Book of the Month Live

Author Marisa Kashino sat down in our headquarters to discuss her debut novel Best Offer Wins. She talks about her pivot from real estate reporting to housing horror, her increasingly unhinged protagonist, and whether a flash mob-filled street is a homebuying dealbreaker.  After 11 unsuccessful bids, a desperate homebuyer in a cutthroat market will stop at nothing to snag her dream home. As ambition gives way to obsession, she resorts to increasingly extreme measures to win the house (and the life) she's always dreamed of.  Get Best Offer Wins at bookofthemonth.com.  Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

Author Stacia Stark came by our headquarters to talk about her new Romantasy, We Who Will Die. Naturally, the conversation turned to her Roman Empire, one filled with vampires, gladiators, fighting to the death, and second chance love.  Enter the perilous Thorn district, where vampires and gladiators collide and Arvelle is caught between them. After vowing to assassinate an ancient vampire emperor, she's forced into a deadly gladiator arena and an uneasy alliance with her vampire ex boyfriend.  Get We Who Will Die at bookofthemonth.com.  Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

In this special episode recorded at the Aspen Literary Festival presented by Book of the Month, debut authors Kristin Koval, Anika Jade Levy, and Eliana Ramage give candid thoughts on first novels, family themes, and the pure magic of getting published. From origin stories to audience questions, they discuss what it takes to go from blank page to Book of the Month pick. About Penitence: When murder rocks a Colorado family, old secrets resurface, and long-lost love returns. Spanning decades and coasts, one family grapples with guilt, forgiveness, and the mess of trying to make things right. About Flat Earth: In a crumbling near-future New York, a young woman spirals through grad school, sugar daddies, and watching her best friend become the next big thing. This darkly funny debut explores transactional love, female friendship, and some unexpected conspiracy theories.  About To the Moon and Back: Steph Harper is determined to escape her past—and Earth—with a dream to become an astronaut. As she pushes toward space, and past the Cherokee Nation where she was raised, the women around her navigate their own journeys of identity, ambition, and belonging.  Get Penitence, Flat Earth, and To the Moon and Back at bookofthemonth.com.  Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.  

Author Thea Weiss came by our headquarters to chat about her debut novel, The Second Chance Cinema, and things got nostalgic fast. She shares thoughts on lasting love, the memories that make us, and, of course, the movies.  A couple on the brink of marriage stumbles upon a hidden theatre that screens their real life memories, forcing them to confront forgotten moments, buried truths, and old versions of themselves. As the past plays out on screen, they must decide whether revisiting it will strengthen their future or unravel it.  Get The Second Chance Cinema at bookofthemonth.com.  Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.  

Author Stephanie Garber visited our headquarters to discuss her first adult book, Alchemy of Secrets. During our conversation, we learned what it was like for Stephanie to start writing for a new audience, along with a few other important things about her–she's obsessed with urban legends, she makes excellent kettle corn, and she wouldn't be surprised if magic turned out to be real.  When Holland, a grad student, takes a mysterious course called Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, she becomes convinced that there's more to Los Angeles than meets the eye. As she realizes that the legends might contain elements of truth, she gets caught up in a web of magic, secrets, and lies.  Get Alchemy of Secrets at bookofthemonth.com.  Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.