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Every book Dwight Garner recommended on podcasts
Dwight Garner contributes as a book critic on The Book Review podcast, offering sharp analytical perspectives on contemporary literature, classic works, and notable memoirs. As evident from his podcast appearances, Garner possesses a deep appreciation for stylistically powerful writing, literary fiction, and biting humor, frequently using his platform to champion books that he believes deserve greater recognition or enduring acclaim. He has praised Bruce Springsteen’s memoir Born to Run for its strong writing and argued passionately that Kiran Desai’s novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny should have won major literary accolades such as the Booker Prize and the National Book Award. Garner also highlighted Adam Ross’s novel Playworld and recommended Keith McNally’s memoir I Regret Almost Everything for its riotously mean, funny, and hilarious narrative style. Furthermore, he discussed Tony Tulathimutte’s earlier novel Private Citizens, recommended Zadie Smith’s essay collection Feel Free alongside the works of Martin Amis, and praised Tom Wolfe’s novels, such as The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and The Bonfire of the Vanities, predicting their lasting cultural relevance. Through these discussions, Garner guides listeners through a sophisticated landscape of established classics and striking modern literature.
Books recommended by Dwight Garner
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Love, Nina
Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe is a charming epistolary memoir chronicling the author's experiences as a young nanny in 1980s London while working for Mary-Kay Wilmers.
Recommended“there's a beautiful book written by uh Mary Kay Wilmer is nanny called love Nina I love one my favorite books”
Where to get it
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Normal People
Normal People by Sally Rooney is a contemporary bestselling novel that traces the complex, evolving romantic and emotional relationship of two young Irish students transitioning from secondary school to university.
Recommended“and now she has a new novel called normal people and if you haven't read her she's just a treat”
Where to get it
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The Old Drift
The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell is an ambitious, multi-generational debut novel tracing the history of Zambia through interconnected families.
Recommended“and I read this novel this week called the old drift by a first novelist she's born in Zambia her name is namwali surel if I'm getting that correctly”
Where to get it
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I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home
I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore is a contemporary novel that follows a man on a melancholic road trip with his undead girlfriend.
Discussed“It's called I am homeless if this is not my home.”
Where to get it
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The Passenger
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy is an intricate, companion-style novel following a salvage diver in New Orleans who navigates grief, mathematics, and shadowy government conspiracies alongside his late sister.
Discussed“but I really thought about it because the in in the novel that came out last fall the passenger it set large in New Orleans and cormax hero Billy Western is a lover of the cuisine and he has a lot of he doesn't really pay very often”
Where to get it
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Candy
Candy by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg is a wildly irreverent satirical novel that mirrors and mocks the classic picaresque themes of Voltaire’s Candide.
Recommended“um I I reviewed this week candy which is which is now 60 years old the the uh satire of volaras candid”
Where to get it
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Orange World and Other Stories
Karen Russell’s short story collection Orange World and Other Stories presents imaginative, darkly whimsical tales centered heavily on motherhood, domestic anxieties, and the surreal.
Discussed“the book is called orange World and Other Stories”
Where to get it
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The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai is a sweeping, long-awaited major novel that examines modern displacement, ambition, and emotional isolation across global landscapes.
Recommended“Well, I feel like The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunonny should have won the Booker Prize, should have won the National Book Award.”
Where to get it
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84, Charing Cross Road
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff is a charming epistolary memoir chronicling decades of transatlantic correspondence between a New York writer and a London bookseller.
Recommended“but do you remember Pamela 84 Sharon Crossroad... but the book is Is Still Remains great”
Where to get it
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A manual for cleaning women
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin is a celebrated short story collection that showcases the author's remarkable talent for capturing the grit, humor, and dignity of everyday working-class lives.
Recommended“and she had a collection come out for and Drew published it in 2015 called a manual for cleaning women and that book just sort of you know took my head off when I read it”
Where to get it
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Absalom, Absalom!
Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner is a monumental modernist masterpiece that delves into themes of race, class, ambition, and generational trauma through the tragic rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen in the American South.
Recommended“the other book I'll mention and this comes from from far left field is William Faulkner's Absalom Absalom”
Where to get it
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Born to Run
Born to Run is a deeply personal and acclaimed memoir by legendary musician Bruce Springsteen that chronicles his journey from a young guitar player in New Jersey to a global rock icon.
Recommended“I mean, Born to Run. Yeah, Born to Run.”
Where to get it
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Crooked Hallelujah
Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford is a compelling debut novel that explores the complex lives of multiple generations of Cherokee women.
Recommended“I reviewed Kelly Joe Ford's first novel Hallelujah and I reviewed eat the Buddha by Barbara Dem”
Where to get it
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Deliverance
Deliverance by James Dickey is a tense, critically acclaimed psychological thriller novel about a canoe trip in the American wilderness that turns into a harrowing survival ordeal.
Recommended“a book book in a film that I I really love are Deliverance uh the James Dicky novel and and also the film version”
Where to get it
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Devil House
Devil House is a compelling novel by John Darnielle that delves deep into true crime, memory, and the moral complexities of storytelling through the experiences of a true-crime writer investigating a dark past.
Recommended“at any rate that's the prologue to a prologue to his new book which is called devil house which I think is terrific”
Where to get it
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Doxology
Doxology is a contemporary novel by Nell Zink that explores complex modern themes, character development, and intricate interpersonal relationships within an engaging narrative framework.
Recommended“she's really upped her game in her new novel which is called doxology”
Where to get it
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Eat the Buddha
Barbara Demick's book Eat the Buddha received notable attention on The Book Review in July 2024.
Discussed“I reviewed a new book by Barbara demic it's called Eat the Buddha”
Where to get it
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Feel Free
Feel Free by Zadie Smith is a wide-ranging collection of essays offering insightful cultural, political, and literary critique.
Discussed“so the books are feel free is the Zade Smith title”
Where to get it
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Hello, Molly!
Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon is a candid and energetic celebrity memoir that details the actress's turbulent childhood, her grief over the loss of her family in a car crash, and her eventual rise to comedic stardom on Saturday Night Live.
Recommended“one was Molly Shannon's Memoir hello Molly which I thought was charmingly titled”
Where to get it
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Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D.
Recommended“and then the obvious one is JD Vance's hillbilly elery”
Where to get it
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I am dynamite!
I am dynamite! is a biography of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche written by Sue Prideaux.
Recommended“I reviewed a brilliantly titled new biography and a brilliant biography of n it's called I'm Dynamite by Sue prau who in my review I write she's something of a specialist in male histrionic Geniuses of the 19th century”
Where to get it
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I Regret Almost Everything
I Regret Almost Everything is a witty and candid memoir written by restaurateur Keith McNally.
Recommended“or Keith McN, the restaurant tour owner operator of Balthazar, His memoir called I regret almost everything is just riotously mean and funny and hilarious right down the line.”
Where to get it
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Killer Cocktails
Killer Cocktails, widely known as The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails edited by David Wondrich with Noah Rothbaum, is an exhaustive reference volume chronicling the history, production, and culture of potable alcohol.
Discussed“you know I I read and reviewed this monsterized book it's called the uh Oxford companion to spirits and Cocktails and it's edited by David wondrich who's sort of one of the one of the key figures in the cocktail Renaissance”
Where to get it
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Life of Samuel Johnson
James Boswell's classic eighteenth-century biography offers an intimate, highly detailed portrait of the celebrated English writer, lexicographer, and wit Dr.
Recommended“but I you know I got to go with a couple Classics only in the sense that Boswell's life of Johnson it just it's it's so Charming of Samuel Johnson is so Charming on every page”
Where to get it
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Meet Me in the Bathroom
Meet Me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman is a compelling oral history documenting the vibrant and gritty New York City music scene around the year 2000, featuring iconic bands like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Recommended“I loved one called meet me in the bathroom by Lizzy Goodman which was hey oral history of sort of the New York music scene around the year 2000 The Strokes the yeah yeah yes if I have that right Ryan Adams”
Where to get it
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Money
Money by Martin Amis is a satirical 1984 novel that skewers the excesses, crass consumerism, and moral bankruptcy of 1980s celebrity culture through the chaotic perspective of protagonist John Self.
Recommended“yeah probably money I think is a good one to start with it's probably my favorite that and the information are probably my favorite”
Where to get it
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Night Boat To Tangier
Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry is a darkly comic and evocative novel that follows two aging, grizzled Irish gangsters as they spend a night in a Spanish ferry port searching for a missing daughter.
Recommended“and the new one is called nightboat to Tangier and it's about a couple old gu the guys they're not even that old they're probably mid-50s they're grizzled though”
Where to get it
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Night Train
Night Train by Martin Amis is a hardboiled crime novel that subverts traditional mystery tropes through its distinct stylistic voice and atmospheric cynicism.
Recommended“you know I kind of like Night Train which is this weird crime detective thing he wrote and it's got this insinuating thing about it”
Where to get it
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Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails
Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails is a comprehensive reference book edited by David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum that explores the history, culture, and production of alcoholic beverages.
Discussed“you know I I read and reviewed this monsterized book it's called the uh Oxford companion to spirits and Cocktails and it's edited by David wondrich who's sort of one of the one of the key figures in the cocktail Renaissance”
Where to get it
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Patricia Highsmith : Her Diaries and Notebooks
Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks, edited by Anna von Planta, is a voluminous and revealing collection of personal writings left behind by the renowned suspense author following her death in 1995, offering an unvarnished look at her inner life, creative process, and relationships between 1941 and 1995.
Recommended“Patricia heith has a new new I mean she she she died in 1995 but there's a new book of her Diaries and notebooks out it's called Patricia heith her Diaries and notebooks 1941 to 1995 and I just loved it”
Where to get it
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Playworld
Playworld is an intricate, immersive novel by Adam Ross set against the backdrop of New York City, exploring modern relationships, family dynamics, and psychological depth.
Recommended“Yes, and yet the one I actually want to talk about is Playworld by Adam Ross which I think maybe suffered slightly by coming out in January.”
Where to get it
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Private Citizens
Private Citizens by Tony Tulathimutte is a contemporary satirical novel that follows the messy, interconnected lives of several young San Franciscans navigating technology, ambition, and existential dread in the Bay Area.
Recommended“Jen actually first turned me on to his work because I had not read his first novel remind me the title private citizens private citizens and I've since read it and it's terrific”
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 that exposes the intense social stratification, financial greed, and urban dysfunction of 1980s New York City.
Discussed“there are many people including Harold Bloom who would take bonfire the vanities over John Up's best work”
Where to get it
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The cost of living
The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy is a deeply reflective memoir that explores the realities of middle age, independence, and female identity following the dissolution of a marriage.
Recommended“and so I was really excited that she has a new Memoir out called help me out here the cost of living”
Where to get it
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The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe is a classic work of New Journalism that chronicles the countercultural adventures of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters during the 1960s psychedelic movement.
Discussed“um and reading books like the electri coate acid test about the bus and Ken key so different from his pieces about say Lena Bernstein and maing the FL catchers”
Where to get it
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The Elephant in the Room
The Elephant in the Room by Tommy Tomlinson is a candid memoir chronicling one man's quest to lose weight in a culture shaped by excess.
Discussed“and so he's written a memoir now called the elephant in the room one fat man's quest to get smaller in a growing America”
Where to get it
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The End of October
Lawrence Wright’s novel The End of October explores a catastrophic global pandemic and its profound societal consequences.
Recommended“Lawrence Wright gets some sort of award give him all the prizes for coming up with a really intelligent virus-based Thriller it's called the end of October”
Where to get it
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The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison
The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison, edited by John F.
Recommended“for example one of my favorite books of letters in the last couple years are Ralph Ellison's letters and they're just beautiful”
Where to get it
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The Virgin Suicides (Bloomsbury Classic)
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides is a poignant novel about the five doomed Lisbon sisters seen through the nostalgic perspective of neighborhood boys.
Recommended“I mean the vergin suicides Jeffrey eugen's novel is just a book that I adore and can and can read it's so short it's it's it's practically Nolla and I can reread that every 5 years and be struck a new by things in and the movie I can watch every 5 years or more often as well Sophia cop's”
Where to get it
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The world is what it is
The World Is What It Is by Patrick French is an acclaimed, exhaustively researched 2008 biography of the Nobel laureate writer V.S.
Recommended“I think you must have reviewed this was was the great biography of naul is it the world is what it is by Patrick French”
Where to get it
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Turbulence
Turbulence by David Szalay and Victoria Alonso Blanco is a contemporary work of fiction comprised of a sequence of interconnected short pieces exploring modern human mobility and connection across various global cities.
Discussed“his new one is called turbulence and and these began as BBC Radio pieces very short and there are 12 of them in 140 pages so they're very short”
Where to get it
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A Tokyo Romance
Discussed“uh Ian brm is new Memoir a Tokyo romance you know we all know who Ian bumma is I mean this this this extremely well regarded Dutch historian”
Where to get it
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A tour of America's national parks
Discussed“if anybody remembers ù garrison keeler's review of bernard tour of America”
Where to get it
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A Very Stable Genius
Discussed“this one's called a very stable genius and it's by two reporters for the Washington Post Philip Rucker and Carol leonik”
Where to get it
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A Visit from the Goon Squad
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan is a critically acclaimed novel exploring time, aging, and the music industry through an interconnected series of narratives.
Discussed“and this is the followup this novel The Candy House to a visit from the Goon Squad and a lot of people wrote they thought the sequel was not as good as the first”
Where to get it
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Airport
Airport by Arthur Hailey is a classic 1968 bestselling thriller novel that chronicles the intense operations, weather crises, and human dramas unfolding at a major American airport.
Discussed“but I went to the library and got out a copy of Arthur Haley's 1968 classic airport featuring Mel Bakersfield and his attempts to keep you know Chicago o hair open during a snowstorm”
Where to get it
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All the Pretty Horses
Discussed“All the Pretty Horses was published by afov and there was a big PR push for All the Pretty Horses and before that no one really knew the name cor M McCarthy”
Where to get it
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Alone Together
Alone Together by Sherry Turkle is an insightful examination of modern technology and how digital devices and social media impact human relationships and genuine connection.
Discussed“she's had some best-selling books like Alone Together in 2011 and reclaiming conversation from 2015”
Where to get it
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An exact replica of a figment of my imagination
An exact replica of a figment of my imagination is a deeply moving memoir by Elizabeth McCracken that chronicles her profound grief, resilience, and emotional journey following the stillbirth of her first child.
Discussed“yeah it's called an exact replica of a figure of my imagination I believe and it's about a child she lost”
Where to get it
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Arturo's Island
Arturo's Island is a classic coming-of-age novel by Italian author Elsa Morante that portrays a boy's romanticized upbringing on the island of Procida, translated into English by Ann Goldstein.
Discussed“Elsa morante the the Italian novelist there's a new translation of her novel Arturo's Island and the translation's been done by the great translator Anne Goldstein”
Where to get it
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Atonement
Atonement by Ian McEwan is a sweeping historical novel that explores themes of guilt, class, and the devastating impact of war across multiple decades.
Discussed“and it's a return to form in the sense that it takes you back to his great novel Atonement and the historical waves this novel ripples out upon and and yet it's in the way that is my favorite novel of Ian Mchuan.”
Where to get it
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Ball Four
Ball Four by Jim Bouton is a landmark, highly candid sports memoir that chronicles a season in the professional baseball pitcher's life, offering an unfiltered look into the locker room culture and personal behavior of athletes.
Discussed“which is why Jim boutton I think Ball Four was a big deal because he actually did make some enemies to speak of”
Where to get it
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Be Mine
Discussed“I mean the Richard Ford was the closeout it's the novel was called be mine it's the last novel in his Frank baskam series”
Where to get it
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Beloved
Beloved by Toni Morrison is a powerful, haunting novel about a formerly enslaved woman haunted by the trauma of her past and the literal ghost of the daughter she lost.
Discussed“I mean but five years after so but it's true that they don't have the sort of Titanic galvanic force of something like Song of Solomon or or beloved or even The Bluest Eye”
Where to get it
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Blood Meridian
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is a harrowing, violent epic novel depicting the brutal realities of the American West through the journey of a runaway teenager known as the kid.
Discussed“of course the classic is Blood Meridian which is one of the darkest books ever written”
Where to get it
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Bowlaway
Critiqued“the new one's called bow away and it's just out you know I don't like it as much as her previous fiction”
Where to get it
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Child of God
Child of God is a dark and disturbing novel by Cormac McCarthy set in the backwoods of Tennessee, following the harrowing descent of a violent and isolated outcast.
Discussed“but anyway the first three novels yeah the orchard keeper outer dark and child of God are relentlessly Bleak”
Where to get it
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Cleanness
Cleanness by Garth Greenwell is a deeply evocative novel that explores desire, intimacy, and expatriate life in modern Europe through exquisite prose.
Discussed“well the book is G Greenwell's new book cleanness and Greenwell is sort of the the flavor of the moment”
Where to get it
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Cross Creek
Discussed“it's also the name of of her Memoir which was a big deal in it”
Where to get it
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Crudo
Discussed“Olivia Lang the great English writer I mean she's written three books of non-fiction and now she's out with her first novel called Crudo and you know we've all I think had Crudo in restaurants”
Where to get it
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Dear Miss Metropolitan
Discussed“it's a novel called Dear Miss Metropolitan and boy it's a hard thing to read”
Where to get it
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Don't erase me
Discussed“one of her stories from her first collection which was titled don't erase me that was the book from 1997 was in that collection and it stuck with me”
Where to get it
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Evening in paradise
Discussed“and also the book contains some letters and that second book Welcome Home the Memoir and the letters is pretty minor stuff the Memoir is uncompleted and the letters are are interesting biographically but not not incredibly special”
Where to get it
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Experience
Experience by Martin Amis is a deeply reflective and acclaimed memoir by the celebrated British author, exploring his literary upbringing, his complex relationship with his father Kingsley Amis, and his broader observations on life and aging.
Discussed“so I have okay and so does experience by Martin Amos yes the book I love is it's it's an untidy book but I love that book”
Where to get it
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Fear: Trump in the White House
Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward is a deeply reported investigative account detailing the chaotic inner workings of the Trump administration.
Critiqued“the new Bob Woodward book is here and you know it's been a long time since anybody really looked forward to a bob Woodward book and and and the um you know the anticipation for this one was enormous you know it's called fear”
Where to get it
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Frankissstein
Discussed“Janette winterson has a new novel it's called Frankenstein not Frankenstein but Frank kiss Stein”
Where to get it
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George, Being George
Discussed“the name is George being George and the subtitle is the following George plimpton's Life As Told admired deplored and envied by 200 friends relatives lovers acquaintances Rivals and a few unappreciative observers”
Where to get it
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Going for a beer
Discussed“yeah I I reviewed Robert cover's Book of Stories it's a sort of greatest hits collection called going for a beer”
Where to get it
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Goodbye, Columbus
Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth is a celebrated early collection of fiction exploring the lives and internal cultural fractures of American Jews.
Discussed“a secret favorite of mine Philip rothus had hit and miss I guess Lu more more misses than hits a film of his or based on one of his books that I actually really like is goodby Columbus the 1969 movie with Richard Benjamin and Alie McGraw and I have a theory a theory about why that movie flopped”
Where to get it
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Growing up
Growing up is a Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir by American journalist, humorist, and columnist Russell Baker.
Discussed“and then Russell Baker comes to mind growing up he he wasn't a Serial memoirist he columnist and humorist and and journalist but he was someone who drew on his own life a lot”
Where to get it
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Hiroshima
John Hersey's groundbreaking work of narrative reportage, Hiroshima, documents the devastating atomic bombing of the Japanese city through the personal accounts of six survivors.
Discussed“you know it's a form that was really I think perhaps you know best known and sort of attributed to John hery for for Hiroshima”
Where to get it
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History
Discussed“I poked around in her other novels one of them called history and I I read a fair amount of it and it's slightly different but but but basically the same”
Where to get it
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Hold still
Hold Still by Sally Mann is a memoir by the celebrated photographer that reflects on her upbringing and the evolution of the photography medium.
Discussed“the best parts of I think hold still which is Sally man the photographer Sally man's m a lot of the best parts of that book are her teenage years”
Where to get it
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Hot milk
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy is a critically acclaimed contemporary novel that explores complex familial relationships and psychological tension.
Discussed“all of a sudden she had these two novels hot milk and swimming home”
Where to get it
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How We Die
How We Die by Sherwin Nuland is a medical exploration of the human dying process that examines the biological realities of how life ends.
Discussed“there was that Sherwin newand book um about 30 years ago now how we die”
Where to get it
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Human Relations and Other Difficulties
Discussed“her new collection of essays is called human relations and other difficulties it's essays”
Where to get it
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I Came As a Shadow
Discussed“Thompson died about two months ago and now his Memoir has come out that he's written with a ghost writer and it's quite good”
Where to get it
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I Used to Live Here Once - the Haunted Life of Jean Rhys
Discussed“and anyway this book is called I used to live here once the haunted life of Jee ree by Miranda Seymour”
Where to get it
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Life
Life by Keith Richards is a candid rock-and-roll memoir detailing the legendary guitarist's extraordinary years with the Rolling Stones and his infamous lifestyle.
Discussed“so you called the book life ù you could have called it music ù my first question to you Keith Richards is you're a great songwriter as well”
Where to get it
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Life on Mars
Discussed“I don't think it's quite on par with her last one life on Mars which won the P prize”
Where to get it
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Life studies
Discussed“but it led to the autobiographical poems in his breakthrough book life studies which came out in 1959”
Where to get it
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Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is an experimental historical novel that imagines the grief of Abraham Lincoln visiting his deceased son in a cemetery populated by a chorus of ghosts.
Discussed“as I say in my in my review you know it's a fat time for for books that are really deeply imaginative from Coulson whiteheads Underground Railroad to Lincoln and the BAU by George Saunders”
Where to get it
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Lucky Jim
Discussed“Martin Amos was wellknown almost from birth in in England the literary scene because his father was Kings leus the very wellknown the great comic Masterpiece he wrote lucky Jim it appeared in 1954”
Where to get it
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Machine dreams
Machine Dreams by Jayne Anne Phillips is a critically acclaimed novel that traces the fragmentation of a West Virginia family across several decades against the backdrop of mid-century American history and the Vietnam War.
Discussed“I when my wife and I were just married and broke and we were in Mexico driving around and buming around and I was reading one of my favorite novels. I didn't know that at the time. Jane Phillips's machine dreams”
Where to get it
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Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler is a notorious autobiographical manifesto detailing the political ideology and future plans of the Nazi dictator.
Discussed“and then you know you read these books over and over again and for example the the last volume of canard's my struggle series was essentially a retelling of of mine comp”
Where to get it
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Memoirs
Discussed“you know the poet Robert LOL he's been dead since 1977 he has a new book out called Memoirs and it's new in the sense that I describe it in my review as a sort of finding an an undeveloped role of film from 1954”
Where to get it
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Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children is a celebrated novel by Salman Rushdie that explores the magical realist history of India from its independence and partition onward, touching upon regional themes such as Kashmir.
Discussed“there's a bit of magical realism in the novel people are comparing it to and I think these comparisons are pretty accurate to Salon rushy Midnight's Children”
Where to get it
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Milkman
Milkman by Anna Burns is a formally inventive, stream-of-consciousness novel set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, following a young woman harassed by an older, powerful paramilitary figure known as the milkman.
Discussed“I was lucky enough to get to read the new Booker Prize winner Milkman by Anna Burns who's a writer from Northern Ireland”
Where to get it
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Minor characters
Joyce Johnson's memoir Minor Characters provides a compelling look into the lives of women orbiting the Beat generation and sheds light on the heavily masculine atmosphere of that literary movement.
Discussed“include Joyce Johnson's minor characters which is down in the in the second half of the list I revered that book”
Where to get it
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Motherhood
Discussed“Sheila hetti her new one is called motherhood the one on our Vanguard list was how should a person be”
Where to get it
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My Struggle
My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated by Don Bartlett, is a monumental six-volume autofictional masterwork that meticulously details the ordinary details, emotional triumphs, and domestic struggles of the author's everyday life.
Discussed“and then you know you read these books over and over again and for example the the last volume of canard's my struggle series was essentially a retelling of of mine comp”
Where to get it
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Native speaker
Native Speaker is the acclaimed debut novel by Chang-rae Lee that follows an espionage agent of Korean descent infiltrating a New York politician's campaign while grappling with questions of assimilation and identity.
Discussed“I read the new Chang Ray Lee novel and of course you know I'm sure a lot of our listeners to who Chang Ray Lee is a wonderful novelist who's been around for three decades now at least and his books include native speaker and a gesture life and a loft”
Where to get it
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No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy is a gripping suspense novel that tracks the violent aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong in West Texas alongside the pursuit of a ruthless killer.
Critiqued“so you've got me trying to remember but in the first sentence of No Country for Old Men a character is sent I believe to the gas chamber in Texas”
Where to get it
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No one here gets out alive
Discussed“When I was in high school I loved this book it was a biography of Jim morson it was called no one here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins”
Where to get it
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Nobody's Looking at You
Critiqued“nobody's looking at you it's a collection of essays”
Where to get it
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Nothing to envy
Discussed“people who have heard of her work probably know her book about North Korea nothing to Envy”
Where to get it
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Odetta's One Grain of Sand
Discussed“and the other book is called one grain of sand it's a smaller book by Matthew fry Jacobson”
Where to get it
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On Fire
On Fire is a collection of essays and autobiographical pieces by the late writer and Mississippi firefighter Larry Brown.
Discussed“and there's a smaller book which I just it's just one of my favorite books called on fire by a Mississippi fireman named Larry Brown who became a novelist”
Where to get it
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On the Road
On the Road by Jack Kerouac is a seminal novel chronicling the cross-country road trips and jazz-fueled adventures of its narrator and his peers.
Discussed“This book changed my life and and changed my life to the extent that a it sent me out there into the world myself, hitchhiking, traveling, trying to find a different place.”
Where to get it
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One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez is a landmark masterpiece of magical realism that chronicles the multi-generational saga of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo.
Discussed“and Garcia marquez's 100 Years of Solitude”
Where to get it
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Onlookers
Discussed“and batty has a new book of stories called onlookers that came out this year and what's interesting about it and it's very good is that it's really a portrait of a town”
Where to get it
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Open
Open by Andre Agassi is a remarkably candid and introspective autobiography detailing the tennis champion's tumultuous athletic career, his complicated relationship with his demanding father, and his deep-seated resentment of the sport that made him famous.
Discussed“well um Andre agy's Memoir open which is a pretty terrific book ghost written I mean by terrific writer JM minger who whose Memoir some people think should have been on this list as well the tender bar”
Where to get it
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Orientalism
Orientalism by Edward W.
Discussed“Timothy Brennan who teaches in the humanities department at the University of of Minnesota has written a biography of Edward SED the great public intellectual the author of orientalism which as you know is his foundational work of postcolonial studies”
Where to get it
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Our Women on the Ground
Discussed“it's called our women on the essays by Arab women reporting from the Arab world”
Where to get it
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Outer Dark
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, atmospheric southern Gothic novel that forms the second book in the acclaimed author's early trilogy.
Discussed“but anyway the first three novels yeah the orchard keeper outer dark and child of God are relentlessly Bleak”
Where to get it
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Phil
Discussed“you reviewed a juicy is biography yeah it's a short book about Phil nichelson the golfer Tiger Woods's great rival and it was written by Alan shnook a fellow who's written long time for Sports Illustrated in Golf Magazine”
Where to get it
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Playlist for the Apocalypse
Discussed“I reviewed Rita Do's new book of poems and it's called playlist for the apocalypse”
Where to get it
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Priestdaddy
Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood is a sharply witty and unconventional memoir recounting the author's eccentric upbringing in the Midwest as the daughter of a married Catholic priest.
Discussed“I mean Patricia Lockwood's priest daddy which is one of my favorite books on this list is um just the portrait of her father in that book is Central to it and hysterically funny”
Where to get it
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Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel that follows a lone astronaut tasked with saving humanity from an extinction-level solar threat.
Discussed“Oh, uh Project Hail Mary. Mary. He loves that writer. Is it Andy Weir. Andy Weir.”
