Book Gang

Corey Ann Haydu reflects on moving from YA to adult fiction and how motherhood shaped her deeply honest debut, Mothers and Other Strangers.

Perfectly pitched for fans of Claire Lombardo and J. Courtney Sullivan, debut adult novelist Corey Ann Haydu joins Book Gang to discuss her acclaimed Mothers and Other Strangers. The novel opens with two estranged friends reuniting, both about to become mothers, as they confront a decades-old betrayal that changed their families forever.

Corey shares how new motherhood and her years in children’s and YA writing shaped the emotional honesty of her adult debut—a project she wrote in secret, embracing the bravery it takes to reinvent yourself as a seasoned novelist.

In this week’s fascinating episode, we discuss:

📚Navigating the Publishing “In-Between”: Corey discusses how Mothers and Other Strangers found itself between literary and commercial fiction—a space that can be tricky for editors and publishers. She opens up about the challenges of selling a book that’s hard to categorize and what it means for writers and readers when a novel doesn’t fit neatly on the shelf.

📚 Genre-Shifting and Audience Overlap: Corey reflects on her move from children’s and YA books to adult fiction, and what it’s like to bring longtime readers along for a new kind of story. She shares insights on writing for different age groups, what remains the same, and the unique rewards and surprises of finding new audiences.

📚  The Search for Community and the Allure of MLMs: We explore how Corey’s novel compassionately examines the vulnerability of new motherhood, the hunger for connection, and the ways women are drawn into—and sometimes exploited by—multi-level marketing schemes.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: This week’s bonus book list offers readers 14 Books & Films on MLMs, Scams, and the Art of the Con—the perfect companion for anyone fascinated by the world of multi-level marketing and the art of persuasion. Patrons will receive a printable list to take to their local library, plus a spoiler-filled chat with Corey Ann Haydu, where we dive deeper into the back half of Mothers and Other Strangers.

Meet Corey Ann Haydu

Author and educator Corey Ann Haydu has been publishing critically acclaimed books in the young adult and children’s space since 2013, including OCD Love Story, Eventown, Lawless Spaces, The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene, and more. Currently, she is on faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts in their Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program.

Her debut adult novel, Mothers and Other Strangers, came out in March 2026 and was the April 2026 Barnes and Noble Book Club pick, a People Magazine Book of the Week, and a Publisher’s Marketplace BuzzBook.

Corey’s books have been Edgar Award nominees, Amazon Books of the Month, RISE Honorees, Junior Library Guild Selections, Kirkus, PW, and SLJ Best Books of the Year, BCCB Blue Ribbon Honorees, Brooklyn Public Library and Chicago Public Library Books of the Year, and more. A former theatre kid with a BFA in theatre and an MFA in writing, Corey lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughters.

You can find Corey on her Substack, Books and Bangs, and as cohost of the podcast Still Writing.

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2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

October Book Club Episode: One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST:14 Books & Films on MLMs, Scams, and the Art of the Con

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR OUR 2027 BOOK CLUB PICKS

Mothers and Other Strangers by Corey Ann Haydu

Jessica Bearak Instagram

Isola by Allegra Goodman

Allegra Goodman - Isola podcast episode

Meg Wolitzer

Claire Lombardo

Invasive Species by Ellery Adams

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

The Dream podcast

LuLaRich

Hey, Hun by Emily Lynn Paulson

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Debuting with Thousand Voices, Anna McCallie shares how mentorship and fresh perspectives shaped Abby Offsides—a heartfelt romance about reinvention and belonging.

Debut author Anna McCallie joins Book Gang to celebrate her sparkling debut, Abby Offsides—a contemporary romance set amid the camaraderie and chaos of UK football—and to introduce listeners to Thousand Voices, Jenna Bush Hager's new imprint dedicated to uplifting debut and early-career authors.

Drawing on her own leap from Boston to London, Anna shares how she wove personal experiences of reinvention, vulnerability, and found family into Abby’s journey from outsider to insider—and learned the rules of romance writing along the way!

In this week’s episode, we discuss:

📚Launching with Thousand Voices: Anna discusses being among the first wave of debut authors published by Jenna Bush Hager’s new imprint, Thousand Voices, and shares how this supportive publishing model and hands-on mentorship shaped Abby Offsides from manuscript to publication.

📚 The Power of Found Family: We explore the vibrant, lived-in world of Mersey Football Club, the camaraderie among athletes, and how McCallie crafts cozy, relatable moments—on and off the field—that capture the heart of sports and romance fans alike.

📚  Navigating Romance Reader Expectations: Anna talks candidly about the specific tastes and strong opinions within the romance community, how she approached sensitive topics like infidelity and “messy” relationships in Abby Offsides, and what she’s learned from reader feedback as a debut novelist in the genre.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: 12 Books From Thousand Voices to Watch For 

This week’s bonus book list spotlights the standout debuts and upcoming releases from Thousand Voices, Jenna Bush Hager’s new imprint. Patrons will receive a printable list to take to their local library, plus a bonus spoiler chat with Anna McCallie, where we dive deeper into Abby Offsides and how she created her unforgettable happily-ever-after moments.

Meet Anna McCallie

Anna McCallie was born in Boston and moved to the small town of Stilwell, Kansas, as a child. She has a B.A. in Arabic from Harvard University and an M.A. in international environmental policy from the Fletcher School, yet has never managed to have a job related to either of those subjects. She lives in London, and when she’s not writing, she can be found solving crossword puzzles, badgering her friends to go to pub quizzes, and watching a tremendous amount of football. Abby Offsides is her first novel and available on store shelves now.

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2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

October Book Club Episode: One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: 12 Books From Thousand Voices to Watch For

Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Two Weeks Notice

Mia Hutchinson Shaw

Into The Blue by Emma Brodie

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Author Ellery Adams discusses her genre-blending novel Invasive Species, the power of public reviewing, and why honesty and horror make the best book club fodder.

This week on Book Gang, we’re joined by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ellery Adams, whose genre-blending new release, Invasive Species, is a darkly funny, horror-tinged romp set in 1980s suburbia. With more than forty novels to her name—including beloved series like The Secret, Book, & Scone Society—Ellery shares how she’s redefining what cozy, horror, and women’s fiction can be.

In this episode, we dive into Ellery’s journey from cozy mysteries to genre-blending horror and satire, the art of honest book reviews (even as an author), and what it takes to build a world readers want to revisit again and again.

In this week’s juicy episode, we discuss:

📚  Honest Reviews & Reader Connection: Ellery is famous for her candid book reviews—even as a working author—and her willingness to engage in tough conversations on Goodreads. We explore the etiquette (and emotional toll) of public feedback, how she handles criticism, and why she believes honest dialogue between writers and readers makes the book world stronger.

📚Reinventing a Writing Life: Ellery Adams’s journey from cozy mysteries to genre-blending horror is anything but linear. We discuss her bold leap from beloved series writer to risk-taking genre bender, how she navigated industry upheaval and shifting contracts, and what it means to trust your instincts even when readers expect you to "stay in your lane."

📚 Monsters, Myth, and Suburban Drama: Invasive Species is more than a monster tale. We unpack Ellery’s sharp satire of 1980s suburbia, the real-life and mythological inspirations behind Mrs. Smith, and why the monstrous can be both literal and metaphorical. Plus, how horror (even cozy horror!) reflects our deepest anxieties about ambition, community, and what it means to be an outsider.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: This week’s bonus book list features 11 Creature Feature Books that every reader should try for spooky season!  Patrons of the show will receive a printable list to take to their local library and a bonus spoiler chat with Ellery Adams, where we dig deeper into the monstrous twists in Invasive Species.

Meet Ellery Adams

Ellery Adams is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels. A native New Yorker, she now resides in central North Carolina. Her acclaimed series include the Secret, Book, & Scone Society (Kensington), Book Retreat Mysteries (Kensington), Books By the Bay Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), Molly Appleby Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries (Beyond the Page), and Hope Street Mysteries (Beyond the Page).

In addition to her cozy and traditional mysteries, Ellery writes genre-blending fiction focused on women and their inner monsters. Her latest, Invasive Species (2026, HarperCollins), marks an exciting new direction—one that’s already winning over fans of dark, witty, and emotionally resonant storytelling. Friends in Dark Places will follow in 2027.

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NEW BOOK LIST: 11 Creature Feature Books to Try This Spooky Season

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

October Book Club Episode: One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

Cancer Made Me Do It by Melissa Fuoss

Invasive Species by Ellery Adams (Available on Kindle Unlimited)

The Secret Book & Scone Society

Book Retreat Mysteries

Pie Shoppe Series

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

Jennifer Saint

Madeline Miller

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

Shark Heart podcast episode

Ellery’s Book Rx

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller

The Change by Kirsten Miller

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

Obsession

Weapons

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Leigh Radford joins our October Book Club to discuss One Yellow Eye, a haunting novel that explores love, grief, and survival in the aftermath of a pandemic.

This week on Book Gang, we’re joined by Leigh Radford, whose haunting debut One Yellow Eye is our October pick for the MomAdvice Book Club. In this genre-bending debut, Radford weaves her personal journey of loss into a haunting story of a scientist, Kesta, whose devotion to her husband pushes the boundaries of science, ethics, and the human heart.

We explore how horror fiction can expose the hidden costs of caregiving, the complexities of grief, and the fierce hope that keeps us moving forward—even when the world feels unrecognizable. Join us for a gorgeous conversation that goes beyond scares and excavates the messy, unbreakable bonds that make us human.

In this week’s episode, we discuss:

📚Blurring Boundaries: Genre, Publishing, and the Art of Defying Labels: Leigh shares the real-world complexities of bringing a genre-bending novel to market. From conflicting advice on editing and cover design to the challenges of positioning a book that sits between literary fiction and horror, we discuss how One Yellow Eye’s unique identity created both obstacles and opportunities—from the UK to the US—and what it’s like to navigate a publishing landscape that often resists stories that don’t fit neatly into a single box.

📚 Writing, Caregiving, and the Birth of a Novel in Crisis: Leigh opens up about how caring for her terminally ill father during the pandemic didn’t just inspire her horror novel—it transformed it into an intimate meditation on love and the unseen burdens of caretaking. We explore how Leigh’s personal grief and resilience, coupled with her desire to honor her father’s memory, became the emotional core of this engrossing debut.

📚 The Humanity in Horror: Turning Fear into Connection: Leigh examines how horror, at its best, can be a mirror for our deepest vulnerabilities, allowing us to explore the messy realities of love, loss, and ethical choice. We discuss why discomfort on the page can spark empathy, how horror reveals the hidden costs of survival and devotion, and why stories that unsettle us are sometimes the ones that linger.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: This week’s bonus book list features 16 Zombie Books to Try This Spooky Season that play with those blurred lines between humanity and monstrosity. Patrons of the show will receive a printable list to take to their local library and a bonus spoiler chat with Leigh Radford, where we dig deeper into the ethical and emotional questions at the heart of One Yellow Eye.

Meet Leigh Radford

Leigh Radford trained as a broadcast journalist before producing and presenting arts and entertainment content for commercial radio, Time Out, The Times, and The Sun. She has made documentaries for the BBC, including Rilke’s Women for Radio 4. A former book publicist, she is a 2023 graduate of Faber Academy and the founder of Kenosha Kickers, her film and television production company. One Yellow Eye is her debut novel, available now wherever books are sold.

Gratitude to Our Show Patrons: This week's episode is open to all listeners thanks to generous donations made through Buy Me a Coffee and your community memberships. If you'd like to keep the conversation going, you're invited to join our Patreon Book Club chat on October 29th at 8 PM ET, where we'll dive deeper into spoilers, themes, and reader reactions. Membership is $5 a month, or you can prepay for the year and save 10%.

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2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: 16 Zombie Books to Try This Spooky Season 

One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

Carrie by Stephen King

Misery by Stephen King

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

Mrs March by Virginia Feito

Shaun of the Dead

Lucy Steeds

When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy

Leigh’s Youtube interview

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Can love survive if only one person remembers? Evann Normandin joins Book Gang to share how The Good Parts explores memory, healing, and the cost of letting go.

What if you could forget your greatest heartache—would you do it? Today we’re joined by Evann Normandin, whose debut, The Good Parts, is a hauntingly beautiful meditation on memory, trauma, and a love story that refuses to be erased.

When Rose takes a pill to erase her most painful memories, she loses not only her grief but every trace of the love she once shared with Landon. As Landon tries to rekindle their connection, they both discover that love and memory are never so easily erased. Evann draws from her studies in traumatic memory—and a real-life love letter—to ask one unforgettable question: Can love survive if only one person remembers it?

In this week’s episode, we discuss:

📚 Writing, Rejection, and the Road to Publication: Evann shares the long journey behind her “overnight success”—from trunk novels to querying, agent switches, and finally, a book deal that went to auction. We’ll talk about the resilience every writer needs, and why every story—even the ones that don’t sell—matters.

📚NetGalley Insights: How early reader feedback shaped the marketing and genre positioning of The Good Parts, and what Evann learned from reader expectations, especially when penning a love story.

📚 Memory, Trauma, and Healing: Evann reveals how her academic fascination with traumatic memory shaped the speculative premise of The Good Parts, and why she believes stories can help us bear witness to each other’s pain and joy—even when the truth is fragmented or rewritten.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: This week’s bonus book list features18 Books Where Memory Shapes the Story. From forgetting pills and amnesia to the complex world of dementia, memory takes readers on some mind-bending adventures! Patrons of the show will receive a printable book list to take to their local library and a bonus spoiler episode with Evann Normandin as we discuss The Good Parts ending.

Meet Evann Normandin

Evann Normandin is a writer with a career in educational publishing. She studied English and Theatre at Middlebury College, then earned her MSc in modern and postmodern literature at the University of Edinburgh. After a stint as a theatre critic for BroadwayWorld in Washington, DC, she moved to Massachusetts, where she lives in a small, quirky town that inspires her daily. When she’s not working or writing, she’s exploring New England with her husband and son. The Good Parts is now available on store shelves.

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2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

BOOK CLUB PODCAST FOR SEPTEMBER: DAVID JOY INTERVIEW (THOSE WE THOUGHT WE KNEW)

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST:18 Books Where Memory Shapes the Story

Book Talk, etc: Appalachian Authors Episode

The Good Parts by Evann Normandin

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown

The Last Five Years

Severance

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind

Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie

Assassin’s Anonymous by Rob Hart

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Cathy Caruth

Grand Central’s Book Club Guide

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Ashton Lattimore joins us to discuss Runner, her soapy, escapist historical adventure set on Prohibition-era Martha’s Vineyard, where secrets, danger, and ambition collide.

This week on Book Gang, I’m joined by Ashton Lattimore, whose new novel Runner is a standout historical adventure that brings Prohibition-era Martha’s Vineyard to life. Ashton shares the real-life shipwreck that planted the seed for her story, the meticulous research behind her 1920s language and setting, and how she balances soapy drama with hard-hitting history. If you love novels where you learn something new while being swept away by twists and secrets, this episode is for you.

In this week’s episode, we discuss:

📚 Language, Landmarks, and Lingo: How do you make the Roaring Twenties feel brand new? Ashton shares her process of resurrecting the era with vivid period language, historical landmarks, and the daily rituals that anchor her characters in time and place. Ashton shares her tricks for finding the right word, her favorite hidden gems from the era, and why slipping in “old-timey” lingo and fun facts is more than historical window dressing.

📚 The Real Black History Behind Runner: Discover how a mysterious 1923 shipwreck off Martha’s Vineyard inspired Ashton Lattimore’s riveting tale. Ashton takes us into the island's lesser-known Black maritime history, revealing a world where whalers, fishermen, and smugglers navigated not just the perils of the sea, but also racial boundaries, discrimination, and the urgent need for community survival.

📚 Class, Crime, and Complicated Women: Runner is more than a story about rumrunners—it’s a sharp exploration of class, crime, and what it took for Black women to survive and thrive in the 1920s. We dig into the novel’s rich cast: from Lena, risking everything to save her family, to Dee, balancing privilege and vulnerability, to matriarchs wrestling with their own choices and regrets. Ashton opens up about navigating the tensions between Boston’s Black elite and the working-class locals.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: This week’s bonus book list isUncorking 18 Prohibition Books— A Toast to Bookish Bathtub Gin—books full of secrets, danger, and unforgettable characters chasing dreams in the Roaring Twenties. Patrons of the show will receive a printable checklist to take to their local library and a bonus spoiler episode with Ashton Lattimore.

Meet Ashton Lattimore

Ashton Lattimore is an award-winning author, journalist, and former lawyer. Her debut novel, All We Were Promised, was a Book of the Month Club pick, a Washington Post and NPR Best Book of 2024, and one of People magazine’s Best New Books for April 2024. Lattimore also received the First Novelist Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Prism, The Preamble, Slate, CNN, Essence, and elsewhere. She’s a native of New Jersey, where she lives with her husband and two sons.

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2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

BOOK CLUB PODCAST FOR SEPTEMBER: DAVID JOY INTERVIEW (THOSE WE THOUGHT WE KNEW)

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: Uncorking 18 Prohibition Books— A Toast to Bookish Bathtub Gin

Runner by Ashton Lattimore

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore

John Dwight shipwreck

Oxford English Dictionary Historical Thesaurus

Shearer Cottage

Highland Beach

Ashton’s Insta

Captain William Martin

Maud Cuney Hare

The Quarter Queen by Kayla Hardy

Martha’s Vineyard Black Book Festival

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Julie Buntin joins us to discuss Famous Men, a literary page-turner about a young woman’s struggle with power and identity during her college years.

This week on Book Gang, we’re joined by Julie Buntin, whose new novel Famous Men plunges us into the heart of literary ambition, tangled mentorships, and the shadows that linger from girlhood into adulthood. Through candid storytelling and sharp insight, Julie unpacks the inspiration behind her groundbreaking new work, what drew her to the hallowed halls of campus settings, and how she writes into the gray areas of power and agency.

Famous Men traces the story of Will, a young woman shaped by family secrets and the gaze of powerful men. As Will moves from an oppressive childhood to the lure of literary circles and a complicated mentorship with a celebrated older writer, Buntin explores the aftermath of exploitation, the murkiness of agency, and the search for meaning in identity. This novel refuses easy answers and invites readers to reckon with the uncomfortable spaces where self-knowledge is finally forged. For readers who want to hear from a writer who prioritizes craft, this episode is for you!

In this week’s episode, we discuss:

📚 Writing Through Life’s Upheavals: Julie opens up about the nine-year journey between her debut and Famous Men, reflecting on how motherhood, shifting priorities, and the realities of publishing shaped her creative process. She discusses the challenges of returning to a manuscript after life-changing events, and how the evolving literary landscape—less media coverage, more grassroots reader communities—has transformed what it means to connect with an audience.

📚 The Power of Setting: Julie reflects on why campus novels—and the charged spaces of creative writing programs—continue to fascinate her as both writer and reader. She shares what’s unique about academic environments, how they incubate both ambition and vulnerability, and why they’re the perfect crucible for stories about coming of age and questionable mentorships.

📚 Power, Vulnerability, and Retrospective Voice: At Famous Men’s core is Will—a narrator whose sharp self-awareness is complicated by the forces that shape, trap, and sometimes free her. Julie discusses the delicate craft of writing a character who is both in control and deeply lost, and how the novel resists simple narratives of victimhood or complicity.

BONUS BOOK LIST: This week’s bonus book list offers readers 18 novels set in schools, giving you fresh worlds to explore in academia. I’m astounded by how many new releases have back-to-school energy, and I hope you enjoy browsing these selections. Patrons of the show will receive a printable book list and a bonus spoiler chat with Julie.

