The Bright Side: A Hello Sunshine Podcast

This week, we’re talking to director and screenplay writer Maggie Gyllenhaal about her upcoming film, The Bride! Maggie reveals how she gave a character from the 1930s with only a few minutes of screentime a big dose of main character energy. Danielle and Maggie also discuss the unthinkable thoughts of Mary Shelley, IMAX screenings, and what it was like to narrate a 48-hour audio book. Plus, get a sneak peek of the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine.
BOOKS MENTIONED:
Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Mating by Norman Rush
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This week, we’re back with the author of the February’s Reese’s Book Club pick, Philippa Malicka, and we’re diving deep into her debut novel, In Her Defense. A whirlpool of love, lies and deceit, In Her Defense raises the chilling question: If you can’t trust your own memories, what else, or who else, can you rely on? Danielle and Philippa get into process, character development, reclaiming your own agency – and how, sometimes, writing a new story can feel like falling in love.
BOOKS MENTIONED
In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka
Hamlet by Wiliam Shakespeare
The Glass Essay by Anne Carson
Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbra Trapido
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Dogger by Shirley Hughes
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes
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On this special live episode of Bookmarked in collaboration with Apple Books and Apple TV, we’re celebrating Laura Dave’s newest novel, The First Time I Saw Him—January’s pick from Reese’s Book Club—and the highly anticipated second season of The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV. Danielle Robay is joined on stage by Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Laura Dave, Angourie Rice, Judy Greer, and Rita Wilson for a candid, funny, and deeply thoughtful conversation about bringing the story into its next chapter.

BOOKS MENTIONED
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot
The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
JAmes by Percival Everett
Stuck Up & Stupid by Angourie Rice & Kate Rice
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If you’ve ever struggled to feel like you matter, you’re not alone. Feeling like you matter is as fundamental a need as food or water, yet it’s a need going unmet by many. Danielle sits down with journalist and author Jennifer Wallace, who spent over six years researching and interviewing everyday people about losing and regaining that sense of mattering. They discuss what it really means to matter, the role social media plays in the mattering crisis, and how to show up for your loved ones and make them valued.
Books Mentioned
Mattering by Jennifer Wallace
Never Enough by Jennifer Wallace
1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Choosing Civility by P. M. Forni
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Doorman by Chris Pavone
The Good Life by Robert Waldinger, M.D. and Marc Schulz, Ph.D
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What better way to kick off the month of love than with the queen of historical romance, Julia Quinn. The Bridgerton author chats all about how her series became a global phenomenon, the unexpected ways Bridgerton has reshaped the genre, and why historical romance deserves its moment in the spotlight again. And can you believe Julia almost became a doctor instead of a novelist? She’s sharing some behind-the-scenes insights for season 4 of Bridgerton and reminding us why we should still believe in happy endings.
BOOKS MENTIONED
In Her Defense by Phillipa Malicka
Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben
An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn
First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
The Last Lady B by Eloisa James
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
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