LibraryThing is pleased to sit down this month with bestselling author, historian, curator and law professor Molly Guptill Manning, whose work often explores little known stories from the literary world. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in American history from the University at Albany, a J.D. at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and an M.A. in Museum Studies from NYU, and is currently an associate professor of law at New York Law School. Guptill Manning made her authorial debut in 2012 with The Myth of Ephraim Tutt: Arthur Train and His Great Literary Hoax, before turning to the history of books and reading during World War II with her When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II (2014) and The War of Words: How America’s GI Journalists Battled Censorship and Propaganda to Help Win World War II (2023). She has also curated museum exhibits around this theme, including The Best-Read Army in the World at the Grolier Club, and the current Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts in Wartime at Poster House. Earlier this year her biography of Ray Trautman, the Chief Librarian of the US Army during World War II, was published by Oxford University Press. Guptill Manning sat down with Abigail this month to discuss A Librarian’s War: The Man Who Fought World War II with Books and Brought the Joy of Reading to Millions.

What made you decide to tell Ray Trautman’s story? Was he a figure you encountered in your previous exploration of books and reading in the US Army during World War II?

I first encountered Ray Trautman when I was writing When Books Went to War (2014). I mentioned him a few times in that book, but he wasn’t a central figure. Remarkably, after that book was published, Ray’s sons reached out and invited me to visit them and take a look at their father’s records of his wartime work—thankfully, being a librarian, Ray kept everything! As I learned more about him, I was amazed by the incredible odds Ray faced in trying to get books and magazines to troops and his undaunted determination to do whatever it took to get soldiers the reading materials they wanted. I uncovered many forgotten stories about famous people—Eleanor Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, FDR, etc.—who Ray interacted with. I just found his life fascinating, and felt others would too.

Tell us a little bit about Trautman—who he was, what he did, and why he should be remembered.

Ray grew up on a farm in Mowrystown, Ohio (population: 200), where there was no community library and very few books. Yet, he treasured every book he could get his hands on—he loved learning about other people’s lives, making new discoveries, meeting beloved characters, and exploring the world. A seed was planted—he would ultimately decide to devote his life to books and libraries, and giving others the opportunity to experience the joys of reading.

His greatest contributions were probably made during World War II, when he became the Army’s Chief Librarian. Ray designed miniature paperbacks, Armed Services Editions, so foot soldiers around the world could carry weightless pocket-sized books wherever they went. Ray knew from experience that these books were many solders’ emotional survival gear. Because troops also wanted magazines, Ray worked with every major American magazine to create small, ad-free versions for troops. And he created an Army comic book, Overseas Comics, so troops would get their favorite cartoon strips.

Ray was responsible for distributing, for free, a half-billion books, magazines, and comics during World War II. In the process, an entire generation of Americans became devoted readers. Most entered the war with no reading habit, and they left the military with a lifelong desire to read, which veterans passed on to their families and friends. He truly revolutionized American reading.

What kind of research did you need to do, while writing the book, and what were some of the most memorable things you learned? Were there surprises along the way?

First, I needed to comb through boxes of records that Ray had saved, along with diaries, photographs, and notes tucked inside of his books. Ray’s son, Eric, secured Ray’s military records from the Army—thankfully, that consisted of almost 1,000 pages that provided guideposts for where Ray was, what he was doing, and when. For more details and context, I scoured newspaper and magazine articles, and read dozens and dozens of books about the people, places, and events Ray encountered.

I was amazed to learn how many famous people this unassuming librarian crossed paths with. Ray solved problems for Eleanor Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway—and these stories have never been told! He also met Douglas MacArthur (and almost got court martialed for gently suggesting that MacArthur supply his troops with books), and was given library assignments directly from Dwight Eisenhower. One of the more memorable and surprising episodes I wrote about was when Trautman was trapped during the Battle of the Bulge and was forced to lead troops in a tank battle using only homemade weapons—and they survived! It turned out a librarian’s skillset was very useful in coming up with an unconventional solution in a life-or-death situation.

Three of your four books so far have focused on books and reading during World War II. What makes this subject so interesting for you, and why is it important?

I think examining reading during wartime fascinates me because history shows that when democracy has come under attack (in both World War I and World War II), the government has emphasized the importance of the freedom to read and access information. While the United States implemented some censorship measures and produced propaganda, a dominant message during both wars was that practicing democracy—by reading whatever you want, sharing books, donating books to troops so they had access to a variety of reading materials, etc.—was an important way to protect democracy. During the last decade or so, we’ve seen a growing tendency to censor and limit what books are available. I think the history I write about is more important than ever.

Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a particular schedule you keep, or places you like to write? Do you start from an outline, and have all of your information organized before starting each chapter or section?

When I’m writing, I like to start in the morning and have several hours that will be uninterrupted so I can entirely focus on what I am doing. If I’m writing on my computer, all notifications are turned off and my phone will be in another room so I have absolutely no distractions. I have a small room in my house that’s loaded with bookshelves and has a large table—this is where I do most of my writing. I love to have my sources spread out in front of me, almost like having a roadmap of the day’s writing.

For each book I’ve written, I’ve had a different strategy for writing. Sometimes a chapter becomes clear to me before the entire book does, so I might write a chapter and then return to researching other parts of the book. For A Librarian’s War, after I organized all of the material I was planning to use, I did make a chapter-by-chapter plan for how to put it together. Usually, I avoid outlines because I find that the process of writing sharpens my understanding of a story and the final story may not have a strong resemblance to my original plan. I try to stay curious and flexible throughout the process.

What is next for you? Do you have any new books in the works, or book ideas you hope to work on?

I have an idea for my next book and have been doing a lot of preliminary research and reading to try to figure out the story’s contours. It will be an entirely different adventure for me, as I’m changing time periods and won’t be focusing on books in wartime. Each book I’ve written began because a story crossed my path and took root in my heart and mind. Once again, I have found a forgotten chapter of history and I feel compelled to preserve it. For now, I am happily gathering as many pieces as I can before attempting to figure out the structure.

Tell us about your library. What’s on your own shelves?

I have a bit of a book problem at home, as I have too many of them (if there is such a thing). Being a non-fiction author, I read a ton of non-fiction because I want to understand the period I’m writing about from as many different perspectives as I can. So my shelves are full of books from the World War II and World War I eras, along with my favorite works of fiction and any other books I have read and feel such a connection to that I can’t part with them. I also have a shelf devoted to signed books, from books talks I’ve attended by authors I admire.

What have you been reading lately, and what would you recommend to other readers?

When I’m working on a book, I read primarily non-fiction; because I’m between books, I have been reading more fiction lately. A few titles I’ve read and enjoyed are My Friends, by Fredrik Backman; Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck; The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin; The Correspondent by Virginia Evans; The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard; and I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney.

LibraryThing is pleased to sit down this month with bestselling author Saratoga Schaefer, whose recent horror and thriller novels have caused quite a stir. Born in Brooklyn, they currently live in upstate New York, and made their authorial debut in 2025 with Serial Killer Support Group, described by author Dea Poirier as “a twisty and vicious thriller that will have you hungry for revenge.” 2026 publications include Trad Wife, The Last Time We Drowned, and A Thousand Monstrous Forms, a sapphic retelling of the horrific tale of Bluebeard in which a newly-married young woman must fight for her very survival. Schaefer sat down with Abigail this month to discuss A Thousand Monstrous Forms, published by Crooked Lane Books earlier in September.

Tell us about A Thousand Monstrous Forms. How did the idea first come to you? Did you always know it was going to be a retelling of Bluebeard?

A Thousand Monstrous Forms is a sapphic gothic horror Bluebeard retelling about a ceramic artist named Poppy Reed who moves into her new wife’s manor only to suspect it might be haunted. When she’s forbidden from entering the basement, Poppy finds herself drawn there over and over again.

This book was always going to be a Bluebeard retelling because I’ve always been strangely fascinated by the original folktale. But the impetus behind this book actually came many years ago when I took a medieval literature class in college. I read Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene and fell in love with it, knowing I wanted to incorporate it into my own work one day. It took a long time to discover the bones of this book, but once I did, it came together in a way that really felt like kismet.

What is the significance of the Bluebeard story? Does recasting Bluebeard as a woman, and making the tale a sapphic one, change that story?

There are a lot of hints, nods, and easter eggs regarding the Bluebeard folktale in this book. It’s a retelling, so I wanted to be mindful of its source material while still creating a new story, especially one for the modern age. The theme of this book—realizing and recovering from abusive relationships—very much plays into the themes of the original Bluebeard. Making all the key characters women, and making the romance sapphic, was interesting because I got to explore new layers (such as queer partner abuse) not touched on in the original. Readers might be surprised to find how much that change affects the overall story…or not.

Can you elaborate on how you used Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene in this book, and on any other influences in your story? Were there other classic tales that have shaped your book?

Spenser’s The Faerie Queene is a huge part of this book and brought all the themes and motifs together. I was researching Bluebeard and trying to figure out if there was a way I could also incorporate The Faerie Queene because I loved it so much. Imagine my surprise to discover that Spenser’s epic poem predates some of the iterations of the Bluebeard tale and might have even been the inspiration behind it. These two stories came together perfectly, allowing me to write my own. There are tons of references to The Faerie Queene within this book, including its title. Those who are familiar with the epic poem are going to see lots of winks and outright references and homages to the work within this book.

Your book speaks to issues of abuse and emotional trauma. What advantage does the horror genre offer to the storyteller, when exploring such themes?

Horror doesn’t shy away from darkness. In fact, horror is all about embracing the dark, analyzing it and compounding it until it’s even darker. Or until you feel some kind of catharsis from synthesizing your own pain in such a way. We sometimes think of horror as supernatural only—the things that go bump in the night or the monsters under the bed. But, for me, the true horror in all my books isn’t necessarily the spooky beings or jump-scares. It’s the humanity, the social aspect. How easy it is for us to hurt each other and how scarring that can be.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you have a particular schedule you keep, or rituals you observe? Do you know how your stories will end, when first beginning to write them?

I’m a morning writer for sure. I’m also a fast, intense drafter who needs to work in absolute silence. No background music for me—I get too distracted. Over many years I trained myself to write my first drafts in a little over a month because I learned that if I don’t get it done fast, I won’t get it done at all. I basically write two to three thousand words a day until the first draft is done, then I spend months (or sometimes years!) editing and revising. When I start to write, I always know how my stories will begin and end, but sometimes things in the middle change based on how the plot unfolds. Or if the characters decide to misbehave.

You’ve burst onto the scene recently, with four books in two years. What comes next for you? Do you have books in the offing that you can tell us about?

I didn’t initially plan on having three books out in one year, but since I’ve been writing novels for over a decade, I ended up with multiple manuscripts ready to go after my debut came out. I’m hoping to slow down a bit—eventually. I have two more announced projects I can currently talk about: my next psychological thriller, She’s a Big Fan, which comes out June 8, 2027, is about a fire-eater who notices strange behavior and disappearances at a pop star’s annual music festival; and Zeroth, my first sci-fi novel, out January 2028, about a starving artist who signs up for an android boyfriend beta test only to grow concerned by his dangerous malfunctions. Stay tuned…I’ll have some more news to share soon too!

Tell us about your library. What’s on your own shelves?

I’m a pretty diverse and eclectic reader; I like to read widely across genres. While of course I have a ton of thrillers and horror on my shelves, I also read sci-fi, fantasy, romance, literary fiction, and the occasional non-fiction. I’ve been on a cozy fantasy kick lately—fall makes me want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

What have you been reading lately, and what would you recommend to other readers?

I recently read E.L. Chen’s February 2027 horror release, One of Us Is Already Dead, and I couldn’t get enough of it. It’s so genuinely creepy. When a book freaks me out, I can’t stop smiling. Speaking of, I’m currently reading Clay McLeod Chapman’s March 2027 release, Mr. Lonelyhearts, which is so delightfully unsettling. Some of my top reads from 2026 that I’d definitely recommend are Sarah Wang’s New Skin, P. Paramita’s Appetite, and Luke Dumas’ Nothing Tastes as Good.

The USA is 250 years old this month, and in honor of the occasion LibraryThing sat down with authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, who recently collaborated on A Founding Mother, a historical novel about Abigail Adams published by William Morrow in May 2026. A bestselling author of historical fiction, Dray earned her undergraduate degree in Government from Smith College, and her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law, and has worked as a lawyer, game designer and teacher. Her many works include the Cleopatra’s Daughter trilogy, about the life of Cleopatra Selene II, and stand-alone novels like The Women of Chateau Lafayette (2021). Kamoie, also a bestselling author of historical fiction, is a historian who earned her undergraduate degree from Dickinson College and her MA and PhD in early American history from the College of William and Mary. She has published two nonfiction works on early America—Neabsco and Occoquan: The Tayloe Family Iron Plantations, 1730-1830 (2003) and Irons in the Fire: The Business History of the Tayloe Family and Virginia’s Gentry, 1700-1860 (2007)—and has worked as a history professor at the university level, most recently at the US Naval Academy. Before their most recent collaboration, Dray and Kamoie also wrote America’s First Daughter (2016) and My Dear Hamilton (2018) together. They sat down with Abigail this month to discuss their new book.

In your previous novels you’ve explored the lives of Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph and Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. What made you decide to write about Abigail Adams next?

Readers had been asking us to write about Abigail for a long time, but when we realized that our next book was going to come out in 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the choice was a no brainer. Abigail was so far ahead of her time, so direct and unflinching, and so modern in her sentiments, that she was the perfect voice from the founding generation to speak to Americans today.

Tell us a little bit about Abigail Adams and her life, and what makes her such an interesting figure. (Full disclosure: as a bicentennial baby, I was named after Abigail Adams, so I already find Adams a fascinating figure!).

Love that! Abigail was in many ways an ordinary farm wife of Braintree, Massachusetts, at the outbreak of the revolutionary war. She lived in a modest home. She was raising four children. She didn’t have a formal education. But in other ways, she had always been extraordinary. We’ve read a lot of letters from 18th-century women at this point in our career, and none of them display the sense of self-possession of Abigail Adams. She seems to have been a smart, rebellious, independent girl from the get go. She chose a husband who would let her become more than an ordinary farm wife. She became an entrepreneur. A diplomat. A canny political operator. And much, much more.

Adams is well known for her writing, including her famous “Remember the Ladies” letter. How much did you rely on her letters or other work, in writing A Founding Mother? Were there other sources–specific biographies or histories—that were helpful?

While always relying heavily on the original letters, and in this case there were many by Abigail and her family and friends, as much as possible, we use the figures’ own words from their letters in their dialogue and internal monologue. We were also guided by one extraordinary biography by Woody Holton and spent a lot of time with David McCullough’s book on John Adams.

What were some of the most interesting things you learned about Adams, in the course of your research for the book?

The most surprising thing we learned was that although Abigail and John Adams shared one of America’s greatest love stories, it was not a fairy tale. Their marriage was under strain when he was away in Europe—there was a forgotten founding father who is probably better off forgotten who crossed the line with Abigail in inappropriate ways—and that Abigail definitely kept some secrets from John.

All three of your books so far have focused on women who were related to more famous men—in the case of Abigail Adams, her husband John Adams. Why is it important to tell their stories? Which other historical women would you like to highlight?

First of all, the irony is that Abigail may be better remembered than John at this point! But to your point, it’s important to tell the stories of the women who stood behind, alongside, and sometimes even ahead of the men who are said to have founded this country. They didn’t do it alone. Women built this country too and deserve the credit. Because when we don’t acknowledge their contributions, people end up deluded into thinking that “traditional” women were fundamentally dependent and happy about it. That wasn’t true for any of the founding mothers we have written about, and especially not Abigail Adams, who was socially conservative in a number of ways while still being an absolute firecracker when it came to women’s rights and the role they could and should play in government. So if the women who founded this country aren’t “traditional” then who is?

As for other women we would like to highlight, so many! We always have to figure out the venn diagram between what we’re both passionate about, what readers want, and what our publisher thinks will be most marketable. But it really is our mission to do as Abigail said and “Remember the Ladies.”

Tell us about your writing process, when working together. How does that work? Are there specific challenges to writing as a team, or specific pleasures?

We have no set process! Sometimes we alternate chapters. Sometimes we assign whole chunks. One specific challenge is technology. Frequently, we break Google Docs or Microsoft Word because we have so many comments or footnotes. Sometimes we are forced to sit at a table together over one manuscript and shift the keyboard back and forth as we make decisions. But that’s just a good excuse to get together. We enjoy each other’s company and there is a certain magic in our collaboration born of deep respect for each other’s talents and writing judgments. We really do make each other better. And we love sharing little insights and research nuggets and nerding out together at historical sites.

What comes next for you two? Do you have further collaborations in mind, or individual projects in the offing?

We do have another collaboration in mind, and we can’t tell you what it is yet, but we’re excited! We’re both also working on solo novels, so there’s much more to come!

Tell us about your library. What’s on your own shelves?

We both have our own books on our shelves, of course. That gives you a nice pick-me-up when you’re having a bad day. Then there are all the books written by friends and other great writers we admire. Laura has a prime spot for The Alice Network by Kate Quinn on her shelf while Stephanie favors Kate’s The Rose Code. Then there are all the research books. So many.

What have you been reading lately, and what would you recommend to other readers?

Stephanie’s two most recent—both of which she recommends highly—are Allison Pataki’s It Girl, and Madeline Martin’s The Secret Book Society. Laura recently read and loved Olesya Gilmore’s The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru and David McCullough’s The Johnstown Flood.