Book of the Month Live

Author Sharon Kurtzman visited our headquarters to discuss her new historical novel, The Lost Baker of Vienna. She shared the true family history that inspired the story, why it took her 25 long years to complete it, and how food and family are always intertwined. A young woman in post-war Vienna finds herself caught between two futures, and two suitors, as she struggles to keep her family afloat — and keep her father’s legacy alive through baking his best recipes. Get The Lost Baker of Vienna at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

Author Sarah MacLean stopped by our headquarters to discuss her new book, These Summer Storms. She broke down the book’s themes of wealth, power, and nobility—and spilled about writing the first chapter of her first novel on a slightly drunken dare. When Alice Storm’s wealthy father passes away, the whole family has to pay their final respects by playing a week-long twisted game on a private island—or risk losing out on their inheritance. Get These Summer Storms at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Wally Lamb visited our headquarters to discuss his new novel, The River Is Waiting. He talked about what motivates his writing (fear), the most common reported side effect of reading his books (crying), and what it takes to really forgive (listen to find out). When a new father causes an unimaginable tragedy, he is confronted with prison time and a question he may never be able to answer: what does it take to win his family’s forgiveness? Get The River Is Waiting at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Janelle Brown visited our headquarters to discuss her new work of fiction, What Kind of Paradise. She also opened up about her love-hate relationship with technology, including her former career as a tech writer, and why she thinks pastoral living sounds pretty good right about now. A teenage girl who’s grown up off-the-grid gets plugged into society during the dawn of Silicon Valley, and starts to question everything she thought she knew about her father. Get What Kind of Paradise at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author and fashion designer Prabal Gurung stepped out of the Met Gala and into our headquarters to discuss his new memoir, Walk Like a Girl. He also spilled about what really goes on behind the scenes on fashion’s biggest night, and revealed his most iconic role model—his powerhouse mother. From Nepal to New York, fashion icon Prabal Gurung shares his story of growing up as a queer boy, and growing into his status as a fashion legend. Get Walk Like a Girl at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Chioma Okereke stopped by our headquarters to talk about the inspiration for—and meaning of—her new book, Water Baby. From the cooking show that sparked her initial curiosity, to the eventual organization she founded to support women and girls in Makoko, she spared no detail about how she brought her book to life. Nineteen-year-old Baby has lived in Makoko, the floating slum off mainland Lagos, Nigeria, her whole life. When a video of her goes viral and she gets an opportunity to shape a different future for herself, she’s forced to decide whether life beyond the lagoon is what she truly wants. Get Water Baby at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Kaylie Smith visited our headquarters to discuss her new book, Enchantra. She revealed the challenges of writing her latest novel, how she finds satisfaction in her work, and her unexpected love for pigeons—among other things. The sequel to Phantasma has arrived. After her mother dies, Genevieve Grimm receives an irresistible invitation to a cursed palace in Italy. When she enters, she begins a dark game of hide and seek with a handsome—and hostile—host. Get Enchantra at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Author Jennifer Weiner visited our headquarters to discuss the inspiration for her new novel, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits. She shared her hot takes on the viciousness of the early 2000s, our questionable treatment of pop princesses, CD players, and piano lessons—for starters. When sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg skyrocket to popstardom together, their fame comes at a high cost. After one tumultuous year, their band suddenly breaks up. Two decades later, and leading entirely separate lives, the sisters are forced to confront exactly what happened, and why. Get The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

The best way to listen to Book of the Month LIVE is in our app. Actor and author Krysten Ritter stopped by our headquarters to talk about her new book, Retreat, and the real-life con artists who inspired the thriller. She revealed her superpower, her kryptonite, and her various skills and accomplishments as an author, actor, director, musician and, of course, professional knitter. When a sharp-witted, serial con artist assumes a wealthy socialite’s identity in Punta Mita, she doesn’t quite know what she’s getting herself into—until it might be too late. Get Retreat at bookofthemonth.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Author B.K. Borison visited our headquarters to discuss her new book, First-Time Caller. She got real about the transition from self-publishing to having the backing of a major publishing house—and how she’s not one to give dating advice, but our audience decided to share their horror stories with her anyway. The host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, conveniently named Aiden Valentine, is over love—until a young girl calls in to get his advice for her very single mother. When sparks start to fly, her mom, Lucie, has to choose between her own happily ever after or what’s best for the radio show. Get First-Time Caller at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Daniel Black, author of Isaac’s Song, joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss gospel music, masculinity, Black storytelling, bouquets, and that time he went viral. Oh, and how he wrote his new book. We manage to cover it all and even find time to dance. A young man finds himself at a crossroads, reflecting on his past and the recent loss of his father. He comes of age, comes out, and discovers himself in 1980s Chicago, against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis and Rodney King’s attack. Get Isaac’s Song at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Layne Fargo, author of The Favorites, joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her new book—plus love, hate, spite, and ice dancing. We cover everything from Tonya Harding, to early 2000s fashion, to Layne’s very first time ice skating. (Spoiler: It was the day before this episode was recorded). Childhood sweethearts turned famous figure skating duo find their relationship at a halt after a shocking incident at the Olympic Games. Ten years later, the past comes back around and the truth threatens to come out as they become the subjects of an unauthorized documentary. Get The Favorites at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Author and former basketball player turned journalist turned ESPN commentator Kate Fagan joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her new book, The Three Lives of Cate Kay. She talks about big fame (why she doesn’t want it), ambition (its highly addictive qualities), and the creative engine that fueled her new work of fiction. Also, our Editorial Director does her very best French accent. Cate Kay is a bestselling author—the kind with worldwide fame—but no one knows her real identity. After years of hiding from the world, from herself, and from a tragic past, she begins to realize the truth might be the only thing that sets her free. Get The Three Lives of Cate Kay at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app. Author Daniel Aleman joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss his new book, I Might Be In Trouble. Inspired by a situationship gone awry, Aleman explains the evolution of his adult debut and reflects on the unexpected trajectory of his career as a writer. After the perfect first date, writer David Alvarez wakes up to find the man next to him in bed—dead. He could call the police but, naturally, he calls his trusted literary agent to help him dispose of the body instead. Get I Might Be In Trouble at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

Author Anna Rasche visits our headquarters for this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her new book, The Stone Witch of Florence. She covers writing about the Black Plague during a modern day-pandemic, the importance of wellness girlies, and why she loves crystals. After nearly a decade in exile for witchcraft, Ginevra di Gasparo is called upon to use her healing powers to save people from the Black Plague—or so she thinks. When she’s asked to use her unique abilities to hunt down a thief, she starts to suspect she may be a pawn in a larger political scheme. Get The Stone Witch of Florence at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Author Ann Liang joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, A Song to Drown Rivers. From making the most of her JSTOR access while it lasted, to thinking deeply about beauty standards across centuries, she breaks down how her historical fantasy novel got made. Xishi is beautiful—and deadly. When she is tasked with infiltrating an enemy kingdom and seducing the king, she undergoes rigorous training from Fanli, a famous young military advisor. But the more she succeeds, the more she stands to lose—from her own life to a burgeoning romance with Fanli. Get A Song to Drown Rivers at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Repeat author Laura Dave joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, The Night We Lost Him. We talked about the question she wanted to answer with this story, how grief is an extension of love, and her complicated relationship with the thriller genre. Estranged siblings discover their father has been keeping a secret for over fifty years, one that may have been fatal… Liam Noone was many things to many people. To the public, he was an exacting, self-made hotel magnate fleeing his past. To his three ex-wives, he was a loving albeit distant family man who kept his finances flush. To Nora, he was a father who often loved from afar–notably a cliffside cottage purchased on the California coast from which he fell to his death. Get The Night We Lost Him at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Chelsea Bieker joins us on this week’s episode of Virtual Book Tour to discuss her new book, Madwoman. We talked about her somatic practice around writing (shaking your sillies out) and our (mostly her) obsession with wellness. Clove has gone to extremes to keep her past a secret. But when she receives a letter from a women’s prison in California, her past comes screeching into the present, entangling her in a dangerous game with memory and the people she thought she had outrun. Get Madwoman at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

The best way to listen to Virtual Book Tour is in the Book of the Month app! Repeat author Kimberly McCreight joins us on this week’s episode of VBT to discuss her newest book, Like Mother, Like Daughter. We spoke about how Kimberly’s former days as a lawyer helped inform this story and we also discussed the intense relationships between mothers and daughters. When Cleo arrives late for dinner at her childhood home, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother. Then Cleo discovers her mom’s bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened. But what? Get Like Mother, Like Daughter at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.