Libsyn Directory

Chris Bohjalian: The Amateur

Release Date: 08/13/2026

Bookreporter Talks To

Chris Bohjalian joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his new novel, THE AMATEUR, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. He wrote in an “alchemic frenzy” over 90 days in the summer of 2024 without telling anyone — not his wife, daughter, editor or agents — until it was finished. It's his most autobiographical book in nature as he mined the days he spent as a “spectacular golf caddie” when he was in high school, earning $40–$50 a day, staying fit, and reading during breaks. Chris explains that his second summer at this job made him acutely aware of how golf displays the class...

Nadia Hashimi: City of Widows

Bookreporter Talks To

Nadia Hashimi joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, CITY OF WIDOWS, a Bookreporter Bets On selection set in Afghanistan, a place that she previously wrote about. While the book looks back in time, the arc of it moves towards the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, focusing on Afghan female soldiers, journalists, and the chaos of evacuation. Nadia talks about the shock of the total Taliban takeover — many had hoped for a power-sharing arrangement — and the rapid reversal of 20 years of progress for women. Marjan, Nadia’s protagonist, had been a soldier in an elite unit of...

Sophie Chen Keller: Little Wonder

Bookreporter Talks To

Sophie Chen Keller joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel, LITTLE WONDER, which was published by Jenna Bush Hager's imprint, Thousand Voices. It is an Oprah's Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Song, a migrant worker, and her 11-year-old piano prodigy son, River, are separated in a massive crowd at a Beijing train station on the busiest travel day of the year. The story follows both characters over the years as they search for each other while building separate lives. Sophie describes LITTLE WONDER as being about motherhood, music, and the love between a mother...

Ben Reeves: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

Bookreporter Talks To

Ben Reeves joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his debut novel, EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTFUL AND NOTHING HURT, which is an instant New York Times bestseller, a #1 Indie Next pick, and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The book reimagines the Grim Reaper as a compassionate, ordinary man named Travis who spends time with people before they die, exploring themes of life, death, grief and regret. It ultimately makes readers question if they are truly living the life they want and focusing on what matters. The book won the Bath Novel Award in 2024, which launched Ben's publishing journey...

Rachel Beanland: The Half Life

Bookreporter Talks To

Rachel Beanland joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel , THE HALF LIFE, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. This is the third time that Carol has interviewed Rachel. Her previous books, FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER and THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE, were Bets On picks as well. THE HALF LIFE follows Eileen O'Malley, a 23-year-old woman from Charleston who marries a naval officer named Paul Archer and moves to La Maddalena, Italy, in 1974. Rachel drew heavily from her own childhood experiences living on La Maddalena as a Navy family member, as well as a 2019 research trip back to the...

Lisa Scottoline: This Changes Everything

Bookreporter Talks To

Lisa Scottoline joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, a domestic thriller centered on female friendship, murder and identity. A Bookreporter Bets On selection, it features two best friends — Julia and Courtney — who investigate the murder of Courtney's grandmother in rural Pennsylvania. Lisa describes the book as the "twistiest" she has ever written, with multiple layers of plot and character development. The friendship between Julia and Courtney is the emotional core of the story. They met in high school as outsiders and have sustained each other ever...

John Searles: Single Girls

Bookreporter Talks To

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...

Jenny Jackson: The Shampoo Effect

Bookreporter Talks To

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...

Beatriz Williams: When You Loved Me

Bookreporter Talks To

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...

“Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Bruce Holsinger

Bookreporter Talks To

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...

More Episodes

In THE AMATEUR, Mira Winston hits a golf ball at a driving range. It goes through a net and kills 17-year-old caddie Kenny Foster by rupturing an artery. Chris shares that this prologue reads as if it is a third-person omniscient novel discussing the history of golf balls and country clubs, until the final sentences reveal Mira as the narrator.

The book’s title carries multiple meanings, including class elitism in golf culture and broader themes about Mira's identity and choices. Her first-person voice was a deliberate and central creative choice, enabling both wit and deep psychological complexity. The 1978 setting is integral to the novel's exploration of gender inequality, the dismissal of female athletes, and the systemic failure of adults to protect young women. Chris acknowledges that THE AMATEUR, though based on his adolescence, is now considered historical fiction — a reflection of how much the world has changed.

Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews:

Nadia Hashimi: https://youtu.be/uxVRLLQY1oA

Sophie Chen Keller: https://youtu.be/bWMs3VWUC4A

Ben Reeves: https://youtu.be/Jsr5c3WQPuQ

Rachel Beanland: https://youtu.be/6Piw8q7pGkc

Lisa Scottolin: https://youtu.be/9MsfXILFZ_Y

John Searles: https://youtu.be/LA2gXPoc_zk

Jenny Jackson: https://youtu.be/V116A5eBBBE

Beatriz Williams: https://youtu.be/d554V2bGHSQ

Our Latest “Bookaccino Live” Book Group Events:

Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ

Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE