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Books podcasts were talking about in November 2015
November 2015 featured deep dives into historical biographies, speculative science, mythology, and cultural memoirs on multiple podcast episodes. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Graham Hancock recommended Richard Tarnas's Cosmos and Psyche to support the validity of astrology and breaking from ideological constraints. Meanwhile, The Book Review presented a rich assortment of new releases and interviews. Pamela Paul introduced Steven Lee Myers to discuss his new biography The New Tsar and welcomed Amy Ellis Nutt to talk about Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family. Maria Russo highlighted several notable books, including Rick Riordan's new Norse mythology novel The Sword of Summer, Louis Sachar's environmentally themed middle-grade book Fuzzy Mud, Laura Amy Schlitz's young adult novel The Hired Girl, and Sonia Manzano's memoir Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx. Additionally, John Williams opened an interview by introducing Lisa Randall and her new book Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, tying together a month of wide-ranging literary exploration.
The Book Review
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Dark matter and the dinosaurs
Discussed“her new book is dark matter and the Dinosaurs the astounding interconnectedness of the universe which is reviewed in this week's issue and Lisa is here to talk about it”
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Iterating Grace
Discussed“the author is anonymous the title is iterating Grace”
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A Thousand Miles to Freedom
Discussed“they are a thousand miles to Freedom by yunen Kim”
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Under the same sky
Discussed“and under the same Sky by Joseph Kim”
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Warheart (Sword of Truth)
Discussed“we'll start at number 16 with warheart by Terry goodkin”
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Rules for a Knight
Discussed“at number 12 there's rules for a night which is a book by the actor Ethan Hawk and it's kind of an odd project”
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The Mistletoe Promise
Discussed“up at number nine Richard Paul Evans who has a Christmas themed book every year around this time has the mistletoe in his latest”
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The Pharaoh’s Secret
Discussed“at number eight the pharaoh's Secret by Clive kusler and Graham Brown”
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All Dressed in White
Discussed“and at number seven Mary Higgins Clark who's had a long career as a bestseller writing books by herself has teamed up with the writer alfair Burke to write a book called all dressed in white”
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The Guilty
Discussed“up at number two is David balchi whose new novel is called the guilty and he is no stranger to the top of the list”
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Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum Series #22)
Discussed“but he's beat out at the very top this week by Janet ivanovich's new book tricky 22”
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The Blue Touch Paper
Discussed“he'll tell us when he talks about his new Memoir the blue touch paper”
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Acting Up
Discussed“and um then also wrote a book about that experience acting up”
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Waiting for Godot
Discussed“and when she first saw waiting for godo she thought this is the ugliest play I've ever seen”
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Challenger Deep
Discussed“so that was Neil Schusterman who won for Challenger Deep which is a novel about a mentally yill teenager”
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Fortune Smiles
Discussed“so the winner was a bit of a surprise I have to say Adam Johnson um one for his short Story collection Fortune smiles”
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The Japanese Lover
Discussed“it's uh by Isabel aende it's a new novel called the Japanese lover”
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The promise
Discussed“Robert Cray continues his Elvis Cole mystery series uh mystery thriller series with a novel called The Promise”
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Crimson Shore
Discussed“that novel is called Crimson Shore”
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The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
Discussed“Mitch album is back on the list with a novel called the magic strings of Frankie Presto”
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Destiny and power
Discussed“John meim will be here to talk about his new biography of George Herbert Walker Bush Destiny and power”
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Killing a King
Discussed“on the 20th anniversary of that terrible event Dan afron will be here to talk about his new book killing a king”
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Avenue of Mysteries
Discussed“we start at number five with John Irving's new novel Avenue of mysteries which is in some ways a very typical John Irving novel”
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Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates
Discussed“uh this one back to the founding fathers again is Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates”
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Troublemaker
Discussed“then finally I also knew at number one this week um actress Leia Rini who's best known from uh King of Queens has written a book with Rebecca paly called Troublemaker”
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Traps
Discussed“the difference at the Amazon store is that for the opening the section included a few of Jeff bezos's own favorite titles um including the five love languages by Gary Chapman and traps by his own wife McKenzie Bezos here's his review of traps a page Turner written by an award-winning novelist who also happens to be my wife”
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The immortal Nicholas
Discussed“starting down at number 13 Glenn Beck the conservative radio host has a novel called The Immortal Nicholas it's a Santa Claus novel it's uh imagining a history for Santa Claus that ties him all the way back to the origins of the Christ story”
