Episode · The Book Review · 2026-04-03
Books mentioned on 23 Books We Are Looking Forward to This Spring
Joumana Khatib recommended Transcription by Ben Lerner, From Life Itself by Suzy Hansen, Prophecy by Carissa Véliz, Dog Days by Emily LaBarge, Five Weeks in the Country by Francine Prose, and Go Gentle by Maria Semple. Gilbert Cruz recommended Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta, This Land Is Your Land by Beverly Gage, The Witch by Marie NDiaye, London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe, The Midnight Train by Matt Haig, The Land and Its Peoples by David Sedaris, On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward, The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, True Crime by Patricia Cornwell, and Against Breaking by Ada Limón.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Transcription
Transcription by Ben Lerner is a slim, intellectual novel spanning roughly 120 pages that explores complex ideas through a sharp narrative style.
Recommended“So, this is Transcription by Ben Lerner. Ben is the author of Leaving the Atocha Station, The Topeka School, 10:04. Uh he's very brainy and intellectual.”
Where to get it
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Ghost Town
Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta is a contemporary novel exploring memory and the passage of time through the perspective of an author looking back at his youth.
Recommended“Ghost Town is the name of his latest novel and this is about a New Jersey writer who is remembering, you know, 50 years ago when he was 13 years old.”
Where to get it
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From Life Itself
From Life Itself by Suzy Hansen is a compelling work of nonfiction that explores the complex political and social landscape of Turkey through deeply reported investigations into a single neighborhood in Istanbul over a span of ten years.
Recommended“This is from Life Itself by Suzy Hansen. I think she is just like an all-star international correspondent. She's been based in Turkey for I think over a decade at this point.”
Where to get it
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This Land Is Your Land
This Land Is Your Land by Beverly Gage is a sweeping historical examination structured as a road trip through the complex history of the United States.
Recommended“This is a book called This Land Is Your Land, a road trip through US history. Uh, this one is by Beverly Gage. So, Beverly Gage is a name that I had not heard until a few years ago when she wrote a book called G-Man.”
Where to get it
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Prophecy
Prophecy by Carissa Véliz is a thought-provoking exploration of prediction, power, and the future, tracing themes from ancient oracles to modern artificial intelligence.
Recommended“This is called Prophecy. Oh, here we go. Prediction, power, and the fight for the future from ancient oracles to AI by Carissa Veliz. And I think this is a brilliant conceit for a book.”
Where to get it
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The Witch
The Witch by Marie NDiaye is a notable French novel originally published in 1996 and translated by Jordan Stump, offering readers a striking journey into the author's distinctive fictional world.
Recommended“I am going to take us back to the world of fiction very briefly to talk about a book called The Witch by the French author Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump. This particular one, it is a book that was published in France in 1996.”
Where to get it
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London Falling
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe is a true-crime narrative and investigative work by the acclaimed New Yorker reporter.
Recommended“This is London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. Have you ever heard of this uh gentleman? Sure have. He is a reporter for The New Yorker.”
Where to get it
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The Midnight Train
Why people recommend it: Matt Haig's anticipated novel explores imaginative premises surrounding life choices, parallel realities, and the existential journeys that define human existence.
Recommended“That book was called The Midnight Library. That was by Matt Haig. And this book, which is out at the end of May, is called Midnight Train. So they're related somewhat.”
Where to get it
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Dog Days
Dog Days by Emily LaBarge is a work of nonfiction that explores painful and harrowing personal history.
Recommended“Okay, I have something that is not sugar sweet. And I have something that is all about revisiting past episodes of your life, arguably the most dark and harrowing episodes of your life. This is a memoir called well, I say memoir, it's a work of nonfiction. Let's not split hairs. Uh called Dog Days by Emily LeBarge.”
Where to get it
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The Land and Its Peoples
The Land and Its Peoples by David Sedaris is a collection of witty, insightful essays by one of America's most renowned humorous writers.
Recommended“I have one more book that I want to talk about. This is The Land and Its People and it is by David Sedaris. Aw. One of the world's most famous elf. One of the most well-known writers of essays in America.”
Where to get it
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On Witness and Respair
On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward is a collection of essays written by the acclaimed author.
Recommended“She has a new book out this spring. It is called Unwitnessed and Respair. This is a collection of essays. The name of that book is not Unwitnessed and Repair which I thought it had been for several months. It is Unwitnessed and Respair.”
Where to get it
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The Things We Never Say
Why people recommend it: Elizabeth Strout's poignant novel explores human connection, complex relationships, and the quiet struggles of everyday life through her signature deeply observant narrative style.
Recommended“I am going to mention The Things We never say. This is the latest by Elizabeth Strout. Strout is a very prolific author. You probably know her best for Olive Kitteridge, which won the Pulitzer Prize many years ago.”
Where to get it
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Five Weeks in the Country
Five Weeks in the Country is a historical novel by Francine Prose that is inspired by the actual friendship between Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen.
Recommended“Okay, so Five Weeks in the Country by Francine Prose, a historical novel based on the real-life friendship between Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen.”
Where to get it
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Go Gentle
Go Gentle by Maria Semple is a contemporary novel heavily inspired by the practical philosophy of Stoicism.
Recommended“Maria Semple, who is best known as the author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, has a new novel coming out called Go Gentle.”
Where to get it
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True Crime
True Crime by Patricia Cornwell is a compelling memoir by the renowned mystery writer detailing her life and early career experiences.
Recommended“Patricia Cornwell has a memoir about her life and her early career, and that is called True Crime.”
Where to get it
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Against Breaking
Against Breaking by Ada Limón is a book adapted from a speech focusing on the power of poetry.
Recommended“That speech has now been published as a book titled Against Breaking on the Power of poetry. Given that April is National Poetry Month, we had to have Ada on to talk about her speech as well, hopefully, as to read us a poem.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (15) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“So, this is Transcription by Ben Lerner. Ben is the author of Leaving the Atocha Station, The Topeka School, 10:04.”
“So, this is Transcription by Ben Lerner. Ben is the author of Leaving the Atocha Station, The Topeka School, 10:04.”
“So, this is Transcription by Ben Lerner. Ben is the author of Leaving the Atocha Station, The Topeka School, 10:04.”
“I have a book by Tom Perrotta who I feel is someone whose books are pretty beloved. He is the guy behind Election, Little Children, The Leftovers.”
“I have a book by Tom Perrotta who I feel is someone whose books are pretty beloved. He is the guy behind Election, Little Children, The Leftovers.”
“I have a book by Tom Perrotta who I feel is someone whose books are pretty beloved. He is the guy behind Election, Little Children, The Leftovers.”
“This is from Life Itself by Suzy Hansen. I think she is just like an all-star international correspondent. She's based in Turkey for I think over a decade at this point. And her last book, Notes on a Foreign Country, was a Pulitzer finalist.”
“This is a book called This Land Is Your Land, a road trip through US history. Uh, this one is by Beverly Gage. So, Beverly Gage is a name that I had not heard until a few years ago when she wrote a book called G-Man.”
“This is London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. Have you ever heard of this uh gentleman? Sure have. He is a reporter for The New Yorker. You and I and many people probably know him best for his book Say Nothing.”
“You know, one of my favorite books by him is The Snakehead. That's the one I haven't read. Yeah, he's he's like a another must-read for me.”
“I have a piece of fiction that I think a ton of people are going to read this spring because it is sort of like a sequel not sequel to a giant book that came out a few years ago. That book was called The Midnight Library. That was by Matt Haig.”
“I have John of John by Douglas Stuart. You might recognize that name because he is also the Booker Prize winning author of Shuggie Bain.”
“I am going to mention The Things We never say. This is the latest by Elizabeth Strout. Strout is a very prolific author. You probably know her best for Olive Kitteridge, which won the Pulitzer Prize many years ago.”
“So, there is an episode of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror um and there's a joke in which the last book on Earth is a a book called Arsenio, a memoir by the former late-night host Arsenio Hall. And now, 15 years later, things has The Simpsons predicted? 15 years later or so, there actually now is a memoir by”
“Maria Semple, who is best known as the author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, has a new novel coming out called Go Gentle.”