Bookreporter Talks To

Megan Miranda, the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, The Perfect Stranger, and The Last House Guest, joins Carol to discuss her new novel, The Girl from Widow Hills. In this psychological suspense, a young girl, Arden, disappears while sleepwalking and is missing for days. Against all odds, she is found alive, hidden beside a storm drain. Years later, Arden is a young woman who does everything she can to escape the public eye, rife with stalkers and fans in equal measure. With the media hot on her heels and her personal struggle still weighing on her so many years later, she stumbles on a dead man from her old life while sleepwalking in her yard. The world she thought she escaped comes tumbling back. Carol and Megan talk about the double-sided nature of media and the ways it can bear down on the lives of undeserving individuals. Along that vein, Carol asks Megan what she did to research and structure a plot around a woman who has changed her life and name, and whether it's truly possible for someone to purposely disappear from the public eye. They also touch upon Megan's earlier novels, All the Missing Girls, The Perfect Stranger, and The Last House Guest.

Books discussed in this episode:

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

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Meg Mitchell Moore, author of The Islanders, joins Carol to talk about her new book, Two Truths and a Lie. The book is set in Newburyport, Massachusetts where Meg lives, and they talk about how she brings this town to life in her fiction using the businesses and beaches there. The book is told from four points of view, one of which is as notes from the Mom Squad, a group of mothers who have bonded together through their daughters. Meg and Carol discuss the story structure and character development, as well as the changes social media has made in young people's lives and the ways in which parents must adapt. Carol learns more about the challenges and joys of writing a summer beach story with interesting characters and a storyline that brings escape.

Books discussed in this episode:

Two Truths and a Lie by Meg Mitchell Moore

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For a new kind of interview, Carol is joined this week by Suzanne Skyvara, who is the Vice President of Marketing & Editorial at Goodreads, and Danny Feekes, the Managing Editor at Goodreads. As one of the most useful resources for book lovers, Goodreads has a big hand in sharing great and exciting new reads. A whole host of incredible books have just come out, or will be out soon, ranging from thrillers to literary fiction to memoirs and more. As they make recommendations for great reading, Suzanne and Danny are sharing their thoughts about some books that are trending with Goodreads members that may be flying under the radar, as well as more well-known titles. Both Suzanne and Danny have been meaningful voices in the reading community for quite some time, so we're happy to have them with us this week!

Books discussed in this episode:

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046796-a-bad-day-for-sunshine

Beach Read by Emily Henry
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52867387-beach-read

Safe by S.K. Barnett
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51591889-safe

The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50938104-the-girl-beneath-the-sea

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52179715-ghosts-of-harvard

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53152636-mexican-gothic

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44074800-the-southern-book-club-s-guide-to-slaying-vampires

The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890235-the-prisoner-s-wife

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51791252-the-vanishing-half

Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49235526-hollywood-park

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44131181-saving-ruby-king

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43557477-the-jane-austen-society

Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50157769-daughters-of-smoke-and-fire

The Women With Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II by Katherine Sharp Landdeck
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51701648-the-women-with-silver-wings

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52516332-clap-when-you-land

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50253429-rodham

When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains by Ariana Neumann
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49933185-when-time-stopped

Mikel Jollett, the author of Hollywood Park: A Memoir, joins Carol for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview. Raised in the dangerous Synanon cult in California, he portrays his childhood escape and the tumultuous struggle he had to face to fit himself into our world. His conversation with Carol is equally provocative and profound. Mikel shares his writing process, including the freedoms he placed on himself to change his memoir’s tone and narrative voice as his character ages. With an admiration for rich, lyrical prose, he recounts other memoirs he loves and authors he respects. Mikel is also the front man for a band he founded, The Airborne Toxic Event. Carol discusses the band’s new release, a companion album to Hollywood Park, and its relationship to his memoir.

HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir by Mikel Jollett
https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/hollywood-park-a-memoir

You can find the hardcover on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1250621569/thebookreport01

The Airborne Toxic Event:
https://theairbornetoxicevent.com/

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In this interview, Carol shares a conversation with Alex George about his latest novel, The Paris Hours, which follows four ordinary people during one day in Paris in 1927.  The city and its lively arts scene has excitement and energy, and it forms the perfect backdrop. The book’s ending is a propulsive read as the stories of the characters collide and many threads are woven together. It’s brisk and tight. Alex is also an independent bookstore owner, the founder and director of the Unbound Book festival, and a practicing lawyer.  In a vibrant conversation, filled with tidbits of bookstore humor, writing inspirations, and stories of Alex's time in France, Carol dives deep into The Paris Hours and lots more.

Books discussed in this episode:

The Paris Hours by Alex George

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Scott Turow joined Carol Fitzgerald to discuss his latest novel, The Last Trial. Scott shares his thoughts on giving Sandy Stern a starring role in this book for one final trial; Sandy has had a role in every one of his Kindle County books. For this book Scott did extensive research into pharmaceutical drug testing and shares how he incorporated that into his novel. They also talk about the intricacies of interpreting the law, and how the internet has changed how you can research a case. He shared hints about his next book, which is in its early stages, and a report on his golf game, which is “what a writer can do in the afternoon after a morning of writing.”

Books discussed in this episode:

The Last Trial by Scott Turow

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Jennifer Weiner chats with Carol Fitzgerald from her “closet studio” to discuss her new book, Big Summer, which is a great beach read. They talk about how the book looks at the theme of female friendships and their often fraught natures, as well as the role that social media plays in our lives today. Jen also shares more about layering in a mystery, and inspiration for that. Social influencers, as well as body image and women embracing who they are, also roll into their fast-paced conversation, as well as lots of personal stories.

Books discussed in this episode:

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

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Emma Straub talks to Carol about her latest novel, All Adults Here. She shares how she worked on balancing this novel to be simultaneously heartfelt, witty, and relatable. In it, the matriarch of the family has a life-changing aha moment. Suddenly she sees what she perceives as her past parenting mistakes reeling before her. This as she watches her adult children go through the same moments of parenting with her grandchildren – and the youngest members of the family may be the ones to put everything in perspective. The book is sharp and fun and Emma so connects us to the story.  Carol and Emma also share their own stories of early motherhood and how those challenges have changed over time.

Books discussed in this episode:

All Adults Here by Emma Straub

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Mary Kay Andrews (also known around the Bookreporter office as MKA) and Carol talk about her new beach read, Hello, Summer, which is set in a Florida beach town.  The protagonist is a journalist working at her family’s small-town newspaper. Before writing fiction Mary Kay wrote for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, so her thoughts on newspapers and newspaper writing are grounded in her own experiences, and in this interview she reflects on what’s happening to journalism today, especially in small towns. They also talk about the decision to layer in a mystery into the book, and the germ of that idea that got her writing. She also talks about what she misses by not being on book tour this year and the isolation of writing.  

Books discussed in this episode:

Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews

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Francesca Serritella and Carol talk about her debut novel, Ghosts of Harvard, in which a Harvard freshman seeks to unravel the mystery of her brother's suicide on that campus the previous year. Francesca talks about her own years at Harvard, her research into mental illness and its effect on families, and the ways in which she used mystery and positive emotional moments to engage readers. They also delve into Francesca’s career as a columnist as she also co-authored a bestselling nine-book series of essay collections with her mother, bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, and co-writes a Sunday column entitled “Chick Wit” in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Books discussed in this episode:

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella

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