BOOKSTORM

Join us for an important and absolutely riveting discussion with Brendan Slocumb  about his best-seller, The Violin Conspiracy!    This interview was a no-holds-barred discussion about race, appearance, bias … and the world of classical music. How can we respond to racism and oppression - is respectful discussion enough? What about the role of anger? You don’t want to miss Brendan’s thoughtful com...

Join us as we discuss The Secret Keeper of Jaipur with best-selling author Alka Joshi! This story, although it stands alone, is a follow up to The Henna Artist, her immensely popular novel that was published in 2020. We explore universal themes of power, class, respect, corruption, and parenthood … all against the backdrop of 1960s India. We were fascinated by Alka’s thoughts on Indian society (di...

Join us as we tackle The Lost Girls of Willowbrook , Ellen Marie Wiseman’s powerful, heartbreaking, and complex novel about young people institutionalized in a New York “school” that was anything but. Senator Robert Kennedy once called Willowbrook a “snake pit.” Ellen talks about how children were essentially warehoused for years in this understaffed, overcrowded, filthy, and corrupt facility. Urb...

Katherine Center (The Bodyguard) is on the Radar!  Want to talk about LOVE? Join us for a lively discussion with the delightful Katherine Center as we dive deep on The Bodyguard! Her newest bestseller is pure joy - a much needed breath of fresh air in today’s challenging world. We cover the universal themes of love, grief, jealously, escapism, balance, and self-doubt. What are the hallmarks of lov...

People tell us who they are, don’t they? How do we recognize when someone’s motivations are way off … evil even? How do we telegraph our vulnerabilities? The thrills don’t stop in Karin Slaughter’s Girl, Forgotten , her gripping follow up to Pieces of Her (now a Netflix hit series!) Join us for a deep discussion about some fascinating topics, including the clarity that comes with being in the veil...

We’re talking revenge, justice, and The Lies I Tell with Julie Clark! Con artists are often charismatic and intelligent … they’re also good at being whoever you need them to be. On this episode, we deconstruct them - what drives these scammers? What are the hallmarks of one? How do we avoid them? Do we telegraph our weaknesses to others? We talk about accountability and blame, transferred anger, f...

We're talking with Jamie Brenner about her fabulous novel Gilt ! This glittering story has it all -- love, gems, antiques, beach towns, family dysfunction, and, of course, guilt . Are you someone who believes in love . . . but not happy endings? You think you don't deserve happiness? You'll love to hear what these characters and Jamie have to say. If you grew up in a family with sib...

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are here to chat about The Golden Couple ! This novel kept us on the edge of our seats - we encounter some master manipulators! We've all encountered them in real life, haven't we? People who seem charming and charismatic, but who have their own agenda.  People who deceive.  We shine some light on that dysfunctional behavior! But we also cover the type...

“Words are the resistance among oppressors, words rivaling heavy artillery, seemingly insignificant and yet still efficacious…” Powerful words from a powerful novel! This WWII story has it all - the French resistance, secret codes, women moving into non-traditional roles, intelligence gathering, the plight of displaced persons, and the necessity of the written word…inspiring, hopeful, compassionat...

Power, politics, narcissism, and revenge … yes, we cover it all in this wonderful discussion with Chris Pavone about TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON , his newest international thriller! We talk about fame – including its burdens, dangers, and pitfalls. Are people aware of the price they may have to pay for that lifestyle? What happens when the cost is you ? What happens when people have more fame and power t...

Join us for an excellent and thought-provoking  discussion with Dolen Perkins-Valdez about historic atrocities against Black girls and women, as well as the governmental and corporate interests that perpetrated these wrongs. We talk about reproductive injustice, racism, dignity, fundamental rights, discrimination against differently-abled people, standing up against powerful oppressors, sisterhood...

Sarah McCoy (Mustique Island) is on the Radar!  We’re immersed in the lush, private Caribbean island of Mustique in the 1970s - a place where royalty and celebrities can cavort … far away from the eyes of the press and the expectations of upper class society. We cover just a handful of the themes in this rich novel, including motherhood, sisterhood, class distinctions, colonialism, and fate versus...

