Lloyd talks with Memphis author Erin A. Craig about her debut YA novel, House of Salt and Sorrows, which was inspired by The Brothers Grimm's "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" and contains more than a couple of Edgar Allen Poe references, in a tale of a cursed family coming to grips with the tragedies that haunt them.
Erin will be signing copies of House of Salt and Sorrow at Burke's Books, 936 Cooper Street, on Saturday, September 14 at 11:00 a.m. during the Cooper Young Festival.
Stephen Hunter is the Pulitzer Prize-winning former film critic for The Washington Post and has enjoyed a very successful career writing thrillers, both series and stand alones. He's best known for his Bob Lee Swagger series. He was last on the program to discuss the sixth entry into the series, I Sniper. In this episode, we'll be talking about book number eleven, Game of Snipers, which is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons.
It's my pleasure to not only welcome back frequent guest best-selling novelist Mark Greaney to the program today but also his co-author, the newly-retired Marine Lt. Colonel Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV, who goes by Rip. Rip served over 22 years in the Corps, having been deployed ten times to combat and peacekeeping missions. Together they have written Red Metal, a near-future military thriller in which their version of the Russian Government launches a series of attacks on western forces that they believe essential to maintaining and improving Mother Russia's strength and relevancy on the international stage. Red Metal is published by Berkley.
Margaret Renkl is a contributing op-ed writer for The New York Times. Her writing has also appeared in Guernica and The Oxford American, among others. Margaret was the founding editor of the literary website of HumanitiesTennessee, Chapter16.org. She has recently left the site to concentrate on her own writing. Today, we'll be talking about her debut book, Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss which is published by Milkweed Editions.
Rea Frey has written several non-fiction titles about health and fitness, but Book Talk listeners may remember that we talked to her last year about her debut novel, Not Her Daughter, which has been optioned for production in Hollywood. Today we'll we'll be talking about her brand new thriller, Because You're Mine, which is published by St. Martin's Griffin.
Daniel Brook is a writer of non-fiction and his journalism has appeared in Harper's, The Nation, and The New York Times Magazine. His books are The Trap, A History of Future Cities, and his most recent one, The Accident of Color: A Story of Race in Reconstruction, which is published by W.W. Norton.
Chanelle Benz was first on Book Talk to discuss her first book, the short story collection, The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead, which won the 2018 Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Fiction and the Philosophical Society of Texas 2018 Book Award for fiction. In this episode, we'll be talking about her new novel, The Gone Dead, which is published by Ecco/Harper Collins.
Mary Miller teaches at the University of Mississippi and has published five books of fiction, including three short story collections, and the novel The Last Days of California. We'll be talking about her latest novel, Biloxi, which is published by Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton.
Deb Spera is known as Deborah Spera in the television industry where she has executive produced series like Criminal Minds, Reaper, and Army Wives. Today we'll be talking about her debut historical novel, Call Your Daughter Home, which is published by Park Row Books.
David Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Washington Post. His non-fiction books are always best-sellers which also receive critical acclaim like winning the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and the Anthony Lukas Book Prize. Today we'll be discussing his latest book, A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father.
Michael Knight teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee Knoville and has written seven books of fiction including, The Holiday Season and The Typist. Today we'll be talking about his latest novel, At Briarwood School for Girls which is published by The Atlantic Monthly Press.
Casey Cep is a writer of non-fiction whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The New Republic, among others. We'll be discussing her first book today, Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, which is published Knopf.
Mary Kay Andrews has a phenomenal track record of publishing engaging best-selling novels. She and Linda Lloyd talk about her latest, Sunset Beach, the story of a young woman who inherits a broken down beach bungalow and becomes involved is a decades old mystery.
Eric Barnes is the publisher of several newspapers in Memphis, Tennessee, but we have him on the program to talk about his novels. His previous ones are Shimmer, Something Pretty Something Beautiful, and The City Where We Once Lived. Today we'll be talking about Above the Ether which is published by Arcade and distributed by Simon and Schuster.
Basil Hero is a former television reporter who decided to interview as many of the surviving Apollo astronauts to see if he could share how their views of life and the world were changed by going to the moon in his new book, The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons from the Men Who Went to the Moon is available from grand Central Publishing.
Nathan Englander won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank. In addition to fiction, Nathan writes for the stage, and has also won a Guggenheim Fellowship. Today we'll be talking about his fifth book of fiction, kaddish.com, which is published by Knopf.
Mary Laura Philpott is the founding editor of the in-house magazine for Parnassus Bookstore in Nashville, TN. She is also co-host of A Word on Words for Nashville Public Television, and first appeared on Book Talk for her collection of cartoons, Penguins with People Problems. Today we'll talk about her new book, a collection of essays entitled, I Miss You When I Blink, which is published by Atria Books.
