Person
Every book Dave Kim recommended on podcasts
Dave Kim’s most recommended books
- Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
- A Saint from Texas by Edmund White
- Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
- Lucky Breaks by Yevgenia Belorusets
- Man in the Holocene by Max Frisch
- Minor Detail by عدنية شبلي
- My Heart by Semezdin Mehmedinović
- Phenotypes by Paulo Scott
- The Abstainer by Ian McGuire
- The Black Cathedral by Marcial Gala
Dave Kim appeared across multiple episodes of The Book Review to discuss and recommend a diverse selection of literary titles. Among his recommendations, he shared Giovana Madalosso's novel The Tokyo Suite as a book he personally loved. He also expressed enjoyment for Ben Markovits's The Rest of Our Lives and praised the story collection Varieties of Disturbance by Lydia Davis, suggesting readers pick up her collected stories for the bedside table. Furthermore, Kim recommended Susan Choi's novel Trust Exercise, highlighting what he considered one of the strangest and best-executed trick endings in recent memory that constantly throws readers off until the final pages. He mentioned Edmund White's A Saint from Texas for its nice bittersweet ending and Ian McGuire's The Abstainer for its classic, dark, almost biblical conclusion. Additionally, Kim praised the short novel Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, noting how its two Palestinian women separated by decades mirror each other with a strong ending. Finally, he recommended Marcial Gala's translated novel The Black Cathedral, praising Anna Kushner's translation from the Spanish language.
Books recommended by Dave Kim
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Time Shelter
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov is an inventive novel by a Bulgarian writer, translated by Angela Rodel, that explores a clinic of the past offering a promising treatment for Alzheimer's sufferers by recreating decades past down to the finest detail.
Discussed“I'm reading time Shelter by the Bulgarian writer Yori gospodinov and it's translated by Angela Rodell”
Where to get it
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A Saint from Texas
A Saint from Texas by Edmund White is a novel that traces the divergent paths of two stepsisters from Texas, following one into high-society Parisian art circles and the other into a life of religious devotion in a convent.
Recommended“but a couple of titles that I read this year Edmund whites a saint from Texas has a nice bittersweet ending to it”
Where to get it
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Crossroads
Jonathan Franzen's novel "Crossroads" is a sprawling domestic drama set during the early 1970s that delves deep into the moral crises and religious yearnings of a suburban Chicago family.
Recommended“and it was a tough book to to put down and the title is is Crossroads by Jonathan fransen”
Where to get it
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Lucky Breaks
Lucky Breaks is a short story collection by Yevgenia Belorusets, translated by Eugene Ostashevsky, that portrays the lives of women in the war-torn Donbas region of Ukraine.
Recommended“I am reading a short story collection from Ukraine actually called lucky Breaks by yenia beruset”
Where to get it
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Man in the Holocene
Man in the Holocene is a compelling novella by Max Frisch that traces an elderly man named Mr.
Recommended“I am reading man in the hallos scene by Max frish”
Where to get it
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Minor Detail
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette, is a haunting, powerful short novel that bridges two distinct historical eras in the Middle East through the experiences of two women whose lives mirror each other in striking and devastating ways.
Recommended“in minor detail by Adonia shii which is a short novel about two Palestinian women separated by several decades but who mirror each other in really interesting ways those had some really nice endings”
Where to get it
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My Heart
My Heart by Semezdin Mehmedinović is a poignant, autobiographical novel that explores themes of displacement, illness, and survival as the author navigates life in America following exile from war-torn Sarajevo.
Recommended“I am reading a novel called my heart art by the Bosnian writer seisin movich”
Where to get it
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Phenotypes
Phenotypes is a contemporary Brazilian novel by Paulo Scott, translated into English by Daniel Hahn, that explores race, politics, and family dynamics in modern Brazil.
Recommended“I'm reading phenotypes by Paulo Scott it's a Brazilian novel translated by Daniel Han”
Where to get it
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The Abstainer
The Abstainer by Ian McGuire is a historical novel set in nineteenth-century Manchester that explores political violence, espionage, and complex human loyalties against a dark backdrop.
Recommended“Ian Maguire's the abstainer has a classic dark almost biblical ending”
Where to get it
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The Black Cathedral
The Black Cathedral is a compelling novel by Marcial Gala that explores complex themes and narratives within a richly drawn setting.
Recommended“so I've got two books to talk about cuz I'm greedy but the first is the black Cathedral by marcial Gala and really wonderfully translated by Anna Kushner from the Spanish”
Where to get it
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The Rest of Our Lives
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits is a compelling contemporary novel that explores complex human emotions and relationships through sharp prose.
Recommended“I really enjoyed The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Lerner Kovic.”
Where to get it
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The Tokyo Suite
The Tokyo Suite by Giovana Madalosso is an immersive contemporary novel written by the acclaimed Brazilian author.
Recommended“I really liked the book called The Tokyo Suite by the Brazilian writer Giovana Madalloso.”
Where to get it
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Trust Exercise
Susan Choi's novel Trust Exercise is a complex narrative that explores a high-pressure performing arts high school while constantly upending reader expectations through startling structural shifts.
Recommended“trust exercise by Susan Choy has probably one of the strangest and best executed trick endings I've read in recent memory this is a book that's constantly throwing you off and revealing new layers right up until the final pages”
Where to get it
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Varieties of Disturbance
Varieties of Disturbance is a thought-provoking collection of short fiction by acclaimed writer Lydia Davis that showcases her trademark minimalist style and sharp observational wit.
Recommended“Lydia Davis also did this for me my my introduction to her began with her Story collection varieties of disturbance but these days you're much better off just getting her collected stories and leaving it on your bedside table”
Where to get it
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An Inventory of Losses
Discussed“one of the book reviews I edited this month was Judith shalansky an inventory of losses which is kind of a catalog of various artifacts and animals and places that no longer exist and I had kind of a hard time figuring out what to label it”
Where to get it
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Rejection
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte is a sharp, contemporary collection of short stories that delves deeply into modern isolation, internet subcultures, and the psychological weight of rejection.
Discussed“the book I want to talk about is rejection by Tony tulam Moody”
Where to get it
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The birth partner
Discussed“the next book is the birth partner by penny simkin with Katie Ross and I am rereading this”
Where to get it
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The mezzanine
Discussed“I have very distinct memories of reading Nicholson Baker's the mezzanine in my 20s and being utterly fascinated by it I loved being able to get lost in the minutia of the world”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and you know what can top gats be with like the boats against the current”
“Bain actually does get his wish in the end John because his last book is uh it's called last letter to a reader and it's sort of liner notes to all of his books”
“I'm reading phenotypes by Paulo Scot translated by Daniel Han”