John Searles: Single Girls
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John Searles joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his new novel, SINGLE GIRLS, a work of dramatic fiction set in the 1960s. It focuses on Helen Gurley Brown and the team of women she assembled who transformed Cosmopolitan into one of the best-selling magazines of all time. A Bookreporter Bets On selection, the book has been compared to “Mad Men” and “Sex and the City.” John worked at Cosmopolitan and shares his encounters with Helen through the years. The novel is deeply informed by real events, Helen's memoirs, published biographies, and his personal knowledge of the...
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Jenny Jackson: The Shampoo Effect
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Jenny Jackson joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, THE SHAMPOO EFFECT, which was announced as July’s “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick on the day of this interview. Set in a seaside Massachusetts town inspired by Ipswich, where Jenny grew up, the book explores themes of friendship, romantic entanglement, generational differences, imposter syndrome, and coming of age in one's 30s. Jenny talks about her writing process and balancing her role as Vice President and Editorial Director of Fiction at Alfred A. Knopf with her writing career. Carol notes the...
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Beatriz Williams: When You Loved Me
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Beatriz Williams joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her latest novel, WHEN YOU LOVED ME, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Set on fictional Winthrop Island, this multilayered story combines historical fiction, mystery, romance and family drama. The Winthrop Island series has allowed Beatriz to build a rich, interconnected world where characters evolve across multiple books. WHEN YOU LOVED ME has a piece that will have readers marveling at how the island’s inhabitants survived during a harsh winter when the snow was unrelenting. Beatriz talks about the deliberate...
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“Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Bruce Holsinger
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Bruce Holsinger joined us for June’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event to discuss his national bestseller, CULPABILITY, which was a Bookreporter Bets On selection when it released last July. This suspenseful family drama is about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence. Bruce offered many interesting tidbits about the origin of the book’s plot, title and cover art, and he described the moment when he found out that it was going to be an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Six readers joined the conversation on camera with questions about Bruce's storytelling and comments...
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Lori Foster: The Lake House
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Lori Foster talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her latest novel, THE LAKE HOUSE, which our reviewer Bronwyn Miller says “would be perfect to toss into your bag as you head to the beach or the lake, or as you’re relaxing in your yard when you need a sweet escape from the everyday.” Set in Bramble, Kentucky, it’s the second installment in her Firefly Summer series, following last year’s THE GUEST COTTAGE (though it easily can be read as a stand-alone title). Lori talks about being a linear writer, allowing the story to bring her along. The role of her new character, Brogan...
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Lisa See: Daughters of The Sun and Moon
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Lisa See joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. This time, Lisa explores the idea of female friendship as told by three different Chinese women — Moon, Dove and Petal — who were inspired by real people. The book is rooted in the 1871 Chinese Massacre in Los Angeles, which has been largely erased from public memory and not taught in history classes. Lisa first explored the massacre over 30 years ago while researching ON GOLD MOUNTAIN, where it appeared in a single paragraph. She was later invited by the...
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Ruta Sepetys: A Fortune of Sand
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Ruta Sepetys talks about her ninth book and first adult novel, A FORTUNE OF SAND, with Carol Fitzgerald. Set in 1920s Detroit during the Prohibition era, the story is centered on the wealthy Lennox automotive dynasty behaving badly and accumulating power. The youngest daughter, Marjorie, uncovers a web of family secrets. The book is rooted in deep historical research, and explores themes of power, impermanence, control, and the fragility of constructed legacies in Detroit during this time period. Ruta discusses the control exerted over women during the era, often framed as...
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“Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Wally Lamb
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Wally Lamb joined us for May’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event to discuss his instant New York Times bestseller, THE RIVER IS WAITING, which is now available in paperback. It also is an Oprah’s Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Wally explained how he came to write this story and how his time working with incarcerated women in the prison system influenced his work. A number of readers joined us to share their thoughts on the book and how it affected them in powerful ways. (Please note: Spoilers are included.) Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To”...
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Kathryn Stockett: The Calamity Club
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Kathryn Stockett joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, THE CALAMITY CLUB, her first book since THE HELP (which was published in 2009) and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The story is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression and follows a group of scrappy, strong-willed women who work together to conquer challenges they face, knowing that there are no men to save them. The novel also addresses the societal expectations and hypocrisies of the 1920s and ’30s. Kathryn balances the book’s serious historical themes with humor. Initially she tried to write a cautious, bland...
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“Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Laura Dave
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Laura Dave joined us for a “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event to discuss her instant New York Times bestseller, THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM, a Reese’s Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Laura shared how she came to write the sequel to THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME and what matters to her when it comes to writing and her writing process. She also talked about the screen adaptations of her books, giving readers a great deal of insight into how those are created. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Susan Patterson: Jane Harper: Devi S. Laskar: Allison...
info_outlineCarol Fitzgerald and Tom Donadio talk to 11 Bookreporter reviewers about their top three books of 2022. Narrowing their selections down to just three was a challenge for many of them!
You can see the books that they discussed here https://www.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/Bookaccino_Live_Special_Event_Bookreporter_Reviewers_Favorite_Books_of_2022.pdf.
The covers for each of these titles, along with picks from two reviewers who were not able to attend, can be found in a special blog post here (https://www.bookreporter.com/blog/2022/12/09/bookaccino-live-special-event-reviewers-favorite-books-of-2022).
We have timestamped the video, so if you would like to hear from a specific reviewer, you easily can do that.
0:00 - Introduction
1:26 - Norah Piehl
12:25 - Eileen Zimmerman Nicol
18:55 - Bronwyn Miller
31:04 - Kate Ayers
41:53 - Sarah Rachel Egelman
53:58 - Harvey Freedenberg
1:04:30 - Rebecca Munro
1:17:33 - Pamela Kramer
1:35:50 - Stuart Shiffman
1:50:05 - Megan Elliott
2:00:27 - Ray Palen
2:17:23 - Outro