The Women Books & More’s Podcast

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, we look beyond the Founding Fathers to the formidable woman who helped shape a nation from behind the scenes — Abigail Adams. Often remembered for urging her husband to “remember the ladies,” Abigail Adams was far more than a presidential spouse. She was an early advocate for women’s rights, a critic of slavery, a manager of family finances and farmland during wartime, and a trusted political advisor during the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Married to John Adams — revolutionary leader, diplomat, and future president — Abigail maintained their Massachusetts farm while he served overseas and in Philadelphia. Through hundreds of letters, she offered sharp political insight, candid observations about the Continental Congress, and bold opinions about education and liberty. She also raised the couple’s children, including future president John Quincy Adams, shaping one of America’s most consequential political families. In this episode, New York Times bestselling historical novelist Stephanie Dray joins us to discuss her latest novel, A Founding Mother, co-written with Laura Kamoie. Known for acclaimed works such as America’s First Daughter, My Dear Hamilton, and the Cleopatra’s Daughter trilogy, Dray specializes in bringing complex historical women vividly to life. Together, we explore: Abigail Adams as a Founding Mother and political partner Her groundbreaking call for women’s legal and educational rights Her opposition to slavery in revolutionary America The realities of managing a household during war and epidemic What it meant to become the first presidential resident of the White House How historical fiction reclaims women’s voices in early American history Abigail Adams lived through smallpox epidemics, wartime shortages, political upheaval, and the fragile birth of democracy. Yet she remained intellectually fearless — a woman who believed that liberty must extend beyond men in powdered wigs to the women who kept the nation running. As America reflects on its founding era, Abigail’s story feels newly urgent. Her letters reveal a woman keenly aware of the contradictions of freedom in a young republic — and determined that women not be left behind. Whether you’re passionate about American history, women’s history, the American Revolution, presidential history, or historical fiction, this conversation offers fresh insight into one of the most influential women of the 18th century. Publication date: May 5, 2026. Pre-order here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063234769 or www.harpercollins.com www.stephaniedray.com https://draykamoie.com/  

Can travel actually help you live longer? What if the secret to longevity isn’t just what you eat or how often you exercise but where you go? In this episode, we explore the growing movement of wellness travel, slow travel, solo travel and the transformative power of journeys, especially for women over 50. We’re joined by Carolyn Ray, CEO and Editor of JourneyWoman, a global resource founded in 1994 to support and inspire solo women travelers. It has grown into one of the most trusted platforms for women 50+ who want to travel confidently and independently. A lifelong entrepreneur, Carolyn made headlines in 2018 when she downsized to a backpack and began traveling full time. In 2023, she was named one of the most influential women in travel by TravelPulse. In 2025, she co-authored Never Too Late: How Women 50+ Travelers Are Making the Rules with Lola Akinmade Åkerström, spotlighting women who are redefining midlife through travel and reinvention. In this conversation, we discuss: Why solo travel builds resilience and confidence after 50 The science-backed benefits of travel for longevity The power of slow travel for stress reduction and mental health Reinvention in midlife How stepping outside your comfort zone can support healthy aging This episode is for anyone curious about how travel supports longevity, vitality, and purpose. Pack light. Stay curious. journeywoman.com  

Once upon a Monday, before clothes dryers hummed behind closed doors, the world of women paused for laundry day. A rope stretched across a backyard became a stage for white sheets lifting like sails, overalls drying in the noonday sun, aprons whispering in the breeze. Whether it was truly a simpler time or simply feels that way in memory, the clothesline has come to symbolize a gentler pace. Neighbors chatting over fences. Children running between fluttering towels. The scent of soap and sunshine lingering long after the clothes were taken into the house. In remembering the clothesline, we remember a rhythm of life measured not by machines, but by daylight, fresh air, and the quiet satisfaction of work well done. The Clothesline by Andrea VanSteenhouse and Irene Rawlings was published by Gibbs Smith in 2010 and is still available on Amazon.

THE HARD LINE—the 15th in this best-selling series—starts with a blown safe house in Tunis. Then…the Gray Man barely escapes from an ambush in the jungles of Nicaragua. Now key members of the U.S. counterintelligence community are being assassinated—one by one—in their own neighborhoods. With the feds compromised, it’s up to the Gray Man and his team to stop the hit squads.  But eliminating professional kill teams may be the least of the Gray Man’s worries when he finds himself targeted by a legendary IRA (Irish Republican Army) assassin driven out of retirement by a very personal quest to kill the Gray Man and everyone he’s ever loved. Trust me. This action thriller is fast paced with a unexpected twists. I read it well into the night…stopping only when my eyes could no longer focus. In the interest of full disclosure: My son, Lt. Col. Hunter “Rip” Rawlings IV (USMC, Retired), worked with Mark Greaney on RED METAL, a best seller that was published to high praise, especially from Tom Clancy fans. There are rumors that a sequel is in the works. www.markgreaneybooks.com https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/786216/the-hard-line-by-mark-greaney/

Darla Worden is the Editor-in-Chief of Mountain Living magazine and Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine. She joins us to talk about Cockeyed Happy, her book about Ernest Hemingway’s summers in Wyoming with his second wife, Pauline. This story is not well known. I mean…we can picture Hemingway in Paris. Fishing in Key West. Drinking rum at his favorite bar (The Floridita) in Havana. But…Wyoming? From the book jacket: “In March 1928, after the phenomenal success of The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway returned to the U.S. with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer—the stylish Vogue editor and scorned “other woman” who would give up everything to be with him and in the end, lose it all. The couple left Paris in the wake of the gossip storm about Hemingway’s affair and abandonment of his first wife and son. Escaping to Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains to write…he finished A Farewell to Arms and fell in love with the land around him.” They were “cockeyed happy”…until they weren’t. Hemingway went on to have two more wives after Pauline. Darla has been fascinated by Hemingway since she was a teen in Sheridan, Wyoming. She saw his photo above the jukebox at The Last Chance Bar and was captivated. She tells us about some of his favorite haunts in Paris. And about the Left Bank Writers Retreats she organizes (held annually in June). Eight writers spend a week immersed in Hemingway’s Paris. She calls it: “Part writers’ workshop; part tour of Paris.” www.darlaworden.com   www.leftbankwriters.com   Here’s the NYT article about the signed Hemingway book: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/arts/hemingway-book-nobel-sister-immaculata.html  

Many of us have read and enjoyed The Paris Wife, a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s marriage to the first of his four wives, Hadley Richardson. It was a New York Times bestseller. Now, Paula has written Skylark, another Paris-based book—two parallel stories, one taking place in 1664 and the other in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris. It is an uplifting book about the strength and resistance of the human spirit—and a page-turner and a really good read. It is Good Morning America’s Book Club pick for January 2026. More about Paula McLain: paulamclain.com Some of Paula’s favorite spots in Paris: The Closerie des Lilas where Hemingway often wrote. Amazing profiteroles, and one of the best gin and tonics I’ve ever had. Musee de Cluny “I’m obsessed with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries and the Roman-Gallo baths.” Jardin du Luxembourg Sainte-Geneviève Library “Amazing history, and incredibly beautiful. Right near the Pantheon and not far from the Wall of Philip Phillip II Augustus.” A bit more about the geology and history of the Paris Catacombs A bit more about the Gobelins Manufactory A bit more about the the River Bièvre

The American West is a geographical location—thick forests of pine and aspen, snowy mountains, alpine lakes, and sweeping vistas. But there is also the almost-mythical version of the American West—a vision of wide-open spaces where the “call of the wild” has resonated for centuries. This passion for living in the west is as strong ever. Chase Reynolds Ewald (writer) and Audrey Hall (photographer) have collaborated on seven books—including American Rustic and Cabin Style. www.gibbs-smith.com As they researched Modern West, their newest book, they noticed something interesting. “The nature of the ‘western dream’ is different than it was even 20 years ago,” says Hall. “We are seeing a shift not only in the architecture and design of modern western homes…but also in the people who are building and living in them.” The book features 15 gorgeous homes. We step inside two of them—a rescued grain elevator and a 1950s ranch reimagined by the president of French fabric brand Maison Pierre Frey. To purchase MODERN WEST: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-West-Chase-Reynolds-Ewald/dp/1423667662 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Modern-West/Chase-Reynolds-Ewald/9781423667667    Chase Reynolds Ewald Website and to sign up for newsletter: chasereynoldsewald.com Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/chasereynoldsewald/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-reynolds-ewald-819a0551 Instagram: @chasereynoldsewald   Audrey Hall Website and to sign up for newsletter: audreyhall.com Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/audreyhallphoto/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreyhallphotography/ Instagram: @audreyhall

Here’s the story: The culinary world imagined by Churchill is full of closely guarded recipes and secrets that can create powerful spells. We are taken inside the Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic where we are enchanted by magic, mystery…and recipes. About the author: Marisa Churchill (an award-winning pastry chef) was a contestant on Top Chef (Season 2), constructed the city of San Francisco out of Rice Krispies and chocolate for the Food Network’s Edible Cities Challenge, and hosted her own cooking show in Greece. marisachurchill.com Good Fortune Cookies: marisachurchill.com/good-fortune-cookies/ The Edible Cities Challenge: https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/10/where-recipe-meets-magic-a-guest-post-by-marisa-churchill/ Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie: cmpatisserie.com/en and facebook.com/CoupeMondePatisserie/videos/1807091213369633/ Churchill will be at Tattered Cover Tattered in Denver on February 1st. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marisa-churchill-with-allison-wagner-live-at-tattered-cover-colfax-tickets-1979361734230   Request from Irene Rawlings: If you enjoyed this podcast, please tell your friends. And send me an email. I’d love to hear from you. womenbooksandmore@gmail.com

I don’t normally interview business leaders. There are plenty of podcasts that do. But… I was introduced to Garry Ridge by a mutual friend who said I’d love reading his new book—Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It. I was intrigued, read the book and could hardly wait to talk with Garry. It did not hurt that Garry had served as CEO of the WD-40 Company for 25 and made it a household brand. I mean everyone knows WD-40 now. I also learned that he served on the board of Gorilla Glue. Why am I so impressed by this? I think you all know that I’m a member of Sisters on the Fly, the largest women’s group in the U.S. and Canada focusing on camping, fishing, riding horses, buying vintage trailers, and other outdoor activities. There are more than 26,000 members. And NONE of us (truly) leaves home without a good supply of WD-40, Gorilla Glue and bailing wire. Forbes says: The book is part leadership playbook, part personal reflection, and all heart.  And I agree. Totally. For more about Garry’s book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Garry-Ridge/ Or look on Amazon For more about The Learning Moment:  https://thelearningmoment.net/ For more on Ken Blanchard: https://www.kenblanchardbooks.com/kens-bio/  

The Inn Crowd: Artistic Getaways and The Modern Innkeepers who Crafted Them is a gorgeous coffee table book—written and photographed by the incomparable Jackie Caradonio. Each of the images gives us a privileged peek into more than 20 unique and stylish inns. The accompanying stories describe each of the innkeepers, every one passionate about creating memorable experiences in a beautiful setting—from quaint escapes to luxurious retreats. For more about The Inn Crowd: phaidon.com For more about Jackie Caradonio: jackiecaradonio.com  

As dusk descends on Christmas Eve, my family gathers to hear a recording of Dylan Thomas reading, A Child’s Christmas in Wales. His baritone transports us—though time and across distance—to his childhood Christmases in Swansea, Wales. It gives me great pleasure to share my story with you. Thank you for listening and supporting my podcast. I wish you an abundance of peace and joy in 2026. You can see photos and read more of my story at Everett Potter’s Travel Report https://www.everettpotter.com/2024/12/a-childs-christmas-in-wales/ More information about Swansea: visitswanseabay.com More information about Dylan Thomas’ birthplace: dylanthomasbirthplace.com More information about Laugharne: visitwales.com To hear Dylan Thomas read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFSs2IdDmuU

