Dave Barry is one of the funniest writers alive, and he makes it look so easy.  How and why does he do it?  Enter Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass, his first and probably only memoir which is packed full of laugh out loud moments.  It’s also peppered with thoughts on how he got through college, memories of his mother and father, his thoughts on life, people that hate him and where he comes up with his wacky ideas.  We love talking with this man.  Find out why by tuning in.

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:

Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass by Dave Barry
Swamp Story by Dave Barry
Big Trouble by Dave Barry
Best State Ever by Dave Barry
Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States by Dave Barry
Lessons from Lucy by Dave Barry
Insane City by Dave Barry
Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys by Dave Barry
Tricky Business by Dave Barry
Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway by Dave Barry
Dave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down! by Dave Barry
You Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About by Dave Barry
Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

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Richard Russo is an American treasure. The writer of so many great novels (Empire Falls, Straight Man), we strongly encourage you to read his newest, Life and Art, which is a collection of essays.  We know that so many people say, ESSAYS? Yes, essays, and they are spectacular.  These are not arguments shoved in your face.  These are thoughtful life reflections from one of the great writers of our time, and they should be savored and enjoyed.  If you love Richard Russo, please join us as we talk about why art matters more now then ever, and why he believes he had to write this 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:

Life and Art by Richard Russo
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Straight Man by Richard Russo
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Mohawk by Richard Russo
The Whore’s Child and Other Stories by Richard Russo
Elsewhere by Richard Russo
The Risk Pool by Richard Russo
Chances Are… by Richard Russo
Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo
Somebody’s Fool by Richard Russo
Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Rumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer

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Jemimah Wei’s The Original Daughter is the GMA book club pick for May, and we loved it.  In some ways, this book is not just a compelling family drama, but it is also a thoughtful depiction of Singapore, a country often misunderstood by Americans as being simply a home for glamour and high tech discovery.  This novel centers around the lives of everyday Singaporeans, and how one family is torn apart when a new daughter is introduced to the home by way of a grandfather’s polygamy. Why did this book take Jemimah ten years to write and how does this story put a new twist on the clichés of sibling rivalry?  We ask her, so tune in and find out. 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 Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

This is What Inequality Looks Like by Youyenn Teo

The South by Tash Aw

The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng

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We loved talking to David K. Shipler so much that we wanted to squeeze one more show out of our conversation.  We talked so much on our last episode about the role of interpreters in journalism, but we also talked about going from fiction to nonfiction and the importance of good journalism, now more than ever. We hope you enjoy as much as we did.

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 Interpreter by David K. Shipler
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler
Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler
The Rights of the People by David K. Shipler
Freedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword by David K. Shipler
Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams by David K. Shipler
A Country of Strangers: Black and White in America by David K. Shipler
Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America by David K. Shipler
Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy
Without Honor: Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia by Arnold R. Isaacs
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Street Without Joy by Bernard B. Fall
Shrapnel in the Heart: Letters and Remembrances from the Vietnam Memorial by Laura Palmer
When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace by Le Ly Hayslip
Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

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The Interpreter is a beautiful book about the end of the war in Vietnam and one interpreter’s story as his country is torn apart and remade over and over throughout his lifetime.  David K. Shipler is arguably one of the greatest journalists of our time.  A veteran reporter who wrote about Russia, Vietnam, and Israel (to name a few), he has a Pulitzer to his name and his non-fiction books are legendary.  I mean, the man ran a foreign desk for the New York Times and taught at Princeton.  So why write a book of fiction?  We don’t know, but we are so glad he did.  Tune in to find out why.  Our bookstore is Charlie’s local, so you don’t want to miss it.

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 Interpreter by David K. Shipler

The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler

Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler

The Rights of the People by David K. Shipler

Freedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword by David K. Shipler

Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams by David K. Shipler

A Country of Strangers: Black and White in America by David K. Shipler

Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America by David K. Shipler

Driving Miss Daisy: A Play by Alfred Uhry

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is Happiness by Niall Williams

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson

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If you are a devoted GMA watcher (and you should be), you know that about a month ago we sat down with the great Irish native writing couple of Niall Williams and Christine Breen.  What an amazing twosome they make, and we can’t get enough of talking to them.  So we offer you the extended Niall Williams and Christine Breen interview. It was such fun to discuss why Ireland was vital to their writing careers and how they came into their own ….tune in and have a listen.

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:

This is Happiness by Niall Williams

Time of the Child by Niall Williams

Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams

History of the Rain by Niall Williams

In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams and Christine Breen

O Come Ye Back to Ireland by Niall Williams and Christine Breen

As it is in Heaven by Niall Williams

Boy and Man by Niall Williams

Only Say the Word by Niall Williams

Her Name is Rose by Christine Breen

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

North by Seamus Heaney

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Harlan Coben has authored close to 40 books with some seriously good writing.  His

latest, Nobody’s Fool, takes a detective from an already existing book and TV

series, blows up their story and creates mysteries within mysteries.  Great plot twists, memorable characters and page turning action are all here…how does he turn great books out over and over?  Tune in and find out.   

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:

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

Long Lost by Harlan Coben

Live Wire by Harlan Coben

Home by Harlan Coben

Think Twice by Harlan Coben

Caught by Harlan Coben

Just One Look by Harlan Coben 

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

Aurora by David Koepp

The Time of the Child by Niall Williams

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

Valediction by Robert B. Parker

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 

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It’s a two for one show and do bear with us, because it’s two books we loved, AND you get two authors in one podcast.  One book is a darkly comic novel, All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman, and the other is Homestand, which is a wonderful nonfiction read about the loss

of minor league baseball in small town America by Will Bardenwerper.  Please tune in, because we believe that spring is in the air and these two great summer reads came a touch early.

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:

Homestand: Small Town Baseball and The Fight for the

Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper

All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

The Prisoner in His Palace by Will Bardenwerper

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

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Colum McCann’s newest, Twist, explores how the world of underwater fiber cables has vital physical and metaphoric meaning in our day to day lives.  Sound dull?  We promise you, it’s a literary marvel and a page turner to boot.  The men and women who live to make, repair and find these cables are fascinating characters.  And Twist is a beautiful novel all about how we can tear ourselves apart as we obsess about reparation and healing.  Is instant communication making us one community or ruining our sense of belonging?  Are we making the earth better or burning it slowly to the ground?  Tune in this week to find out.

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:

Twist by Colum McCann

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Zoli by Colum McCann

Everything in this Country Must by Colum McCann

Dancer by Colum McCann

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann

Apierogon by Colum McCann

Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann

Letters to a Young Writer by Colum McCann

This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann

Songdogs Colum McCann

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Kaveh Akbar and Tommy Orange are a writer’s circle of two.  We can’t remember how we first heard they were close friends, but we knew it when we interviewed them and were thrilled when we heard they might be touring together.  Tune in to find out how these two amazing authors encourage and challenge each other.

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:

There There by Tommy Orange

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Portrait of the Alcoholic by Kaveh Akbar

Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar

Pilgrim Bell: Poems by Kaveh Akbar

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Beowulf by Beowulf Poet

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We love short story collections.  We hope this doesn’t put us in the minority, because when authors do it well the books can be transcendent.  Case in point, Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest is Show Don’t Tell.  We didn’t find one story in there we didn’t like. Each feels like a breath of fresh aired emotional honesty, a glimpse into the lives of memorable characters at various turning points questioning their own choices.  Join us to find out what made Curtis release this collection.  And we sit down with Plot Twist, our first romance-based independent bookstore.

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:

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving

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