Megha Majumdar was on the short list for the National Book Award, and we were rooting hard for her to win. She may not have won THIS year, but her talent and her world building skills had us clamoring for more, so we have no doubt you will see her name on the list again. A Guardian and a Thief is a novel that asks (and not didactically) what you would do, what morals would you compromise, to survive. What would you do to ensure your children survive? We talk to Megha and then discuss a new unique Chicagoland Independent Bookseller holiday tradition with a local organizer. Join us and Happy Thanksgiving.
Find books mentioned on The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned in this week's episode:
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
In Other Rooms, Other by Daniyal Mueenuddin
This is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Sing to It: New Stories by Amy Hempel
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44:50
John Irving Creates a Queen
We DO love talking to John Irving. In our winding, wandering and wonderful conversation we cover it all from his newest, Queen Esther, the art of writing backwards, skiing in Vienna and the eccentricities of bike pump usage. If this description doesn’t entice you to listen, we don’t know what will. John Irving is one of the most masterful writers of our time. Sit down with us for our third conversation with him to find out what motivates his work and makes him tick.
Find books mentioned on The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned on this week's episode:
Queen Esther by John Irving
The Last Chairlift by John Irving
Setting Free the Bears by John Irving
The Water-Method Man by John Irving
The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving
The World According to Garp by John Irving
The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
The Cider House Rules by John Irving
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving
A Son of the Circus by John Irving
The Imaginary Girlfriend by John Irving
A Widow for One Year by John Irving
My Movie Business: A Memoir by John Irving
The Fourth Hand by John Irving
Until I Find You by John Irving
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving
In One Person by John Irving
Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving
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35:08
Catherine Newman and Bittersweet Motherhood
Catherine Newman’s latest, Wreck, is a beautiful meditation on the act of motherhood. Revisiting the family from Sandwich as they enter a new phase of familial life. We all know that successful parents raise kids just to lose them to the world, and that this launch into independence is something we all desperately hope for and deeply dread. Funny, touching and compulsively readable this is a novel about the beauty and pain of family, who have so much to lose when they have so much to love.
Find books mentioned on The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned in this week's episode:
Wreck by Catherine Newman
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
We all Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman
The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
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36:30
R.L. Stine Loves Scaring Kids
It’s Halloween…so who better to follow up our conversations about middle school reading than R.L. Stine? With over 400 titles to his name (the latest being The Last Sleepover In the Goosebumps House of Shiver series) this man has been scaring kids for decades and decades. And oh wow, are his stories worth the price of admission?! Join us as we talk to Bob (what he asked we call him) about what makes him tick, how he sees writing for middle school audiences and why horror keeps him in stiches.
Find books mentioned on The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned on this week's episode:
The Last Sleepover by R.L. Stine
The Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine
Give me a K-I-L-L! by R.L. Stine
Little Shop of Hamsters by R.L. Stine
Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine
Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes by R.L. Stine
Blind Date by R.L. Stine
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
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37:27
Rick Riordan and Katherine Rundell Explore the Middle School Reading Crisis
We knew that reading levels were in fluctuation, but we had no idea there was a Middle School reading crisis. According to the NWEA (The Northwest Evaluation Association which measures academic and student standards) only 30% of 8th graders are reading at grade level or above. Why? How did we get here and how do we get back on track raising great readers who love literature? We are joined by Miah Daughtery,
VP of Academic Advocacy at HMH, NWEA’s parent company, to talk about their policy recommendations. We also talk to Rick Riordan and Katherine Rundell, two of the bestselling MS writers in the world about how to write for Middle Schoolers and why they think this audience needs attention. Join us for this important discussion (which expands on our GMA piece that aired on October 10th).
Find books mentioned on The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned in this week's episode:
The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark OshiroPercy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick RiordanImpossible Creatures by Katherine RundellThe Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell
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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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