You may not know the name Judith Jones, but you’ve certainly felt this dynamic woman’s impact and influence on culture. Judith Jones was the editor behind books like The Diary of Anne Frank and Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Dr. Heather Sandison on How to Reverse (or Prevent!) Alzheimer’s and Take Back Control and Power Over Our Cognitive Health

Jun 13th, 2024 52m 50s

Alzheimer’s and finding a cure for it is a cause I am deeply passionate about; we have spoken about it on the show many times before. I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring you today’s guest, Dr. Heather Sandison, who is here to talk to us about

Erika Ayers Badan on the Best Career Advice She’s Found, Being Passionate About Your Work, Her Time as CEO of Barstool Sports, and Why Failure Is Important to Success

Jun 11th, 2024 45m 51s

I’m really excited to bring you today’s conversation with Erika Ayers Badan, who you might know as the woman formerly known as Erika Nardini. (Erika got married, and that explains the name change.) Erika is perhaps most well-known as not just t

Corey Mead on Fascinating Secrets of the White House and What It Means to America

Jun 10th, 2024 35m 57s

Just when you think you know everything there is to know about the White House, here comes Corey Mead and his book The Hidden History of the White House: Power Struggles, Scandals, and Defining Moments, which came out June 4. This book is prese

Trailblazing Journalist Lynn Povich on Becoming the First Female Senior Editor of Newsweek and the Legacy of the First Female Class Action Lawsuit It Took to Make that Possible

Jun 7th, 2024 35m 54s

I’m pulling out the champagne and raising a glass to I’d Rather Be Reading, my passion project and the work of my life, a show that celebrates nonfiction books (and, occasionally, some fiction books and children’s books and cookbooks, too) whic

Garrett M. Graff on the Human Element of Both the September 11, 2001, Attacks and D-Day in World War II, Which Took Place 80 Years Ago Today

Jun 6th, 2024 47m 52s

When I invited Garrett M. Graff on the show, I did so to chat about his incredible book The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11, which came out in 2019. What I didn’t realize was that, by happenstance, Garrett had another oral histor

Jennifer Romolini on the Dark Side of Ambition, Experiencing Burnout, and How Workaholism is Connected to Childhood Trauma

Jun 4th, 2024 51m 11s

I wasn’t expecting, through Jennifer Romolini’s memoir Ambition Monster, to feel as seen as I was. About workaholism. Ambition addiction. Achievement addiction. Why I am that way. Why I experienced debilitating burnout, which, if you’ve ever ex

Julie Satow on the Twentieth Century Department Store and the Powerhouse Women Who Ran Them—and Helped Define American Fashion in the Process

Jun 2nd, 2024 35m 23s

Welcome back to I’d Rather Be Reading—both the start of season 12 and, later this week, our three-year anniversary! We’ve got so much good in store this season, and I’m thrilled, as ever, to be back with you after one long week of a hiatus. Tod

Sunny Hostin on Her Latest Work of Fiction in the Three-Part Summer Beach Series, “Summer on Highland Beach,” and the Magic of Historically Black Beach Communities

May 26th, 2024 28m 57s

We have come to our season 11 finale, unbelievably, and to mark the occasion we have the fantastic, dynamic Sunny Hostin here to talk about her latest book, the third novel in her New York Times bestselling Summer Beach series, Summer on Highla

Dr. Katy Milkman on How to Change and Get from Where You Are To Where You Want To Be

May 23rd, 2024 45m 37s

One of the most important books written in the last few years is Dr. Katy Milkman’s 2021 book How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, which focuses on the study of behavior change. This is a groundbreak

Elizabeth Beller on the Life and Legacy of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

May 21st, 2024 37m 55s

When it comes to people I am most compelled by, living or dead, right there at the top of the list is Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. And, actually, one of the parts of Carolyn I am the least compelled by is who she married, even though, trust me, I

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan—Also Known as The Fug Girls—On (In My Opinion Anyway) Basically Creating the Subgenre of Royal Fiction with The Royal We and The Heir Affair

May 20th, 2024 43m 30s

Welcome to episode three of three in my royal fiction series, which we started with Katharine McGee, continued with Linda Keir, and are finishing with Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, authors of both The Royal We and The Heir Affair. I would a

Happiness Expert Stephanie Harrison on What We’ve Gotten Wrong About Happiness Heretofore and How We Can Embrace the “New Happy”

