Episode · The Book Review · 2018-10-19
Susan Orlean on The Book Review: books mentioned
Susan Orlean on a Great Library Fire
Pamela Paul recommended The Library Book by Susan Orlean, discussed The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, The Start-up of You by Reid Hoffman and others, THE ALLIANCE by Reid Hoffman and others, and What I Saw at the Revolution by Peggy Noonan, and read Kim by Rudyard Kipling for a book club. Reed Hoffman recommended The seventh sense by Joshua Cooper Ramo and Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and discussed Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. Greg Cowles discussed Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck and Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. John Williams discussed There There by Tommy Orange. Taffy Brodesser-Akner discussed The Nix by Nathan Hill.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
The Library Book
The Library Book by Susan Orlean is a compelling non-fiction narrative that investigates the devastating 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library while exploring the broader historical and cultural significance of public libraries in modern society.
Recommended“Susan orene joins us from San Francisco where she is on book tour for her latest book the library book Susan thank you so much for being here thanks for having me on before I get started I want to say that everyone who does not own the library book should Google it just to see what it looks like”
Where to get it
-
The Orchid Thief
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean is a non-fiction narrative exploring the eccentric world of orchid poachers and the fascinating obsession surrounding rare flowers in Florida.
Discussed“you just dropped such an interesting little tidbit that now I need to know what the original title of the Orchid Thief was you're not going to believe it because it's so different”
Where to get it
-
The Start-up of You
The Start-up of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha is a career guide that applies entrepreneurial strategies and startup thinking to professional development.
Discussed“so the first book was the startup of you the second one was the alliance”
Where to get it
-
THE ALLIANCE
THE ALLIANCE by Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh, and Miguel Marqués Muñoz is a business book that reframes the employer-employee relationship around the concept of tours of duty in the modern startup era.
Discussed“so the first book was the startup of you the second one was the alliance”
Where to get it
-
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman is a media critique arguing that the shift from a print-based culture to a television-dominated society degrades public discourse by turning serious political and intellectual subjects into mere entertainment.
Discussed“most recently I've been rereading a book that I loved as an undergraduate Neil postman's amusing ourselves to death because I've been kind of rethinking what the lessons from that are to the modern world of social media”
Where to get it
-
The seventh sense
The Seventh Sense is a thought-provoking business and technology book by Joshua Cooper Ramo that examines how hyper-connectivity and modern networks are fundamentally reshaping global power, leadership, and strategy.
Recommended“the kinds of other things that I think are interesting in like a business book Arena are like Joshua Cooper Ramos's seventh sense which is kind of networks about howlies the new world of networks and what that means”
Where to get it
-
Antifragile
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a non-fiction book that explores how certain systems, things, and people actually benefit and grow stronger from disorder, volatility, and stress.
Recommended“Nicholas talib's antifragile which is how do we build these new systems and which they're robust and you know it's kind of a combination intellectual and Business book”
Where to get it
-
Go, Went, Gone
Discussed“I'm reading a German novel by Jenny erpenbeck called go went gone”
Where to get it
-
Disgrace
Disgrace is a critically acclaimed novel by South African author J.
Discussed“um I mean it it actually reminds me a lot of kota's book disgrace because like that book it takes this individual story and cracks it open to be kind of about history and politics”
Where to get it
-
There There
There There by Tommy Orange is a powerful polyphonic novel that follows a diverse group of Native American characters living in modern-day Oakland, California.
Discussed“so over the weekend I read uh they're there by Tommy orange and which I think probably everyone has heard of at this point”
Where to get it
-
The Nix
The Nix is a sprawling, satirical debut novel by Nathan Hill that traces the complex relationship between a son and his elusive mother against a backdrop of historical and political protest.
Discussed“I am reading the Knicks by Nathan Hill and for the past couple of years I've been both writing my own novel and I was doing a story about Jonathan Franzen”
Where to get it
-
What I Saw at the Revolution
What I Saw at the Revolution by Peggy Noonan is a celebrated political memoir detailing the author's experiences working as a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.
Discussed“when I was writing my first book long time ago I for reasons not that interesting to go into mostly curiosity I picked up Peggy nunan's what I saw at the Revolution and she has a very particular voice”
Where to get it
-
Kim
Kim by Rudyard Kipling is a classic novel that follows an orphaned street boy who becomes involved in the espionage and political intrigue of the Great Game in colonial India.
Book club“I started reading redard Kipling Kim for my book club”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (6) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“orene's latest book is called the library book probably one of the best titles I can think of Susan thanks again”
“uh I read a few business books but more often it's uh things like sapiens or homodeus you know you've all Harari”
“uh I read a few business books but more often it's uh things like sapiens or homodeus you know you've all Harari”
“I also want to mentioned that you have a co-author on this book and your previous book The Alliance Chris yay”
“I immediately spilled coffee on um had a nice introduction by Jan Morris the wonderful travel writer in which she compared it to Don kote”
“I hated it interestingly in a way that I hated the pck papers which is was also written in serial format”