The Book Case

Jennifer McMahon and the Allure of Haunted Towns

Jennifer McMahon has been called the Shirley Jackson of her generation. Her newest, Stay Unburied 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 McMahonThe Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahonMy Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahonThe Winter People by Jennifer McMahonThe Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahonPromise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahonKin by Tayari JonesThe Lottery by Shirley JacksonBeloved by Toni MorrisonLord of the Flies by William GoldingHamlet by William Shakespeare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meg 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephanie 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An Injustice in the Justice System

Pamela Colloff is an accomplished investigative journalist and has written "Catch the Devil" about a frighteningly prolific jailhouse snitch. Paul Skalnik testified in dozens of cases that inmates in Florida prisons had confessed their guilt to him. Often prosecutors won convictions based largely on Skalnik’s testimony including four cases where he was instrumental on putting men on Florida’s death row. One of them, Jim Dailey, was convicted of murdering a 14 year old girl. Despite evidence that has come out since Dailey’s conviction, he sits on Florida’s death row. He has been there over 40 years unable to get a new trial. Colloff repeatedly met Skalnik who said he would tell her the truth about all his testimonies. He never did. But Colloff has reported the story in brilliant detail and writes about how often prosecutors use jailhouse snitches knowing their testimony may be tainted. Skalnik’s repeated claims of jailhouse confessions defied credulity... so why did prosecutors continue to put him on the stand? Why didn’t judges disallow his testimony? Why did appellate courts accept his word? It’s a compelling story - worth a reader’s time. Find books mentioned in The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this episode: Catch the Devil by Pamela Colloff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices