The Women Books & More’s Podcast

What if one seemingly random moment changed the entire course of your life?

In Chris Bohjalian’s gripping new novel, The Amateur, eighteen-year-old Mira Winston is a gifted golfer with a promising future. Then, on a hot summer day in 1978, a ball she hits tears through a practice net at an affluent Westchester country club and kills a teenage caddy named Kenny Foster.

At first, everyone agrees it was a terrible accident. But questions soon emerge—about the net, about Mira and about the secrets concealed behind the club’s polished manners. Before long, Mira is on trial.

Chris joins Irene Rawlings to discuss the personal experiences that inspired The Amateur, including his own years as a teenage caddy; why golf provides such a revealing window into class and privilege; and what the older Mira understands about guilt, memory and responsibility that her eighteen-year-old self could not.

They also talk about Mira’s troubling relationship with an older, married club member; the adults who fail to protect her; the importance of keeping Kenny and his family at the heart of the story; and how Chris keeps readers questioning what really happened until the final pages.

Chris Bohjalian is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of Midwives, The Flight Attendant, The Lioness and many other acclaimed novels chrisbohjalian.com

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Questions, comments or suggestions for future guests? Write to us at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com.

Many of us have stood in a museum before a beautiful portrait of a child and wondered: Who was she? Who did she grow up to be?

In The Renoir Girls: A Hidden History of Art, War & Betrayal, journalist and author Catherine Ostler traces the astonishing lives of Irène, Alice and Elisabeth Cahen d’Anvers—three sisters born into a wealthy Jewish banking family in Belle Époque Paris and immortalized as children by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The paintings capture the girls in a world of beauty, privilege and apparent security. But beyond their gilded childhood, their lives would take dramatically different paths through love and loss, marriage and scandal, antisemitism and two world wars. Their family’s wealth, culture and powerful social connections could not ultimately protect them from the dark forces gathering across Europe.

Catherine joins Irene Rawlings to discuss the sisters’ privileged upbringing; their formidable mother, Louise, whose passion for art, music and literature helped shape their world; and Renoir himself, whose luminous paintings stand in troubling contrast to his attitudes toward Jewish people.

She also takes us behind the scenes of her own remarkable detective story. Drawing upon letters, diaries, archives and previously unpublished family material, Catherine pieces together the lives of three women who had largely disappeared behind the fame of the artist who painted them.

For more about Catherine Ostler: catherineostler.com

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And…we would love to hear from you. Write to us with your thoughts, questions or book suggestions at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com.

What happens when Death (the main character of this book) learns to love life?

In Ben Reeves’s Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, Death is a man named Travis Smith. He quietly accompanies people at the ends of their lives—not causing death but making the passage a little gentler.

Then Travis meets eight-year-old Layla.

Boisterous, curious and determined to be his friend, Layla draws the solitary Travis into her family. Her mother, Dalia, is a midwife—a woman who ushers people into the world while Travis accompanies them out of it. Through them, Travis (Death) discovers friendship, family, love and attachment.

On this episode of Women, Books & More, host Irene Rawlings talks with Ben Reeves about creating Death as a tender and surprisingly sympathetic protagonist and the novel’s exploration of grief, mortality and the fleeting beauty of being alive.

They also talk about Death’s hobby of restoring old photographs, the symbolism of mayflies whose bright-and-glorious lives last just a day, and the question at the heart of the novel: If you understood how fleeting life really was, would you experience an ordinary moment differently?

An early version of Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt won the 2024 Bath Novel Award.

Learn more about Ben Reeves and his work:
https://benreeves.co.uk/

What are you reading? What are your recommendations for me? And who would you like to hear on Women, Books & More?

Email us at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com.

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Acclaimed nature writer Amy Irvine joins Irene Rawlings on Women, Books & More to discuss her powerful new memoir, Almost Animal.

For more than twenty years, Amy has written about the American West and our relationship with the natural world. In this deeply personal conversation, she reflects on motherhood, identity, belonging, and the challenge of holding onto yourself while caring for others.

