Ep. 135: William Landay (Author of All That Is Mine I Carry With Me) + Book Recommendations

Sarah's Bookshelves Live

Sarah Dickinson

Bookrecommendations, Bookpodcasts, Sarahsbookshelvespodcast, Sarahsbookshelveslivepodcast, Sarahsbookshelveslive, Bookpodcast, Literarypodcast, Whatshouldiread, Arts, Bookreviewpodcast, Reading, Readingpodcast, Books, Sarahsbookshelves

4.9 • 732 Ratings

🗓️ 22 March 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In episode 135, author William Landay discusses his latest novel, All That Is Mine I Carry With Me, while also sharing his background as a prosecutor and how he incorporates family drama into his crime novels. William shares a couple elements of his book that changed throughout the writing process (including how it was almost meta fiction!). We also chat about how the court of public opinion shapes the idea of doubt in his book and how the different perspectives play a role in creating suspense. Plus, William gives us his book recommendations!

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

Highlights

William Landay discusses what he’s been up to between the publication of Defending Jacob and his newest book.
He gives a spoiler-free overview of his latest novel, All That Is Mine I Carry With Me.
How his work differs from typical crime or detective fiction.
William’s approach to creating a sense of realism in his writing without spoon-feeding the reader all the details.
How the court of public opinion shapes the way doubt evolves in the story.
Why readers naturally wonder about the truth hidden in crime fiction.
William’s background as a prosecutor and pulling in the family drama side of his legal novels.
The idea of the “murder gene” and the science behind it.
The family dynamics and different perspectives in the book.
The original name of a character in the book and why it was changed, as well as other changes made to the book and ending.

William’s Book Recommendations [36:06]

Two OLD Books He Loves

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:49]
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:41]

Two NEW Books He Loves

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:08]
Liberty Is Sweet by Woody Holton | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:10]

William’s Take on UPCOMING RELEASES [46:32]

Last 5-Star Book William Read

The Mirror & the Light (Wolf Hall Trilogy, 3) by Hilary Mantel | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:35]

Other Books Mentioned

Defending Jacob by William Landay [1:30]
The Strangler by William Landay [1:37]
Mission Flats by William Landay [1:44]
Atonement by Ian McEwan [26:04]
Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar [30:11]
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff [43:59]

About William Landay

Website| Twitter | Instagram

William Landay is the author of All That Is Mine I Carry With Me and three previous novels: Defending Jacob, which won the Strand Critics Award for best mystery novel; The Strangler, listed as a best crime novel of the year by the L.A. Times, Daily Telegraph and others; and Mission Flats, winner of the Dagger Award for best first crime novel. A former assistant district attorney, he lives in Boston.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Sarah's Bookshelves Live. I'm Sarah of Sarah's Bookshelves. Each week, I talk with a bookish
0:15.4	guest about two old books they love, two new books they love, one book they do not love, and one new release
0:22.0	they're excited about.
0:23.3	We're going to get real and sometimes a bit snarky about all things books.
0:27.5	If you like the show, I'd love it if you follow the show in your podcast player, spread
0:32.0	the word to your reader friends, post about it on your social media, or support the show on Patreon at patreon.com slash
0:41.2	Sarah's bookshelves. Supporting the show on Patreon gets you access to bonus podcast episodes and
0:46.6	lots of other goodies. There's also a link in the show notes and in my Instagram bio. Let's get
0:52.2	rolling. I first talked about all that is mine I carry with me
0:56.4	by William Landay on the preview episode back in January. I hadn't read it at that point,
1:01.8	but I can now tell you that it was a five-star book for me, and it's one of my favorite books of
1:06.1	2023 so far. Not only is it a mystery, but it's a story of a family navigating life following
1:11.8	the disappearance of their mother. I also loved the exploration of the court of public opinion
1:17.1	and what it's like for the kids of someone everyone assumes has committed murder. This one is a
1:22.3	total emotional roller coaster, and I am thrilled to have William Landay with me today. He's the author of three
1:28.4	previous novels. His last novel, which I am sure you've heard of, was Defending Jacob, which won the
1:34.7	Strand Critics Award for Best Novel. Prior to that, he wrote The Strangler, listed as a best
1:39.8	crime novel of the year by the LA Times, The Daily Telegraph, and others, and Mission Flats,
1:45.4	winner of the Dagger Award for Best First Crime Novel. A former assistant district attorney,
1:50.9	William, now lives in Boston. Welcome, William. Thank you. Happy to be here. Well, I'm so excited to talk to you,
1:57.2	and the first thing I have to ask you about, because even before I read,
2:02.5	all that is mine I carry with me, I had wondered if the author of Defending Jacob is going to
	...

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