Meet Julie Buntin

Julie Buntin‘s new novel, Famous Men, is out now from Random House. Her debut, Marlena, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, released in ten territories worldwide, and named a best book of the year by over a dozen outlets, including The Washington Post, NPR, and Kirkus Reviews. She is the co-editor of Notes to New Mothers, a collection of dispatches from postpartum life by sixty writers and artists. Previously, Buntin was an editor and director of writing programs at Catapult. Now, she writes and teaches in Ann Arbor, where she is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan.

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2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

BOOK CLUB PODCAST FOR SEPTEMBER: DAVID JOY INTERVIEW (THOSE WE THOUGHT WE KNEW)

NEW BOOK LIST: 18 NEW NOVELS SET IN SCHOOLS

Famous Men by Julie Buntin

Marlena by Julie Buntin

Notes to New Mothers by Rebecca Knight & Julie Buntin

Lucian Freud

Meghann Stephenson

Ana Luisa Corrigan

The Animators by Kayla Ray Whitaker

Returns and Exchanges by Kayla Ray Whitaker

The Good Mother Myth by Nancy Reddy nf

MacDowell

Zuckerman Unbound by Philip Roth

Contrapposto by Dave Eggers

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee & Walker Evans

Marion by Leah Rowan

Half a Life by Jill Ciment

Consent by Jill Ciment

Life with Picasso by Francois Gilot & Carlton Lake

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

My Education by Susan Choi

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David Joy joins our September Book Club to discuss Those We Thought We Knew, a powerful novel about the fractures and reckonings in contemporary Appalachia.

Today, I’m honored to welcome renowned storyteller David Joy to Book Gang for a searching, unflinching conversation about Those We Thought We Knew, our September Book Club selection for the MomAdvice Book Club. David brings sharp honesty and lived experience as he examines the histories, power structures, and personal reckonings that shaped his fifth novel. Together, we explore how the legacy of the South, the responsibilities of storytelling, and the risks of crossing boundaries animate both his work and his life.

Those We Thought We Knew plunges us into a North Carolina mountain town wrestling with its past and present after the murder of a young Black artist. Through a chorus of voices—each rendered with nuance and empathy—Joy asks what it means to confront inherited stories, who gets to claim a place, and what’s lost or found when we finally face the truth.

In this week’s thought-provoking episode, we discuss:

📚 Writing Across Boundaries: David reflects on the long, winding road to Those We Thought We Knew, the decade the idea simmered, and the moment a real-life encounter cracked open the novel’s heart. We explore how he approached writing across lines of race, gender, and power—what it demands of the writer, what risks it carries, and why vulnerability and humility are at the center of authentic storytelling.

📚 The Power and Responsibility of Perspective: We dig into the process of shaping a novel with six distinct voices, and the growth required to hold so many lives on the page at once. David shares how working with an authenticity reader challenged and deepened his portrayal of characters whose experiences differ from his own, and how constructive critique—not ego—can transform a story.

📚 The Weight of History—Personal and Regional: Our conversation turns to the complexities of Southern identity, the pride and pain of inheritance, and how personal reckonings about race and history make their way from the dinner table to the page. David opens up about confronting family mythologies, the discomfort of unlearning, and the importance of sitting with hard truths.

BONUS BOOK LIST: This week’s bonus book list is a deep dive on David Joy—featuring all five of his novels, his memoir, and books for understanding the Appalachian South. Discover more about Joy’s storytelling roots, recommended reads on the region, and more ways to get to know the voices shaping contemporary Southern literature.

Meet David Joy

A twelfth-generation North Carolinian, David Joy grew up along the Catawba River and has spent the last 22 years in the mountains of Jackson County. Place-driven and deeply rooted to Appalachia, his work has been translated into six languages. In 2023, his debut novel was adapted to film starring Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright. Joy is the author of five novels, including Those We Thought We Knew (winner of the 2023 Willie Morris Award and the 2023 Thomas Wolfe Prize), When These Mountains Burn (winner of the 2020 Dashiell Hammett Award), The Line That Held Us (winner of the 2018 Southern Book Prize), The Weight of This World, and Where All Light Tends to Go (Edgar finalist for Best First Novel). His stories and creative nonfiction have appeared in publications including Garden & Gun, The New York Times Magazine, and TIME. He is also the author of the memoir Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman’s Journey and a coeditor of Gather at the River: Twenty-Five Authors on Fishing.

