Episode · The Book Review · 2019-07-26
Books mentioned on Fiction About Unprecedented Situations
Pamela Paul discussed Exhalation by Ted Chiang, The Need by Helen Phillips, Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, Anxiety by Ted Livingston, The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang, The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang, The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling by Ted Chiang, The English and their history by Robert Tombs, and Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Alexandra Alter discussed The Mueller Report by Robert S. Mueller and others. Helen Phillips recommended Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin. Gal Beckerman discussed The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson. John Williams discussed Love and trouble by Claire Dederer. Also mentioned: Trust Exercise by Susan Choi and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Exhalation
Exhalation by Ted Chiang is a critically acclaimed collection of philosophical science fiction short stories.
Discussed“Ted Chang will be here to talk about his new Story collection exhalation”
Where to get it
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The Need
The Need by Helen Phillips is an inventive and gripping novel that explores the disorienting realities of modern motherhood through a surreal, metaphysical lens.
Discussed“novelist Helen Phillips will tell us about her latest book The need”
Where to get it
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Stories of Your Life and Others
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is an acclaimed collection of speculative short fiction that explores complex philosophical, linguistic, and temporal concepts.
Discussed“he has a new short Story collection exhalation with nine short stories and is the author of a previous collection of short fiction the story of your life and others which was published in 2002”
Where to get it
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Anxiety
Discussed“I want to talk about one of the devices that you do use in one of your stories in the last story in this collection anxiety is the dizziness of Freedom which is this prism”
Where to get it
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The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate
Discussed“and I'd love you to talk a little bit about the first story in the collection which it's not set in the future even some of your stories feel set in the future but they're really about the past this one feels set in the past and is about the past can you talk about the merchant and The Alchemist”
Where to get it
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The Lifecycle of Software Objects
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang is a compelling science fiction novella that explores the emotional and practical complexities of raising digital artificial intelligence entities over many years.
Discussed“this collection has a few stories that really stood out to me one was the Merchant and the alchemist's gate the other one I I want to talk about and then there's a third is the life cycle of software objects which is the longest story in the collection tell us what that's about”
Where to get it
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The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling
Discussed“and that story and for me I think the most powerful story in the collection my mind is the truth of fact the truth of feeling in which the technology is that people can record every moments of their lives”
Where to get it
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The Mueller Report
The Mueller Report is the official public document detailing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election, compiled by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and subsequently analyzed and published in various editions.
Discussed“so since you sit next to me in the office you know that I'm lowkey obsessed with the Russia investigation in the Muller report and funnily enough it it is touching on the publishing industry quite a bit this year so robt Muller gave us testimony in Washington this week it was widely watched and Publishers have really taken advantage”
Where to get it
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Fever Dream
Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin is a haunting and surreal contemporary novella that explores the deep anxieties of motherhood, environmental dread, and the fragile bond between a mother and her child through a disorienting dialogue.
Recommended“the most profound book for me about motherhood is fever dream by Samantha schweblin she's an Argentinian writer”
Where to get it
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Trust Exercise
Susan Choi's novel Trust Exercise is a complex narrative that explores a high-pressure performing arts high school while constantly upending reader expectations through startling structural shifts.
Discussed“I'm reading a novel called trust exercise by Susan Choy”
Where to get it
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The British Are Coming
The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson is a detailed historical narrative chronicling the military and political events of the first year of the American Revolution.
Discussed“I am reading Rick Atkinson's the British AR coming”
Where to get it
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The English and their history
The English and Their History by Robert Tombs is a comprehensive historical volume that chronicles the evolution of English identity, politics, and culture over centuries.
Discussed“and it reminded me of a book that I talked about on the podcast about a year ago the English and their history by Robert Toms which is also had had its period where it looks at the American Revolution from the perspective of the British and you really see it a totally different way from the way that it”
Where to get it
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Love and trouble
Discussed“and the one I read most recently is called love and Trouble by CLA deeder and it came out in 2017”
Where to get it
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Fleishman Is in Trouble
Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a widely acclaimed contemporary novel that examines the complexities of middle-aged divorce, modern relationships, and urban professional life through the perspective of a newly single father.
Discussed“I am reading fleschman is in trouble by our colleague Taffy bresser akner and um she has said um that this is a book about essentially middle-aged that is her subject”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (10) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“thank you so much for being here and for talking about the new book which is called again and exhalation”
“I'll tell you the one that that I did buy in addition to the I have copies of the scrier of Melville house ones that the publisher sent me but I couldn't resist the Mueller report which is the mull Report with cartoon cats and it's literally just volume one and volume two of this nearly 500 page Report with”
“Howen Phillips joins us now her new novel is called the need it is her second novel for adults her first was the beautiful bureaucrat she's also written collections of short stories and a book for children”
“Howen Phillips's new novel is called the need reviewed this week in The Thrillers issue of the New York Times book”
“it doesn't feel cheaper or more gimmicky than say atonement where it's um one character you know somebody um recasting events from the past in an attempt to redeem herself”
“derer is a journalist and a Critic and the author of another book about yoga called poser a memoir about life and yoga which now I kind of I I want to read”
“I'm reading trust exercise by Susan Choy”
“Rick Atkinson's the British are coming”
“I read love and Trouble by CLA derer”
“and I'm reading fleshman is in trouble by Taffy briser akner”