Episode · The Book Review · 2024-07-12
Books mentioned on The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Gilbert Cruz discussed My Brilliant Friend by Chiara Lagani and others, The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, On Writing by Stephen King, and My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård and others. Tina Jordan recommended Fun and The paying guests by Sarah Waters, and discussed Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, and Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. Jimana C. T. recommended Pastoralia by George Saunders, and discussed Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante, Septology by Jon Fosse, The Years by Annie Ernaux, The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen, The Vegetarian by Han Kang, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Scott Heller recommended The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, Then we came to the end by Joshua Ferris, Finishing the hat by Stephen Sondheim, and Look, I made a hat by Stephen Sondheim, and discussed The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend by Chiara Lagani, Elena Ferrante, and Mara Cerri is the acclaimed opening volume of the Neapolitan quartet tracking the lifelong friendship of two women in Italy.
Discussed“I'd love to start with our number one book which I don't know was were people surprised was anyone in this room at least surprised that my brilliant Friend by Elena fante was according to our 5003 respondents the number one book of the 21st century”
Where to get it
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Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is a celebrated work of nonfiction that chronicles the improbable journey of a small, underdog racehorse and the resilient team that guided him to greatness during the Great Depression.
Discussed“whether it's Sea Biscuit or Gone Girl and I will fight you about Gone Girl it is a really good book”
Where to get it
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Gone Girl
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a dark psychological thriller that unravels the turbulent marriage and sudden disappearance of Amy Dunne through the increasingly suspect perspective of her husband, Nick.
Discussed“whether it's Sea Biscuit or Gone Girl and I will fight you about Gone Girl it is a really good book”
Where to get it
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Prep
Discussed“what were you surprised at Tina that was not on this list since you brought it up what cultural moments no Gone Girl no prep by Curtis sittenfeld”
Where to get it
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Pastoralia
Pastoralia by George Saunders is a critically acclaimed collection of satirical short stories that examines modern alienation, consumerism, and institutional absurdity through deeply quirky and unforgettable characters.
Recommended“who wants to pick a fun book on this list pastoralia by George Saunders”
Where to get it
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Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is a historical fiction novel that follows Abraham Lincoln in a Washington cemetery grieving his young son Willie amid a supernatural bardo of ghosts.
Discussed“George Saunders had three books on here there are only three authors that had three books on here George Saunders with two story Collections and his novel Lincoln and the BAU”
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“fante had two of her neap pin quartet and then the days of Abandonment”
Where to get it
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The Fifth Season
N.K.
Discussed“we have one sci-fi fantasy one prominent sci-fi fantasy book on here which is the fifth season by enk jamson it certainly would have been great to to have seen more”
Where to get it
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Fun
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a celebrated graphic memoir exploring family dynamics, sexuality, and the complex relationship between a daughter and her closeted father.
Recommended“if by pleasurable you mean laugh out loud funny I'm going to nominate Allison beckel's fun home”
Where to get it
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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a celebrated historical novel by Michael Chabon that chronicles the lives of two Jewish cousins who become major figures in the American comic book industry during its golden age.
Recommended“all right I would say going to the list number 16 The Amazing Adventures of cavalier and Clay Michael Shan's book about the history of the comic book industry is a complete Delight”
Where to get it
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The Sellout
The Sellout by Paul Beatty is a bold, satirical novel about race and racism in contemporary America that made history as the first American novel to win the Booker Prize in 2016.
Recommended“and then actually the one right after that on the list is the sellout by Paul batty which is a pretty impressive pretty bold satire about race and racism”
Where to get it
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H Is for Hawk
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald is a critically acclaimed memoir that chronicles the author's harrowing journey through grief following the sudden death of her father, which she processes by training a notoriously aggressive goshawk.
Discussed“we have several Memoirs also H is for Hawk H is for Hawk”
Where to get it
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Random Family
Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc is a landmark work of investigative journalism that chronicles the lives of several individuals and families navigating poverty, the drug trade, and the criminal justice system in the Bronx over the course of a decade.
Discussed“random family the Adrian nicoa Blanc book that came out in 2001 2003 2003 it was on my list”
Where to get it
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The Corrections
Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections is a sprawling, multi-generational novel that explores the complexities, dysfunction, and shifting fortunes of an American Midwestern family at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Discussed“the the Known World by Edward p Jones also 2003 as is the corrections from 2001 which is a book that look I know Jonathan friend is not probably has never heard of a podcast”
Where to get it
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The Known World
The Known World by Edward P.
