On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are sitting down with bestselling author Julie Gilbert for a conversation about her beloved aunt, Edna Ferber. Julie writes about her Edna Ferber in the biography, Edna Ferber and Her Circle, and in her latest book, Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film. Julie has taught Creative Writing at New York University’s School of Continuing Education and currently heads The Writers Academy at The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. In this episode, Julie walks us through the Golden Age of Hollywood from the writer's desk of her aunt Edna Ferber, the Pulitizer Prize-winning novelist, short story writer and playwright. 

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Rebecca Yarros is topping best seller lists with her sweeping, Empyrean fantasy romance series, Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and now Onyx Storm. On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we get to know Rebecca beyond the page. She tells us about her journey to becoming an author, her relationship with her dedicated readers, and the inspiration from her big, beautiful family.

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On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are joined by Jesuit priest, Father James Martin, for a conversation that will lift your spirits and, hopefully, provide some healing in 2025. Father Jim is editor at large of America magazine, consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, and author of the New York Times bestsellers Learning to Pray, Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, and Come Forth. 

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On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are joined by #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels, Lisa Jewell. Lisa is sweeping the nation right now on her paperback tour of None of this is True, and we know some of you are on your way to see her. Lisa has connections with her fans like no other author. In this conversation, we talk about her continued support from readers, from her debut novel, Ralph’s Party, to her most recent thrillers: The Family Upstairs, Then She Was Gone, Invisible Girl and Watching You. Her next novel, Don’t Let Him In, hits bookshelves June 24th, 2025. 

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We are kicking off 2025 with leading physician, scientist, speaker, and author Dr. Will Li with his book, EAT TO BEAT YOUR DIET, this week on You Are What You Read. Are you looking for better ways to monitor your health in the new year? Are you experimenting with new recipes to supplement your diet? Dr. Will Li has the tips and tricks for you, and he lays it all out in this episode. Dr. Li is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than seventy diseases, including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. We hope you take away Dr. Li's healthful advice from this conversation and check out his other book, EAT TO BEAT DISEASE. 

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This New Years Eve we are spotlighting some stand-out titles of 2024 with our dear friend and executive editor of Riverhead Books, Jake Morrissey…and Jake knows books. Jake publishes both fiction and nonfiction in history, science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and literary and historical fiction. He works with a wide range of bestselling and award-winning authors, including Daniel H. Pink, Anne Lamott, James McBride, Priya Parker, Michele Harper, and Marlon James, with whom he cohosts the podcast Marlon & Jake Read Dead People.

Books mentioned in this episode: 

Jake's Books:

ENTITLEMENT Rumaan Alam

COLORED TELEVISION Danzy Senna

SOMEHOW Anne Lamott

ALL FOURS Miranda July

THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE The Matt Haig

WHY WE LOVE FOOTBALL by Joe Posnanski

THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride

WE SOLVE MURDERS Richard Osman

FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston

GOOD ENERGY by Casey Means

SONNY BOY by Al Pacino

COUNTDOWN 1960 by Chris Wallace

JOLLY OLD SANTA CLAUS

Adriana's Books: 

THE STORY OF SILENT NIGHT

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith

THE WAY YOU WEAR YOUR HAT by Bill Zehme

REPRIEVE by Agnes DeMille

THE RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN STORY by Stanley Green

WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES by Michael McDonald

WALK THROUGH FIRE by Sheila Johnson

THE HISTORY OF THE SNOWMAN by Bob Eckstein

GIANT LOVE by Julie Gilbert

MORNINGSIDE by Aran Shetterly

WHEN WOMEN RAN FIFTH AVENUE by Julie Satow

SICILIAN AVENGERS (books one and two) by Stephen Riggio

TO DIE FOR by David Baldacci

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah

THE STORY OF THE FOREST by Linda Grant

THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK by David Ciminello

ROOTS, WINGS AND RECIPES by The Origin Project students

ITALIAN SNACKING by Anna Francese Gass

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On this week’s episode of YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ, we are joined by special guest Poppy Harlow with her adorable Christmas story, THE BIGGEST LITTLE BOY, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki. In the spirit of the holiday season, we wanted to bring you a conversation for the kids too! Poppy Harlow is the former co-anchor of CNN This Morning and also known for her reporting on Forbes.com. Poppy has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards throughout her career. She often reports from the field during breaking news. She was sent to cover the 2015 Paris terror attacks and anchored from the ground there for two weeks. Poppy also anchored extensive coverage of the Boston marathon bombings. Poppy’s proudest role, however, is to be the mother of her daughter Sienna and son Luca who inspired her to write this book.

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On this week’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are remembering a dear friend who passed recently, beloved nun Sister Bernadette Kenny. Sister Bernie grew up in Boston and entered the order of the Medical Missionaries of Mary in 1957. For fifteen years, Sister Bernie traveled from Ireland to Tanzania as a midwife, and then moved to Southwest Virginia in 1978 by request of the Richmond Diocese. In 1982, Sister Bernie founded the Health Wagon, a single mobile unit, traveling through small towns to community locations and even providing care in families’ backyards to the medically underserved populations of Southwest Virginia. From preventative care, women’s health, and chronic disease management (the list goes on), to parenting classes, economic health, and even technical education, the Health Wagon has become an invaluable lifesaving resource across the five main counties it serves, and beyond. In 2019, Sister Bernie co-wrote "Better for Being with You: A Philosophy of Care" with Tauna Gulley who worked alongside Sister Bernie in Clinchco, Virginia. In the book, Sister Bernie and Tauna recount three decades of health care work in Southwest Virginia. The great Father John Rausch once said if you want to meet a modern-day saint, have a conversation with Sister Bernie Kenny. We hope you enjoy this conversation with her. 

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On this week’s episode, we are delighted to have award-winning writer and New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein with us. Bob’s illustrations are iconic, immediately recognizable and always hilarious. His work has been exhibited in the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, the Smithsonian Institution, The Cartoon Museum of London, among many others. His work has also appeared in MAD, McSweeney’s, National Lampoon, The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, SPY, Wall St. Journal and publications worldwide. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts, New York University, Pratt Institute and Yonsei University in South Korea. Bob has worked on over 50 books as either a writer or illustrator or both. A few of his titles include The History of the Snowman, The Complete Book of Cat Names, Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores, and Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums, which we will be discussing at The Bookmark Shoppe in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday, December 18th at 7pm. 

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Bestselling novelist and award-winning journalist Jennifer Egan joins us on this week’s episode of You Are What You Read. You know Jennifer's work: Manhattan Beach, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Candy House, and more. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, Jennifer’s books are the gold standard. It’s no wonder they have also been included in the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century and among President Barack Obama’s favorite reads. Jennifer’s writing also appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times. In this conversation, we get to know Jennifer beyond the page and the crucial steps she took to become a writer- her gap year between high school and college thinking she would be an archeologist, her career as a model, her time spent as a temp in New York City…and her many stories in between. 

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