Literary

Press & Podcasts

Coverage, interviews, and podcast appearances for What Kind of Mother and previous books.

More coming soon.

Literary

Events

Readings, signings, and speaking engagements.

More coming soon.

Literary

Previous Books

Harley and Me

What happens when women in midlife step out of what's predictable? For Bernadette Murphy, learning to ride a motorcycle at forty–eight becomes the catalyst that transforms her from a settled wife and professor with three teenage children into a woman on her own. The confidence she gained from mastering a new skill and conquering her fears gave her the courage to face deeper issues in her own life and start taking risks. It is a fact that men and women alike become more risk averse in our later years —which according to psychologists and neuroscience is exactly what we should not do. And Murphy stresses that while hers is a story of transformation using a physical risk, emotional and educational risks can serve the same beneficial purpose for other women. Murphy uses her own story to explore the larger idea of how risk changes our brain chemistry, how certain personality types embrace dangerous behavior and why it energizes them, and why women's expectations change once estrogen levels drop after the childbearing years. She also explores the idea of women and risk in pop culture—why there are so few stories of the conquering heroine (instead of hero). Surely Thelma and Louise driving off the cliff should not be our only pop culture reference for women finding true freedom. With scientific research and journalistic interviews weaving through a page–turning, road trip narrative, Harley and Me is a compelling look at how one woman changed her life and found deeper meaning out on the open road.

Buy This Book

National Bestseller

Zen and the Art of Knitting

This book explores what, arguably, everyone's grandmother always knew, that when passionate knitters become one with the craft, amazing things can happen. In Zen and the Art of Knitting, Bernadette Murphy explores how knitting fits into the larger scheme of life itself as meditation, creative expression, a gift to express love, a way to connect, and much, much more.

Buy This Book

The Tao Gal's Guide to Real Estate

Once a week, six women living in Los Angeles meet to read from the Tao te Ching and reflect on their lives. One subject arises over and over: the dream of owning a home. One by one they take on the real estate market. They discover, among themselves, great reservoirs of expertise and experience that keep them sane—and laughing—along the way. Now, the Tao Girls want to share that expertise and experience with women who find themselves similarly confused, frustrated, or disappointed. The Tao Girl's Guide to Real Estate offers a way to keep your head through it all, to eliminate that sense of helplessness, overwhelming tension, and emotional fatigue so often a part of finding a home. In telling their lively and often amusing personal stories, the Tao Girls also deliver a terrific dose of practical advice for buying any house—from the smallest condo to a suburban family dream house.

Buy This Book

The Knitter's Gift

Passionate knitters know that knitting is more than just a craft or a hobby. Knitting forms the texture and a background for their lives, binding them to their mothers and grandmothers who shared their great legacies; to friends and family who wear their homemade gifts; and to their fellow knitters. The Knitter's Gift is an inspirational collection just for them. Beginner and longtime knitters will rejoice as they read about:

A father who treasures the scarf made by his daughter decades earlier
A Ph.D. candidate who finds that knitting reduces her stress, and allows her to knit together her higher education with her craft
A mother-in-law who makes peace with her daughter-in-law by creating a luxurious handmade gift

Written and compiled by this best-selling author, The Knitter's Gift is a timeless work that spans the generations.

Buy This Book

Literary