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 lo...

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 relationsh...

"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 a...

"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 Lo...

"History and hope."   Chatter rolls live at Wonderland Books 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...

"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 B...

"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 Wonderland Book s.    A violinist  and  author, Ling Ling Huang zooms in to share "Immaculat...

"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 compell...

"So many firsts."   Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, Jud, and Torie.  After discussing Kaitlyn/Colin nuptials and cars they shockingly move quickly to book topics.  Is "The Great Gatsby" the great American novel?  Is there really a great American novel?   COB alum and fave  Victoria Christopher Murray zooms in to share "Harlem Rhapsody," the story of Jesse Redmon Fauset, the "literary midw...

"Of a culture."      Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, Torie, and Jud Ashman.  Chatter on Sports kicks things off — Final Four, Ovi, and the Masters.  A hard turn to award winning author Jack Fairweather.  He zooms in to share "The Prosecutor."  Meticuous research and beautiful writing make this true story about a Jewish lawyer prosecuting Nazi war crimes a book that can't be put down once...

"Wild, luxurious, and absurd."   Chatter rolls into March madness with David, Jamie, and Torie.  All eyes on David's beloved American Eagles, but Jamie's Gators look good.  Torie's beloved CAPs are on a roll, and Ovi's on the march to break Gretzky's record.  The show gets back to books (sort of) with a review of reviews of the Moby Dick opera.  Best selling author and former librarian Kristen Arn...

"Mice  —  whatever it means to you."   Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie.  They break down the CAPs resurgence and a great 2018 moment — off the ice and in the water.  They debate what's behind the  resurgence of brick and mortar book stores.   Award winning author Charlotte Wood zooms in from down under to share "Stone Yard Devotional."  Released in Australia in 2023 and a Booker...

"Seeking something."   Chatter rolls with Lauren filling in for Claude, Jamie, and Torie.  They once again go down the memory lane of journalism. No contest in the Super Bowl but a good debate over Tom Brady.  Torie and Jamie try to tackle Ed Butt's daughter's sorority sister's list by which to curate reading and epically fail.  N.L. Holmes zooms in to share her remarkable career paths and latest...

Chatter 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 o...

"Young people in Paris, 1948"   Chatter rolls into the new year with Claude, Jamie, and Torie. David's off covering the Commanders' big win over Tampa Bay.  Even without David, Claude and Jamie break down the big game (something about 4th downs).  Following "Chatter on Sports," COB alum David Wright Falade zooms in to share his latest, "The New Internationals."  Focused on an often over simplified...

"It's a David Aldridge moment." Chatter rolls Thanksgiving week with a very special show – live and in person:  Claude, David, Torie, Jamie, and Jud.  They shed a tear for Ovi's injury, marvel (again) at Taylor Swift's reach, and declare their picks for the Mt. Rushmore of sports books.  Award winning, hall of faming, and legacy leaving journalist David Aldridge takes the featured author chair.  H...

Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie, and Jamie.  They break down the Washington Capitals and answer listener email about favorite books beyond Chatter (who has time?).  Nobody wins the pop quiz on banned books but all agree none should be (banned, that is). According to PEN America, this year over 10,000 books were banned in public schools, nearly triple the number from 2023.   Author, histori...

"Power of persuasion." Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie, and our favorite writer/author/entrepreneur Michael Croley.  Claude's going all in on the horses. Mike, David, Claude, and Torie (not her really) break down the chaos of NIL in college sports.   Wright Thompson zooms in to share "The Barn," his truly groundbreaking work on the 1955 murder of Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi.  Growing...

"Read it out loud." Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie.  They break down Vanderbilt over 'Bama and do emails.  The perennial "what are good books about politics?" is back, of course.  Jamie wins the pop quiz – guess the book by the bad NYT review.  COB alum and all time favorite Lou Bayard zooms in to share his latest, "The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts."  Only Lou has the guts to b...

"Happiness" Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie, and her sister from another mother Liz Clarke.  Manny's rocking:  check out Foxden Fairways  for awesome kids' golf attire and more.  Make sure you use promo code: MannyGolf15!   Recovering lawyer Gayle Weiswasser joins to talk about the soon-to-be-open independent   Wonderland Books in Bethesda, Maryland.  Writer, reporter, and podcaster Tommy...

Chatter rolls into fall with Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie. David debriefs his epic Parisian Olympic adventures. DC Public Library Foundation head Rob Hartman shares the Library back story and teases the October 5   "Battle of the Banned" in which DC librarians battle it out for title of "Best Banned Book Display."  Author Tevi Troy zooms in to share his fact filled "The Power and the Money," a...

Chatter rolls with Torie and Jamie.  David's in Paris and Claude is golfing, so Lauren fills in with the important work.  They break down the Olympics (Lauren's not a watcher), read a couple of emails and ponder the huge influence of women on all things books.  COB alum and fave Erica Wright zooms in from Knoxville to share her latest, "Hollow Bones." Snakes figure prominently again, but so do orp...

"Political horror story." Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie, and man about town Rodney Ferguson. They break down Wimbledon, rave about "James" by Percival Everett, and marvel at BookTok. David shares the back brief on his upcoming book "The Basketball 100," a celebration of the best players in NBA History. Award winning, best selling and all around cool guy Erik Larson zooms in to chat about...

"Long overdue" Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie and Torie.  They do "Chatter on Weddings" (they used to be a lot less complicated), contemplate a live show, share father's day experiences, and somehow veer into what makes elite athletes so dedicated.  Karen Valby zooms in from Austin to share "The Swans of Harlem." Until now, not many outside the world of ballet (heck, even inside that worl...

"Revealing" Chatter rolls with David, Torie, and Torie's sister from another mother Liz Clarke. They do email (keep them coming!), share "worst ever injuries," and marvel at the late great, Bill Walton's Grateful Dead obsession. Bill Gates' summer reading list has few takers; Torie's most into "The Women," historical fiction by Kristin Hannah. Multi-talented and trivia superstar Ben Rothenberg zoo...