Episode · The Book Review · 2024-07-18
Books mentioned on What We're Reading
Jennifer Szalai recommended The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carré and Life by Keith Richards, and discussed The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, Look at me by Anita Brookner, and Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley. Joumana Khatib recommended Deacon King Kong by James McBride, and discussed The color of water by James McBride. Gilbert Cruz recommended Spare by Prince Harry.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is a masterclass in psychological fiction, following an aging English butler named Stevens as he reflects on his career of dedicated service and his unrequited love amid the shifting political landscape of post-World War II Britain.
Discussed“I I did want to mention actually a book that I had read in print a long time ago probably a couple of decades ago actually and now I'm listening to in audiobook form and it's the remains of the day by kazuo ishiguro”
Where to get it
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Look at me
Look at Me by Anita Brookner is a poignant psychological novel that examines loneliness, self-deception, and the quiet struggles of a perceptive young librarian trying to navigate the demands of London's social and intellectual circles.
Discussed“I was on the subway reading an actual print book which is a book that I a novel I just started called Look At Me by Anita Brookner”
Where to get it
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The Pigeon Tunnel
John le Carré's memoir The Pigeon Tunnel offers a fascinating look into the renowned spy novelist's extraordinary life, blending personal anecdotes with reflections on espionage and storytelling.
Recommended“oh yes uh recently I listened to the pigeon tunnel by John lar his Memoir and he reads it and it's absolutely amazing”
Where to get it
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Run Towards the Danger
Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley is a deeply personal memoir composed of interconnected essays where the acclaimed writer and filmmaker confronts various pivotal moments from her life and career.
Discussed“and so another one I listened to which was which which was interesting I mean I enjoyed listening to it was Sarah Po's Memoir run towards the danger”
Where to get it
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Life
Life by Keith Richards is an autobiography chronicling the legendary musician's decades with the Rolling Stones and his experiences with rock and roll excess.
Recommended“I would say that the portions of the Keith Richards Memoir which he reads aloud are far better than the portions in which people are doing kind of Jack Sparrow impersonations”
Where to get it
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Deacon King Kong
Deacon King Kong by James McBride is a vibrant and humorous novel set in a 1960s Brooklyn housing project, following the chaotic fallout after an eccentric old church deacon shoots a local drug dealer.
Recommended“and I said oh my gosh you've got to read Deacon King Kong by James McBride it's great”
Where to get it
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The color of water
James McBride's memoir The Color of Water tells the remarkable true story of growing up in Red Hook as one of twelve children born to a white mother who grew up Jewish, converted, and ultimately started a church with her first husband.
Discussed“and then I realized that I had never read the book that I think was really McBride's breakout which is his Memoir called the color of water”
Where to get it
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Spare
Spare by Prince Harry is a bestselling memoir by Prince Harry that offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at his life within the British royal family, his struggles with grief, and his eventual departure from royal duties with Meghan Markle.
Recommended“I have been listening for maybe a month and a half to the Prince Harry Memoir read by him in audiobook form and it is like I know we had a first wave of coverage where there's a lot of ah this isn't that great”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“for you non-fiction enthusiasts I'm going to mention three there's a new work by Matthew Desmond the piter prizewinning author of evicted whose new book looks at poverty in America it's called poverty by America”
“there's a new book about the royal family by Sally Bedell Smith titled George V 6 and Elizabeth the marriage that saved the monarchy that's about Queen Elizabeth II's father”
“and there is King Al Life by Jonathan a which is the first major biography of Luther King Jr in quite a while”
“I think when I read this book it might have been around the time that never let me go came out which was maybe about 20 20 years ago it's uh 2005”
“and so I read this one and then I had meant to read the unconsoled and I haven't read it so far”