The Book Case

A few weeks ago Kate received an email informing her of a debut author: Diane Oliver. But this debut book stood out because the author had been dead for more than fifty years. Fascinated, we asked for copies...and Diane Oliver's work knocked us out. Her debut collection, Neighbors and Other Stories, is a compendium of her work: insightful, raw, beautiful, intimate, with character's stark and naked humanity jumping off every page. We talk to the writer Tayari Jones, who wrote the book's enthusiastic introduction, as well as Diane's agent, Elise Dillsworth and her publisher, Katie Raissian. How does one release a debut work when the author is long gone? Tune in and find out.Books mentioned in this week's episode: Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver An American Marriage by Tayari Jones Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood The Color Purple by Alice Walker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes we just want to talk to each other. And that’s what happened this week. We spent some time reflecting on lessons we have learned from our authors and we go through our favorite love stories of all time (Valentine’s Day and all). It’s nice to pause every once in a while. We hope you will take a pause with us.Books mentioned in this week's episode: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë This Is Happiness by Niall Williams Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King Trust by Hernan Diaz The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks A Room with a View by E.M. Forster 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever heard of William and Ellen Craft? They were an escaped enslaved husband and wife whose stories read like a blockbuster action movies. Symbols in their time, Ellen (who was the daughter of an enslaved woman and her master) passed as a white man and had her husband William pass as her property. A harrowing journey gave way to their leadership in the fugitive slave movement, even though it cost them dearly. Ilyon Woo shares their incredible story in her book, Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom. A great read and a great conversation about American heroes of whom you might never have heard. This week we also talk to Island books in Middletown Rhode Island. Join us.Books mentioned in this week's episode: Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother's Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times by Ilyon Woo William Wells Brown: An African American Life by Ezra Greenspan All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Alicia Miles Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market by Walter Johnson The Slave's Cause by Manisha Sinha Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kate revisits her favorite genre: horror (but she prefers the moniker of dark fiction), and this one is taped in front of a live audience! Plus: you get three great guests for the price of one, which should be irresistible. In New Hampshire to celebrate the new novel by Chris Golden (do not miss The House of Last Resort!), Kate was given the opportunity sit down with Paul Tremblay, Victor LaValle and Jennifer McMahon. It was really fun, a terrific conversation, and a lot to think about. There is great writing taking place in this genre, and this episode quizzes three of the best. Join us.Books mentioned in this week's episode: The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay No Sleep Till Wonderland by Paul Tremblay Swallowing a Donkey’s Eye by Paul Tremblay Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn't Fly by Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay In the Mean Time by Paul Tremblay Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay The 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 Lone Women by Victor LaValle The Changeling by Victor LaValle Big Machine by Victor LaValle The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle The Ecstatic by Victor LaValle Slapboxing with Jesus by Victor LaValle Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson The Sundial by Shirley Jackson Beloved by Toni Morrison Hamlet by William Shakespeare The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs Skeleton Crew by Stephen King (Contains the short story-“Survivor Type”) The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kaveh Akbar weighs every word that he writes. An accomplished and published poet, any reader can tell that he understands the undeniable power of language with his first novel, called Martyr! Engaging, funny, fascinating and downright beautiful, Martyr! grabs your attention by the lapels and won’t let go. Read the book and listen to our podcast to hear how Kaveh creates his unforgettable work.Books mentioned in this week's episode: Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar Portrait of the Alcoholic by Kaveh Akbar Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar Pilgrim Bell: Poems by Kaveh Akbar Matrix by Lauren Groff Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inci Atrek is a debut novelist to watch. We recommend going out and picking up a copy of her debut, Holiday Country, a novel it would be easy to overlook and underestimate. It’s much deeper than it appears at the surface. An intimate portrait of multi-generational mother-daughter relationships, it’s also a story about growing up. Growing up is never easy, but adding two countries of origin and two female role models not born in the U.S. makes it that much harder. We are back interviewing a bookstore this week with The Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont, whose owner is also a children’s author. Join us.Books mentioned in this week's episode: Holiday Country by Inci Atrek Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty How do you Wokka-Wokka? by Elizabeth Bluemle Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy New Year! The first episode of the year is a truly terrific mystery. Entertaining in the extreme, this is a whodunnit that breaks the mold. Ashley Elston, its author, has written plenty of quality YA titles, but First Lie Wins is her first adult mystery. In this game of cat and mouse, the reader is constantly asking which character is telling the truth….and we never figured it out. A great start to the new year, this book invites you to just relax and enjoy the ride. We sure did. We are taking next week off…but please come back the week after when we talk to author Kaveh Akbar, who has authored the intriguing and funny novel, Martyr!Books mentioned in this week's episode: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston This is Our Story by Ashley Elston Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier The Trackers by Charles Frazier Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow's All the Little Bird-Hearts is a novel that will stay with you long after you close the book. It takes place in the 1980’s, and the narrator and heroine is the autistic mother of a teenage daughter. She worries she is on the verge of losing the only person she has ever really loved, and of being seduced by the magnetic social butterflies that are her new neighbors. Viktoria Barlow has autism as well, and her novel is a beautiful exploration of motherhood, friendship and one character’s experience of autism. Long listed for the Booker Prize, Viktoria’s words are lyrical and haunting. This is a great episode on which to end the year. Happy 2024!!!Books mentioned in this week’s episode: All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow Strong Female Character by Fern Brady Geek Girl by Holly Smale Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale The Secret History by Donna Tartt Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson The Haunting at Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mitch Albom became a household name with his bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie. His new novel, The Little Liar, is an original and fascinating look at the complexities of truth and what motivates us to lie. It takes place during the Holocaust, at the height of which a little boy tells a lie that affects the rest of his life… coloring all that he is and everything he does. We thought this was a fascinating book and we wanted to talk to Mitch about what drove him to write it. We get a little philosophical in this episode, although every issue is worth talking about this holiday season. Happy Holidays to you and yours!Books mentioned in this week's podcast: The Little Liar by Mitch Albom Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom The Five Strangers You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Gilead by Marilynne Robinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you haven’t heard of Patricia Cornwell you’ve never been to a bookstore, or an airport, or a library…heck. She is everywhere and there is a reason for that. Prolific AND talented, she has written 27 mystery novels centered around her medical examiner heroine, Kay Scarpetta, and she shows no sign of stopping. We talk about what it’s like to create and shepherd a character like Scarpetta, and what keeps her going. We then have a brief talk about our favorite books of the year. We hope you will join us.Books mentioned in this week's episode: Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell All That Remains by Patricia Cornwell Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta’s Winter Table by Patricia Cornwell Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell Dust by Patricia Cornwell Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell Chaos by Patricia Cornwell Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell Livid by Patricia Cornwell Unnatural Death by Patricia Cornwell Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell Predator by Patricia Cornwell Spin by Patricia Cornwell Quantum by Patricia Cornwell The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Paved Paradise by Henry Grabar Absolution by Alice McDermott The General and Julia by Jon Clinch Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers Central Park West by James Comey Swamp Story by Dave Barry A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael Schulman The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices