Books Connect Us

By Penguin Random House

What's Books Connect Us about?

We’re staying connected with each other and the stories and authors who inspire us. BOOKS CONNECT US brings you brand new conversations with some of your favorite authors.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Books Connect Us episodes:

06.12.2023
Emily Henry, romcom Queen and author of the #1 NYT Bestseller, HAPPY PLACE
On today’s season finale we welcome the delightful Emily Henry, author of bestsellers Beach Read, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation and, most recently the #1 NYT Bestselling Happy Place. Alyssa and Emily vibe out talking about romcom inspiration,...
06.05.2023
Haley Jakobson, author of the astute and funny OLD ENOUGH
Happy Pride from Books Connect Us! In honor of Pride, today’s guest is Haley Jakobson, author of the astute and funny bisexual debut Old Enough, on sale June 20. Carolina chats with Haley about all things identity: finding ourselves while...
05.30.2023
SUMMER READING SPECIAL! (with Carolina + Alyssa)
Join us for a super-fun, laugh-out-loud Summer Reading Picks episode! Carolina and Alyssa talk: books they love, books they can’t wait to read, horror movies, celebs they went to high school with, tips for writing, finding inspiration and reading al...
05.22.2023
ROMANCE ROUNDTABLE! (Featuring Amanda Elliot and Kosoko Jackson)
On a very exciting episode of BOOKS CONNECT US, Carolina and Alyssa host their first Roundtable. Joined by Amanda Elliot (author of Sadie on a Plate and Best Served Hot) and Kosoko Jackson (author of I’m So Not Over You...
05.15.2023
Chrissy King, author of THE BODY LIBERATION PROJECT
Today on the podcast, Carolina and Alyssa interview Chrissy King, author of THE BODY LIBERATION PROJECT, about the way our intersecting identities impact our body image, how and why body and beauty standards are rooted in racism and how we...
05.08.2023
Szilvia Molnar, author of THE NURSERY
Today on BOOKS CONNECT US, Lisa Lucas, SVP and Publisher of Pantheon talks about motherhood and mental health with Szilvia Molnar, author of The Nursery. The two share a thought-provoking conversation about the rawness and realness of becoming a mother,...
05.01.2023
Sarah Thankam Mathews, author of All This Could Be Different
On today’s episode, we talk to National Book Award finalist Sarah Thankam Mathews about her debut novel, ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT, a warm, dazzling, and profound saga of queer love, friendship, work, and precarity in twenty-first century America. Carolina...
04.24.2023
Dani Shapiro, author of SIGNAL FIRES and INHERITANCE
This week on BOOKS CONNECT US, we welcome Dani Shapiro, author of eleven books , most recently Signal Fires, which won the National Jewish Books Award and Inheritance, which was a New York Times Bestseller. Alyssa and Dani go deep,...
04.17.2023
Lakiesha Carr, author of the intimate AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SKIN
This episode, we welcome Lakiesha Carr and her Knopf editor, Maria Goldverg. Lakeisha is the author of AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SKIN, a profound and tender look at Black womanhood. Maria and Lakiesha discuss the intimacy required to write fiction, the...
04.12.2023
Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of TAKE MY HAND
We welcome Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the unforgettable and deeply profound TAKE MY HAND, which won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction. Carolina talks to Dolen about her writing and research process, the true-life inspiration behind...
04.10.2023
Eleanor Shearer, author of the beautiful RIVER SING ME HOME
In today’s episode, we talk to Eleanor Shearer, author of the gripping and beautiful RIVER SING ME HOME, which was a GMA Book Club Pick. Carolina chats with Eleanor about finding time for creative writing (especially within the confines of...
04.05.2023
Joanne Lee Molinaro, author of the James Beard Award-Winning, NYT Bestseller THE KOREAN VEGAN COOKBOOK
Today, we talk to NYT Bestselling and James Beard Award-winning author of The Korean Vegan Cookbook , Joanne Lee Molinaro. Alyssa chats with Joanne about representation, the writing and publishing process, family stories and how they seep into our writing,...
04.03.2023
How Do Authors Portray Their Origin Stories? (Plus, meet your new hosts!)
In today’s episode, get to know Alyssa Adler and Carolina Meurkens, the new hosts of BOOKS CONNECT US! We chat about what’s in store for the new season, how authors portray their origin stories and have fun laughing about what...
03.27.2023
An exciting new season of BOOKS CONNECT US!
This brand new season of BOOKS CONNECT US will keep you connected with the authors and stories that inspire you, and bring you the inside scoop on “the story behind the story”. Join hosts Alyssa Adler and Carolina Meurkens in...
03.06.2023
Sathnam Sanghera, author EMPIRELAND, on the hidden legacies and modern realities of the British empire
The new book EMPIRELAND is an illuminating tour through the hidden legacies and modern realities of British empire that exposes how much of the present-day United Kingdom is actually rooted in its colonial past. In accessible, witty prose, award-winning journalist...
12.20.2022
George R.R. Martin, author of the acclaimed series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE
George R. R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including those of the acclaimed series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, upon which the iconic HBO series GAME OF THRONES is based. FIRE &...
12.15.2022
George Saunders, author of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO and LIBERATION DAY
George Saunders is the author of nine books, including the novel LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, which won the Man Booker Prize, and the brand-new short story collection LIBERATION DAY. On today's episode George is in conversation with Matt Rodbard, host...
11.28.2022
Sarah Thankam Mathews, author of ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT
Sarah Thankam Mathews is a recipient of fellowships from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and her work has been published in Best American Short Stories. ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT is her electrifying novel of...
10.25.2022
Clancy Martin, acclaimed author of HOW TO SELL and his new book HOW NOT TO KILL YOURSELF
Clancy Martin is the acclaimed author of the novel HOW TO SELL, numerous books on philosophy, and the viral essay, “I’m Still Here.” He is the survivor of more than ten suicide attempts and a recovering alcoholic. His new book...
10.17.2022
Ali Hazelwood, author of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS and LOVE ON THE BRAIN
Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, as well as the writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever-after is not always happy. Her new romance...
10.10.2022
Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the new thriller MOTHER DAUGHTER TRAITOR SPY
Susan Elia MacNeal is the New York Times bestselling author of the MAGGIE HOPE mysteries. In her new thriller MOTHER DAUGHTER TRAITOR SPY, a mother and daughter find the courage to go undercover after stumbling upon a Nazi cell in...
09.28.2022
Laura Warrell, author of SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM
Laura Warrell's work has appeared in HuffPost, The Rumpus, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other publications. SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM is her provocative debut novel about the perennial temptations of dangerous love, told by the women who...
08.29.2022
Laura Warrell, author of the new novel SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM
Laura Warrell's work has appeared in HuffPost, The Rumpus, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other publications. SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM is her provocative debut novel about the perennial temptations of dangerous love, told by the women who...
08.16.2022
Laurie R. King, bestselling author of the Mary Russell mysteries and the new novel BACK TO THE GARDEN
Laurie R. King is the award-winning, bestselling author of seventeen Mary Russell mysteries and many other novels. In the new novel BACK TO THE GARDEN, a fifty-year-old cold case involving California royalty comes back to life—with potentially fatal consequences. This...
08.10.2022
Ava Glass, author of the new thriller ALIAS EMMA
Ava Glass is a pseudonym for an internationally bestselling author who has sold over two and a half million copies worldwide. Ava's new novel ALIAS EMMA is a breakneck, race-against-the-clock thriller, in which a British spy has twelve hours to...
07.06.2022
Gabrielle Zevin, author of TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW
Gabrielle Zevin is the New York Times and internationally best-selling author of several critically acclaimed novels, including THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY and YOUNG JANE YOUNG. Her exhilarating new novel TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW is about two friends—often...
06.14.2022
James Burrows, co-creator of CHEERS and director of classic sitcoms FRIENDS, FRASIER, TAXI discusses his career and new memoir DIRECTED BY JAMES BURROWS
As the legendary director of classic sitcoms such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Will & Grace, Frasier, and Friends—and the co-creator of Cheers—James Burrows has spent five decades making America laugh. His new book DIRECTED BY JAMES BURROWS...
06.06.2022
Grace D. Li, author of the exciting new novel PORTRAIT OF A THIEF
Grace Li is a Chinese American writer who is currently attending medical school at Stanford University. Her debut novel PORTRAIT OF A THIEF is a lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western...
05.17.2022
Cleyvis Natera, author of NERUDA ON THE PARK
Cleyvis Natera was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at ten years old, and grew up in New York City. Her exhilarating debut novel NERUDA ON THE PARK follows members of a Dominican family in New...
05.11.2022
Vanessa Hua, author of A RIVER OF STARS and FORBIDDEN CITY
Vanessa Hua is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of the novel A RIVER OF STARS and a story collection, DECEIT AND OTHER POSSIBILITIES. Her new novel FORBIDDEN CITY is an epic yet intimate portrayal of...
05.05.2022
Fiona Davis, author of THE CHELSEA GIRLS and THE MAGNOLIA PALACE
Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including THE DOLLHOUSE, THE ADDRESS, THE MASTERPIECE, and THE CHELSEA GIRLS. Her latest is THE MAGNOLIA PALACE, a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one...
04.26.2022
Heather McGhee, author of THE SUM OF US
Heather McGhee is an expert in economic and social policy, and now chairs the board of Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. Her new book THE SUM OF US offers a powerful exploration of inequality and...
04.19.2022
Adriana Trigiani, author of BIG STONE GAP and the new novel THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE
Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books, including THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE. Among her screen credits, Trigiani wrote and directed the major motion picture adaptation of her debut novel, BIG STONE GAP. Her latest work is...
04.11.2022
Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, author of THE OTHER DR. GILMER, a powerful true story about a shocking crime
Dr. Benjamin Gilmer is a former neurobiologist turned rural family practitioner, Dr. Gilmer has lectured across the country about medical ethics, rural health, and the intersection of medicine and criminal justice reform. His new book THE OTHER DR. GILMER is...
04.05.2022
Kai Harris, author of WHAT THE FIREFLIES KNEW
Kai Harris is a writer and educator from Detroit, Michigan, who uses her voice to uplift the Black community through realistic fiction centered on the Black experience. Her new book WHAT THE FIREFLIES KNEW is a coming-of-age novel told by...
03.28.2022
Sarah Polley and Margaret Atwood in conversation
Sarah Polley is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, director, and actor whose films include AWAY FROM HER and TAKE THIS WALTZ. In her new essay collection RUN TOWARDS THE DANGER, Polley contemplates stories from her own life ranging from stage fright...
03.22.2022
Judd Apatow, director of THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and author of SICKER IN THE HEAD
Judd Apatow is one of the most important comic minds of his generation. He directed the films THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, and TRAINWRECK. His producing credits include Superbad, Bridesmaids, Freaks and Geeks, and The Ben Stiller Show. He...
03.14.2022
Gretchen Rubin (THE HAPPINESS PROJECT) and Arthur C. Brooks (FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH)
Arthur C. Brooks is the author of the instant bestseller FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, which is a roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age. Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom—as well as dozens...
12.16.2021
Diana Gabaldon, author of the OUTLANDER series and the new novel GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE
Diana Gabaldon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular OUTLANDER novels, the basis for the hit Starz series. In her latest novel GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE the year is 1779, and...
11.24.2021
Todd Doughty, author of LITTLE PIECES OF HOPE
As the global pandemic began in March 2020, Todd Doughty knew he needed to do something to help him stay connected to the everyday joys of daily life. So he wrote down a list of things that make him happy....
11.17.2021
Adam Kurtz, author of YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW) and THINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM
Adam J. Kurtz is a designer, artist, and speaker. His previous books, PICK ME UP and THINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM, have been published in more than a dozen languages. His latest book YOU ARE HERE FOR NOW...
08.05.2021
Jeffrey Kluger, author of APOLLO 13 and the new novel HOLDOUT
Jeffrey Kluger is editor at large for Time magazine and the author or coauthor of twelve books, including APOLLO 13. He has written more than forty cover stories for Time on topics ranging from space to human behavior to climate...
07.07.2021
David Bell, author of the thrillers SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER and KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS
David Bell is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of novels such as THE REQUEST, LAYOVER, and SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER. In his latest thriller KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS, a student disappears and is presumed dead, and her professor passes off her...
06.22.2021
Zibby Owens, host of MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ BOOKS and co-author/editor of the essay collection MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME TO
Zibby Owens is the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books. Zibby, named “NYC’s Most Powerful Book-fluencer” by New York Magazine’s Vulture, conducts warm, inquisitive conversations with authors, making her show a top...
06.16.2021
Emma Brodie, author of the new novel SONGS IN URSA MAJOR
EMMA BRODIE has worked in book publishing for a decade, most recently as an executive editor at Little, Brown’s Voracious imprint. Her debut novel SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is a transporting love story of music, stardom, heartbreak, and a gifted...
06.09.2021
Patrick Radden Keefe, author of SAY NOTHING and EMPIRE OF PAIN
Patrick Radden Keefe is the author of the New York Times bestseller SAY NOTHING which received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, and was selected as one of the ten best books of 2019 by The New York...
06.02.2021
Ian Manuel, author of MY TIME WILL COME
MY TIME WILL COME is the inspiring story of activist and poet Ian Manuel, who at the age of fourteen was sentenced to life in prison. He survived eighteen years in solitary confinement—through his own determination and dedication to art—until...
05.25.2021
Elizabeth Letts, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE EIGHTY-DOLLAR CHAMPION and the new book THE RIDE OF HER LIFE
Elizabeth Letts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE EIGHTY-DOLLAR CHAMPION and THE PERFECT HORSE. Her latest book THE RIDE OF HER LIFE tells the triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America...
05.17.2021
Paul Rudnick, author of PLAYING THE PALACE, and screenwriter of IN & OUT and ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES
The New York Times has called Paul Rudnick “one of our preeminent humorists.” As a screenwriter and playwright his work ranges from ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES to JEFFREY, and his books include SOCIAL DISEASE and I'LL TAKE IT. His latest novel...
05.10.2021
Andy Weir, author of THE MARTIAN and PROJECT HAIL MARY
Andy Weir is the author of the best-selling novels ARTEMIS and THE MARTIAN, upon which the blockbuster Matt Damon film was based. In his latest novel PROJECT HAIL MARY, the protagonist is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and...

What's Books Connect Us about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Books Connect Us episodes:

Emily Henry, romcom Queen and author of the #1 NYT Bestseller, HAPPY PLACE

Haley Jakobson, author of the astute and funny OLD ENOUGH

SUMMER READING SPECIAL! (with Carolina + Alyssa)

ROMANCE ROUNDTABLE! (Featuring Amanda Elliot and Kosoko Jackson)

Chrissy King, author of THE BODY LIBERATION PROJECT

Szilvia Molnar, author of THE NURSERY

Sarah Thankam Mathews, author of All This Could Be Different

Dani Shapiro, author of SIGNAL FIRES and INHERITANCE

Lakiesha Carr, author of the intimate AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SKIN

Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of TAKE MY HAND

Eleanor Shearer, author of the beautiful RIVER SING ME HOME

Joanne Lee Molinaro, author of the James Beard Award-Winning, NYT Bestseller THE KOREAN VEGAN COOKBOOK

How Do Authors Portray Their Origin Stories? (Plus, meet your new hosts!)

An exciting new season of BOOKS CONNECT US!

Sathnam Sanghera, author EMPIRELAND, on the hidden legacies and modern realities of the British empire

George R.R. Martin, author of the acclaimed series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE

George Saunders, author of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO and LIBERATION DAY

Sarah Thankam Mathews, author of ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT

Clancy Martin, acclaimed author of HOW TO SELL and his new book HOW NOT TO KILL YOURSELF

Ali Hazelwood, author of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS and LOVE ON THE BRAIN

Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the new thriller MOTHER DAUGHTER TRAITOR SPY

Laura Warrell, author of SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM

Laura Warrell, author of the new novel SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM

Laurie R. King, bestselling author of the Mary Russell mysteries and the new novel BACK TO THE GARDEN

Ava Glass, author of the new thriller ALIAS EMMA

Gabrielle Zevin, author of TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW

James Burrows, co-creator of CHEERS and director of classic sitcoms FRIENDS, FRASIER, TAXI discusses his career and new memoir DIRECTED BY JAMES BURROWS

Grace D. Li, author of the exciting new novel PORTRAIT OF A THIEF

Cleyvis Natera, author of NERUDA ON THE PARK

Vanessa Hua, author of A RIVER OF STARS and FORBIDDEN CITY

Fiona Davis, author of THE CHELSEA GIRLS and THE MAGNOLIA PALACE

Heather McGhee, author of THE SUM OF US

Adriana Trigiani, author of BIG STONE GAP and the new novel THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE

Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, author of THE OTHER DR. GILMER, a powerful true story about a shocking crime

Kai Harris, author of WHAT THE FIREFLIES KNEW

Sarah Polley and Margaret Atwood in conversation

Judd Apatow, director of THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and author of SICKER IN THE HEAD

Gretchen Rubin (THE HAPPINESS PROJECT) and Arthur C. Brooks (FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH)

Diana Gabaldon, author of the OUTLANDER series and the new novel GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE

Todd Doughty, author of LITTLE PIECES OF HOPE

Adam Kurtz, author of YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW) and THINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM

Jeffrey Kluger, author of APOLLO 13 and the new novel HOLDOUT

David Bell, author of the thrillers SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER and KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS

Zibby Owens, host of MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ BOOKS and co-author/editor of the essay collection MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME TO

Emma Brodie, author of the new novel SONGS IN URSA MAJOR

Patrick Radden Keefe, author of SAY NOTHING and EMPIRE OF PAIN

Ian Manuel, author of MY TIME WILL COME

Elizabeth Letts, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE EIGHTY-DOLLAR CHAMPION and the new book THE RIDE OF HER LIFE

Paul Rudnick, author of PLAYING THE PALACE, and screenwriter of IN & OUT and ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES

Andy Weir, author of THE MARTIAN and PROJECT HAIL MARY