Classics Series: To Kill a Mockingbird

Sophie Elmhirst has done something extraordinary.  In her new book, Marriage at Sea, she rediscovers and adds new mystery to the true story of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, who, on their journey across the world, lost their boat and were forced to live on a life raft for 117 days.  How did they do it?  How did they FEEL about doing it?  Sophie, in her impeccably researched volume, has brought readers a nail-biting thriller while also creating a moving story of Maurice and Maralyn's tenacity, their love for each other, the day to day strategy of their survival.  Join us to find out how Sophie managed to create a new, emotional, and beautiful recounting of their amazing tale.  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: Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst 117 Days Adrift by Maurice and Maralyn Bailey The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a while since we have covered a good mystery on the Book Case, so this week, take a seat by a book that will keep you guessing.  Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall is both a terrific old-fashioned mystery combined with a modern police procedural drama and EVERYONE in the town is a suspect.  Kate read it in 36 hours, Charlie in about 48…we guarantee this will be one you can’t put down.  Join us and find out why. 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: Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie  The Black Wolf by Louise Penny The Mystery Series, Volume 1 by Enid Blyton Misery by Stephen King A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the third in our classics analysis series!  To Kill a Mockingbird is one of America’s favorite novels.  Is it worth its weight in the public’s love?  Is Atticus Finch the hero we always thought, and does Go Set a Watchman call the novel’s moralism into question?  We examine these questions with two Harper Lee scholars, Michele Reutter and Jonathan S. Cullick, who wrote Mockingbird Grows Up, a re-examination of Mockingbird through the eyes of Go Set a Watchman.  Join us! 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: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe  On Harper Lee edited by Alice Hall Petry Atticus Finch: A Biography by Joseph Crispino In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Mockingbird Grows Up by Michele Reutter and Jonathan S. Cullick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have been skimping on including independent booksellers in our show lately (and we are sorry) but here is a whole show worth of bookseller conversations!  Source Books in Detroit Michigan is owned by Janet Webster Jones.  And Print: A Bookstore in Portland ME is owned by Emily Russo.  These are two incredible independent booksellers with two incredible stores.  It’s a master class in bookselling on this week’s Book Case! 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: Beloved by Toni Morrison These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy This is Happiness by Niall Williams Lobster by Guillame Lecasble Sky Daddy by Kate Folk Win by Harlan Coben The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jess Walter has written a book that is funny, compulsively readable, and complex.  In So Far Gone, he reminds us, in a world that sometimes seems to have gone crazy, you escape society at your own peril.  Can you escape the world into isolation or is life only meaningful when you live it for and with others?  We ask the very talented Jess Walter that very question.  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: So Far Gone by Jess Walter Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter The Cold Millions by Jess Walter Citizen Vance by Jess Walter Ruby Ridge by Jess Walter Over Tumbled Graves by Jess Walter The Zero by Jess Walter Land of the Blind by Jess Walter We Live in Water by Jess Walter The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter Walden by Henry David Thoreau Bowling Aline by Robert D. Putnam  Family Sayings by Natalia Ginzburg Stoner by John Edwards Williams James by Percival Everett The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Porter’s newest, The Imagined Life, is a beautiful and atmospheric novel following a man on a search for his father, who disappeared decades ago.  Tangled up in the complications of academia, the issues of exploring sexuality, and the haunting visions of the inappropriate parties his parents threw in his backyard, Stephen struggles to piece together the answers he needs so that he can create the life he wants.  This novel is subtle, complex, and beautifully written.  Join us this week to find out how Andrew created an incredible novel out of the subtleties of family dynamics. 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 Imagined Life by Andrew Porter The Theory of Light and Magic by Andrew Porter The Disappeared by Andrew Porter In Between Days by Andrew Porter The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson Birds of America by Laurie Moore The Best American Short Stories 2024 Edited by Lauren Groff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another installment of our Writer in Residence series, and J. Ryan Stradal is two chapters away from the end!  How did he get here?  What are his goals as he finishes his latest and most personal book? We find out with great excitement.  We also talk to Nefer Book Café owner, Lonna Dawson, who will inspire you to expand your reading horizons.  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: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Sportswriter by Richard Ford The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors by Lama Rod Owens The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patricia Melo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 BarrySwamp Story by Dave BarryBig Trouble by Dave BarryBest State Ever by Dave BarryDave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States by Dave BarryLessons from Lucy by Dave BarryInsane City by Dave BarryDave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys by Dave BarryTricky Business by Dave BarryDave Barry Hits Below the Beltway by Dave BarryDave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down! by Dave BarryYou Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About by Dave BarryGet Shorty by Elmore LeonardBad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 RussoEmpire Falls by Richard RussoStraight Man by Richard RussoThat Old Cape Magic by Richard RussoMohawk by Richard RussoThe Whore’s Child and Other Stories by Richard RussoElsewhere by Richard RussoThe Risk Pool by Richard RussoChances Are… by Richard RussoNobody’s Fool by Richard RussoSomebody’s Fool by Richard RussoEverybody’s Fool by Richard RussoA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensRumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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