Person
Every book Dwight Garner recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Dwight Garner has recommended or discussed 192 books on podcasts, as of October 16, 2026.
- Dwight Garner has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of October 16, 2026.
- Those books came up in 79 episodes, as of October 16, 2026.
- The 3 books Dwight Garner has mentioned in the most episodes, as of October 16, 2026: The Passenger, Love, Nina and Normal People.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Dwight Garner aired on October 16, 2026.
Updated
Dwight Garner’s most recommended books
- The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
- Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
- On Fire by Larry Brown
- The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
- Godsend by John Wray
- I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore
- Candy by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg
- The Empathy Diaries by Sherry Turkle
- Colorization by Wil Haygood
Dwight Garner is a book critic and commentator who frequently discusses literature and reading culture. During an appearance on The Book Review podcast for a critics roundtable, he shared several prominent book recommendations and formative reads from his life. He enthusiastically highlighted Marlon James's novel The Disappearers, naming it his favorite book of the year, and praised Min Jin Lee's novel American Hagwon alongside it. Turning to formative influences that shaped his reading life, Garner discussed Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death, praising the entertaining way she tackled her subject, and recommended Paul Fussell's works Class and The Great War and Modern Memory, noting the powerful impact of the author's writing. Furthermore, he recommended Calvin Trillin's food books, specifically American Fried, Alice, Let's Eat, and Third Helpings, explaining that they introduced him to vernacular food culture. Through these discussions, Garner demonstrated a broad literary appreciation spanning contemporary fiction, social critique, historical memory, and cultural writing.
Books recommended by Dwight Garner
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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“the first one is is the great one the comic one it's called the passenger”
Where to get it
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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.
Discussed“and nah sb's Memoir was called love Nina and it's a very Charming book”
Where to get it
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Normal People
Normal People by Sally Rooney is a bestselling contemporary novel that chronicles the complex, evolving relationship between two Irish teenagers, Marianne and Connell, as they navigate class differences and university life.
Discussed“I think it was the new Sally Rooney novel normal people”
Where to get it
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On Fire
On Fire by Larry Brown is a compelling memoir written by a Mississippi fireman who transitioned into a celebrated novelist, chronicling his rugged life experiences.
Recommended“But the book I'm going to shill for is a bit more lowbrow in the best way possible. A memoir by Larry Brown, the uh late Mississippi writer called On Fire.”
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.
Discussed“and the other one was the old drift by namw surel”
Where to get it
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Godsend
Godsend by John Wray is an immersive and gripping contemporary novel that explores complex themes of identity, radicalization, and human displacement through a compelling narrative lens.
Discussed“I I I read a novel this week by uh youngish writer now named John Ray w a y his new one is called godsend and it's about”
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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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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The Empathy Diaries
The Empathy Diaries by Sherry Turkle is a deeply moving and revealing memoir that traces the author's personal journey, family dynamics, and intellectual evolution as a pioneering scholar of technology and human psychology.
Recommended“but her new book The empathy Diaries is a memoir and it's beautiful it is simply beautiful it works on so many levels”
Where to get it
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Colorization
Colorization by Wil Haygood is a comprehensive historical book chronicling one hundred years of Black representation and cinema within a predominantly white film industry.
Discussed“I had the good luck Pamela to review will ha Good's new book it's called colorization 100 Years of black films in a white world”
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
Eat the Buddha is a poignant and deeply reported non-fiction book by Barbara Demick that explores the tumultuous history, life, and tragic deaths within a Tibetan town under Chinese rule.
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 sharp cultural, literary, and political commentary from one of contemporary literature's most distinctive voices.
Discussed“so the books are feel free is the Zade Smith title”
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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Orange World and Other Stories
Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell is a collection of imaginative and resonant short fiction exploring human vulnerability, motherhood, and surreal circumstances.
Discussed“the book is called orange World and Other Stories”
Where to get it
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Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails
Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails is an exhaustive, authoritative reference book edited by David Wondrich alongside Noah Rothbaum that charts the history, culture, and mixology 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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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“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 Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe is a classic work of New Journalism chronicling Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and their psychedelic adventures across America in the 1960s.
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 subtitled One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America, detailing the author's personal journey with weight, health, and self-acceptance.
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
- Turbulence by David Szalay
- Cleanness by Garth Greenwell
- Don't erase me by Carolyn Ferrell
- Inside the NRA by Joshua L. Powell
- Milkman by Anna Burns
- Suttree by Cormac McCarthy
- The Book of Unconformities by Hugh Raffles
- The Information by Martin Amis
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
- Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
- Alice, Let's Eat by Calvin Trillin
- American Fried by Calvin Trillin
- American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
- Biological War: A Scenario by Unknown
- Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
- Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
- Brother of the more famous Jack by Barbara Trapido
- Class by Paul Fussell
- Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
- Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford
- Deliverance by James Dickey
- Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon
- Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance
- I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally
- Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell
- Meet Me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman
- Miss May Does Not Exist by Carrie Courogen
- Money by Martin Amis
- Night Boat To Tangier by Kevin Barry
Dwight Garner’s latest episodes with books
A Book Review Critics’ Roundtable
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The Disappearers
at 17:41 -
American Hagwon
at 22:03 -
Pachinko
at 22:20 -
The American way of death
at 27:59 -
Class
at 28:06 -
The Great War and Modern Memory
at 28:06 - American Fried
at 28:13 -
Alice, Let's Eat
at 28:13 -
Third Helpings
at 28:13 - On Fire
at 28:38 - Cool Machine
at 35:16 -
The Oyster Diaries
at 35:41 - Biological War: A Scenario
at 35:59 -
Brother of the more famous Jack
at 40:25
Dwight Garner’s book recommendations by year
All 192 books Dwight Garner recommended or discussed across 79 episodes, filed by the year each episode came out. Each year goes episode by episode, with the minute every book came up.