Dr. Aram Goudsouzian is a professor of history at the University of Memphis. He has written biographies of Sidney Poitier and Bill Russell, as well as an in-depth look at the Civil Rights landmark Meredith March Against Fear. We have the second of our two part interview about his latest book, The Men and the Moment: The Election of 1968 and the Rise of Partisan Politics in America, which is published by University of North Carolina Press. Today we'll be looking at the Democratic Party primaries and the path up to the general election.
Dr. Aram Goudsouzian is a professor of history at the University of Memphis. He has written biographies of Sidney Poitier and Bill Russell, as well as an in-depth look at the Civil Rights landmark Meredith March Against Fear. Today, we have the first of two part interview about his latest book, The Men and the Moment: The Election of 1968 and the Rise of Partisan Politics in America, which is published by University of North Carolina Press.
Erin McGraw is a respected writer of fiction, having penned the novels, The Baby Tree, The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard, and Better Food for a Better World. Today, we'll be talking about her fourth collection of short stories, Joy: and 52 Other Very Short Stories, which is published by Counterpoint Press.
Greg Iles is one of the biggest, best-selling thriller writers in America. He recently wrapped up his Natchez Burning trilogy starring Mayor Penn Cage. Today, we're going to talk about his latest book, Cemetery Road, set in a fictional town fifty miles north of Natchez. Award-winning journalist Marshall McEwan returns home to run his estranged father's newspaper, while a local business development promises to revitalize the area economy but at the price of how many lives?
Tim Johnston's 2009 short story collection Irish Girl won the Katharine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, and several of the stories won individual prizes, as well. His novels are Never So Green, Descent, which we spoke about on Book Talk back in 2013, and today we'll be talking about The Current, new for 2019, the story of two college students attacked near the Iowa-Minnesota state border that recalled the death of a young woman 10 years earlier, which was never solved and destroyed the bonds connecting several local families.
Snowden Wright has written for The Atlantic, Salon, Esquire, The Millions, and The New York Daily News. His first novel, Play Pretty Blues, was published in 2013 to critical acclaim, and today we'll be talking about his new novel, American Pop, which is published by William Morrow.
Dani Shapiro is a respected writer of fiction and memoir. Her novels include Black and White and Playing with Fire as well as memoirs including Devotion and Slow Motion. Today we'll be talking about her latest memoir, Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love which is published by Knopf.
Nick Petrie earned his MFA from the University of Washington and is known for his series of thrillers starring veteran Peter Ash. The first three were The Drifter, Burning Bright, and Light It Up, and today we'll be talking about the fourth installment, Tear It Down, which is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons.
Preston Lauterbach is an author of non-fiction who has concentrated on the African-American experience of the American South, and Memphis in particular. Hi First book was The Chitlin' Circuit and the Road to Rock 'n' Roll, about musical venues and musicians in the south and neighboring states serving a black clientele with good times and better music. His second book was Beale Street Dynasty, which looked at the early and prime days of the capital of black America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today we're talking about his latest book, Bluff City: The Secret Life of Photographer Ernest Withers, the man responsible for many of the greatest photos of the civil rights era and how his legacy has come into question since it was revealed that he was an informant for the FBI.
Lyndsay Faye is a novelist known for her Timothy Wilde Series, a couple of critically acclaimed Sherlock Holmes pastiches, as well as the stand alone novel, Jane Steele. Today we'll be talking about her latest novel, The Paragon Hotel, a tale of a white New York gun moll who hides out in a hotel for African Americans in a very racist Portland, Oregon in the early 1920s.
Mark Greaney co-wrote several Jack Ryan books with Tom Clancy, and several of them solo after Mr. Clancy passed away. But Mark started out his writing career with The Gray Man, the story of a burned CIA operative being hunted down by his former employer. We've talked about every entry into the series so far, and today we talk about the latest one, Mission Critical, which is published by Berkley.
For listeners in the Memphis area, Mark Greaney will be at the bookstore novel located at 387 Perkins Extended on Saturday, February 23 at 2:00 p.m. to sign Mission Critical. More information is available at novelmemphis.com/event.
Marjorie Herrera Lewis was the first woman originally hired as a sports reporter at the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, she later became the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter and moved to the Dallas Morning News. She's currently teaching media ethics at the University of North Texas, but today we're going to talk about about her debut novel, When the Men Were Gone, based on the true story of a woman who became a football coach in Texas during World War II.
Kiese Laymon back to the program today. Kiese is a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Mississippi. When last on the show we talked about his novel, Long Division, and his book of essays, How to Kill Yourself an Others in America. Today we'll be talking his latest, Heavy: An American Memoir, which was named to many major best books of the year lists for 2018, and he won the best Audiobook of the Year award from Audible.
Linda Lloyd recently talked to R.J. Lee about his mystery novel, Grand Slam Murders, where four four very important ladies in a Mississippi river town control bridge, and not the one that goes over the river. Who would want to do them harm?
Memphis native Harrison Scott Key won The Thurber Prize for his first memoir, The World's Largest Man. (...after his appearance on Book Talk, naturally) He recently stopped by to talk about its hilarious and yes, poignant, follow up, Congratulations, Who Are You Again?