Bookreporter Talks To

“Bookreporter Talks To” is a podcast from The Book Report Network where we host in-depth conversations with authors about the books that we love. We know authors cannot travel everywhere, so we want to bring them to you, wherever YOU may be.

Paula McLain : Skylark 01/30/2026

“Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Allen Levi 01/29/2026

Belle Burden: Strangers 01/22/2026

Belle Burden: Strangers Belle Burden joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her memoir, STRANGERS, which details how her husband abruptly left their marriage during the early days of the pandemic. The book, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection, chronicles Belle's journey from shock and grief to rebuilding her life as a writer and single mother. Belle started writing about her experience after her divorce was finalized in 2022, feeling "a burning need to write down what had happened." She initially wrote a piece for the New York Times “Modern Love” column, which ran in June 2023. Following the article’s publication, Belle was contacted by editors who suggested turning it into a book. The trauma of her divorce reconnected her with her desire to write, which she had abandoned in college. She explains how the divorce affected her children and her approach to parenting through the crisis. Belle admits that she handed over financial authority to her husband, despite her being a former corporate lawyer. She has advised her daughters to "never let go of their own financial authority." Belle sees her memoir as reclaiming her narrative rather than letting others define her story. She connects her experience to broader patterns of women's silence and how it allows others to control their narratives. For her, writing the book was an act of agency and authenticity. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Rebecca Armitage: Vicky Nguyen: Brisa Carleton: Alex DeMille: Lily King: Virginia Evans: Hank Phillippi Ryan: Sharon Kurtzman: Francesca Serritella: Our Latest “Bookaccino Live” Book Group Events: Clare Leslie Hall: Paula Hawkins: Amy Neff: J. Courtney Sullivan: Fiona Davis: Beatriz Williams: Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: FOLLOW US on Facebook: Website: Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions /episode/index/show/bookreporter-talks-to/id/39830120

Rebecca Armitage: The Heir Apparent 01/15/2026

Rebecca Armitage: The Heir Apparent Rebecca Armitage joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her debut novel, THE HEIR APPARENT, which was a Reese's Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Rebecca describes the book as a modern-day fairy tale. Lexi, who is living in Tasmania and training to be a doctor, is summoned home after a skiing accident kills her father and critically injures her brother. Her grandmother is the Queen of England; she is the heir apparent and must return to London. Carol loved the cinematic opening scene with the helicopter landing to whisk Lexi away from her life in Australia. Rebecca drew upon her experience as a journalist covering the royal family to create an authentic portrayal of their lives. The story centers on Lexi's decision between duty to the crown and personal freedom, complicated by a secret that could prevent her from taking the throne. The relationships in the book highlight the sacrifices required by royal life and explore whether or not genuine connections can survive within the constraints of the monarchy. Rebecca discusses the Australian setting, particularly Tasmania, and its significance in the book. She shares that she moved to Tasmania during the pandemic and realized that it was the perfect place for Lexi's escape. There is a contrast between controlled palace life and Tasmania's wild, natural environment. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Vicky Nguyen: Brisa Carleton: Alex DeMille: Lily King: Virginia Evans: Hank Phillippi Ryan: Sharon Kurtzman: Francesca Serritella: Bruce Holsinger: Our Latest “Bookaccino Live” Book Group Events: Clare Leslie Hall: Paula Hawkins: Amy Neff: J. Courtney Sullivan: Fiona Davis: Beatriz Williams: Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: FOLLOW US on Facebook: Website: Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions /episode/index/show/bookreporter-talks-to/id/39748285

2025 Bookreporter Bets On Selections: Books We're Betting You'll Love 12/18/2025

2025 Bookreporter Bets On Selections: Books We're Betting You'll Love Carol Fitzgerald shares commentary about her 42 Bookreporter Bets On selections from 2025. These are books that she is betting Bookreporter readers will love! (* means a video/podcast interview with that author is available.) Fiction Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall * The Correspondent by Virginia Evans * The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb Heart the Lover by Lily King * Buckeye by Patrick Ryan Speak to Me of Home by Jeanine Cummins * Culpability by Bruce Holsinger * The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage (* to come) Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson * More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova * What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange * When the Cranes Fly South written by Lisa Ridzén, translated by Alice Menzies What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown Pictures of You by Clare Leslie Hall * Days You Were Mine by Clare Leslie Hall * Historical Fiction The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis * Atmosphere: A Love Story, by Taylor Jenkins Reid One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter * Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray * The Lost Baker of Vienna by Sharon Kurtzman * Last Call at the Savoy by Brisa Carleton * Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? by Sarah McCoy Thrillers & Mysteries The Doorman by Chris Pavone * Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow * Apostle’s Cove by William Kent Krueger The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark * All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan * The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney Saltwater by Katy Hays * Please Don’t Lie by Christina Baker Kline and Anne Burt The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict * The Oligarch's Daughter by Joseph Finder * The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner The Note by Alafair Burke The Maid’s Secret: A Maid Novel, by Nita Prose * Memoirs & Other Nonfiction Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds, by Michelle Horton * Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America, by Jeff Hobbs * This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, by Kate Price Boat Baby: A Memoir, by Vicky Nguyen * Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Vicky Nguyen: Brisa Carleton: Alex DeMille: Lily King: Virginia Evans: Hank Phillippi Ryan: Sharon Kurtzman: Francesca Serritella: Bruce Holsinger: Our Latest “Bookaccino Live” Book Group Events: Clare Leslie Hall: Paula Hawkins: Amy Neff: J. Courtney Sullivan: Fiona Davis: Beatriz Williams: Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: FOLLOW US on Facebook: Website: Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions /episode/index/show/bookreporter-talks-to/id/39458230