Adriana Trigiani's You Are What You Read

On this episode of You Are What You Read, we are diving into a conversation about publishing with someone at the top of the game, the former publisher and CEO of Macmillan, John Sargent. Before he was a leader in the world of books, John was raised on a ranch in Wyoming. He worked at three different publishers before going to Simon and Schuster to run the children’s book division at the age of twenty-nine. He spent six years there, followed by three years as the CEO of DK Publishing. In 1996, he went to work as the CEO of St Martin’s Press. Three years later, he was put in charge of Holtzbrinck’s US publishers and was responsible for forming the company that is today’s Macmillan. He worked there as CEO until the end of 2020. All of this is chronicled in John’s memoir, Turning Pages, which we discuss in this episode. 

On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, #1 New York Times bestselling author joins us for a LIVE conversation about her new novel, The Familiar, a historical romantasy set during the Spanish Inquisition. Leigh is also the author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Leigh is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.

Hello dear listeners! Over the years, we have had the opportunity to speak with some of the most influential authors of our time…one of them being James Patterson. James Patterson has written more than 200 novels, including the Alex Cross series, the Women’s Murder Club, the Maximum Ride series and more. He has co authored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton. James is also crazy about his fabulous wife, Susan Solie Patterson. Susan joined us for a conversation about her novel, Things I Wish I Told My Mother, which she co-authored with Susan DiLallo. Susan is a former All-American swimmer from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We loved getting to know Mr. and Mrs. Patterson in these two conversations and hope you do too. 

On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, award-winning actor, singer and comedian, Josh Gad, joins us for a conversation about his memoir, In Gad We Trust. You know Josh as the voice of Olaf in the Frozen franchise. He also starred as Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon, and LeFou in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. This is a conversation about books, theater and stories that built Josh into the beloved actor he is today. 

Rock and roll icon Dion DiMucci joins us for this week's episode of You Are What You Read. Dion was the lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts and a prominent solo artist with signature hits, “Runaround Sue”, “The Wanderer”, “Ruby Baby”, and “Lovers Who Wander”. In 1989, he was inducted by our good friend Stevie Van Zandt into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame with The Rolling Stones and is one of only two artists (along with Bob Dylan) to be on the cover of The Beatles Classic—Sgt. Pepper’s. He joins us this week with his memoir, DION: THE ROCK AND ROLL PHILOSOPHER.

On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are sitting down with bestselling author Julie Gilbert for a conversation about her beloved aunt, Edna Ferber. Julie writes about her Edna Ferber in the biography, Edna Ferber and Her Circle, and in her latest book, Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film. Julie has taught Creative Writing at New York University’s School of Continuing Education and currently heads The Writers Academy at The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. In this episode, Julie walks us through the Golden Age of Hollywood from the writer's desk of her aunt Edna Ferber, the Pulitizer Prize-winning novelist, short story writer and playwright. 

Rebecca Yarros is topping best seller lists with her sweeping, Empyrean fantasy romance series, Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and now Onyx Storm. On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we get to know Rebecca beyond the page. She tells us about her journey to becoming an author, her relationship with her dedicated readers, and the inspiration from her big, beautiful family.

On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are joined by Jesuit priest, Father James Martin, for a conversation that will lift your spirits and, hopefully, provide some healing in 2025. Father Jim is editor at large of America magazine, consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, and author of the New York Times bestsellers Learning to Pray, Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, and Come Forth. 

On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are joined by #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels, Lisa Jewell. Lisa is sweeping the nation right now on her paperback tour of None of this is True, and we know some of you are on your way to see her. Lisa has connections with her fans like no other author. In this conversation, we talk about her continued support from readers, from her debut novel, Ralph’s Party, to her most recent thrillers: The Family Upstairs, Then She Was Gone, Invisible Girl and Watching You. Her next novel, Don’t Let Him In, hits bookshelves June 24th, 2025. 

We are kicking off 2025 with leading physician, scientist, speaker, and author Dr. Will Li with his book, EAT TO BEAT YOUR DIET, this week on You Are What You Read. Are you looking for better ways to monitor your health in the new year? Are you experimenting with new recipes to supplement your diet? Dr. Will Li has the tips and tricks for you, and he lays it all out in this episode. Dr. Li is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than seventy diseases, including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. We hope you take away Dr. Li's healthful advice from this conversation and check out his other book, EAT TO BEAT DISEASE.