Episode · How I Write · 2026-10-14
Books mentioned on Jodi Picoult: The Writing Habits Behind 50 Million Books Sold | How I Write
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Jodi Picoult recommended The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman, and discussed Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult, Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult, Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult, A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and others, Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult, Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen, Shadows on the Grass by Isak Dinesen and others, Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult, Second Glance by Jodi Picoult, Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult, Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and others, and Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Hollow Bones
Discussed“like Hollow Bones in the new book, there is this the origin story.”
Where to get it
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Harvesting the Heart
Discussed“I was writing Harvest in the Heart, which is my second novel, and I remember waking up in the middle of the night”
Where to get it
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Songs of the Humpback Whale
Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult is a contemporary novel exploring complex family dynamics, marriage, and emotional resilience against the backdrop of a woman fleeing across the country with her daughter.
Discussed“Well, so when I wrote uh my first book was called Songs of the Hump Whale.”
Where to get it
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A Spark of Light
Discussed“A Spark of Light. That is a book about abortion rights in America”
Where to get it
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.
Discussed“The Invisible Life of Addy Laroo is another one.”
Where to get it
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Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is a massive historical novel set in the American South during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, centered on the character Scarlett O'Hara.
Discussed“So, Gone with the Wind, I I get I I very distinctly remember this moment. I was reading the scene where”
Where to get it
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Small Great Things
Discussed“small great things that I went and revisited that and I was like oo oo there are some real flaws in this book”
Where to get it
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The Great Gatsby
F.
Discussed“Gatsby, you know, with with Nick Carowway being an unreliable narrator.”
Where to get it
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Keeping Faith
Discussed“So, I remember writing Keeping Faith. That's one of the ones where”
Where to get it
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Out of Africa
Discussed“When I was back in college, um my junior thesis was on Out of Africa by Esak Dennison.”
Where to get it
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Shadows on the Grass
Discussed“And if you read Out of Africa and Shadows of the Grass, which are the two companion pieces”
Where to get it
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Perfect Match
Discussed“I remember there was this scene in Perfect Match. Um, Perfect Match is about this”
Where to get it
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The Witches of Cambridge
Recommended“Um, her new book, Witches of Cambridge, is fantastic.”
Where to get it
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By Any Other Name
Discussed“So, Amelia Basano was at the heart of my book by any other name. And of all of my books, I think this is my personal favorite.”
Where to get it
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Second Glance
Discussed“So, um, for my book, Second Glance, uh, I wanted to write a ghost story”
Where to get it
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Nineteen Minutes
Discussed“In 2024, 19 minutes was the most banned book in America.”
Where to get it
