The Book Case GMA
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- Arts
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Are you stuck in a reading rut? The Book Case makes the case for books outside of your usual genre. Wander the aisles of your local bookstore with Kate and Charlie Gibson and meet fascinating characters who will open your appetite to new categories while deepening your hunger for books. This weekly series will journey cover to cover through the literary world, featuring interviews with best-selling authors, tastemakers, and independent bookstore owners. New episodes post every Thursday.
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Tana French On Writing An Irish Western Murder Mystery
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
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Anna Quindlen Explores Life After Death
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
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Sloane Crosley Processes Her Grief With Humor
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
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Diane Oliver's Posthumous Debut
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
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Kate and Charlie Gibson's Favorite Love Stories
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
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Ilyon Woo on the Self-Emancipation of Ellen and William Craft
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
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Customer Reviews
My review
I have listened to each of your podcasts. I eagerly wait each Thursday to listen to the next one. I appreciate all the great interaction you both have with all the great authors. I have really enjoyed discovering new books. I also really like all the book stores. Keep up the good work. You have a loyal listener.
Sharon Olson
Melbourne, FL
So Goes a River
I love these book reviews, and look forward to the new book each week. This podcast has helped me reach past the usual great books I read to include a diversity of styles and genres. Keep up the fabulous work!
A review and request😊
I am really enjoying this podcast and having the opportunity to listen to authors I admire and being introduced to new authors I’m eager to read. I hope that Louise Penny will be a guest soon! Her Armand Gamache series is so well written and her characters have become beloved by her legion of fans. I have learned so much about Quebecs history and have been moved by her lyrical writing. Please invite her to be your guest. She will not disappoint!