A Bookish Home

This week my guest  is Sheila Sundar, author of the stunning debut novel Habitations, which follows a young academic who moves from India to the United States, where she navigates first love, a green card marriage, single motherhood, and more. “Sundar’s debut novel is a wondrous mix of quiet heartache and unexpected hope, making it … Continue reading Ep. 193: Sheila Sundar Explores Grief, Mo...

This week my guest  is Parul Kapur, author of Inside the Mirror, winner of the AWP prize for the novel and named a most anticipated feminist book of 2024 by Ms. Magazine. The book tells the story of two sisters who aspire to become artists in 1950s Bombay, India. “With breathtaking lyricism and scorching insight, … Continue reading Ep. 192: Parul Kapur Explores the Lives of Female Artists in...

This week my guest is Liza Palmer, author of Family Reservations,  an epic saga about one family’s battle over their culinary legacy  that is sure to have you up late binge reading. “A beautiful portrait of a fiercely complicated family of women. Oft hilarious, sometimes dysfunctional, and always relatable, this book revels in the messiness … Continue reading Ep. 191: Liza Palmer on Writing...

This week my guest is Melodie Edwards, author of Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, a second chance romance and a modern reimagining of Persuasion. “Reading Melodie Edwards is the closest you can come to reading a modern-day Jane Austen. Fans of Austen will find Once Persuaded, Twice Shy a gorgeously romantic homage to one of history’s best second-chance … Continue reading Ep. 190: Melod...

This week my guest is bookfluencer extraordinaire, publisher, and author Zibby Owens. She’s here to chat about her delightful new novel Blank, about a wife, mother, and frustrated writer who faces an impossible deadline for turning her life around. This new novel is perfect for fans of Nora Goes Off Script. “Leave it to Zibby … Continue reading Ep. 189: Zibby Owens on Disrupting the Pu...

It is such a treat to have debut author Rosey Lee here this week to discuss one of my favorite recent reads, The Gardins of Edin, a heartwarming Southern story about family and all its many complexities.   “The surprises and heart in this fast-paced family drama kept me turning pages late into the night.”-KJ Dell’Antonia, … Continue reading Ep. 188: Rosey Lee on Creating th...

This week Maura Cheeks is here to discuss her phenomenal debut, Acts of Forgiveness–named a most anticipated book by Elle, Real Simple, and more, the novel imagines the country has just passed the nation’s first reparations bill for Black families. “Acts of Forgiveness is the rare novel that lays out a hypothetical public policy and its … Continue reading Ep. 187: Maura Cheeks Explores the P...

On this week’s episode, Kathleen Willett is here to discuss Anything for a Friend, a propulsive new suspense novel about two college friends who reconnect with dangerous results. This is the perfect next read for fans of Big Little Lies & Little Fires Everywhere. “Kathleen Willett has done it again! ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND is … Continue reading Ep. 186: Kathleen M. Willett on the Pro...

I’m thrilled to have master storyteller Kristin Hannah back on A Bookish Home to discuss her new novel, The Women – at once a coming of age story of a twenty-year old nursing student who serves in Vietnam and an epic tale of a nation divided. Fans of The Nightingale and The Four Winds will … Continue reading Ep. 185: Kristin Hannah on Unearthing Women’s Lost Historical Stories &#...

This week, Constance Sayers is here to discuss The Star and the Strange Moon, a haunting tale of ambition, obsession, and the eternal mystery and magic of film. “A sweeping tale of dark magic, artistic obsession, and a love unbound from the limits of time, The Star and the Strange Moon captivates with lush prose and … Continue reading Ep. 184: Constance Sayers on Creating the Haunting...

Rebecca Hanover is here this week to discuss The Last Applicant,  an emotional thrill ride about two women whose lives take a dangerous turn in the high-stakes arena of private school admissions. “Sharply written and deftly plotted, The Last Applicant is the best sort of psychological suspense. It hooked me from the first page and kept me … Continue reading Ep. 183: Rebecca Hanover on...

This week I’m honored to have on the award winning, renowned team behind the new picture book, A Walk in the Woods, Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney. Brian finished the artwork for the book that was started by his late father, the legendary Jerry Pinkney.   Nikki and Brian share the mystical and magical experience … Continue reading Ep. 182: Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney on the Mystical...

Julie Chavez is here this week to discuss her new memoir, Everyone But Myself. Funny, honest, and inspiring for readers feeling overwhelmed by life, Everyone But Myself is like a best friend’s story of how she returned to solid ground while embracing chaos along the way. “If you find yourself overwhelmed and teetering on the … Continue reading Ep. 181: Julie Chavez Helps Us Resist the...

On this episode I’m chatting with author Isa Arsén about Shoot the Moon,  which tells the story of a brilliant but lonely NASA secretary and her relentless drive to live a big life in a world that would keep her small. Fans of Lessons in Chemistry will want to run to pick this one up! … Continue reading Ep. 180: Isa Arsén on the New Novel Lessons in Chemistry Fans Will Adore →

This week my guest is Becca Freeman, author of a hug of a book that’s perfect for this holiday season, The Christmas Orphans Club, about four friends who gather every Christmas as a found family. Freeman’s writing is filled with wit and insight, and her dialogue crackles. Beneath the abundant humor and charm is a … Continue reading Ep. 179: Talking Heartwarming Holiday Stories and Foun...

This week my guest is Pauls Toutonghi, award winning author of the new novel, The Refugee Ocean, a modern epic of two refugees from 1940s Beirut and 2014 Aleppo connected across time by music and the hauntings of dreams deferred. “The Refugee Ocean is one of those breathtaking and simultaneously heartbreaking stories that slides under one’s … Continue reading Ep. 178: Pauls Touto...

On this week’s episode, Ritu Mukerji is here to discuss Murder by Degrees, an atmospheric murder mystery set in 19th century Philadelphia, in which a pioneering woman doctor investigates the disappearance of a young patient. “Like Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, Lydia is a strong and indomitable woman who transcends her circumstances to become her true … Continue readin...

Today New York Times bestselling author Nancy Jooyoun Kim is here to discuss What We Kept to Ourselves, the much anticipated follow-up to Reese’s Book Club Pick, The Last Story of Mina Lee. Nancy began writing this riveting new novel twenty years ago and it follows a family’s search for answers after the disappearance of … Continue reading Ep. 176: Nancy Jooyoun Kim Explores the...

This week, international bestselling author Aimee K. Runyan is here to discuss her new historical novel, A Bakery in Paris, which tells the story of two courageous women of different eras connected by a quaint French bakery. “A Bakery in Paris is a delicious novel that will have you hungering not only for French confections but … Continue reading Ep. 175: Aimie K. Runyan Shares the Rec...

This week, I’m thrilled to have acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley here to discuss Murder in Drury Lane, which portrays the true diversity of the Regency-era and the hidden intrigue of England’s abolitionist movement, with an engaging heroine who has a talent for sleuthing. “In a time when Black and mixed-race people were marginalized and … Continue reading Ep. 174: Vanessa Riley Gi...

Today my guest is Sara Johnson Allen, author of the debut novel, Down Here We Come Up, which was the winner of the 2022 Big Moose Prize and just released from Black Lawrence Press. With Down Here We Come Up, Sara Johnson Allen reminds us that home can be an emotionally messy place–and our mothers … Continue reading Ep. 173: Sara Johnson Allen on the Road to Down Here We Come Up, a Prop...

This week my guest is Nina Simon, author of the debut novel, Mother Daughter Murder Night,  a Reese’s Book Club Pick, New York Times Bestseller, Indie Next Pick, and more.  This is a big-hearted mystery about a trio of amateur sleuths–a grandmother, single mom, and teenage girl–who come together to solve a murder in their … Continue reading Ep 172: Nina Simon on the Bestselling D...

This week, internationally bestselling author Bryn Turnbull is here to delve into The Paris Deception, an enthralling novel about art theft and forgery in Nazi-occupied Paris, and two brave women who risk their lives rescuing looted masterpieces from Nazi destruction. “Turnbull effectively combines fascinating background on winemaking and art restoration and forgery with plenty of … Co...

This week, Sandra A. Miller is here to discuss her new literary suspense novel, Wednesdays at One, and the creative process which was sprinkled with a little bit of pixie dust, dedication,  and some “Big Magic”.   Past guest of the podcast, Julie Clark, calls Wednesdays at One, “A taut psychological thriller about family, friendship, … Continue reading Ep. 170: Sandra A. Miller o...

This week, internationally bestselling author Lynn Hightower is here to discuss The Beautiful Risk, a provocative thriller about the collateral damage of grief and the adrenaline of revenge. “Dark and swiftly moving, both a thriller and an examination of how deep a connection can be.” —Kirkus Reviews   https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pxswct/LynnHightowerFinalWithAd.mp3   Listen and subscribe on Ap...