May 16th, 2024 36m 56s

One of my absolute new favorite people is Stephanie Harrison, author of the book New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That’s Got It Wrong, which came out this past Tuesday, May 14. This book is being billed as “the definitive guide to

Plum Sykes on Her Latest Novel, Which Takes Us Inside the World of the Glamorous, High-Society English Countryside and Introduces Us to “the Country Princess”

May 14th, 2024 48m 4s

There is no novel better than a Plum Sykes novel, and I have mentioned on the show what a fan I am of Plum’s work—and of Plum, period, end of story. I have another special fiction pick for you listeners as we’re starting to plan summer beach tr

Adam Higginbotham on the Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster

May 13th, 2024 52m 43s

First things first: today’s episode is fantastic, but deals with some really heavy, difficult subject matter. Please be advised, and please take care of yourself and listen as you’re able. On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger brok

Elise Loehnen on How and Why Women Are Culturally Programmed and Deeply Controlled by the Desire to Be “Good”

May 10th, 2024 41m 9s

I was doing my scroll of all of my favorite magazine’s sites when I saw a headline on Vanity Fair that read “Elise Loehnen Would Like Mothers to Give Themselves a Break.” Now, look, I’m not even a mother, and even I get how much mothers giving

Susan Page on the Legendary Broadcast Journalist and Television Personality Barbara Walters, Both Onscreen and Off

May 9th, 2024 30m 3s

Today on the show we’re talking about the legend that is Barbara Walters. We actually have another journalist I admire, Susan Page, who wrote The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (which just came out on April 23), talking abou

Roger Lewis on Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s Passionate, Glamorous, and Sometimes Ridiculous Love Story

May 8th, 2024 39m 48s

When it comes to women I find totally compelling, Elizabeth Taylor tops the list for me. Why, you may ask? Well, her Academy Award-winning career and her talent onscreen, for starters. Her beauty, specifically her violet eyes. Her work with AID

Jen Psaki on Life as White House Press Secretary and Her Best, Most Effective Communication Tips and Tricks from Her 22-Year Career in the Field

May 7th, 2024 26m 4s

I have two surprise, special episodes for you this week, including today’s chat with none other than Jen Psaki! Yes, that’s right, the Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary and current TV host extraordinaire. Jen has a new book out

Mary Kay Andrews on Her Secret to Longevity and How to Use Setting or Place as a Character In a Bestselling Novel

May 6th, 2024 28m 5s

We’re continuing to add to your beach read pile today with another fiction pick I couldn’t get enough of: Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews, which is out May 7. Mary Kay is so talented at making the setting or the place of her books as a

Hannah Brown on Writing Romance Fiction, Love, Wedding Planning, and Why She Made Mistakes a Central Theme in Her Fiction Debut

May 2nd, 2024 30m 55s

Hi listeners! I have a very exciting announcement today—our episode today marks our 200th episode! Most podcasts don’t make it to 100 episodes, and to make it to 200 is a milestone I am so, so proud of and thrilled to achieve. All of you know t

Erik Larson on Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln, and the Path Leading Up to the Civil War’s Beginnings in 1861

Apr 30th, 2024 25m 2s

In his latest book The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, Erik Larson—who I think is one of the best if not the best historical nonfiction writers there is—takes us back to the beginnings of

April Simpkins on Her Daughter, Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, Her Ongoing Legacy, and the Importance of Mental Health Advocacy

Apr 28th, 2024 41m

Hi listeners—in our conversation today, we will be discussing suicide. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, please text STRENGTH to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or visit crisistextline.org to be connected to a certified crisis

Dr. Meg Jay on What It's Like to Be a Twentysomething Today, and Why the Twenties Are Such a Challenging Decade in One’s Life

Apr 26th, 2024 37m 4s

In her book The Twentysomething Treatment: A Revolutionary Remedy for an Uncertain Age, clinical psychologist Dr. Meg Jay writes of the 75 million adults between the ages of 18 and 35 that most of them “are living through the most uncertain yea

Sam McAlister on Securing the Infamous Prince Andrew Interview for BBC’s Newsnight, the Basis of Netflix’s New Film Scoop

Apr 24th, 2024 34m 17s

One of the buzziest films of the month is Netflix’s new movie Scoop starring Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell—it came out April 5 and is about the BBC’s process of securing Prince Andrew to appear on its program Newsnight, which he ultimately