Gratitude to Our Show Patrons: This week's episode is open to all listeners thanks to generous donations made through Buy Me a Coffee and your community memberships. If you'd like to keep the conversation going, you're invited to join our Patreon Book Club chat on September 24th at 8 PM ET, where we'll dive deeper into spoilers, themes, and reader reactions. Membership is $5 a month, or you can prepay for the year and save 10%.

SUPPORT OUR SHOW: Join the Book Gang- patreon.com/momadvice

SUPPORT OUR SHOW: Make a One-Time Donation in ANY AMOUNT- buymeacoffee.com/bookgangpodcast

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Those We Thought We Knew by David Joy

Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy

Sundays With Writers

Larry Brown

Daniel Woodrell

Ron Rash

Harry Crews

S.A. Cosby

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

When These Mountains Burn by David Joy

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

Sylva, NC Monument

David Joy speaks to Jackson County Commissioners

Alexander Stephens

Marie Cochran

Crystal Wilkinson

Megan Abbott

Laura Lippman

Ace Atkins

Quinn Colson series

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John Searles joins Book Gang to dish on his new novel Single Girls, inspired by Helen Gurley Brown and the women who transformed Cosmopolitan magazine.

We welcome John Searles to Book Gang for a heartfelt conversation about his historical fiction novel, Single Girls—a story inspired by Helen Gurley Brown and the trailblazing women behind Cosmopolitan. Drawing on his years as an editor at Cosmo and his deep admiration for Helen, he brings readers behind the scenes of the magazine’s revolutionary 1960s makeover. Together, we explore the mix of nostalgia, ambition, and feminist history that animates this witty, unconventional story of women’s work and self-discovery.

Single Girls follows Helen Gurley Brown as she assembles a team of unforgettable women to take on a skeptical publishing world, reshaping Cosmo and, in the process, the lives of millions of single women. Through playful structure, shifting points of view, and the signature Cosmo quizzes and glossaries, John immerses readers in the vibrant, sometimes chaotic world of magazine publishing and female empowerment.

In this lively episode, we discuss:

📚 Crafting a Cosmo Experience for a Reader: John shares his experience researching the magazine’s archives, his friendships with real Cosmo editors, and how he crafted a chorus of voices that reflect the era’s joys and challenges. We explore the artistic risks of blending fiction with real-life history, from composite characters to playful narrative forms.

📚 Capturing Helen Gurley Brown’s Legacy: We take a deep look at Helen’s remarkable transformation from a humble, often difficult upbringing—marked by her father’s tragic elevator accident and a mother who constantly criticized her—to becoming a glamorous, influential figure in women’s media. John shares personal anecdotes from his friendship with Helen, exploring how her drive for self-improvement and her resilience in the face of grief and adversity shaped her voice and vision.

📚 The Memorable Audiobook Experience: We explore the creation of the Single Girls audiobook, narrated by Oscar- and Tony-nominated actress Amy Ryan. John shares how their personal connection led to her involvement and describes what it was like to hear his words performed by such a talented storyteller. We discuss the special magic that a gifted narrator can bring to a book, especially one as lively and character-driven as Single Girls.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: 13 Books About Magazines to Light Up Your Analog Heart— This curated list dives into the page-turning, messy, and fascinating world of magazines, both real and fictional. Patrons will receive a printable book list and an exclusive spoiler-filled episode with John Searles.

