Two-Time Reese's Book Club Author Ann Patchett Thinks Everything is Autobiographical

Summary

Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Two-Time Reese’s Book Club Author Ann Patchett Thinks Everything is Autobiographical
Podcast: Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Host: Danielle Robay
Guest: Ann Patchett
Release Date: June 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this rich, candid episode, host Danielle Robay sits down with literary icon Ann Patchett—author, bookstore owner, and two-time Reese’s Book Club pick—to discuss her new novel Whistler, her unique writing process, book industry philosophies, and what it means to be an “autobiographical” writer. Patchett shares thoughtful reflections on her career, the pressures facing women writers, revisiting her past work, and why she takes major financial risks that most successful authors wouldn’t dare. The conversation balances warmth and humor with deep insights into storytelling, creativity, and living on one’s own terms.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ann Patchett’s Literary Identity – The “Mutt” Vibe

• [08:31] The episode opens with a fun question: What kind of dog would you be? Ann immediately bonds with the “mutt” label, noting her birthday even falls on National Mutt Day.
  • Quote: “I am a complete mutt… My birthday is National Mutt Day.” — Ann Patchett [08:50]
• Danielle connects this to Ann’s eclectic writing style: blending many elements across genres and stories.

Where to Begin with Ann Patchett’s Extensive Work

• [10:15] Asked which book new readers should start with, Ann says it depends on the reader:
  • Bel Canto is a common entry point.
  • Commonwealth is closest to her heart and most autobiographical.
  • Nonfiction attracts some; her novel Run resonates with male readers.
• Quote: “What book you start with would depend on who you are, because the books are really different.” — Ann Patchett [10:15]
• Why Commonwealth?
  • “It is modeled on my family story… the emotional content is very true.” — Ann Patchett [11:30]

Autobiography in Fiction: “Everything Is From Your Life”

• [12:08] Ann describes her early career as defined by a desire to avoid writing about herself, “camouflaging” personal elements. Commonwealth marked a turning point: "I wrote the story without dressing it up.” [12:08]
• [14:14] When writing Whistler, Patchett realized she didn’t care if people saw overlaps with her own life. She leans into the “everything is from your life” ethos.
  • Quote: “The change was I stopped fighting it.” — Ann Patchett [14:14]
• She emphasizes the importance of writing the best book possible, regardless of others’ perceptions.

Literary Pressure on Women & the Desire to Be "Serious"

• [16:12] Ann and Danielle reflect on the drive for women to be taken seriously in a male-centric literary world.
  • Quote: “It’s called being a woman and living in a world where people do not take you seriously by default.” — Ann Patchett [16:34]
  • Ann used to care most about being seen as smart, but now values being nice, describing this as “growing up.” [16:31–17:46]

Industry Defiance: The No-Advance & Profit Share Model

• [18:12–22:29] Ann doesn’t pre-sell books or take advances: she completes a manuscript before anyone sees it, trusting her own standards.
  • Why? She fears owing the publisher more than not being published (“What could be more terrifying than taking money for a book you haven’t written, and then it's bad?” [19:50]).
• She pioneered a profit-share contract model: higher royalties, no advance, she pays half of publishing expenses, and gets half the profits.
  • Quote: “Women need to talk more about money… I try to talk people into doing profit share all the time.” [21:07]
• Her first profit-share book was This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage—a risky leap even her first agent opposed, prompting her to get a new agent and specialized contract.

Bookstore Ownership and Staff Profit-Sharing

• [23:39–26:33] Ann opened her Nashville bookstore despite naysayers, creating a sustainable, community-driven business. She never takes profits for herself; they’re divided among employees.
  • Quote: “I do not micromanage that business one bit. …All our profits are divided quarterly, equally among all our employees.” [25:01–26:33]

Revisiting and Annotating Her Work—Bel Canto Redux

• [30:30–35:53] Ann was asked to hand-annotate a first edition for a small indie bookstore fundraiser (post-COVID). She found the process rewarding and unexpectedly critical of her own work.
  • Revealed details about overuse of description and adverbs (“Anything that I could say once, I said three times.” [35:13])
  • Quote: “It made me so anxious to read the book. I just kept thinking, get them off the floor.” — Ann Patchett on Bel Canto [34:05]
• Used the project to renegotiate her royalty rate for all future sales of Bel Canto (“It would be indecent to tell you how smart that was.” [33:14])

Creative Process: Thinking vs. Writing

• [45:36–49:33] Ann doesn’t outline or pre-write character dossiers. She spends months or years “thinking constantly”—in bed, as meditation, and in a dream state—before writing.
  • She keeps ideas “fluid,” only sitting down to write when she’s mentally constructed most of the book.
• “I am there doing the work, but I’m not thinking about, is this from my life? I’m just like, what happens next?” [44:49]
• Explains her revision as a house metaphor: “If I think the primary suite is going to be on the second floor and then I change my mind, …I moved it. That was me.” [50:45]

Reflections on Motivation, Adaptation, & Autonomy

• Ann is uninterested in literary fame for its own sake (turning down a Stanford teaching chair “because I didn’t want that on my tombstone” [58:25]).
• Satisfied leaving her work as novels rather than movies: “I can never think of the answer to that question. What would a movie give me that I want?” [57:09]
• Values peace, privacy, and the next writing project over external validation.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Literary Sweet Spot:
  “You are my sweet spot. You are like the hardest book I can read. You make me feel like I'm reading something literary, but you're still accessible.” — Ann Patchett [54:21]
• On Everything Being Autobiographical:
  “Everything becomes autobiographical. …It’s not necessarily what happens to you. It’s what you’re afraid of or what you long for. It’s what you think about all the time.” — Ann Patchett quoting Zadie Smith [43:17]
• On Money & Women Writers:
  “Women need to talk more about money, because we don't have any idea what other people are doing or what other people are getting. And that's how you can really get in trouble.” — Ann Patchett [21:07]
• On Not Taking Film Adaptations:
  “I have seen so many people try to adapt my books into screenplays, and it’s not worked out. …I don’t want to be involved.” — Ann Patchett [57:02]
• On the Power of Book Covers:
  “When I finish my book and send it to my agent and editor, I also say, and this is the cover.” — Ann Patchett [37:43]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Ann Patchett intro and “mutt” question: [08:28–09:44]
• How to start Ann Patchett’s books: [10:15–11:28]
• Autobiography in her writing & “everything is from your life”: [12:08–14:14]
• Pressures faced as a female writer: [16:12–17:46]
• Radical publishing model (no advances, profit share): [18:12–22:29]
• Philosophy on bookstore ownership & profit sharing: [23:39–26:33]
• Revisiting and critiquing Bel Canto: [30:30–35:53]
• Creative process—thinking, dreaming, not outlining: [45:36–49:33]
• Autonomy, work-life balance, and saying no to Hollywood/academia: [57:09–58:25]
• Favorite books, speed round questions: [61:09–64:11]

