Club Calvi

CBS News NY
  • 5.0 (13)
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Mary Calvi hosts the book club where you pick what we read next. Club Calvi chooses three new fiction titles. Readers vote to decide the winner and then can engage with the author by asking their most burning questions in a monthly meetup. Every week, Mary talks with authors about their research, writing process, the journey to being published, and with book lovers about their favorite reads.

  1. Aug 12

    Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray on "A Pair of Aces" and their writing partnership

    Bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray talk with Mary Calvi and answer questions from readers about their latest novel "A Pair of Aces." It was voted a Readers' Choice for Club Calvi, and was Benedict and Murray's third book together and third bestseller. Their previous novels were "The Personal Librarian" and "The First Ladies." In "A Pair of Aces," Benedict and Murray reimagine the story of how Eunice Carter, New York's first female Black prosecutor, came up with the strategy to bring down the powerful mob boss Lucky Luciano in the 1930s. In the book, she teams up with the infamous madam Polly Adler. Mary talked with Benedict and Murray about how they discovered the story, how they split the research and writing, and whether one has veto power over the other. ClubCalvi.com Audio excerpted with permission of Penguin Random House Audio from A PAIR OF ACES by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, excerpt read by Barrie Kreinik. Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Aug 5

    John Searles on "Single Girls," Helen Gurley Brown, and Cosmopolitan magazine's early years

    John Searles is known as a bestselling author of suspenseful thrillers, but he told Mary Calvi that his new novel of dramatic fiction is one that he's wanted to write for years. In the 1990s, Searles was hired by legendary magazine Editor-In-Chief Helen Gurley Brown to work at Cosmopolitan magazine. He stayed there for more than 20 years and became a top editor. His new book, "Single Girls," reimagines Brown in the 1960s, fresh off the success of her book "Sex and the Single Girl," and tasked with turning around the failing Cosmopolitan. She and her female team produced a daring publication, with shocking stories for the times, that challenged society's norms for women and changed culture. Searles told Mary that "Single Girls" is his love letter to Brown and women's magazines. He also shared the harsh note that he accidentally received after an early book was rejected, and how it propelled his writing career. ClubCalvi.com Audio From SINGLE GIRLS by John Searles. Copyright © 2026 by John Searles. Reprinted by permission of Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Jul 29

    Abigail Savitch-Lew on "Livonia Chow Mein"  & place as a character

    Abigail Savitch-Lew took a long, deep dive researching the history of her family and the history of a community in Brooklyn to write her debut novel "Livonia Chow Mein." She spent a decade crafting the story of a Chinese family who owns a restaurant in Brownsville and the restaurant's impact on Black and Jewish residents over the course of 100 years. The novel explores how the changing times impact each generation of the family and the wellbeing of the neighborhood. "Livonia Chow Mein" received starred reviews and it was voted a Club Calvi Readers' Choice. Savitch-Lew talked with Mary and answered questions from readers about what she learned about relations among people from different cultures, prejudice, and how residents and other writers were crucial to her storytelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Jul 22

    Daniel Silva on Gabriel Allon, "Ransom," writing, and failing privately

    Daniel Silva is on a publishing streak that most authors can only dream about: all of his novels have been New York Times and international bestsellers. He talked to Mary Calvi about his latest book, "Ransom," his 29th novel and the 26th featuring Gabriel Allon, the art restorer and master spy who is pulled back into the life he thought he left behind. In Allon, Silva created one of the most popular characters in contemporary fiction. But Silva told Mary that as he's writing, he keeps his stories secret from everyone but his wife. "Ransom" centers on the disappearance of the wife of a British billionaire, melding kidnapping and global intrigue with security threats facing the world today. Silva talked with Mary about his rigorous writing habits to publish a new book every July and how he treasures meeting readers on his book tours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Jul 15

    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/ 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

  6. Jul 8

    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

  7. Jul 1

    "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

  8. Jun 24

    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

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About

Mary Calvi hosts the book club where you pick what we read next. Club Calvi chooses three new fiction titles. Readers vote to decide the winner and then can engage with the author by asking their most burning questions in a monthly meetup. Every week, Mary talks with authors about their research, writing process, the journey to being published, and with book lovers about their favorite reads.

Information

  • Creator
    CBS News NY
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Copyright
    © CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Portions Recorded

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