You can find more of your favorite bestselling authors at BOOKSTORM Podcast ! We're also on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube !

Join us for a wide-ranging and beautiful discussion about identity, multiculturalism, discovery, tradition, and, of course, Black Cake! Charmaine talks about the questions she asks about the human condition, including those relating to our expectations, dreams, and aspirations. We covered a number of delicate subjects, including shame … and how open should we be with others about past trauma. Shou...

Join us for a riveting discussion about complicated family dynamics … and fresh starts -- we love these characters and their messy lives! We talked about self-deception, fear, and faking it until you make it. (Hello, social media?!) We touch on marriages without passion, sibling relationships, growth through crisis, communication breakdowns, family competition, judging others … and celebrating the...

Internationally-known, best-selling author Francine Rivers is on the radar with The Lady's Mine, her newest novel! While we laughed and enjoyed this sweet story, we also were struck by the important underlying themes. What happens when you stand up to wrongdoing? Your reputation suffers, your safety is compromised, and obstacles appear out of nowhere. It's exhausting! We discussed leader...

E15: Paula McClain is on the radar with her fantastic crime thriller When the Stars Go Dark! Join us as we dive deep on topics ranging from the ripple effects of childhood trauma, abandonment by a parent, the physical effects of psychological harm, the resiliency of children, missing and exploited children … and growth, hope, and forgiveness. We talk about the mindset of killers, as well as the ps...

E14:  Nina DeGramont is on the radar with her riveting novel The Christie Affair!! Join us as we explore a terrific take on the real-life eleven day disappearance of beloved mystery writer Agatha Christie … told from the perspective of the other woman. Is there ever an excuse for betrayal? Does justifiable husband-stealing exist? Do we all long to flip the script in our own lives? What happens whe...

E13: Adriana Trigiani (The Good Left Undone) is on the Radar! Join us for a dazzling conversation with this New York Times best-selling author! We talk all things Italian! We cover family secrets, the role of women in Italian families, cultural traditions, and the preservation of legacies. We touch on WWII Italy, prejudice, and the importance of family stories … even the distressing ones. And what...

E12: Fiona Davis (The Magnolia Palace) is on the Radar! Family secrets, betrayal, murder ... and even new beginnings within one of New York City's most storied Gilded Age mansions, the home belonging to the famous Frick Family! We cover it all. Join us as we explore the beauty of art, women's beauty, especially as viewed through the eyes of men, father wounds, absent parents, generationa...

Join us for a fascinating discussion with Laura Morelli about her latest novel The Stolen Lady! We talk about the famous Mona Lisa, and the priceless treasures stolen by the Nazis during WWII! Wow! We also cover the universal beauty of art, the justice angles, the return of stolen pieces, and so much more- Laura shares so many little-known tidbits … a do. not. miss.  You can find more of your favo...

Join us for an absolutely riveting discussion with Heather Morris about her brand new best-seller Three Sisters! We explore the gripping themes underlying this amazing novel - as well as the story of the real-life sisters that inspired it! We cover family bonds, WWII, the Holocaust, living to honor the dead, the phenomenon of Survivor’s Guilt, prejudice, hate, sisterhood, remembering history, peac...

How far would you go to protect your family? Would you take justice into your own hands? We tackled those fascinating topics and more … including crisis responses, true crime, ordinary fathers as heroes, “good” and “bad,” lawlessness, losing faith in the legal system, and damages designed to punish a wrongdoer. We laughed — a lot — and even made a few lawyer cracks! And BONUS … we meet Lisa’s dogs...

Best-Selling author SANDRA BROWN and her incredible novel BLIND TIGER are on the radar! We tackled some of the most fascinating topics out there, including the long-term impacts of Prohibition on society,  black markets, the rise of crime, the problem of addressing the symptoms of societal problems like addiction and domestic abuse, instead of the root causes … and we didn’t stop there! We talked...

E7:  Best-selling author Samantha Greene Woodruff braves the storm to talk about her incredible book The Lobotomist’s Wife! Join us as we tackle a handful of fascinating topics, including the trap of believing your own press, misguided beliefs about depression in the 50s, dismissive notions about women’s health, medical research, being our own health advocate, early views on PTSD, the promise of t...