Book of the Month Live

Author Rachel Wood stopped by our headquarters to discuss her new workplace romance, Annie Knows Everything. What followed went well beyond water cooler chat: a lively conversation about office politics, corporate jargon, and a headstrong heroine HR would not approve of. After getting fired, Annie bluffs her way into a job she's widely unqualified for, working under an infuriatingly attractive boss who isn't buying it. Now she must survive the job, resist her growing feelings, and stop her sister's disastrous engagement, without everything falling apart. Get Annie Knows Everything at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

Author Laura Brooke Robson stopped by our headquarters to discuss her new book, Love is an Algorithm. We got into AI, of course, but also the value of human relationships, not-exactly-happy endings, and what it means to stay creative through it all. Opposites attract when an emotional musician meets a logical tech developer. But as his AI-powered dating app takes off, meddling chatbots and quantifiable data force them to navigate some unexpected realities of love in the digital age. Get Love is an Algorithm at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

Lolly winner Charlotte McConaghy joined us to discuss the Book of the Year, Wild Dark Shore. There was a celebratory toast (obviously), plus talk of her real life voyage to a seed vault, environmental urgency, and the teenage moment that made her a writer. In the 2025 Book of the Year, the Salt family tends the world's most precious seeds on a remote island. When a mysterious woman appears during a violent storm, secrets surface and suspense builds amid the breathtaking landscape. Get Wild Dark Shore at bookofthemonth.com.

Leodora Darlington stopped by our office to chat about her debut novel The Exes, and immediately started spilling secrets. We got into her original (much deadlier) working title, daddy issues, and dating red flags. It's a conversation about rage, relationships, and the monsters we inherit. Natalie is searching for "the one," but her dating history comes with a body count and lapse of memory. As old secrets claw their way into her new relationship, she's forced to confront what really happened to the men she left behind. Get The Exes at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

Author Grant Ginder joined us at our headquarters to talk parties, the passage of time, and his novel So Old, So Young. Much like the book itself, our conversation spanned decades, touching on evolving friendships, wedding PTSD, and the realities of millennial middle age. Over the course of two decades and five parties, a group of college friends navigates the messy realities of adulthood–new cities, new spouses, and plenty of growing pains. As life pulls them in different directions, they're forced to confront how friendship evolves, and if theirs will endure. Get So Old, So Young at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

Author Melissa de la Cruz joined us at our headquarters to discuss her new romantasy, Rings of Fate. With nearly 90 books under her belt, she imparted wisdom on crafting flawed heroes, pitching a "sexy Lord of the Rings" to your publisher, and why brooding isn't always better. Cynical barmaid Aren Bellamore never saw herself as anyone's princess, least of all a cursed prince's prince's fiancée. But after a fake engagement draws her into a dangerous quest to save their kingdoms, she must face magic, monsters, and some very inconvenient feelings. Get Rings of Fate at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-live.

We caught up with author Madeline Cash at the launch party for her debut novel, Lost Lambs. Surrounded by friends, fans, and her boyfriend's entire extended family, we discussed manifesting a book deal, a failed lamb photoshoot, and the family dysfunction that drives her debut. The Flynn family is unraveling–romantically, emotionally, and possibly morally–in a small seaside town. But when an open marriage collapses, gnats swarm the church, and conspiracies flare, the chaos could be just enough to tangle them all up together again. Get Lost Lambs at bookofthemonth.com. Learn more about Book of the Month LIVE at bookofthemonth.com/botm-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.