Mark Hertling "If I Don't Return: A Father's Wartime Journal"

Erica Wright "Museum of Unusual Occurrence"

"Why is it always Florida?" Chatter rolls into June with Lauren at the wheel, David in NBA land, and Torie assisted by Lu Lu. Gayle from Wonderland Books [https://www.wonderlandbooks.com/] nominates their DMV author, Jeffrey Katz [https://www.jeffreykatzauthor.com/]. His 2026 book "Unsettled Ground" [https://www.jeffreykatzauthor.com/] is a deeply personal examination of Germany's attempts to confront and meaningfully address the Holocaust. COB alumni and fave Erica Wright [https://ericawright.org/] zooms in to share her latest novel, The Museum of Unusual Occurrence [https://ericawright.org/books], the first in the new Psychic City Mystery Series. Family, friendships, and murder in a town that's a true original. Erica's also got A Buyer's Guide to the Afterlife [https://ericawright.org/books/a-buyer-s-guide-to-the-afterlife-erica-wright/9781625572103] coming out soon, demonstrating her serious poetry chops on the beauty and fragility of the ecosystem. Erica does not sleep.

James Grady "Shadows on Sidewalks"

"Black leather jacket." Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie, and icon James Grady. David did indeed cry at his son's graduation, and Torie lived Book Fair-palooza in Gaithersburg and Oyster Bay. Miami literary legend Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books [https://www.google.com/search?q=books+and+books+miami&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS771US771&oq=Books+and+Booiks&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgCEAAYDRiABDIGCAAQRRg5MhIIARAuGA0YxwEYsQMY0QMYgAQyCQgCEAAYDRiABDIPCAMQLhgNGK8BGMcBGIAEMg8IBBAuGA0YrwEYxwEYgAQyCQgFEAAYDRiABDIPCAYQLhgNGK8BGMcBGIAEMgkIBxAAGA0YgAQyCQgIEAAYDRiABNIBCTgxMTNqMGoxNagCCLACAfEFt88m0ImEebg&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8] joined in to nominate Chantel Acevedo [https://www.chantelacevedo.com/] for "The Pitch." Her new book "Cages" is out in June. Crossing Cuba, London, and Miami, it reveals themes of love, exile, and identity. Jim shares back stories about Robert Redford and the incentive to write his latest, "Shadows on Sidewalks." As Bob Dylan said, " sex and politics and murder is the way to go if you want to get people's attention." Grady will get lots of attention with "Shadows," yet another reason The Washington Post compared his writing to George Orwell and Bob Dylan.

Book Festival Palooza and More

Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie, Mike Croley, and Jud Ashman. Mike introduces Reggie, the cutest new member of the Chatter family. Staying with animals, Cherie DeVaux, first time female trainer to win the Kentucy Derby, gets her due. Somehow (no featured author?) the team reveals porn star names and why LIV golf is going away. Jud gets us back on track with the May 16 Gaithersburg Book Festival [https://www.google.com/search?q=gaithersburg+book+festival+2026&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS771US771&oq=Gaithersburg+Book+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgBEAAYgAQyDAgAEAAYQxiABBiKBTIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIKCAQQRRgWGB4YOTIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCjEwMjI3ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBQ2-1pvg52Is&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8] where Torie and Claude get to interview award winning author Jason Mott. Then Torie's on the road to Oyster Bay, N.Y. for the May 16-17 Gold Coast Book Fair [https://www.goldcoastforum.org/goldcoastbookfair-2026] where she'll moderate a panel with Isaac Fitzgerald and Bruce Feiler.

Berner "Becoming Legend: Get Rich and Leave a Legacy"

"Whatever he does he hits!" Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Jamie and Torie. Claude shares his Sperryville golf success, and David summarizes the NFL draft. Shane Mullen joins from the midwest with two authors nominated for "The Pitch," Tom Lin and Soman Chainani. They're current and creative and inspiring. 21st century renaissance man Berner zooms in to share "Becoming Legend." He calls it an "instructional manual for all aspiring entrepreneurs," and it showcases his remarkable life and success against significant odds. As Snoop Dog said, "I love it when my fellow rap comrades diversify their portfolio with books of information and knowledge."

David Wright Falade "The New Internationals"

Chatter rolls with Claude, David, Torie, James Grady, and Chatter's favorite Mayor, Jud Ashman. The wrap up March Madness and Torie's Duke animosity. James Grady's soon to be released "Shadows on Sidewalks" getting terrific buzz. Jud previews the May 16 Gaithersburg Book Festival. Free attendance, free parking, and over 130 authors, workshops, kids' events, poetry competitions and more. COB fave David Wright Falade zooms in to share "The New Internationals," out in paperback and joining David'd impressive, eclectic and impactful work. He writes young adult, non-fiction, and historical fiction with empathy and an academic's rigor. "The New Internationals" captures the colliding, sometimes clashing challenges of race and identity in post-World War II Paris.