Meet John Searles

John Searles is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of four novels. His books have been published in over a dozen languages and named “Best of the Year” by The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, and more. A frequent contributor to The New York Times and The Washington Post, John spent two decades as a top editor at Cosmopolitan, first hired by Helen Gurley Brown herself. “Single Girls” is his latest novel—a witty, moving tribute to ambition, resilience, and the legacy of women’s magazines. Today's featured novel is available on store shelves now.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: MEET THE FALL SEASON GUESTS (15 NEW AUTHORS COMING TO BOOK GANG)

JOIN THE  CLASSICS CLUB FOR THE JANE EYRE READALONG: Guidance on Choosing Your Reading Format 

FREE FALL READING GUIDE: 32 Brilliant Books by Diverse Voices: Your Fall 2026 Reading Guide

FREE BOOK LIST: 13 Books About Magazines to Light Up Your Analog Heart

Single Girls by John Searles

The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe

The Group by Mary McCarthy

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Morris Wilkins, Who Lured Honeymooners to Poconos, Dies at 90 (GIFTED)

Francesco Scavullo

Brooke Shields doll

Isola by Allegra Goodman

Ann Hood

Not Pretty Enough by Gerri Hirshey

Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown

Natural Blonde by Liz Smith

Elaine Stritch

Amy Du Bois Barnett Book Gang Episode

Amy Ryan

Strange But True by John Searles

Strange But True

Liberty Leading the People painting by Eugéne Delacroix

Library Journal Review

Helen Gurley Brown Foundation

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Author Hafeez Lakhani joins Book Gang to discuss Abundance, a moving novel about an Indian-American Muslim family chasing the complexities of the American dream.

I’m delighted to welcome Hafeez Lakhani to Book Gang for a heartfelt conversation about his debut novel, Abundance. Hafeez brings generosity and deep personal insight as he shares the family stories, cultural touchstones, and creative leaps behind this moving portrait of an Indian-American Muslim family. Together, we explore how the concept of naseeb—destiny—shapes both his own life and the emotional heart of the novel.

Abundance follows Sakeena, a Miami Dunkin’ owner facing a life-or-death decision, and her family as they navigate her agency and the messy realities of chasing the American dream. Through richly drawn characters and intimate moments, Hafeez invites us to consider what we control, what we inherit, and how generations care for one another.

In this week’s warm episode, we discuss:

📚 Breaking the Rules on the Page: Hafeez reflects on the twelve-year journey of writing Abundance, and how his decision to forgo quotation marks and italics was both a deeply considered artistic risk and a way to honor the story’s voice. He shares why he wanted readers to feel swept up in the flow of family conversation and culture, and how this choice invites us into the heart of his characters’ lives.

📚 A Mother’s Illness, a Family’s Story: Hafeez Lakhani opens up about how his own mother’s health crisis—and her powerful belief in naseeb (destiny)—became the spark for Abundance. He shares the emotional journey of witnessing his family’s spectrum of reactions, the year spent caring for his mother, and how those experiences shaped the novel’s heart.

📚 Caregiving’s Tender Full Circle: The conversation turns deeply personal as Hafeez discusses the bittersweet privilege of caring for aging parents. We discuss the novel’s more intimate scenes of bathing, feeding, and comforting mothers, the vulnerability and privilege of these moments, and what it means to return the love that once shaped you.

BONUS BOOK LIST: We are celebrating diverse voices this week with my new FREE 2026 Fall Reading Guide. Dig into this book list with 32 Brilliant Books by Diverse Voices: Your Fall 2026 Reading Guide.Patrons can download a printable checklist for their library and access a bonus episode with Hafeez Lakhani.

Meet Hafeez Lakhani

Hafeez Lakhani was born in Hyderabad, India and raised in suburban South Florida. His fiction and essays have appeared in Crazyhorse, Exposition Review, Salt Hill, Tikkun, The Cortland Review, and The Southern Review, and have garnered fellowships from PEN America and The Center for Fiction. He was twice recognized with a Notable Essay in Best American Essays and twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Abundance is his debut novel and a People Magazine Most Anticipated Book of 2026.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: MEET THE FALL SEASON GUESTS (15 NEW AUTHORS COMING TO BOOK GANG)

FREE FALL READING GUIDE: 32 Brilliant Books by Diverse Voices: Your Fall 2026 Reading Guide

Summer Wrapped : Behind-the-Scenes with the Book Gang Team

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Abundance by Hafeez Lakhani

Counterpoint Press

The Lilac People by Milo Todd

Panera Sip Club

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

Shawn K. Jain

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

Bookshop.org pays a 10% commission on every sale and matches it with 10% to support independent bookstores.

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