Kate is dragging her father by the collar to the horror section of the bookstore and the first Thursday of every month for awhile is going to be Horror Thursday on The Book Case. And do we have a treat for our first episode: Christopher Golden! One of the great Godfathers of Horror Lit, Chris has done it all: short stories, screenplays, graphic novels, novels, fan fic...he is a renaissance talent in horror literature. We talk to him about horror, why it works, how it works and why we love it. Trust Kate, this genre has some terrific talent and if you try some of these books, you won't be sorry (scared maybe, but not sorry). Books mentioned in this week's podcast: Snowblind by Christopher Golden Ararat by Christopher Golden Road of Bones by Christopher Golden All Hallows by Christopher Golden The Ferryman by Christopher Golden The Boys Are Back in Town by Christopher Golden Tin Men by Christopher Golden The Pandora Room by Christopher Golden Cemetery Girl Trilogy by Christopher Golden and Charlaine Harris Ocean Dark by Christopher Golden The Stand by Stephen King Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving Bird Box by Josh Malerman The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon The Grin of the Dark by Ramsey Campbell Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Different Seasons by Stephen King

Our principal guest this week is James Comey. Yes, that James Comey. Ex-FBI Director James Comey. Some of Hillary Clinton’s supporters think he may have cost her the election in 2016. Comey says that Donald Trump, once president, invited him to dinner and asked for a pledge of loyalty. Comey refused. Trump eventually fired him but his administration denied the president ever made the ask. That, in short, is part of the story of Jim Comey who, after being a U-S Attorney and then head of the FBI, found himself out of a job in 2017 and a controversial figure. What did he decide to do? Well, Jim Comey decided he’d like to spend the rest of his life being a novelist. His first book - a mystery, a legal thriller, and a novel demonstrating his inside knowledge of America’s justice system is “Central Park West.” It’s a good one - not just for a first effort, but a good one, period. He’s a good story teller - he’s a good conversationalist. “Central Park West” will be in book stores May 30th - he talked with us just before publication and he is very much worth a listen just as his book is worth your time. Our friend Otto Penzler of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York published the Comey novel. He joined us as well. Books mentioned in this podcast: Central Park West: A Crime Novel by James Comey Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency and Trust by James Comey A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership by James Comey Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr Desert Star by Michael Connelly I Will Find You by Harlan Coben A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin

The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Important and Vulnerable Profession by Alexandra Robbins takes us inside the classroom to show us the daily lives of teachers as they fight against incredible odds to educate our young. An eye-opening, and at times shocking look at the American Education system and its inadequacies. Robbins asks the reader to forget all of their preconceived notions of teaching. The joys you think teachers know? They are bigger than you imagined. The difficulty and pain of operating in a system that doesn’t recognize your importance? Worse than you can fathom. Take a listen, read the book, and thank a teacher in your life today! Books mentioned in this week's podcast: The Teachers: A Year Inside America's Most Important and Vulnerable Profession by Alexandra Robbins The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School by Alexandra Robbins The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power by Alexandra Robbins The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital by Alexandra Robbins The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools by Dianne Ravitch Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools by Dianne Ravitch The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education by Dianne Ravitch It by Stephen King Ararat by Christopher Golden Snowblind by Christopher Golden The Boys Are Back in Town by Christopher Golden Road of Bones by Christopher Golden All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

Henry Grabar is a writer for Slate, the online magazine, and he has written “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.” Now you probably are thinking, “I’ve never read a book about parking. A whole book? Come on.” Well, we thought the same thing but we were intrigued. So we read it and were engrossed. It is fascinating! It is funny! And it tells you so much about a subject on which we all have such strong opinions and about which we all suffer such frustrations. Just some facts he relates - major ones like “more square footage is devoted to parking each car (in America) than to housing each person” - and minor ones like Disney World has 45,000 parking spaces. 10 to 20 families lose their cars there every day.” Intrigued? Read on. The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News. Our bookstore this week is a grandaddy of second hand book stores - Second Story Books in the Washington, D.C. area. Books mentioned in the podcast: Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson by Hunter S. Thompson Volumes 1-4 of the Gonzo Papers - Essays by Hunter S. Thompson The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs The Economy of Cities by Jane Jacobs

Dave Barry's sense of humor should be on display at the Smithsonian; it is truly one America's great treasures. His latest novel, Swamp Story, is set in the back woods of the Florida Everglades. That's all we are going to tell you, because the plot is so wonderfully wild, you wouldn't believe us anyway. Join us while Dave makes us laugh, and then stick around for our conversation with Mitchell Kaplan at Books & Books. As a Florida bookseller, he has important things to say about why bookstores are on the frontlines in the fight against book bans. Books mentioned in this podcast: Swamp Story by Dave Barry Big Trouble by Dave Barry Best State Ever by Dave Barry Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States by Dave Barry Lessons from Lucy by Dave Barry Insane City by Dave Barry Dave Barry's Complete guide to guys by Dave Barry Tricky Business by Dave Barry Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway by Dave Barry Dave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down! by Dave Barry You Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About by Dave Barry The Benchley Roundup by Robert Benchley Love Conquers All by Robert Benchley My Ten Years in a Quandary, and How They Grew by Robert Benchley Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen Jeeves in the Offing by P. G. Wodehouse Catch-22 by Joseph Heller The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky Go as a River by Shelley Read

Brendan Slocumb is a renaissance man who writes his novels with a mission in mind. A violin virtuoso, music teacher, clarinetist AND oboist, he is also a best selling author who writes brilliantly about the world of music. His books could be classed as mysteries but they also bring into stark, painful relief the still largely white and privileged world of classical music. He reminds his readers that there is talent everywhere and anywhere, and he reminds us to look and listen closely to what we might ignore with his latest novel, Symphony of Secrets . We then talk to Afa Dworkin, President and Creative Director of the “Sphinx Organization.” “Sphinx” is doing amazing work, making sure that the country's orchestras reflect the diversity of our population. We will go back to bookstores next week, but we wanted to honor Brendan by talking to an organization doing work about which he is so passionate. Books mentioned in this week's podcast: Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

If you aren't seeing the world through the eyes of J. Ryan Stradal's fiction, you are missing out on something truly special. He writes largely about the Midwest, specifically the state of Minnesota as well as food and drink. That may sound limiting, but his talent is without limit and he fills his pages with themes of family and shared humanity. His newest is Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club. It is the most personal journey he has ever taken. Take the ride with him, you won't be sorry. Our bookstore this week is Comma, a bookshop, (yes, both the word and the punctuation mark) a new bookstore in the Twin Cities that anyone who lives there should line up to visit. Books mentioned in the podcast: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal The World According to Garp by John Irving Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott The Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks

Charles Frazier comes across as a writer in love with America. Beyond the rolling plains and purple mountains majesty, he loves the stories of average Americans in extraordinary times and it comes across in everything he writes. His latest novel, The Trackers, is the most modern novel he has ever written and it takes place 100 years ago. His writing captures the optimism of the American ideal, and his descriptive powers continue to astound. We talk to him about his latest, and what it was about the Great Depression that inspired the book. This week, we also include an interview with Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari, the two founders of 826, a non profit that teaches kids to express themselves through writing. Books mentioned in this podcast: The Trackers by Charles Frazier Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier Varina by Charles Frazier Nightwoods by Charles Frazier The Significance of the Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard

Has the United States ever had a female president? An easy question to answer. Has it ever had an ‘acting’ female President? Harder to answer. Check out Rebecca Boggs Roberts' very readable biography of Edith Wilson, Woodrow Wilson’s second wife, and make up your own mind. The book is Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson. Following her husband’s stroke in 1919, Edith Wilson decided, for reasons she thought critical to her husband’s well-being, to hide the extent of his incapacities from the public, from the press, from Congress, from his cabinet, even from Wilson himself. She assumed some of the powers of the office herself. Could a First Lady get away with such audacity today in the age of social media and intense news media scrutiny? Not a chance. Was her self-justification reasonable? All those questions are what makes Edith Wilson such a complex and controversial character and a worthy subject for Rebecca Boggs Roberts. Books mentioned in this podcast: Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise of and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson by Rebecca Boggs Roberts The Suffragist's Parade: The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote by Rebecca Boggs Roberts My Memoir by Edith Bolling Wilson Wilson by A. Scott Berg Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard

This week, we turn to non-fiction and events in a decade of U.S. history that is unknown to most Americans. The 1920’s were known for remarkable social change. In the wake of World War I, there was cultural exuberance, the first real skyscrapers, jazz age, flappers, the Charleston, and also prohibition. There was also a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, and surprising to many, it came in the north. As award-winning journalist Timothy Egan writes in his remarkable new book to be released April 4th A Fever in the Heartland, the Klan held a lot of power in the state of Indiana. As a vicious, sadistic, charlatan, Eagan says the KKK leader David C. Stephenson encouraged millions in Indiana alone to join the Klan. Egan says one in three white men in the state, not to mention women and children, took the oath. And this in a state that had lost 25,000 Union soldiers in the Civil War just 50 years previous. Egan writes that Stephenson thought himself above the law - “I am the law” he declared. But his brutal treatment of one woman, largely unknown to history, Madge Oberholtzer, brought him down and began the disintegration of the Klan, not only in Indiana, but in the rest of the country. It’s a sobering story well told by Egan. One, we felt, worthy of attention by all of us. Books mentioned in the podcast: A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith by Timothy Egan Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan Lasso the Wind: Away to the New West by Timothy Egan Breaking Blue by Timothy Egan The Good Rain by Timothy Egan The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Blue Nights by Joan Didion The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

Harlan Coben is as successful a mystery writer as we have in the country today. He is probably known best for his page-turner plots. In his more than 35 books published to date he keeps you guessing throughout. I Will Find You is his latest - just out. And it’s a bit of a departure for Coben as he will tell you - a little more than half way through the book you find out who the bad guys are. That’s rare for a Coben thriller, but none the less gripping and it will still keep you guessing. Also, as you will find in this podcast, Harlen Coben is not only a good writer, but a good talker to boot. Our book store this week is “[Words]” in Maplewood, New Jersey. By no means is this a typical bookstore - it is one with a highly commendable mission. It has pursued that mission for 15 years and now is participating in a fascinating experiment to further the mission. As a result, it is Harlen Coben’s favorite bookstore and we talk to them this week.I Will Find You by Harlen Coben Books (and articles) mentioned in the podcast: Tell No One by Harlan Coben Win by Harlan Coben Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben The Key To My Father by Harlan Coben https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/15/opinion/a-work-of-fiction-the-key-to-my-father.html Marathon Man by William Goldman The New York Times Opinion | Opinion | A WORK OF FICTION; The Key To My Father (Published 2003) __

Quite a few of you have written us that you would be interested in hearing from a book editor, so we went out and find one of the best. Beverly Horowitz, Senior Vice President of Delacorte Press which is a division of Random House, joins us for a fascinating talk about what she does and how she does it. She has been editing for decades and recently has taken to adapting popular and important non fiction books for YA readers, a process that also fascinated us. After talking to Beverly, one of her authors joins us to give an author’s perspective on the process: Heather McGhee, the writer of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. The Sum of Us is not necessarily a “simple” book for YA audiences, it presents complex arguments about how institutional racism hurts our policy making and our economy. How did the two of them work with this book and adapt it to YA audiences? What does Beverly do with an author who won’t take her advice? How does a book go from the author’s printer to the book store shelves? We answer all of that on this week’s episode of The Book Case. Don’t miss it! Books mentioned in this podcast: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee Look Homeword, Angel by Thomas Wolfe Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (Born a Crime by Trevor Noah YA edition) My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor by Sonia Sotomayor Beloved by Toni Morrison Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

It's Oscar Week! A week we’ll always love… even if we haven’t seen the all the movies. Our guest this week is Michael Schulman, author of Oscar Wars, a definitive bio of the awards ceremony and the organization that created it. From the catfights of Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland to the slap heard round the world, this book has it all. Halle Berry, Frank Capra, Steven Spielberg, John Wayne, Dennis Hopper, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Citizen Kanes, they are all here and you don’t want to miss any of them. We loved every moment of this conversation…and we didn’t want you to miss a thing. So, no bookstore again this week, but next week we are back with a bookstore, promise. Books mentioned in the podcast: Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion “Jumpers” by Tad Friend for The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/10/13/jumpers Hollywood: The Oral History by Sam Wasson Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson

This week, The Book Case welcomes journalist Alex Prud’homme! His new book Dinner with the President explores the long history of food and American diplomacy. Did you know that the purchase of Pearl Harbor came about because of the first official state dinner ever? Did you know that many believe our involvement in WWII was predicated on a king and hot dog? These are all great stories and this book is packed with them. Find out why Julia Child played and still plays a central role in White House culinary philosophy and what Nixon ate almost every day for lunch….it’s all fascinating! There were so many great stories we didn’t want you to miss any of them, so we forgo a bookstore this week.Dinner with the President by Alex Prud'homme Books mentioned in the podcast: The French Chef in America by Alex Prud'homme My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme The Cell Game by Alex Prud'homme The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Fresh Water in the Twenty-First Century by Alex Prud'homme Hydrofracking: What Everyone Needs to Know by Alex Prud'homme France is a Feast: The Photographic Journey of Paul and Julia Child by Alex Prud'homme and Katie Pratt

Five years ago Rebecca Makkai was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book award. Now, in what is a treat for readers, Rebecca Makkai has just released a brand new novel, “I Have Some Questions for You”. It is a marvelously plotted mystery/novel about a podcaster, Bodie Kane, who returns to her prep school to teach a mini-course. One of her students wants to reinvestigate, with a podcast, a murder that occurred when Bodie was a student and for which a school staffer may have been wrongly convicted. The novel investigates the vagaries of memory, the realities of violence against women, and the near-impossibility of reversing a years-old conviction. The book has received considerable pre-publication praise, deservedly so. And our bookstore this week has a wonderful story. The brand new Beacon Hill Books and Cafe in downtown Boston, at times, has customers lined up to get in. Find out why. Books mentioned in this week's podcast: I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai Music for Wartime: Stories by Rebecca Makkai The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey Paige of Beacon Hill by Sarah S. Brannen

