Conversations With Unexpected Book Nerds: Hilarie Burton Morgan

If you love to read books, chances are you love to talk about them too. But have you ever wondered about whether your favorite celebrities or public figures love to read as well? If you might share a favorite book or preferred genre with them? Well, I sure have! So, I’m on a mission to find book lovers (book nerds, if you will!) in unexpected places. In this interview series, I’ll be talking with people you recognize but don’t necessarily associate with books — musicians, actors and actresses, athletes, and more. We will be discussing all of their current projects you want to hear about, of course, but we will also be digging into their unique reading and writing lives!

In this interview, I chat with Hilarie Burton Morgan. You know her from MTV’s TRL, hit television shows like One Tree Hill and White Collar, as well as a slew of wonderful Lifetime movies! Hilarie is the perfect fit for this interview series … not only is she releasing her memoir, The Rural Diaries, but she is an avid reader! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to talk with her. She is so grounded and genuinely kind-hearted. Listen below to hear us discuss Hilarie’s new book, her passion for her hometown of Rhinebeck, NY, and some of her favorite reads, past and present!

Listen on Spotify below or click here to find other available listening platforms.

• 1:20 – Hilarie shares how her family is handling the COVID-19 pandemic
• 4:20 – Hilarie discusses how surrounding yourself with the right people helps to maintain a balance in life
• 6:04 – Hilarie explores the differences between living in NYC while on MTV’s TRL, living in North Carolina while filming One Tree Hill, & settling down on a farm in Rhinebeck, NY
• 10:45 – Hilarie shares why she wanted to write The Rural Diaries and how she approached this
• 18:15 – Hilarie discusses the importance of prioritizing community preservation in her hometown of Rhinebeck
• 23:45 – Hilarie talks about why she structured her memoir in a non-traditional way
• 27:10 – Books that Hilarie loved to read growing up
• 30:48 – Hilarie discusses being a fangirl of other writers’ work

Books mentioned:

• The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
• Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
• Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
• Katie John series by Mary Calhoun
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis
• Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
• Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
• The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
• The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

You can find Hilarie on Instagram and Twitter, along with at The Mischief Farm website.

Will you be picking up The Rural Diaries? Tell us in the comments below!