Episode · The Book Review · 2024-07-18
Books mentioned on Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘Infinite Jest’ at 20
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Infinite jest
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is a sprawling, maximalist novel exploring addiction, entertainment, depression, and modern American culture against the backdrop of a tennis academy and a halfway house.
Discussed“Tom Bissell joins us now um he wrote a new forward to the 20th anniversary edition of infinite just by David Foster Wallace”
Where to get it
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Paradise Now
Discussed“Chris Jennings joins us now he is the author of paradise now the story of American utopianism”
Where to get it
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Girl With Curious Hair
Discussed“so tell us the sort of the story he had two previous books the uh broom of the system and girl with curious hair”
Where to get it
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The Broom of the System
Discussed“so tell us the sort of the story he had two previous books the uh broom of the system and girl with curious hair”
Where to get it
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A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace is a brilliant collection of sharp, deeply observant essays exploring contemporary American culture, media, and leisure through the author's trademark hyper-detailed lens.
Discussed“we were talking earlier before this podcast about his non-fiction which some people consider to be a kind of a gateway to his fiction specifically we're talking about about uh a supposedly fun thing I'll never do again and you were saying that there's a real relationship between that essay in particular and this novel”
Where to get it
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The Swans of Fifth Avenue
Discussed“on the fiction side there are three new titles starting with a novel called the swans of Fifth Avenue down at number nine that's by Melanie Benjamin”
Where to get it
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The Aviator's Wife
Discussed“so she wrote a novel a few years ago called the aviator's wife that was also a New York Times bestseller um that was about anuro Lindberg Charles lindberg's wife”
Where to get it
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The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb
Discussed“U before that she had a novel called The Autobiography of Mrs Tom Thumb this is kind of her thing”
Where to get it
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The Bands of Mourning
Discussed“at number six Brandon Sanderson continues his mistborn fantasy series with a novel called the bands of morning new at number six that's morning m o u r n i n g”
Where to get it
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NYPD Red 4
Discussed“then finally at number one James Patterson continues the NYPD Red series that he's been writing with Marshall carp that one uh is creatively called NYPD Red 4 it is unsurprisingly the fourth book in the series new it number one”
Where to get it
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The only game in town
Discussed“at number 14 a guy named Muhammad a l Aran who used to be the CEO of Pim ccoe that huge Bond firm in Southern California um has written a book called The Only Game in Town”
Where to get it
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Cure
Discussed“the other one is at number 10 a book called Cure by a science writer named Joe marant and she's especially looking at the Mind Body link um the role that our psychology that the Mind plays in helping us get over diseases”
Where to get it
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When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is a powerful autobiographical memoir written by a neurosurgeon facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, exploring mortality, meaning, and the intersection of medicine and life.
Recommended“I want to talk just uh really quickly about the the top books on the non-fiction side because they are I'm showing my card such great books it's really nice to see we've got when breath becomes erab by Paul Colony”
Where to get it
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Dark Money
Dark Money by Jane Mayer is an investigative non-fiction book that exposes the hidden history and political financing networks of radical right-wing billionaires and conservative foundations working to reshape American politics.
Discussed“uh number two dark money by Jane Mayer a previous guest here on the podcast”
Where to get it
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Between the World and Me
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a bestselling epistolary book written as a letter from the author to his teenage son, exploring the reality of growing up Black in America.
Discussed“and then at number three between the world and Me by Tana Hy coats just a Jugger nod of a book there one of our 10 best”
Where to get it
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The road to Little Dribbling
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson is a humorous travelogue in which the author embarks on a nostalgic yet wry journey across Great Britain, observing the quirks and changes of the British landscape.
Discussed“Bill Bryson also here as a podcast guest the road to little dribbling at number four”
Where to get it
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The Name of God is Mercy
Discussed“and then the pope who can argue with that the name of God is Mercy at number five it's just nice to see”
Where to get it
