This week, we’re talking to director and screenplay writer Maggie Gyllenhaal about her upcoming film, The Bride! Maggie reveals how she gave a character from the 1930s with only a few minutes of screentime a big dose of main character energy. Danielle and Maggie also discuss the unthinkable thoughts of Mary Shelley, IMAX screenings, and what it was like to narrate a 48-hour audio book. Plus, get a sneak peek of the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine.

BOOKS MENTIONED: 

Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 

The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante 

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Mating by Norman Rush

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This week, we’re back with the author of the February’s Reese’s Book Club pick, Philippa Malicka, and we’re diving deep into her debut novel, In Her Defense. A whirlpool of love, lies and deceit, In Her Defense raises the chilling question: If you can’t trust your own memories, what else, or who else, can you rely on? Danielle and Philippa get into process, character development, reclaiming your own agency – and how, sometimes, writing a new story can feel like falling in love. 

BOOKS MENTIONED 

In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka

Hamlet by Wiliam Shakespeare

The Glass Essay by Anne Carson

Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy 

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbra Trapido

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Dogger by Shirley Hughes

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes

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On this special live episode of Bookmarked in collaboration with Apple Books and Apple TV, we’re celebrating Laura Dave’s newest novel, The First Time I Saw Him—January’s pick from Reese’s Book Club—and the highly anticipated second season of The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV. Danielle Robay is joined on stage by Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Laura Dave, Angourie Rice, Judy Greer, and Rita Wilson for a candid, funny, and deeply thoughtful conversation about bringing the story into its next chapter.

 

BOOKS MENTIONED 

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot

The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad

Trust by Hernan Diaz

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett 

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

JAmes by Percival Everett

Stuck Up & Stupid by Angourie Rice & Kate Rice

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If you’ve ever struggled to feel like you matter, you’re not alone. Feeling like you matter is as fundamental a need as food or water, yet it’s a need going unmet by many. Danielle sits down with journalist and author Jennifer Wallace, who spent over six years researching and interviewing everyday people about losing and regaining that sense of mattering. They discuss what it really means to matter, the role social media plays in the mattering crisis, and how to show up for your loved ones and make them valued. 

Books Mentioned

Mattering by Jennifer Wallace

Never Enough by Jennifer Wallace

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

Choosing Civility by P. M. Forni

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Doorman by Chris Pavone

The Good Life by Robert Waldinger, M.D. and Marc Schulz, Ph.D

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What better way to kick off the month of love than with the queen of historical romance, Julia Quinn. The Bridgerton author chats all about how her series became a global phenomenon, the unexpected ways Bridgerton has reshaped the genre, and why historical romance deserves its moment in the spotlight again. And can you believe Julia almost became a doctor instead of a novelist? She’s sharing some behind-the-scenes insights for season 4 of Bridgerton and reminding us why we should still believe in happy endings.

BOOKS MENTIONED 

In Her Defense by Phillipa Malicka

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben

An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

First Time Caller by B.K. Borison

The Last Lady B by Eloisa James

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

Lord of Scoundrels  by Loretta Chase 

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

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Returning Reese’s Book Club author, Laura Dave, gives us all the earnest insights on her newest release, “The First Time I Saw Him.” Laura talks with our host, Danielle Robay, about the quotes that inspire her, the two books every aspiring writer must read, and how much (or rather, how little) she knows about the story as she’s writing it. We also get a glimpse behind the curtain into the second season of the Apple TV series, based on the book.

BOOKS MENTIONED

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave 

How About Now by Kate Baer

London is the Best City in America by Laura Dave

On Writing by Stephen King

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelide

Defending Jacob by William Landay

The Land of Men by Adrienne Miller

Heartburn by Norah Ephron

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

 

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This week, Danielle sits down to discuss the adaptation of Hamnet for the screen with director Chloé Zhao, author Maggie O’Farrell, and actor Paul Mescal. When Hamnet hit the shelves in 2020, it left everyone obsessed — and devastated. Now that the story is on the silver screen, audiences are crying and cheering all over again. Together on Bookmarked, Chloé, Maggie, and Paul discuss the synchronicities that allowed the film to develop, the freedom of telling the story of a real life icon we know little about, and crafting the perfect tear-jerker ending. 

Books mentioned in the episode: 

• Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
• Normal People by Sally Rooney
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• House of Light by Mary Oliver
• The Underground by Seamus Heaney
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare

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It may be winter, but this week we are feeling the summer heat with the crew behind the movie “People We Meet on Vacation.” Danielle sits down with author Emily Henry, director Brett Haley, and stars Emily Bader and Tom Blyth for a look at bringing People We Meet on Vacation to the screen. They talk about the early conversations that shaped the adaptation, the scenes Emily Henry insisted stay in, and the iconic moments fans can’t wait to see. Brett shares how he approached the friends-to-lovers dynamic, and the cast opens up about instant chemistry, summer-camp-style rehearsals, and even creates an entirely new rom-com on the fly.

BOOKS MENTIONED

People We Meet on Vacation 

From Scratch 

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Happy New Year, book club besties! What better way to start anew than to chat with the woman who reinvented makeup for an entire generation – and then, when she was 60, reinvented herself. No matter where you know her from, or what she’s doing, Bobbi Brown is totally, completely herself. No compromising. So when we heard that Bobbi was writing a memoir, called Still Bobbi – because, of course it is – I knew we had to have her on Bookmarked.

Books mentioned:

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally

Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten

Still Bobbi by Bobbi Brown 

Brother and Sister by Diane Keaton

Susan Sarandon: Actress-Activist by Marc Shapiro

Estée: A Success Story by Estée Lauder

Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire by Stacy A. Cordery

My Life For Beauty by Helena Rubinstein

The Carb Reset: Store Less Fat, Burn the Rest, and Harness the Power of Carbs to Lose Weight by Harley Pasternak

Trust Your Gut by Jennifer Fisher

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Breaking Night by Liz Murray

 

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We’re closing out 2025 with our final Reese’s Book Club Pick of the year: Rebecca Armitage’s The Heir Apparent. Rebecca and our host, Danielle, get into all the goss you could ever want – from the real-life royal parallels in Rebecca’s debut novel, to who would make the best influencer IRL – and dig into questions that will absolutely guide us into the new year. What does inheritance look like, when you’re not from a family dripping in jewels? How do you reconcile power and love? And if no one will see your art… should you still make it? 

BOOKS MENTIONED

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Karen's Wish (Baby-Sitters Little Sister: Super Special #1) by Ann M. Martin

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

On Writing by Stephen King

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

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