Amity Gaige is our featured author this week - her latest book is Sea Wife. But when we say latest - it’s been out for almost three years. With apologies, we just discovered it. Shame on us. It’s a book about a couple struggling with marital problems who decide (well the husband decides) to buy a sailboat and head for open waters. His wife isn’t crazy about the idea of sailing around the world so they settle on the Caribbean. That proves to be difficult enough. Amity makes marvelous use of foreshadowing. The wife Juliet is writing her remembrances of the sail. Her husband Michael is heard through his log book of the sail. Why? Well that’s part of the mystery incorporated in a good sea yarn. Our bookstore this week is a good one. Book Ends in Winchester, MA under new ownership -- Lauren Tiedemann and Jillian Hartline. Books mentioned in this podcast: Sea Wife by Amity Gaige Shroeder by Amity Gaige O My Darling by Amity Gaige The Folded World by Amity Gaige The Candy House by Jennifer Egan What You are Going Through by Sigrid Nunez The Silent Woman by Janet Malcom Trust Exercise by Susan Choi Rabbit, Run by John Updike  The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton The Little French Bridal Shop by Jennifer Dupee The Paris Bookseller by Keri Maher The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

Julie Otsuka doesn't just write, she crafts. Trained as a painter, Otsuka took up writing as her second career, and man oh man are we lucky she did. Her latest, The Swimmers, is just coming out in paperback and it is one of the most lyrical rich character portraits we have read. Julie joins us to talk about her unique style, and to tell us how she has kept each one of her novels to less than 200 pages. Trust us, each page is packed with beauty. Our bookstore this week is Book Ends in Winchester Massachusetts with its two brand new owners. Books mentioned in this podcast: The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka When the Emporer was Divine by Julie Otsuka The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka Second Place by Rachel Cusk A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway Camino Island by John Grisham A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Art of Cooking by Jacques Pepin

Stuart Gibbs is a man who loves his audience and his audience loves him. He has written six series of books for kids and all them offer a glimpse into the glee that Stuart Gibbs takes in the stories he tells. Whether it’s blowing up whales, going to a secretly run CIA training school for kids or a knight who never meant to become one, Stuart Gibbs takes real pleasure in entertaining his readers. One of his newest passions is turning his best selling work into graphic novels. His first series being turned into a paneled masterpiece is the Spy School series. His collaboration with illustrating Anjan Sarkar took a surprising turn. Our bookstore this week is Read Herring (soon to be New South Books) in Montgomery Alabama. Books mentioned in the podcast: Moon Base Alpha Series by Stuart Gibbs Once Upon a Tim Series by Stuart Gibbs Spy School Series by Stuart Gibbs Spy School: the Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs Spy Camp: the Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs The FunJungle Collection by Stuart Gibbs Whale Done by Stuart Gibbs The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers edited by Rose Brock The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Jurassic Park by Michael Chrichton The Deep by Nick Cutter Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham Children of Dust by Marlin Barton Tell the World You're a Wildflower by Jennifer Horne Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver

Ayana Gray doesn't just write books, she creates worlds. At 29 years old, she is already one of the best selling YA authors on the market (yes, it's ok to be jealous). Her series, which became Beasts of Prey and the more recently released Beasts of Ruin, presents a lush Pan-African fantasy world that will suck you in and won't let go. As page turners with mature themes, these books are the perfect way for The Book Case to start talking about fantasy. Books Mentioned in the podcast: Beasts of Ruin by Ayana Gray Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth Little Thieves by Margaret Owen How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal The Belgariad by David Eddings Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Karabian Red by Ashley N. Silver

You may have noticed that most weeks in our ‘rapid fire’ questions to featured authors, we ask if they have a favorite author. Little secret: Sometimes we are looking for ideas. A few weeks ago, John Irving told us he would read anything John Boyne has written just because Boyne wrote it. So we got busy reading John Boyne. It turns out he has a new book released just this past November, All the Broken Places, that is a continuation of sorts of a book released many years ago that was made into a terrific movie, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, that we both saw and admired. All the Broken Places centers around a now 91 year old woman who deals with the shame she feels knowing her father was commandant of Auschwitz, having tried to hide her past for decades. How that haunts her makes for an engrossing read. Thank you to John! Our book store this week is Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio.  Books Mentioned in the Podcast: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne All the Broken Places by John Boyne The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne The Absolutist by John Boyne My Brother’s Name is Jessica by John Boyne A History of Loneliness by John Boyne Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne The Boy At The Top Of The Mountain by John Boyne A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne The Echo Chamber by John Boyne The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Cider House Rules by John Irving The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier Snow by John Banville The Singularities by John Banville The Sea by John Banville Horse by Geraldine Brooks Clay’s Quilt by Silas House Southernmost by Silas House Lark Ascending by Silas House Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond The Date from Hell by Gwenda Bond Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany

This week it is David Sedaris part two - or David Sedaris redux. We loved our conversation with him and as we said last week, were we to limit the conversation to just one podcast, we’d have to cut out some of the good stuff. This week David talks about his empathy for those who come to hear him speak or who ask him to sign a book, his love for reading appearances, how he tries out new material on audiences, and how those audiences don’t seem to remember any of what he read. Listen to the end for a funny anecdote. Our bookstore this week is Arundel Books in Seattle - the store David said was his favorite ‘indie’ in the U-S. Books Mentioned in the Podcast: Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris Calypso by David Sedaris Barrel Fever by David Sedaris Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris Carnival of Snackery: Diaries (2003-2020) by David Sedaris SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris Theft by Finding: Diaries (1997-2002) by David Sedaris Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris Naked by David Sedaris Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris The Best of Me by David Sedaris Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff The Collected Short Stories of Tobias Wolff by Tobias Wolff The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Pulp by Charles Bukowski Babel by R.F. Kuang Freshwater for Flowers by Valerie Perrin The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

David Sedaris is our guest this week and next. Our conversation with him was so delightful and insightful that we could find no way to edit our conversation to just one podcast without leaving out too much of the “good stuff’. David is unique. He writes marvelous essays of observation about modern life drawing much of his material from audiences who come to listen to him read and with whom he spends considerable time interacting. He writes about serious family issues he’s encountered with great humor. He writes about playing a Christmas elf at Macy’s, and how can that fail to draw a chuckle? “Happy-Go-Lucky” is his latest collection of essays. But there are many. We loved everything of his we read. You will too. Books mentioned in this podcast: Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris Calypso by David Sedaris Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris Carnival of Snackery: Diaries (2003-2020) by David Sedaris SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris Theft by Finding: Diaries (1997-2002) by David Sedaris Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris Naked by David Sedaris The Best of Me by David Sedaris Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris Barrel Fever by David Sedaris Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