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Book Recommendations & Notable Authors

• Recommended by Ann:
  • Python’s Kiss by Louise Erdrich (illustrated by her daughter Asa) [61:19]
  • John of John by Douglas Stuart [61:46]
  • The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen [62:19]
  • The Color of Water by James McBride (“a universal donor book”) [63:04]
  • This Is Happiness by Niall Williams [63:59]
  • Desert island author: Colson Whitehead [63:27]
  • Book that changed her worldview: Charlotte's Web [63:32]

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Rapid-Fire Literary Preferences (Speed Round Highlights)

• Would ban forever: First-person child narrators [62:51]
• Will defend forever: Omniscient third-person narration [63:01]
• Book that most affected her worldview: Charlotte’s Web (“I stopped eating animals when I was nine. Because of Charlotte’s Web.”) [63:32]
• Who would narrate her memoir audiobook? Meryl Streep [64:07]

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Notable and Lighthearted Moments

• Ann’s current obsession: Hanging upside down on an inversion table, which has become the craze in her Nashville neighborhood [59:46].
• On designing her own book covers and the symbolism in Whistler (“It is not a book about a horse. Not at all. And yet the horse is so symbolic for this love.”) [37:49]
• Dedication of Whistler inspired by friendship, not grief: “I had this revelation that I could take all of the love that Jim had for me, and all of the love that I had for him, and I could create two characters… and put it into a book.” [39:34]

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for any lover of books, writers, and fans of Ann Patchett. It’s an especially valuable conversation for aspiring authors, as Ann’s vulnerable, detailed revelations about craft, risk, money, autonomy, and why she refuses to follow standard industry “rules” upend expectations and offer real inspiration.

“Everything is from your life… but what matters is that I write the best book I can write.”—Ann Patchett [14:14]

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For more: Follow Reese’s Book Club and host Danielle Robay on Instagram, or tune in to future episodes for more author conversations that transcend the page.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human Right now I'm super excited for my upcoming trip to Atlanta. I'm taking my mom to celebrate her birthday. She's never been and I'm going to take her to eat all the best food, see the best jazz music, and I'm going to have to sneak in a museum or two. If you're planning any upcoming trips, you could be hosting your home on Airbnb. And now with the Co Host Network, you could hire a local co host to handle everything like managing reservations, guest communication, and even styling your space. Find a co [e-mail] host the autograph journey Credit Card from Wells Fargo is built for travel. You can earn rewards wherever you book your favorite hotel, site your go to airline and more. You get five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. Whether it's a big vacation or a quick getaway from booking your stay to that first meal when you arrive, you're turning your trips into rewards with the Autograph Journey card from Wells Fargo. Learn more at Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply. Today's episode is brought to you by Cotton we spend a lot of time with stories, hours curled up with dynamic plots and characters who feel like friends. What if the story isn't just in your hands, but also in the world around you? In the fabric that's holding you close? Cotton is that timeless companion. Soft sheets for a lazy weekend morning with a book. Breezy dresses for afternoons spent reading in the backyard. It's the fabric that can be tossed in the wash without fuss. It's about ease, comfort and caring for yourself and the planet. Just like books we cherish, cotton leaves meaning into everyday moments. Next time you settle in for a chapter, slip into something cotton not just to read the story, but to feel it. Cotton the fabric of our lives. Learn more at the fabric of our lives.com Allergy season does not slow down when you are on the move. That's why Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues are ready whenever sneezes strike. Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues are allergist approved and silky soft for up to 100% irritation free skin. And now with the new Kleenex Snap and Go, you can get that same gentle care made for life on the go. Get the Kleenex Ultra Soft tissues you love in a new compact, gentle, durable package. New Kleenex Snap and Go snaps shut for a clean tissue anytime, anywhere. For whatever happens next, grab Kleenex Snap and Go. Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club is presented by Apple Books. Hi, I'm Danielle Robaix and welcome to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. You know those authors where it seems like you just see their name in every bookstore and on every single bookshelf? Well, this week's guest is one of those authors. With over 15 published books under her belt, Ann Patchett is one of the most prolific working writers today. She's authored novels, essays, and even children's books. She's a two time Reese's Book Club pick author for her books. This is the story of a happy marriage and of course, Tom Lake. And did I mention she also runs a bookstore in Nashville. What an icon. Her latest novel, Whistler tells the story of a woman reuniting with her long lost stepfather. It is tender and heartwarming and it made me think about all the short but meaningful connections that shaped me into who I am today. I wonder if it'll do the same for you when you hear this conversation. Anne and I talk about her writing process, which is so interesting. The limiting label of autofiction and the pack of dogs who hang out at her bookstore. So if you've ever reread a book just to live in it a little longer, you are in the right place. Let's turn the page with Ann Patchett. But first, it's the first Tuesday of the month, so you know what that means. It's time to announce the Reese's Book Club pick. And you know who's here to announce it all? Reese. Hey, everybody, it's Reese.

[B]

Our June Reese's book club pick is called A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

[A]

This one takes us straight into 1930s

[B]

New York where two very different women find themselves pulled into the same dangerous mission to bring down one of the most powerful mob bosses in the city. What I loved is how unexpected their connection is and how much courage it takes for them to trust each other and fight back in a world built to keep them apart. It's gripping, it's smart, and I couldn't put it down.

[A]

