The Book Case

Andrew Ridker, author of the novel Hope, joins the podcast to discuss his depiction of a Jewish suburban family living near Boston. The book explores the struggles and pulls of family, with a touch of humor. The hosts also mention the captivating cover of the book and recommend RJ Julia Booksellers as the perfect bookstore to pair with Ridker's novel.

We have three horror shows left. But we are not sure Jennifer McMahon fits within the genre so neatly. If you are dipping your toe into the genre...start with the Children on the Hill, her latest. It's suspenseful, compelling, chilling and the ghoulish gore is at a bare minimum. We talk to her about why she keeps coming back to what scares her. We then talk to horror academic (yes, you heard us) Michael Arnzen, an accomplished writer in his own right. Books mentioned in this week's podcast: Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon The Invited by Jennifer McMahon Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Road by Cormac McCarthy Geek Love by Katherine Dunn Beloved by Toni Morrison Amityville Horror by Jay Anson Jaws by Peter Benchley Grave Markings by Michael A. Arnzen Play Dead by Michael A. Arnzen Dying (With No Apologies to Martha Stewart) by Michael A. Arnzen Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We talked to the renowned bilingual author Esmeralda Santiago a few months about her incredible trilogy of memoirs. So when she sent us her new novel, Las Madres, we couldn’t wait. Turns out she is just as good of a fiction writer as she is a memoirist. This is a searing, funny and fascinating portrait of mothers and daughters, the connection Puerto Ricans feel to their island, whether we are made up of more than our memories….and so much more. It sounds like a lot, but she does it all and she does it all well. We also talk to Lynne Phillips of Wordsworth Books, one of the plaintiffs in the case against Arkansas Act 372. She will give us her recommendations and talk about why her fight is so important.Books mentioned in this week's podcast: Las Madres by Esmeralda Santiago Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago America’s Dream by Esmeralda Santiago When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago The Turkish Lover by Esmeralda Santiago Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck The Firm by John Grisham The Art Thief by Michael Finkel The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann Tom Lake by Ann Patchett A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PATCHETT PUBLISHES!! That should be big news in the literary world. Ann Patchett has a new book out as of August 1st.  Tom Lake is the title - a novel influenced by COVID as three daughters come home to be with their mother during the pandemic. What do they want to talk about? Her past. And she has a past - having had a romance with a man who went on to become a famous actor. How much do you tell your kids? “I want them to think I was better than I was, and I want to tell them the truth…those two desires do not neatly co-exist.” Ann Patchett is a wonderful writer - one of America’s best! She’s also a wonderful and amusing talker! And she owns an independent bookstore - Parnassus Books in Nashville. That makes her a perfect guest, we think, for The Book Case.Books mentioned in the podcast:Tom Lake by Ann PatchettThe Magician’s Assistant by Ann PatchettThe Dutch House by Ann PatchettCommonwealth by Ann PatchettThese Precious Days by Ann PatchettBel Canto by Ann PatchettState of Wonder by Ann PatchettRun by Ann PatchettTruth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann PatchettThis Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann PatchettThe Patron Saint of Liars by Ann PatchettThe Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life by Ann PatchettOur Town by Thornton WilderAbsolution by Alice McDermottDo Tell by Lindsay Lynch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we take you back in time to a book that is so good it’s ageless. Charlie interviewed author Markus Zusak about his phenomenal novel The Book Thief many, many years ago, and it has been a discovery and an interview that has stayed with him ever since. This week, we interview Markus about the phenomenon of his book and ask him how he came to write such a remarkable modern classic. If you haven’t read The Book Thief, run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore! If you already love it then you are in for a treat as we take a deep dive into the making of one of the great books of our time.Books mentioned in the podcast:The Book Thief by Markus ZusakBridge of Clay by Markus ZusakThe Messenger by Markus ZusakFighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus ZusakUnderdogs by Markus ZusakWhen Dogs Cry by Markus ZusakA River Runs Through It by Norman MacleanThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John BoyneCloudstreet by Tim WintonBreath by Tim Winton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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