Books Connect Us

Ambi Kavanagh is a Reiki master, astrologer, sound healer, life coach, and host of the podcast "Alchemy with Ambi." With a unique focus on using astrological cycles and the seasons as a form of coaching, she considers herself a modern-day alchemist who serves as a catalyst for positive change in people’s lives. Her book CHAKRAS AND SELF-CARE is an inspiring journey through the energetic centers of the body with meditation, rituals, and daily self-care.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed speculative novels GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW, and the crime novel UNTAMED SHORE. Her new novel MEXICAN GOTHIC is a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.

Brit Bennett is the author of the New York Times best seller THE MOTHERS. Her latest work is THE VANISHING HALF, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds—one black and one white. Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once riveting, emotional, and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing.

Janice Kaplan is the author or coauthor of fourteen books, including the New York Times bestsellers THE GRATITUDE DIARIES and I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN. In her latest book THE GENIUS OF WOMEN, Janice asks the question why do 90 percent of Americans believe that geniuses are almost always men? She explores the powerful forces that have rigged the system—and celebrates the women geniuses, past and present, who have triumphed anyway.

Wendy Benchley is a marine and environmental conservation advocate, and former councilwoman from New Jersey. Her husband Peter Benchley was the famed author of JAWS, the classic suspense novel of shark versus man, which was made into the blockbuster Steven Spielberg movie.

Rory Power is the New York Times best-selling author of WILDER GIRLS. In her latest thriller BURN YOUR BODIES DOWN, a young woman is haunted by her family's past. The book has been called a deliriously creepy tale that will keep your nightmares up at night.

Kate Reed Petty is an essayist, filmmaker, and co-author of the middle-grade graphic novel CHASMA KNIGHTS. Her debut novel TRUE STORY is part psychological thriller, part fever dream, and part timely comment on sexual assault, power, and the very nature of truth. Ingeniously constructed and full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the final pages, it marks the debut of a singular and daring new voice in fiction.

Dr. Gina Senarighi is an author, teacher, sexuality counselor, and certified relationship coach. She’s been supporting clean fights and dirty sex in happy, healthy relationships as an educator, coach, consultant, and couples therapist for over 10 years. In LOVE MORE, FIGHT LESS she has authored a relationship workbook for couples who want to learn new skills and build a solid foundation for working through conflicts, and move forward in ways that strengthen their bonds.

Born in Trinidad, Ingrid Persaud won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2017 and the BBC Short Story Award in 2018. Her new novel LOVE AFTER LOVE has been praised as a Best Book of the Summer by Time, The Guardian, Goop, and Lithub. In vibrant, addictive Trinidadian prose, LOVE AFTER LOVE questions who and how we love, the obligations of family, and the consequences of choices made in desperation.

Riley Sager’s first novel, Final Girls, was a national and international bestseller that has been published in more than two dozen countries. In his latest novel HOME BEFORE DARK, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls?

Rob Hart has worked as a book publisher, political reporter, and author of the ASH MCKENNA crime series. His acclaimed novel THE WAREHOUSE is a near-future thriller set in a giant tech company, and shows what happens when Big Brother meets Big Business–and who will pay the ultimate price. Today Rob is in conversation with fellow author Alex Segura, who wrote the new Star Wars book POE DAMERON: FREE FALL.

Sarah Frey's new book THE GROWING SEASON tells the inspiring story of how a scrappy rural childhood gave Frey the grit and resiliency to take risks that paid off in unexpected ways.

Jennie Fields is the author of THE AGE OF DESIRE and her latest novel ATOMIC LOVE. Delia Owens, author of WHERE THE CRAWDADS LIVE, raves that ATOMIC LOVE is "Riveting. A highly-charged love story that reveals the dangerous energy at the heart of every real connection."

Diksha Basu is the author of THE WINDFALL and her latest novel DESTINATION WEDDING. Infused with warmth and charm, DESTINATION WEDDING grapples with the nuances of family, careers, belonging, and how we find the people who make a place feel like home.

Kathleen Rooney is the author of the novel LILLIAN BOXFISH TAKES A WALK, and is a founding editor of Rose Metal Press and a founding member of Poems While You Wait. Her latest novel CHER AMI AND MAJOR WHITTLESEY, which Booklist raves is "Imaginative and audacious. A celebration of animal intelligence, and tribute to altruism and courage."

