Chatter on Books

“When in doubt, serve caviar!”   Best wishes to comedian and author Amy Phillips who had to scratch. But renaissance man Nevin Martell and celebrity mixologist Rodney Ferguson more than carry the show with David and Torie. They share recipes, turkey day advice and play the COB version of “Whose Line is It Anyway?” Nevin wins the Wild Turkey!  Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

“I don’t know.”

Chatter takes on WTF about the WFT, and debate if you can separate an artist from their controversy as Washington Post reporter and author Kyle Swenson joins David and Torie. Featured author Katharine Blake zooms in to chat about The Uninnocent: Notes on Violence and Mercy, her deeply personal and passionate and provocative look at crime, justice and forgiveness.

“Only too realistic.“

A very special edition of Chatter as best-selling author (so many times over) Ken Follett Zooms back in.  With David and Torie he debriefs Never, his very real take on small mistakes turning into modern-day international catastrophes. From the West Wing to the Sahara Desert and Beijing, this one is hard to put down.

“It’s more about us than them.”

Denison Prof Mike Croley zooms in from flyover land to join David and Torie. They bemoan Beloved deniers and debate sports curses. Mike wins the pop quiz, but nobody knew Amelia Earhart wrote poetry. Best-selling and revered author Susan Orlean talks On Animals, a collection of essays about tigers, whales, rabbits and her own backyard chickens. Sometimes funny and sometimes sad, the stories are always insightful and reflective of the power of relationships across species.

“Pantser”

Award winning author and Denison U. prof Michael Croley joins David and Torie. They love/hate Katie Couric’s new book and agree/disagree on the latest literary scandal (men posing as a female author). Nobody wins the “worst review ever” contest. Jason Reynolds said “..I’m so happy Dawnie Walton has arrived.” So are we, and we’re glad she zoomed in to talk about The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, a wildly creative look at identity, bigotry, love and politics through the life of a 1970s Black punk artist, performing way before her time.

“Not your mother’s Hogwarts.”

Ed Aymar, also known as E.A. Barres, who does dark stuff and other thrillers, joins David and Torie. They pick sides on the Larson v. Dorland debate (one donated a kidney; the other wrote a story), and all agree that Hillary beats Bill on novel writing. First time novelist and NYT best seller Sasha P. Smith zooms in to share The Witch Haven, 1911 New York City filled with mystery, magic and powerful women.

"It’s a love story.”

David and Torie debate the value of 1st Editions, recipes from The Simpsons, and David (almost) crushes the French literary scandals quiz. Award winning journalist and Washington Post Deputy Editorial Page Editor Karen Tumulty zooms in to talk about her remarkable biography The Triumph of Nancy Reagan.  With meticulous research and masterful storytelling, Tumulty writes the definitive biography of the very complex woman who was one of the most influential first ladies.

“Mine.“

Torie, David and Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles kick off with best selling author Brad Meltzer, who fought the school board that vetoed his books about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. He won, by the way.

Nghi Vo joins to talk about The Chosen and the Beautiful, her resounding 21st century reflection of the Great Gatsby. With dazzling prose, she weaves race and magic into Fitzgerald’s world, making it relevant.  As author P. Djeli Clark described it, The Chosen and the Beautiful is decadent, visual, imaginative and genius. Up til now, Vo was best known for her acclaimed novellas The Empress of Salt and Fortune and When the Tiger Comes Down the Mountain. The Chosen and the Beautiful puts her on everyone’s list as a major literary voice.

“Family”

David, Jamie and Torie break down Bob Woodward’s new book, and Jamie gives a tutorial on what really happened with General Milley. Award winning (many times over) sports journalist Mirin Fader zooms in to talk about her best seller about Giannis Antetokounmpo, the face of the new NBA and hope for people all over the world. From selling trinkets on the street in Greece as a Nigerian immigrant to NBA Rockstar, Giannis’ story is truly improbable – and captured with a wealth of details and empathy by Fader.

“Be afraid.”

Coming back after the August hiatus, David and Claude join Torie to talk tennis, a potential curse on the Washington Football Team, and Dolly Parton – the goddess.  Akashic Books founder and publisher Johnny Temple zooms in to debrief on the advantages of independent publishers, musical inspiration and how he discovered Chatter alum Morowa Yejide. In a crazy “art imitates life” scenario, Nicole Perlroth, NYT cybersecurity reporter, has to reboot her featured author slot due to an Apple spyware breaking story. She comes back on day two to talk about This is How They Tell Me The World Ends, her thrilling take on cyber spies, hackers, arms dealers and the urgent threats we all face.