The Midlife Book Club

What are you willing to sacrifice for security? Author Cleyvis Natera invites readers to explore this question and more on a breathless seven-day trip to The Grand Paloma Resort, a Dominican Republic luxury resort where White Lotus-esque thriller meets sharp social commentary. As two local girls go missing and a hurricane approaches, sisters Laura and Elena live and work amidst stark class distinctions. The resort siphons water for lush gardens while local communities face drought, tourists operate under systems of private justice, and staff navigate knotty power dynamics for survival. Join host Katie Fogarty and Natera as they wander The Grand Paloma and explore the complexities of midlife: are we obligated to take responsibility for others, what is the moral cost of compromises for security, and how to thread the delicate balance between protecting those we love and allowing them autonomy. Bonus! We also crack open Natera's critically acclaimed debut Neruda on the Park, uncover how aspiring authors can get the most out of writing workshops, and discover why Natera credits "getting lost" as essential to building a creative, values-driven midlife.Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com

What happens when unrealized potential sediments inside us "like tar or asbestos, slowly releasing its poison"? Croatian novelist Lidjia Hilje examines this haunting question in her hypnotic debut, Slanting Towards the Sea, a love story spanning twenty years along Croatia's stunning Dalmatian coast. Following university students Ivana and Vlaho through marriage, dissolution, and an unusual friendship triangle, the novel explores how family secrets and unspoken truths shape our most intimate relationships. Join host Katie Fogarty and Hilje as they survey the peaks and valleys of midlife reassessment, how geography shapes identity, and the poetry of place. Hilje also shares her remarkable reinvention story—transforming from practicing attorney to novelist and mastering the craft of writing in English as her second language. Perfect for lovers of atmospheric literary fiction that bridges love, loss, and second chances. Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com

What does it mean to be truly "grown" when we're constantly evolving? Join host Katie Fogarty and novelist Sarai Johnson as they explore Grown Women, a gorgeous debut spanning four generations of complex Black women navigating motherhood, intergenerational trauma, and healing. From Charlotte's teenage flight from abuse to privileged Camille's awakening, Johnson’s characters grapple with forgiveness, the cost of emotional and physical scarcity, and how the ties that bind shape both our happiness, sorrow and sense of self. Sarai reveals how writing Grown Women transformed her own parenting and why moving forward—not moving on—allows us to progress and heal even when forgiveness feels out of reach. Perfect for anyone navigating mother-daughter relationships, seeking stories about growth at any age, and lovers of sprawling stories and luminous prose.Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.comShop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop on indie bookseller Bookshop.org.

Can midlife be a portal to our most powerful selves? What if menopause came with superpowers? Join host Katie Fogarty and author Kirsten Miller as they explore "The Change," a razor-sharp feminist revenge fantasy about three women who navigate the thickets of menopause and small-town murder with superpowers unlocked by midlife. Miller crafts a tale that's equal parts thriller, feminist manifesto, and pacy, page-turning magical realism—a recipe that landed "The Change" as a GMA Book Club pick. We explore how righteous anger can be alchemized into creativity and action, why women in their forties and fifties represent "the most powerful generation of women in the history of the world," and how midlife gives us a clearer vision of our gifts. Forget invisible—in "The Change," the women are powerful and completely out of f*cks to give. That is to say, they are unstoppable.Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.comShop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop on indie bookseller Bookshop.org.

Family secrets shape our lives before we even know they exist, as Carmen Rita Wong reveals in her memoir "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" After learning at age 31 that her Chinese father wasn't her biological parent, Carmen set off on a quest to uncover both her true origins and her mother's motivations for concealing such a fundamental truth. Part detective story, part emotional excavation—host Katie Fogarty and Carmen explore the layers of a story built on secrets and now told with unflinching honesty. We dive into the intricate terrain of mother-daughter relationships, cultural identity across Dominican and Chinese heritage, the pressures of assimilation in 1980s America, and why, as Carmen puts it, "when you bury the truth, you bury it alive." A powerful exploration on finding peace without forgiveness, breaking generational patterns as a parent, and how memoir brings a wide-angle lens to universal themes of identity, the tangle of family relationships, and the search for belonging and clarity in midlife.Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.comShop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop on indie bookseller Bookshop.org.

What happens when we look back at our coming-of-age stories from the vantage point of midlife? Bestselling author Joanna Rakoff (My Salinger Year, A Fortunate Age) joins host Katie Fogarty to explore how we define and find our way in the world through the dual lenses of memoir and fiction. The conversation sparkles with insights about the electric, messy brilliance of being young and how time reshapes our understanding of our younger selves. We dive deep into the creative process, examining how writing from a place of love shapes authentic characters and why some stories are better told as memoir while others flourish as fiction. Plus, Rakoff shares an insider's view of the literary world and explores how J.D. Salinger's influence ripples through her work and life. This show proves that while youth may be fleeting, brilliant stories, beautifully told are forever.Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com.Shop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop.

Getting (and staying) healthy in midlife looks waaay different than in our 20s and 30s.One of the country’s top docs, Dr. Sharon Malone pulls out a prescription pad of straight talk for getting and staying healthy at midlife and beyond from her NYT-bestseller, “Grown Woman Talk.”We dive into the intersection of aging and health, the top health concerns she hears again and again, and why our fast-changing healthcare system means you need to become your own primary caregiver. You and only you are in the driver’s seat of your health. Are you ready?Plus, the moment Dr. Malone learned she hit the NYT-bestseller list, why she is a “one and done” author, and what’s on the top of her TBR stack. Stick around to hear host Katie Fogarty and Dr. Malone share what they would name their midlife memoirs. You may want to steal these titles yourself!Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com.Shop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop.

Mixed feelings about midlife? Do not miss this jolt of inspiration from midlife OG and NYT bestselling author Chip Conley. We explore Chip’s latest book, “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Life Gets Better with Age,” an optimistic blueprint for making your 40s to 70s the best decades of your life. Drawing on fascinating social science research, inspiring stories, and timeless wisdom across cultures and perspectives, Chip will convince you that aging is a superpower and that you are poised, not on the brink of a crisis, but on the precipice of joy and transformation. Host Katie Fogarty and Chip explore how to navigate midlife turbulence, the power of curiosity, and why pop culture gets midlife so wrong—forget crisis, think renaissance. Plus, hear Chip offer practical, actionable strategies for thriving in the face of change and creating the life you want, powered by insights gleaned as a co-founder of The Modern Elder Academy and a life of serial reinvention.Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com.Shop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop.