The Book Case

Latest Episodes:

Ashley Elston On How To Write A Whodunnit Heist Novel Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

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

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Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow Explores Mother-Daughter Dynamics Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

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

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Mitch Albom Wrote a Tale of Lies and Truth Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

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

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Patricia Cornwell Dives into the Mysterious World of Kay Scarpetta Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

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

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How to Inspire Your Kids to Love Reading Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

When we first began the podcast, our main goal was to inspire more folks to read. But we also talked about how we might offer content to help parents inspire their kids become life long readers. It isn’t easy, and there is no magic bullet, but we have some of the best of the best to tell us how to do it and why it’s so important. Emma Lee is the Associate Director of the Fred Rogers Institute at St Vincent College, Kate DiCamillo is a beloved children’s author, and Holly Weinkauf is the owner of the Red Balloon Children’s Bookshop in St. Paul. We spoke with them for a piece we did for Good Morning America that aired at the end of November. But we loved these conversations so much we wanted to bring them to our podcast audience, extended. There is some great advice here, and it’s worth hearing what these remarkable women have to say.

Books mentioned in this week's episode:

Mercy Watson is Missing by Kate DiCamillo
The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo
Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo
The Mercy Watson Series by Kate DiCamillo

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Jon Clinch Explores the Final Days of Ulysses S. Grant Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

The General and Julia is a wonderful novel, delving deeply into the final days of Ulysses S. Grant. Not many know this, but at the end of his life, Grant was financially destitute and in a race to write his memoirs before his death. He knew that if he wrote his memoirs and did it well, it would leave his family financially stable. His love for his wife and children knew no bounds, and his race was born of love. Like Grant Jon Clinch is a wonderful writer, and if you like this, and you will, check out Finn and Marley too (both amazing - both Clinch historical novels). For our bookstore this week, we talk to an old friend who has taken two independent bookstore road trips. What’s an independent bookstore road trip? Tune in and find out.

Books mentioned in this week’s episode:

The General and Julia by Jon Clinch
Marley by Jon Clinch
Finn by Jon Clinch
The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch
Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch
Grant by Ron Chernow
Personal Memoirs of US Grant by Ulysses S. Grant edited by John F. Marszalek
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Trackers by Charles Frazier
Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Absalom, Absalom! By William Faulkner
Grendel by John Gardner
Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott
How to Protect Bookstores and Why: The Present and Future of Bookselling by Danny Cain
The World Below the Brine by Walt Whitman

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Lawrence Wright Takes On Texas Politics Nov 23, 2023

Show notes

Lawrence Wright’s newest novel, Mr. Texas, revolves around Texas politics and how they relate to our national political conversation, and he knows from where he speaks. Not only is he a native Texan, but he has also written one of the definitive NON fiction books about Texas, (God Save Texas). Both books are insightful, prescient, and, this might surprise you, very funny. Mr. Texas is about modern politics, the price of selling your soul, the importance of Texas politics, how to talk to each other, and whether or not one person can make a difference in this world. Our bookstore this week is Werner Books and Coffee in Erie PA.

Books mentioned in this week's episode:

Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright
The End of October by Lawrence Wright
The Plague Year: America in the Time of Covid by Lawrence Wright
Thirteen Days in September: The Dramatic Story of the Struggle for Peace by Lawrence Wright
The Terror Years: From Al Qaeda to the Islamic State by Lawrence Wright
Sheets by Brenna Thummler
Lights by Brenna Thummler
Delicates by Brenna Thummler

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Jennifer Vanderbes Chronicles the Dark History of Thalidomide Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

You might know the historical fiction of Jennifer Vanderbes, but just wait until you read Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims. Think thalidomide didn’t affect mothers and children in this country? Think again. Wonder Drug is the hidden American story of thalidomide: yes, it did get to pregnant women and yes there were children born effected by phocomelia in this country. Although the system denied their existence for decades, this beautifully researched book tells their story, as well as the deeply disturbing truth about how this drug was distributed behind the backs of the FDA. Join us.

Book mentioned in this week's episode:

Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims by Jennifer Vanderbes
Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes
The Secret of Raven Point by Jennifer Vanderbes
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
These are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner
Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen
Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

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Diana Walsh Shares Her Manual on Leadership Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Being the president of anything takes vision, ambition, and leadership. Being the president of a leading academic institution takes courage (and a whole lot of smarts). Leading Wellesley College for almost 20 years while it ushered in the new millennium took Dr. Diana Chapman Walsh. In her new memoir, The Claims of Life, she gives you a front row seat to the front office of Wellesley and walks you how she got there. Diana is also one of our nearest and dearest friends….and we loved talking to her. Our bookstore this week is Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, Vermont.

Books mentioned in this week's episode:

The Claims of Life by Diana Chapman Walsh
A Synthesizing Mind: A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory by Howard Gardner
Death at an Early Age by Jonathan Kozol
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Save me a Seat!: A Life with Movies by Rick Winston

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Alice McDermott on the Women Behind the Vietnam War Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Alice McDermott has written one of THE great novels of 2023. Absolution is so many things…a portrait of diplomatic wives carving out lives for themselves in Saigon before the start of the war, a moralistic novel about the dangers of colonialism and good intentions, the story of the complex relationships women have with motherhood, and with each other. Why did she write it? And what has convinced so many that it's going to be a Pulitzer finalist this year? Tune in and find out. Our bookstore this week comes from one of our beloved listeners-The Lost Bookshop in Delhi, NY. Join us, and keep sending in suggestions!

Books mentioned in this week's episode: