Episode · The Book Review · 2016-05-27
Books mentioned on Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets’
Pamela Paul discussed Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich, Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist, and Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace. Alexandra Alter discussed The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz. Stephanie Danler discussed The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. Greg Cowles discussed The Fireman by Joe Hill, 32 yolks by Eric Ripert, The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee, Tribes by Nina Raine, and The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Secondhand Time
Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich is a powerful oral history composed of harrowing interviews that capture the psychological fallout of the Soviet Union's collapse on ordinary citizens.
Discussed“her latest book secondhand time the last of the Soviets has just been translated and published here Adam held no stranger to this podcast reviews it for us this week”
Where to get it
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The Queue
The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz is a provocative dystopian novel by an Egyptian writer that explores life under the rule of a surreal, authoritarian administrative apparatus known as the Gate, drawing sharp inspiration from the disillusionment following the Arab Spring.
Discussed“I met a really interesting author basma abdulaziz who is an Egyptian novelist uh she was visiting New York because her novel The Q is being published in English this week by Melville House Press and it's a fascinating novel because she was inspired by the Arab Spring and kind of the disappointing aftermath of the Arab Spring”
Where to get it
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Sweetbitter
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler is a debut novel that captures the intense coming-of-age journey of a young woman navigating the high-pressure restaurant world in New York City.
Discussed“Stephanie danler is coming of age in the restaurant world book Sweet Bitter has managed to knock out both Foodies and critics”
Where to get it
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The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James is a classic 1881 novel following the spirited young American heiress Isabel Archer as she navigates European society, independence, and a disastrous marriage.
Discussed“and I needed a plot which I was really inspired by rereading Henry James portrait of a lady uh while I was in graduate school”
Where to get it
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Me Before You
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is a contemporary bestselling romantic drama novel that explores complex themes of love, choice, and personal autonomy.
Discussed“JoJo moyes's novel me before you was a bestseller when it came out in England in 2012 it was as the Brits say a real weepe and readers devoured it”
Where to get it
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The Fireman
Discussed“well the most significant newcomer on the hard cover fiction list is right at the top uh Joe Hill's new novel the fireman AKA AKA uh Joseph Hill King he is Stephen King's son”
Where to get it
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32 yolks
Discussed“yes he does down at number 13 the uh celebrity chef Eric repair who is uh the chef and a co-owner of um the four star Le Bernard in New York City has written a memoir called 32 yolks”
Where to get it
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The Gene
The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee is an intimate history of genetics that traces the origins of hereditary science from Gregor Mendel to modern biotechnology.
Discussed“um a new book right at the top of the non-fiction list as well it's um sidartha muki's the gene he also is the one who wrote the Emperor of all maladies about cancer”
Where to get it
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The Half Has Never Been Told
Discussed“it's called the half has never been told by Edward Baptist it was one of our notable books of 2014 so I picked it up this week”
Where to get it
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Tribes
Tribes by Nina Raine is a critically acclaimed play that examines family dynamics, communication barriers, and belonging through the perspective of a young deaf man raised within a hearing family.
Discussed“i' I've taken to reading dramas on on the train and so I just finished um a play called tribes by Nina rain uh which is set in um the the deaf Community”
Where to get it
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The Days of Abandonment
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante is a searing and intense novel that follows a woman's psychological unraveling after her husband abruptly leaves her and their two children.
Discussed“and my train reading now is um I've just started reading now Elena fante's the days of Abandonment um and anyone who's read the Neapolitan series and not read this book it um you know it's very much the same voice”
Where to get it
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Consider the Lobster
Consider the Lobster is a renowned collection of provocative and deeply analytical essays by David Foster Wallace.
Discussed“I'm reading um I'm you can explain I'm reading David Foster Wallace's non-fiction essay collection consider the lobster and I have to say I just I love it”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Lana alexovich last year's Nobel Prize winner has a new book out in English secondhand time the last of the Soviets”
“Stephanie danler is here to talk about her debut novel Sweet Bitter”
“bestselling novelist Jojo Moyes is here to talk about me before you”
“one of the many reasons we thought of you um as a reviewer for this book is that of course you wrote among many other books the unquiet ghost Russians remember Stalin which wasn't structured the same as in oral history but was based on extensive interviews that you did with uh people in the former Soviet Union about the”
“he also is the one who wrote the Emperor of all maladies about cancer”