We know we want to talk to an author if we argue long and lustily about a book’s themes. And Like Mother, Like Mother, the newest by Susan Rieger, has so many themes: how we cannot escape our mothers, the concept of whether women can “have it all”, the debate on nature vs. nurture…and so much more. These are characters that will stay with you long after you have finished, and is a great selection for book clubs out there. Take a break from holiday prep and join us for our conversation with Susan Rieger and with Warwick books in La Jolla California. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger The Heirs by Susan Rieger The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger Mosaic of the Mind by Susan Rieger By the Lake by John McGahern This is Happiness by Niall Williams Time of the Child by Niall Williams Netherland by Joseph O’Neill The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Delia Ephron is a courageous woman. Not only did she lose her husband Jerry, she then faced death in the form of leukemia and a very risky bone marrow transplant all while falling in love with her husband Peter. As if all of this weren’t enough, she wrote an amazing memoir about it, Left on Tenth, and THEN she turned it into a major play on Broadway where hundreds of people could react to her story, live. How did she do it and why? We find out on this week’s Book Case. We also talk to the bookstore Francie and French, and tell you where they got that name. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron The Lion is In by Delia Ephron Heartburn by Delia and Nora Ephron Siracusa by Delia Ephron Big City Eyes by Delia Ephron Hanging Up by Delia Ephron Sister Mother Husband Dog Etc. by Delia Ephron The Girl with the Mermaid Hair by Delia Ephron Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron Love Lost and What I Wore: A Play by Delia and Nora Ephron The Time of the Child by Niall Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this, the second part of our interview with Louise Penny we talk to her about the art of writing, how she stays fresh and what her year looks like as she writes and completes a Gamache mystery. We widen our lens on the art of writing with Louise Penny. Stay with us, you won't want to miss it. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny Still Life by Louise Penny A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny The Hangman by Louise Penny A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny Glass Houses by Louise Penny Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny A Better Man by Louise Penny All the Devils Are Here The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton World of Curiosities by Louise Penny The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We read fan comments, and several of you wrote us about Louise Penny.  Charlie has always been a fan (he would want me to say that) but Kate was shamefully new to her work.  But she is now a HUGE fan and has read them all and could not put down The Grey Wolf, Penny’s newest and her 19th Inspector Gamache in the series. Join us for part 1 of a 2 part Book Case podcast with Louise Penny. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny Still Life by Louise Penny A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny The Hangman by Louise Penny A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny Glass Houses by Louise Penny Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny A Better Man by Louise Penny All the Devils Are Here The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton World of Curiosities by Louise Penny The Time of the Child by Niall Williams One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez House of Spirits by Isabel Allende Monogamy by Sue Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Niall Williams releases a book, we positively cheer.  His writing feels like coming home to us.  A home full of warm fires, good stories, kind neighbors, strong community and unspoken love.  All of them and more illuminate his latest: The Time of the Child.  We could not recommend this book more.  Buy it.  And then buy it for everyone on your holiday list who loves to read.  And then sit by your holiday fire with all of those folks who read it and listen to this episode of the Book Case.  You will be so glad you did. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Time of the Child by Niall Williams This is Happiness by Niall Williams  History of Rain by Niall Williams  Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams As it Is in Heaven by Niall Williams O Come Ye Back to Ireland: Our First Year in County Clare by Niall Williams and Christine Breen The Fall of Light by Niall Williams In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams and Christine Breen Boy in the World by Niall Williams John by Niall Williams When Summer’s in the Meadow by Niall Williams and Christine Breen Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We don’t do it often, but we are giving two episodes to one conversation: the Great Ann Patchett talking about the Annotated Bel Canto.  After we wrap our conversation with her we talk to her bookstore, Parnassus and its manager, Cat Bock.  Tune in and find out why we love Ann Patchett so much.   