Joe Donahue

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho forever changed movie history with one shocking scene, but novelist Leah Rowan asks a tantalizing question: what if Marion Crane had survived? In her debut thriller, 'Marion,' Rowan reimagines one of cinema's most famous victims as a woman who fights back, setting off a suspenseful story of survival, revenge, and reinvention.A modern, feminist twist on a classic, the novel blends psychological suspense with sharp social commentary as Marion flees the aftermath of a deadly encounter while trying to save her sister from an abusive marriage. It's a bold, unexpected retelling that turns a familiar story on its head.

Few families have inspired as much fascination as the Kennedys and Britain's royal family. Journalist Caroline Hallemann has spent years covering both as Digital Director of 'Town & Country,' and in her first book, 'The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made,' she brings their histories together in a fresh and revealing way.Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews, Hallemann traces nearly a century of connections, rivalries, tragedies, and public mythmaking, showing how America's closest thing to royalty and Britain's actual monarchy have reflected, influenced, and reshaped one another across generations.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Principal, Faith in the Public Square and Co-Principal of The Religious Nationalisms Project The Reverend Peter Cook, an author, lawyer, consultant, public speaker, and entrepreneur; her most recent book is: 'Race Rules: What Your Black Friend Won't Tell You' Fatimah Gilliam, and Former Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

For decades, Cory Doctorow has been one of the sharpest critics of the digital world—a bestselling science-fiction writer, journalist, co-editor of Boing Boing, and longtime advocate for digital rights and an open internet. His latest nonfiction book, 'The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI,' takes aim at the hype, fear, and confusion surrounding artificial intelligence.

Brad Gooch has spent much of his career telling the stories of larger-than-life figures. The poet, novelist, and acclaimed biographer is known for celebrated books on Keith Haring, Frank O’Hara, Flannery O’Connor, and the 13th-century mystic Rumi.A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, Gooch has built a reputation for combining literary insight with a keen eye for the personal details that shape a life. In his new memoir, 'Good Morning Moon: A Snapshot of an American Family,' he turns that eye inward.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Lecturer of Cognitive Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and former Fulbright US Scholar to Egypt Jackie Berry, an educator who teaches drama and humanities at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie Stephen Haff, a former U.S. Army officer and State Department Diplomat who taught at Bard College for six years and is now a Senior Fellow at Bard's Center for Civic Engagement Ambassador Fred Hof, and the Arthur Zankel Chair in Management for Liberal Arts at Skidmore College where she teaches International Affairs and Business Management Pushi Prasad.

Author Colm Toibin’s latest, 'The News From Dublin,' is his first story collection in more than a decade. The volume gathers nine stories set across Ireland, Spain, the United States, and beyond, tracing lives shaped by distance, memory, and the pull of home.

Author Colm Toibin’s latest, 'The News From Dublin,' is his first story collection in more than a decade. The volume gathers nine stories set across Ireland, Spain, the United States, and beyond, tracing lives shaped by distance, memory, and the pull of home.

This week's Book Picks comes from Lily Bartels from the Open-Door Bookstore in Schenectady, NY.