History, Books & Wine Podcast

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Mel Pennant. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, A Murder for Miss Hortense. A retired nurse, fearless sleuth, and proud Jamaican émigré Miss Hortense is drawn back into the secrets of her British community when a man is found dead in a friend’s home, forcing her to confront a decades-old betrayal and an unsolved crime that still haunts her.

Paired with this...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author J.E. Weiner. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, The Wretched and Undone. On the eve of the Civil War, Polish immigrants Marcin and Agnieszka Anderwald arrive in Bandera, Texas, seeking a fresh start in a new land of fertile soil and freedom. But their dreams quickly become nightmares when Marcin provokes a sinister specter hell-bent on revenge. 

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I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author Virginia Heath. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, Look Before You Leap. In this Regency romantic comedy, a single lord is forced to settle down...and when a houseparty brings a happy-go-lucky lady's companion his way, his grumpy heart is unexpectedly warmed.

Paired with this episode:

Virginia Heath: Pouilly-Fumé, French Wine
Eliza: Rose, c...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author E. Elizabeth Watson. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, Outlaw Ever After. Set against the backdrop of clan rivalries in medieval Scotland, the novel follows Peigi Grant and Alexander Comyn as secrets from a bloody wedding resurface fourteen years later. Betrayal, stolen lands, and the struggle for power collide in a tale of identity, vengeance, and surviva...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Kelli Estes. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, Smoke on the Wind. In the magnificent Scottish Highlands, two devoted mothers separated by centuries discover a haunting connection—one forged in the aftermath of the Highland Clearances and echoed across time. 

Paired with this episode:

Kelli: Johnnie Walker, mixed with cream soda and cold brew coffe...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author Rebecca Rosenberg. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, Silver Echoes. In 1920s Chicago, movie starlet Silver Dollar Tabor is drawn into a perilous world of speakeasies, ambition, and betrayal. A decade later in Colorado, her mother, Baby Doe, fights to save their silver mine while searching for her vanished daughter. A dual-timeline tale of fame, resilience,...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author Jacqueline Friedland. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, Counting Backwards. A routine immigration case, a shocking legacy. Jessa Gidney’s quest for justice draws her into the heart of an abhorrent conspiracy. As she uncovers her personal ties to a heartbreaking past, her life takes a dramatic turn, in this emotionally riveting novel inspired by true events...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Andrea Catalano. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, The First Witch of Boston. Based on true firsthand accounts, John Winthrop’s own diary, and historical Massachusetts Bay Court records, The First Witch of Boston is the story of Thomas Jones and Margaret Jones, the first woman to be tried and executed for witchcraft in Boston in June of 1648. 

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I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Madeline Martin. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, The Secret Book Society. This book is set in Victorian London and is about a forbidden book club, dangerous secrets, and the women who dare to break free. 

Paired with this episode:

Madeline Martin: Fleur de Mer, Provencial rose
Eliza: Summer in a Bottle, rose

Madeline's Book:

The...

Welcome back to History, Books and Wine, Season 5!

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Jane Healey. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, The Women of Arlington Hall. In this book, a female codebreaker puts her future and her heart on the line in a stirring novel about love, loyalty, betrayal, and Cold War spy games. 

Paired with this episode:

Jane: Diet Coke
Eliza: Mumm Napa Brute R...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest historian and writer, Holley Snaith. On this episode we’re going to talk about her article, Patsy Cline: The Trailblazing Voice That Redefined Country Music published in American Heritage Magazine. More than six decades after her passing, Cline's remarkable voice and unwavering determination continue to embody the American dream, inspiring generations of artists and fans alik...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Martha Hall Kelly. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women—a spectacular novel inspired by true events. 

Paired with this episode:

Martha: Matcha Smoothie
Eliza: B...

Join Eliza and guest host, Sophie Perinot, as we celebrate the launch of Confessions of a Grammar Queen, the bold, feminist, and delightfully bookish novel that proves copyediting is a revolutionary act. We’re talking red pencils, office politics, feminist book clubs, and what it means to rewrite the rules—one sentence (and sexist boss) at a time.

Paired with this episode:

Sophie: Pimm's Cocktail
Eliza: Veuve Cliqu...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Hazel Gaynor. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, Before Dorothy. Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own grand adventure, leaving gritty Chicago behind for Kansas and a life that will utterly change her. 

Paired with this episode:

Hazel: Aunt Emily -- gin, calvados, apricot brandy, orange juice
Eliza: Irish Coff...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Brooke Lea Foster. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, Our Last Vineyard Summer, a captivating new novel set in 1965 and 1978 about a graduate student who returns with her sisters to their family’s summer home on Martha’s Vineyard and begins to unravel old family secrets.

Paired with this episode:

Brooke: Summer in a Bottle, Wolffer

Eliza: Educated G...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Kristina McMorris. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, The Girls of Good Fortune. A captivating tale of resilience and hope that explores the complexity of family and identity, the importance of stories that echo through generations, and the power of strength found beneath the surface. 

Paired with this episode:

Kristina: Orange juice, cranberry, pi...

On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, THE LAST TWELVE MILES. Based on true events, The Last Twelve Miles follows a deadly, high-stakes game of cat and mouse between cryptanalyst Elizebeth Smith Friedman and rumrunner Marie Waite. As Elizebeth fights to crack smuggler codes in D.C., Marie builds a dangerous empire across the Straits of Florida—until their worlds collide. 

Paired with this episode:

Erika: White ...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Elise Hooper. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, The Library of Lost Dollhouses. When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

Paired with this episode:

Elise: Water
Eliza: Whispering Angel, French Rose

Elise's ...

I’m excited to be joined on the show today by guest author, Sarah Penner. On this episode we’re going to talk about her book, THE AMALFI CURSE, a bewitching tale of sunken treasure, forbidden love, the stregheria and ancient magic on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. 

Paired with this episode:

Sarah: Mocktails & Smoothies
Eliza: Plum Wine & Vitamin Water

Sarah's Book:
The Amalfi Curse

What Sarah ...