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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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