Chatter on Books

Group Therapy Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie. Torie pitches Rob Dundon's wonderful cause in honor of his mother Cathy (go to: alt.org/goto/CathysLegacy/2025. The gang makes holiday gift recommendations. Scientist in Residence at the School of Art Institute in Chicago Eugenia Cheng zooms in to share "Unequal — The Math of When Things Do and Don't Add Up," It's about so much more than numbers and certainty. It's about nuance and perspective and understanding.

"Unfinished Business" Chatter rolls live in an undisclosed secure location in the DMV with Claude, David, Torie, and Renaissance man Rodney. It's "boy time" as Rodney extols the virtues of his men's book club. Charter member Thomas Dann joins to share "Midnight in Memphis," a mystery set in 1950s Memphis. A Southern noir "Midnight" is a nuanced look at race, political turmoil, and relationships in both. As Scott Turow put it, Dann uncovers the "enticing, sometimes lurid, mysteries that always seemed to lurk beneath the surface of the old south."

"More than football." Chatter goes live at Caddies on Cordell, the DMV's premier sports bar, with Claude, David, Torie, S.L. Price and DeMaurice Smith, longtime head of the National Football League Players Association. They break down the latest sports gambling scandal (nobody's shocked and all are worried about the impact). Smith shares "Turf Wars," the ultimate insiders look at the biggest battles between football owners and players.

"Extracting information." Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie. They cover Claude's equine role and the NBA cheating scandal. (Who knew the mob was still so active!). Nancy Baenen of Arcadia Books joins to chat up her iconic Wisconsin book store and dispense advice on "The Pitch," the 2026 Chatter on Books writing competition. Ann E. Butler zooms in to share "Wife, Mother, Spy," her exceptional book about an extraordinary life. CIA operative and mother of five, Butler juggled parenting around the globe AND recruited spies, gleaned intelligence and protected the country. We're in awe.

"An interesting planet." Chatter rolls with Claude, David and Torie. They reveal Claude's latest acting role in the mansion murders podcast and continue working on "The Pitch," Best selling, wicked smart, and very funny Mary Roach zooms in to share "Replaceable You." Forget what you think you know about human anatomy and how we replace/fix/grow new body parts. "Replaceable You" means never looking at a pig the same way again. It's terrific!

Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie and Jamie (fresh from Vegas). Get wells for Dolly the Goddess kick things off, and the gang shares thoughts on the Ryder Cup and boisterous American fans. The award winning, best selling, and very funny Hannah Pittard zooms in to share her latest novel, "If You Love It, Let It Kill You." Drop the couples therapy and buy this book. Pittard nails relationships, artistic expression, and making ordinary things profound. Not to mention the best talking cat ever.

"The definitive biography." Chatter rolls back with Claude, David, Torie, and COB fave James Grady. They hit summer highlights, why Barnes & Noble is on a roll, and ideated Chatter's soon-to-be writing competition (working title: The Pitch). Susan Morrison zooms in with "Lorne," a decade long look at the man at the center of Saturday Night Live. It's the ultimate "fly on the wall" experience and a walk through fifty years of entertainment, and culture, and politics, and life.

"All the old ghosts are leaving town…" Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie and COB fave Lou Bayard. Lou goes playwright, and David sheds a tear (a happy one) over TNT. Award winning, best selling and all around cool guy James Grady zooms in to share his latest, "American Sky." Epic and sweeping and so much more significant than your average coming of age story. Grady's portrait is, as Lou puts it "…indelibly, the portrait of a nation — an epic canvas that always feels intimate…"

"History and hope." Chatter rolls live at Wonderland Books in Bethesda, Maryland. Claude, David, Jamie, and Torie chat with Wonderland owner Gayle Weiswasser. She gives the lowdown on how the store is doing; foot traffic, sales, and community hub all flourishing. S.L. Price (aka Scott) takes a seat to share his latest "The American Game — History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse." Revered by many as one of the all time great sportswriters, Scott examines the history, culture and geopolitics of the game. Meticulously researched, "The American Game" is a fascinating look at a sport whose evolution explains so much about the country.

"Better than Gatsby." Chatter rolls with Claude, Torie, and Jamie as David recovers from NBA finals. They break down DOD events, and Rocco's shot contest beats all. Best selling author and screenwriter Kyra Davis Lurie zooms in the share "The Great Mann." Describing it as a reimagining of "The Great Gatsby," as many do, doesn't do justice to this deeply researched look at class and wealth and Black identity in postwar Los Angeles. It's Lurie's first turn at historical fiction; hopefully not her last.