It might seem a bit presumptuous to write a three volume autobiography about the first 29 years of your life, wouldn’t you think? But Esmerelda Santiago lived an almost unbelievable first thirty years and writes in such a personal fashion, that reading her story makes you feel as if you’re in the company of a good friend speaking just to you. The first volume, When I was Puerto Rican tells the story of growing up in abject poverty in Puerto Rico with no expectations of anything more. The second volume, Almost a Woman tells of her coming to the United States terrified about what life would be like and through the most improbable of circumstances finding herself in an esteemed school for the performing arts though speaking almost no English. The third volume, The Turkish Lover finds Esmerelda realizing she is a whole lot smarter than the man in her life - applying to Harvard and graduating Magna Cum Laude! How is that for 29 years? If you’re intimidated by three short volumes, just try the first volume and see if you don’t want to go on. And if you’d like to be charmed, listen to Esmerelda’s conversation with us. Books Mentioned in the Podcast: When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago The Turkish Lover by Esmeralda Santiago Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago América's Dream by Esmeralda Santiago The Iliad by Homer The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk Free Puerto Rico by Pedro Albizu Campos

After you’ve bought Sister Sally the alpaca sweater, brother Billy his baseball bat, Mom her mixer and Dad his golf ball retriever, what small presents should you add? A book, of course! Everyone appreciates the thought that goes into giving just the right book. So have no fear, Kate and Charlie are here with what will be our annual “just the right book for everyone’s End-of-year book list.” If you can't find it here, you can’t find it anywhere. Mitchell Kaplan of Florida’s "Books and Books" gives us fiction selections. Bradley Graham of Washington’s "Politics and Prose" on non-fiction, Celia Sack of San Francisco’s "Omnivore Bookstore" on cookbooks, Justin Colussi-Estes of Decatur, Georgia’s 'Little Shop of Stores' on young adult books broken down by age groups, Otto Penzler from New York City’s The Mysterious Bookstore” on mysteries. And best for last, Kate and Charlie ourselves on coffee table books. Why us? Well, we each occasionally drink coffee and we each have a living room table. Oh yeah, and we didn’t want to feel left out. Enjoy! And if you want to give US a present, rate us and write a comment where you get your podcasts. We read ‘em. Happy Holidays listeners! We love you all! We love you all!Non-Fiction: (Bradley Graham) Books mentioned in this podcast: Non-Fiction: (Bradley Graham) Lost and Found: A Memoir by Kathryn Schulz Path Lit By Lightening: The Life of Jim Thorpe by David Maraniss The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy and the Dawn of American Aviation by John Lancaster Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968 by Thomas E. Ricks Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America by Dahlia Lithwick Mysteries: (Otto Penzler) Desert Star by Michael Connelly A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries Edited by Martin Edwards The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly Coffee Table Books: (Us) Football: Designing the Beautiful Game by James Bird, Sam Handy, Jacques Herzog, Thomas Turner, Eleanor Watson The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan African Art Now by Osei Bonsu The Space Shuttle: A Mission-by-Mission Celebration of NASA’s Extraordinary Spaceflight Program by Roland Miller Cookbooks: (Celia Sack) Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family by Bill Leung, Kaitlin Leung, Judy Leung, Sarah Leung What’s for Dessert by Claire Saffitz BUDMO! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen by Anna Voloshyna Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook by Illyanna Maisonet The Bartender’s Guide to the World: Cocktails and Stories from 75 Places by Lauren Mote Children’s Books: (Justin Colussi-Estes) Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett The Mouse Who Carried a House on His Back by Jonathan Stutzman Everything in Its Place: A Story of Books and Belonging by Pauline David-Sax A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga Thirteen Witches by Jodi Lynn Anderson The Sea of Always (Thirteen Witches Book 2) by Jodi Lynn Anderson Two Degrees by Alan Gratz The Star that Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki

The book is Demon Copperhead , the author is Barbara Kingsolver. That should be enough said. If you read it and don’t come away thinking it is the best book you’ve read this year, it will be among the best. Her book is a prodigious feat on many levels. It is beautifully written. It gives you a sense of a part of America often ignored. It has wonderful characters. It is funny, and she writes it as a parallel to David Copperfield , Charles Dickens' most personal novel. She’s a great writer and a great talker. Give a listen. Our bookstore this week is Rainy Day Books in Kansas City, where the state line runs right through the center of town. Books mentioned in this podcast: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver King Lear by Shakespeare A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver Cannery Row by John Steinbeck Middlemarch by George Eliot Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell Love & Saffron by Kim Fay 84 Chairing Cross by Road Helene Hanff Double Agent by Tom Bradby A Single Spy by William Christie I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes The River of Gods by John Speke River of Doubt Candice Millard Radical Kindness: The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Recieving by Angela Santomero

Nelson DeMille - to meet him you’d think of him as the prototypical grandfatherly guy, mild-of-manner with a gentle soul. And you’d be right. It would be most unlikely that you’d also spot him as a guy who has written dozens of murder mysteries, spy novels and thrillers that have gained him a devoted audience. He has devised lots of ways to bump off his characters. You must watch out for those grandfatherly types. With 23 books in circulation and over 50 million sold, DeMille still debuts on the bestseller list with each release, and his latest, The Maze, was no exception. The bookstore this week is also an American institution: The Faulkner House Bookstore in New Orleans. The store sells all kinds of books in a space that also happens to be a Faulkner landmark. Books mentioned in this podcast:  The Maze by Nelson DeMille The Gate House by Nelson DeMille The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille The Panther by Nelson DeMille The General’s Daughter by Nelson DeMille The Charm School by Nelson DeMille The Quest by Nelson DeMille Night Fall by Nelson DeMille Plum Island by Nelson DeMille The Lion’s Game by Nelson DeMille The Lion by Nelson DeMille The Deserter by Nelson and Alex DeMille Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille The Sniper by Nelson DeMille The Hammer of God by Nelson DeMille Spencerville by Nelson DeMille Cathedral by Nelson DeMille By the Rivers of Babylon by Nelson DeMille The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille Mayday by Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block Superfudge by Judy Blume Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Absalom, Absalom! By William Faulkner The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner Some Go Home by Odie Lindsey Welcome to our Senses by Odie Lindsey Collected Stories by William Faulkner

Let’s do the math. A human’s average life span: 80 years. Years after Similac and Gerbers: say 75 years. At approximately 1000 meals per year, that’s a lifetime of 75,000 meals. What if you had a different recipe for every one of those 75,000 meals? Celia Sack does. She is one of the owners of Omnivore Books in San Francisco. They sell nothing but cookbooks and books about food and drink. You don’t go into her store asking, “What should I be reading?” but instead, “What should I be cooking or baking?" We ‘drop’ this podcast on Thanksgiving Day when everyone is thinking about food. Celia thinks about it every day. And, of course, we’re all thinking about things to be thankful for, including our listeners. We’re thankful for our chance to talk with Celia. She is a delight. Books mentioned in this podcast: Small Victories by Julia Turshen Kitchen Simple: Essential Recipes for Everyday Cooking by James Peterson The Nutmeg Trail: Recipes and Stories Along the Ancient Spice Routines by Eleanor Ford The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert The Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy Mourad: New Moroccan by Mourad Lahlou Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle The Way to Cook by Julia Child Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking by Julia Child The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes and Stories of My Life by Pat Conroy The Escoffier Cookbook: and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery for Connoisseurs, Chefs, Epicures by Auguste Escoffier Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes by Alison Roman The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers

This week on the Book Case we have two more authors from the Brooklyn Book Festival. You can find Angeline Boulley's The Firekeeper's Daughter on the YA shelves of your local library or bookstore, but the book transcends the genre. She'll talk about how she approaches world-building and gives us a sneak preview of her highly-anticipated new novel coming out next spring. Kate also catches up with Book Case favorite Sidik Fofana and sits down with Jory Southurst, the manager of the bookstore at the Center for Fiction. This episode was recorded at The Center for Fiction. It's a beautiful part of the Brooklyn literary community with classes and events. Their bookstore shouldn't be missed! Books mentioned in this podcast; Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana Crazy Horse’s Girlfriend by Erika T. Wurth A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith Babel by R.F. Kuang A Little Life Hanya Yanagihara Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh Greenland by David Santos Donaldson A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

Cleyvis Natera took 15 years to write Neruda on the Park, and you can see why when you read the novel. There many pieces of the book that speak to Natera's life: navigating America with and on behalf of her parents, seeing gentrification slowly creep into the neighborhoods she has loved, the flawed and complex relationships between generations of women within one community. Kate had a chance to sit down with Cleyvis at the recent Brooklyn Book Festival and they talked about how Cleyvis' growth and maturity contributed to the growth and maturity of her novel. We then talk to Book Ends and Beginnings in Evanston, Illinois, a book lovers bookstore in a great college town. Books mentioned in this podcast: Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago The Candy House by Jennifer Egan The Street by Ann Petry The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats Matrix by Lauren Groff Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close

When this podcast was in its infancy, John Irving joined us to talk about his work and what he described as “his last big novel,” that was, at the time, still being written. It is now “in better bookstores everywhere” as they say. And “big” is something of an understatement. “The Last Chairlift” is close to 900 pages! Is it worth that much an investment of time? If you’re a John Irving admirer—how can you say no? And we are among John’s many admirers. The novel has all of John’s familiar themes: the search for an unknown father, sexual politics, a highly unusual family, ghosts as well as skiing, wrestling and Exeter Academy. John even includes a couple of screenplays as part of the story. Reading “The Last Chairlift” is a significant investment of time, but it is both moving and entertaining. This is our second conversation with John Irving, and he never fails to fascinate us. Books in this podcast: The Last Chairlift by John Irving Setting Free the Bears by John Irving The Water-Method Man by John Irving The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving The World According to Garp by John Irving The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving The Cider House Rules by John Irving A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving A Son of the Circus by John Irving The Imaginary Girlfriend by John Irving A Widow for One Year by John Irving My Movie Business: A Memoir by John Irving The Fourth Hand by John Irving Until I Find You by John Irving Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving In One Person by John Irving Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Moby Dick by Herman Melville Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy A Saint from Texas by Edmund White A Previous Life by Edmund White Original Prin by Randy Boyagoda Dante's Indiana by Randy Boyagoda The Absolutist by John Boyne The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne A History of Loneliness by John Boyne The Way Home by Kardea Brown South of Broad by Pat Conroy Embassy Wife by Katie Crouch Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera

A quick Google search will tell you there are over 15,000 books about Abraham Lincoln. Do we need another? Well yes, considering that none of them so far has been written by Jon Meacham who is one of America’s best biographers. “And There Was Light” has just been released. It is a most readable 420 page biography of our 16th President and it is timely. America is probably more divided now that at any time since Lincoln’s. Jon writes, “A President who led a divided country in which an implacable minority gave no quarter…has much to teach us in a twenty-first century moment of polarization.” Jon is a great conversationalist. At one point he says, "Some think I’m the love child of Mr. Rogers and Doris Kearns Goodwin.” How is that for a tease? Books mentioned in this podcast: And There was Light by Jon Meacham The Soul of America by Jon Meacham American Lion by Jon Meacham Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham Franklin and Winston by Jon Meacham His Truth is Marching On by Jon Meacham American Gospel by Jon Meacham The Hope of Glory by Jon Meacham Destiny and Power by Jon Meacham All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren The Wise Men by Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope The Warden by Anthony Trollope Emma by Jane Austen The Chain by Adrian McKintey Catch-22 by Joseph Heller The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

Doug Bauer has written a love story, "The Beckoning World". A man and a woman. A father and son. A love for a more innocent time. A lovely homage to America’s midwest. And a love story about baseball. It’s a simple book really—until it’s not. Boy meets girl. Boy is a promising pitcher. Girl's father says, "You pick: my daughter or baseball." He picks the girl. But then the book veers back to baseball and the protagonist pitcher and his son are barnstorming across America with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Sound implausible? Doug makes it seem perfectly reasonable. The Beckoning World is evocative of the early 20th century, conjures up small town baseball parks (you can almost smell the peanuts), and makes you feel like you know the Babe and Lou. Especially the Babe. And speaking of small towns, this week’s bookstore is Fact and Fiction in Missoula, Montana. Give it all a listen. Books mentioned in this podcast: The Beckoning World by Douglas Bauer The Book of Famous Iowans by Douglas Bauer The Very Air by Douglas Bauer Dexterity by Douglas Bauer Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Sister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler Wild Kingdom by Vijay Seshadri War and Peace By Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch Body Grammar by Jules Ohman Killing Custer by James Welch Penguin Problems Jory John Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin illustrated by Daniel Salmieri Mother Bruce Book Series by Ryan T. Higgins Winter in the Blood by James Welch Perma Red by Debra Magpie Earling The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Once Sentence Journal by Chris La Tray

Once again it was a title that caught our eye, leading us to a the book that was even more intriguing than the title. The book is How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water. The author is Angie Cruz. The book is a fascinating character study of Cara Romero, a Dominican immigrant who came to this country more than 25 years ago. She needs a job. There are 12 chapters— each a transcription of one of Cara’s meetings with a professional job counselor. You come to know Cara - or do you really? As she talks to the counselor and tells her/him not just about herself but about the immigrant community of which she is a part? A reader, we believe, will thoroughly enjoy getting to know Cara. A listener to The Book Case will enjoy getting to know Angie Cruz. Instead of an independent bookstore this week we talk to each other about books we’ve read this year that we loved, but might not have been suited to a podcast. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz Dominicana by Angie Cruz Let It Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz Soledad by Angie Cruz Widow Basquiat by Jennifer Clement Incidents in the Life of a Slave by Harriet Jacobs The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin The Lost Kings by Tyrell Johnson The Guest List by Lucy Foley Head Full of Ghosts by Paul G. Tremblay Full Throttle by Joe Hill and Stephen King The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Robert E Lee: A Life by Allen C. Guelzo

We have expressed a desire to keep The Book Case non-political. But there is one issue we feel should not be a source of contention - and that is book banning and book challenges. We have been looking for a relatively safe way to approach the issue and think we’ve found it in a book by Amy Sarig King entitled Attack of the Black Rectangles. The "black rectangles" to which she refers are those black stripes that represent redactions of language. Amy writes for young people— target audience probably 11 to 16. But this book reads well for adults as well and addresses an important subject. It is a fictionalized account of an actual book redaction that her son discovered in a school assigned novel about the Holocaust. Amy argues, persuasively we feel, that young people don’t need this kind of ‘protection’ and that it’s a slippery slope from redactions to actual book bans. She has both a lovely book and a powerful argument. Afterwards we talk with Jonathan Friedman of PEN America who has written a thorough report about how the number of book challenges and bans are growing across the United States at an alarming rate. Books mentioned in the podcast: Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King (A.S. King) Me and Marvin Gardens By Amy Sarig King (A.S. King) The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Dig by Amy Sarig King (A. S. King) Ask the Passengers by Amy Sarig King (A. S. King) Reality Boy by Amy Sarig King (A. S. King) Everybody Sees the Ants by Amy Sarig King (A. S. King) God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

So you’re in your mid-50s, you’ve got a great career going as a television personality in Great Britain, so what might be enjoyable to do next? Why write a hugely successful series of mysteries of course. And that is what Richard Osman has done. His novel The Thursday Murder Club is about four bold septuagenarian friends who meet to discuss about unsolved crimes in their retirement village. The Man Who Died Twice and The Bullet That Missed are two riveting extensions of The Thursday Murder Club. Osman talks about casting the film adaptation of his novels and how his mother’s retirement village in England inspired his writing process. The independent bookstore this week is 27th Letter Books and we talk to Erin Pineda, the owner about their incredible story of survival. Books mentioned in the podcast: The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Mystic River by Dennis Lehane One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Scorpionfish by Natalie Bakopoulos Gag Reflex by Elle Nash Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment by Parker Curry, Jessica Curry and Brittany Jackson Crescenciana: An Art Book and Memoir by Crescenciana Tan + Kenneth Tan

Elizabeth Strout is our guest this week, and our conversation couldn’t be more timely. First, her novel, Oh William! has just been short listed for the Booker Prize - perhaps the most prestigious award for a writer of literary fiction. And second, her latest novel in the Lucy Barton series has just been published - Lucy by the Sea. For those who love her writing, and we are among her greatest admirers, you know that Lucy by the Sea represents a continuation of the series that includes Oh William! The book allows us to see the chaos of the last years through Lucy's eyes, and it's a tumultuous, beautiful journey. The independent bookstore this week is Tattered Cover and we talk to Jeremy Patlen, their head buyer. Books mentioned in the podcast: Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout This is Happiness by Niall Williams The Collected Stories of William Trevor War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories by John Updike Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine Upgrade by Blake Crouch Just Kids by Patti Smith We are the Light by Matthew Quick Less Is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer

Sue Miller is one of America’s finest and most admired authors. From the time of her first published novel in 1986, (The Good Mother), to her most recent, (Monogamy), Sue has developed a legion of devoted readers. Her plots often involve major events, but her greatest skill is the intimate understanding she has of her characters. She knows their head and their heart, or maybe it is that they know hers. How she writes, how she develops those characters, and what they mean to her are all subjects of our conversation. Sue Miller is one of our finest practitioners of literary fiction. We feel honored to have her in The Book Case.  This week, we also talk to the host of “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read," Zibby Owens. She invited us on her podcast, so we returned the invitation. Books mentioned in this podcast: The Good Mother by Sue Miller Family Pictures by Sue Miller While I Was Gone by Sue Miller Inventing the Abbotts and Other Stories by Sue Miller Monogomy by Sue Miller The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller The Arsonist by Sue Miller The Distinguished Guest by Sue Miller The World Below by Sue Miller The Story of My Father: A Memoir by Sue Miller Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller For Love by Sue Miller Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak The Short Stories of Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy Slow Motion: A Memoir of a Life Rescued by Tragedy by Dani Shapiro Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

It was just a year ago that the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. On that date, Nahid Shahalimi, an Afghan female writer living in Germany, realized that she needed to hurry to record the stories of prominent Afghan women who soon would try to escape their country, or stay and risk death. She did so, and compiled their stories in “We Are Still Here.” The world’s attention has turned to the crisis in Ukraine, but Afghanistan is still there and should not be forgotten, particularly the stories of women oppressed by the Taliban. This week, a conversation with Nahid Shahalimi, as she writes, “Listen to these women. See them. See their commitment to freedom and to their rights." Books mentioned in this podcast: We are Still Here edited by Nahid Shahalimi The Book of Life by Jidda Krishnamurti The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi The Secret Sky: A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan by Atia Abawi The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi The Sky at Our Feet by Nadia Hashimi The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi

Stuart Gibbs is this week’s guest and begins what we intend to be a periodic look at children's’ literature, or in the parlance of the day, “kids’ books”. Stuart has five different series of kids’s books in print - all successful, each aimed at the middle grades. His latest Spy School book is just out. Kate and I (grown-up who like to believe) loved it, as did our 12-year-old grandson and nephew, Lang (but then Stuart is his favorite author). To be a successful author of kids’ books we believe you have to be a good writer as well as a bit of a kid yourself. Stuart checks both boxes. Books mentioned in the podcast: Moon Base Alpha Series by Stuart Gibbs Once Upon a Tim by Stuart Gibbs Spy School Project X by Stuart Gibbs Spy School Series by Stuart Gibbs FunJungle Series by Stuart Gibbs Charlie Thorne Series by Stuart Gibbs The Last Musketeer Series by Stuart Gibbs Poached by Stuart Gibbs Encyclopedia Brown Series Donald J. Sobol The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe Superfudge by Judy Blume The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster The BFG by Roald Dahl

Our author this week is David Koepp. You may not realize it, but you’ve been exposed to David’s writing. Probably many times. Did you see the first two Jurassic Park movies? Spider-Man? Indiana Jones? Mission Impossible? David has worked on the screenplays of some of the most successful movies ever. Indeed, movies he has written have sold almost $2.5 billion in tickets. He also writes novels. “Aurora” is his latest. It’s an enjoyable, and even thought-provoking read. Why write novels when you’re so successful with screen plays? How do the disciplines differ? Which is more rewarding? All good questions. We ask them. Our independent bookstore this week is Interabang Books in Dallas, Texas. Books Mentioned in the Podcast: Cold Storage by David Koepp Aurora by David Koepp The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. That’s Good! That’s Bad! by Margery Cuyler Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Nancy Churnin A Girl Named Carrie: The Visionary Who Created Neiman Marcus and Set the Standard for Fashion by Jerrie Marcus Smith River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Trust by Hernan Diaz The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Sidik Fofana has written “Stories from the Tenants Downstairs.” This is his first novel and very much worth a reader’s time. His book is eight interrelated short stories written by residents of a fictional tenement in New York City in a neighborhood going through gentrification. You root for his characters. You identify with their aspirations. But for each of them it is so tough to realize their dreams. For each of them it is so tough to negotiate the realities of every day life. And Sidik knows from whence he writes—for years he has been a New York City public school teacher. Many of his stories, he tells us, come from his kids. “Stories from the Tenants Downstairs” is an excellent book. One small warning—a couple of the stories are written with the voice of the street, but were that not the case, it would not be as authentic. And every inch of this book is authentic. Our independent book store this week is Women and Children First in Chicago—we talk with one of its owners, Lynn Mooney. Books mentioned in the podcast: Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fafana The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz Birds of America by Lorrie Moore The Broken Earth Trilogy N.K. Jemisin “Harlem” by Langston Hughes from The Collected Works of Langston Hughes A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway The Odyssey by Homer A Separate Peace by John Knowles Native Son by Richard Wright Trombone Shorty by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Johnson Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Jenny Lawson is a funny writer, but that label doesn’t tell the whole story. In her three books, her "parenthetical ramblings" are hilarious glimpses into her razor sharp wit that keep you laughing long after you put the book down. At the same time, Jenny Lawson deals with deep depression that has her also writing about her struggles - sometimes just to stay alive. She writes of the “monster” that at times takes over her mind. That mind works in wonderous ways - not always helpful to her own well being - but wonderous just the same. Our bookstore this week? Well that’s Jenny Lawson’s too. We talk to Elizabeth Jordon, the general manager of Jenny Lawson’s bookstore, Nowhere Bookshop in San Antonio. Books mentioned in the podcast: Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson Twice 22 by Ray Bradbury Pet Sematary by Stephen King Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky Florida Woman by Deb Rogers Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado There, There by Tommy Orange A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan Stories From the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine

Julia Glass burst on the writing scene in 2002 when her first novel, “Three Junes”, won the National Book Award for fiction. Her newest novel “Vigil Harbor” plots current problems such as worldwide virus infections, climate change and increasing political violence as they might increase over the next twelve years, and charts their impact on a small town in coastal Massachusetts. Set in 2034, the novel includes a touch of mystery and the supernatural, and is a most enjoyable read from almost any perspective. On the show, Julia speaks about the ways climate change has shaped the novel, her experience writing with a supernatural twist for the first time, and how the book changed with the Covid-19 pandemic started. Our independent book store for this podcast is Keplers, in Menlo Park, California.

Hernan Diaz is an author, essayist, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award. His newest novel, "Trust," has just this week been chosen as a finalist for the Booker Prize - one of the most prestigious of literary prizes. The head of the Booker judging panel said many of this year’s finalists involve “the elusive nature of truth”. That certainly would pertain to “Trust”. The book is intricately plotted, marvelously written, and insightful about the world of finance and the singular relationship Americans have with money. Diaz also talks about his writing process, writing a character with an "obnoxious" point of view, and the thrills and perils of releasing a book out into a world. Our conversation took place just before the Booker nominees were announced, but reading ’Trust" and listening to Diaz will leave you with no doubt that this novel deserves the high honor according it by the Booker judging committee. Our independent book store this week is Market Street Books in Mashpee, Massachusetts, a favorite vacation destination. Books mentioned in the podcast this week: Trust by Hernan Diaz In The Distance by Hernan Diaz A Backward Glance by Edith Wharton Portrait of a Lady by Henry James I am a Bunny by Richard Scarry Horse by Geraldine Brooks Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens The Old Man in the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Emma by Jane Austen

J. Ryan Stradal is one of America’s finest young authors. His two novels have been out for some time - both highly acclaimed. Another is releasing next year. “Kitchens of the Great Midwest” was his first with “The Lager Queen of Minnesota” following four years later. Publishers conducted a bidding war for ‘Kitchens' - how rare is that for a first work? And it’s been translated into more than a dozen languages. You can argue over which is the better of the two and we have. Both are excellent. Kate likes ‘Kitchens’. Charlie is partial to “Lager Queen”. While these titles may make them sound like food books, they aren't. For J. Ryan food serves as a way of explaining different aspects of humanity, largely around themes of forgiveness. J. Ryan and Kate have been good friends since their college days (we're talking the ‘90s here folks) and she says she loves to listen to him talk. And laugh. You will too.   Since J. Ryan’s books have a Midwest setting and flavor we’ve paired him with Ann Woodbeck, one of the owners of Excelsior Bay Books to be found in Excelsior Bay Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. Books mentioned in this episode: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Elsewhere, California by Dana Johnson Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. Seuss Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brian Goodnight Loon by Abe Sauer Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses Shoulder Season: A Novel by Christina Clancy Four Dead Horses by K. T. Sparks Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub This is Happiness by Niall Williams The Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

Anna Quindlen can write pretty much anything – years of insightful columns for the “New York Times,” wonderful fiction as evidenced by nine widely-read novels, and non-fiction as well. The latest is her plea for all of us to write. “Write for Your Life” is the book. It’s a small volume but it’s message belies its size. Anna Quindlen wants us writing for future grandchildren and great-grandchildren, for our current loved ones, and even for ourselves. Write letters, keep journals, record your own life history – it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be personal. She asks her readers: If you could have one piece of writing from someone in your life who’s gone, who would that be? When you answer that, you’ll know why writing is so important. As you write, she argues, it may even bring greater clarity about your own problems and thoughts. After our conversation with Anna, stay for Sharon Davis of Book Bound Bookstore in Blairsville, Georgia, population 616. Talk about an act of faith! Opening a tiny town independent bookstore. Talking to Sharon was at the suggestion of one of our listeners, and we appreciate it.  Books Mentioned: Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Pioneer Women: The Lives of Women on the Frontier by Linda Peavy Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen The Holy Bible A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury  One Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni The Gilded Wolves by Roshai Choksi The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

Twelve years ago, Jennifer Egan won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “A Visit from the Goon Squad.” It was wildly successful and totally original. Now she has written a companion novel - a continuation, if you will - “The Candy House.” The premise is intriguing and while impossible, it lends itself to many opportunities for Jennifer to write in different styles. The premise is that it has become possible for a person to have every one of their memories, since birth, encapsulated in a box and every one of those memories can be recalled. In fact, a person can get access to someone else’s memories if willing to share their own. Every chapter is written in a different style - but all fit together nicely. Pulling that off, and she does, is literary, a feat of no small proportion. You need not have read “Goon Squad” to enjoy “Candy House.” But listening to Jennifer may well make you want to. This week we take a pause from talking to an independent bookstore. Kate and Charlie discuss what they’ve learned from their first ten podcasts. Books Mentioned: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan The Keep by Jennifer Egan Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Lavender's Blue: A Book of Nursery Rhymes by Kathleen Lines and Harold Jones Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Happy For You by Claire Stanford A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Charlotte's Web by E.B. White Preston & Child's Agent Pendergast Series The Power Broker By Robert Caro Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (Yes, Charles Gibson read it. And yes, I am listing it. Sorry, dad.)

What if an app could quantify exactly how happy you are? That's the premise for Clare Stanford's debut novel, "Happy For You," in which a philosopher leaves academia to work as a researcher for"the third-most popular internet company" where she struggles to find belonging as a biracial woman. "Happy For You,' is a funny story of a woman searching for her identity and a satirical commentary on today's h(app)iness-obsessed world. Plus, a conversation with Mitchell Kaplan at Books and Books. Other books mentioned in the pod: The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño The Bernstein Bears Series by Stan and Jan Bernstein Year of Dangerous Days: Riots Refugees and Cocaine in Miami 1980 by Nicholas Griffin Big Trouble by Dave Barry Trust by Hernan Diaz

David Gergen says it's time for new American leadership. As a political advisor who served four presidential administrations, Gergen has a perspective on the White House that's unrivaled in the political world. Gergen wrote his new book, "Hearts Touched with Fire," to advise the next generation of political leaders. Maybe that will include you! In President Truman's words, "Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers." List of books mentioned: Hearts Touched with Fire by David Gergen Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills The Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell The March of Folly by Barbara Tuchman King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts To Marry and to Meddle by Martha Waters Flying Solo by Linda Holmes Maine Beer: Brewing in Vacationland by Josh Christie Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey Letters of EB White by EB White (Revised) Charlotte's Web by EB White Stuart Little by EB White Sigh, Gone by Phuk Tron

Delia Ephron went through hell. Her leukemia almost killed her - so did the treatments to cure it. In “Left on Tenth”, her new book that is on many best seller lists, she writes about wanting to die - pleading with the doctors to let her die. However a doctor, who perhaps knew Delia better than she knew herself, wouldn’t let her. And a late in life, second love, sustained her through the most difficult of times. Delia’s book is inspiring and is testament to the strength of the human spirit and the healing power of love. Now, remarkably recovered, she talks about her ordeal. Listen to her answer of what she wants the rest of her life to be. It will make you smile.

You may know the story of Emmett Till. But you might’ve never heard his story if it weren't for one woman: Mamie Till-Mobley. In a new three-part season of ABC News' "Reclaimed" podcast, host Leah Wright Rigueur explores who Mamie Till-Mobley was before she lost her son: a young girl growing up in Illinois. Rigueur traces Mamie's journey after Emmett’s death, and how she turned her grief into a movement that changed the course of American history. The first two episodes of "Reclaimed" are available now. To listen, follow the show on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3zofsOC), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3PSLBDU), Amazon Music (https://amzn.to/3tgHfNf), or wherever you like to listen.

Azar Nafisi offers you - a reader - a challenge. It is the title of her latest book - “Read Dangerously”. Azar comes with a unique perspective. She was teaching in Iran when the clerics took over, banned books, and eliminated many of the freedoms that Americans often take for granted. She caused something of a sensation when she wrote “Reading Lolita in Tehran” - contending that reading fiction can be a liberating and even subversive act. Now she teaches in the United States and worries that Americans aren’t reading enough - specifically aren’t reading works that take them outside their comfort zone. What freedoms could we lost if we don’t "Read Dangerously"? Her argument is an important one and very much worth a listen. 

Odds are you’ve never heard of Shelby Van Pelt. She is a new author, and as we spoke she was just a week away from the publication of her first novel “Remarkably Bright Creatures”. Strange to say but this is a novel novel and both of us loved it. A writing advisor once told Shelby to try writing from an unlikely point of view - and has she done just that! Her narrator is an octopus. But not just any octopus. Marcellus is a captive in an aquarium and from that vantage point is an observer of we humans. He doesn’t have much respect for what he sees, but his warm, funny and wary narrative will have you hooked from the first page. As in almost all our podcasts, you’ll also hear from an independent bookseller from somewhere in the country. We believe independent book stores are critical. In this podcast, Otto Penzler of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York talks about mysteries as literature. Believe us, Otto knows mysteries, and is acutely aware that we all love ‘em.

John Irving has written fourteen novels, is working on a fifteenth, has been translated into more than thirty languages, and is one of America’s most popular and beloved authors. If you’ve never read a John Irving novel, how would John suggest you start? What great American writers does he loathe (spoiler alert, one is considered America’s greatest author) and why did John adopt a model for story telling that was more than a century old? And how does he draw readers into his novels so that they will read the whole book? Our conversation with John is a master class on writing, and how he tackles his craft might surprise you.

Dr. Carla Hayden is the Librarian of Congress. In the 222 year history of the Library of Congress there has never before been a female Librarian of Congress, nor an African-American Librarian of Congress. Carla Hayden has broken many barriers. Dr. Hayden comes from a background of having run the Baltimore public libraries and from having a critical role in running Chicago’s libraries. On her first day in the job, what did she want to see, and hold, in the Library’s incredible collection? How can any citizen utilize the Library of Congress? And how can a library absorb 10,000 new items every single day? Carla Hayden holds the most important librarian’s job in the world - and she refers to librarians as the world’s “first search engines."

Calling all parents - you need to listen to Mary Laura Philpott and read her insightful essays that speak to everyone who ever raised a child. In the vein of Erma Bombeck and Nora Ephron, her new book is “Bomb Shelter” - something she wishes she could build around her two children as they prepare to leave home and begin adulthood. Like all of us, she struggles with the realization she can’t keep them safe. It’s hard to imagine a writer could say something totally original about parenting and yet she does. She is witty and wise and the angst she feels about wanting to keep her kids safe applies to all of us.

Niall Williams is an Irishman who possesses the Irish knack for telling a great story, and he does this in lyrical prose that will take your breath away. He was living in America, participating in the infamous New York City rat race, when he and his wife decided 35 years ago they needed to go back to the land of their birth, Ireland, and find out if they could write. And can he ever. If you haven’t read “This is Happiness”, you must. Just for the pure beauty of Niall’s language. And if you have read it, you’ll love our conversation as his language and his gentle Irish lilt are delightful.

How better to begin a weekly podcast on books than with Oprah Winfrey who has, in the last quarter century, done more to get Americans to read than almost any literacy program we can think of. However the beginning of her book club was something of an accident. Oprah tells us why she didn’t believe it had a chance. She tells us what is in her personal, extraordinary collection of books, what she finds the perfect reading environment, and Oprah even takes a suggestion from Kate about how she might change her reading habits. Oprah's enthusiasm for reading has proven infectious to the entire nation, and her enthusiasm for literature is addicting. After you hear our conversation, Oprah will have you wanting to immediately pick up a book. We guarantee it

Are you stuck in a reading rut? The Book Case, a new weekly series from ABC Audio launching May 2, makes the case for books outside of your usual genre. Wander the aisles of your local bookstore with Kate and Charlie Gibson and meet fascinating characters who will open your appetite to new categories while deepening your hunger for books. The Book Case will journey cover to cover through the literary world, featuring interviews with best-selling authors, tastemakers, and independent bookstore owners.