The Book Case

Jess Walter has written a book that is funny, compulsively readable, and complex.  In So Far Gone, he reminds us, in a world that sometimes seems to have gone crazy, you escape society at your own peril.  Can you escape the world into isolation or is life only meaningful when you live it for and with others?  We ask the very talented Jess Walter that very question.  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: So Far Gone by Jess Walter Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter The Cold Millions by Jess Walter Citizen Vance by Jess Walter Ruby Ridge by Jess Walter Over Tumbled Graves by Jess Walter The Zero by Jess Walter Land of the Blind by Jess Walter We Live in Water by Jess Walter The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter Walden by Henry David Thoreau Bowling Aline by Robert D. Putnam  Family Sayings by Natalia Ginzburg Stoner by John Edwards Williams James by Percival Everett The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Porter’s newest, The Imagined Life, is a beautiful and atmospheric novel following a man on a search for his father, who disappeared decades ago.  Tangled up in the complications of academia, the issues of exploring sexuality, and the haunting visions of the inappropriate parties his parents threw in his backyard, Stephen struggles to piece together the answers he needs so that he can create the life he wants.  This novel is subtle, complex, and beautifully written.  Join us this week to find out how Andrew created an incredible novel out of the subtleties of family dynamics. 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 Imagined Life by Andrew Porter The Theory of Light and Magic by Andrew Porter The Disappeared by Andrew Porter In Between Days by Andrew Porter The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson Birds of America by Laurie Moore The Best American Short Stories 2024 Edited by Lauren Groff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another installment of our Writer in Residence series, and J. Ryan Stradal is two chapters away from the end!  How did he get here?  What are his goals as he finishes his latest and most personal book? We find out with great excitement.  We also talk to Nefer Book Café owner, Lonna Dawson, who will inspire you to expand your reading horizons.  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: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Sportswriter by Richard Ford The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors by Lama Rod Owens The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patricia Melo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave Barry is one of the funniest writers alive, and he makes it look so easy.  How and why does he do it?  Enter Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass, his first and probably only memoir which is packed full of laugh out loud moments.  It’s also peppered with thoughts on how he got through college, memories of his mother and father, his thoughts on life, people that hate him and where he comes up with his wacky ideas.  We love talking with this man.  Find out why by tuning in. 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: Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass by Dave BarrySwamp Story by Dave BarryBig Trouble by Dave BarryBest State Ever by Dave BarryDave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States by Dave BarryLessons from Lucy by Dave BarryInsane City by Dave BarryDave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys by Dave BarryTricky Business by Dave BarryDave Barry Hits Below the Beltway by Dave BarryDave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down! by Dave BarryYou Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About by Dave BarryGet Shorty by Elmore LeonardBad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Russo is an American treasure. The writer of so many great novels (Empire Falls, Straight Man), we strongly encourage you to read his newest, Life and Art, which is a collection of essays.  We know that so many people say, ESSAYS? Yes, essays, and they are spectacular.  These are not arguments shoved in your face.  These are thoughtful life reflections from one of the great writers of our time, and they should be savored and enjoyed.  If you love Richard Russo, please join us as we talk about why art matters more now then ever, and why he believes he had to write this book. 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: Life and Art by Richard RussoEmpire Falls by Richard RussoStraight Man by Richard RussoThat Old Cape Magic by Richard RussoMohawk by Richard RussoThe Whore’s Child and Other Stories by Richard RussoElsewhere by Richard RussoThe Risk Pool by Richard RussoChances Are… by Richard RussoNobody’s Fool by Richard RussoSomebody’s Fool by Richard RussoEverybody’s Fool by Richard RussoA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensRumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jemimah Wei’s The Original Daughter is the GMA book club pick for May, and we loved it.  In some ways, this book is not just a compelling family drama, but it is also a thoughtful depiction of Singapore, a country often misunderstood by Americans as being simply a home for glamour and high tech discovery.  This novel centers around the lives of everyday Singaporeans, and how one family is torn apart when a new daughter is introduced to the home by way of a grandfather’s polygamy. Why did this book take Jemimah ten years to write and how does this story put a new twist on the clichés of sibling rivalry?  We ask her, so tune in and find out. 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: The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones The Dutch House by Ann Patchett This is What Inequality Looks Like by Youyenn Teo The South by Tash Aw The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We loved talking to David K. Shipler so much that we wanted to squeeze one more show out of our conversation.  We talked so much on our last episode about the role of interpreters in journalism, but we also talked about going from fiction to nonfiction and the importance of good journalism, now more than ever. We hope you enjoy as much as 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:  The Interpreter by David K. Shipler The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler The Rights of the People by David K. Shipler Freedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword by David K. Shipler Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams by David K. Shipler A Country of Strangers: Black and White in America by David K. Shipler Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America by David K. Shipler Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy Without Honor: Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia by Arnold R. Isaacs The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien The Street Without Joy by Bernard B. Fall Shrapnel in the Heart: Letters and Remembrances from the Vietnam Memorial by Laura Palmer When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace by Le Ly Hayslip Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Interpreter is a beautiful book about the end of the war in Vietnam and one interpreter’s story as his country is torn apart and remade over and over throughout his lifetime.  David K. Shipler is arguably one of the greatest journalists of our time.  A veteran reporter who wrote about Russia, Vietnam, and Israel (to name a few), he has a Pulitzer to his name and his non-fiction books are legendary.  I mean, the man ran a foreign desk for the New York Times and taught at Princeton.  So why write a book of fiction?  We don’t know, but we are so glad he did.  Tune in to find out why.  Our bookstore is Charlie’s local, so you don’t want to miss it.Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned on this week's episode:The Interpreter by David K. ShiplerThe Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. ShiplerArab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. ShiplerThe Rights of the People by David K. ShiplerFreedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword by David K. ShiplerRussia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams by David K. ShiplerA Country of Strangers: Black and White in America by David K. ShiplerRights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America by David K. ShiplerDriving Miss Daisy: A Play by Alfred UhryThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldThis is Happiness by Niall WilliamsThe Thursday Murder Club by Richard OsmanThe Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you are a devoted GMA watcher (and you should be), you know that about a month ago we sat down with the great Irish native writing couple of Niall Williams and Christine Breen.  What an amazing twosome they make, and we can’t get enough of talking to them.  So we offer you the extended Niall Williams and Christine Breen interview. It was such fun to discuss why Ireland was vital to their writing careers and how they came into their own ….tune in and have a listen.Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned in this week's episode:This is Happiness by Niall WilliamsTime of the Child by Niall WilliamsFour Letters of Love by Niall WilliamsHistory of the Rain by Niall WilliamsIn Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams and Christine BreenO Come Ye Back to Ireland by Niall Williams and Christine BreenAs it is in Heaven by Niall WilliamsBoy and Man by Niall WilliamsOnly Say the Word by Niall WilliamsHer Name is Rose by Christine BreenGreat Expectations by Charles DickensMerchant of Venice by William ShakespeareNorth by Seamus Heaney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harlan Coben has authored close to 40 books with some seriously good writing.  Hislatest, Nobody’s Fool, takes a detective from an already existing book and TVseries, blows up their story and creates mysteries within mysteries.  Great plot twists, memorable characters and page turning action are all here…how does he turn great books out over and over?  Tune in and find out.   Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned in this week's episode:Nobody’s Fool by Harlan CobenFool Me Once by Harlan CobenDeal Breaker by Harlan CobenDrop Shot by Harlan CobenFade Away by Harlan Coben Back Spin by Harlan CobenOne False Move by Harlan CobenThe Final Detail by Harlan CobenDarkest Fear by Harlan Coben Promise Me by Harlan CobenLong Lost by Harlan CobenLive Wire by Harlan CobenHome by Harlan CobenThink Twice by Harlan CobenCaught by Harlan CobenJust One Look by Harlan Coben I Will Find You by Harlan CobenThe Stranger by Harlan CobenAurora by David KoeppThe Time of the Child by Niall WilliamsThe Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. CainValediction by Robert B. ParkerInfinite Jest by David Foster Wallace  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices