Bookreporter Talks To

Mary Beth Keane joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel, WHALE HARBOR, which is a "Good Morning America" Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The story is deeply rooted in Mary Beth's family history, drawing from her father's Irish immigrant experience, including the loss of his mother and the disappearance of a younger brother. Starting in 1963, the book is about 11 brothers from an Irish-speaking family in western Ireland whose mother dies suddenly after the birth of her 11th son. The interview covers themes of family, immigration, forgiveness, identity, and the lasting impact of childhood experiences. Mary Beth notes that the narrative follows the second eldest brother, Macdara, and tracks how the lives of these siblings diverge and reconnect over 40 years. The central plot thread involves one of the brothers, Rian, who runs away and is lost to the family for decades. Our Latest "Bookreporter Talks To" Interviews: Robert Kolker: https://youtu.be/5Yl1L26ynDk Bonnie Garmus: https://youtu.be/36MZitg0qkI Lisa See: https://youtu.be/V3tkRy0OkVk Amanda Peters: https://youtu.be/1ZpbCHCiD38 Jonathan Santlofer: https://youtu.be/rUk_eqMBrgk Hank Phillippi Ryan: https://youtu.be/6EjQPzlBOxw Shari Lapena: https://youtu.be/AZykCEM0ojE Chris Bohjalian: https://youtu.be/VnRpBPFctY0 Our Latest "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Events: Kathryn Stockett: https://youtu.be/Ye_NQmQY0z8 Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridzén: https://youtu.be/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Kathryn Stockett joined us for October's "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event to discuss her #1 New York Times bestseller, THE CALAMITY CLUB, a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection that released in May and still is on the NYT list. Eleven enthusiastic readers appeared on camera to ask Kathryn questions about the novel. We touched on many different aspects of the book in the hour that Kathryn gave us, including what inspired her to tell this story about a group of unbreakable women fighting for what's rightfully theirs, the historical research she conducted as she wrote about the South, and the characters she was drawn to the most. She also explained why it took 17 years for her second novel to be published, following the enormous success of THE HELP. Our Latest "Bookreporter Talks To" Interviews: Robert Kolker: https://youtu.be/5Yl1L26ynDk Bonnie Garmus: https://youtu.be/36MZitg0qkI Lisa See: https://youtu.be/V3tkRy0OkVk Amanda Peters: https://youtu.be/1ZpbCHCiD38 Jonathan Santlofer: https://youtu.be/rUk_eqMBrgk Hank Phillippi Ryan: https://youtu.be/6EjQPzlBOxw Shari Lapena: https://youtu.be/AZykCEM0ojE Chris Bohjalian: https://youtu.be/VnRpBPFctY0 Our Latest "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Events: Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridzén: https://youtu.be/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0 Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Robert Kolker joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his new book, THE VANISHING FAMILY, which chronicles a nine-sibling unnamed family affected by an inherited form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This Bookreporter Bets On selection explores profound questions about identity, caregiving, genetic testing, and whether or not people would choose to know their fate if a hereditary disease runs in their family. FTD is frequently misdiagnosed for years as depression, schizophrenia or addiction, delaying proper care and support. Approximately 40% of these cases are inherited; the remaining 60% are sporadic. The disease typically manifests between the ages of 40 and 60. It is systematically underdiagnosed due to its behavioral (rather than memory-based) presentation. The condition's invisibility in public health frameworks means that many affected individuals, including those who are homeless, may go unidentified. Robert shares how he worked with each family member to listen to their story as he was researching and writing. Our Latest "Bookreporter Talks To" Interviews: Bonnie Garmus: https://youtu.be/36MZitg0qkI Lisa See: https://youtu.be/V3tkRy0OkVk Amanda Peters: https://youtu.be/1ZpbCHCiD38 Jonathan Santlofer: https://youtu.be/rUk_eqMBrgk Hank Phillippi Ryan: https://youtu.be/6EjQPzlBOxw Shari Lapena: https://youtu.be/AZykCEM0ojE Chris Bohjalian: https://youtu.be/VnRpBPFctY0 Nadia Hashimi: https://youtu.be/uxVRLLQY1oA Our Latest "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Events: Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridzén: https://youtu.be/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0 Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Bonnie Garmus joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her new novel, PECK & PECK. Set in 1980s New York City, it centers on a young man named Batter Gray, who has an entry level job at a downtown Manhattan poetry journal, which is very quirky.  Bonnie had a memory of a high school English teacher who read a poem aloud every day and urged students to do the same for life. She admitted that she, like most of her fellow classmates, did not keep that promise, and she did not read poetry seriously again for about 20 years. Bonnie was "blown away" during her poetry research for the book, validating her teacher's advice. She said that the novel is intended as a commentary on late-stage capitalism, the impact of AI on creative voices, and a defense of the arts.  Bonnie notes that poetry, like chemistry, is a difficult subject to make commercially appealing. She also discusses the pressure on her to follow up on the success of her debut novel, the #1 global bestseller LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY. Our Latest "Bookreporter Talks To" Interviews: Lisa See: https://youtu.be/V3tkRy0OkVk Amanda Peters: https://youtu.be/1ZpbCHCiD38 Jonathan Santlofer: https://youtu.be/rUk_eqMBrgk Hank Phillippi Ryan: https://youtu.be/6EjQPzlBOxw Shari Lapena: https://youtu.be/AZykCEM0ojE Chris Bohjalian: https://youtu.be/VnRpBPFctY0 Nadia Hashimi: https://youtu.be/uxVRLLQY1oA Sophie Chen Keller: https://youtu.be/bWMs3VWUC4A Our Latest "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Events: Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridzén: https://youtu.be/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0 Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Lisa See joined us for September's "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event to discuss her instant New York Times bestseller, DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON, which was a Bookreporter Bets On selection when it released in June. Lisa shared how a story that her grandmother told her when she was a child standing in downtown Los Angeles gave her the initial idea for the book. Research is always critical to her writing, and she explained how she created her three characters, basing them on four women she read about.  Lisa loves talking to book groups and has created materials to enhance the reading experience with the "Step Inside" feature on her website, as well as tea-tasting kits.  Our Latest "Bookreporter Talks To" Interviews: Amanda Peters: https://youtu.be/1ZpbCHCiD38 Jonathan Santlofer: https://youtu.be/rUk_eqMBrgk Hank Phillippi Ryan: https://youtu.be/6EjQPzlBOxw Shari Lapena: https://youtu.be/AZykCEM0ojE Chris Bohjalian: https://youtu.be/VnRpBPFctY0 Nadia Hashimi: https://youtu.be/uxVRLLQY1oA Sophie Chen Keller: https://youtu.be/bWMs3VWUC4A Ben Reeves: https://youtu.be/Jsr5c3WQPuQ Our Latest "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Events: Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridzén: https://youtu.be/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0 Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions