Book of the Month Live

Sarah MacLean doesn’t turn down a dare.

Author Sarah MacLean stopped by our headquarters to discuss her new book, These Summer Storms . She broke down the book’s themes of wealth, power, and nobility—and spilled about writing the first chapter of her first novel on a dare. When Alice Storm’s wealthy father passes away, the whole family has to pay their final respects by playing a week-long twisted game on a private island—or risk losing out on their inheritance. Get These Summer Storms at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of t...

Wally Lamb knows how to make you cry.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Wally Lamb visited our headquarters to discuss his new novel, The River Is Waiting . He talked about what motivates his writing (fear), the most common reported side effect of reading his books (crying), and what it takes to really forgive (listen to find out). When a new father causes an unimaginable tragedy, he is confronted with prison time and a question he may never be able to answer: what does it take to win his family’...

Janelle Brown on coming-of-age in the Internet Age.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Janelle Brown visited our headquarters to discuss her new work of fiction, What Kind of Paradise . She also opened up about her love-hate relationship with technology, including her former career as a tech writer, and why she thinks pastoral living sounds pretty good right about now. A teenage girl who’s grown up off-the-grid gets plugged into society during the dawn of Silicon Valley, and starts to question everything she th...

Prabal Gurung on walking like a girl.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author and fashion designer Prabal Gurung stepped out of the Met Gala and into our headquarters to discuss his new memoir, Walk Like a Girl . He also spilled about what really goes on behind the scenes on fashion’s biggest night, and revealed his most iconic role model—his powerhouse mother. From Nepal to New York, fashion icon Prabal Gurung shares his story of growing up as a queer boy, and growing into his status as a fashion lege...

Chioma Okereke said it perfectly.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Chioma Okereke stopped by our headquarters to talk about the inspiration for—and meaning of—her new book, Water Baby . From the cooking show that sparked her initial curiosity, to the eventual organization she founded to support women and girls in Makoko, she spared no detail about how she brought her book to life. Nineteen-year-old Baby has lived in Makoko, the floating slum off mainland Lagos, Nigeria, her whole life. When ...

Kaylie Smith has entered the villa.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Kaylie Smith visited our headquarters to discuss her new book, Enchantra . She revealed the challenges of writing her latest novel, how she finds satisfaction in her work, and her unexpected love for pigeons—among other things. The sequel to Phantasma has arrived. After her mother dies, Genevieve Grimm receives an irresistible invitation to a cursed palace in Italy. When she enters, she begins a dark game of hide and seek wit...

Jennifer Weiner on the curse of the pop princess.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Jennifer Weiner visited our headquarters to discuss the inspiration for her new novel, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits . She shared her hot takes on the viciousness of the early 2000s, our questionable treatment of pop princesses, CD players, and piano lessons—for starters. When sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg skyrocket to popstardom together, their fame comes at a high cost. After one tumultuous year, their band suddenly...

Krysten Ritter reveals her kryptonite.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Actor and author Krysten Ritter stopped by our headquarters to talk about her new book, Retreat , and the real-life con artists who inspired the thriller. She revealed her superpower, her kryptonite, and her various skills and accomplishments as an author, actor, director, musician and, of course, professional knitter. When a sharp-witted, serial con artist assumes a wealthy socialite’s identity in Punta Mita, she doesn’t quite know...

B.K. Borison hears our dating horror stories.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Author B.K. Borison visited our headquarters to discuss her new book, First-Time Caller . She got real about the transition from self-publishing to having the backing of a major publishing house—and how she’s not one to give dating advice, but our audience decided to share their horror stories with her anyway. The host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, conveniently named Aiden Valentine, is over love—until a young girl ca...

Daniel Black doesn’t need your applause.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Daniel Black, author of Isaac’s Song , joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss gospel music, masculinity, Black storytelling, bouquets, and that time he went viral. Oh, and how he wrote his new book. We manage to cover it all and even find time to dance. A young man finds himself at a crossroads, reflecting on his past and the recent loss of his father. He comes of age, comes out, and discovers himself in 1980...

Layne Fargo on ice.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Layne Fargo, author of The Favorites , joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her new book—plus love, hate, spite, and ice dancing. We cover everything from Tonya Harding, to early 2000s fashion, to Layne’s very first time ice skating. (Spoiler: It was the day before this episode was recorded). Childhood sweethearts turned famous figure skating duo find their relationship at a halt after a shocking incident a...

Kate Fagan does NOT want to be famous.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Author and former basketball player turned journalist turned ESPN commentator Kate Fagan joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her new book, The Three Lives of Cate Kay . She talks about big fame (why she doesn’t want it), ambition (its highly addictive qualities), and the creative engine that fueled her new work of fiction. Also, our Editorial Director does her very best French accent. Cate Kay is a bestsel...

Daniel Aleman proves writing is the best form of revenge.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Author Daniel Aleman joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss his new book, I Might Be In Trouble . Inspired by a situationship gone awry, Aleman explains the evolution of his adult debut and reflects on the unexpected trajectory of his career as a writer. After the perfect first date, writer David Alvarez wakes up to find the man next to him in bed—dead. He could call the police but, naturally, he calls his tr...

Anna Rasche leaves no stone unturned.

Author Anna Rasche visits our headquarters for this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her new book, The Stone Witch of Florence . She covers writing about the Black Plague during a modern day-pandemic, the importance of wellness girlies, and why she loves crystals. After nearly a decade in exile for witchcraft, Ginevra di Gasparo is called upon to use her healing powers to save people from the Black Plague—or so she thinks. When she’s asked to use her unique abilities to hunt down a thief, she st...

Ann Liang on milking her JSTOR access.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Author Ann Liang joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, A Song to Drown Rivers . From making the most of her JSTOR access while it lasted, to thinking deeply about beauty standards across centuries, she breaks down how her historical fantasy novel got made. Xishi is beautiful—and deadly. When she is tasked with infiltrating an enemy kingdom and seducing the king, she undergoes rigorous traini...

Coco Mellors wants you to cry in public.

Laura Dave has a complicated relationship with thrillers.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Repeat author Laura Dave joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, The Night We Lost Him . We talked about the question she wanted to answer with this story, how grief is an extension of love, and her complicated relationship with the thriller genre. Estranged siblings discover their father has been keeping a secret for over fifty years, one that may have been fatal… Liam Noone was many things t...

Chelsea Bieker is obsessed with grocery stores.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Chelsea Bieker joins us on this week’s episode of Virtual Book Tour to discuss her new book, Madwoman . We talked about her somatic practice around writing (shaking your sillies out) and our (mostly her) obsession with wellness. Clove has gone to extremes to keep her past a secret. But when she receives a letter from a women’s prison in California, her past comes screeching into the present, entangling her in a dangerou...

Kimberly McCreight on the intensity of mother-daughter relationships

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Repeat author Kimberly McCreight joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, Like Mother, Like Daughter . We spoke about how Kimberly’s former days as a lawyer helped inform this story and we also discussed the intense relationships between mothers and daughters. When Cleo arrives late for dinner at her childhood home, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother. Then Cleo discove...

Liz Moore was not a happy camper.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Repeat author Liz Moore joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, The God of the Woods . We talked about how her own family history with the Adirondacks inspired the setting for this novel, her own experience with camp as a kid, and the myth and reality of self reliance. When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp, two worlds collide. Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor di...

Sarah Pekkanen loves eavesdropping.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Repeat author Sarah Pekkanen joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, House of Glass. We talked about the benefits of eavesdropping, how Sarah’s experience as an investigative reporter informs her work as a thriller novelist, and haunted mega mansions. On the outside they were the golden family. On the inside they built the perfect lie. A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was pushed? A n...

Isabel Banta on what makes a perfect pop song.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! This week we spoke with Isabel Banta on what it means to be a child popstar. We discussed the price of celebrity, coming-of-age experiences, and how music lets us all connect. It is 1997, and Amber Young has received a life-changing call. It’s a chance thousands of girls would die for: the opportunity to join girl group Cloud9 in Los Angeles and escape her small town. She quickly finds herself in the orbits of fellow ri...

Rufi Thorpe's persona is a Germanic washerwoman.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! We had so much fun getting to talk to Rufi Thorpe, the author of Margo's Got Money Troubles on this week's episode of VBT! We talked about the consequences of snap judgements, how OnlyFans has shifted over the past couple of years, and Rufi's love for wrestling. As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo has always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college. ...

Laura Hankin and the romance of friendships in your 20s.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Live from the BOTM headquarters, Laura Hankin joins us to discuss her newest book, One-Star Romance . We had a lovely conversation about the romance of friendships in your 20s, why we shouldn't feel stuck in our timelines, and how Laura once got eviscerated by a teenager. Natalie and Rob couldn’t have less in common. The only thing they share is their devotion to their respective best friends–who just got engaged. Still...

Brynne Weaver and the golden age of smut.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Brynne Weaver joins us in the BOTM headquarters to discuss her newest book to The Ruinous Love trilogy, Leather & Lark. We asked Brynne why she was ruining all of our favorite foods and talked about how one woman's red flags might actually be another's green flag. Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for h...

Mai Corland is afraid of birds.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! The author of Five Broken Blades joins us in the BOTM office for this week's episode! We talked to Mai Corland about her epic new book, Korean mythology and history, and the transition from writing for younger audiences to now writing for adults. It’s the season for treason; the king of Yusan must die. The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to k...

Kaliane Bradley has a crush from 1847.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time , joins us to celebrate her debut novel! We talked about how she fell in love with Graham Gore, what she would be "excited" to experience if she could go back to the Victorian Era, and her modern tech pet peeves. A government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible. She is tasked with working as a “bridge:” living wit...

Rachel Khong on what it means to be a real American.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! On this week's episode, we sit down with Rachel Khong to discuss her new novel, Real Americans . We had so much fun asking the big questions like, “what do we inherit from our families and their histories,” and what it means to be a “real American.” Real Americans begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City when Lily Chen meets Matthew. Matthew is everything Lily is not, but despite the differences, they fall in lov...

Emiko Jean may be on a watch list…

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! On this week's episode, we sit down with Emiko Jean, author of The Return of Ellie Black . We talk about how this book was originally written as a YA novel, her past as an entomologist and how it could inspire a future book, and why she may be on a government watch list... Detective Chelsea Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call that Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced ...

Makiia Lucier would never eat a seadragon egg.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Makiia Lucier, author of Dragonfruit , joins us on this week’s episode of Virtual Book Tour! We learned that this beautiful fantasy novel was inspired by Makiia’s own memories of growing up on Guam and the historical elements that she used as inspiration for her story. Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family, but when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is fo...