Episode · The Book Review · 2025-10-03
Books mentioned on The Sunday Special: The Books We Read in School
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web by E.
Discussed“The one the one book that stands out was actually our teacher read to us out loud when I was in fourth grade... she read uh Charlotte's Web.”
Where to get it
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
Discussed“I think I remember a teacher reading maybe Island of the Lost, Island of the Lost, Blue Dolphins, Island of the Blue Dolphins, or The Secret Garden.”
Where to get it
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The Secret Garden
Discussed“I think I remember a teacher reading maybe Island of the Lost, Island of the Lost, Blue Dolphins, Island of the Blue Dolphins, or The Secret Garden.”
Where to get it
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Betsy-Tacy (Betsy-Tacy #1)
Discussed“I should say I was not an early reader and I think what really started me loving it was um the first Betsy Tacy book.”
Where to get it
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Interview With the Vampire
Interview With the Vampire is a groundbreaking gothic horror novel by Anne Rice that delves into themes of immortality, desire, and the complex inner lives of vampires through the confession of the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac.
Discussed“And so Stephen King who I continued to maintain an obsession with Tom Clansancy, John Gisham, Michael Kiteon, Anne Rice, all these people, I would see Jurassic Park or Interview with the Vampire or The Firm and I would read the book...”
Where to get it
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Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is a classic science fiction techno-thriller about a theme park populated with resurrected dinosaurs that ultimately turn on their creators.
Discussed“And so Stephen King who I continued to maintain an obsession with Tom Clansancy, John Gisham, Michael Kiteon, Anne Rice, all these people, I would see Jurassic Park or Interview with the Vampire or The Firm and I would read the book...”
Where to get it
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The Firm
The Firm by John Grisham is a gripping legal thriller that follows a young, ambitious lawyer who discovers his prestigious new law firm is a front for the mafia.
Discussed“And so Stephen King who I continued to maintain an obsession with Tom Clansancy, John Gisham, Michael Kiteon, Anne Rice, all these people, I would see Jurassic Park or Interview with the Vampire or The Firm and I would read the book...”
Where to get it
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Nine Stories
Nine Stories by J.D.
Discussed“I mean, you mentioned nine stories and we read that later on and that was another gut punch.”
Where to get it
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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a classic tragedy exploring the intense, destructive romance of two young star-crossed lovers caught between feuding families.
Discussed“especially Romeo and Juliet being a a way that, you know, first of all, we acted them out.”
Where to get it
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Macbeth
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a classic tragedy exploring unchecked ambition, guilt, and the corrupting nature of political power.
Discussed“whether that be the Zepharelli or the Roman Palansky McBth or So, they showed you the most inappropriate versions of these stories.”
Where to get it
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Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a classic novella depicting the tragic journey of two displaced ranch workers, George and Lennie, as they search for economic opportunity during the Great Depression.
Discussed“I do remember reading of Men and it made I found it almost traumatic. I remember that.”
Where to get it
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The Pearl
Discussed“We read that and The Pearl, and I found them so incredibly upsetting that that I have never read them again.”
Where to get it
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A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is a tragic novel depicting a romance set against the brutal backdrop of the Italian front during the First World War.
Critiqued“And I'm thinking here of a farewell to arms, which which was a particular dud in my freshman English class.”
Where to get it
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The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye by J.
Discussed“Oh um seventh grade we read Catcher in the Eye and I absolutely loved it.”
Where to get it
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by F.
Discussed“The book was The Great Gatsby uh by Fitzgerald, which I have read possibly more than any other book.”
Where to get it
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The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner is a modernist classic that fragments time and perspective to chronicle the tragic decline of the Compson family in the American South.
Critiqued“One of the books I remembered not liking was sound the sound in the fury by William.”
Where to get it
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As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying is a landmark modernist novel by William Faulkner that chronicles the arduous journey of the Bundren family as they transport the matriarch's body for burial, told through shifting stream-of-consciousness perspectives.
Critiqued“Um, being made to read it in a high school English class as I lay dying as well. Um, and just it I was like, I I I have no idea what's happening.”
Where to get it
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The Idiot
The Idiot is a classic novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky that explores the life and moral struggles of Prince Myshkin, a man of pure goodness navigating a corrupt society.
Discussed“we read The Idiot in high school by Doski, which is this, you know, difficult Russian literature, but he I just remember loving it.”
Where to get it
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Beloved
Beloved by Toni Morrison is a powerful, haunting novel about a formerly enslaved woman haunted by the trauma of her past and the literal ghost of the daughter she lost.
Discussed“I remember reading um we read quite a bit of it was Beloved that we first read in high school Tony Morrison and that was such a good high school book.”
Where to get it
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Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a monumental, lyrical novel that traces the multi-generational journey of Milkman Dead as he uncovers his family's rich history, cultural roots, and the transcendent mythologies of the African American experience.
Discussed“And so we also had um the audio book of I think Song of Solomon in his case. And that was fantastic.”
Where to get it
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BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson is a touching children's novel about friendship, imagination, and coping with sudden grief and loss.
Recommended“And the ones I really liked were um Lois Lowry who did The Giver and Katherine Patterson um Bridge to Terabithia.”
Where to get it
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The Giver
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a dystopian young adult novel set in a seemingly utopian society that has eliminated pain, fear, and strong emotions by enforcing absolute conformity and sameness.
Recommended“And the ones I really liked were um Lois Lowry who did The Giver and Katherine Patterson um Bridge to Terabithia.”
Where to get it
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The Great Gilly Hopkins (M Books)
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson is a children's novel about a fiercely independent foster child navigating a new temporary home.
Recommended“Terabithia and also also great um the great Gilly Hopkins. Both those books I found very moving.”
Where to get it
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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a famous trilogy of folklore-based horror anthologies paired with distinct, eerie illustrations that terrified generations of young readers.
Recommended“But if I had to give it to one, it has got to be Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alan Schwarz, which is a book I know Gilbert also enjoyed as a child.”
Where to get it
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The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is a beloved children's fantasy adventure about a bored boy named Milo who travels through a magical kingdom of wordplay and numbers.
Recommended“This is The Phantom Toll Booth by Norton Jester. And the reason I bring this up is because I had never read it before.”
Where to get it
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The dot & the line
The Dot and the Line is a whimsical picture book by Norton Juster that tells the romantic and geometric story of a straight line hopelessly in love with a chaotic, free-spirited dot.
Recommended“And he has another book that's very fun called just called The Dot and the Line.”
Where to get it
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Small Spaces
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is a middle-grade horror fantasy novel that follows a young girl who encounters a sinister mystery involving a spooky local farm and scarecrows.
Recommended“This is for kids that are slightly older. Uh, it is a series written by Katherine Ardan that begins with a book called Small Spaces.”
Where to get it
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Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary is a classic children's novel following the energetic and strong-willed Ramona Quimby as she navigates the trials and tribulations of starting kindergarten.
Recommended“And we're starting kindergarten, so we just read Ramona the Pest to him and he loved it.”
Where to get it
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Miss Nelson is missing!
Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard and James Marshall is a humorous children's picture book about a well-behaved classroom whose sweet teacher disappears and is replaced by a strict substitute.
Recommended“And um another good back to school pick is um Miss Nelson is Missing with the iconic James Marshall illustrations.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (14) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“So, let me go through all 10 here. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.”
“So, let me go through all 10 here. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.”
“The Great Gatsby by Fcott Fitzgerald.”
“The Crucible by Arthur Miller.”
“McBth by William Shakespeare.”
“of Men by John Steinbeck.”
“of Men by John Steinbeck.”
“Tilla Mockingbird by Harper Lee.”
“Knight by Ellie Visel.”
“and Hamlet by Shakespeare, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradberry, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.”
“and Hamlet by Shakespeare, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradberry, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.”
“and Hamlet by Shakespeare, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradberry, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.”
“I remember reading Grapes of Wrath, but I feel like Of Mice and Men is one that is so commonly read...”
“Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden. Yeah.”