Karen Dionne is the USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of the award-winning psychological suspense novel THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER. Her latest is THE WICKED SISTER, a startling novel of psychological suspense as two generations of sisters try to unravel their tangled relationships between nature and nurture, guilt and betrayal, love and evil.

Kim Johnson is a college administrator who maintains civic engagement throughout the community while also mentoring Black student activists and leaders. Her debut novel THIS IS MY AMERICA explores racial injustice against innocent Black men who are criminally sentenced, and the families left behind to pick up the pieces.

Lindsey Daly is a middle school social studies teacher and the author of WOULD YOU RATHER?, which is a book that allows children to confront philosophical questions such as "Would you rather kiss a fish swimming in a radioactive pond, or roll down a hill hugging a porcupine?"

Christine Feehan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Carpathian series, the GhostWalker series, the Leopard series, the Shadow Riders series, and the Sea Haven novels. Her latest book DESOLATION ROAD is a thrilling romance novel set within a motorcycle club, and in her upcoming passionate novel DARK SONG two Carpathians find hope in the bond that ties their souls.

Wes Moore is the CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, one of the largest antipoverty organizations in the country. His latest book FIVE DAYS is an illuminating portrait of Baltimore in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray. This account of five days in the life of a city on the edge is told through eight characters on the front lines of the uprising that overtook Baltimore and riveted the world.

In Kate Stayman-London's delightful, razor-sharp debut novel ONE TO WATCH a plus-size bachelorette brings a fresh look to a reality dating show.

Josh Malerman is a New York Times bestselling author of BIRDBOX, which is the inspiration for the hit Netflix film starring Sandra Bullock. His latest MALORIE is a thrilling sequel to BIRDBOX, in which our hero has a harrowing choice to make: to live by the rules of survival that have served her so well, or to venture into the darkness and reach for hope once more.

We're celebrating poetry with an all-star panel. Enjoy readings from Fatimah Asghar (author of IF THEY COME FOR US), Billy Collins (author of WHALE DAY), Olivia Gatwood (author of LIFE OF THE PARTY), Nate Marshall (author of FINNA), Jana Prikryl (author of NO MATTER), Jenny Zhang (author of SOUR HEART).

Megha Majumdar is the debut novelist of A BURNING, in which she writes with dazzling assurance at a breakneck pace on complex themes such as class, fate, corruption, justice, and what it feels like to face profound obstacles and yet nurture big dreams in a country spinning toward extremism.

Today's guest is Simran Jeet Singh, author of FAUJA SINGH KEEPS GOING. This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the true story of Fauja Singh, who broke world records to become the first one hundred-year-old to run a marathon.

Today's guest is Andrea Bartz, a Brooklyn-based journalist and author of the suspense thrillers THE LOST NIGHT and THE HERD.

Today's guest is Ruth Reichl, the bestselling author of MY KITCHEN YEAR, DELICIOUS, and her latest memoir SAVE ME THE PLUMS which chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet.

Today's guest is Lauren Ho, author of the debut novel LAST TANG STANDING. This funny romance has been described as CRAZY RICH ASIANS meets BRIDGET JONES' DIARY, and is about the pursuit of happiness, surviving one’s thirties intact, and opening oneself up to love.

Today we have a conversation between authors J. Kelly Hoey and Maxie McCoy. J. Kelly Hoey is an investor, connector, networking expert, and author of the book BUILD YOUR DREAM NETWORK. Maxie McCoy is author of the book YOU'RE NOT LOST.

On today's show we have a conversation between Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown, authors of WE ARE EVERYWHERE: PROTEST, POWER, AND PRIDE IN THE HISTORY OF QUEER LIBERATION. This book is a a rich and sweeping photographic history of the Queer Liberation Movement from the creators and curators of the massively popular Instagram account @lgbt_history.

Max Brooks, the author of World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and Minecraft: The Island, talks with his editor Sarah Peed about his writing process, survival, and his newest book, DEVOLUTION.

Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA. Her latest book LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is about three women in 1925 whose lives are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys.

Dustin Lance Black is the author of the deeply personal memoir MAMA's BOY. He is also a filmmaker and social activist known for writing the Academy Award–winning screenplay of the Harvey Milk biopic MILK, and for his part in overturning California’s discriminatory Proposition 8.

Authors Nic Stone (DEAR JUSTYCE) and Jodi Picoult (SMALL GREAT THINGS) discuss topics such as white fragility, the differences in expectations for black women and white women, the problematic nature of colorblindness, and what to do to be a better white advocate.

Today's episode is a discussion between authors Abbi Waxman and Kristan Higgins. Abbi Waxman is the USA Today bestselling author of OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES, THE GARDEN OF SMALL BEGINNINGS, and her latest I WAS TOLD IT WOULD GET EASIER. Kristan Higgins is the New York Times bestselling author of nearly twenty novels, including LIFE AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES and her latest ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW.

Today we have a conversation between Roselle Lim, author of "Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop," and Soniah Kamal, author of "Unmarriageable."

Elizabeth Gilbert is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic, Eat Pray Love, and several other internationally bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction. Her latest entitled CITY OF GIRLS is a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s.

Jonathan Karl is the Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News and president of the White House Correspondents' Association. His New York Times bestselling book is FRONT ROW AT THE TRUMP SHOW, which is an account like no other from the White House reporter who has known President Donald Trump for more than 25 years.

Curtis Sittenfeld is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Prep, American Wife, Sisterland, and Eligible. Her latest is the much anticipated RODHAM, a novel that imagines a deeply compelling what-might-have-been: What if Hillary Rodham hadn’t married Bill Clinton?

Nic Stone is the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of titles such as DEAR MARTIN, JACKPOT, CLEAN GETAWAY and her latest DEAR JUSTYCE. Angie Thomas, author of THE HATE U GIVE, called Dear Martin "a must-read", while THE FAULT IN OUR STARS author John Green described it as "Powerful and wrenching."

Today's guest is USA Today bestselling author and native New Yorker Kwana Jackson. Her novel REAL MEN KNIT is a heartfelt romance that takes place in a beloved Harlem knitting shop, and Booklist raved that "“Jackson crafts a cute friends-to-lovers romance with a diverse cast of characters that emphasizes the importance of community and found family."

Frances Cha's novel IF I HAD YOUR FACE is a riveting debut set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania.

Arlan Hamilton, author of IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME, shares her hard won wisdom as a black, gay woman who broke into the boys’ club of Silicon Valley, and provides an empowering guide to finding your voice, working your way into any room you want to be in, and achieving your own dreams.

Adam Resnick is an Emmy Award winner who has written on Late Night with David Letterman, The Larry Sanders Show, HBO's Divorce, and co-created the cult favorites CABIN BOY and GET A LIFE. As an author Resnick penned the darkly comedic essay collection WILL NOT ATTEND.

1. Eric Thomas is a senior staff writer at Elle.com and author of the funny and touching essay collection HERE FOR IT: HOW TO SAVE YOUR SOUL IN AMERICA, which none other than Lin Manuel-Miranda called "Sedaris-level, laugh-out-loud funny." Among many other topics, Eric discusses the ridiculous nature of pop culture in the age of quarantine.

The Thurber Prize-winning author John Kenney (the novel TALK TO ME and the collection LOVE POEMS FOR MARRIED PEOPLE) brings us the lighter side of being trapped inside for weeks on end.

Emma Straub is the author of the new novel ALL ADULTS HERE and proprietor of BOOKS ARE MAGIC in Brooklyn, NY. Today she discusses what it's like being an author and bookstore owner, and the unique challenges that both of those pose today.

Go behind the scenes of TV's The Office with Andy Greene, author of THE OFFICE: THE UNTOLD STORY. In conversation with Rob Sheffield, Andy discusses his extensive oral history of the most popular sitcom of the 2000s.

Celeste Headlee, author of DO NOTHING, gives practical advice on how we can manage our work-life balances (and maintain our sanity) while working from home.

Erik Larson— bestselling author of THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY and DEAD WAKE— discusses his latest, THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE. The book covers a year in the life of Winston Churchill at the height of World War 2 . Erik talks about the leadership qualities of Churchill, how the citizens handled the bombing, whether bravery can be passed along, and how that period in history compares to what we are facing today.

Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of the bestselling novel DAISY JONES AND THE SIX, joins us to discuss how she's balancing parenting a toddler and working on her new book during these trying times.

Welcome to Books Connect Us from Penguin Random House. This is a brand new podcast about staying connected with each other, and the stories and authors who inspire us. In these lively interviews your favorite authors will discuss their own books, provide recommendations for what they’re reading and watching, and help put into context some of the issues we are all currently facing.