The Book Case

Kathy Wang’s newest, The Satisfaction Café is the story of Joan Laing, her compromises, her victories, her loves and her loneliness.  In this memorable story, Joan and her reflections lead us through the journey of her life…culminating in the opening of a unique, strange and lovely café..  Kathy’s writing is poignant, subtle, and Joan, her protagonist is flawed yet inspiring.  Take a seat at the Satisfaction Café with us as we talk to Kathy about how she does what she does, and why she believes “satisfaction” may spell out true happiness. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Satisfaction Café by Kathy Wang Imposter Syndrome by Kathy Wang Family Trust by Kathy Wang The World According to Garp by John Irving Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler Monogamy by Sue Miller Villain by Shūichi Yoshida Middlemarch by George Eliot Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Ryan Stradal is our Writer in Residence, if you have been following along.  What does that mean?  Well, we have been with him from step one since he started his fourth novel, as yet unnamed.  A deeply personal novel that imagines the third act his mother might have lived if she had progressed past the age of 55.  She was J.’s person, his guiding light and his North Star.  He has now finished his first draft and we talk to him as he tackles notes and thinks about bringing the novel to market.  Also joining us is Jonah Zimiles, one of our all-time favorite booksellers with his mission based independent bookstore, Words in Maplewood.  Join us for a great show with old friends. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal The Sportswriter by Richard Ford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is a feverishly paced, lyrical portrait of an unnamed African American man in the 1930’s.  Hauntingly beautiful and raw, this book changed how Americans think about race.  Immediately popular and the winner of the National Book Award in 1953, Ralph Ellison’s classic does not fit neatly in any literature genre (is it satire?  Is it fiction?  Is it historical fiction?).  We sit down with two professors from Ellison’s alma mater, Tuskegee University, Dr. Zanice Bond and Dr. Caroline Gebhard to discuss Ellison’s legacy, and the legacy of his most famous work.  Join us. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison The Collected Essays of Ralph Ellison edited by John F. Callahan The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen Post Bellem, Pre Harlem: African American Literature and Culture 1877-1919 by Barbara McCaskill and Caroline Gebhard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adriana Trigiani is a true joy, and her new novel, The View from Lake Como, is a love letter to Italy.  Italian by birth, Italy always plays a big role in Adriana's books, and in this novel, Italy is the central character.  This book contains unforgettable characters, subtle and complex relationships with the artisan beauty of marble thrown in…Adriana writes it all with authenticity and heart.  Join us while we talk about what makes Italy…well Italy, and stick around for a great bookstore in Delaware, the Hockessin Bookshelf. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: The View from Lake Como by Adriana TrigianiThe Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana TrigianiLucia, Lucia by Adriana TrigianiThe Good Left Undone by Adriana TrigianiVery Valentine by Adriana TrigianiBig Stone Gap by Adriana TrigianiBig Cherry Holler by Adriana TrigianiMilk Glass Moon by Adriana TrigianiViola in the Spotlight by Adriana TrigianiViola in Reel Life by Adriana TrigianiThe Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana TrigianiAll the Stars in Heaven by Adriana TrigianiBrava, Valentine by Adriana TrigianiKiss Carlo by Adriana TrigianiTony’s Wife by Adriana TrigianiA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensHamlet by William ShakespeareA Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodMoby Dick by Herman Melville Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stacey Abrams is a prolific figure in American history.  And although her bread and butter come from political organization and practicing law, a lot of her heart is wrapped up in writing.  A writer with many titles to her name, her newest, Coded Justice puts forth a murder that may very well have been committed by a rogue AI system.  Is it possible and of what is AI capable?  We ask Stacey Abrams all these questions…join us.   Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode:   Coded Justice by Stacey Abrams Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams Stacey’s Extraordinary Words (Children’s Book) by Stacey Abrams Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams (as Selena Montgomery) Hidden Sins by Stacey Abrams (as Selena Montgomery) Deception by Stacey Abrams (as Selena Montgomery) Secrets and Lies by Stacey Abrams (as Selena Montgomery) Reckless by Stacey Abrams (as Selena Montgomery) The Phantom Tollbooth by Normal Juster The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Unmasking AI by Dr. Joy Buolamwini The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman The AI Revolution in Medicine by Carey Goldberg, Isaac Kohane, Peter Lee Naked in Death by Nora Roberts (as J.D. Robb) Robert Caro’s Compendium of Lyndon Johnson:                   The Path to Power                   Means of Ascent                   Master of the Senate                   The Passage of Power Daring Greatly by Brene Brown The Great Santini by Pat Conroy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dennard Dayle has written a laugh out loud satire about the Civil War.  It’s both risky and ambitious and he pulls it off beautifully in How to Dodge a Cannonball.  It’s a novel about Anders, a man totally unequipped to handle the horrors of the Civil War, in which he switches sides three times.  How to Dodge a Cannonball is moving, the language is both intense and incredible, and it will make you giggle at things you never thought possible.  Considered one of America’s great “moral” wars, this Civil War book pokes fun at everything from racism to royalty. Take your time and get lost in Dennard’s satiric world.  We are so glad we did.  Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode:   How to Dodge a Cannonball by Dennard Dayle Everything Abridged by Dennard Dayle Catch-22 by Joseph Heller The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Moby Dick by Herman Melville Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sophie Elmhirst has done something extraordinary.  In her new book, Marriage at Sea, she rediscovers and adds new mystery to the true story of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, who, on their journey across the world, lost their boat and were forced to live on a life raft for 117 days.  How did they do it?  How did they FEEL about doing it?  Sophie, in her impeccably researched volume, has brought readers a nail-biting thriller while also creating a moving story of Maurice and Maralyn's tenacity, their love for each other, the day to day strategy of their survival.  Join us to find out how Sophie managed to create a new, emotional, and beautiful recounting of their amazing tale.  Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302   Books mentioned on this week's episode: Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst 117 Days Adrift by Maurice and Maralyn Bailey The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a while since we have covered a good mystery on the Book Case, so this week, take a seat by a book that will keep you guessing.  Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall is both a terrific old-fashioned mystery combined with a modern police procedural drama and EVERYONE in the town is a suspect.  Kate read it in 36 hours, Charlie in about 48…we guarantee this will be one you can’t put down.  Join us and find out why. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie  The Black Wolf by Louise Penny The Mystery Series, Volume 1 by Enid Blyton Misery by Stephen King A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the third in our classics analysis series!  To Kill a Mockingbird is one of America’s favorite novels.  Is it worth its weight in the public’s love?  Is Atticus Finch the hero we always thought, and does Go Set a Watchman call the novel’s moralism into question?  We examine these questions with two Harper Lee scholars, Michele Reutter and Jonathan S. Cullick, who wrote Mockingbird Grows Up, a re-examination of Mockingbird through the eyes of Go Set a Watchman.  Join us! Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe  On Harper Lee edited by Alice Hall Petry Atticus Finch: A Biography by Joseph Crispino In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Mockingbird Grows Up by Michele Reutter and Jonathan S. Cullick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have been skimping on including independent booksellers in our show lately (and we are sorry) but here is a whole show worth of bookseller conversations!  Source Books in Detroit Michigan is owned by Janet Webster Jones.  And Print: A Bookstore in Portland ME is owned by Emily Russo.  These are two incredible independent booksellers with two incredible stores.  It’s a master class in bookselling on this week’s Book Case! Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: Beloved by Toni Morrison These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy This is Happiness by Niall Williams Lobster by Guillame Lecasble Sky Daddy by Kate Folk Win by Harlan Coben The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices