The Bright Side: A Hello Sunshine Podcast

This week, we’re bringing you inside our recent live recording in NYC, hosted by Apple Books and Reese’s Book Club. 

Fresh off a city Story Walk listening to Lucky on Apple Books, host Danielle sits down with bestselling author Marissa Stapley for a conversation about her beloved Reese’s Book Club thriller and its journey to the screen as a limited series on Apple TV, adapted with Hello Sunshine. They dive into the inspiration behind the riveting con woman at the center, why high-stakes heist stories never fail to hook us, and what it takes to write a morally gray antihero you can't help but root for. Plus, Marissa reveals who she'd cast to narrate her memoir (hint: she has over 20 Oscar nominations!).

Put your headphones on, take yourself on your own Story Walk, and tune in.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Lucky by Marissa Stapley 

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 

Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout 

Whistler by Ann Patchett 

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

Heart The Lover by Lily King 

Writers and Lovers by Lily King

Educated by Tara Westover

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TV Show on Apple TV: (00:33) 

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In the final episode of our miniseries sponsored by cars.com, Danielle sits down with writer, podcast host and online icon Hunter Harris. Hunter talks about those sticky parts of life transitions — outgrowing an old routine, stepping into more responsibility, imagining a different version of your future than what you had planned. Luckily, cars.com is around to be a helpful tool for when a new car is a part of your next chapter.

From start to finish, cars.com has everything you need to choose the right car confidently. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The best adventures often start with a car, a full tank of gas, and the freedom to see where the road leads. That's why this miniseries sponsored by cars.com is all about navigating change and the tools we lean on when life shifts gears. In this episode, Danielle chats with friend of the pod, Raegan Revord. Raegan recently turned 18, and now that they have their driver’s license, they’re ready for the summer adventure of a lifetime. 

From start to finish, cars.com has everything you need to choose the right car confidently.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before Elin Hildebrand became the bestselling author behind The Perfect Couple and The Five-Star Weekend, she was a teenager dreaming of getting her magical summers back. Now she shares those magical summers with thousands of readers.

In this episode, Elin shares the incredible story of how she built a literary empire around Nantucket, why female friendships fascinate her, and how Hollywood finally discovered her books after years of success. We discuss Jennifer Garner's upcoming adaptation of The Five-Star Weekend, the lasting appeal of beach reads, friendship across every season of life, and the books Elin thinks everyone should pack this summer.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand 

The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand 

Big Little Lies  by Liane Moriarty

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand 

Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand 

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand 

Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand 

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham 

The Gulf of Lions by Caitlin Shetterly

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

Take Me With You by Steven Rowley

Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore

Freckle Juice by Judy Blume 

Weddings  by Danielle Steel

Family Happiness  by Laurie Colwin

Book of Lives:  A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood 

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Hello, our book loving besties! We're taking a break this week to enjoy some time with our friends and family, but to keep your ears entertained we’re re-releasing an episode you loved! Don’t worry -- we’ll be back next week with a new episode. Happy summer! 

If you are a fan of audiobooks, you probably know Julia Whelan’s voice, but today on Bookmarked, she is speaking directly to us! The award-winning audiobook narrator, actor, and author joins us to talk about the Netflix adaptation of her novel My Oxford Year. Julia opens up about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into giving voice to other people's stories and why she’s become a powerful advocate for audiobook narrators in an industry that often leaves them underpaid and overworked. 

She also shares the mission behind her new audio-first publishing company, Audiobrary, which aims to create fairer, more sustainable opportunities for narrators and authors alike.

Like what you heard? Subscribe to the Bookmarked newsletter HERE for more buzzy book talk, and be sure to follow us @reesesbookclub for more. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - find it HERE

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan - find it HERE

The Women by Kristin Hannah - find it HERE

Beach Read by Emily Henry - find it HERE

Franny and  Zooey by J.D Salinger - find it HERE

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - find it HERE

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - find it HERE

The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King - find it HERE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June’s Reese’s Book Club Pick, A Pair of Aces, takes two women from different worlds, and brings them together to reveal the truth. The novel’s two authors, Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, are doing the same thing in real life. This week, Danielle, Marie and Victoria get into the nuances of writing historical fiction, finding stories that no one else was willing to tell, and why women have always banded together - and been stronger for it. 

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Jessica Knoll has built a career writing women who refuse to stay silent. In this episode, she and Danielle explore female rage in fiction, why women's anger still makes people uncomfortable, and what makes revenge stories so satisfying. Jessica also discusses her new thriller Helpless, which releases on July 7th, the enduring influence of Gillian Flynn, and the writing lessons that shaped her career.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Helpless by Jessica Knoll

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

Whidbey by T Kira Madden

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This by Chelsea Devantez

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid 

Carrie by Stephen King 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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Let us say this: this week’s conversation is a real literary kiki. We’re in the studio with Hunter Harris and Peyton Dix, two of our favorite girlies with taste - taste in movies, in fashion, and of course, books. Fresh off the launch of the latest season of their podcast, Lemme Say This, Peyton, Hunter and Danielle are going down all our favorite rabbit holes. Illicit Gossip Girl book clubs, Barnes & Noble crushes, the art of The Artist’s Way, and why notes in the margins are a love language.  

BOOKS MENTIONED:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Odyssey by Homer

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

The It Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

The Clique by Lisi Harrison

Meet Samantha: An American Girl by Susan S. Adler

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

You, Maybe by Rachel Vail

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The Mediator by Meg Cabot

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin

Goosebumps by R.L. Stine

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Anamorphs by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri

Strangers by Belle Burden

Famesick by Lena Dunham

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron 

Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

Adult Braces by Lindy West

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 

Martyr! By Kaveh Akba

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Luster by Raven Leilan

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates by Dave Stangle and Mike Stangle

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul by Jack Canfield, Kimberly Kirberger, and Mark Victor Hansen

Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab

Enter the Villa by Anna Peele

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

The Half of It by Madison Beer 

Platonic by Marisa G. Franco

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

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Ann Patchett is an author, bookstore owner, two-time Reese’s Book Club pick author, and overall icon on everybody’s bookshelf. Her newest novel, “Whistler,” is out today. In it, a woman reunites with her long-lost stepfather on a fateful day in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What follows is a story of family, loss, and the brief connections that change our lives forever. Ann joins the podcast to talk about her unique writing process, working through grief and love in her latest novel, and her favorite books hitting the shelves at Parnassus Books in Nashville. 

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Run by Ann Patchett

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett 

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Whistler by Ann Patchett

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Swing Time by Zadie Smith

Python’s Kiss by Louise Erdrich

John of John by Douglas Stuart

The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen 

The Color of Water by James McBride 

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead 

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

This is Happiness by Niall Williams

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A great book is like a great pair of shoes — it can take you somewhere you never expected. But it’s also like that new car feeling — full of possibility, a little thrilling, and totally transformative. In the first episode of this special miniseries sponsored by cars.com, Danielle sits down with booktuber and author Cindy Pham to talk about the tools that have helped her navigate change in her life. 

From start to finish, cars.com has everything you need to choose the right car confidently. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.