- 40 minutes 9 secondsYiyun Li and the Music of Writing
When we visited with Ann Patchett a few months ago, she talked almost non stop about Yiyun Li’s newest, MUSIC AGAINST THE NIGHT, which she called “close the perfect novel”. We went right home and read it and booked Yiyun for her earliest availability, because she was right. Yiyun Li, the writer of MUSIC AGSINST THE NIGHT, joins us to talk about her beautifully written new book, and why she felt, at this stage in her career, she felt comfortable tackling a literary trilogy. We also talk to a not for profit, BINC, whose purpose is to financially support independent booksellers for any variety of reasons. Join us!
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:
Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li
Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
Wednesday’s Child by Yiyun Li
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li
The Vagrants by Yiyun Li
Gold Boy, Emerald Girl by Yiyun Li
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Yiyun Li
Whistler by Ann Patchett
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban
The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
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15 October 2026, 1:57 pm - 28 minutes 10 secondsTWO FOR ONE: Robert Kolker AND Chloe Benjamin
This week we have to terrific authors in one show. Robert Kolker’s newest, The Vanishing Family, is a look at a family afflicted with an early onset dementia, and how this family could revolutionize the way we think about the aging mind. Chloe Benjamin was GMA’s September Book Club pick, and although we are late to the party, we are proud to get to attend at all. It’s a mind-blowing book about time flowing backwards, and forwards. Join us for a sit down with two great authors and their two great books.
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:
Understory by Chloe Benjamin
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
The Anatomy of Dreams by Chloe Benjamin
The Vanishing Family by Robert Kolker
Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
Lost Girls by Robert Kolker
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8 October 2026, 7:00 am - 32 minutes 40 secondsCatherine Grace Katz: the Hindenburg and the Humanity
Up until now, there hasn’t really been a complete compendium on the Hindenburg disaster. Catherine Grace Katz gives it us in SHADOW BEFORE THE FLAME, and it is a page turner. Filled with top notch research, Katz drops readers squarely in the 1930’s so that they experience the majesty, mystery and looming fascism that cloaked the Hindenburg’s journey from Germany to the US. Something the size of three football fields was destroyed in 34 seconds. What did the people see on the ground? What did the passengers feel and see as it combusted? Did anyone live? These are all questions asked and answered on this week’s podcast. Join us!
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:
Shadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War by Catherine Grace Katz
The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
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1 October 2026, 7:00 am - 30 minutes 43 secondsJennifer McMahon and the Allure of Haunted Towns
Jennifer McMahon has been called the Shirley Jackson of her generation. Her newest, Stay Buried, is a fascinating look at what can happen to a small town when beset with an almost inhuman pandemic, and how they turn on each other as the diseases claims victim after victim (sound familiar?). Come join us for a great conversation with Jennifer in which we talk abut her ides, her process, and how there is a touch of the scary in so many of the classics we 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:
Stay Unburied by Jennifer McMahon
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon
Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon
Kin by Tayari Jones
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Hamlet by William ShakespeareLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
30 September 2026, 3:31 pm - 34 minutes 4 secondsJodi Picoult Talks Hollow Bones
Jodi Picoult’s newest, Hollow Bones, is probably more topical than even she would have wanted. A book that heart wrenchingly twists the anniversaries of 9/11 along with a serious look at Post Partem Psychosis, Picoult acknowledges how relevant this story may be in the shadow of the Lindsay Clancy trial. She of course, could not know how riveting and frightening that trial would be for so many Americans to read about and watch, and this book treats the subject with sensitivity and care. Join us as we talk to Picoult about how she feels about PPP as a mother herself (and grandmother) and how the medical system needs to do better for new moms.
Find books mentioned on The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books featured in this episode:
Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
Vanishing Act by Jodi Picoult
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult
Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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17 September 2026, 8:00 am - 31 minutes 30 secondsHarlan Coben Gives Us a Writing Class
Plot Twist by Harlan Coben is a non fiction book that focusses on writing: the desperation, the inspiration, the execution…it’s all here. And it’s compulsively readable and wonderfully conversational, just like Harlan. Join us as we ask him about his tips and tricks, and why there is no substitution for getting your heart and mind on the page.
Find books mentioned on The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books featured in this episode:
Plot Twist: Life, Craft and the Messy First Draft by Harlan Coben
Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon
Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben
Drop Shot by Harlan Coben
Fade Away by Harlan Coben
Back Spin by Harlan Coben
One False Move by Harlan Coben
The Final Detail by Harlan Coben
Darkest Fear by Harlan Coben
Promise Me by Harlan Coben
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10 September 2026, 8:00 am - 35 minutes 3 secondsAshley Kahn and the Wonder of Paul Simon’s Graceland
Graceland, by the great Paul Simon, was always a big deal in our house. From the Boy in the Bubble to the Myth of Fingerprints, it was on almost constant repeat, the soundtrack of my childhood. Ashley Kahn’s book, Days of Miracle and Wonder, is a thorough, beautifully researched compendium of how the album was made. A real examination of Simon’s genius, this book breaks down the album and its effects on the music industry and the world. Join us as we discuss a seminal moment in music history, and a terrific book.
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:
Days of Miracle and Wonder by Ashley Kahn
A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album by Ashley Kahn
The House that Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records by Ashley Kahn
Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece by Ashley Kahn
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3 September 2026, 8:00 am - 31 minutes 25 secondsWhy Catcher in the Rye Still Captures Us
We love doing “classics” episodes. And since The Catcher in the Rye is turning 75 this year, it seems that lots of folks in the book world are talking about it and we thought we would hop on board. Our two distinguished guests for this conversation are Kenneth Slawenski, one of the world's foremost historians on J.D. Salinger, and Stephen B. Shepard, a magazine editor who penned a fascinating book on the complexities of Salinger’s character. We hope you will join us in thinking about how our readings of Catcher in the Rye change over the years, and how the novel continues to touch the souls of so many readers.
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 Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction by J.D. Salinger
J.D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski
Salinger’s Soul: His Personal and Religious Odyssey by Stephen B. Shepard
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27 August 2026, 8:00 am - 30 minutes 20 secondsMeg Richardson and the True Voice of Adolescence
This is an interesting show, because the person who really championed the read this week was Arlene Gibson, the matriarch of the Gibson Family. A lifelong school teacher and administrator for girls’ schools, she fell in love with Paradise Pawn by Meg Richardson. And when Arlene tells us to do something, we do it. Paradise Pawn in the story from the perspective of a young 14 year old girl named Jackie who works in a Pawn Shop in Florida. Full of humor, heart and an adolescent voice that is sincere and true to a very difficult age, this is a great book. If the age of young teenagers confuse you (maybe you are a mom, dad, caregiver or yourself a 14 year old girl) this book is an eye opener and a heartbreaker. We talk to both Arlene and Meg. Join us!
Find books mentioned in The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned on this episode:
Paradise Pawn by Meg Richardson
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13 August 2026, 7:59 am - 39 minutesChris Bohjalian Writes His Most Personal Novel
Chris Bohjalian is prolific to say the least. With about 25 novels under his belt, he hits the bestseller list often with his unforgettable characters and twisty plots. But his newest, The Amateur, is his most personal novel to date. The narrator, Mira, was a caddy, just as Chris was for most of his high school career. And she is a writer, just like Chris, her sense of humor and feelings about writing are pure Chris. It’s a page turner with some terrific writing. And we talk to Elderberry and Plum, a new bookstore in Springfield, Illinois. Join us!
Find books mentioned in The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned on this episode:
The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian
The Jackal’s Mistress by Chris Bohjalian
The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian
The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
The World According to Garp by John Irving
Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov
All the World Can Hold by Jung Yun
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
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6 August 2026, 8:00 am - 32 minutes 25 secondsStephanie Soileau and the Richness of Cajun History
Should the Waters Take Us a is a novel of great beauty…centered around the swamp letters in the south of Louisianna. Whereas so many novels focus on story and character-this one focusses on place and how this place has shaped the lives of the characters that live there. As climate change shifts the land beneath our feet and oil companies have raided the Acadian swamps for their natural resources, the Cajun background is ever changing, and often full of tragedy. We also talk to Final Draft, the bookstore in Kansas that JUST opened. We check in to see how their opening went and how they are feeling now. Join us!
Find books mentioned in The Book Case:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302
Books mentioned on this episode:Should the Waters Take Us by Stephanie Soileau
Last One Out Shut Off the Lights by Stephanie Soileau
On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Hill by Harriet Clark
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
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