Together, Irene and Amy explore the courage it takes to write a memoir, the expectations placed on women, the restorative power of wild places, and how Almost Animal became a story of resilience, self-discovery, and finding your way back to yourself.

For more about Amy Irvine: amyirvine.com

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We'd also love to hear from you. Tell us what you're reading, suggest authors you'd like us to interview, or simply say hello. You can reach us anytime at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com.

Bestselling author Chanel Cleeton joins Women, Books & More to discuss her new novel, An Infinite Love Story. Set during the early years of America's Space Race, the novel shines a light on the women whose courage, resilience, and sacrifices unfolded behind the headlines.

Chanel shares the surprising inspiration behind the book, the extensive research that brought Cape Canaveral and the early NASA years to life, and how her own experience as the wife of an American fighter pilot shaped the story. We also talk about love, history, journalism, military families, and why history's biggest moments are often lived one family at a time.

If you enjoy historical fiction, compelling conversations, and stories inspired by real events, you'll love this episode of Women, Books & More.

More about Chanel Cleeton: She is the bestselling author of numerous historical novels, including Next Year in Havana, a Reese's Book Club selection, and The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes. She also authored the Wild Aces Romance Series. chanelcleeton.com

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Award-winning author David Heska Wanbli Weiden joins Women, Books & More to discuss Wisdom Corner, the eagerly awaited sequel to his acclaimed debut, Winter Counts.

Host Irene Rawlings explores the return of Virgil Wounded Horse, whose search for justice on South Dakota's Rosebud Reservation becomes far more than a murder investigation. Their conversation examines contemporary Native life, the complexities of tribal, state and federal law, the lasting impact of Native boarding schools, and the larger questions of justice, identity and community that lie at the heart of the novel.

Weiden also talks about creating Virgil Wounded Horse, weaving authentic cultural details into a fast-paced thriller, and why crime fiction can both entertain and deepen our understanding of the world.

About the Author: David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation and a professor of English and Native American & Indigenous Studies at Stony Brook University. His novels have earned widespread acclaim for combining compelling mysteries with powerful explorations of Native life, justice and resilience. https://davidweiden.com/

We'd love to hear from you. Email us at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com with your suggestions for future guests or simply to share your latest favorite read. Your recommendations help shape future episodes.

Until next time, happy reading!

 

In this episode of Women, Books & More, Irene Rawlings talks with author Catherine Kurtz about her richly imagined historical novel, Feast. Set in nineteenth-century France, the story follows Minha, a young woman with an extraordinary sense of taste who discovers she can detect poison—an ability that draws her into the kitchens and intrigues of a grand château.

Catherine shares the inspiration behind the novel, the fascinating culinary traditions of nineteenth-century France, the research that brought the story to life, and the themes of identity, resilience, and belonging that lie at the heart of Feast.

In this episode:

• The inspiration behind Minha and her extraordinary ability
• The culinary traditions of nineteenth-century France
• The little-known history of poison tasters
• Bringing the world of Château Bellefalaise to life
• Why Feast is about far more than food

Learn more about Catherine Kurtz: www.dhhliteraryagency.com/catherine-kurtz

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Bestselling author Kerri Maher, acclaimed for The Paris Bookseller, The Kennedy Debutante, and The Girl in White Gloves, joins Women, Books & More to discuss Summer of Love, her first novel not inspired by real historical figures.

The phrase “California Dreamin’” (immortalized by The Mamas & the Papas' 1965 hit) has long symbolized the idealism of the era. In Summer of Love, Kerri Maher looks beyond that mythology to explore the complexities of family, addiction, forgiveness, and the stories we inherit. Set in California's wine country, it's a moving novel about sisters, memory, resilience, and the ties that bind us across generations.

In this conversation, Kerri shares why she stepped away from historical fiction rooted in real lives to write a wholly imagined family saga, how Napa Valley became an essential character in the novel, and why the things families never say can shape generations as profoundly as the truths they tell.

The books currently on Kerri's bedside table include Love & Saffron by Kim Fay and Flashlight by Susan Choi

Learn more about Kerri Maher and her books: www.kerrimaher.com

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We'd love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions, and suggestions for future episodes to womenbooksandmore@gmail.com.