Person
Every book Andrew Lavallée recommended on podcasts
Andrew Lavallée, as evident from his participation on The Book Review podcast, emerges as an attentive reader with eclectic literary tastes spanning contemporary fiction, short story collections, and poetry. Sharing what he has been reading across different episodes, Lavallée recommended several notable books to listeners. He discussed Nafissa Thompson-Spires's story collection Heads of the Colored People and recommended Terrance Hayes's poetry collection American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin. Additionally, Lavallée brought up Nick Hornby's novel Just Like You, which he had been reading, and Gary Shteyngart's novel Our Country Friends, noting its reception as a prominent pandemic novel. Expanding further into contemporary fiction and historical narratives, Lavallée mentioned Alexandra Chang's novel Days of Distraction and expressed his desire to read John Okada's novel No-No Boy. Through these varied recommendations and discussions, Lavallée showcases a broad engagement with contemporary publishing, regularly highlighting works that capture modern cultural anxieties, historical reflections, and diverse fictional storytelling across multiple genres.
Books recommended by Andrew Lavallée
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American sonnets for my past and future assassin
American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes is an inventive and politically charged poetry collection that addresses contemporary American life, race, and history through a series of formal sonnets.
Recommended“and one of the ones that I'm reading right now is a book that came out a couple of years ago called American sonnets for my past and future Assassin by Terrence Hayes”
Where to get it
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Heads of the colored people
Heads of the Colored People is a sharp, satirical short story collection by Nafissa Thompson-Spires that examines race, identity, and contemporary pop culture in America.
Recommended“a Story collection by nefisa Thompson spes called heads of the colored people”
Where to get it
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Just Like You
Just Like You is a contemporary novel by Nick Hornby that explores modern relationships, cross-generational romance, and the social differences that challenge contemporary partnerships.
Recommended“I have been reading Just Like You by Nick Hornby”
Where to get it
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Our Country Friends
Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart is a pandemic-era novel that follows a group of friends who isolate together in a country house as the world shuts down.
Recommended“I am reading our country Friends by Gary steinard which is it just came out and it's getting a fair bit of attention as kind of being built as a pandemic novel”
Where to get it
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Days of Distraction
Discussed“it's called days of distraction by Alexander Chang it came out a couple months ago”
Where to get it
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Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia Tolentino on Life With the Internet | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
| Stephen Fry on Reimagining the Greek Myths | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 4 |
| Charles Yu Talks About ‘Interior Chinatown’ | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
| Ross Douthat on Dealing With Lyme Disease | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and I'm reading our country Friends by Gary steinard and I read the overstory by Richard Powers”