Books Connect Us
We’re staying connected with each other and the stories and authors who inspire us. BOOKS CONNECT US brings you brand new conversations with some of your favorite authors.
Episodes
On today’s season finale we welcome the delightful Emily Henry, author of bestsellers Beach Read, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation and, most recently the #1 NYT Bestselling Happy Place. Alyssa and Emily vibe out talking about romcom inspiration, fancasting, the ways art informs life (and vice versa), writing complex, imperfect love interests, and how underrated the state of Michigan is. Emily’s new book, Happy Place (availab...
Happy Pride from Books Connect Us! In honor of Pride, today’s guest is Haley Jakobson, author of the astute and funny bisexual debut Old Enough, on sale June 20. Carolina chats with Haley about all things identity: finding ourselves while we’re still “hurtling towards the person we’re becoming,” utilizing language and harnessing stories to explore our many-faceted, intersectional selves, writing and using art and words to explore t...
Join us for a super-fun, laugh-out-loud Summer Reading Picks episode! Carolina and Alyssa talk: books they love, books they can’t wait to read, horror movies, celebs they went to high school with, tips for writing, finding inspiration and reading al fresco.
CAROLINA RECOMMENDS:
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/718580/natural-beauty-by-ling-ling-huang/
Homegoing by Yah Gyasi: https://www.penguinr...
On a very exciting episode of BOOKS CONNECT US, Carolina and Alyssa host their first Roundtable. Joined by Amanda Elliot (author of Sadie on a Plate and Best Served Hot) and Kosoko Jackson (author of I’m So Not Over You and Dash of Salt and Pepper), this roundtable’s theme is romance! We discuss: what it takes to craft romance -- from chemistry to characters, how the industry has grown to be more inclusive, and how author identity ...
Today on the podcast, Carolina and Alyssa interview Chrissy King, author of THE BODY LIBERATION PROJECT, about the way our intersecting identities impact our body image, how and why body and beauty standards are rooted in racism and how we can overcome it all to liberate ourselves and bodies. Chrissy also tells us how she landed a book deal and how she cultivates her brand and platform.
You can find Chrissy at www.chrissyking.com |...
Today on BOOKS CONNECT US, Lisa Lucas, SVP and Publisher of Pantheon talks about motherhood and mental health with Szilvia Molnar, author of The Nursery. The two share a thought-provoking conversation about the rawness and realness of becoming a mother, and ask the question — does the world make space for new moms? Be sure to stick around for Carolina and Alyssa’s recap at the end.
You can find Szilvia at http://www.szilviamolnar.c...
On today’s episode, we talk to National Book Award finalist Sarah Thankam Mathews about her debut novel, ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT, a warm, dazzling, and profound saga of queer love, friendship, work, and precarity in twenty-first century America. Carolina talks to Sarah about the political engine that drives the book, the shared nuances of the brown queer experience, and the craft elements that bring multi-dimensional stories to...
This week on BOOKS CONNECT US, we welcome Dani Shapiro, author of eleven books , most recently Signal Fires, which won the National Jewish Books Award and Inheritance, which was a New York Times Bestseller. Alyssa and Dani go deep, discussing the intersection of memory and imagination while writing, the importance of self-identity and ancestry in storytelling and the ways in which family — both biological and found — can inform our...
This episode, we welcome Lakiesha Carr and her Knopf editor, Maria Goldverg. Lakeisha is the author of AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SKIN, a profound and tender look at Black womanhood. Maria and Lakiesha discuss the intimacy required to write fiction, the importance of intergenerational connections, and the ways in which we insert ourselves into our art. You can find Lakeisha at www.lakieshacarr.com
This episode, we welcome Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the unforgettable and deeply profound TAKE MY HAND, which won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction. Carolina talks to Dolen about her writing and research process, the true-life inspiration behind TAKE MY HAND and the immense importance of historical fiction. Alyssa and Carolina recap at the end, unpacking this powerful interview.
You can find Dolen a...
In today’s episode, we talk to Eleanor Shearer, author of the gripping and beautiful RIVER SING ME HOME, which was a GMA Book Club Pick. Carolina chats with Eleanor about finding time for creative writing (especially within the confines of a day job), traveling to the Caribbean for her novel and unraveling the complicated tapestries of our identities, homes and families. Be sure to stick around for Carolina and Alyssa’s recap at th...
Today, we talk to NYT Bestselling and James Beard Award-winning author of The Korean Vegan Cookbook , Joanne Lee Molinaro. Alyssa chats with Joanne about representation, the writing and publishing process, family stories and how they seep into our writing, and much more! Be sure to stick around for Carolina and Alyssa’s recap at the end.
You can find Joanne at https://thekoreanvegan.com/
TikTok: @thekoreanvegan | Instagram @thekorean...
In today’s episode, get to know Alyssa Adler and Carolina Meurkens, the new hosts of BOOKS CONNECT US! We chat about what’s in store for the new season, how authors portray their origin stories and have fun laughing about what books inspired us growing up (and as adults). All new season of author interviews start Wednesday, April 5!
Books In Today’s Show:
Alyssa's Favorites:
Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume: https:...
This brand new season of BOOKS CONNECT US will keep you connected with the authors and stories that inspire you, and bring you the inside scoop on “the story behind the story”. Join hosts Alyssa Adler and Carolina Meurkens in conversation with diverse authors, as they discuss how identity impacts writing, the inspiration behind their books, and how storytelling can change the world.
New episodes drop right here starting next Monday...
The new book EMPIRELAND is an illuminating tour through the hidden legacies and modern realities of British empire that exposes how much of the present-day United Kingdom is actually rooted in its colonial past. In accessible, witty prose, award-winning journalist and best-selling author Sathnam Sanghera traces this legacy back to its source, exposing how—in both profound and innocuous ways—imperial domination has shaped the United...
George R. R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including those of the acclaimed series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, upon which the iconic HBO series GAME OF THRONES is based. FIRE & BLOOD is his thrilling history of the Targaryans, which is the inspiration for the new HBO series HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. On today's episode fellow author David Anthony Durham talks with George R.R. Martin about his legendary bo...
George Saunders is the author of nine books, including the novel LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, which won the Man Booker Prize, and the brand-new short story collection LIBERATION DAY. On today's episode George is in conversation with Matt Rodbard, host of the popular food culture show THE TASTE PODCAST. They discussed Chicago pizza, Santa Cruz coffee, lunch in Texas oil fields, and food of the future. It's a fun, wide-ranging discussion. Y...
Sarah Thankam Mathews is a recipient of fellowships from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and her work has been published in Best American Short Stories. ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT is her electrifying novel of a young immigrant building a life for herself—a warm, dazzling, and profound saga of queer love, friendship, work, and precarity in twenty-first century America. Now let's join Penguin's o...
Clancy Martin is the acclaimed author of the novel HOW TO SELL, numerous books on philosophy, and the viral essay, “I’m Still Here.” He is the survivor of more than ten suicide attempts and a recovering alcoholic. His new book HOW NOT TO KILL YOURSELF is an intimate, insightful, at times even humorous exploration of why the thought of death is so compulsive for some while demonstrating that there’s always another solution. Now let'...
Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, as well as the writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever-after is not always happy. Her new romance novel LOVE ON THE BRAIN revolves around a scientist who is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.
Here's Erin Leafe, co-host of the romance podcast LEARNING THE TROPES, in con...
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