Books mentioned in this week's episode: Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett The Dutch House by Ann Patchett These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Run by Ann Patchett This is the Story of a Marriage by Ann Patchett Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Taft by Ann Patchett Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, The Audiobook Version read by Jeremy Irons The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ann Patchett burst on the scene with Bel Canto twenty three years ago. Bel Canto was not her first novel, but many still consider it to be her best (although she disagrees). This week she releases an Annotated Edition of Bel Canto and in it she rereads and notes her triumphs and mistakes on every page. Seriously. A great novel, a great writer making insightful comments on her own writing (in her own handwriting)…if you love reading, writing or Ann Patchett, this is a HUGE treat. In this episode, the first installment of our conversation with Ann, we talk to her about the inspirations behind Bel Canto, and so much of what she thinks she could do better if she wrote it today. Listen and nerd out with us on the writing experience. Books mentioned in this week’s podcast:  Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett The Dutch House by Ann Patchett These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Run by Ann Patchett This is the Story of a Marriage by Ann Patchett Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Taft by Ann Patchett Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Danzy Senna has written a seriously funny and thought provoking book in Colored Television. It will make you laugh, but also make space for anger, pain and frustration as she skewers race, Hollywood, authentic voice, the publishing industry, the Kardashians, navel gazing, philosophy….you name it, there is satire in this book for everyone. Great writing and a great conversation with the author. We are also joined for our fourth writer in residence conversation with J. Ryan Stradal. He tells us why he is working so hard on the first draft of his new novel. Join us.  Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: Colored Television by Danzy Senna Caucasia by Danzy Senna New People by Danzy Senna You are Free: Stories by Danzy Senna Where did you Sleep Last Night by Danzy Senna David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee Colours of the Mountain by Da Chen The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Beloved by Tony Morrison The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reginald Dwayne Betts is on a mission is to put a curated library in the cell block of every prison in America. A survivor of the system himself, he has obtained a college degree, a law degree from Yale, and a MacArthur Genius grant. Looking to bring hope to America’s most hopeless places, Bates has founded Freedom Reads, an organization that brings free curated library collections to every prison system that agrees to it. His partner in the endeavor, Debbie Leff, also talks to us about what inspired her about this tremendous organization. No one better personifies the power of reading to change a life, so join us for what we believe is an important discussion about the vitality of libraries and the power of books to heal. Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: The Circumference of a Prison by Reginald Dwayne Betts Doggerel by Reginald Dwayne Betts Felon: Poems by Reginald Dwayne Betts Redaction by Reginald Dwayne Betts Bastards of the Reagan Era by Reginald Dwayne Betts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paula Hawkins is a master of the mystery, and her new one, The Blue Hour, has one of the best opens and closes to a mystery we have ever read. An author who knows mood and atmosphere, this book will keep you turning the pages long after you told yourself to go to bed. Our bookstore this week is a revisit with one of our favorites, Beacon Hill Books. Join us! Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Into the Water by Paula Hawkins Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Life After Life by Kate Atkinson The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Osman has one of the most successful literary mystery series of all time: The Thursday Murder Club (just finished filming as a major motion picture too). So why start a new series and why do we love it so much? First, we will read anything this man writes, including his address book, but second, because it’s good, AND funny. We ask Richard what inspired him, why he was crazy enough to start a new series and how. Our bookstore this week is Collected Works in Santa Fe. Join us! Books mentioned in this week's episode: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman The Man who Died Twice by Richard Osman The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman Fade Away by Harlan Coben And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's book case: Emmitt Till’s murder has been a seminal moment in American history ever since it occurred in 1955. Wright Thompson’s new book “The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi” looks at the horror through a whole new prism. Thompson loves his native land of Mississippi but is haunted by the barn where Emmitt Till was murdered. Why is it that we still know so little about one of the ugliest chapters in the history of American race relations? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: The Barn: The Secret History of A Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon and the Things that Last by Wright Thompson The Cost of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business by Wright Thompson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United Kingdom has given us some amazing children’s authors: C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter...and may we add Katherine Rundell. Her newest, Impossible Creatures, is a sensation in Britain, and was declared an instant classic even before its U.S. release. It delivers all the magic promised in the fantastical title. Tune in to our conversation with this fascinating Renaissance literature and Dunne scholar as we talk to her about what’s so addicting about writing for middle schoolers, and where we can find the magical lands she creates. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell The Explorer by Katherine Rundell The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell The Zebra’s Great Escape by Katherine Rundell Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Dunne by Katherine Rundell The Golden Mole: And Other Living Treasure by Katherine Rundell Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You are So Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you aren’t an Elizabeth Strout fan yet, Tell me Everything, her newest novel, is going to wow you. If you are already devoted fans, like we are, then you are in for a real treat. In Tell Me Everything, she brings together two beloved characters: Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge. The results are truly magical. Our bookstore this week is Snowbound Books in Marquette, Michigan. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a special episode dedicated the art of spoken word poetry. One of our listeners wrote to us mentioning the name of Rudy Francisco and from there we fell down the rabbit hole of spoken word and slam poetry. We talk to Rudy and two other greats of the art, Bianca Phipps and Neil Hilborn. They are going to perform one work each and we will round it out with a conversation with Sam Van Cook. Sam is a founder of Button Poetry that represents and publishes so many of these great artists. Trust us, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Helium by Rudy Francisco Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky by Rudy Francisco Crown Noble by Bianca Phipps The Future by Neil Hilborn About Time by Neil Hilborn Mill, Railways and General Castings by Sam Van Cook Watch their poems online: Hide and Seek by Rudy Francisco Almosts by Bianca Phipps OCD by Neil Hilborn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is one of the most important scientists of our time. Her book, The Worlds I See, chronicles her pioneering efforts in Artificial Intelligence. Does AI scare you? Us too. But read this book and listen to this episode. The book is not just the compelling story of Dr. Li herself, who immigrated as a girl speaking no English but who understands physics like Michael Jordan plays basketball. She is now a worldwide authority on AI and its development. Second, if you are scared of AI, this book explains it and the issues surrounding it both with beauty and with hope. She believes AI is the next step in our evolution, but that it MUST be rooted in humanity. What does that mean? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Dr. Fei-Fei Li Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever heard the rumor that Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays? So had we, but By Any Other Name, the new novel by Jodi Picoult, may make the best case for it we have ever read. This novel puts forth a theory that Emilia Bassano wrote at least some of them, and she is an unforgettable character. This book succeeds on so many levels — a polemic, a great piece of feminist AND historical fiction, AND it’s a page turner. This is the book Jodi says she was born to write…and we think it’s her best to date. Books mentioned in this week's episode: By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult Mermaid by Jodi Picoult Second Glance by Jodi Picoult Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult The Pact by Jodi Picoult The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult House Rules by Jodi Picoult Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan Where There’s Smoke by Jodi Picoult Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Love it or hate it, the genre of “reality tv” has now shaped American history. That means no matter how you feel about it, you cannot ignore it. Enter Cue the Sun!, the most comprehensive, thoughtful and well written book about the history and development of the genre we have come across. We talk to the book’s author, Emily Nussbaum about how the genre has come to take up so much space in American pop culture and what that means for our country as a whole. We also talk to Ferguson Books' owner Dane Ferguson about how his shop serves rural communities in the upper midwest. You don’t want to miss it. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution by Emily Nussbaum Black Bear Lake by Leslie Liautaud Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman Alter Ego by Brian Freeman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we talk about a book that seems tailor-made to our show, given our conversations with independent booksellers. The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore is a book that, if you are a book lovers like we are, will give you the same warm, smiling feeling you get when you walk into your favorite bookstore. And we talk to Toby Cox, the owner of Three Lives & Company, one of Evan’s favorites. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City by Evan Friss The Cycling City: Bicycles and Urban America in the 1890s by Evan Friss All Fours by Miranda July The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports by Tim Noakes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you say the name Whoopi Goldberg it’s hard not to smile. The name is filled with heart, laughter, and a joyous sense of fun, just like the woman herself. Born Caryn Johnson, her memoir Bits and Pieces is a love letter to her mother and brother, the two people who molded her into the hilarious, honest and morally centered person she is today. She has also written a graphic novel about menopause (sure, why not?) called The Change, which is a declaration that women of a certain age (and color) can don a cape and fight bad guys with hot flashes, if they so choose. Join us for a laugh and some terrific storytelling. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg The Change: A Graphic Novel by Whoopi Goldberg, Jaime Paglia and Sunkanmi Akinboye Is It Just Me?: Or Is It Nuts Out There? By Whoopi Goldberg If Someone Says "You Complete Me,” RUN!: Whoopi’s Big Book of Relationships by Whoopi Goldberg Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie The Godfather by Mario Puzo The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Shattuck is a renaissance man of sorts, which might be why we dedicated the whole episode to him. He wrote The History of Sound, a thought provoking and beautiful collection of short stories that spans the Eastern Seaboard as well as eons of time. Then there's his general store, which, on top of being the oldest general store in the country also boasts an independent bookstore curated by, you guessed it, Ben Shattuck. Join us. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: The History of Sound: Stories by Ben Shattuck Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry This Is Happiness by Niall Williams Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every so often, a new author tackles the work of expanding a classic novel to expand its reach. Even more rarely, they succeed beautifully. This week’s book, Adventures of Mary Jane is just such a rare gem. Mary Jane's author, Hope Jahren, is a scientist (a geochemist, no less) who decided to write the story of Mary Jane, a character that haunted her from the pages of Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn her entire life. It is both a magical adventure story and an authentic and well written coming of age drama. This week’s bookstore is Where the Sidewalk Ends, which is also run by two generations in tandem. We talk to them about how they do it…and we commiserate on working with daughters and parents. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren Lab Girl by Hope Jahren The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Les Misérables by Victor Hugo Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens A Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals that Helped him Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Constantine Croke The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia by Juliet Grames-RELEASES 7/23/2024 More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova-RELEASES 1/14/2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our third check in with J. Ryan Stradal, author extraordinaire and our writer in residence. He has begun to write in earnest, and has lots to tell us about his progress. We are loving these conversations with J., and every time we learn something new. For our bookstore we talk to Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul, J. Ryan's homeland. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn For The Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food: Interviews, Inspiration, and Recipes by Klancy Miller The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Magician’s Hat by Malcolm MitchellThis week we talk to Rachel Khong. Her new novel, Real Americans, asks probing questions about the reality of America’s “melting pot” mythology, and is also being a mysterious and compulsively readable family saga. We also talk to Judy Newman, Chief Impact Officer at Scholastic, in our continuing discussions on the importance of getting children to read. We hope you will join us. Books mentioned in this week's podcast Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong Real Americans by Rachel Khong Perfecto Pet Show by Judy Newman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you like a good spy novel? Do you love le Carré and Graham Greene? Then we hope, with great sincerity, that you are reading the work of Joseph Kanon. His latest, Shanghai, centers around the city’s lesser known freewheeling WWII history and some of the lawless people who escaped the war to be there. Tune in to find out why he is fascinated by spy novels, and what he calls “spy adjacent novels”, that capture such rich moments in history. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Shanghai by Joseph Kanon The Good German by Joseph Kanon Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon Defectors by Joseph Kanon Alibi by Joseph Kanon The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Barry Winter Work by Dan Fesperman The Cover Wife by Dan Fesperman Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman The Letter Writer by Dan Fesperman Unmanned by Dan Fesperman The Double Game by Dan Fesperman Layover in Dubai by Dan Fesperman The Arms Maker of Berlin by Dan Fesperman The Prisoner of Guantanamo by Dan Fesperman The Warlord's Son by Dan Fesperman The Small Boat of Great Sorrows by Dan Fesperman Lie in the Dark by Dan Fesperman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman is full of great characters, evocative nostalgic imagery and a love for Cape Cod that we share with her. It is full of thoughts on what it means to be a woman, why we keep secrets from our family, and what it is we love about the yearly vacation traditions we cherish if we were lucky enough to have them in our lives. For our bookstore this week, Bookshop West Portal, who for independent bookstore day brought in llamas. Because....well, tune in. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Sandwich by Catherine Newman We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman Waiting for Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Neurotic Angst, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family by Catherine Newman The Worst Noel: Hellish Holiday Tales by Catherine Newman Catastrophic Happiness: Finding Joy in Childhood's Messy Years by Catherine Newman The Beans of Egypt, Maine, by Carolyn Chute Writers & Lovers by Lily King Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Long Island by Colm Toibin Brooklyn by Colm Toibin The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt Shopkeeping: Stories, Advice, and Observations by Peter Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Want a great summer read? We have it. A Better Place by Sarah Langan is a page turning mystery/thriller….like if The Stepford Wives met Shirley Jackson in The Lottery. The story is original, the characters are well written, and the mysteries presented will baffle you as they unfold. It’s a terrific ride. We also talk also talk to John Mendelson, president of Nosy Crow Books, an independent publishing house for kids, who took the entire bike trail laid out by our Massachusetts guests from last week at Whitelam Books. Why did he do it, and how? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Better World by Sarah Langan Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan Audrey’s Door by Sarah Langan The Keeper by Sarah Langan The Missing by Sarah Langan The Lottery by Shirley Jackson The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin My Antonia by Willa Cather House of Leaves by Mark. Z. Danielewski The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins A Horse Called Now by Ruth Doyle and Alexandra Finkeldey Dig, Dig, Dinosaur by Anjali Goswami and Maggie Li Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, a dark and funny tale of sheep farming in Rural England that reads like an American Western by Cormac McCarthy. Sound a little strange? Well, it is. But it is also compelling, suspenseful, complex and packed with great characters. Scott Preston is a debut novelist, and this book, The Borrowed Hills, may defy a two sentence description but it’s worth the read. For our bookstore this week we talk to Whitelam books in Reading, Massachusetts, who tell us about what they did to bring in folks on Indpendent Bookstore Day. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren Shane by Jack Schaefer Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey True Grit by Charles Portis Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Independent People by Halldór Laxness Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we have a book that helped us to lift the curtain on the inner workings of the book business. The Editor by Sara B. Franklin tells us the story of Judith Jones, the game changing editor who changed the publishing business at a time where women weren't in the publishing business. Judith helped shape literature and change publishing, and so we pair her with one of our current favorite editors who has just announced her retirement, Beverly Horowitz. Beverly has been in the business for 50 years and has worked with everyone from Judy Blume to E. Lockhart. Join us for a wonderful insiders look at the business that sustains our minds and hearts. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Editor by Sara B. Franklin Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original by Sara B. Franklin The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains by Sara B. Franklin The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones Rabbit, Run by John Updike Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler The Living Mountain: A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland (Canons) by Nan Shepherd We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We love the summer because it means trips the bookstore! We have some of our favorite bookstores recommending their favorite summer titles. If you are in need of a laugh, a thrill or just a great story to read on the beach, this is an episode of The Book Case you don't want to miss. Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Short Walk Through the Woods by Douglas Westerbeke Real Americans by Rachel Khong Same as it Ever Was by Claire Lombardo James by Percival Everett The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl The Summer Book by Tove Jansson A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams Lo Fi by Liz Riggs Central Park West by James Comey Westport by James Comey Table for Two by Amor Towles Swamp Story by Dave Barry The Backyard Book Chronicles by Amy Tan The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Fei-Fei Li Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson Different Seasons by Stephen King The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is a double whammy of extreme talent. First, we have George Stephanopoulos, giving us history through the perspective of one of the most mysterious and powerful rooms in the White House: The Situation Room. It's the title of his new book...and it's an illuminating read. Second, the great J. Ryan Stradal and our second installment of the Writer in Residence series. He says he is doing a lot of writing these days...and he knows most of it won't make it in the book. You don't want to miss this week's Book Case. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos All Too Human: A Political Education by George Stephanopoulos Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Think Twice by Harlan Coben I Will Find You by Harlan Coben Table for Two by Amor Towles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's always a pleasure for us to talk to a debut author and we have a good one this week in Heidi Reimer. Her novel, The Mother Act, is the story of mothers and daughters and the heap of complexities that come in those relationships. How do we know we are going to be a good mom? Once we have a child are we ALWAYS a mother first? This book asks these questions and challenges the reader to question the concepts of motherhood, empathy and family. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: The Mother Act by Heidi Reimer Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Dear Life by Alice Munro Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives by Lori Leibovich Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott Middlemarch by George Eliot The Giver by Lois Lowry Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you haven’t heard of Erik Larson, you don’t read enough non-fiction. A giant in the industry and an immense talent, Erik is turning his attention to the beginnings of the Civil War in his latest, The Demon of Unrest. It’s the nail biting account of how we ended up turning guns against one another, North to South, with a specific focus on the stand off at Fort Sumter. Told through the eyes of rich characters through their unique perspectives, Larson brings new learning to an oft discussed topic…how the Union tore itself apart over slavery. You won’t want to miss this one. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson Lethal Passage by Erik Larson Thunderstruck by Erik Larson The Naked Consumer: How Our Private Lives Become Public Commodities by Erik Larson Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson No One Goes Alone: A Novel by Erik Larson The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson Mary Chesnut's Diary by Mary Boykin Chestnut The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We try not to do books about politics — political discourse in this country is, currently, divisive in the extreme. However, Carlos Lozada, in his new book, The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians, gives us a survey of Washington literature that will surprise, delight and inform you. From Tocqueville to Trump, from The Muller Report to DeSantis’ plea for the presidency, Carlos has read it all, and written about almost everything he has read. This book is a compendium of his best columns about books…why does Carlos think presidents insist on writing their own biographies? Why is George H.W. Bush one of the only presidents without a presidential autobiography? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians by Carlos Lozada What We Were Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era by Carlos Lozada Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood by Jimmy Carter Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham Heartburn by Nora Ephron Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong writer who has written her family and country’s history through deeply personal prisms. She told the story of her family’s beginnings via her grandmother’s story in The Latehomecomer, shared the life of her father in The Song Poet and now writes her mother’s journey in Where Rivers Part. Told in the first person, Where Rivers Part is the beautiful and compelling story of Tswb, who fled Laos to Thailand, eventually fighting her way to Minnesota to give a better future to her children. It is an epic tale of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, struggle and triumph. Our bookstore this week is a 22-year-old dynamo who has already taken Mendham, NJ by storm…watch out world, it’s Chapter One Books. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Where Rivers Part by Kao Kalia Yang The Song Poet by Kao Kalia Yang Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang The Shared Room by Kao Kalia Yang From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang Yang Warriors by Kao Kalia Yng The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich The Round House by Louise Erdrich The BFG by Roald Dahl Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tommy Orange has written a second novel. Although technically a sequel, you can easily read Wandering Stars without having experienced There There. But you should read at least one. Or both. Oh to heck with it, we love Tommy Orange and we will read anything he writes. He is incredibly talented. And we pair him with Birchbark Books & Native Arts, a bookstore that is a beloved Twin Cities landmark, while also serving the national and international Indigenous community. Tune in to find out how. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: There There by Tommy Orange Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone James by Percival Everett Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich The Round House by Louise Erdrich The Sentence by Louise Erdrich Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich The Iliad translated by Emily Wilson The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy Native Love Jams by Tashia Hart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amor Towles is publishing a short story collection (with a novella included) called Table for Two, and we waited with bated breath as it arrived in our mailboxes. Can he bring the same artistry in short form that he does to his novels? Is he equally talented in novella, short story and novel? Short answers are yes, yes and yes. This rich collection of stories are varied, thought provoking, funny and beautiful. Join us to find out how and why he does what he does. Book mentioned in this week's episode. Table for Two by Amor Towles A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles Rules of Civility by Amor Towles Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Disaster Loves You is the newest by Richard Roper, which we would probably best describe as a quirky British romcom, sort of... a little. But it’s also hilarious and there is both depth and humanity to it that will surprise you. We both read it in about 48 hours, and you probably will too. Read it, and then listen to this conversation; you’ll understand why we’re so charmed. Our bookstore this week is Roebling Books which has a few locations in Kentucky. Owner, Richard Hunt has some terrific recommendations you won’t want to miss. Books mentioned in this week's episode: This Disaster Loves You by Richard Roper When We Were Young by Richard Roper Something to Live for by Richard Roper Us by David Nicholls High Fidelity by Nick Hornby The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Trust by Hernan Diaz Beach Music by Pat Conroy The Land of the Laughs by Jonathan Carroll Clay’s Quilt by Silas House The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE WRITER IN RESIDENCE SHOW! We kick off our new series, Writer in Residence, with our resident writer, J. Ryan Stradal. A great writer, a national bestseller, and a friend of Kate’s for almost thirty years, J. Ryan is going to give The Book Case a front row seat from page one to publication. Join us as he walks us through what he does to get started, and his thoughts on how the book might proceed. What does he do to get past self doubt to be the best writer he can be? He joins us once a month for about fifteen minutes to talk us through every phase. This, our first episode, he gets the whole episode. Enjoy! Books mentioned in this week's episode: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King Working by Robert A. Caro The World According to Garp by John Irving Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro Adventures in Screen Trade by William Goldman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you are a mystery fan who hasn’t read Tana French, then you have missed one of the great modern mystery writers of our time. American by birth and Irish by residence, her Irish set mysteries will both haunt you and keep you guessing. Her newest, The Hunter, is one of her best, a rousing combination of a murder mystery and heist suspense. She tells us what motivates her and how she does what she does time and time again. Our bookstore is The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Books mentioned in this week's episode: In the Woods by Tana French The Likeness by Tana French Faithful Place by Tana French The Searcher by Tana French The Secret Place by Tana French Broken Harbor by Tana French The Witch Elm by Tana French The Trespasser by Tana French The Hunter by Tana French The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith Life After Life by Kate Atkinson The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We believe that Anna Quindlen should be declared a national treasure. Her new novel, After Annie, is an intimate look at a family recovering from the loss of their matriarch. Taken too young, she dies suddenly of an aneurism while making dinner. It’s funny, sad, and, like all of Anna’s work, universal in its themes and depictions of family life. We pair her this week with the Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California. Join us for some great conversations. Books mentioned in this week's episode: After Annie by Anna Quindlen Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen Every Last One by Anna Quindlen Blessings by Anna Quindlen Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen One True Thing by Anna Quindlen Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace Ablaze by Christopher Krovatin The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s never a great idea to pigeonhole a talented writer, but you could probably call Sloane Crosley a humorist... most of the time. Her newest, Grief Is for People, is a funny, raw, introspective, and beautiful look at grief from every angle. Rocked by the suicide of her best friend, Crosley dives into her pain and loss in this slim, but effecting book that will make you laugh out loud while you reach for your tissue box. (Yes, a cliche. But, here, a true one.) We also speak with McLean and Eakin books in Petoskey Michigan, run by a husband and wife team who fell in love in the shop they now own. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley The Clasp by Sloane Crosley The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Truth and Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett The Long Goodbye: A Memoir by Meghan O'Rourke Taking a Long Look: Essays on Culture, Literature and Feminism in Our Time by Vivian Gornick The Painter by Peter Heller The Last Ranger by Peter Heller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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