Episode · The Book Review · 2015-12-24
Books mentioned on Inside The New York Times Book Review: The Year in Poetry
Greg Cowles recommended When my brother was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz and What work is by Philip Levine and others, and discussed Field guide by Robert Hass, Trees & other poems by Joyce Kilmer, Raft That No Man Made by Robert T. S. Lowell, Indistinguishable from the darkness by Charlie Smith, and The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins. Pamela Paul recommended Our Andromeda by Brenda Shaughnessy, and discussed Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee and The very persistent gappers of Frip by George Saunders and others. Alexandra Alter recommended Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff and Purity by Jonathan Franzen. Also mentioned: Garments against women by Anne Boyer.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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When my brother was an Aztec
When My Brother Was an Aztec is a powerful and harrowing poetry collection by Natalie Diaz that explores family dynamics, addiction, and indigenous identity.
Recommended“she is a poet yeah she she's got a very fine book called when my brother was an Aztec”
Where to get it
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Garments against women
Discussed“there's a great review near by Moren and mlan um it's an Boyer's book garments against women and it's you know people think of poetry as being so rarified and apart from the rest of the world”
Where to get it
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Our Andromeda
Our Andromeda by Brenda Shaughnessy is a deeply moving and experimental collection of poetry that confronts the complexities of motherhood, disability, and artistic ambition.
Recommended“it's um it's a book called AR Andromeda by Brenda shaunessy who is a friend and um it's a beautiful book about motherhood and sort of raising her child who has cerebral PSY and just ambition and wanting to be a writer”
Where to get it
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Field guide
Field Guide by Robert Hass is the acclaimed debut poetry collection by the esteemed American poet, which originally earned the prestigious Yale Series of Younger Poets prize.
Discussed“um when I was like 13 years old I stumbled across in my local library a copy of Robert hass's book uh praise I think it was oh no Field Guide his his very first book”
Where to get it
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What work is
What Work Is is a celebrated poetry collection by Philip Levine that chronicles the lives of American laborers and working-class struggles.
Recommended“Philip LaVine working in in kind of the same vein his book what work is it is a book that I reread”
Where to get it
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Trees & other poems
Discussed“one that I love is is John Waters uh calling out Joyce Kilmer's trees as a as a poem that of course he would do something like that the first poem that quote stirred him sexually”
Where to get it
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Raft That No Man Made
Discussed“and so Lena Dunham um singles out man and wife by Robert L”
Where to get it
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Indistinguishable from the darkness
Discussed“he wrote a poem called now I smack my head which I saw in a small literary journal when I was uh maybe 19 years old and uh it was later collected in his book indistinguishable from the darkness”
Where to get it
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Go Set A Watchman
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee is a novel written before To Kill a Mockingbird that follows an adult Scout returning to Maycomb, Alabama, and confronting her aging father's complex racial views.
Discussed“why don't you take a stab at it um was it one that took up three months of our podcast uh an unknown author yes with her sophomore effort go set a Watchman”
Where to get it
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Fates and Furies
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff is a celebrated novel that examines the complex dynamics of a marriage by exploring the same relationship from two distinctly different perspectives.
Recommended“I loved um Fates and Furies by Lauren grth seeing a marriage from two perspectives is not an a brand new idea and fiction but the execution I thought was beautiful”
Where to get it
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Purity
Purity by Jonathan Franzen is a sprawling contemporary novel that examines modern journalism, family secrets, global activism, and personal identity through an interconnected cast of characters.
Recommended“and I also love Purity by Jonathan Franzen I thought it really got at some of some of the issues that we're grappling with as a culture as a society”
Where to get it
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The very persistent gappers of Frip
The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders, with illustrations by Lane Smith, is a whimsical yet philosophical children's fable about a small seaside village plagued by bizarre, orange, goat-like creatures that cling to goats.
Discussed“and is also here to celebrate the 15th anniversary reissue of a children's book The very persistent gappers of Frip”
Where to get it
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The Bone Labyrinth
Discussed“uh it is James rollins' new novel it's his latest Sigma Force Thriller the bone Labyrinth is new at number nine on the combined fiction list”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I think probably the biggest bombshell was the second novel by Harper Lee published more than 50 years after To Kill a Mockingbird”
“you know after previous years where we had The Goldfinch or Anthony dores all the light we cannot see there wasn't one mustre most discussed book of the year”
“he is the a author for adults most recently of Congratulations by the way”
“and the Story collection 10th of December and is also here to celebrate the 15th anniversary reissue of a children's book The very persistent gappers of Frip”