Where to get it
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Reclaiming Conversation
Reclaiming Conversation is an insightful book by Sherry Turkle that examines how digital technology, social media, and constant texting diminish human empathy and undermine our ability to engage in meaningful, face-to-face dialogue.
Discussed“she's had some best-selling books like Alone Together in 2011 and reclaiming conversation from 2015”
Where to get it
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Rodham
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld is an imaginative alternative history novel that explores what might have happened to Hillary Clinton's life and career had she declined a marriage proposal from Bill Clinton.
Discussed“you know I reviewed rodom Hillary rodom Clinton”
Where to get it
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Sabbath's Theater
Sabbath's Theater by Philip Roth is a provocative and darkly humorous novel centered on a aging, disgraced puppeteer grappling with grief, mortality, and his own destructive impulses.
Discussed“I mean it's just one of the rawest things um um Sabbath theater”
Where to get it
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Saturday
Discussed“My favorite is Saturday and the book that starts with that remarkable dinner party and he's cooking that that booya base at the start.”
Where to get it
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Self-consciousness
Self-consciousness is an introspective memoir by American novelist and writer John Updike.
Discussed“I think John Up's Memoirs self-consciousness it's a book that I I really admire and was hard for us to choose”
Where to get it
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Serious eats
Discussed“and there's another one called serious eater by Ed LaVine who runs the website Serious Eats”
Where to get it
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Shadow Ticket
Discussed“The new pinchion novel came out this year, Shadow Ticket, he says that everything is destined to be a Broadway play.”
Where to get it
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Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a monumental, lyrical novel that traces the multi-generational journey of Milkman Dead as he uncovers his family's rich history, cultural roots, and the transcendent mythologies of the African American experience.
Discussed“I mean but five years after so but it's true that they don't have the sort of Titanic galvanic force of something like Song of Solomon or or beloved or even The Bluest Eye”
Where to get it
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Spring
Discussed“and she's embarked on this on this seasonal cycle of four novels and her new one is called Spring”
Where to get it
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Stella Maris
Stella Maris is a philosophical companion novel by Cormac McCarthy that concludes the narrative arc initiated by its predecessor, featuring deep intellectual dialogues in a psychiatric facility.
Discussed“the second one St amiris is a sort of Koda and it kind of plays out”
Where to get it
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Stop-time
Stop-Time by Frank Conroy is a classic, beautifully rendered memoir that recounts the author's turbulent and eccentric childhood growing up in America.
Discussed“for me I missed were uh stop time which is Frank Conroy's Memoir which is beautiful”
Where to get it
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Suttree
Discussed“the funny thing the outlier for me was always Sury which came out in 1979 which is a wild rockus novel set in Knoxville Tennessee where Cormac mostly grew up”
Where to get it
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Swamplandia!
Discussed“she's also written a novel called swamp landia which which got a lot of attention”
Where to get it
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Swimming home
Discussed“all of a sudden she had these two novels hot milk and swimming home”
Where to get it
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Tales of the City
Discussed“and I I read some things I'd never read before and one of them the tales of the city books by armistad mopin I was just so pleased to read that book which IID always thought I don't know what I had thought I knew it was serialized in a newspaper”
Where to get it
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Terrorist
Discussed“a famously maligned book about about 911 about terrorism as John upc's novel terrorism which frankly I don't think is quite as bad”
Where to get it
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The Art of War
The Art of War by Sun Tzu is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to the strategist Sun Tzu, offering timeless tactical and strategic principles applicable to conflict, competition, and leadership.
Discussed“but it's a new translation of The Art of War by sunzo”
Where to get it
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The Bluest Eye
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a powerful and haunting debut novel that examines the tragic experiences of a young Black girl growing up in post-depression America who desperately longs for blue eyes.
Discussed“I mean but five years after so but it's true that they don't have the sort of Titanic galvanic force of something like Song of Solomon or or beloved or even The Bluest Eye”
Where to get it
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The Book of Eating
Discussed“I reviewed two books about eating which you know is one of my favorite things to read about and do one is by Adam Platt you know he's the food critic for New York Magazine he wrote the book of eating which is sort of a memoir”
Where to get it
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The Dog of the South
The Dog of the South by Charles Portis is a brilliantly eccentric and darkly humorous comic novel that follows a deadpan protagonist on a bizarre road trip across America in pursuit of his runaway wife and her scheming lover.
Discussed“what's your favorite Porter novel oh God probably dog of the South”
Where to get it
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The Empathy Exams Essays
The Empathy Exams Essays by Leslie Jamison is an acclaimed collection of personal essays exploring pain, illness, and human connection.
Discussed“I mean she's well known for her book The empathy exams a book of essays that I really really loved”
Where to get it
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The Giant's House
Discussed“the first one is called a Giant's house or the Giants house came out in the mid 90s”
Where to get it
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The Goldfinch
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a sprawling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that chronicles the tumultuous life of a young boy who survives a terrorist bombing at an art museum that claims his mother's life, clinging secretly to a famous painting.
Discussed“like I'm thinking of someone like I guess when she wrote The Goldfinch Donna tart blew this Theory out of the water”
Where to get it
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The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a classic American novel that chronicles the harrowing journey of the Joad family as they migrate from the dust-bowl of Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression, highlighting the systemic struggles and resilience of displaced agricultural workers.
Discussed“I miss not talking about The Grapes of Wrath. I adore that book.”
Where to get it
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The Gulf
Discussed“yeah golf by Jack E Davis it's a big and and quite well wrought book of history”
Where to get it
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The Information
The Information by Martin Amis is a sprawling, satirical novel from 1995 that explores the fierce rivalry, professional jealousy, and existential anxieties of two contrasting London writers.
Discussed“one of my favorite novels of his is the information from 1995 which is about two Waring writers best friend close friends one of whom become successful the other does not and about the moral social intellectual Agony that results”
Where to get it
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The new journalism
Discussed“of course he wants to be an old journalist when you're young but um in thanks to Tom Wolf's Anthology the new journalism in which he packaged a lot of writers who weren't really”
Where to get it
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The Orchard Keeper
The Orchard Keeper is Cormac McCarthy's debut novel, published in 1965, which explores bleak rural landscapes and complex human relationships in the American South.
Discussed“but anyway the first three novels yeah the orchard keeper outer dark and child of God are relentlessly Bleak”
Where to get it
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The Rachel Papers
The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis is the provocative and darkly comedic debut novel that follows a precocious, self-absorbed young British protagonist as he meticulously plans his romantic and intellectual pursuits.
Discussed“and then he began writing novels and he said that his first novel The Rachel papers came out in 1973 which is a bit mind-blowing for me”
Where to get it
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The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff is Tom Wolfe's classic 1979 non-fiction chronicle of the U.S.
Discussed“going to NASA and writing one of the great histories of NASA I mean here was the right stuff you know here was a writer in full even before we get to the fiction”
Where to get it
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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L.
Discussed“I mean William El shire's book you know the the but what was the title that”
Where to get it
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The Road
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, post-apocalyptic masterpiece that follows a father and his young son walking through a burned, ash-covered America trying to survive against starvation and roaming bands of cannibals while holding onto their humanity.
Discussed“the road is similar the road is quite a slim novel as many listeners will know sort of a post-apocalyptic story of father and his young son”
Where to get it
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The Secret History
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a gripping psychological thriller that follows a tightly knit group of classics students at an elite Vermont college who become morally corrupted after committing murder.
Discussed“but for a while you know she wrote The Secret history and it was this giant commercial and critical success”
Where to get it
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The Sellout
The Sellout by Paul Beatty is a bold, satirical novel about race and racism in contemporary America that made history as the first American novel to win the Booker Prize in 2016.
Discussed“This is a book called The Sellout by Paul Beatty. Paul Beatty.”
Where to get it
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The Shining
The Shining by Stephen King is a classic horror novel about a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a winter caretaker job at an isolated, haunted mountain hotel with his family.
Discussed“and The Shining which is kind of a famous one because Stephen King I forget why exactly but he doesn't like the movie but I think it's obviously one of the great horror movies”
Where to get it
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The Tender Bar
The Tender Bar by J.
Discussed“the tender bar which is was quite a good Memoir he's a very good writer”
Where to get it
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The threat
Discussed“I reviewed uh the threat which is the book by Andrew McCabe as people remember was the deputy director of the FBI who was fired last March just before his retirement you know it 24 hours or something before retiring”
Where to get it
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The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical fiction novel that reimagines the antebellum South by turning the secret network of abolitionist routes into a literal subterranean railway system utilized by an enslaved woman named Cora seeking freedom.
Discussed“as I say in my in my review you know it's a fat time for for books that are really deeply imaginative from Coulson whiteheads Underground Railroad to Lincoln and the BAU by George Saunders”
Where to get it
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The Yearling
Discussed“the book is called the life she wished to live and and the subtitle is a biography of marjerie Kenan Rawlings who of course wrote The Yearling”
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.
Discussed“one of them was Susan Choice trust exercise exes trust exercise”
Where to get it
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Vox
Discussed“it's a novel but Nicholson Baker's novel Vox which came out in 1992 and it's it's erotic”
Where to get it
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Wave
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala is a harrowing and deeply moving memoir documenting the author's survival of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which tragically claimed the lives of her entire family, including her husband, two children, and parents.
Discussed“sonali dagala she was an economist Economist wave yeah her Memoir wave is about this horrific tragedy where she essentially lost her entire family in the in the tsunami”
Where to get it
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Weather
Weather by Jenny Offill is a contemporary novel that follows a young woman working in a New York City library who becomes entangled in an apocalyptic anxiety forum and the chaotic personal lives of those around her.
Discussed“and you know the novel is called weather by Jenny Ael it's about a young woman in New York City”
Where to get it
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Welcome home
Welcome Home by Lucia Berlin is a posthumous volume featuring an uncompleted memoir, letters, and sketches that offer a rare window into the nomadic and turbulent life of the celebrated short story writer.
Critiqued“and also a non-fiction book called Welcome Home which is an uncompleted Memoir that she wrote and also the book contains some letters and that second book Welcome Home the Memoir and the letters is pretty minor stuff”
Where to get it
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What Becomes a Legend Most
Discussed“I reviewed a new biography of Richard avidon the photographer it's called um what becomes a legend most and it's from Philip gter who's a photography writer”
Where to get it
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When the Going Was Good
Discussed“Graden Carter's book was called When the Going Was Good.”
Where to get it
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Wide Sargasso Sea
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is a celebrated post-colonial novel that serves as a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, set in the Caribbean.
Discussed“she was 76 and published wide saraso C the book that most people know of her in 1966 when she was as I said she was 76 and she had come out of the blue and people didn't even know she was alive anymore”
Where to get it
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With the Old Breed
With the Old Breed is a harrowing and widely acclaimed military memoir by E.
Discussed“and the other one is is a military Memoir called with the old Breed by a man named EB Sledge it's one of my favorite books and I think it came out as well in the early 60s”
Where to get it
Books Dwight Garner wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (65: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I mean you know, I mean Jane Eyre is is auto fiction, you know, David Copperfield, Joyce,”
“I mean you know, I mean Jane Eyre is is auto fiction, you know, David Copperfield, Joyce,”
“and books like Bill Buford, Dirt and Heat, I believe, were his books.”
“Stoner. Stoner. That is correct.”
“Andre Agassi. That is correct. It's a good book.”
“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. yes.”
“It's it's uh Tom Sawyer. It is. It's Tom Sawyer. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
“and her as I was reminded I think of her as the author of the prime of Miss Gene Brody. She was so prolific and there's a there's an element of the supernatural”
“Yeah, there's a new biography of Dennis Johnson, the writer of Jesus Son and other books. It's not a great biography, but it's good enough.”
“Sheila hetti her new one is called motherhood the one on our Vanguard list was how should a person be”
“I remember the controversy when the New Yorker assigned for review Daniel gold hogins book about the Holocaust title that book Hitler's willing executioners willing executioners and they gave the book to Clive James for review”
“her second novel came out seven or eight years later called nagara Falls all over again and this is the first one”
“We know Kathy AER was sort of the downtown Punk writer and performance artist the author of blood and guts in high school and other books who died in 1997 far too young of of cancer”
“We know Kathy AER was sort of the downtown Punk writer and performance artist the author of blood and guts in high school and other books who died in 1997 far too young of of cancer”
“I reviewed turbulence by David saloy”
“The Classic example is the Godfather Mario PUO novel I Haven I haven't to like that novel”
“iris is an example Iris the iris Murdoch movie I thought was quite nice”
“oh bonfire the vanities that's what I was about to say”
“you know books like James con's a higher loyalty and and Michael Hayden's The Assault on intelligence”
“you know books like James con's a higher loyalty and and Michael Hayden's The Assault on intelligence”
“that's a very good question for me like I think a suitable boy which was like7 6 no earlier than that”
“one is called slow days Fast Company and the other one is called evees Hollywood and she's written some novels as well”
“one is called slow days Fast Company and the other one is called evees Hollywood and she's written some novels as well”
“the town reminded me of the Savannah Georgia of John baren novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”
“the town reminded me of the Savannah Georgia of John baren novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”
“and then Lily aneli and Vanity Fair wrote a piece in 2014 and then the New York Review books reissue two of them and now Counterpoint is doing the novels”
“and then Lily aneli and Vanity Fair wrote a piece in 2014 and then the New York Review books reissue two of them and now Counterpoint is doing the novels”
“I reviewed a very stable genius by Philip Rucker and Carol leonik”
“and I reviewed unworthy Republic the dispossession of Native Americans and the road to Indian Territory by Claudio Sant”
“and I reviewed unworthy Republic the dispossession of Native Americans and the road to Indian Territory by Claudio Sant”
“our our readers will remember Janette wierson is the English writer who became famous I think in 1985 for her somewhat autobiographical novel oranges are not the only fruit”
“and her other books include sexting the cherry and a very good Memoir called why be happy when you can be normal”
“and her other books include sexting the cherry and a very good Memoir called why be happy when you can be normal”
“Dwight I reviewed Odetta by Ian Zach a biography and also one grain of sand by Matthew fry Jacobson”
“Dwight I reviewed Odetta by Ian Zach a biography and also one grain of sand by Matthew fry Jacobson”
“Lawrence Wright is the New Yorker staff writer who's the author of The looming Tower about 911 which won the poer prize”
“I loved the title of Michael Ian Black's first book which was called you're not doing it right”
“I reviewed Lawrence WS the end of October”
“well J maer bright light's big city I mean that's that's the that's the first”
“I don't begrudge anyone they're fandom of All the Pretty Horses or its two sequels the crossing and cities of the plane but I found them a little bit static for the kind of books I like to read the kind of fiction”
“I don't begrudge anyone they're fandom of All the Pretty Horses or its two sequels the crossing and cities of the plane but I found them a little bit static for the kind of books I like to read the kind of fiction”
“there's also this really ornate style that he gets in in Blood Meridian in the darkest way and Suri in a comic way”
“there's also this really ornate style that he gets in in Blood Meridian in the darkest way and Suri in a comic way”
“in his later novels the final two that came out just last fall the passenger and Stella Maris”
“in his later novels the final two that came out just last fall the passenger and Stella Maris”
“he wrote a novel called long division as well as a ction of essays that came out a few years ago which is called I think I'm going to get this right how to slowly kill yourself in others in America”
“he wrote a novel called long division as well as a ction of essays that came out a few years ago which is called I think I'm going to get this right how to slowly kill yourself in others in America”
“he wrote a novel called long division as well as a ction of essays that came out a few years ago which is called I think I'm going to get this right how to slowly kill yourself in others in America”
“I'm going to review Milkman again next week”
“and as you both know Curtis seld wrote a previous novel called American Wife and it was told from the perspective of character who was very very much like Laura Bush”
“uh her novel my year of rest and relaxation and the collection of hers called homesick for another world are are are more than to to the nth degree”
“uh her novel my year of rest and relaxation and the collection of hers called homesick for another world are are are more than to to the nth degree”
“uh her novel my year of rest and relaxation and the collection of hers called homesick for another world are are are more than to to the nth degree”
“you see him in Vermont struggling to write Invisible Man”
“I mean one is called come to me”
“one is called love and vents us”
“she was the sort of the Pinko mitford and wrote the American way of death”
“I read Dear Miss Metropolitan a novel by Carolyn Ferell”
“I mean I'm thinking of John Kennedy o Tool's New Orleans novel C of Dunces and and for example James AG he died before his pitz are prize winning novel at death in the family came out”
“I mean I'm thinking of John Kennedy o Tool's New Orleans novel C of Dunces and and for example James AG he died before his pitz are prize winning novel at death in the family came out”
“and I reviewed playlist the apocalypse poems by Rita Dove”
“well you know for a long time I was waiting for something new from Charles poris you know the author of True Grit among many other things”
“you I've never read the book that's now known as Carol turned into a film a Todd Haynes film Todd Haynes film yep and which is a which is a lovely film”
“but that's a prequel of sorts to Jane air and so very not autobiographical although it draws on her childhood”
“mine was I used to live here once the haunted life of Jee ree by Miranda Seymour”