Episode · The Book Review · 2023-07-14
Books mentioned on Great Books from The First Half of 2023
Gilbert Cruz recommended Lone Women by Victor LaValle and The Wager by David Grann, and discussed Spare by Prince Harry and King: A Life by Jonathan Eig. Liz Entin recommended I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, and discussed Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson and You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith. Tina Jordan recommended Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo and Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. Joumana Khatib recommended Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad and My search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunket. MJ Franklin recommended Y/N by Esther Yi and In Memoriam by Alice Winn. Sadie Stein recommended The Sullivanians by Alexander Stille and Don't look at me like that by Diana Athill.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Lone Women
Lone Women is a historical horror novel by Victor LaValle that follows a woman escaping her past with a heavy trunk in early twentieth-century Montana.
Recommended“two of the books I've most enjoyed this year have been the wager by David Gran and lone women by Victor Laval”
Where to get it
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The Wager
The Wager by David Grann is a historical non-fiction book detailing the harrowing 18th-century shipwreck of a British naval vessel and the dramatic mutiny and survival trials that followed.
Recommended“two of the books I've most enjoyed this year have been the wager by David Gran and lone women by Victor Laval”
Where to get it
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Spare
Spare by Prince Harry is a bestselling memoir by Prince Harry that offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at his life within the British royal family, his struggles with grief, and his eventual departure from royal duties with Meghan Markle.
Discussed“it started off with what is still one of the big book stories this year which was the publication of spare by Prince Harry”
Where to get it
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I Have Some Questions for You
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai is a gripping novel that blends a boarding school setting with true crime obsession, memory, and a quest for justice.
Recommended“I think the first one I would mention on the fiction side is Rebecca makai's new book it's called I have some questions for you”
Where to get it
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Pineapple Street
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson is a contemporary novel set in Brooklyn Heights that follows the complicated lives and emotional entanglements of an affluent family.
Discussed“I would say the first big novel to to bring in the wave of Summer books was probably pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson”
Where to get it
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Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld is a witty and observant novel that follows a comedy show writer who unexpectedly finds herself falling for a charismatic guest host.
Recommended“which kind of leads me to another book I wanted to talk about which is romantic comedy by Curtis sittenfeld”
Where to get it
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You Could Make This Place Beautiful
Discussed“you could make this place beautiful yes that is Maggie Smith's Memoir”
Where to get it
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Master Slave Husband Wife
Ilyon Woo's Master Slave Husband Wife tells the meticulously researched true story of Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved couple who engineered a daring escape to freedom.
Recommended“the one I want to talk about is Master Slave husband wife by Ilan wo who's an independent scholar”
Where to get it
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King: A Life
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig is a definitive, deeply researched biography of Martin Luther King Jr.
Discussed“another piece of historical non-fiction that the two of you have read that also is a bestseller and that I've seen a lot of people picking up is Jonathan 's book King life”
Where to get it
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Birnam Wood
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton is a gripping literary thriller set in modern-day New Zealand that follows an undercover eco-activist guerrilla gardening group that clashes with an American tech billionaire over a disputed plot of land.
Recommended“so that would be Burnham Wood by ellanor katton”
Where to get it
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Hello Beautiful
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is an acclaimed contemporary novel that explores complex family dynamics, Sisterhood, and emotional resilience.
Recommended“I would love to recommend Hello Beautiful by an napalitano which received a wonderful glowing review in the book review”
Where to get it
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Enter Ghost
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad is a critically acclaimed contemporary novel that follows characters staging a production of Hamlet in Palestine and the West Bank.
Recommended“so I landed on enter ghost by Isabella hammad this is her second novel”
Where to get it
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Y/N
Y/N by Esther Yi is a contemporary novel that explores obsession, fandom, and desire through the lens of a narrator captivated by a major K-pop star.
Recommended“my book recommendation is y/n by Esther E and this book is so good that it is hard to believe it's a debut novel”
Where to get it
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The Sullivanians
The Sullivanians by Alexander Stille is a compelling nonfiction work exploring the history, dynamics, and eventual decline of a radical Upper West Side psychotherapy commune.
Recommended“this book is by Alexandra Stila and it is called the sullivanians subtitle sex Psychotherapy and the wildlife of an American commune”
Where to get it
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My search for Warren Harding
My Search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunket is a satirical novel that follows an eccentric graduate student's obsessive quest to uncover the private life of the former United States president.
Recommended“I recommend my search for Warren Harding by Robert plunket first published in the 80s cult classic”
Where to get it
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In Memoriam
In Memoriam by Alice Winn is a poignant historical novel that charts a complicated romance and deep friendship between two young men set against the brutal backdrop of the First World War.
Recommended“I recommend in Memorial by Alice win it is both this very heart-wrenching love story and also a devastating War Story”
Where to get it
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Don't look at me like that
Don't Look at Me Like That by Diana Athill is a poignant novel exploring complex relationships, personal freedom, and emotional vulnerability.
Recommended“I would recommend Diana aills don't look at me like that which has just been re-released by New York Review of Books”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (10) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“it was ghost written by Jr minger the author of The Tender bar which was a memoir”
“and Rebecca McKai is the author of The Great Believers that was chosen as a best book by the book review a couple years back”
“and those of you who know Curtis sittenfeld probably know her from prep and from American Wife and from rodom her book about Hillary Clinton”
“and those of you who know Curtis sittenfeld probably know her from prep and from American Wife and from rodom her book about Hillary Clinton”
“and those of you who know Curtis sittenfeld probably know her from prep and from American Wife and from rodom her book about Hillary Clinton”
“David Gran is the top-notch narrative non-fiction writer for the New Yorker who's known for killers of the flower Moon”
“I should say that there have been other biographies of King and I and I think I'm really fond of Taylor Branch's epic 3 volume history of the civil rights movement and the first volume of that parting the waters has always been one of my favorite books”
“I really love diving into a big fat book about somebody I think I know everything about and I had that experience a few years ago with Sylvia pla when I was reading her 700 Page biography called red comet”
“I don't know if you remember she it's been more than 10 years since her previous novel which won the book or The Luminaries”
“I Loved Her First book which was called the Parisian it was this big historical novel set in Palestine”