The Book Case

This is a special episode dedicated the art of spoken word poetry. One of our listeners wrote to us mentioning the name of Rudy Francisco and from there we fell down the rabbit hole of spoken word and slam poetry. We talk to Rudy and two other greats of the art, Bianca Phipps and Neil Hilborn. They are going to perform one work each and we will round it out with a conversation with Sam Van Cook. Sam is a founder of Button Poetry that represents and publishes so many of these great artists. Trust us, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Helium by Rudy Francisco Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky by Rudy Francisco Crown Noble by Bianca Phipps The Future by Neil Hilborn About Time by Neil Hilborn Mill, Railways and General Castings by Sam Van Cook Watch their poems online: Hide and Seek by Rudy Francisco Almosts by Bianca Phipps OCD by Neil Hilborn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is one of the most important scientists of our time. Her book, The Worlds I See, chronicles her pioneering efforts in Artificial Intelligence. Does AI scare you? Us too. But read this book and listen to this episode. The book is not just the compelling story of Dr. Li herself, who immigrated as a girl speaking no English but who understands physics like Michael Jordan plays basketball. She is now a worldwide authority on AI and its development. Second, if you are scared of AI, this book explains it and the issues surrounding it both with beauty and with hope. She believes AI is the next step in our evolution, but that it MUST be rooted in humanity. What does that mean? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Dr. Fei-Fei Li Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever heard the rumor that Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays? So had we, but By Any Other Name, the new novel by Jodi Picoult, may make the best case for it we have ever read. This novel puts forth a theory that Emilia Bassano wrote at least some of them, and she is an unforgettable character. This book succeeds on so many levels — a polemic, a great piece of feminist AND historical fiction, AND it’s a page turner. This is the book Jodi says she was born to write…and we think it’s her best to date. Books mentioned in this week's episode: By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult Mermaid by Jodi Picoult Second Glance by Jodi Picoult Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult The Pact by Jodi Picoult The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult House Rules by Jodi Picoult Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan Where There’s Smoke by Jodi Picoult Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Love it or hate it, the genre of “reality tv” has now shaped American history. That means no matter how you feel about it, you cannot ignore it. Enter Cue the Sun!, the most comprehensive, thoughtful and well written book about the history and development of the genre we have come across. We talk to the book’s author, Emily Nussbaum about how the genre has come to take up so much space in American pop culture and what that means for our country as a whole. We also talk to Ferguson Books' owner Dane Ferguson about how his shop serves rural communities in the upper midwest. You don’t want to miss it. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution by Emily Nussbaum Black Bear Lake by Leslie Liautaud Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman Alter Ego by Brian Freeman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we talk about a book that seems tailor-made to our show, given our conversations with independent booksellers. The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore is a book that, if you are a book lovers like we are, will give you the same warm, smiling feeling you get when you walk into your favorite bookstore. And we talk to Toby Cox, the owner of Three Lives & Company, one of Evan’s favorites. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City by Evan Friss The Cycling City: Bicycles and Urban America in the 1890s by Evan Friss All Fours by Miranda July The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports by Tim Noakes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you say the name Whoopi Goldberg it’s hard not to smile. The name is filled with heart, laughter, and a joyous sense of fun, just like the woman herself. Born Caryn Johnson, her memoir Bits and Pieces is a love letter to her mother and brother, the two people who molded her into the hilarious, honest and morally centered person she is today. She has also written a graphic novel about menopause (sure, why not?) called The Change, which is a declaration that women of a certain age (and color) can don a cape and fight bad guys with hot flashes, if they so choose. Join us for a laugh and some terrific storytelling. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg The Change: A Graphic Novel by Whoopi Goldberg, Jaime Paglia and Sunkanmi Akinboye Is It Just Me?: Or Is It Nuts Out There? By Whoopi Goldberg If Someone Says "You Complete Me,” RUN!: Whoopi’s Big Book of Relationships by Whoopi Goldberg Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie The Godfather by Mario Puzo The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Shattuck is a renaissance man of sorts, which might be why we dedicated the whole episode to him. He wrote The History of Sound, a thought provoking and beautiful collection of short stories that spans the Eastern Seaboard as well as eons of time. Then there's his general store, which, on top of being the oldest general store in the country also boasts an independent bookstore curated by, you guessed it, Ben Shattuck. Join us. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: The History of Sound: Stories by Ben Shattuck Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry This Is Happiness by Niall Williams Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every so often, a new author tackles the work of expanding a classic novel to expand its reach. Even more rarely, they succeed beautifully. This week’s book, Adventures of Mary Jane is just such a rare gem. Mary Jane's author, Hope Jahren, is a scientist (a geochemist, no less) who decided to write the story of Mary Jane, a character that haunted her from the pages of Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn her entire life. It is both a magical adventure story and an authentic and well written coming of age drama. This week’s bookstore is Where the Sidewalk Ends, which is also run by two generations in tandem. We talk to them about how they do it…and we commiserate on working with daughters and parents. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren Lab Girl by Hope Jahren The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Les Misérables by Victor Hugo Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens A Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals that Helped him Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Constantine Croke The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia by Juliet Grames-RELEASES 7/23/2024 More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova-RELEASES 1/14/2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our third check in with J. Ryan Stradal, author extraordinaire and our writer in residence. He has begun to write in earnest, and has lots to tell us about his progress. We are loving these conversations with J., and every time we learn something new. For our bookstore we talk to Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul, J. Ryan's homeland. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn For The Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food: Interviews, Inspiration, and Recipes by Klancy Miller The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Magician’s Hat by Malcolm MitchellThis week we talk to Rachel Khong. Her new novel, Real Americans, asks probing questions about the reality of America’s “melting pot” mythology, and is also being a mysterious and compulsively readable family saga. We also talk to Judy Newman, Chief Impact Officer at Scholastic, in our continuing discussions on the importance of getting children to read. We hope you will join us. Books mentioned in this week's podcast Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong Real Americans by Rachel Khong Perfecto Pet Show by Judy Newman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you like a good spy novel? Do you love le Carré and Graham Greene? Then we hope, with great sincerity, that you are reading the work of Joseph Kanon. His latest, Shanghai, centers around the city’s lesser known freewheeling WWII history and some of the lawless people who escaped the war to be there. Tune in to find out why he is fascinated by spy novels, and what he calls “spy adjacent novels”, that capture such rich moments in history. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Shanghai by Joseph Kanon The Good German by Joseph Kanon Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon Defectors by Joseph Kanon Alibi by Joseph Kanon The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Barry Winter Work by Dan Fesperman The Cover Wife by Dan Fesperman Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman The Letter Writer by Dan Fesperman Unmanned by Dan Fesperman The Double Game by Dan Fesperman Layover in Dubai by Dan Fesperman The Arms Maker of Berlin by Dan Fesperman The Prisoner of Guantanamo by Dan Fesperman The Warlord's Son by Dan Fesperman The Small Boat of Great Sorrows by Dan Fesperman Lie in the Dark by Dan Fesperman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman is full of great characters, evocative nostalgic imagery and a love for Cape Cod that we share with her. It is full of thoughts on what it means to be a woman, why we keep secrets from our family, and what it is we love about the yearly vacation traditions we cherish if we were lucky enough to have them in our lives. For our bookstore this week, Bookshop West Portal, who for independent bookstore day brought in llamas. Because....well, tune in. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Sandwich by Catherine Newman We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman Waiting for Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Neurotic Angst, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family by Catherine Newman The Worst Noel: Hellish Holiday Tales by Catherine Newman Catastrophic Happiness: Finding Joy in Childhood's Messy Years by Catherine Newman The Beans of Egypt, Maine, by Carolyn Chute Writers & Lovers by Lily King Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Long Island by Colm Toibin Brooklyn by Colm Toibin The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt Shopkeeping: Stories, Advice, and Observations by Peter Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Want a great summer read? We have it. A Better Place by Sarah Langan is a page turning mystery/thriller….like if The Stepford Wives met Shirley Jackson in The Lottery. The story is original, the characters are well written, and the mysteries presented will baffle you as they unfold. It’s a terrific ride. We also talk also talk to John Mendelson, president of Nosy Crow Books, an independent publishing house for kids, who took the entire bike trail laid out by our Massachusetts guests from last week at Whitelam Books. Why did he do it, and how? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Better World by Sarah Langan Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan Audrey’s Door by Sarah Langan The Keeper by Sarah Langan The Missing by Sarah Langan The Lottery by Shirley Jackson The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin My Antonia by Willa Cather House of Leaves by Mark. Z. Danielewski The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins A Horse Called Now by Ruth Doyle and Alexandra Finkeldey Dig, Dig, Dinosaur by Anjali Goswami and Maggie Li Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, a dark and funny tale of sheep farming in Rural England that reads like an American Western by Cormac McCarthy. Sound a little strange? Well, it is. But it is also compelling, suspenseful, complex and packed with great characters. Scott Preston is a debut novelist, and this book, The Borrowed Hills, may defy a two sentence description but it’s worth the read. For our bookstore this week we talk to Whitelam books in Reading, Massachusetts, who tell us about what they did to bring in folks on Indpendent Bookstore Day. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren Shane by Jack Schaefer Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey True Grit by Charles Portis Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Independent People by Halldór Laxness Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we have a book that helped us to lift the curtain on the inner workings of the book business. The Editor by Sara B. Franklin tells us the story of Judith Jones, the game changing editor who changed the publishing business at a time where women weren't in the publishing business. Judith helped shape literature and change publishing, and so we pair her with one of our current favorite editors who has just announced her retirement, Beverly Horowitz. Beverly has been in the business for 50 years and has worked with everyone from Judy Blume to E. Lockhart. Join us for a wonderful insiders look at the business that sustains our minds and hearts. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Editor by Sara B. Franklin Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original by Sara B. Franklin The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains by Sara B. Franklin The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones Rabbit, Run by John Updike Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler The Living Mountain: A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland (Canons) by Nan Shepherd We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We love the summer because it means trips the bookstore! We have some of our favorite bookstores recommending their favorite summer titles. If you are in need of a laugh, a thrill or just a great story to read on the beach, this is an episode of The Book Case you don't want to miss. Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Short Walk Through the Woods by Douglas Westerbeke Real Americans by Rachel Khong Same as it Ever Was by Claire Lombardo James by Percival Everett The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl The Summer Book by Tove Jansson A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams Lo Fi by Liz Riggs Central Park West by James Comey Westport by James Comey Table for Two by Amor Towles Swamp Story by Dave Barry The Backyard Book Chronicles by Amy Tan The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Fei-Fei Li Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson Different Seasons by Stephen King The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is a double whammy of extreme talent. First, we have George Stephanopoulos, giving us history through the perspective of one of the most mysterious and powerful rooms in the White House: The Situation Room. It's the title of his new book...and it's an illuminating read. Second, the great J. Ryan Stradal and our second installment of the Writer in Residence series. He says he is doing a lot of writing these days...and he knows most of it won't make it in the book. You don't want to miss this week's Book Case. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos All Too Human: A Political Education by George Stephanopoulos Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Think Twice by Harlan Coben I Will Find You by Harlan Coben Table for Two by Amor Towles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's always a pleasure for us to talk to a debut author and we have a good one this week in Heidi Reimer. Her novel, The Mother Act, is the story of mothers and daughters and the heap of complexities that come in those relationships. How do we know we are going to be a good mom? Once we have a child are we ALWAYS a mother first? This book asks these questions and challenges the reader to question the concepts of motherhood, empathy and family. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: The Mother Act by Heidi Reimer Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Dear Life by Alice Munro Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives by Lori Leibovich Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott Middlemarch by George Eliot The Giver by Lois Lowry Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you haven’t heard of Erik Larson, you don’t read enough non-fiction. A giant in the industry and an immense talent, Erik is turning his attention to the beginnings of the Civil War in his latest, The Demon of Unrest. It’s the nail biting account of how we ended up turning guns against one another, North to South, with a specific focus on the stand off at Fort Sumter. Told through the eyes of rich characters through their unique perspectives, Larson brings new learning to an oft discussed topic…how the Union tore itself apart over slavery. You won’t want to miss this one. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson Lethal Passage by Erik Larson Thunderstruck by Erik Larson The Naked Consumer: How Our Private Lives Become Public Commodities by Erik Larson Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson No One Goes Alone: A Novel by Erik Larson The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson Mary Chesnut's Diary by Mary Boykin Chestnut The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We try not to do books about politics — political discourse in this country is, currently, divisive in the extreme. However, Carlos Lozada, in his new book, The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians, gives us a survey of Washington literature that will surprise, delight and inform you. From Tocqueville to Trump, from The Muller Report to DeSantis’ plea for the presidency, Carlos has read it all, and written about almost everything he has read. This book is a compendium of his best columns about books…why does Carlos think presidents insist on writing their own biographies? Why is George H.W. Bush one of the only presidents without a presidential autobiography? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians by Carlos Lozada What We Were Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era by Carlos Lozada Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood by Jimmy Carter Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham Heartburn by Nora Ephron Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong writer who has written her family and country’s history through deeply personal prisms. She told the story of her family’s beginnings via her grandmother’s story in The Latehomecomer, shared the life of her father in The Song Poet and now writes her mother’s journey in Where Rivers Part. Told in the first person, Where Rivers Part is the beautiful and compelling story of Tswb, who fled Laos to Thailand, eventually fighting her way to Minnesota to give a better future to her children. It is an epic tale of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, struggle and triumph. Our bookstore this week is a 22-year-old dynamo who has already taken Mendham, NJ by storm…watch out world, it’s Chapter One Books. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Where Rivers Part by Kao Kalia Yang The Song Poet by Kao Kalia Yang Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang The Shared Room by Kao Kalia Yang From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang Yang Warriors by Kao Kalia Yng The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich The Round House by Louise Erdrich The BFG by Roald Dahl Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tommy Orange has written a second novel. Although technically a sequel, you can easily read Wandering Stars without having experienced There There. But you should read at least one. Or both. Oh to heck with it, we love Tommy Orange and we will read anything he writes. He is incredibly talented. And we pair him with Birchbark Books & Native Arts, a bookstore that is a beloved Twin Cities landmark, while also serving the national and international Indigenous community. Tune in to find out how. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: There There by Tommy Orange Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone James by Percival Everett Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich The Round House by Louise Erdrich The Sentence by Louise Erdrich Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich The Iliad translated by Emily Wilson The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy Native Love Jams by Tashia Hart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amor Towles is publishing a short story collection (with a novella included) called Table for Two, and we waited with bated breath as it arrived in our mailboxes. Can he bring the same artistry in short form that he does to his novels? Is he equally talented in novella, short story and novel? Short answers are yes, yes and yes. This rich collection of stories are varied, thought provoking, funny and beautiful. Join us to find out how and why he does what he does. Book mentioned in this week's episode. Table for Two by Amor Towles A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles Rules of Civility by Amor Towles Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Disaster Loves You is the newest by Richard Roper, which we would probably best describe as a quirky British romcom, sort of... a little. But it’s also hilarious and there is both depth and humanity to it that will surprise you. We both read it in about 48 hours, and you probably will too. Read it, and then listen to this conversation; you’ll understand why we’re so charmed. Our bookstore this week is Roebling Books which has a few locations in Kentucky. Owner, Richard Hunt has some terrific recommendations you won’t want to miss. Books mentioned in this week's episode: This Disaster Loves You by Richard Roper When We Were Young by Richard Roper Something to Live for by Richard Roper Us by David Nicholls High Fidelity by Nick Hornby The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Trust by Hernan Diaz Beach Music by Pat Conroy The Land of the Laughs by Jonathan Carroll Clay’s Quilt by Silas House The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE WRITER IN RESIDENCE SHOW! We kick off our new series, Writer in Residence, with our resident writer, J. Ryan Stradal. A great writer, a national bestseller, and a friend of Kate’s for almost thirty years, J. Ryan is going to give The Book Case a front row seat from page one to publication. Join us as he walks us through what he does to get started, and his thoughts on how the book might proceed. What does he do to get past self doubt to be the best writer he can be? He joins us once a month for about fifteen minutes to talk us through every phase. This, our first episode, he gets the whole episode. Enjoy! Books mentioned in this week's episode: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King Working by Robert A. Caro The World According to Garp by John Irving Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro Adventures in Screen Trade by William Goldman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you are a mystery fan who hasn’t read Tana French, then you have missed one of the great modern mystery writers of our time. American by birth and Irish by residence, her Irish set mysteries will both haunt you and keep you guessing. Her newest, The Hunter, is one of her best, a rousing combination of a murder mystery and heist suspense. She tells us what motivates her and how she does what she does time and time again. Our bookstore is The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Books mentioned in this week's episode: In the Woods by Tana French The Likeness by Tana French Faithful Place by Tana French The Searcher by Tana French The Secret Place by Tana French Broken Harbor by Tana French The Witch Elm by Tana French The Trespasser by Tana French The Hunter by Tana French The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith Life After Life by Kate Atkinson The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We believe that Anna Quindlen should be declared a national treasure. Her new novel, After Annie, is an intimate look at a family recovering from the loss of their matriarch. Taken too young, she dies suddenly of an aneurism while making dinner. It’s funny, sad, and, like all of Anna’s work, universal in its themes and depictions of family life. We pair her this week with the Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California. Join us for some great conversations. Books mentioned in this week's episode: After Annie by Anna Quindlen Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen Every Last One by Anna Quindlen Blessings by Anna Quindlen Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen One True Thing by Anna Quindlen Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace Ablaze by Christopher Krovatin The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s never a great idea to pigeonhole a talented writer, but you could probably call Sloane Crosley a humorist... most of the time. Her newest, Grief Is for People, is a funny, raw, introspective, and beautiful look at grief from every angle. Rocked by the suicide of her best friend, Crosley dives into her pain and loss in this slim, but effecting book that will make you laugh out loud while you reach for your tissue box. (Yes, a cliche. But, here, a true one.) We also speak with McLean and Eakin books in Petoskey Michigan, run by a husband and wife team who fell in love in the shop they now own. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley The Clasp by Sloane Crosley The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Truth and Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett The Long Goodbye: A Memoir by Meghan O'Rourke Taking a Long Look: Essays on Culture, Literature and Feminism in Our Time by Vivian Gornick The Painter by Peter Heller The Last Ranger by Peter Heller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few weeks ago Kate received an email informing her of a debut author: Diane Oliver. But this debut book stood out because the author had been dead for more than fifty years. Fascinated, we asked for copies...and Diane Oliver's work knocked us out. Her debut collection, Neighbors and Other Stories, is a compendium of her work: insightful, raw, beautiful, intimate, with character's stark and naked humanity jumping off every page. We talk to the writer Tayari Jones, who wrote the book's enthusiastic introduction, as well as Diane's agent, Elise Dillsworth and her publisher, Katie Raissian. How does one release a debut work when the author is long gone? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver An American Marriage by Tayari Jones Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood The Color Purple by Alice Walker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes we just want to talk to each other. And that’s what happened this week. We spent some time reflecting on lessons we have learned from our authors and we go through our favorite love stories of all time (Valentine’s Day and all). It’s nice to pause every once in a while. We hope you will take a pause with us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë This Is Happiness by Niall Williams Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King Trust by Hernan Diaz The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks A Room with a View by E.M. Forster 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever heard of William and Ellen Craft? They were an escaped enslaved husband and wife whose stories read like a blockbuster action movies. Symbols in their time, Ellen (who was the daughter of an enslaved woman and her master) passed as a white man and had her husband William pass as her property. A harrowing journey gave way to their leadership in the fugitive slave movement, even though it cost them dearly. Ilyon Woo shares their incredible story in her book, Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom. A great read and a great conversation about American heroes of whom you might never have heard. This week we also talk to Island books in Middletown Rhode Island. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother's Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times by Ilyon Woo William Wells Brown: An African American Life by Ezra Greenspan All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Alicia Miles Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market by Walter Johnson The Slave's Cause by Manisha Sinha Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kate revisits her favorite genre: horror (but she prefers the moniker of dark fiction), and this one is taped in front of a live audience! Plus: you get three great guests for the price of one, which should be irresistible. In New Hampshire to celebrate the new novel by Chris Golden (do not miss The House of Last Resort!), Kate was given the opportunity sit down with Paul Tremblay, Victor LaValle and Jennifer McMahon. It was really fun, a terrific conversation, and a lot to think about. There is great writing taking place in this genre, and this episode quizzes three of the best. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay No Sleep Till Wonderland by Paul Tremblay Swallowing a Donkey’s Eye by Paul Tremblay Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn't Fly by Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay In the Mean Time by Paul Tremblay Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon The Invited by Jennifer McMahon Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon Lone Women by Victor LaValle The Changeling by Victor LaValle Big Machine by Victor LaValle The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle The Ecstatic by Victor LaValle Slapboxing with Jesus by Victor LaValle Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson The Sundial by Shirley Jackson Beloved by Toni Morrison Hamlet by William Shakespeare The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs Skeleton Crew by Stephen King (Contains the short story-“Survivor Type”) The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kaveh Akbar weighs every word that he writes. An accomplished and published poet, any reader can tell that he understands the undeniable power of language with his first novel, called Martyr! Engaging, funny, fascinating and downright beautiful, Martyr! grabs your attention by the lapels and won’t let go. Read the book and listen to our podcast to hear how Kaveh creates his unforgettable work. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar Portrait of the Alcoholic by Kaveh Akbar Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar Pilgrim Bell: Poems by Kaveh Akbar Matrix by Lauren Groff Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inci Atrek is a debut novelist to watch. We recommend going out and picking up a copy of her debut, Holiday Country, a novel it would be easy to overlook and underestimate. It’s much deeper than it appears at the surface. An intimate portrait of multi-generational mother-daughter relationships, it’s also a story about growing up. Growing up is never easy, but adding two countries of origin and two female role models not born in the U.S. makes it that much harder. We are back interviewing a bookstore this week with The Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont, whose owner is also a children’s author. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Holiday Country by Inci Atrek Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty How do you Wokka-Wokka? by Elizabeth Bluemle Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy New Year! The first episode of the year is a truly terrific mystery. Entertaining in the extreme, this is a whodunnit that breaks the mold. Ashley Elston, its author, has written plenty of quality YA titles, but First Lie Wins is her first adult mystery. In this game of cat and mouse, the reader is constantly asking which character is telling the truth….and we never figured it out. A great start to the new year, this book invites you to just relax and enjoy the ride. We sure did. We are taking next week off…but please come back the week after when we talk to author Kaveh Akbar, who has authored the intriguing and funny novel, Martyr! Books mentioned in this week's episode: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston This is Our Story by Ashley Elston Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier The Trackers by Charles Frazier Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow's All the Little Bird-Hearts is a novel that will stay with you long after you close the book. It takes place in the 1980’s, and the narrator and heroine is the autistic mother of a teenage daughter. She worries she is on the verge of losing the only person she has ever really loved, and of being seduced by the magnetic social butterflies that are her new neighbors. Viktoria Barlow has autism as well, and her novel is a beautiful exploration of motherhood, friendship and one character’s experience of autism. Long listed for the Booker Prize, Viktoria’s words are lyrical and haunting. This is a great episode on which to end the year. Happy 2024!!! Books mentioned in this week’s episode: All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow Strong Female Character by Fern Brady Geek Girl by Holly Smale Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale The Secret History by Donna Tartt Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson The Haunting at Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mitch Albom became a household name with his bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie. His new novel, The Little Liar, is an original and fascinating look at the complexities of truth and what motivates us to lie. It takes place during the Holocaust, at the height of which a little boy tells a lie that affects the rest of his life… coloring all that he is and everything he does. We thought this was a fascinating book and we wanted to talk to Mitch about what drove him to write it. We get a little philosophical in this episode, although every issue is worth talking about this holiday season. Happy Holidays to you and yours! Books mentioned in this week's podcast: The Little Liar by Mitch Albom Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom The Five Strangers You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Gilead by Marilynne Robinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you haven’t heard of Patricia Cornwell you’ve never been to a bookstore, or an airport, or a library…heck. She is everywhere and there is a reason for that. Prolific AND talented, she has written 27 mystery novels centered around her medical examiner heroine, Kay Scarpetta, and she shows no sign of stopping. We talk about what it’s like to create and shepherd a character like Scarpetta, and what keeps her going. We then have a brief talk about our favorite books of the year. We hope you will join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell All That Remains by Patricia Cornwell Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta’s Winter Table by Patricia Cornwell Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell Dust by Patricia Cornwell Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell Chaos by Patricia Cornwell Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell Livid by Patricia Cornwell Unnatural Death by Patricia Cornwell Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell Predator by Patricia Cornwell Spin by Patricia Cornwell Quantum by Patricia Cornwell The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Paved Paradise by Henry Grabar Absolution by Alice McDermott The General and Julia by Jon Clinch Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers Central Park West by James Comey Swamp Story by Dave Barry A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael Schulman The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we first began the podcast, our main goal was to inspire more folks to read. But we also talked about how we might offer content to help parents inspire their kids become life long readers. It isn’t easy, and there is no magic bullet, but we have some of the best of the best to tell us how to do it and why it’s so important. Emma Lee is the Associate Director of the Fred Rogers Institute at St Vincent College, Kate DiCamillo is a beloved children’s author, and Holly Weinkauf is the owner of the Red Balloon Children’s Bookshop in St. Paul. We spoke with them for a piece we did for Good Morning America that aired at the end of November. But we loved these conversations so much we wanted to bring them to our podcast audience, extended. There is some great advice here, and it’s worth hearing what these remarkable women have to say. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Mercy Watson is Missing by Kate DiCamillo The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo The Mercy Watson Series by Kate DiCamillo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General and Julia is a wonderful novel, delving deeply into the final days of Ulysses S. Grant. Not many know this, but at the end of his life, Grant was financially destitute and in a race to write his memoirs before his death. He knew that if he wrote his memoirs and did it well, it would leave his family financially stable. His love for his wife and children knew no bounds, and his race was born of love. Like Grant Jon Clinch is a wonderful writer, and if you like this, and you will, check out Finn and Marley too (both amazing - both Clinch historical novels). For our bookstore this week, we talk to an old friend who has taken two independent bookstore road trips. What’s an independent bookstore road trip? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: The General and Julia by Jon Clinch Marley by Jon Clinch Finn by Jon Clinch The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch Grant by Ron Chernow Personal Memoirs of US Grant by Ulysses S. Grant edited by John F. Marszalek The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Trackers by Charles Frazier Nightwoods by Charles Frazier Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Absalom, Absalom! By William Faulkner Grendel by John Gardner Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott How to Protect Bookstores and Why: The Present and Future of Bookselling by Danny Cain The World Below the Brine by Walt Whitman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lawrence Wright’s newest novel, Mr. Texas, revolves around Texas politics and how they relate to our national political conversation, and he knows from where he speaks. Not only is he a native Texan, but he has also written one of the definitive NON fiction books about Texas, (God Save Texas). Both books are insightful, prescient, and, this might surprise you, very funny. Mr. Texas is about modern politics, the price of selling your soul, the importance of Texas politics, how to talk to each other, and whether or not one person can make a difference in this world. Our bookstore this week is Werner Books and Coffee in Erie PA. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright The End of October by Lawrence Wright The Plague Year: America in the Time of Covid by Lawrence Wright Thirteen Days in September: The Dramatic Story of the Struggle for Peace by Lawrence Wright The Terror Years: From Al Qaeda to the Islamic State by Lawrence Wright Sheets by Brenna Thummler Lights by Brenna Thummler Delicates by Brenna Thummler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might know the historical fiction of Jennifer Vanderbes, but just wait until you read Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims. Think thalidomide didn’t affect mothers and children in this country? Think again. Wonder Drug is the hidden American story of thalidomide: yes, it did get to pregnant women and yes there were children born effected by phocomelia in this country. Although the system denied their existence for decades, this beautifully researched book tells their story, as well as the deeply disturbing truth about how this drug was distributed behind the backs of the FDA. Join us. Book mentioned in this week's episode: Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims by Jennifer Vanderbes Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes The Secret of Raven Point by Jennifer Vanderbes Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn These are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen Portrait of a Lady by Henry James Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Being the president of anything takes vision, ambition, and leadership. Being the president of a leading academic institution takes courage (and a whole lot of smarts). Leading Wellesley College for almost 20 years while it ushered in the new millennium took Dr. Diana Chapman Walsh. In her new memoir, The Claims of Life, she gives you a front row seat to the front office of Wellesley and walks you how she got there. Diana is also one of our nearest and dearest friends….and we loved talking to her. Our bookstore this week is Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, Vermont. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Claims of Life by Diana Chapman Walsh A Synthesizing Mind: A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory by Howard Gardner Death at an Early Age by Jonathan Kozol North Woods by Daniel Mason Save me a Seat!: A Life with Movies by Rick Winston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alice McDermott has written one of THE great novels of 2023. Absolution is so many things…a portrait of diplomatic wives carving out lives for themselves in Saigon before the start of the war, a moralistic novel about the dangers of colonialism and good intentions, the story of the complex relationships women have with motherhood, and with each other. Why did she write it? And what has convinced so many that it's going to be a Pulitzer finalist this year? Tune in and find out. Our bookstore this week comes from one of our beloved listeners-The Lost Bookshop in Delhi, NY. Join us, and keep sending in suggestions! Books mentioned in this week's episode: Absolution by Alice McDermott Charming Billy by Alice McDermott Someone by Alice McDermott The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott That Night by Alice McDermott At Weddings and Wakes by Alice McDermott A Bigamist’s Daughter by Alice McDermott After This by Alice McDermott What About the Baby?: Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction by Alice McDermott The Quiet American by Graham Greene This is Happiness by Niall Williams The Holy Bible Hamlet by William Shakespeare The Art of Seeing Things by John Burroughs A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So we have come to the last of our horror genre shows…although we have decided we like the moniker 'dark literature’ better. We have a game-changing author to end it with (in time for Halloween): Paul Tremblay. If you read ‘dark literature’ and you haven’t devoured A Head Full of Ghosts on a dark and stormy night, RUN, do not walk, to your nearest independent bookstore. But Kate has read seven of his books (so far) and has not been disappointed in a single one. We also talk to horror writer and Professor Michael Arnzen of Seton Hill University about the courses he teaches in the dark art of writing what scares us. We hope you have enjoyed our ‘dark literature’ series….we might dip back from time to time. Happy Halloween. Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay No Sleep Til Wonderland by Paul Tremblay Swallowing a Donkey’s Eye by Paul Tremblay Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn’t Fly by Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay The Pallbearer’s Club by Paul Tremblay In the Mean Time by Paul Tremblay Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay The Beast You Are: Stories by Paul Tremblay Sophie’s Choice by William Styron Absolution by Alice McDermott The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Stand by Stephen King Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates Pet Sematary by Stephen King Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez Psycho by Robert Bloch The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe Dracula by Bram Stoker The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Ulysses by James Joyce Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Film by Carol Clover Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tan Twan Eng, in some ways, has the perfect bibliography. He has written three books, all novels. All three have been on the short or long list for the Man Booker Prize. That should tell you how talented he is….and this is the first book he has published in more than a decade. The House of Doors is a lyrical and lovely read about the travels of William Somerset Maugham in Malaysia. Don’t know Maugham’s work? Doesn’t matter. Don’t know much about Malaysia? Doesn’t matter. Tan Twan Eng’s books transcend the familiar-getting to the humanity of every conflict, every story. This book transports readers….and its more than worth the price of the ticket. Books mentioned in this week's podcast: The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng This is Happiness by Niall Williams The Letter by William Somerset Maugham Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham The Casuarina Tree by William Somerset Maugham Time for a Tiger by Anthony Burgess Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Surely You Can’t be Serious - heard that before? Surely you have, if you have seen the movie Airplane! Made in 1980. The incredibly successful and popular movie was the brainchild of three guys from Milwaukee - then in their twenties - David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. They called themselves ZAZ. And, improbably, they got their movie made against all odds. They admit they didn’t have the slightest idea how to make a movie. Much less direct it. Much less convince Hollywood executives to invest in it. But they did and the rest is history and not to mention, a very funny book, just released. Surely You Can’t be Serious is the story behind the story of one of the funniest movies ever made. Books mentioned in this week's podcast: Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro Ketogenic Diets: Treatments for Epilepsy and Other Disorders by Jon Freeman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amanda Gorman is an American treasure. Her inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb, stunned audiences around the world in 2021, and her tome of poetry, Call Us What We Carry, spoke to the pain and powerlessness that the world felt while locked down by COVID-19. What you might not know (and now we hope you do) is that she is also an accomplished children’s author. Her latest, Something, Someday teaches kids to make the world a better place by starting small while thinking big. Illustrated by the talented Christian Robinson (who also joins us), Amanda’s words reach out from the page to say that no one is too small to make a difference. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman, Illustrated by Christian Robinson Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman Change Sings by Amanda Gorman, Illustrated by Loren Long The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride You Matter by Christian Robinson Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renée Watson, Illustrated by Christian Robinson The Last Stop on Market Street by Mark de la Peña, Illustrated by Christian Robinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kate DiCamillo has probably been honored as much or more than any living American children’s author. If her awards were all displayed on a mantle, she’d probably need dozens of fireplaces. And she’s a delightful conversationalist. Her new book is The Puppets of Spelhorst. Her most widely read book, The Tale of Despereaux, is out with a special 20th anniversary edition. Dicamillo's love with telling stories is in everything she has ever written. Since Kate is from Minneapolis, we feature one of the largest independent bookstores in the twin cities - Magers & Quinn. Books mentioned in this podcast: The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo The Puppets of Spelhorst - Kate DiCamillo The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo The Beatryce Prophecy - Kate DiCamillo Louisiana’s Way Home - Kate DiCamillo Paddington - Michael Bond Hello Lighthouse - Sophie Blackall If You Come to Earth - Sophie Blackall Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear - Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall Wellness - Nathan Hill Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have two horror genre shows left and this week we bring you Stephen Graham Jones. Although not all of his books fall squarely in horror category, My Heart is a Chainsaw and Don’t Fear the Reaper are beautiful love letters to horror fans who will take much glee in all the genre conventions within which Stephen plays. The final Indian Lake Trilogy novel comes out this fall, The Angel Of Indian Lake. Kate can’t wait. Stephen brings his Blackfoot Native American culture and aspects of social justice to his writings and his writing is all the better for it. If you shy away from horror, try Mapping The Interior or The Only Good Indians. For an independent bookseller this week, we reach out to one of Stephen’s local favorites, the Boulder Bookstore in Colorado. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones Demon Theory by Stephen Graham Jones Ararat by Christopher Golden Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle Come Closer by Sara Gran Collected Poems, 1947-1980 by Allen Ginsberg Merlin Book 1: The Lost Years by T. A. Barron The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel Biography of X by Catherine Lacey Stars Go Blue by Laura Pritchett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices