Chatter on Books Torie Clarke

“Relentless.”
Chatter rolls with David, Torie, Jamie, and Claude. Jamie’s just back from Costa Rica – a definite yes for travel.  They bid a fond farewell to the iconic Eddie Sands, father of David, Steve, and Michael and patriarch of the iconic Calvert Woodley Fine Wines and Spirits.  Joe Drape joins to debrief on “Broken Horses,” the NYT expose on horse racing and its darker side.  Award winning, best selling, COB alum Susan Page zooms in to share “The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters.” Forget everything you thought you knew about the iconic journalist, Walters overcame and endured multiple challenges in her professional quest to be the best.  Page conducted over 150 interviews and researched extensively to “uncover so much more” about Walters, as Connie Chung put it.  Susan “Goes Local” with DC’s West End Public Library.  They serve everyone in a diverse community, but we have to get Susan’s books on the shelves!

“You never know about tomorrow.”
Chatter rolls with Torie and COB’s favorite Mayor, Jud Ashman. The eclipse eclipses March Madness. Shout outs to Rob Dundon, Jake, and COB authors in Middleburg Books. They debate the funniest novels (sort of), and Jud briefs the May 18 Gaithersburg Book Festival.   Over a hundred authors and events and good weather guaranteed. Plus it’s free. Award winning and thrill seeking author Eric Blehm zooms in with “The Darkest White.” Harrowing and inspiring, his gripping account of the short life of legendary snowboarder Craig Kelly mesmerizes and inspires.

“The book he was meant to write.”
Chatter rolls with David, Torie, and Jamie. March Madness rules and inspires book ideas. Torie spots COB authors in airports and on The Atlantic’s best novels list.  Best selling, award winning, and all around cool guy James Grady zooms in to share “The Smoke in Our Eyes.”  With his typically brilliant writing and imagination, Grady captures a very modern coming of age story.  In Going Local, he chats up the Toole County Library, his favorite place in Shelby, Montana.

“Secrets that should be told.”
Chatter rolls in like a lion with David, Torie, Jamie, and special guest Ann Hornaday.  In addition to the usual, they’re talking about non-books things like Caitlin Clark – awesome.  Award winning Wash Post movie critic Ann Hornaday joins for Oscar buzz and what makes a good book into a good movie (or not!).  NYT bestseller Liza Mundy zooms in to share “The Sisterhood,” her revelatory history of the role of women in the CIA.  With meticulous research and wonderful storytelling, Liza tells important stories unheard for too long.  As part of COB’s “Go Local,” she chats up her favorite libraries and independent bookstores.  DC’s MLK Library gets her nod for a Chatter on Books donation.

“It’s really life lessons.”
Chatter rolls with David, Torie, and celebrity mixologist Rodney Ferguson.  They break down the Super Bowl and marvel at the life well lived by remarkable publisher (think “Jaws,: “The Exorcist,” and “Catcher in the Rye”).  Student of life and former Mafia associate Louis Ferrante zooms in to share “Borgata: Rise of Empire, a History of the American Mafia.”  Ferrante blends personal anecdotes with a remarkable grasp of history to track the rise of organized crime in America.  This is part one of a trilogy – he will be back!

“Ferrari Brain”
Chatter rolls with Claude, Torie, and Jamie. They hope the best for King Charles, and Torie gets to rave about Pebble Beach.  The “most checked out books” includes “The Snowy Day,”  and Jamie’s all over it.  Prolific writer and book doctor Mark Wish zooms in to share his (according to Torie) somewhat autobiographical “Necessary Deeds.” Wish’s protagonist is a literary agent turned convict, imprisoned for a crime of passion. “Necessary Deeds” quickly goes down a twisting and wonderful mind path of revenge and redemption.