The Women Books & More’s Podcast

In this episode of Women, Books & More, Irene Rawlings speaks with bestselling author Alice Henderson about her latest eco-thriller, Storm Warning, part of the acclaimed Alex Carter series. Known for weaving endangered species, conservation science, and high-stakes suspense, Henderson takes readers into some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems. Our conversation explores Storm Warning, as we...

There’s something so enduring about Jacques Pépin—a sense that good cooking, like a good story, only deepens with time. Now in his 90s, he remains a guiding presence in kitchens everywhere, reminding us that food is not just technique, but generosity, memory, and joy. In this episode of Women, Books & More, we return to a conversation recorded on the eve of his 90th birthday. Pépin reflects on...

In this episode of Women, Books & More, we are joined by Mads Ostergaard of Visit Denmark to explore what makes Denmark one of Europe’s most inviting travel destinations. From Danish wellness to a cycling culture (“wheelness”) that shapes everyday life, discover how to experience Denmark like a local. We also dive into the country’s celebrated food scene, including its many Michelin Guide-reco...

In this episode, we speak with acclaimed journalist and author Elaine Sciolino about her book Adventures in the Louvre. From the mystery of the Mona Lisa to hidden galleries and insider tips for avoiding the crowds, Sciolino shares her deep love of Paris, the Louvre, and the stories behind its treasures. Elaine Sciolino is author of several books, including Adventures in the Louvre (now in paperba...

A conversation about refuge, dreams, desert skies, and finding grace in uncertain times. In this episode of Women, Books & More, we talk with acclaimed author and environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams, the New York Times bestselling writer of more than seventeen books, including the modern classic Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. Our conversation begins with Refuge and its u...

Award-winning Irish storyteller Maria Gillen joins Women, Books & More from Cork, Ireland, to share the magic and cultural power of Irish storytelling. A fourth-generation storyteller, Maria explores the enduring legends of St. Patrick and St. Brigid (Ireland’s matron saint) and why storytelling remains central to Irish identity. Maria also co-hosts the podcast From Cork to New York with autho...

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, we look beyond the Founding Fathers to the formidable woman who helped shape a nation from behind the scenes — Abigail Adams. Often remembered for urging her husband to “remember the ladies,” Abigail Adams was far more than a presidential spouse. She was an early advocate for women’s rights, a critic of slavery, a manager of family finances an...

Can travel actually help you live longer? What if the secret to longevity isn’t just what you eat or how often you exercise but where you go? In this episode, we explore the growing movement of wellness travel, slow travel, solo travel and the transformative power of journeys, especially for women over 50. We’re joined by Carolyn Ray, CEO and Editor of JourneyWoman, a global resource founded in 19...

Once upon a Monday, before clothes dryers hummed behind closed doors, the world of women paused for laundry day. A rope stretched across a backyard became a stage for white sheets lifting like sails, overalls drying in the noonday sun, aprons whispering in the breeze. Whether it was truly a simpler time or simply feels that way in memory, the clothesline has come to symbolize a gentler pace. Neigh...

THE HARD LINE—the 15th in this best-selling series—starts with a blown safe house in Tunis. Then…the Gray Man barely escapes from an ambush in the jungles of Nicaragua. Now key members of the U.S. counterintelligence community are being assassinated—one by one—in their own neighborhoods. With the feds compromised, it’s up to the Gray Man and his team to stop the hit squads.  But eliminating profes...

Darla Worden is the Editor-in-Chief of Mountain Living magazine and Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine. She joins us to talk about Cockeyed Happy, her book about Ernest Hemingway’s summers in Wyoming with his second wife, Pauline. This story is not well known. I mean…we can picture Hemingway in Paris. Fishing in Key West. Drinking rum at his favorite bar (The Floridita) in Havana. But…Wyomin...

Many of us have read and enjoyed The Paris Wife, a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s marriage to the first of his four wives, Hadley Richardson. It was a New York Times bestseller. Now, Paula has written Skylark, another Paris-based book—two parallel stories, one taking place in 1664 and the other in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris. It is an uplifting book about the strength and resistance of...

The American West is a geographical location—thick forests of pine and aspen, snowy mountains, alpine lakes, and sweeping vistas. But there is also the almost-mythical version of the American West—a vision of wide-open spaces where the “call of the wild” has resonated for centuries. This passion for living in the west is as strong ever. Chase Reynolds Ewald (writer) and Audrey Hall (photographer)...

Here’s the story: The culinary world imagined by Churchill is full of closely guarded recipes and secrets that can create powerful spells. We are taken inside the Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic where we are enchanted by magic, mystery…and recipes. About the author: Marisa Churchill (an award-winning pastry chef) was a contestant on Top Chef (Season 2), constructed the city of San Fran...

I don’t normally interview business leaders. There are plenty of podcasts that do. But… I was introduced to Garry Ridge by a mutual friend who said I’d love reading his new book—Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It. I was intrigued, read the book and could hardly wait to talk with Garry. It did not hurt that Garry had served as CEO of the WD-40 Company for 25 and made it a household brand. I mean everyone knows...

The Inn Crowd: Artistic Getaways and The Modern Innkeepers who Crafted Them is a gorgeous coffee table book—written and photographed by the incomparable Jackie Caradonio. Each of the images gives us a privileged peek into more than 20 unique and stylish inns. The accompanying stories describe each of the innkeepers, every one passionate about creating memorable experiences in a beautiful setting—f...

As dusk descends on Christmas Eve, my family gathers to hear a recording of Dylan Thomas reading, A Child’s Christmas in Wales. His baritone transports us—though time and across distance—to his childhood Christmases in Swansea, Wales. It gives me great pleasure to share my story with you. Thank you for listening and supporting my podcast. I wish you an abundance of peace and joy in 2026. You can s...

I am thrilled to talk with Don George. National Geographic calls him “a legendary travel writer and editor.” And he certainly is. He’s also the author of How to Be a Travel Writer and the founder of the annual (in August) Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference held in Corte Madera, California. It is a great conference for beginning travel writers to meet editors and for veteran t...

It all happens at Gaylord Rockies Resort—now through January 2, 2026. The sugarplum dreams of childhood rolled into one. Andrea Lawley, Public Relations Manager at the Gaylord Rockies Resort—joins us to talk about Christmas at Gaylord Rockies. Always magical. Always fun. ICE! Christmas is an immersive experience…much anticipated every year. The resort’s signature 17,000-square-foot attraction carv...

Stranahan's Whiskey Distillery & Cocktail Bar is having a big party—Stranahan’s Snowflake Village Festival—December 5th and December 6th to celebrate the release of Snowflake 2025. The party is at the distillery in Denver. (200 S. Kalamath Street). Hundreds of Strana-fans from across the country come to Denver for this event. They camp outside at the distillery to secure a bottle of the covete...

The lowly apron is making a comeback. The Guardian (British daily newspaper) notes: Emma Corrin wore a pink apron to a recent premiere, while Richard E Grant looked like a kinky fishmonger in a leather apron on the Miu Miu catwalk. Everyone on The Bear wears aprons. Younger generations have embraced the Cottagecore aesthetic—gardening, bee keeping, pie baking—and that usually involves wearing an a...

Beloved chef Jacques Pepin joins us. He’s 90 and still cooking up a storm. And he has a gorgeous new cookbook THE ART OF JACQUES PEPIN—full of his favorite recipes and his own artwork. He likes to paint chickens…and to cook chickens and eggs. When asked “Which came first…the chicken or the egg?” He doesn’t hesitate. “The egg, of course.” We caught up with him in his kitchen. He was sitting in fron...

Recipes written on tombstones. Who knew this was even a thing? Most headstones list names and dates, in rare cases they include something much more personal: beloved family recipes permanently etched in stone. Rosie Grant traveled the world to research and write a cookbook full of culinary epitaphs from across the globe—spritz cookies from Brooklyn, chicken casserole from Wisconsin, tea biscuits f...

I love trains and travel by train at every opportunity. The Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver, the Eurostar from London to Paris, the mighty Indian Pacific from Adelaide to Perth. So…I was thrilled to hear that Everett Potter had just written a big and comprehensive book about trains, 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Rides. Let me tell you a little about Everett Potter. He w...

Caroline Alexander is the author of internationally best-selling Skies of Thunder, The Endurance, The Bounty, and other works of literary non-fiction. In 2015, she published an acclaimed translation of Homer's Iliad, the first English translation (form the original Greek) of a Homeric poem by a woman. Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World is a tale about the...