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This week our episode features Daniel Kraus, a writer who has published over 20 books, but among moviegoers he may be best known as the co-author with Guillermo del Toro of The Shape of Water. The film of this story won four Oscars in 2018. Daniel’s 2023 novel Whalefall is being turned into a 20th Century Fox motion picture, and I hope that at some point his latest novel, Angel Down, will also be on film. 

Both the premise and writing in Angel Down are unique. It is the story of a group of World War I soldiers told to go into No Man’s Land to rescue what they think is a wounded soldier. What they find is an angel. If you enjoy war novels, and even if you don’t, I recommend giving this book a read. 

Our book rec section of the show features books related to women in politics. If you are interested in politics yet hate the nuttery of American government at the moment, these books can provide a reprieve. We have contemporary fiction, biography, memoir, alternative history, and electoral nonfiction. 

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Whalefall by Daniel Kraus 

2- Angel Down by Daniel Kraus 

3- The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus

4- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

5- The Leaphorn and Chee Series by Tony Hillerman

6- Hearts of the Missing by Carol Potenza

7- The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch by Daniel Kraus 

8- Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp 

9- From Under the Truck by Josh Brolin

10- Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali 

11- The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue 

12- A Five Star Read recommended by fellow Book Lover State Katz @all.da.bookish.things - The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan 

13- Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing by Alison Winn Scotch 

14- Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza

15- The Partisan Gap: Why Democratic Women Get Elected But Republican Women Don't by Laurel Elder 

16- Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld 

17- Mrs. Lincoln: A Life by Catherine Clinton 

18- A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Arden

Media Mentioned:

1- Frankenstein (2025-Netflix)

2- Dark Winds (2022 - present, Netflix)

3- The Shape of Water (2017)

4- 1917 (2019)

5- Whalefall (Upcoming Fall 2026)

6- Michelle Obama Says US Not Ready for a Female President - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/michelle-obama-says-us-not-ready-woman-president-rcna244136