Chatter on Books

On today's show, the gang debates "Books vs bytes" and what's better for people to read, and they also look back at their favorite library / librarian. Then Washington Post movie critic Ann Hornaday sits in to discuss her book "Talking Pictures : How To Watch Movies", and to get her take on the Oscars, and how she approaches her reviews for films, and of course, they close out with their deserted island recommendations, but this time with a movie as well as a book!

On today's episode, Marc kicks things off with his book report on 'The Virgin Suicides" (with some great insight from Michael), and then they all talk about their favorite books about Presidents ( in honor of President's Day). After that, Pete Souza sits in to talk about his book "Shade : A Tale of Two Presidents", and also about his time as a White House Photographer, and the gang closes things out with their deserted island recommendations.

On today's episode, Marc is shocked to find out that his book report on "The Virgin Suicides" was due today...so he'll be getting marked a grade down for that! Torie also leads a discussion about the gang's favorite book from their childhood. Then they welcome in author Dan Pink to talk about his fascinating book "When : The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing", and they close things out with their books you'd need on a deserted island!

Torie, Marc, Michael and Jeanne begin by talking about what they read for guilty pleasures, plus they have a new idea for the show that will give Marc some homework. Then they welcome in their guest authors : Eric Scmitt and Thom Shanker of the New York Times to talk about the book "Counterstrike : The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Quaeda". And of course - they have recommendations for books you'd need on a deserted island!

The gang is back in studio, and they kick things off by talking about "Pride and Prejudice" (it was published on January 28th, 1813), then Torie gives a pop quiz about bad book reviews, and after that, Pulitzer Prize winning writers Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan sit down to talk about two recent books they've worked on : "Prison Angel : Mother Antonia's Journey from Beverly Hills to a life of service in a Mexican Jail", and "Hope : A Memoir of survival in Cleveland".

Torie, Marc, Michael, Jeanne and David are back in studio and the first topic they tackle is who should write a book in 2019 that everyone would want to read. They also look at some famous authors born in January, and they discuss two opposing critiques of Bob Woodward's book "Fear". Then author and journalist Cokie Roberts sits in to talk about her life in journalism and her books - specifically on the women of the revolutionary war - and they close out with book recommendations for you!

Torie, Marc, David and Jeanne (and special guest Karril Kornheiser) talk about the end of 2018, and the beginning of 2019. They discuss resolutions, diet books, what books inspired them over the years, and then get into a great talk about the concept of fame. They also have some thoughts as to what might be big hits in the coming year - and of course - they close with recommendations for books you'd want on a deserted island!

Torie and Marc are joined in studio by Jeanne McManus, David Aldridge and Michael Kornheiser and they spend some time talking about the late great William Safire (who would have been celebrating a birthday this week). Then ESPN's Tim Kurkjian sits in to talk about his three baseball books, and share some incredible stories from his over three decades of covering baseball, and they close out with some book recommendations you'd need if you were stuck on a deserted island.

Torie and Marc are joined in studio by Jeanne McManus and David Aldridge, and they start out by talking about the list of the best books of 2018, and about who gets to decide what's best. Then they welcome in their guest author - Jon Sopel of the BBC - to talk about his new book "If Only They Didn't Speak English : Notes from Trump's America". And of course, they finish out with their one book you'd need on a deserted island!

On this week's episode, it's Torie, Marc, Jeanne and Michael and they spend some time talking about the passing of George H.W. Bush and then about Margaret Atwood and the nature of dystopian novels. Then Marc, on the eve of the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, goes through a number of books on WWII. After that Reverend Mark Schaefer about his book "The Certainty of Uncertainty", and they close things out by giving recommendations for books you'd need if you were stranded on a desert island.

Torie and Marc are joined in studio by Jeanne McManus and Jamie McIntyre and their guest author : Sarah Pekkanen. They talk to Sarah about her new book "The Wife Between Us" and her creative process. She also talks about pitching books to movie studios and they kick around casting ideas. They also talk about Michelle Obama's book, and which books made better movies than the book actually was, and they close out one book each that you'd have to have on your deserted island!

On this latest episode, the gang get started with a big hello - and a quick Q a& A with David about the injury to Redskins QB Alex Smith - and then Donna Brazile sits down to talk about her new book "Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns that put Donald Trump in the White House". And they cover a lot of ground with Donna - from the Russian hacks, to why the Clinton campaign faltered, what to look for in 2020 - and most importantly : some great Thanksgiving day recipes!

On today's show, Torie and Marc are joined in studio by David Aldridge, Jeanne McManus and Michael Kornheiser. They begin by paying tribute to the Stan Lee, who passed away at the age of 95. Then Marc breaks the news that his book "Simon The Sea Cat" is finally out, and next, author S.L. Price sits in to discuss his new book "Playing Through the Whistle : Steel, Football, and an American Town", and they close out by giving one title each of a book you would have read if you were stuck on a desert island

It's a big party for the first show! Torie and Marc are joined by Davod Aldridge, Jeanne McManus, Jamie McIntyre - plus author Mark Leibovich joins them to talk about his new book "Big Game : The NFL in Dangerous Times". They also chat with author Todd Purdum on the phone to get his thoughts on the state of our political world on the eve of the midterm elections, and also about show tunes! All of that, plus at some point Marc gets up to get everyone drinks, because yeah - that's how this show rolls!

Hello and welcome to Chatter on Books! Hosted by Torie Clarke and Marc Sterne, this podcast will meet weekly on Monday's at 5:30 at the restaurant Chatter (on the corner of Wisconsin and Jenifer streets if you want to stop by and join in on the fun!) Every week there will be interviews with authors, and lots of lively discussions about what we are reading, what we hate, and what we love! This show will be many things, but boring won't be one of them!