Book of the Month Live

Happy Holidays, Listeners! In the spirit of the season, we are reflecting on and celebrating awesome conversations we had this year. We're wrapping up 2022 by re-airing our hysterical conversation with Karin Slaughter, author of Girl, Forgotten. See you in 2023! Prom night is a memorable night for many Americans, but it’s also a great setting for a murder. Today we sit down with Karin Slaughter to talk about her newest thriller novel Girl, Forgotten, why she wanted to change her last name to Laughter as a young girl, and how she channels her Southern roots in her writing.      Girl, Forgotten follows newly minted U.S. Marshal, Andrea Oliver, as she goes on assignment in Longbill Beach, where she is haunted by a murder that happened nearly 40 years before. What really happened on Prom Night 1982? Why did no one catch the killer? And what happens when Andrea finally uncovers the truth?  Get Girl, Forgotten at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

Happy Holidays, Listeners! In the spirit of the holiday season, we are reflecting and celebrating some awesome conversations we had this year. First up is Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of Woman of Light! What happens when you take tea leaf reading, family secrets, and powerful premonitions and blend them into an epic Western novel? You get Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s Woman of Light. On today’s episode, we talk about her deep Denver roots and the family stories that inspired her newest novel.  Woman of Light is an epic yet intimate story that shows three generations of women trying to make a life in the perilous ’30s American West. This novel follows Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, who is left with her aunt to make ends meet after her older brother is run out of town by a violent white mob. Get Woman of Light at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

If you were to create a secret society of people who sleep on their sides, what would you call it? Today, we sit down with R.F. Kuang to talk about her popular novel. She also shares why people take on different personalities in different languages, why translation plays such a big role in her novel, and why bananas are so funny.  Babel is a fantasy epic set in 19th-century England and follows Robin who, after being taken from China, is sent to Oxford University. There, he learns about silver-working, a method that harnesses the powers of translation to create magical effects. But as Robin uncovers how this magic is abused, he must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in order to stop those in power.   Get Babel at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

Would you rather lose control of your mind or your body? What if you lost control of both? Repeat BOTM author Stacy Willingham’s newest novel explores these questions and more. She joins us today to talk about dangerous things like saying howdy to a pirate, our obsession with murder, and the South’s haunted past.  All the Dangerous Things tells the story of Isabella Drake, a mother who literally can’t sleep ever since her son went missing a year ago. When she agrees to an interview with a true-crime podcaster, her insomnia makes her doubt what is true about the night her son disappeared.  Get All the Dangerous Things at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

If you’re scared of heights, can your dream circus act still be to walk on the tightrope? Our next author thinks so. We’re talking with Amita Parikh about her debut novel, The Circus Train. We dive deep into embarrassing family secrets, our fascination with the circus, and why book people should care more about sports.  The Circus Train follows Lena, who is the daughter of a headlining illusionist in a traveling circus during WWII. Yet, Lena’s different from the rest — she wants to study science at a university and she’s in a wheelchair. When she rescues Alexandre, everything changes and Lena must find her own path in the midst of such despair and darkness.  Get The Circus Train at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.

Would writers survive the end of the world? Is LASIK eye surgery the key to an apocalyptic future? And what roles do isolation and connection play in a world ravaged by destructive storms? We answer these questions and more with author Lily Brooks-Dalton.  The Light Pirate follows the life of Wanda, a girl named after the “once-in-a-lifetime” storm that ravaged her home state of Florida. As temperatures and waters rise, and as storms come harder and faster, Wanda and her family have to learn to adapt to the changing climate. Moving from childhood to adulthood, Wanda loses family, gains community, and ultimately, seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature. Get The Light Pirate at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

Boozy grandmothers are truly the life of any holiday party. In today’s episode, Alison talks about what Christmas looks like in Portland, complete with brunch mimosas, fancy cocktails, and Voodoo donuts. She also shares how Bill Pullman was her inspiration for Jack, the butch lesbian, and how consent is really cool when it comes to romance novels.  Kiss Her Once for Me tells the story of Ellie, a struggling artist working at a coffee shop in Portland. When the coffee shop’s landlord Andrew needs to marry someone in order to secure his recent inheritance, Ellie steps in. But Ellie finds out that Andrew’s sister Jack is the mysterious woman Ellie fell for on Christmas Eve last year. Time to cozy up with this delightful holiday tale as old as time: boy meets girl, girl meets boy’s sister. Get Kiss Her Once for Me at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

Happy Thanksgiving, listeners! In celebration of the holiday season, we are re-airing our very first episode of VBT, featuring author Adriana Trigiani. We spoke with Adriana about the power of sharing family stories, as well as the role food plays in our lives. All of which is perfectly on theme! Every conversation with Adriana Trigiani is one to remember. According to Adriana, this one was years of manifestation in the making! Editorial Director Brianna Goodman and Editorial Associate Jerrod MacFarlane sit down with Adriana to talk about how stories are everywhere, especially in your own family tree. Get ready to laugh when you listen to this episode of Virtual Book Tour. After all, it’s not every day that an author makes someone who reads books for a living rethink how they view an entire genre.  The Good Left Undone is a historical fiction spanning four generations of Italian women as they navigate love, identity, and family legacy.. If you love art, romance, and WWII history, then this is the book for you!  Get The Good Left Undone at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

We’re taking an emotional journey with our next guest, Onyi Nwabineli. Her debut novel Someday, Maybe tackles some really tough subjects like suicide, grief, and guilt. Onyi shares what it was like to dive deep into these emotions, what sparked the idea for this story, and we even play a little game where we learn what the being 'Keeper of the Cup' entails.  Someday, Maybe tells the story of Eve, who has suffered the unimaginable. In the aftermath of her husband’s suicide, she is battling with feelings of grief and guilt. But through the transformative power of love, Eve starts to grow stronger and more hopeful. This emotional, devastatingly frank account of grief’s many faces will have you in your feelings. Get Someday, Maybe at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

Today, we get to ask a screenwriter-turned-author the most important question of them all: Is the book always better than the movie? Ruth Emmie Lang joins us today to talk about her newest novel, The Wilderwomen, and she shares what her go-to road trip necessities are.   The Wilderwomen follows two sisters: one sister who can see the future; the other people’s memories. When the girls meet up five years after their mother’s disappearance, they start to uncover the answer to the question that has been haunting them for years: Why did she leave? Get The Wilderwomen at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.  Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com