I am thrilled to talk with Don George. National Geographic calls him “a legendary travel writer and editor.” And he certainly is. He’s also the author of How to Be a Travel Writer and the founder of the annual (in August) Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference held in Corte Madera, California. It is a great conference for beginning travel writers to meet editors and for veteran travel writers to catch up with old friends. Here are links for more information about topics we talked about in the podcast.   Geographic Expeditions trips lead by Don George: Journey Through Ancient Japan (Kyoto and Shikoku): https://www.geoex.com/trips/japan-ancient-journey Unexplored Japan: https://www.geoex.com/trips/japan-unexplored Unexplored Greece: https://www.geoex.com/trips/unexplored-greece   Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference: https://www.bookpassage.com/travel   Lonely Planet's How to Be a Travel Writer: https://www.amazon.com/How-Travel-Writer-Lonely-Planet/dp/1786578662   The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George!  https://www.amazon.com/Way-Wanderlust-Travel-Writing-Travelers/dp/1609521056   Don George’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/don.george.travels/   For questions about travel, travel writing, Don George’s Paris Writing Workshops and anything else:don.george@sbcglobal.net

It all happens at Gaylord Rockies Resort—now through January 2, 2026. The sugarplum dreams of childhood rolled into one. Andrea Lawley, Public Relations Manager at the Gaylord Rockies Resort—joins us to talk about Christmas at Gaylord Rockies. Always magical. Always fun. ICE! Christmas is an immersive experience…much anticipated every year. The resort’s signature 17,000-square-foot attraction carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice by 30 master artisans from Harbin, China. Hand-carved icy scenes from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! complete with interactive slides, tunnels, and the iconic moment when the Grinch’s heart grows three sizes. The event also features a life-sized gingerbread cabin, Candy Cane Mountain snow tubing, the Gumdrop Gliders Ice-Puck Challenge, and the popular Mistletoe Village. For more information: ChristmasatGaylordRockies.com Discounts for AAA/CAA members, seniors, teachers, first responders, and Colorado residents. 

Stranahan's Whiskey Distillery & Cocktail Bar is having a big party—Stranahan’s Snowflake Village Festival—December 5th and December 6th to celebrate the release of Snowflake 2025. The party is at the distillery in Denver. (200 S. Kalamath Street). Hundreds of Strana-fans from across the country come to Denver for this event. They camp outside at the distillery to secure a bottle of the coveted Snowflake whiskey—released on Saturday morning and sells out in just hours. It may be cold outside but there are food trucks, bands and DJs, dancing, and whiskey tastings, of course. If you are listening to this podcast after Saturday, December 6th, this year’s party is over. You’ll want to mark your calendar for the first week of December 2026. But you can always stop by Stranahan’s for a distillery tour, a cocktail in the cocktail bar and (for sure) sign up to be part of the volunteer bottling crew. This is such a cool thing. You work on the bottling line, have a nice lunch and get to take a bottle home as payment for your labors. Nice deal, no? Happens a few times a month. There is a waiting list. We talk today with Justin Aden, Head Blender at Stranahan’s American Single Malt Whiskey who tells us how whiskey is made and how to drink it. Turns out there are no rules on how to drink it—with ice, with water, with soda, in a cocktail or just straight up. For more information: stranahans.com

The lowly apron is making a comeback. The Guardian (British daily newspaper) notes: Emma Corrin wore a pink apron to a recent premiere, while Richard E Grant looked like a kinky fishmonger in a leather apron on the Miu Miu catwalk. Everyone on The Bear wears aprons. Younger generations have embraced the Cottagecore aesthetic—gardening, bee keeping, pie baking—and that usually involves wearing an apron. Best-selling author of The Apron Book and ultimate apron collector, EllynAnne Geisel (she’s an apron archaeologist), chats with us about aprons. She’s collected more than 600 aprons and says that each one tells a story about the woman who wore it. And…she’s created Tie One On Day, a national holiday for the day before Thanksgiving. https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-tie-one-on-day-day-before-thanksgiving Connect with EllynAnne @ellynanne_apronluv or https://www.facebook.com/ellynanne/ I wrote a piece about EllynAnne for The Saturday Evening Post. Here is a link: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2023/11/aprons-the-ties-that-bind/ You can buy The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and many other online retailers and independent bookstores.

Beloved chef Jacques Pepin joins us. He’s 90 and still cooking up a storm. And he has a gorgeous new cookbook THE ART OF JACQUES PEPIN—full of his favorite recipes and his own artwork. He likes to paint chickens…and to cook chickens and eggs. When asked “Which came first…the chicken or the egg?” He doesn’t hesitate. “The egg, of course.” We caught up with him in his kitchen. He was sitting in front of a wall of pots and pans—all different sizes and shapes. There must have been 30. As a young man in the French Navy, Jacques was chef to three French presidents, including the formidable Charles de Gaulle. What did de Gaulle like to eat. Simple food…like chicken. Toward the end of my chat with Jacques, I wished him a happy birthday. He thanked me and said “I wish I were 80 again.”  You can catch up with him and follow his easy recipes (in and out of the kitchen in 15 minutes of less). Especially his “budget Tuesdays” posts. On facebook. https://www.facebook.com/jacquespepinfoundation/ To see Pepin’s art:  https://jacquespepinart.com/

Recipes written on tombstones. Who knew this was even a thing? Most headstones list names and dates, in rare cases they include something much more personal: beloved family recipes permanently etched in stone. Rosie Grant traveled the world to research and write a cookbook full of culinary epitaphs from across the globe—spritz cookies from Brooklyn, chicken casserole from Wisconsin, tea biscuits from Nova Scotia, fudge from Salt Lake City, meatloaf from Texas…. The list goes on—40 recipes--from soup (from Buffalo, New York) to nut rolls (from Israel). On this journey, Rosie discovered that food is a love language and that memories of meals shared as a family are passed down through generations. Just in time for the holiday season, TO DIE FOR invites us to gather round the table, celebrate the legacies that live on in family recipes and to ask ourselves the question at the heart of it all: If you could be remembered through just one dish, what would it be? Check out Rosie’s popular @Ghostly.Archives on Instagram

I love trains and travel by train at every opportunity. The Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver, the Eurostar from London to Paris, the mighty Indian Pacific from Adelaide to Perth. So…I was thrilled to hear that Everett Potter had just written a big and comprehensive book about trains, 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Rides. Let me tell you a little about Everett Potter. He writes for numerous A-list publications like The Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes, National Geographic, and he hosts Everett Potter’s Travel Report, a highly acclaimed digital site. He is also the expert host on select National Geographic Expeditions Train Journeys. I was pleased to hear Everett say that train travel (especially overnight trains) is becoming hugely popular, especially in Europe. Perhaps it’s the convenience of traveling from city center to city center. Perhaps it is the romance of historic journeys inspired by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Yes, there still is an Orient Express—two of them, in fact. Very luxe. To buy the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/789609/100-train-journeys-of-a-lifetime-by-everett-potter/ To read Everett Potter’s Travel Report: everettpotter.com For info on National Geographic Expeditions Train Journeys: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/destinations/europe/train/swiss-italy-train/

Caroline Alexander is the author of internationally best-selling Skies of Thunder, The Endurance, The Bounty, and other works of literary non-fiction. In 2015, she published an acclaimed translation of Homer's Iliad, the first English translation (form the original Greek) of a Homeric poem by a woman. Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World is a tale about the pilots who flew fickle, untested aircraft through monsoons and enemy fire, with inaccurate maps and only primitive navigation technology. There were deadly crashes (more than 600) and astonishing feats of courage and survival. The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition is a truly riveting account of Shackleton’s ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition…one of the last of the great adventures of what is now called the Heroic Age of Explorations. The plan was to cross the Antarctic on foot. Only 80 miles from Endurance’s destination, the ship was caught in thick pack ice that splintered and sank it. Caroline’s book includes never-before published images by Frank Hurley. You can see some of them here: https://www.historyhit.com/photos-of-shackletons-endurance/ For more about Caroline Alexander: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/310/caroline-alexander/

Since the moment I chatted with Lisa Genova about her new book, More or Less Maddy, I’ve been getting messages from you all, asking me to air the interview we did a few years ago when Lisa wrote Still Alice. Here it is—by popular demand. For those who don’t know Still Alice, here’s the story: Dr. Alice Howland is a renowned linguistics professor at Columbia University. When words begin to escape her and she starts becoming lost on her daily jogs, Alice must come face-to-face with a devastating diagnosis: early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The once-vibrant woman struggles to hang on to her sense of self for as long as possible and her three grown children watch helplessly as their mother disappears more and more with each passing day. Julianne Moore played the part of Alice Howland in the 2014 film Still Alice and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress. You can stream it on Amazon and Apple TV. For more about Lisa Genova lisagenova.com  For another podcast about early-onset Alzheimer’s, scroll down to find Barry Petersen’s conversation about Jan’s Story.