Tag Archives: Viking Press

E124: Interview with J. Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

May 25, 2023Author Interviewkitchens of the great midwest, midwest, Minnesota, Pamela Dorman Books, penguin random house, Saturday night at the lakeside supper club, supper clubs, the lager queen of minnesota, Viking Presstopshelfatmerricklibrary

I can’t think of a better place to be than Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club! This latest from NYT bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, is a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and divides them. I loved this book from cover to cover! We talk about character development, the structure of the book, the wonder of supper clubs and so much more. Thank you J. Ryan Stradal, I had a blast!

J. Ryan Stradal recommends They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey.

Follow J. Ryan Stradal on Instagram and Twitter: @jryanstradal. Reserve his books right here!

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Episode 96 : Interview with Geraldine Brooks author of Horse

June 13, 2022Author InterviewAmerican Historical Fiction, art, Geraldine Brooks, Horse, kentucky, penguin random house, people of the book, pulitzer prize winner, race, slavery, Viking Presstopshelfatmerricklibrary

“Horse isn’t just an animal story—it’s a moving narrative about race and art.”
—TIME

A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, Pulitzer Prize winner G eraldine Brooks braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and racial injustice across American history. Horse is a fascinating and richly compelling story that I could not put down.

What a thrill and honor to host Geraldine Brooks for this episode. We talked about the greatest racehorse of all time, the Kentucky Derby, bone articulation (trust me) and what she’s working on next and our love for The Overstory by Richard Powers. Place you hold here for all work by the fabulous Geraldine Brooks!

Geraldine Brooks recommends: The Overstory by Richard Powers

Follow her on Twitter: @geraldinebrooks and on Facebook @GeraldineBrooks

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Episode 71: Interview with Nathaniel Philbrick

September 24, 2021Author InterviewAuthor Interview, Friday Reads, George Washington, Long Island, Nathaniel Philbrick, penguin random house, Readers Advisory, Staff Pick, Viking Presstopshelfatmerricklibrary

What happened to George Washington after the Revolution? Find out in Nathaniel Philbrick’s latest bestselling book, Travels with George: In Search of George Washington and His Legacy.

Among other things, we talk about George Washington’s trip through Long Island, Philbrick’s love for libraries, and his excellent traveling companions. An absolutely delightful interview… thank you Nathaniel!

Award winning author Nathaniel Philbrick recommends, Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

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Episode 58: Interview with Flynn Berry

April 15, 2021Author InterviewAuthor Interview, Book Discussion, book discussions, Friday Reads, penguin random house, Readers Advisory, Staff Pick, Viking Presstopshelfatmerricklibrary

Talk about thrillers! Flynn Berry’s debut, Under the Harrow, won the 2017 Edgar award for best first novel. That book and Berry’s follow up, A Double Life, were both NYT Editors’ Choices. Berry’s latest, Northern Spy, takes readers to Northern Island on a journey you won’t soon forget. It’s a heart-pounding story of the contemporary IRA and a moving portrait of sister- and motherhood, and of life in a deeply divided society.

For this episode, we talked about the surprising things she learned while researching the book, writing habits from book to book, her playlist and more. Flynn Berry, thank you so much for joining me for this episode!

Northern Spy is a Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick, and an Indie Next Pick. The NYT Book Review says Northern Spy is “…a chilling, gorgeously written tale…Berry keeps the tension almost unbearably high.”

Author Elizabeth Wetmore, New York Times bestselling author of Valentine (E49) says, “Tense, terrifying, and briskly paced, Flynn Berry’s Northern Spy is not only a thrilling tale of espionage and conflicting loyalties in a deeply divided Northern Ireland, it is also a tender and honest portrayal of those fierce, all-consuming early days of motherhood and the complicated bonds between sisters, mothers, and daughters. A stunning story, beautifully told. I couldn’t put it down.”