DeMaurice Smith “Turf Wars: The Fight For the Soul of America’s Game”
Chatter on Books
“More than football.” Chatter goes live at Caddies on Cordell, the DMV’s premier sports bar, with Claude, David, Torie, S.L. Price and DeMaurice Smith, longtime head of the National Football League Players Association. They break down the latest sports gambling scandal (nobody’s shocked and all are worried about the impact). Smith shares “Turf Wars,” the ultimate insiders look at the biggest battles between football owners and players.
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Ann E. Butler “Wife, Mother, Spy: An Extraordinary Life Filled With Ordinary Days”
Chatter on Books
“Extracting information.” Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie. They cover Claude’s equine role and the NBA cheating scandal. (Who knew the mob was still so active!). Nancy Baenen of joins to chat up her iconic Wisconsin book store and dispense advice on “The Pitch,” the 2026 Chatter on Books writing competition. Ann E. Butler zooms in to share “Wife, Mother, Spy,” her exceptional book about an extraordinary life. CIA operative and mother of five, Butler juggled parenting around the globe AND recruited spies, gleaned...
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Mary Roach "Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy"
Chatter on Books
“An interesting planet." Chatter rolls with Claude, David and Torie. They reveal Claude’s latest acting role in the mansion murders podcast and continue working on “The Pitch,” Best selling, wicked smart, and very funny Mary Roach zooms in to share “Replaceable You.” Forget what you think you know about human anatomy and how we replace/fix/grow new body parts. “Replaceable You” means never looking at a pig the same way again. It’s terrific!
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Hannah Pittard “If You Love It, Let It Kill You”
Chatter on Books
Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie and Jamie (fresh from Vegas). Get wells for Dolly the Goddess kick things off, and the gang shares thoughts on the Ryder Cup and boisterous American fans. The award winning, best selling, and very funny Hannah Pittard zooms in to share her latest novel, “If You Love It, Let It Kill You.” Drop the couples therapy and buy this book. Pittard nails relationships, artistic expression, and making ordinary things profound. Not to mention the best talking cat ever.
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Susan Morrison “Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live”
Chatter on Books
“The definitive biography.” Chatter rolls back with Claude, David, Torie, and COB fave James Grady. They hit summer highlights, why Barnes & Noble is on a roll, and ideated Chatter’s soon-to-be writing competition (working title: The Pitch). Susan Morrison zooms in with “Lorne,” a decade long look at the man at the center of Saturday Night Live. It’s the ultimate “fly on the wall” experience and a walk through fifty years of entertainment, and culture, and politics, and life.
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James Grady “American Sky”
Chatter on Books
“All the old ghosts are leaving town…” Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie and COB fave Lou Bayard. Lou goes playwright, and David sheds a tear (a happy one) over TNT. Award winning, best selling and all around cool guy James Grady zooms in to share his latest, “American Sky.” Epic and sweeping and so much more significant than your average coming of age story. Grady’s portrait is, as Lou puts it “…indelibly, the portrait of a nation — an epic canvas that always feels intimate…"
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S.L. Price “The American Game: History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse”
Chatter on Books
“History and hope.” Chatter rolls live at in Bethesda, Maryland. Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie chat with Wonderland owner Gayle Weiswasser. She gives the lowdown on how the store is doing; foot traffic, sales, and community hub all flourishing. S.L. Price (aka Scott) takes a seat to share his latest “The American Game — History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse.” Revered by many as one of the all time great sportswriters, Scott examines the history, culture and geopolitics of the game. Meticulously researched, “The American Game” is a...
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Kyra Davis Lurie “The Great Mann”
Chatter on Books
“Better than Gatsby.” Chatter rolls with Claude, Torie, and Jamie as David recovers from NBA finals. They break down DOD events, and Rocco’s shot contest beats all. Best selling author and screenwriter Kyra Davis Lurie zooms in the share “The Great Mann.” Describing it as a reimagining of “The Great Gatsby,” as many do, doesn’t do justice to this deeply researched look at class and wealth and Black identity in postwar Los Angeles. It’s Lurie’s first turn at historical fiction; hopefully not her last.
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Ling Ling Huang “Immaculate Conception
Chatter on Books
“To the Jealous.“ Chatter rolls with Kevin Stanfield filling in for Claude (in Hershey), Jamie, and Torie as David rocks the NBA finals. Horses rule as Torie raves about her rare win betting on the ponies, and they discuss the perils of gambling. They preview Chatter’s live show in Bethesda om July 7 at s. A violinist and author, Ling Ling Huang zooms in to share “Immaculate Conception.” Her second novel, it blows ones mind with the possibilities — good and bad — when technology and art and friendship collide.
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Ted Genoways "Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico”
Chatter on Books
“Untold“ Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, Torie, and COB alum Mike Croley. All agree that Charlotte Bronte was more talented at 13 than any of us as adults. Mike explains tenure — liberating. David wins the pop quiz “name the book by the quote.” Award winning (as in James Beard) and best selling author Ted Genoways zooms in to share “Tequila Wars,” his massively researched and compellingly written take on the unsung and underreported Jose Cuervo, a real person with untold impact on Mexican history.
info_outlineChatter rolls with David, Jamie, and Torie. They go deep on DeepSeek and AI more generally. No Super Bowl for the Commanders but all rave about rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and a remarkable season. The group goes dark on the current state of journalism (was there a golden age?) and its future. Pulitzer Prize winner and best seller several times over David Maraniss zooms in to share work on his next book about Jack Johnson, boxer and inspiration for the Great White Hope. Like much of his work, the book will examine important history through an athlete’s life.