I think you're gonna really like it. Check it out. Right now, I'm super excited for my upcoming trip to Atlanta. I'm taking my mom to celebrate her birthday. She's never been. And I'm gonna take her to eat all the best food, see the best jazz music, and I'm going to have to sneak in a museum or two. Trips like that are truly unforgettable. And what makes it even better is staying at a place on Airbnb. Now if you're planning any upcoming trips, you could be hosting your home on Airbnb. And with Airbnb Co Host Network, you could hire a local co host to handle everything like creating your listing, managing reservations, guest communication on site support, and even styling your space. So while you're making your own memories, your home can be helping another family make theirs and earning you extra cash. Find a co [e-mail] host Today's episode is brought to you by Cotton we spend a lot of time with stories, hours curled up with dynamic plots and with characters who feel like friends. What if the story isn't just in your hands but also in the world around you, in the fabric that's holding you close? Cotton is that timeless companion. Soft sheets for lazy weekend mornings with a book. Breezy dresses for afternoons spent reading in the backyard. It's the fabric that can be tossed in the wash without fuss. It's about ease, comfort and caring for yourself and the planet. Just like the books we cherish, cotton weaves meaning into our everyday moments. Moments like following four adult daughters as they navigate love, loss and the Legacy and the Most Fun We Ever had by Claire Lombardo, all while curled up in soft cotton joggers. Or Sinking into the island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, A story that spans generations from forbidden love and a fig tree that remembers everything wrapped in a hand stitched quilt, each thread holding its own kind of memory. Next time you settle in for a chapter, slip into something cotton not just to read the story, but to feel it. Cotton the Fabric of Our Lives. Learn [e-mail] when you're planning a trip, it helps to have a credit card that rewards you no matter where you like to book. That's the Autograph Journey credit card from Wells Fargo. What makes a difference is how flexible it is. You can earn rewards where you like to book travel. If you like going straight to the airline or hunting down a deal on a hotel site, this card is designed to keep rewarding you. Here's how the points stack up. You get five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. So picture booking that hotel in the neighborhood you've always wanted to stay in, that's earning points. Grabbing flights for a last minute getaway? That's earning. Sitting down for that first dinner when you land, still earning. Even the everyday stuff between trips can help toward your next journey. The autograph journey card from Wells Fargo helps turn the way you already travel, eat and explore into rewards. Learn more at Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply. Allergy season does not slow down when you are on the move. That's why Kleenex Ultra Soft tissues are ready whenever sneezes strike. Kleenex Ultra Soft tissues are allergist approved and silky soft for up to 100% irritation free skin. And now with the new Kleenex Snap and Go, you can get that same gentle care made for life on the go. Get the Kleenex Ultra soft tissues you love in a new compact durable package. New Kleenex Snap and Go snaps shut. For a clean tissue anytime, anywhere. For whatever happens next, grab Kleenex Snap and go. Ann Patchett. I can't believe I get to say this. Welcome to the club. I'm so excited to chat with you.

[B]

I'm so excited to talk to you. This is great.

[A]

The world knows you as an iconic author, literally on everybody's bookshelf. And what I just learned is that you're a famous dog lover and your bookshop in Nashville is full of shop dogs who hang out at the store. So my question to you is, what type of dog would you be and why?

[B]

Oh, I am a complete mutt. In fact, Sandy Boynton, you know Sandy Boynton, the children's book illustrator, she does all the little board books. If you saw them, you would be like, oh my gosh, she did hippo birdies to use all of those things. And she has a calendar that's 365 actual holidays. And I was born on Mutt Mutt Day. My birthday is National Mutt Day.

[A]

Mm, I like that so much. And it actually makes sense based on your writing, because you do.

[B]

I got that mutt vibe.

[A]

Well, no, you bring in like a lot of different elements, I would say together.

[B]

Okay, that's a nice way of putting it. Yeah, good.

[A]

But you're one of the rare authors who has just such a strong fan base. You're a two time Reese's Book Club pick author. And what I think is cool is people will set out to read every single one of your books. They're not just picking their favorite. Some people go to a bookstore and pick a cover that they like. People want to read every single Ann Patchett book. So for any new fans getting started with your collection, what book do you recommend that people start with?

[B]

Boy. So I own a bookstore in Nashville and I. And we talk about this a lot, you know, and there are People who say, oh, I just read my first Ann Patchett, and now I'm reading all the way through the backlist, and I think, wow, that's amazing. Or people will buy every single one of the paperbacks and have us mail the whole set to them. But what book you would start with would depend on who you are, because the books are really different. I mean, everybody thinks that Bel Canto was my first book. That was actually my fourth book, but it was the first book that anybody read my first book. Published novels were just very quiet, you know, so some people like to start at the beginning. Bel Canto is where a lot of people start. I've written several nonfiction books, and there are people who love to start with the nonfiction. Men, I think, do best with a book called Run. The book that is kind of closest to my heart is Commonwealth. And so it just depends on who you are and what you like.

[A]

Why is Commonwealth closest to your heart?

[B]

Because Commonwealth is the really autobiographical novel that I wrote. Commonwealth is the book that I probably should have written first, but I had to wait for everybody to get older. And it is modeled on my family story. It is not my family story, but the emotional content is very true.

[A]

Well, your first book came out in 1992, and I'm wondering if or how the most significant way your approach to writing has changed since you started.

[B]

You know, I think that probably this has to do with Commonwealth from Patron saint of Liars through whatever book was right before Commonwealth, which was State of Wonder. I kept feeling like I was writing the same story, which is a group of strangers are thrown together by circumstance and form a family, a society, a community. I never wanted anybody to think I was writing about myself. And so I put a tremendous amount of energy into picking situations and characters and costumes and trees and everything that, like, nobody would think that it was me. And when people read a bunch of my books, they would say, oh, it's just amazing. It's like all these books were written by different people. They're so different. And I was always thinking, no, they're the exact same book. I'm just sort of dressing it up in different ways. And then when I wrote Commonwealth, it was like I wrote the story without dressing it up. You know, I wrote about blended families and being taken out of one life and put into another life. And so that was really freeing. And I feel like at that point, I changed the way I wrote, and I felt like I could write more about what I was interested in, and if it was something very close to me, if it was something very far away from me. It didn't really matter. But from Patron Saint of liars up until Commonwealth, I felt like I was always kind of trying to camouflage what I was doing.

[A]

Are there. Cause, like, in Whistler. And we're gonna talk more deeply about the book a little bit later, but in your most recent book, Whistler, there are elements from what I understand about you or situations that you drew inspiration from. So I can imagine in your earlier books, even though it's not autobiographical, you were drawing inspiration from your life. Is that correct?

[B]

Absolutely. And I guess what I realized at some point is everything is from your life, you know, and, like, you can. The change was I stopped fighting it. So in Whistler, the narrator has a father and two stepfathers. And because it's a book about finding this one particular stepfather again, who was her stepfather for a year when she was nine. So, okay, she had to have a birth father. Right? So that means we're up to two. And then knowing this character, who is the mother, I know she wasn't just sitting at home all those years. She would have married again. So I was like, all right, that brings me up to three. And I had this thought, oh, but if I give her three fathers, everybody's going to think it's me. Because I have already written about the fact that I had three fathers. And then I just thought, I don't care. I don't care. You know, it works for this story. It needs to happen for this story. And if somebody thinks that I'm writing something autobiographical, it just actually doesn't make any difference. What matters is that I write the best book I can write and that I pay attention to what this story is and forget about the rest. The character doesn't have children. I don't have children. I have written about not having children. Oh, my gosh. Does that mean that people are gonna think it's me? It's like, what difference does it make? It only matters that I write my best book.

[A]

Do you think that what was holding you back previously was, like, familial or social pressure? Or was it really just you feeling nervous to. To put your own stories into your other stories, into your writing?

[B]

I wanted to be serious. I wanted to be literary. And.

[A]

Wait, this is such a big thing. Gloria Steinem talks about this all the time. She just wanted to be taken seriously. This was the biggest issue at the beginning of my career. I just wanted to be taken seriously.

[B]

Right, Right.

[A]

What is this? Why is that so universal?

[B]

It's called being a woman. And living in a world where people do not take you seriously and just by default. And so I was always looking for ways to be taken seriously, to be literary. There was a slumber party game when we were kids, and you would go around in a circle and everybody would say, would you rather have people think you were nice or smart? And I always said smart because I was nice. I mean, there was no question I was nice, but I worried that I wasn't smart. So I wanted people to think I was smart. I could care less if people thought I was nice. I was nice. But my self doubt lived in the place of whether or not I was smart. And now that's completely shifted. Now I'm like, I know I'm smart, but it's so much more important to be nice. So, yeah, that's called growing up, I guess.

[A]

Life experience. That's funny. As you've progressed in your career, have you ever felt pressure to follow trends? Because to your earlier point, you do write about families going through strife. And it feels very timeless.

[B]

So here's the thing. I don't pre sell my books. I don't take a contract. I don't shoot show them to anybody. I don't write 100 pages and send it to my editor and say, what do you think? I write a book and I finish it. I do all my revisions. I take it all the way as far as I can go, which is done. It's done. And then I take that file and on the same instant, I send it to my agent and my editor. And I'm like, hey, guys, here's a book. So I don't feel any pressure because I don't owe anybody anything. And the other thing is.

[A]

Hold on, Anne, we need to dig into that for a second. Does anybody else do this? How did you come up with this method? And has anybody ever said, we don't want to publish this book that you've fully written?

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

No. You know, I have thrown things out that I have fully written without showing them to one living soul. And I know what's good and I know what's not good. I have no interest in publishing a book that is not good. Never. So I would never hand in anything that I didn't think was my best work. What I was capable of doing at this moment in my life. That's it.

[A]

This is why you are Ann Patchett. Like, the amount of self. Yes. The amount of self trust that takes is amazing.

[B]

But what could be more terrifying than taking money for a book you haven't Written, and then it's bad. And then somebody says, oh, you know, well, okay, we'll publish this book. But we want the character to be 16 and not 36. And we want it to be set in 1950 instead of 20, 25. And we want. It's like, that is the scary thing. I can finish something, hand it to someone and say, are you in or are you out? And if it's not for you, I respect that. I'm going to go someplace else. And I guess if a couple of people said, this is really bad, I would listen to them.

[A]

Yeah, it's a good thing. Nobody said that before. That's very cool, Anne.

[B]

Okay. There's one more part of it just to blow your mind a little more. I profit share, which means I don't take any advance ever. Ever. So when I turn in my book for publication, I do not take advantage of a dime for it. But I get a much higher royalty rate because the risk. Wow, I'm taking the risk. I pay for half of everything. I pay for half of all expenses, but I get half of the profit.

[A]

And what would those expenses be?

[B]

Book tour advertising, plane tickets, publicity, the light bulb bill, water, everything. But it's so fascinating to me because I have this bedrock belief that women need to talk more about money because we don't have any idea what other people are doing or what other people are getting. And that's how you can really get in trouble. So I talk to my friends and say, I give my contract to people. You want to see what a profit share contract looks like? Happy to mail you mine. And then think about it like if you are a very successful author, then you would not be stuck in your 15% royalty rate forever. I try to talk people into doing profit share all the time, and people don't want to do it. They want their money up front because they say, if the book bombs, then I've already gotten paid and I'm covered.

[A]

Well, what was the first book that you did this on?

[B]

It was a book of essays called this Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. It was crazy. I had to stop and think about it. The book before that was a novel called State of Wonder. And I begged to go profit share. And my agent didn't want to do it and my publisher didn't want to. They were like, nobody does this. This doesn't make any sense. This is a dumb model. They wouldn't do it. So I got rid of my agent and I hired a lawyer and I spent two years and a lot of Money. Working on this contract, I got a new agent. And then the next book was a book of essays. And I was like, it's a book of essays. Books of essays make, like, 25 cents. You're not going to lose anything on this. Let's do it with the book of essays. And they said, okay. And then I had my boilerplate contract. And then going forward, I was profit share.

[A]

This is so interesting, Anne, is this part of the reason you wanted to open a bookstore? Like, it feels like you have.

[B]

No, it didn't have anything to do with opening a bookstore. I mean, maybe it had to do with being brave, because opening a bookstore was really brave. And it was also going into a model. Interesting. I hadn't thought about this, where every single person told me I was going to fail and I was going to lose money. And I was like, I'm not going to fail, and I'm not going to lose money. Because Nashville had two bookstores that were enormous. And they both closed, not because they weren't profitable. They were each 30,000 square feet. Okay. They're like the size of Macy's.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And they both closed not because they weren't profitable, but because at a corporate level, like, Borders was one store. They closed all the Borders. The other was a smaller chain. And I was like, okay, I want to open a bookstore that's 2,500 square square feet. And everybody said, you're going to lose your shirt. And I said, but there was 60,000 square feet of retail space selling books that was profitable every month. I'm talking about 2,500 square feet. How can this fail? And it didn't fail. And then we doubled size, and we're great.

[A]

You take ownership over your work, and that seems to be something that you care deeply about.

[B]

Yes, I take ownership over my work in terms of being a writer, and that is really important to me. It's almost impossible to make me angry. I have no temper. And the one thing that will really get me riled up is if somebody starts making decisions about my book, because that's mine. As far as the bookstore is concerned. I mean, we have the most wonderful people working at that bookstore. We have two amazing managers. But at every level, the people are incredible. I don't know how much money we have. I don't write a check. I never take any money out of the bookstore. All of our profits are divided quarterly, equally among all our employees. I do not micromanage that business one bit. So when somebody says, we want to have a better medical plan or we want to have a bigger 401. And I'm like, guys, that is totally up to you. You want to spend the money this way, it's going to mean a smaller profit, but it's also going to be better for your life and your future. But that is your decision. The only money I have ever taken out of that business is to pay the taxes on the business. Everything else belongs to the employees.

[A]

Right now I'm super excited for my upcoming trip to Atlanta. I'm taking my mom to celebrate her birthday. She's never been, and I'm going to take her to eat all the best food, see the best jazz music, and I'm going to have to sneak in a museum or two. Trips like that are truly unforgettable. And what makes it even better is staying at a place on Airbnb. Now if you're planning any upcoming trips, you could be hosting your home on Airbnb. And with Airbnb Co Host Network, you could hire a local co host to handle everything like creating your listing, managing reservations, guest communication on site support, and even styling your space. So while you're making your own memories, your home can be helping another family make theirs and earning you extra cash. Find a co [e-mail] host Today's episode is brought to you by Cotton we spend a lot of time with stories, hours curled up with dynamic plots and with characters who feel like friends. What if the story isn't just in your hands but also in the world around you, in the fabric that's holding you close? Cotton is that timeless companion. Soft sheets for lazy weekend mornings with a book, breezy dresses for afternoons spent reading in the backyard. It's the fabric that can be tossed in the wash without fuss. It's about ease, comfort, and caring for yourself and the planet. Just like the books we cherish, cotton weaves meaning into our everyday moments. Moments like following four adult daughters as they navigate love, loss, and the legacy in the Most Fun We Ever had by Claire Lombardo, all while curled up in soft cotton. Joggers or sinking into the island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. A story that spans generations, forbidden love and a fig tree that remembers everything, wrapped in a hand stitched quilt, each thread holding its own kind of memory. Next time you settle in for a chapter, slip into something cotton. Not just to read the story, but to feel it. Cotton the fabric of our lives. Learn [e-mail] when you're planning a trip, it helps to have a credit card that rewards you no matter where you like to book. That's the Autograph Journey credit card from Wells Fargo. What makes a difference is how flexible it is. You can earn rewards where you like to book travel. If you like going straight to the airline or hunting down a deal on a hotel site, this card is designed to keep rewarding you. Here's how the points stack up. You get five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. So picture booking that hotel in the neighborhood you've always wanted to stay in, that's earning points. Grabbing flights for a last minute getaway, that's earning. Sitting down for that first dinner when you land, still earning. Even the everyday stuff between trips can help toward your next journey. The Autograph Journey card from Wells Fargo helps turn the way you already travel, eat and explore into rewards. Learn more@wells fargo.com AutographJourney terms apply Allergy season does not slow down when you are on the move. That's why Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues are ready whenever sneezes. Strike. Strike. Kleenex Ultra Soft tissues are allergist approved and silky soft for up to 100% irritation free skin. And now with the new Kleenex Snap and Go, you can get that same gentle care made for life on the go. Get the Kleenex Ultra Soft tissues you love in a new compact durable package. New Kleenex Snap and Go snaps shut for a clean tissue anytime, anywhere. For whatever happens next, grab Kleenex Snap and Go. I want to talk about Bel Canto for a second because it skyrocketed you to mainstream success. And then more than two decades later, you decided to release an annotated version, meaning you added footnotes and shared why you made specific choices and what you would change. And I've heard that you generally don't reread your work to begin with, so I need to understand why you decided to revisit your own writing and then critique it and share it publicly.

[B]

So there was a little bookstore outside of Boston and it had been really hard hit by Covid and they went into a lot of debt. And so as they were coming out of the pandemic, they wrote to, I don't know, like maybe 20 of us. There were a lot of writers and they said we want you to take a first edition of one of your books and hand annotate it and then we're going to auction it off to raise money to pay off our debts.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And so I did. Tom Lake. Because that was the book that I had just published. And because this is another thing, the very best thing about my personality is that I am not a procrastinator. It has really made my life so much easier. So I got this assignment. It was due in six months, and I did it right away, and I found it so interesting. And then six months passed, and it was time to hand the book over. And I was like, wow, I don't love the idea of giving this away to somebody that I'm never going to see. I'm going to make a copy of it. So I sat down with another copy of the book and I hand transferred all the notes because I didn't want to Xerox it because it was for an auction. I didn't want to break the binding. So I did it again. When I was copying it, I could really see what it was worth as an artifact. And I took the copy and I mailed it to my editor. And I said, what would you think about doing this as something to sell? It seems like a really interesting project. And he said, great. Either do Dutch House. We decided I would either do Dutch House or Belcanto. And that night, I was in Aspen, I was giving a talk, and every single person who came up to the table said, my favorite book is Belcanto. And I was like, okay, all right, I hear you. That's good. That's what we'll do. So I did that. I really enjoyed it, and that's how I came to that whole process.

[A]

That is such an interesting story, Ann.

[B]

And I'll tell you one more interesting thing about it. I said, you don't have to pay me for this, but I want you to go back and raise my royalty rate on all copies of Bel Canto that are sold from here forward.

[A]

So smart.

[B]

So smart. I can't even tell you. It would be indecent to tell you how smart that was.

[A]

Oh, how did you think of that again?

[B]

It's just I always think of it in terms of taking a bet on myself.

[A]

Yeah. Did you find that you were more critical or less tough on yourself than you expected going through?

[B]

Oh, my God, I was so critical. I was very critical, but I was also very moved. I mean, I just kept thinking, this is so hard. What you're doing is so hard. In the first three pages of that book, everybody is put on the floor, and they're told not to speak. And they stay there for 100 pages on the floor. You know, they're all, like, thinking their thoughts, but they're not talking. And it made me so anxious to read the book. I just kept thinking, get them off the floor. Get them off the floor. They've got to start interacting. We've got to move this forward. But then I could see that what I was doing was creating. Creating anxiety. I was creating anxiety in myself as a reader. And so that seemed amazing. The book is funny. The book is unbelievably sad. I mean, heartbreakingly sad at the very end after being so full of love and joy. It's a very sad story. But so then I was writing praise like, look at you go, girl. This is amazing. I can't believe you're doing this. The number of adverbs in that book was shocking. Shocking. Anything that I could say once, I said three times. Any description? There was a moment where I said the diamond clothes. Clear cubes of ice skittered and slid and danced across the floor. It was like, what are you doing? This is so bad. Why didn't somebody stop you from this? Every time a woman walks into the room, I talk about how her hair smells like flowers or lemons. I mean, like, every single time. And so I got to the point where it was like, look, it's hair smells for the 15th time. This is so embarrassing. I misspelled things that.

[A]

Well, that's your editor's fault. Yeah, that's your editor's fault. I normally wouldn't ask somebody this, but having talked to you for the last few minutes, I feel like maybe I can. If you had one critique of your upcoming novel, Whistler, what would it be? And on the flip side, is there something you're particularly proud of that novel?

[B]

One critique would be, I don't love how I handled the stepdaughters. It's a minor. That's a minor part. I didn't want to get into it. I didn't want that to be what the book was about. But I also felt like I might have not given it enough. And what I'm proud about is I think it's a genuinely moving book and it's a very, very loving book. And I think that's what we need.

[A]

I can tell you, as a reader, I did not feel that way to your critique.

[B]

Okay, good. Thank you.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. And one of the things I. I loved is that I think it really lives underneath the. Don't judge a book by its cover. Because. Yes, because I don't think the COVID Once you read the book, you understand all the symbolism. But having just picking it up, I don't think you would really Understand the meaning behind all of it?

[B]

No, no. I love the COVID It's beautiful. And it will surprise you not at all to know that when I finish my book and send it to my agent and editor, I also say, and this is the COVID Wait, how do you do that?

[A]

Because most. I mean, I guess you're Ann Patchett, so you can do that. Because most authors don't have control over

[B]

their covers, you know, they don't unless you happen to give them the right cover. And nobody is going to accept my cover to please me. But I know what I'm doing. It's really funny. I went to Sarah Lawrence, and I have a liberal arts education. I have the ultimate liberal arts education. And I think, oh, this is what my liberal arts education got me. I know how to design a book jacket. So I love the fact that you've got this book in your hand. It's called Whistler, and there's a horse on the COVID And you're reading it and you're thinking, where's the horse? How does the horse figure into it? Why is there a horse on the COVID And it becomes part of the hook of the whole story. And then once you get to the horse, which is pretty far into the book, it's this feeling of like, oh, my God, the horse. You know, I love this horse. It makes so much sense. It is not a book about a horse. Not at all. And yet the horse is so symbolic for this love.

[A]

Well, there's. There's also this air of mystery, I think, that comes along with it for people who haven't seen. The COVID I'm just going to describe has this beautiful brown horse on it. Steel, standing in a field under. Excuse me. Standing in a field under a midnight blue sky. And once you finish the book, you'll understand that there's a hidden thread. Without giving too much away, I'm wondering if you can share what you hope lingers with readers even before they fully understand it.

[B]

Yeah, you know, I think it's just love. It's just this book is not true. But one of the best friends I ever had in my life was a man named Jim Fox. And the book is dedicated to Jim Fox. And Jim died on his 85th birthday. And I had this revelation that I could take all of the love that Jim had for me and all of the love that I had for him, and I could create two characters that aren't us and I could put it into a book. And it made me so happy to know what to do with all that love. And. And I feel like it's something that people can really share, like, you get some sense of who Jim was just by the love that suffuses that story.

[A]

Are there any passages or moments that are an ode to Jim or particularly meaningful? Because I was reading that you were working through your grief while writing this.

[B]

I wasn't working through my grief. I was just working through my love. I mean, it wasn't like, I'm so sad and I want to get through was just, I'm so happy, you know, it's just so much love. And Eddie, the main character of Eddie in the book, who's the stepfather, he's just. He's got Jim's voice. And so to imagine Jim in all of these different situations, and I did, like, I took Jim to chemo. And those scenes are not. It's not what we talked about, but it's how we felt about each other.

[A]

Do you consider your work to be autofiction?

[B]

No, I don't. Nor do you consider, you know, it's one of those words that was invented, like, halfway through my career. You know what I mean? Like, I just didn't start out with that. But I'll tell you the very best thing. I interviewed Zadie Smith. There is no one better than Zadie Smith. And everything you hope and wish that she would be is what she is.

[A]

I love hearing that.

[B]

Brilliant and kind and warm, and I could not love her more. And I was interviewing her big stage, big auditorium for her book Swing Time. And Swing Time appears to be a very autobiographical novel. The characters line up with the people in her life, which you would just have to have a passing understanding of her life to know that. And so I asked her about that when I was on stage, and she said, it is autobiographical, but I'm not the daughter, I'm the mother. And she said, and I am not in my life the way this mother is in the book. It is that the way this mother is in this novel is the mother I'm afraid of being. And she said, autobiographical fiction is not necessarily what happens to you. It's what you're afraid of or what you long for. It's what you think about all the time.

[A]

So interesting.

[B]

So in that case, everything becomes autobiographical. But that was just before I wrote the Dutch House. And while I was sitting on stage with her, I thought, what am I most afraid of? I'm most afraid of being a terrible stepmother. I am not a terrible stepmother. I'm a great stepmother. And I didn't meet my stepchildren until they were grown people. I mean, they were in their late teens. But I thought the fear of hurting them, of disrupting or derailing their life in any way, I just immediately when she said that, I thought, that's my fear.

[A]

So did you have one of those for Whistler? Were you afraid of anything manifesting in this book?

[B]

It's not that at all. It's just that you can say, this isn't what happened, but I can imagine what it would be like, good or bad, if that happened. Right.

[A]

And that's. Is that the question that you're asking yourself when you're creating these characters? No, no, I'm just in it.

[B]

I'm just. I'm just in it.

[A]

They direct you.

[B]

No, I don't believe in that either. I never believe in that stuff about, oh, then the character took over the story. And I just, you know, maybe that's true for other people. I've never found it to be true for me. I'm there doing the work, but I'm not thinking about, is this from my life? You know, I'm just like, what happens next? What happens next? I've got to figure that out. What if she went there? What if that happened? Do I want to do this in first person? Do I want to do this in third person? Who tells the story? What's the angle? What's the point of view? What's the time? God, that's the biggest question. What is the length of time? Any author will tell you. They are obsessed with time. So those are the things that I'm thinking about.

[A]

But you have so many characters across your books. Do you have a dossier of each one in your office?

[B]

No.

[A]

So how do you get so specific and so detailed? Are you writing all of this out before you even dive into writing the book? Do you?

[B]

No, I think a lot. I think all the time. I have a book in my mind right now. I cannot tell you how it has changed. Just this one character.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

A woman. She's young. She goes to a wedding. She's, you know, meets this person at a wedding. But wait, maybe it's a man. Maybe it's not a woman. Maybe it's the man who meets this person at a wedding. And then I go through that long period. No, I think it is the woman. She's not in love with the person she meets at the wedding, but she wants into their life. How does that, you know, well, where does she start? Why is she there? How does she get into that wedding? Where does it end? How far does she go, when does she get out of the story? At first I thought she stayed with these people for the rest of her life. Now, that's not it. I think she just stays with the people for a couple of years. Does the story take place over the couple? That's the dialogue. Constant, constant, constant going, going, going. And I don't want to write it down because I keep it so fluid.

[A]

Does it hit you at random moments, or are you at dinner with friends? And then you tap out and you're just thinking about characters?

[B]

You know, I think a lot of it as I'm falling asleep. It's really a liminal state kind of thing. And also, I can do it as a meditation. I can sit down on my cushion in my office. And I'm not meditating. I mean, I'm not clearing my thoughts and following my breath, which I do. But I'm just sitting down and thinking, okay, Nina's got a green dress. Nina's got a green dress.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Evelyn has the same green dress. She's also a bridesmaid. Is she a bridesmaid? What if Evelyn was the bride? Bum, bum, bum. And I just allow myself that time to really think in an almost dream state.

[A]

So, excuse me if this is a dumb question, but do you think through the entire book before you sit down to write, or are you doing it?

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

And then you'll sit down to write. And how long does it take you to write a book?

[B]

Usually? It just varies wildly. It varies wildly. And it varies wildly a lot based on how much time I have spent thinking about it and how good the idea is. I mean, Whistler was just. Was just a really good idea. And it had a full shape, a full arc, and it was a very, very. And I had that voice. I had Eddie's voice. It was a really easy thread to follow. Tom Lake was, you know, much more complicated in a way. I wrote the first 50 pages of Tom Lake for a year, and it just didn't get. It didn't get. It didn't get. It wasn't right. Wasn't right. And then I got it, and it's like laying down train track. You have to get it right. I don't know how to lay down train track at the beginning and think that it's going to work down the road. It all has to click. And I can't go forward until that piece of track clicks.

[A]

Anne, I have interviewed hundreds of authors, and I've never heard anybody's process be like yours. This is so unique.

[B]

And that's the wonderful thing about writers, there isn't a way to do it. I don't in any way think, and now you must write like this. I mean, this is what works for me. It's like, and I always think about revision. It's like a house. And if somebody said, oh, that's a great house, you built it on a slab, it really should have a basement, what the hell? I don't know how to do that. I have to figure out in advance if it's going to be on a slab or if it's going to have a basement. And if I think the primary suite is going to be on the second floor and then I change my mind and think, you know what? I want the primary suite to be downstairs. It didn't move itself. It isn't that. The primary bedroom suite took over the novel and marched downstairs. I changed my mind. I moved it. That was me.

[A]

Right now, I'm super excited for my upcoming trip to Atlanta. I'm taking my mom to celebrate her birthday. She's never been. And I'm going to take her to eat all the best food, see the best jazz music, and I'm going to have to sneak in a museum or two. Trips like that are truly unforgettable. And what makes it even better is staying at a place on Airbnb. Now, if you're planning any upcoming trips, you could be hosting your home on Airbnb. And with Airbnb Co host Network, you. You could hire a local co host to handle everything, like creating your listing, managing reservations, guest communication on site support, and even styling your space. So while you're making your own memories, your home can be helping another family make theirs and earning you extra cash. Find a co [e-mail] host Today's episode is brought to you by Cotton. We spend a lot of time with stories, hours curled up with dynamic plots and with characters who feel like friends. What if the story isn't just in your hands, but also in the world around you, in the fabric that's holding you close? Cotton is that timeless companion. Soft sheets for lazy weekend mornings with a book. Breezy dresses for afternoons spent reading in the backyard. It's the fabric that can be tossed in the wash without fuss. It's about ease, comfort, and caring for yourself and the planet. Just like the books we cherish, cotton weaves meaning into our everyday moments. Moments like following four adult daughters as they navigate love, loss, and the legacy in the Most Fun We Ever had by Claire Lombardo, all while curled up in soft cotton joggers or sinking into the island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. A story that spans generations, Forbidden love and a fig tree that remembers everything wrapped in a hand stitched quilt, each thread holding its own kind of memory. Next time you settle in for a chapter, slip into something cotton not just to read the story, but to feel it. Cotton the fabric of our lives. Learn [e-mail] when you're planning a trip, it helps to have a credit card that rewards you no matter where you like to book. That's the Autograph Journey credit card from Wells Fargo. What makes a difference is how flexible it is. You can earn rewards where you like to book travel. If you like going straight to the airline or hunting down a deal on a hotel site, this card is designed to keep rewarding you. Here's how the points stack up. You get five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. So picture booking that hotel in the neighborhood you've always wanted to stay in, that's earning points. Grabbing flights for a last minute getaway, that's earning sitting down for that first dinner when you land, still earning. Even the everyday stuff between trips can help toward your next trip journey. The Autograph Journey card from Wells Fargo helps turn the way you already travel, eat and explore into rewards. Learn more@wells fargo.com AutographJourney terms apply. Allergy season does not slow down when you are on the move. That's why Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues are ready whenever sneezes strike. Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues are allergist approved and silky soft for up to 100% irritation free skin. And now with the new Kleenex Snap and Go, you can get that same gentle care made for life on the go. Get the Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues you love in a new compact durable package. New Kleenex Snap and Go snaps shut for a clean tissue anytime, anywhere. For whatever happens next, grab Kleenex Snap and Go. What do you think people who are reading Ann Patchett are coming for that they're not getting somewhere else.

[B]

Somebody said to me a long time ago, you are my sweet spot. You are like the hardest book I can read. You make me feel like I'm reading something literary, but you're still accessible. And she said if I just crank it up a notch, it's too hard for me and I get derailed and I don't read it. And I remember her saying that she couldn't Read Michael Chabon. And she was like, I know. He is the greatest. And he is. He's the greatest. And she was like, it's just a little too hard for me. And I just thought maybe that's it, you know? Like, maybe I just exist in that sweet song.

[A]

Like, it's just literary. Enough.

[B]

It's just enough. And you are working. You've got to work. I absolutely ask the reader to work and participate, but they don't feel swamped by it. They don't feel lost by it.

[A]

I actually think that's a really good. I wouldn't have thought about that, but I actually. I agree. I think that that's a great thought. So Meryl Streep narrated the audiobook of your novel Tom Lake.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And that was such a perfect pick, since that book is about an actress sort of recounting her career to her three daughters. And Meryl Streep has three daughters in real life. And I cannot help but think she'd be the perfect fit to play Laura if Tom Lake were a movie. And I know Bel Canto has already been adapted into a movie. Is there a book of yours that you would like to see adapted next? And would Meryl Streep play the lead?

[B]

I would be very happy to have Meryl play anything. I would write a book for her. I have seen so many people try to adapt my books into screenplays, and it's not worked out. And I have had so many screenwriters say these books are deceptively difficult. And why? I don't know. And also, I don't care, because it's not my dream. That's not something that I'm interested in. Commonwealth was a book that a couple of people tried to adapt, and they failed. And then some other people wanted to option it, and I was like, you know what? It's not gonna work. Save your money, save your time. Don't throw your life away on this. Just. Just move on.

[A]

I wonder if it's all of the nuance. I think sometimes it's hard to get that right in a screenplay.

[B]

Maybe. I don't know. I'm not a collaborative artist, and I live in Nashville, home of songwriting and collaborative arts. And so I don't want to be involved. And I just see it doesn't. It doesn't work out. It's really interesting because you think, what is this going to give me that I want? And I can never think of the answer to that question. What would a movie give me that I want? I don't think I want anything. All I want is to write another book and to not have a lot of people calling me on the phone.

[A]

What a great question to ask yourself,

[B]

what do I want? What could I get that I want?

[A]

What is this giving me that I want?

[B]

I've had, at a couple points in my life, very, very good universities ask me to come and teach. And I think, what do I want? And it always comes down to something like, well, I guess I would like access to their swimming pool. But that's really not a good.

[A]

That's hilarious. Because most people would be like, well, I want Harvard on my resume. But I.

[B]

Years and years ago, I got a job offer from Stanford. And this is unbelievable. It was one semester, dealer's choice. They said, you can come for one semester and teach anything you want. I was like, physics. And they said, yes, this particular endowed chair, dealer's choice.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And I was like, I don't want to live in Palo Alto. I don't want to leave my husband. I don't want to. You know, but it's such an amazing offer. And my sister said to me, do you think that there will be room on your tombstone to say, and she taught at Stanford for a semester. And I was like, that's it. That's exactly what I wanted. I wanted that, you know? Like, you're right. That's so stupid. I have a beautiful life. Why mess it up for something that the only reason that the only thing I would want was to put it on my tombstone. And I won't be there to enjoy that. So, no, I'm not going.

