Jo Piazza on "The Parisian Heist" and the woman who created the legend of Vincent Van Gogh

Jo Piazza on "The Parisian Heist" and the woman who created the legend of Vincent Van Gogh

One year before thieves in 2025 staged a brazen robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, Jo Piazza had already finished the final draft of her latest novel "The Parisian Heist." Piazza told Mary that the book was born from her love of art, her discovery of the largely forgotten woman who created the legacy of Vincent van Gogh after his death, and her love of heist movies. Piazza is known for her books including "Everyone is Lying to You," "The Sicilian Inheritance," and "We are Not Like Them." In "The Parisian Heist," she crafts a dual-timeline mystery: one story involves an art student in Paris who works as a housekeeper for a billionaire family of art dealers; the other story is 100 years early involving Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law, Jo, who, after the deaths of her husband and brother-in-law, is destitute, with hundreds of Vincent's paintings that art buyers consider worthless. Jo van Gogh shaped the legend of Vincent's life to save her family and elevate his art. Jo Piazza told Mary how her love for van Gogh's paintings led to her discovery of Jo van Gogh, and how she wanted to bring Jo van Gogh's legacy out of the shadows. ClubCalvi.com: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/book-club/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/book-club/] Audio excerpted with permission of Penguin Random House Audio from THE PARISIAN HEIST by Jo Piazza, excerpt read by Brittany Pressley. Jo Piazza ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Emily Giffin on "Love You More" and the seduction of second chances

Emily Giffin's novels are usually among the most popular books of summer, and her new book will have readers talking. "Love You More" asks the question: if you could have a "do-over" when it comes to love, would you take it? The book is about a woman in New York City who seems to be living her perfect life, with a dream job and dream fiancé. But then she gets a phone call from her first love, and her world is turned upside down. Giffin talked with Mary about crossroads in life that force people to ask if they are living the life they chose, or the life that chose them. Giffin said she believes in true love and that circumstances change. She shared that circumstances in her own life are undergoing big changes as well. Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from LOVE YOU MORE by Emily Giffin, read by Jessica Luza. © 2026 Emily Giffin, ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

"A Founding Mother" with Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

As the U.S. celebrates its 250th year of independence and its founding fathers, a new book celebrates a founding mother. Authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie talked with Mary about "A Founding Mother," their novel based on the life of Abigail Adams. She was the wife of one American president and the mother of another. As an important advisor to both men, Adams has a unique place in American history. During most of the American Revolution, Adams was alone with her children on the front lines of the war in Massachusetts. She managed the Adams farm, while also defending it. Adams was a prolific correspondent and Dray and Kamoie told Mary how they used her letters in their manuscript to allow her to speak for herself. The authors said Adams's directness surprised them. Dray and Kamoie have co-authored historical fiction novels about Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, wife of Alexander Hamilton, and Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter. Kamoie says Adams is a contrast to her contemporaries who are not as forthright and opinionated as Adams and that was a delight to write. Audio Excerpt from "A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams," by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. William Morrow, 2026. ClubCalvi.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Kimberly McCreight on "Someone Else's Husband"

Author Kimberly McCreight is back with a thriller that takes readers inside the marriage of a wealthy couple caught in a deadly love triangle, and to an expedition on Mount Kilimanjaro that ends in tragedy. McCreight's previous book, "Like Mother, Like Daughter," was a Club Calvi Readers' Choice in 2024. She talked to Mary about her new novel "Someone Else's Husband." It is a "most anticipated book of the summer" for many publications. McCreight told Mary how her climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, where she was the only woman on the expedition, inspired the book and one of the characters. McCreight also wanted to create a story that focuses on how women, specifically how 'the wife' and 'the other woman," are viewed in society. McCreight says they are often stereotyped, and she wanted to write a book where the stereotypes were not true. She did it while crafting a compelling murder mystery. Audio excerpted with permission of Penguin Random House Audio from SOMEONE ELSE'S HUSBAND by Kimberly McCreight, excerpt read by Kristen DiMercurio. Kimberly McCreight ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Emma Straub on "American Fantasy" and finding joy after heartache

Emma Straub turned her love for a boy band into her latest New York Times bestselling book "American Fantasy." It's about a 50-year-old woman who is recently divorced, empty-nested, and having problems at work, and who travels solo on a boy-band cruise. As Straub told Mary, the character discovers "transcendence." Straub wrote the book after she went on a similar cruise to bring her joy as she healed after the death of her father, author Peter Straub. Emma Straub talks about her love of New Kids on the Block, finding bravery moving through middle age, and her love of books. Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from AMERICAN FANTASY by Emma Straub, read by Marin Ireland. © 2026 Emma Straub, ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]