Laura Lippman's 'Life As A Villainess'

By Sheilah Kast,

Melissa Gerr

Published July 23, 2020 at 8:00 AM EDT

Like most of Laura Lippman’s novels, her new book is set mostly in Baltimore … and centers on a smart woman with complicated motives. But this protagonist is not fictional--this is Lippman herself, publishing her first non-fiction since her days as a newspaper reporter. It’s a collection of essays titled My Life as a Villainess. We learn why Lippman considers herself a bad friend, … why she used to steal penny-candy, … how it feels to be asked if your new baby is your grandchild. Essays full of revelations, but not many regrets--not even the grudges.

You can attend virtual talks featuring Laura Lippman at The Strand Bookstore on Aug. 3 and at the Ivy Bookshop on Aug. 12.

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Sheilah Kast

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.

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Melissa Gerr

Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'

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