Discussed“what else is from 2003 is a fiction that's in the top 10 the the Known World by Edward p Jones also 2003”
Where to get it
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Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver's acclaimed novel Demon Copperhead is a contemporary reimagining of Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, set against the grim backdrop of the opioid crisis in modern-day Appalachia.
Discussed“although I think the one and I'd love to hear other people's opinions on this CU there is there's a slight recency bias you'll see I wonder if demon Copperhead trust tomorrow and tomorrow there might be one or two others from the past two years”
Where to get it
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Septology
Septology by Jon Fosse is a monumental sequence of novels by the Norwegian author exploring faith, art, and human existence.
Discussed“shiman you were going to talk about the Nobel winner yeah I was going to talk about septology”
Where to get it
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The Years
Annie Ernaux's acclaimed autobiographical work explores collective and personal history through the lens of memory, time, and changing social landscapes.
Discussed“what kind of translated literature we would see you mentioned the years by anyer no”
Where to get it
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The Copenhagen Trilogy
The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen is a raw, devastating autobiographical masterpiece that chronicles the Danish author's difficult childhood, early artistic ambitions, and eventual descent into severe drug addiction.
Discussed“we even had Tova dson who wrote The Copenhagen Trilogy which is a book that has stuck with me and a lot of friends kind of came as a total shock out of left field”
Where to get it
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The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian by Han Kang is a haunting South Korean novel that explores a woman's sudden decision to stop eating meat, which triggers a devastating psychological and familial crisis.
Discussed“nice to see a really good representation from across the world prepis the vegetarian”
Where to get it
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The Road
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, post-apocalyptic novel that follows a father and his young son as they walk across a burned America, striving to survive while holding onto their morality.
Discussed“like KC McCarthy is the road which is about a father and sun on the road they're in a burned out postnuclear War America and they're trying to survive and they're cannibals and it's just Grim”
Where to get it
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Station Eleven
Station Eleven by Emily St.
Discussed“there was station 11 by Emily St John Mandel this is a book that became very popular during the early days of the pandemic”
Where to get it
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Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is a haunting dystopian novel that explores the poignant lives of students at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school who slowly discover a dark and tragic truth about their engineered existence.
Discussed“and then there is Never Let Me Go which I think I characterize it recently as the quietest dystopian novel that might ever exist”
Where to get it
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The Looming Tower
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright is a detailed non-fiction account tracing the origins of the war on terrorism, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, and the events leading up to September 11.
Discussed“we have the looming Tower the Lawrence Wright book was very specifically about 911 and its aftermath”
Where to get it
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Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is a historical fiction novel that chronicles the rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII.
Discussed“from Wolf Hall to the known world to the Underground Railroad to to penko to Lincoln and the BAU”
Where to get it
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The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical fiction novel that reimagines the antebellum South by turning the secret network of abolitionist routes into a literal subterranean railway system utilized by an enslaved woman named Cora seeking freedom.
Discussed“from Wolf Hall to the known world to the Underground Railroad to to penko to Lincoln and the BAU”
Where to get it
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Then we came to the end
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris is a sharply observed, darkly comic novel that chronicles the final days of a failing Chicago advertising agency through the collective voice of its anxious employees.
Recommended“Scott we were talking about funny before and one of the funniest books that was on the other list and I wish it was on this one is then we came to the End by Joshua Ferris”
Where to get it
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Finishing the hat
Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim is a celebrated collection of the legendary composer and lyricist's work accompanied by extensive personal and professional commentary.
Recommended“and the best theater books that have come out during this period are these two books of Steven stimes lyrics called finishing the hat and look I made a hat”
Where to get it
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Look, I made a hat
Look, I Made a Hat is a collection of lyrics and commentaries by legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of his most famous theatrical works.
Recommended“and the best theater books that have come out during this period are these two books of Steven stimes lyrics called finishing the hat and look I made a hat”
Where to get it
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The paying guests
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters is a gripping historical novel set in 1920s London following a struggling mother and daughter who take in lodgers, leading to intense psychological drama.
Recommended“I would have loved to have seen a novel called the paying guests by Sarah Waters which I think is probably my favorite book of the century so far”
Where to get it
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On Writing
On Writing by Stephen King is a celebrated memoir and masterclass that blends the author's personal experiences with practical, no-nonsense advice for aspiring writers.
Discussed“I put I put onw writing by Stephen King which actually I thought would would have appeared on this list”
Where to get it
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My Struggle
My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated by Don Bartlett, is a massive, multi-volume autobiographical novel that chronicles the intimate and mundane details of the author's daily life.
Discussed“talking about our great disorg Carl over canel scard six my struggle books”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“and the sellout appeared on our critics list from earlier this year of the funniest books since Catch 22 is that correct”