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Every book Doug Brunt recommended on podcasts
Doug Brunt appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show to discuss various historical works, literature, and holiday reading selections. Brunt recommended Simon Sebag Montefiore's Young Stalin to provide background on Stalin's early life in Georgia, and he praised Nelson DeMille's 1988 thriller novel The Charm School as a great holiday read. Additionally, Brunt recommended Amor Towles's collection of short stories and novellas, Eve in Hollywood, noting that the short format makes it easy to pick up and read. For readers interested in narrative history, he suggested Barbara W. Tuchman's The Zimmermann Telegram, describing it as a major historical account detailing the primary catalyst for American entry into World War I. Alongside these recommendations, Brunt discussed several other literary works in conversation. He mentioned studying Daniel Yergin's comprehensive study of the oil industry, The Prize, during his college years, and referenced Amor Towles's celebrated novels A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility. Furthermore, Brunt brought up George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones to discuss how book typography and physical design match thematic and medieval atmospheres.
Books recommended by Doug Brunt
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Eve in Hollywood
Eve in Hollywood by Amor Towles is a collection of novellas and short stories featuring characters from the author's popular universe.
Recommended“it's called Eve in Hollywood and some short stories so it's easy to you know pick up and read a 30 page short story”
Where to get it
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The Charm School
The Charm School by Nelson DeMille is a suspenseful thriller novel involving Cold War intrigue and a secret Soviet facility.
Recommended“he wrote a book called the charm school and this came out in 1988”
Where to get it
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The Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram by Barbara W.
Recommended“and so this is called the Zimmerman Telegram and it's really the biggest reason we got into World War I”
Where to get it
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Young Stalin
Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore is a critically acclaimed biographical history that chronicles the formative early years, revolutionary underground activities, and turbulent upbringing of Joseph Stalin in Georgia before his rise to Soviet dictatorship.
Recommended“In fact, there's a book called Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montafuri, which is very good.”
Where to get it
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A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones by George R.
Discussed“Like if you open George RR Martin's Game of Thrones and you see Times New Roman, you're going to be like, What is this? like the best versions of those books look like it was written by an elf, you know, like Bilbo Baggin, something a little medieval and fanciful”
Where to get it
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A Gentleman in Moscow
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is a celebrated historical novel that follows an aristocratic Russian count who is sentenced to spend the remainder of his life inside a luxury hotel by a Bolshevik tribunal.
Discussed“he's written a number of novels that people might recognize a gentleman in Moscow or Rules of Civility or Lincoln Highway”
Where to get it
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Beautiful Ruins
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter is a whimsical, sweeping novel that weaves together disparate characters and storylines across decades, moving from a sleepy Italian coastal village to the glitz of Hollywood.
Discussed“I've read his books I've read beautiful ruins and a few of other of his books”
Where to get it
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Dead Wake
Dead Wake by Erik Larson is a compelling narrative nonfiction account focusing on the final, tragic crossing of the luxury ocean liner RMS Lusitania before it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.
Discussed“the way Eric Larson is sort of the king of narrative nonfiction these days with books like Devil in the White City and dead wake”
Where to get it
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Rules of Civility
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles is a celebrated historical fiction novel that follows a young woman navigating high society in New York City during the late 1930s.
Discussed“he's written a number of novels that people might recognize a gentleman in Moscow or Rules of Civility or Lincoln Highway”
Where to get it
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe is a satirical novel chronicling ambition, greed, and urban decay in 1980s New York City.
Discussed“Sheldon maybe you heard it that goes to Manhattan he said is actually better than bonfire of the vanities and that they need to make a movie out of it”
Where to get it
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The Devil In The White City
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is a gripping work of narrative nonfiction that juxtaposes the monumental architectural and cultural achievements of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with the chilling crimes of America's first documented serial killer, H.H.
Discussed“the way Eric Larson is sort of the king of narrative nonfiction these days with books like Devil in the White City and dead wake”
Where to get it
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The gold coast
Discussed“and I think one of the main moments maybe the main moment was finishing the Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille and putting that down and thinking what I wouldn't give to sit down in a bar with this guy”
Where to get it
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The Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is a historical novel that follows a young man driving cross-country in 1954 America alongside several unexpected companions.
Discussed“he's written a number of novels that people might recognize a gentleman in Moscow or Rules of Civility or Lincoln Highway”
Where to get it
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The Prize
The Prize by Daniel Yergin is a sweeping historical account that explores the central role energy, particularly oil, has played in shaping global power and geopolitics over the past century.
Discussed“I had a had a course that was dedicated to The Prize, which is The Epic Quest for Oil.”
Where to get it
