Episode · The Book Review · 2021-08-13
Dana Spiotta on The Book Review: books mentioned
Dana Spiotta Talks About ‘Wayward’
Pamela Paul recommended The Post-Birthday World LP by Lionel Shriver, and discussed Innocents and others by Dana Spiotta, Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta, Wayward by Dana Spiotta, So much for that by Lionel Shriver, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver, and Double fault by Lionel Shriver. Tina Jordan discussed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll and others. Ash Davidson discussed Memory Wall by Anthony Doerr. John Williams recommended Ralph Waldo Emerson: Selected Essays, Lectures and Poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson and others. Elisabeth Egan recommended Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, and discussed Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe and others. Also mentioned: Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Innocents and others
Dana Spiotta's novel Innocents and Others explores complex themes of female friendship and artistic creation across various disciplines including film and music.
Discussed“architecture is a focus of the book you mentioned earlier and your novels often kind of Center on the Arts music and stone Arabia and film and innocence and others”
Where to get it
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Stone Arabia
Discussed“architecture is a focus of the book you mentioned earlier and your novels often kind of Center on the Arts music and stone Arabia and film and innocence and others”
Where to get it
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Wayward
Wayward by Dana Spiotta is a contemporary novel exploring family dynamics and midlife transitions.
Discussed“well since we're talking about the pros why don't you pause for a moment and read a little bit from Wayward”
Where to get it
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a beloved 19th-century children's fantasy novel about a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a bizarre underground world governed by absurd logic.
Discussed“when the aums critic wrote about Allison Wonderland when it was first printed he made the following curious observations”
Where to get it
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Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll is a classic children's fantasy novel and the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, featuring famous scenes like Alice and the Red Queen running to stay in place.
Discussed“and then the book review editor goes on to supply a little context and he reminds the times readers that a London Publishing House very early on printed an addition of leis carols through a looking glass with the illustrations slightly a skew on the page”
Where to get it
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Memory Wall
Discussed“yes you know there's that quote in memory wall by Anthony door where he says you bury your childhood here and there”
Where to get it
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Run, Rose, Run
Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson is a gripping thriller novel that is loosely based on the legendary singer's personal experiences and struggles while making her way through the competitive music industry.
Discussed“it is also called run Rose run which is the title of the novel and according to the press release Parton said that all the songs are based on the characters and situations in the book”
Where to get it
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Ralph Waldo Emerson: Selected Essays, Lectures and Poems
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Selected Essays, Lectures and Poems gathers the influential philosophical writings of the foundational American transcendentalist thinker.
Recommended“it has been a while I'm reading a biography of Emerson by um Robert Richardson”
Where to get it
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Homegoing
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi is an epic, deeply moving debut novel that traces the divergent paths of two half-sisters from Ghana across three centuries, examining the devastating legacy of slavery, violence, and multigenerational trauma.
Discussed“I am here to tell you guys about a book that I'm reading that I think you might have both read it's called Transcendent Kingdom and it's by yah JSI who wrote homegoing which came out her debut novel that came out oh maybe seven or eight years ago”
Where to get it
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Transcendent Kingdom
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi is a poignant contemporary novel following a brilliant neuroscience PhD candidate grappling with her brother's tragic death from an overdose and her mother's severe depression while striving to reconcile faith and science.
Recommended“I am here to tell you guys about a book that I'm reading that I think you might have both read it's called Transcendent Kingdom and it's by yah JSI who wrote homegoing which came out her debut novel that came out oh maybe seven or eight years ago”
Where to get it
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Empire of Pain
Patrick Radden Keefe's Empire of Pain is a meticulously researched history tracing the Sackler dynasty, Purdue Pharma, and their central role in driving the devastating opioid epidemic.
Discussed“I'm loving the book for the story and the writing but also because I just finished reading Empire of pain Patrick Ren Keefe's book about the Sackler family and its connection to oxy”
Where to get it
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So much for that
So Much for That is a sharply observed, darkly humorous novel by Lionel Shriver that investigates the devastating financial and emotional toll of serious illness within the context of the American healthcare system.
Discussed“I just read another novel by Lionel Shriver and listeners will remember I talked about a book of hers so much for that a few months ago on the podcast and said then that I hadn't read her before which is true”
Where to get it
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The Post-Birthday World LP
The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver is a compelling contemporary novel that explores the concept of parallel lives and the butterfly effect of romantic choices through the story of a woman torn between two very different men.
Recommended“but the book that I was told to read by several people who I think are real authorities including one of the Publishers of the big five told me the book to read of Lionel Shrivers is the post birthday world”
Where to get it
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Life After Life
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson is a celebrated novel that follows protagonist Ursula Todd as she repeatedly dies and is reborn across different eras of the twentieth century, most notably the Second World War.
Discussed“it's like Kate Atkinson's Life After Life or like the movie sliding doors what would have happened if just one teeny little thing had been different and that would have set a life on a completely different course”
Where to get it
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We need to talk about Kevin
We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver is a chilling psychological novel about the mother of a school shooter grappling with her son's innate cruelty.
Discussed“I have read the post Birthday World which I loved I read we need to talk about Kevin”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (12) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Dana spota will be here to discuss her latest novel Wayward”
“as Davidson will join us to talk about her debut novel damnation spring”
“she is the author of many novels including innocence and others lightning field and stone Arabia”
“she is the author of many novels including innocence and others lightning field and stone Arabia”
“she is the author of many novels including innocence and others lightning field and stone Arabia”
“and her latest book is called Wayward Dana thanks so much for being here”
“Dana spot's new book is called Wayward”
“are you a through thee Looking Glass fan”
“Ash Davidson joins us now from Flagstaff Arizona to talk about her new book Dam Nation spring”
“yes you know there's that quote in memory wall by Anthony door where he says you bury your childhood here and there”
“Ash Davidson's debut novel is called damnation”
“yes our obituary is funny because it says Henry David thorough a life of the Mind 1986 did not win any major lary Awards but it prompted a fan letter from Annie Dillard the Pulitzer prizewinning author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”