The Bookshelf with Jennifer Morrison - Ep. 16: "The Underneath" with Melanie Finn

In our season 3 finale of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison, this episode with author E.J. Koh is truly, poetry in motion. Koh joins Jennifer to discuss her novel, "The Liberators", winner of the 2024 New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award. Though it is a novel covering dark themes spanning several generations through historical tragic events, E.J. continuously manages to find light within the darkness, giving the audience a story that Jennifer finds delicate and "smooth as silk". E.J. discusses her family's influence in writing her memoir and novels, her ambition to write 1,000 love letters, and how her process of writing ultimately lends as a conduit for her real passion—making a connection with humanity.

This one is for the true book lovers out there...in this unique episode we discuss our book of the month "The Land of Milk and Honey" by C Pam Zhang with Executive Editor Caroline Bleeke at Flatiron Books. Caroline takes us on a behind the scenes journey into the world of Publishing. What exactly does an Editor do? When do they decide one of the many stories they read needs to be shared with the world? What does a career path look like for an Editor? Jennifer and Caroline dive into all of these questions and more in this episode of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison.

In this memorable episode of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison, Jennifer has the incredible opportunity to chat with world-renowned author, Danielle Steel, on her newest novel “A Mother’s Love”. Danielle and Jennifer discuss her astounding career including publishing 218 books internationally, her writing process, and what is behind Danielle's technique that makes each of her characters unique, relatable and leaves readers feeling happy and fulfilled with each and every one of her stories. 

In this memorable episode of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison, Jennifer has the incredible opportunity to chat with world-renowned author, Danielle Steel, on her newest novel “A Mother’s Love”. Danielle and Jennifer discuss her astounding career including publishing 218 books internationally, her writing process, and what is behind Danielle's technique that makes each of her characters unique, relatable and leaves readers feeling happy and fulfilled with each and every one of her stories. 

In this unforgettable memoir, Sarah LaBrie opens her novel "No One Gets to Fall Apart" with a devastating phone call from her grandmother—her mother was found on the side of the road, in the midst of a psychotic episode brought on by schizophrenia. Despite the incredulous journey that follows to discover the history of mental health in her family while juggling her own struggles, Sarah remains incredibly optimistic leaving Jennifer to ask just how she does it. Find out how the failure of one of Sarah's novels ultimately led her to find and pursue her true desire and why we should, too in this memorable episode of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison.

Imagine getting a call as a teenager that your mother has gone to rehab and all she's left you is a $20 bill, your little sister, and several pets to take care of. That's only one of the many stories Crysta Bilton tells in her memoir, "Normal Family: On Truth, Love and How I Met My 35 Siblings". Yes, you read that right, along with growing up with her lesbian mother who was an alcoholic cult member, Chrysta discovers her biological father was a serial sperm donor and decides to host a "reunion" with dozens of her siblings. Jennifer dives in with Chrysta to relive her misadventures, past relationships that shape us, and how Chrysta was able to find peace with her mother through her writing. 

The third time is indeed a charm as author Melanie Finn joins Jennifer once again to discuss one of her earlier novels, "The Gloaming". This story follows Pilgrim Jones after her husband leaves her for another woman, she's involved in an accident in a small town in Switzerland, tragically leaving 3 children dead. Filled with guilt, Pilgrim escapes to Africa, befriending a series of locals dealing with their own pasts. The town also seems to be spooked by the presence of a spirit, and Pilgrim can't shake the feeling she is being followed. Jennifer and Melanie discuss defining the line between authors' personal experiences and fiction, the discomfort in feeling the ambiguity in the good and evil of characters, and how accepting wasting time writing may be the best thing you can do. 

On this episode, Jennifer is joined by friend and singer-songwriter, Taylor Goldsmith, lead singer of the band Dawes. Brought together by their mutual love of our book of the month, "Pay As you Go", the two have the opportunity to discuss the novel with author Eskor David Johnson. A rollercoaster of an epic, the story follows Slide on his tumultuous journey to find an apartment in the fictional city of Polis. Eskor, Jennifer and Taylor share their creative influences on bringing worlds to life whether it be through writing, film or song.

In this episode, Jennifer is joined by Nora Lange, author of the novel "Us Fools". Auspiciously timely, Nora's story focuses on the relationship between two sisters growing up in the rural mid-west during the farming crisis of the 1980s. Often isolated, the sisters educate themselves and learn from one another as they ultimately escape to Chicago, facing a seemingly failing world. Nora and Jennifer discuss the parallels in "Us Fools" to raising daughters in our society today, and the importance of cultivating your own trauma story in order to experience re-growth. 

In our Season 3 opening episode, Jennifer Morrison joins her THIS IS US co-star Griffin Dunne to discuss his new memoir, "The Friday Afternoon Club". From getting expelled the day before his stage debut, to memories with Carrie Fisher, you'll find out why 3 years on set with Griffin wasn't enough to hear all the stories he has to tell. With a family interwoven deep into Hollywood history, the behind the scenes of his writing is just as intriguing and spectacular as the book itself.