Chatter on Books

“Genius and tragedy.” Chatter rolls with David, Torie and Jamie. They break down new “Seuss-inspired” books. David addresses Ukraine’s impact on athletes; Jamie gives the geopolitical take. Gutsy author Lee Kravetz joins to talk about his novel, The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. A background in psychology and journalism makes Lee uniquely qualified to tackle the brilliance and tragedy of Sylvia Plath. Inspired by real events, The Last Confessions weaves great writing, history and mystery to imagine what Plath’s life was like as she wrote her classic The Bell Jar.

“The mother character was interesting.“ Jamie McIntyre and celebrity mixologist Rodney Ferguson join to break down the Ukranian situation (bad) and literary comfort food (good). Jamie’s all in on Jack Reacher (but not Tom Cruise). COB continues to go deep with the Iowa Writers Workshop as grad Olga Gonzalez zooms in to talk about Olga Dies Dreaming. Middle aged coming of age meets personal, political and even cultural threads. Rodney’s custom cocktail, the Janguear keeps things moving fast for Torie.

“Tragic and sad and hopeful.” COB alum and fave Erica Wright joins David and Torie for a Valentine’s Day show. Award winning author Sadeqa Johnson zooms in to talk about Yellow Wife, her haunting and disturbing novel about an enslaved Virginia woman forced to make unbelievable sacrifices for herself and her family. As fascinating as the story itself is Sadeqa’s inspiration for writing it. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Erica, David and Torie debate the good, the bad, and the ugly of the so-called all time great romance novels.

“meditation of the road” Chatter goes two-fer! Pulitzer Prize winner David Maraniss joins to talk Olympics (this is not your mother’s 2008 Beijing!) and David’s upcoming book on Jim Thorpe. Award winning thriller writer Nick Petrie zooms in to talk about The Runaway, his latest chapter in the Peter Ash series. An Afghanistan/Iraq vet with PTSD finds trouble when he rescues a stranded woman. A deadly cat-and-mouse chase ensues across the Great Plains states. “Peter Ash is the real deal,” as Lee Childs says.

Chatter rolls into groundhog day with David, Torie and Jamie. They discuss football (another good weekend), kind reviews and best sellers by city. The Paris Bookseller author Kerri Maher shares her take on Sylvia Beach, legendary owner of Shakespeare and Company and publisher of Ulysses.  It’s about epic literary friendships and the tremendous risks Beach took by publishing James Joyce’s banned novel.  The personal, professional, and literary impacts are huge.

“How do we forgive?” Football and festivals kick off Chatter this week. David debriefs an amazing weekend of games. Gaithersburg Mayor and Book Festival Founder Jud Ashman joins to talk year three of the Festival – in person this time we hope! Segment B is no debate – why ban books?  This time it’s in prisons. Associated Press calls Lisa Gardner one of the best psychological thriller writers ever. We agree. Back with One Step Too Far, Lisa shares the “didn’t see that coming” chilling tale of a search for a missing man in Wyoming wilderness.  It’s about so much more than the search.

“Grief is like water.” Jamie McIntyre’s back, off the injured reserve list. The gang raves about Claude (again and appropriately). They debate words that should be banished, and Torie thanks reviewers. Journalistic icon Steve Roberts zooms in with stories from Cokie -  A Life Well Lived, his loving tribute to his wife of 53 years.  His intimate look at Cokie as mother, wife, journalist and friend makes you laugh and cry. And it definitely inspires.

“So much more than a crime story.” Chatter kicks off 2022 with awards, fake names and a compelling novel. David, Torie and COB alum Ed Aymar rave about Claude’s Marconi Award. The group discusses the ins and outs of pseudonyms. The pop quiz is a tie! Former bar owner/criminal defense investigator/English teacher and current lawyer James Kestrel (AKA someone else) zooms in from Hawaii to talk about his new novel Five Decembers. It’s got crime, corruption, war, romance and praise from Stephen King, the NYT and many more.

“Words matter.” Chatter rocks and featured COB authors rock even more. Creatures of Passage ( “Best of 2021” by Washington Post and NPR) author Morowa Yejide joins David and Torie. They talk fame and fortune (David’s first book?) and if an apology is enough (nope). Thanks to Alex Dobert, Barrett Holmes Pitner zooms in to talk about The Crime Without a Name, his eye-opening and thought provoking take on how we could find a new way to talk about culture nd racism in America.

“Everything I know about pageants I learned from Tony Kornheiser.” World traveler Chuck Culpepper joins David and Torie. They reflect on Bob Dole and Fred Hiatt, ponder sports and China, and agree that AI is inevitable. Author Amy Argetsinger zooms in to talk about There She Was, her meticulously researched and highly entertaining look behind the scenes at the Miss America pageant for the last 100 years.