The Book Case

Historical fiction is the genre this week, and it centers around a lesser WWII phenomenon. During the Blitz, many British families sent their children abroad to live with families in Canada or the United States to keep them safe until the war was over. Beyond That, the Sea by debut novelist Laura Spence-Ash, beautifully weaves the tale of one of these children. Sent abroad by parents torn apart by their decision, Bea lives with an affluent family with whom she falls in love. She spends the rest of her life reckoning with that love how it shapes her sense of self. Our bookstore this week is a Las Vegas Gem (yes, we said Vegas) called The Writer’s Block. We hope you will join us. The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News.Books mentioned in the podcast:Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-AshThe Waves by Virginia WoolfFools of Fortune by William TrevorJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Magician by Colm TóibínBrooklyn by Colm TóibínA Guest at the Feast by Colm TóibínThe Guest by Emma Cline Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The History of a Difficult Child is a beautiful and sprawling family story set in Ethiopia during the Socialist Revolution. It is narrated by a young girl born into a family fighting against the system for their Christian beliefs, while being systematically relieved of their wealth and livelihood due to the oppressive incoming regime. It’s riveting, ambitious, and utterly compelling. And you know what else? It’s funny. Really funny! Take a journey with debut novelist Mihret Sibhat into The History of a Difficult Child, you will be so glad you did.Books mentioned in this podcast:The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret SibhatThe White Tiger by Aravind AdigaThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DíazGo as a River by Shelley ReadFamily Lexicon by Natalia GinzburgFamily Sayings by Natalia GinzburgAll our Yesterdays by Natalia GinzburgA Small Place by Jamaica KincaidMy Garden (Book) by Jamaica Kincaid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Second Horror Thursday on The Book Case! Kicking off our month, we speak to the incredible Josh Malerman. How does one write a best selling horror novel while riding shotgun in a band van blasting Jerry Garcia from its speakers? And how did Josh decide to revisit his most famous work after living through the real life horror of Covid? The second of five deep dives into the horror genre, we invite you to take a step out of your comfort zone, explore what scares us, and learn how writers like Josh keep us up at night.Books mentioned in the podcast:Bird Box by Josh MalermanInspection by Josh MalermanMalorie by Josh MalermanDaphne by Josh MalermanPearl by Josh MalermanUnbury Carol by Josh MalermanA House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh MalermanBlack Mad Wheel by Josh MalermanGoblin: A Novel in Six Novellas by Josh MalermanFoe by Iain ReeidThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Shining by Stephen KingThe Sound and the Fury by William FaulknerMrs. Dalloway by Virginia WoolfTo the Lighthouse by Virginia WoolfAnimal Farm by George Orwell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are times where Shelley Read’s Go as a River reads less like a novel and more of a philosophical teaching. Grounded in Buddhist philosophy, this is a beautiful story of love, nature, family and changing times. A lyrical journey of epoch proportions this book has a doomed love affair, a flooded town, an illegitimate child, a heartbreaking abandonment….and Shelley Read writes it all beautifully. As first time novelist, Read has created a journey that you will enjoy every mile of. For a bookstore this week we talk to Appletree Books in Cleveland OH.Books mentioned in the podcast: Go as a River by Shelley Read The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh No Self, No Problem by Anam Thubten The Magic of Awareness by Anam Thubten Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard An American Childhood by Annie Dillard Gilead by Marilynne Robinson Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family Time and Place by Terry Tempest Williams When Women Were Birds: 54 Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams Homecoming by Kate Morton Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Henry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you have never heard of Stéphane Breitwieser don’t feel bad, we hadn’t either. Turns out he is one of the most successful art thieves of all time. In his hey day, he could steal more than once a day (museums, cathedrals, chateaus…you name it); billions of dollars worth of art. That’s right, billions. Thank goodness for the writer Michael Finkel who brings us a page turning book that tells the story of the most incredible art thief you’ve never heard of. The book is called, appropriately, The Art Thief. And this book certainly proves that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. We are back with a book store this week, Head House Books.Books mentioned in this podcast: The Art Thief by Michael Finkel True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel The Journalist and Murderer by Janet Malcolm Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann The 12 Live of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Outline by Rachel Cusk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We wanted to affectionately title this episode, Kate and Charlie are really smart and have great taste, but ABC thought that would be a little obnoxious. Maybe it is, but we are and we do. To prove it, this week we have recut Barbara Kingsolver and Hernan Diaz into one episode. Their novels Demon Copperhead and Trust (respectively) are sharing the Pulitzer this year, and deservedly so. We knew these two novels were something special, and so are their authors. We are very happy that these two talented authors share the prize. Their novels are breathtaking-one about extreme wealth, the other about extreme poverty. 2022 was a banner year for fiction, and these two novelists wrote two of the best. Enjoy!Books mentioned in this podcast: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver King Lear by William Shakespeare A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Bleak House by Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Trust by Hernan Diaz The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton Middlemarch by George Eliot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave Eggers is a writer who does not want to be put in a box. His writing often defies easy cataloging or genre classification and he doesn’t like to be specific about who his readers should be. His latest, THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE could be loosely described as an animal fable, but it isn’t exactly that. And it could be described as a book that is good for younger readers, but it isn’t exactly that either. Here is what we ARE certain of: It’s wonderful, funny, engaging, original and full of joy! Eggers’ words, his writing and his characters will stay with you long after you close the book. We also talk to his illustrator for EYES, the very talented and prolific Shawn Harris, whose inspirations and technique might surprise you.The Eyes and The Impossible by Dave EggersA Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave EggersHer Right Foot by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn HarrisWhat Can a Citizen Do? By Dave Eggers, Illustrated by Shawn HarrisThe Every by Dave EggersThe Circle by Dave EggersZeitoun by Dave EggersThe Parade by Dave EggersThe Monk of Mokha by Dave EggersHeroes of the Frontier by Dave EggersThe Wild Things by Dave EggersYou Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave EggersA Hologram for the King by Dave EggersLeaves of Grass by Walt WhitmanSpeaking with the Angel edited by Nick HornbyCorduroy by Don FreemanBlueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskeyThe Invisible Man by Ralph EllisonOld Heart by Peter FerryThe Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix PotterBusy, Busy Town by Richard ScarryI am a Bunny by Ole RisomDune by Frank HerbertChristine by Stephen KingHave You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn HarrisA Polar Bear in the Snow by Shawn Harris Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices