This week I interviewed the masterful Martha Hall Kelly over on Substack.
To celebrate, I’m giving away a free copy of her new novel, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club! It’s the perfect combination of seaside summer escape, fascinating historical insights, and page-turning mystery.
To enter, subscribe to A Bookish Home’s Substack Newsletter here.
And be sure to check out the full Q&A with Martha Hall Kelly, who is also the bestselling author of Lilac Girls, Sunflower Sisters and more.
We discuss drawing on her own family’s ties to the island, fascinating stories from her research (including Nazi U-boat activity off the Massachusetts coast), and crafting the complex characters she’s known for.
Each week, I’ll be featuring bite-size interviews with bestselling authors. If your favorite way to discover new books is hearing from the authors themselves (and you’re short on time!) you’re in the right place.
Each week, I’ll be featuring bite-size interviews with bestselling authors. If your favorite way to discover new books is hearing from the authors themselves (and you’re short on time!) you’re in the right place.
We discuss her new must-read novel about a group of women in a 1960s suburb whose lives are changed after reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.
And what a great name! I’m going to need TheBook Club for Troublesome Women on a t-shirt.
Subscribe to get full access to A Bookish Home’s newsletter. You won’t have to worry about missing an author interview. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.
Each week, I’ll be featuring bite-size interviews with bestselling authors. If your favorite way to discover new books is hearing from the authors themselves (and you’re short on time!) you’re in the right place.
This week’s interview dives into the new graphic novel Song of a Blackbird, a timely exploration of women’s resistance and the power of art during times of political upheaval.
The book has received FIVE starred reviews including this one from Kirkus:
“This work will claim its place beside graphic novel classics such as Art Spiegelman’s Maus and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. Powerful, moving, and utterly unforgettable.” —Kirkus
Subscribe to get full access to A Bookish Home’s newsletter. You won’t have to worry about missing an author interview. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.
I’m so happy to share that Patti Callahan Henry returns to the podcast this week to discuss her new novel!
The Story She Left Behind is a beautiful, hopeful historical novel that explores female creativity, second chances, mother/daughter relationships, and a real-life literary mystery while also whisking us off to England’s Lake District and the world of Beatrix Potter.
Listen in as we dive into the kernels of curiosity and inspiration that led to the novel.
“Once again, Patti Callahan Henry proves that she is a magician with words… Graceful in its telling and so very wise in its insights, The Story She Left Behind is a book that will capture your heart, lift your spirits, and delight your soul.” —William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land
Listen here or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.
About the Author:
Patti Callahan Henry is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of several novels, including Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the recipient of the Christy Award, the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year Award, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year. She is the cohost and cocreator of the popular weekly online live web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. She lives in Alabama and South Carolina with her family. Find out more at PattiCallahanHenry.com.
Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:
Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.
*A Bookish Home is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.
This week, Julia Kelly is back with us to discuss her new novel, The Dressmakers of London, about estranged sisters who inherit their late mother’s dress shop in World War II London.
We discuss unearthing women’s everyday experiences in history, how rationing affected women’s fashion during World War II, the lasting impact on clothing design, ties to today’s slow fashion movement, and much more.
“An uplifting WWII story about familial struggles, societal standards, and forgiveness . . . Kelly portrays friendships built, sisterhoods solidified, and new, deserving love stories formed. Women’s strength in the face of adversity is the focus of this fine historical novel.” —Booklist
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
About the Author:
JuliaKellyis the internationally bestselling author of emotional historical fiction about extraordinary women and intriguing historical whodunnit mystery novels. Her books have been translated into 13 languages. In addition to writing, she’s been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London with her husband. Learn more: https://www.juliakellywrites.com/
Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:
Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.
*A Bookish Home is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.
This week, Tara Dorabji shares the path to publishing her debut novel, Call Her Freedom. A sweeping family saga and intergenerational love story, the book was also the winner of Simon & Schuster’s Books Like Us First Novel Contest, a competition for underrepresented writers to submit their manuscripts and win a book deal.
A deeply moving novel about one woman’s love for her family, this is an epic investigation of colonialism, militarization, and the loss and innocence on the journey to creating home.
“A rich and beautifully crafted multigenerational epic that takes us into the heart of a war-torn family and into the soul of a people fighting for liberation, Call Her Freedom is a searing, atmospheric debut by a talented new voice in fiction.” —KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
About the Author:
Tara Dorabji is the author of the novel, Call Her Freedom, winner of the Simon & Schuster Books Like Us first novel contest. She is the daughter of Parsi-Indian and German-Italian migrants. Her documentary film series on human rights defenders in Kashmir won awards at over a dozen film festivals throughout Asia and the USA. Tara’s publications include Al Jazeera, The Chicago Quarterly, Huizache, and acclaimed anthologies: Good Girls Marry Doctors and All the Women in My Family Sing. She lives in Northern California with her family and rabbit. Learn more: www.dorabji.com
Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:
Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.
*A Bookish Home is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.
Today one of my favorite authors, Fiona Davis is back on A Bookish Home to tell us all about her dazzling new novel, The Stolen Queen.
For nearly a decade, Fiona Davis has introduced readers to the fascinating and often little known histories behind some of New York City’s most iconic landmarks through the eyes of female characters seeking the truth about themselves and the world around them.
Now, in her enthralling eighth novel, The Stolen Queen, Fiona Davis delights readers with a story centered on the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its famed Met Gala, while for the first time, exploring a territory beyond New York City—Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.
“In her latest stunner, Fiona Davis sweeps readers from the sun-baked sands of Egypt to the inner sanctum of the Met Museum and a world full of art, intrigue, and heart-stopping secrets. While crafting a vivid picture of two fascinating eras, Davis also dives deeply into the vibrant inner worlds of her complex and compelling lead characters, Charlotte and Annie. Inspired by the unearthing of an incomparable ancient queen, this book solidifies Davis’s place as a reigning queen of historical fiction, and a master storyteller at the height of her craft.”
— Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of Finding Margaret Fuller
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
About the Author:
Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of several historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her novels have been chosen as “One Book, One Community” reads and her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and O the Oprah magazine. She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have sold more than 1 million copies to date and have been translated into more than twenty languages. She’s based in New York City. Learn more: fionadavisbooks.com
Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:
Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.
*A Bookish Home is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.
This week my guest is Nancy Reddy, author of The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom.
Timely and thought-provoking, Nancy Reddy unpacks and debunks the bad ideas that have for too long defined what it means to be a “good” mom.
“Reddy cracks open everything we take for granted about motherhood and shows us the facts are mere mythology and the ‘science’ is shoddy. This book is a gift to all mothers. With beautiful prose, Reddy wipes the slate clean and gives moms permission to forge their own parenting path.” – Minna Dubin, author of Mom Rage
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
About the Author:
Nancy Reddy is the author of The Good Mother Myth. Her previous books include the poetry collections Pocket Universe and Double Jinx, a winner of the National Poetry Series. With Emily Pérez, she’s co-editor of The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood. Her essays have appeared in Slate, Poets & Writers, Romper, The Millions, and elsewhere. The recipient of grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Sustainable Arts Foundation and a Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, she teaches writing at Stockton University and writes the newsletter Write More, Be Less Careful. Learn more: nancyreddy.com
Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:
Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.
*A Bookish Home is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.
This week my guest is Rebecca J. Sanford, author of The Disappeared,a dazzling historical tale of one woman’s fight for survival, a grandmother’s search for her child and grandchild, and an adoptee’s journey of self-discovery.
Seamlessly moving from 1970s Buenos Aires (at the heart of the Dirty War) to early 2000s New York, Rebecca creates a delicate portrait of the consequences of war and the power of women’s resistance.
“Written in spare yet wonderfully evocative prose, The Disappeared captures the brutal realities of a shared buried history, one that we can now never afford to forget. Rebecca J. Sanford is a gifted novelist, and I highly recommend this deeply compelling and important book.”
— “Andre Dubus III, New York Times bestselling author of House of Sand and Fog”
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
About the Author:
Rebecca J. Sanford is the author of The Disappeared, recipient of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Award. She received her MA in international affairs from the New School in New York City. Originally from New York, Rebecca now lives in Florida with her family. Learn more: rebeccajsanford.com
Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:
Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.
*A Bookish Home is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.
A Bookish Home 