The Midlife Book Club

What are you willing to sacrifice for security? Author Cleyvis Natera invites readers to explore this question and more on a breathless seven-day trip to The Grand Paloma Resort , a Dominican Republic luxury resort where White Lotus -esque thriller meets sharp social commentary. As two local girls go missing and a hurricane approaches, sisters Laura and Elena live and work amidst stark class disti...

What happens when unrealized potential sediments inside us "like tar or asbestos, slowly releasing its poison"? Croatian novelist Lidjia Hilje examines this haunting question in her hypnotic debut, Slanting Towards the Sea , a love story spanning twenty years along Croatia's stunning Dalmatian coast. Following university students Ivana and Vlaho through marriage, dissolution, and an unusual friend...

What does it mean to be truly "grown" when we're constantly evolving? Join host Katie Fogarty and novelist Sarai Johnson as they explore Grown Women , a gorgeous debut spanning four generations of complex Black women navigating motherhood, intergenerational trauma, and healing. From Charlotte's teenage flight from abuse to privileged Camille's awakening, Johnson’s characters grapple with forgivene...

Can midlife be a portal to our most powerful selves? What if menopause came with superpowers? Join host Katie Fogarty and author Kirsten Miller as they explore "The Change," a razor-sharp feminist revenge fantasy about three women who navigate the thickets of menopause and small-town murder with superpowers unlocked by midlife. Miller crafts a tale that's equal parts thriller, feminist manifesto,...

Family secrets shape our lives before we even know they exist, as Carmen Rita Wong reveals in her memoir "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" After learning at age 31 that her Chinese father wasn't her biological parent, Carmen set off on a quest to uncover both her true origins and her mother's motivations for concealing such a fundamental truth. Part detective story, part emotional excavation—host Katie Fo...

Bestselling author Claire Lombardo knows drama lurks behind every family's closed doors. Join host Katie Fogarty for an engaging dive into Lombardo's latest novel "Same As It Ever Was," which deftly explores long-term marriage, motherhood, and how our lives both change and stay exactly the same over decades. A writing teacher and indie bookseller turned literary star (and Reese Witherspoon book cl...

What happens when we look back at our coming-of-age stories from the vantage point of midlife? Bestselling author Joanna Rakoff ( My Salinger Year , A Fortunate Age ) joins host Katie Fogarty to explore how we define and find our way in the world through the dual lenses of memoir and fiction. The conversation sparkles with insights about the electric, messy brilliance of being young and how time r...

Getting (and staying) healthy in midlife looks waaay different than in our 20s and 30s. One of the country’s top docs, Dr. Sharon Malone pulls out a prescription pad of straight talk for getting and staying healthy at midlife and beyond from her NYT-bestseller, “Grown Woman Talk.” We dive into the intersection of aging and health, the top health concerns she hears again and again, and why our fast...

Mixed feelings about midlife? Do not miss this jolt of inspiration from midlife OG and NYT bestselling author Chip Conley.   We explore Chip’s latest book, “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Life Gets Better with Age,” an optimistic blueprint for making your 40s to 70s the best decades of your life. Drawing on fascinating social science research, inspiring stories, and timeless wisdom acro...

Need a summer escape? Grab your sunblock and pull up a beach chair for our chat with bestselling author Annabel Monaghan. We're diving into her latest rom-com, “ Summer Romance ,” which follows Ali Morris, a professional organizer whose life is anything but organized. Smart, bingeable, and laugh-out-loud funny, “ Summer Romance” is a refreshingly cold dunk into a smart and steamy summer read. Join...

Welcome to The Midlife Book Club! In our debut show, author Catherine Newman brings us to Cape Cod's salty, sandy shores to crack open her instant New York Times bestseller Sandwich . The book unspools over a weeklong family vacation as the main character, Rocky, navigates memories, menopause, and the push and pull of life sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents. Evocative,...