[A]

Is there anything very specific and strange that you are enjoying right now? Is there anything that you're so obsessed with that you could write a book about it, but probably won't?

[B]

I couldn't and I won't. But I'll tell you what weird thing I am obsessed with. I just got an inversion table.

[A]

What the hell is an inversion table?

[B]

Anne, you would know it if you saw it. And you clamp your ankles in it and you think about Frankenstein, you know what? And you hang upside down by your ankles. And not only am I obsessed with it, but, like, my neighbors are coming over and being like, hey, can I just run downstairs and hang upside down for a little while? And I'm like, yeah, you go, I totally get it.

[A]

Wait, is this to stretch your back?

[B]

It's to stretch your back. You lie with your arms. You can lie with your arms open. So it opens up your chest. But the unexpected thing is, you know, it's March in Nashville. We Are all dying of allergies. Dying. And for whatever reason, it's like, cleans our heads. The kids from the bookstore are coming over, like, can I hang upside down? I'm like, go for it.

[A]

This is so funny.

[B]

That's my thing right now.

[A]

And I was not expecting that that could be the best answer to this question I've ever gotten.

[B]

Hang upside down. It's crazy.

[A]

An inversion table.

[B]

An inversion table. Okay, before we go, can I tell you about some books that I'm excited about because I'm a bookseller and that's what I do?

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

Python's Kiss. Louise Erdrich stories. Unbelievable.

[A]

The beautiful cover, isn't it?

[B]

And her daughter Asa did this cover. And Asa also illustrated the stories. But the COVID is so glorious. And the whole book is amazing. But the first three stories are like the best things I've ever read. So good.

[A]

How cool. That's great.

[B]

And then a book that will be out by the time we have this conversation. John of John Douglas Stuart. He wrote Shuggie Bain. I loved this book. And you want to talk about a big shaggy story that in the end he manages to bring it all together. John of John. And that is out in May. And now I'm going to tell you the book that I haven't read, but I carry it around because I'm longing to read it. And I'm going on a trip that this week and I really hope to read it. And it came out a long time ago. Elizabeth Bowen, Death of the Heart.

[A]

Is that the most book I've heard of that book?

[B]

Right, right. Because I'm trying to go back and read some more classics and not just things that haven't been published. And it's the most beautiful cover in the world.

[A]

Okay, I want to do some speed read questions with you. I think you're going to be so good at these because you are a bookseller and because you are Ann Patchett. So I'm going to put 60 seconds on the clock and we're gonna see how many rapid fire literary questions we can get through.

[B]

Okay, let's do it.

[A]

Okay. Three, two, one. What is one literary trope you would ban forever?

[B]

Child narrators. Like, nobody does it well, or maybe three people have done it well. But a first person child narrator, really,

[A]

really hard one that you'll defend with your life.

[B]

Omniscient.

[A]

Third, what's your favorite book to recommend?

[B]

The Color of water by James McBride, because I believe that book is a universal donor. If you have a PhD in English, you will love that book. If you have not read a book in 20 years, you will love that book. Everybody loves that book. And then hopefully you'll go on and read the rest of James McBride.

[A]

Who's your desert island author? Who are you reading for the rest of your life?

[B]

Colson Whitehead.

[A]

What's a book that shaped the way you see the world?

[B]

Charlotte's Web. They stopped eating animals when I was nine. Really? Yeah. Because of Charlotte's Web.

[A]

That's beautiful. Have you ever peeked at the last page first?

[B]

No, my mother does that. My mother always reads the last five pages. I'm like, what's the point? If she gets a catalog, she looks at the last page first.

[A]

That's what we call a red flag reading habit. What is a book that you gift most often?

[B]

Oh, there are so many. This is Happiness by Niall Williams.

[A]

And who would narrate your memoir audiobook?

[B]

Meryl Streep, of course. Of course.

[A]

And thank you so much. I knew you were gonna be brilliant, but I didn't know you were gonna be this funny. I'm so grateful to have spoken with you.

[B]

No, nowadays I will have an interview with somebody. I'm like, let's go to dinner. Let's keep talking.

[A]

That's it for this episode of Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. Our phone line is now open, so if you want to go 90s on us, give us a call at 1-501-291-3379. That's 1, 501-291-3379. Share your literary hot takes, your book recommendations, questions about the monthly pick, or let's let us know what you think about the episode you just heard. And who knows, you might just hear yourself in our next episode. So don't overthink it. Give us a ring and if you want more, come hang with us. Reese's Book Club is on Instagram serving up books, good vibes and all the behind the scenes stuff you love. And I'm Danielle Robay, R O B A Y. So come say hi and please seriously DM me because I actually read them and I love hearing what you you think about the episodes. And don't forget to follow. Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. We'll see you in the next chapter. Bookmarked is a production of Hello Sunshine and iHeart Podcasts, executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and me, Danielle Robay, production by Acast Creative Studios. Our producers are Maddie Foley, Brittany Martinez and Sarah Schlied. Our editor is Carmen Borca Carillo. Our production assistant is Avery Loftus. Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rutter are executive producers for Acast Creative Studios. Maureen Polo and Reese Witherspoon are executive producers for hello Sunshine. Olga Kaminwa, Kristin Perla, Ashley Rapaport and Sarah Kernerman are associate producers for Reese's Book Club and Ali Perry is executive producer for iHeart Podcasts. Today's episode is brought to you by Cotton we spend a lot of time with stories, hours curled up with dynamic plots and characters who feel like friends. What if the story isn't just in your hands but also in the world around you, in the fabric that's holding you close? Cotton is that timeless companion. Soft sheets for a lazy weekend morning with a book. Breezy dresses for afternoons spent reading in the backyard. It's the fabric that can be tossed in the wash without fuss. It's about ease, comfort and caring for yourself and the planet. Just like books we cherish, cotton weaves meaning into everyday moments. Next time you settle in for a chapter, slip into something cotton not just to read the story, but to feel it. Cotton the fabric of our lives. Learn more at thefabricofourlives.com the autograph journey Credit Card from Wells Fargo is built for travel. You can earn rewards wherever you book your favorite hotel, site your go to airline and more. You get five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. Whether it's a big vacation or a quick getaway. From booking your stay to that first meal when you arrive, you're turning your trips into rewards with the Autograph Journey card from Wells Fargo. Learn more at Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply.

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[A]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3

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month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only,

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then full price plan options available, taxes

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and fees, extra fee, full [e-mail] this

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is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.