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The woman who walked in sunshine
Discussed“then at number seven um Alexander McCall Smith continues his number one ladies detective agency series with a book called the woman who walked in sunshine that's the 16th book in the series it's new at number seven”
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A banquet of consequences
Discussed“another series continues up at number four Elizabeth George continues her Scotland Yard mystery series with a novel called a banquet of consequences”
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Depraved Heart
Discussed“and series again at number three Patricia Cornwell is back with the 23rd book in her Cas scarpeta um medical examiner series uh this book is called depraved heart and it is the highest ranked newcomer on the fiction list at number three”
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My life on the road
Discussed“again starting down at number 13 Gloria steinm uh has a memoir called my life on the road it's partly about her life and partly a history of the feminist movement which of course uh she has personified for the last 50 years or more”
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Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl
Discussed“then at uh number 11 the actress and especially musician Carrie Brownstein uh famous now for Portlandia but really she uh made her name as the guitarist for the riot girl band Slater Kenny uh has a memoir called hunger makes me a modern girl and it is especially the story of Slater Kenny um and her life as a”
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Wildflower
Discussed“Drew Barrymore who of course was famous as a child star and is still famous as an adult star has her first Memoir since she was 14 years old uh this book is called Wildflower new at number n and she looks back on her career and on Life as a mother and um really just talks about her wild”
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Notorious RBG
Discussed“next up at number seven is a book called notorious RBG by Erin carmone and shanana Nik uh this is a book it's sort of a biography and sort of just a scrapbook it grows out of the author there's Tumblr feed also called notorious RBG which is really a celebration of Ruth Bader Ginsburg the Supreme Court Justice”
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Government zero
Discussed“then at number three the radio host of Savage Nation Michael Savage has a new book called government zero this is sort of a non-fiction analog to Michelle welbeck's new novel it argues that progressives and islamists are trying to ruin your life and control everything”
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The New Tsar
Recommended“Steven leem Meers will join us to talk about his new biography the new Zar he's embraced not just the Soviet Traditions the instincts that he's always had but he's embracing a kind of vision of of the leader of the state in a very zarik way the Imperial Zar”
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Becoming Nicole
Recommended“what happens when one set of twin boys realizes he is a she Amy Ellis nut will be here to discuss her new book becoming Nicole the transformation of an American Family Nicole even as Wyatt was always who she was a twin who really liked girls things who in the beginning called herself a girl boy”
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The Sword of Summer
Recommended“I think the the the big one is probably Rick Ryan's right there's a a new series that Rick Ryan of Percy Jackson Fame has started and it's called Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard this first uh installment is called the sword of Summer and now he's taking on Norse mythology instead of Greek mythology”
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Fuzzy Mud
Recommended“yeah we have a great review of Louis saar's new book fuzzy mud which has already made its appearance for weeks on the bestseller list a middle-grade book The Plot involves a corporate conspiracy to pollute and poison uh the environment that these two children have to discover and try to thwart that it's very timely and I think kids”
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The Hired Girl
Recommended“well I loved the hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz another multiple Award winner um and this is a book set in 1911 about a girl who comes from an isolated Farm environment in Pennsylvania who was raised Catholic”
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Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx
Recommended“but I really loved Sonia manso's Memoir becoming Maria love and Chaos in the South Bronx Sonia monsano of course of Sesame Street Fame and you know I for one am always surprised when someone who is so talented in one area can also write”
The Rubin Report
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Pride
Discussed“I do prefer you know Pride and Prejudice or you know the latest PBS uh um down Abby that sort of thing”
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Prejudice
Discussed“I do prefer you know Pride and Prejudice or you know the latest PBS uh um down Abby that sort of thing”
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Downton Abbey
Discussed“I do prefer you know Pride and Prejudice or you know the latest PBS uh um down Abby that sort of thing uh but it's not I don't impose that on everyone and I recognize there can be great movies”
The Joe Rogan Experience
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Cosmos and Psyche
Recommended“there's a fantastic book by a guy called Rick taras called Cosmos and psyche and he's a real mainstream but very major academic and he's got into this and he's shown that actually yeah astrology does have effects”
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Blackfish
Discussed“and that movie Blackfish was the big one that was the big one that woke up a lot of people when they they just realized like whoa what what what is this place killed SeaWorld for me forever”
Conversations with Tyler
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Methuselah's Children
Discussed“that is a really Methuselah's children”
Freakonomics Radio
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Petty
Discussed“So, when the idea of a book came up, he said, here's how it would happen. It's not ghostwritten. It's not co-written. It's not authorized. It's your book.”
