Book Club Appetizer

Charles Yu has been nominated for two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on the HBO series, WESTWORLD. He is also the author of four books, including INTERIOR CHINATOWN, winner of the 2020 National Book Award. INTERIOR CHINATOWN is a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play. Now let's join Amy Brinker in conversation with Charles Yu.

Karen McManus is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ONE OF US IS LYING, and its sequel ONE OF US IS NEXT. In her novel THE COUSINS, a rich and mysterious grandmother reveals a family's dark secrets. Now let's join Abbe Wright in conversation with author Karen McManus as part of the READ IT FORWARD BOOK CLUB. Check out the new book club journal from Read It Forward! BOOK CLUB: A JOURNAL acknowledges the wide range of interests and reading habits within book clubs, with recommendations organized in a way to help readers discover new voices from all kinds of backgrounds. Never again will you have to search far and wide to find your next great read!

Dr. Edward Hallowell is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist, a world-renowned keynote speaker, and the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION, which sparked a revolution in our understanding of ADHD. he is now the co-author of the new book ADHD 2.0, which draws on the latest science to provide both parents and adults with ADHD a plan for minimizing the downside and maximizing the benefits of ADHD at any age. On this episode book editor Marnie Cochran talks to Dr. Hallowell about the book, and new strategies and lifestyle hacks for thriving with ADHD.

Catherine Cohen is a comedy sensation who hosts the very popular podcast Seek Treatment. She has been featured in The New York Times and Vogue, and has appeared in the Netflix film The Lovebirds and HBO's High Maintenance. She is now the author of the comedic poetry collection GOD I FEEL MODERN TONIGHT. A Dorothy Parker for our time, a Starbucks philosopher with no primary-care doctor, Catherine will say all the outrageous things we think but never say out loud ourselves. Join our own Pat Stango as he talks to Catherine about comedy, dating, and the misery of podcasting.

Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times-bestselling author and Edgar Award-winning author of thirty-two novels. Her latest, ETERNAL, is a sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events— the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome. Lisa has also co-authored nine best-selling essay collections with her daughter Francesca Serritella, who has just released her debut novel GHOSTS OF HARVARD, which has been described as part mystery, part ghost story, part psychological thriller. Today this mother-daughter author team have a fun discussion about their books and whether writing runs in the family.

BOOKS CONNECT US is going on a little break. But we'll be back later in January with all new episodes. We're lining up lots of great authors for Season 2 of the podcast, and we look forward to connecting with you then. Take care, and we'll be back soon! Happy Holidays!

Stefanie Caponi (she/her) is an intuitive writer and illustrator. She has been reading tarot for more than 20 years and established her business as a professional tarot reader after creating her first tarot deck, The Moon Void Tarot. Her new book GUIDED TAROT is an essential guide to reading tarot cards seamlessly–with confidence and ease. Each of us holds gifts deep within and, with tarot, we have the power to unlock those gifts and make transformative discoveries. Now let's join Pat Stango and author Stefanie Caponi as they discuss her book and the world of tarot.

Alicia Garza is an organizer, political strategist, and cheeseburger enthusiast. She is the principal at the Black Futures Lab, and co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network. Her book THE PURPOSE OF POWER is an essential guide to building transformative movements to address the challenges of our time. This is the story of one woman’s lessons through years of bringing people together to create change. Now let's join Taylor Noel in conversation with author Alicia Garza.

On today's show we have a conversation between authors Vincent Toro and Willie Perdomo. Vincent Toro’s new poetry collection TERTULIA examines immigration, economics, colonialism and race via the sublime imagery of music, visual art, and history. Willie Perdomo is a prize-winning poet, whose new collection THE CRAZY BUNCH chronicles a weekend in the life of a group of friends coming of age in East Harlem at the dawn of the hip-hop era. Now let's join these authors as they discuss their backgrounds, inspirations, and the power of poetry.

Gabriela Herstik is the author of INNER WITCH and BEWITCHING THE ELEMENTS. In her new inspirational journal and spellbook EMBODY YOUR MAGICK will help readers embrace their inner witch, no matter where they are on their spiritual journey. The book offers up powerful meditations and rituals, space for notes and spells, and information on lunar practices, color magick, sacred herbs, tarot suits, and more. Now let's join Penguin Senior Editor Nina Shield in conversation with author Gabriela Herstik.

Toni Jensen teaches in the MFA programs at the University of Arkansas and the Institute of American Indian Arts, and she is a 2020 recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her new book CARRY is a powerful, poetic memoir about what it means to exist as an Indigenous woman in America, told in snapshots of the author’s encounters with gun violence. In CARRY, Jensen maps her personal experience onto the historical, exploring how history is lived in the body and redefining the language we use to speak about violence in America. Now let's join Taylor Noel in conversation with author Toni Jensen.

Sophie Kinsella is the author of the bestselling SHOPAHOLIC series as well as the novels CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET, THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS, and many more. Her latest is LOVE YOUR LIFE, an utterly delightful novel about a woman who ditches her dating app for a writer’s retreat in Italy—only to find that real love comes with its own filters. Let's join Madison Dettlinger in conversation with author Sophie Kinsella.

Andrew Child is the author of thrillers such as TOO CLOSE TO HOME and INVISIBLE. Andrew is now embarking on his highest profile work yet, teaming up with his brother Lee Child to co-write the newest entry in the incredibly popular Jack Reacher series, entitled THE SENTINEL. In THE SENTINEL, Jack Reacher finds himself battling bad guys in the murderous world of cybercrime. Let's join Pat Stango as he talks to Andrew Child about working with his world famous older brother, and what it's like to write one of literature's most enduring heroes.

Trung Le Nguyen, also known as Trungles, is a comic book artist and illustrator working out of Minnesota. He is particularly fond of fairy tales, kids’ cartoons, and rom-coms of all stripes. His debut graphic novel THE MAGIC FISH is a beautifully illustrated story that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, and shows us how we are all connected. Now let's join Caitlin Whalen in conversation with Trung Le Nguyen.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine is a National Book Award Finalist and the author of SABRINA & CORINA, a moving narrative of unrelenting feminine power and an exploration of the universal experiences of abandonment, heritage, and an eternal sense of home. This magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit in the American West. Now let's join Taylor Noel in conversation with Kali Fajardo-Anstine.

Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Isabel Allende is the author of a number of bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, OF LOVE AND SHADOWS, EVA LUNA, and IN THE MIDST OF WINTER. Her books have been translated into more than forty-two languages and have sold more than seventy-four million copies worldwide. Her latest is A LONG PETAL OF THE SEA, an epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home. Now let's join literary agent Johanna Castillo and Random House Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Hershey in conversation with author Isabel Allende.

As a screenwriter, Natasha Diaz has been a quarterfinalist in the Austin Film Festival and a finalist for both the NALIP Diverse Women in Media Fellowship and the Sundance Episodic Story Lab. Her personal essays have been published in the Establishment and the Huffington Post. COLOR ME IN is her powerful debut coming-of-age novel about the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance, and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds. Let's join Caitlin Whalen in conversation with author Natasha Diaz.

Jose Pimienta was raised in Mexicali, Baja California, and now resides in Los Angeles, CA where he works on comics and storyboards for animation and film. SUNCATCHER is his debut author/illustrator graphic novel. A story filled with music, passion, supernatural secrets, and family, SUNCATCHER brings to life a contemporary story of life in Mexicali with a supernatural twist and a lot of music. Now let's join Senior Editor Whitney Leopard in conversation with Jose Pimienta.

Karen McManus is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ONE OF US IS LYING, its sequel ONE OF US IS NEXT, and TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET. In her new novel THE COUSINS, estranged family members travel to an island to meet their rich and reclusive grandmother. The longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious–and dark–their family’s past is. Now let's join Caitlin Whalen in conversation with author Karen McManus.

The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and the first African-American to lead the denomination. A noted advocate for human rights and author of several books, Bishop Curry is recognized as one of the most popular preachers in the English language. In his latest book LOVE IS THE WAY, Bishop Curry leads readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity. Now let's join Penguin's Senior Editor Nina Shield in conversation with Bishop Michael Curry.