The Book Case

Latest Episodes:

Evan Friss Traces the History of American Bookstores Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

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

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Whoopi Goldberg Hails Her First Loves Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

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

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Ben Shattuck's Short Stories Span Time and History Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

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

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Hope Jahren Expands on Mark Twain Jul 18, 2024

Show notes

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

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J. Ryan Stradal Tackles His Next Novel Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

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

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Rachel Khong Asks, 'Who Is A Real American?' Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

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

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Joseph Kanon Conjures WWII Shanghai Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

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

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Catherine Newman Brings Us to Cape Cod Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

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

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Sarah Langan Crafts a Dystopian Mystery Thriller Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

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

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Scott Preston Writes a UK Western Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

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

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