Person
Every book Elisabeth Egan recommended on podcasts
Elisabeth Egan’s most recommended books
- Know My Name by Chanel Miller
- Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
- Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl
- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Fifth Anniversary Limited Edition by Charlie Mackesy
- The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger
- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
- A life's work by Rachel Cusk
- An exact replica of a figment of my imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Brother of the more famous Jack by Barbara Trapido
Elisabeth Egan is a book reviewer and editor who frequently appears on The Book Review podcast to discuss new literature and share reading recommendations with listeners. During various podcast episodes, she has introduced and highlighted several notable works across different genres. For summer reading, she predicted that Caro Claire Burke's debut novel Yesteryear, which follows a tradwife influencer who wakes up in the world she writes about, would be a major hit. As a companion to that story, she recommended Ann Patchett's Whistler, a novel about a middle-aged English teacher encountering her former stepfather at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Egan also discussed Elizabeth Strout's new novel The Things We Never Say, featuring a high school history teacher named Arty Dam, alongside Kathleen Rooney's Man Overboard! and Jenny Jackson's second novel, The Shampoo Effect. When assembling reading lists and group text picks, Egan often turns to personal favorites. She recommended Carol Shields's novel Happenstance as companion reading and suggested Jenny Offill's earlier book Dept. of Speculation as further reading alongside Offill's newer release. Additionally, she introduced listeners to Terry Tempest Williams's book of essays, Erosion, praising its subtitle and thematic depth. Through these varied recommendations, Egan provides listeners with thoughtful insights into contemporary fiction and essays.
Books recommended by Elisabeth Egan
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Know My Name
Know My Name by Chanel Miller is a powerful memoir detailing the author's harrowing experience with sexual assault, the subsequent trial, and her journey toward reclaiming her identity and voice.
Recommended“this her Memoir is called know my name and it's a you know Moment by moment account”
Where to get it
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Our Missing Hearts
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng is a dystopian novel set in a United States where state-sanctioned censorship destroys specific books, Asian Americans face pervasive violence, and children are forcibly separated from parents who openly criticize the government.
Discussed“I was definitely very affected by Celeste ing's portrayal of The Librarians as Heroes and our missing Hearts but then this summer in July I went to visit my in-laws who live in Cleveland”
Where to get it
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Late Migrations
Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl is a collection of essays reflecting on nature, family, loss, and the passage of time through observations of the natural world.
Recommended“it's a book called late migrations and the author is Margaret wrinkle who's a contributing opinion columnist here at the times”
Where to get it
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The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Fifth Anniversary Limited Edition
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy is a beautifully illustrated fable offering gentle wisdom and comfort for readers of all ages.
Recommended“but the book is called the boy the mole The Fox and the horse and it's by a British writer named Charles Maxie and it is a picture book that is intended for human beings of all ages ages 8 to 88 I believe is how the author puts it in his introduction”
Where to get it
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The Displacements
The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger is a contemporary suspense novel that explores the survival of American families in the aftermath of a catastrophic climate disaster.
Discussed“it's called the displacements and it's by Bruce holinger”
Where to get it
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is a classic young adult novel by Judy Blume that addresses the physical and emotional trials of adolescence.
Discussed“are you there God it's me Margaret was one of those books that I I remember where I was sitting”
Where to get it
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A life's work
A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk is a candid and intellectually rigorous memoir that explores the complex, often unsettling realities, cultural expectations, and psychological transformations of becoming a mother.
Recommended“and the other was a life's work by Rachel kusk”
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.
Recommended“one book was Elizabeth McCracken's an exact replica of a figment of my imagination”
Where to get it
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Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery is a beloved classic novel that tells the heartwarming story of an imaginative and spirited orphan girl sent to live with an elderly brother and sister on Prince Edward Island.
Recommended“I also have a series that I return to again and again which might not fall into people's traditional Classics list but I go back to Ann of green gaes again and again I just love the an books and also a lesser known series by LM Montgomery who wrote an of green Galls called Emily of New Moon”
Where to get it
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Brother of the more famous Jack
Brother of the More Famous Jack is a classic novel by Barbara Trapido that explores complex family dynamics, coming-of-age themes, and bohemian intellectual life.
Recommended“I know I'm going to read brother of the more famous Jack by Barbara tredo which comes to me from a friend who has been recommending it really highly”
Where to get it
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Cowboys Are My Weakness
Cowboys Are My Weakness is a critically acclaimed collection of short stories by Pam Houston that examines the lives of independent, outdoor-loving women navigating romantic relationships with complex, rugged men across the American West.
Recommended“also it sounds like you need to reread Cowboys are my weakness by Pam Houston and that book by Elizabeth Hyde where they go canoeing in the Grand Canyon”
Where to get it
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Day
Day by Michael Cunningham is a poignant novel that unfolds across three successive Aprils—2019, 2020, and 2021—capturing the profound shifts in a family's life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recommended“and the third one is another pandemic novel and it's called Day by Michael Cunningham”
Where to get it
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Dept. of Speculation
Dept.
Recommended“another one that I recommended this month is a book called Department of speculation by Jenny oall who has a new book that just came out called weather which I think you talked about on the podcast last week”
Where to get it
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Elegy for Iris
Elegy for Iris is a poignant memoir by John Bayley that chronicles the final years of his wife, the brilliant philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch, as she succumbed to Alzheimer's disease.
Recommended“and speaking of Iris Murdoch I have to ask if you've read El for Iris by John Bailey”
Where to get it
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Eligible
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld is a witty, contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's beloved classic novel Pride and Prejudice, relocating the classic romance and family drama to the modern-day suburbs of Cincinnati.
Recommended“so I think I would recommend eligible by Curtis sienfeld it is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the suburbs of Cincinnati”
Where to get it
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Emily of New Moon
Emily of New Moon is a charming coming-of-age novel by L.M.
Recommended“and also a lesser known series by LM Montgomery who wrote an of green Galls called Emily of New Moon which some people turn to yoga when they need soothing I turn to an and Emily”
Where to get it
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Erosion
Erosion is a powerful collection of essays by Terry Tempest Williams that addresses environmental degradation, public lands, and the urgent need for ecological conservation.
Recommended“it's called erosion it's by Terry Tempest Williams and the subtitle is essays of undoing”
Where to get it
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French Braid
French Braid by Anne Tyler is a richly observed novel that explores the complex dynamics, unspoken tensions, and enduring bonds within a Baltimore family across multiple decades.
Recommended“so what I am reading is French braid by Anne Tyler it's her 24th novel”
Where to get it
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Friends and Strangers
Friends and Strangers by J.
Recommended“I am reading for the second time in one year a book called friends and strangers it's by Jay Courtney Sullivan”
Where to get it
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Happenstance
Happenstance by Carol Shields is a novel that portrays a week in the life of a university history professor navigating sudden independence while his wife is away at a conference.
Recommended“the first is a book called happens Dance by a Canadian author named Carol Shields who is really one of my favorites”
Where to get it
The other 58 books Elisabeth Egan recommended or discussed, ranked
- Heft by Liz Moore
- I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
- In the unlikely event by Judy Blume
- Inside Out by Demi Moore
- Liars by Sarah Manguso
- Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Man Overboard! by Kathleen Rooney
- Meant to Be by Emily Giffin
- Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout
- Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
- Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
- The Cliffs: Reese's Book Club by J. Courtney Sullivan
- The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) by Abraham Verghese
- The Days of Afrekete by Asali Solomon
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
- The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee A Mother Her Son And A Fiftyyear Search by Martin Sixsmith
- The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
- The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez
- Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
- Wayward by Dana Spiotta
- Whistler by Ann Patchett
- Writers & Lovers by Lily King
- Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
- American Fantasy by Emma Straub
- Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Colony by Anne Rivers Siddons
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
- Dopesick by Beth Macy
- Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Forever by Judy Blume
- Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
- Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
- Hideous kinky by Esther Freud
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
- How to Rule the World by Theo Baker
- I Couldn't Love You More by Esther Freud
- Indelicacy by Amina Cain
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
- Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Orringer
- Matilda by Roald Dahl
- My Absolute Darling: A Novel by Gabriel Tallent
- My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki
- Superfudge by Judy Blume
- The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand
- The Brightness by Chad Harbach
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
- The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, Colleen McCullough
- We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
- Weather by Jenny Offill
- What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins
Appearances
Other mentions (41: passing, ad reads, own books), the 30 most recent
“Seabiscuit fans, this is not a sequel. Be forewarned.”
“I this is a book that will be beloved by fans of remarkably bright creatures, which is book? Yeah, the octopus book.”
“But, her new book coming out this fall is The Thoroughbreds. I have the galley.”
“I'm saving it for my own vacation along with Dave Eggers' new book, Contra Posto, and Amy Bloom's first thriller, Blunt Instrument.”
“And Patrick Radden Keefe, who brought us Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, delves into the mystery of Zack Brettler's death.”
“And Patrick Radden Keefe, who brought us Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, delves into the mystery of Zack Brettler's death.”
“He wrote a book about 10 years ago called The Art of Fielding, and he has a book coming out this fall called The Brightness.”
“I would describe the book as a hybrid of Annie Dillard's a writer's life and Joan dian's a year of magical thinking”
“I would describe the book as a hybrid of Annie Dillard's a writer's life and Joan dian's a year of magical thinking”
“and did you read the tender bar no J”
“I know her as the author of euphoria which was one of our 10 best books of the year a few years back”
“my my name is Lucy Barton and there was an a companion I think the Burgess boys”
“my my name is Lucy Barton and there was an a companion I think the Burgess boys or the bures”
“and yeah commencement was her first book”
“and then Maine which is about a family”
“I think the next one was the engagements and then Saints for All Occasions”
“I think the next one was the engagements and then Saints for All Occasions”
“I didn't know it until I read snowfall on Cedars do you remember that book”
“you know there was a moment where all the light we cannot see was the one book everybody was talking about”
“and and you know there was the Gone Girl era”
“there was the girl on the train era”
“the pachenko period”
“the first is heft”
“and the second is the Unseen World”
“the author of behold the dreamers brings us a second novel that is anything but sophomoric”
“and then it led to an entire genre of books that I won't call copycats but that were descendants of Bridget Jones and those were the shopaholic books The Nanny Diaries I don't know how she does it by Allison Pearson”
“and then it led to an entire genre of books that I won't call copycats but that were descendants of Bridget Jones and those were the shopaholic books The Nanny Diaries I don't know how she does it by Allison Pearson”
“so please don't ask me about The Bean Trees which came out I think when I was in high school a million years ago”
“as for Dickens I read what I was required to read in school and I was never someone to pick up Great Expectations just for fun”
“so I think I would recommend eligible by Curtis sienfeld it is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the suburbs of Cincinnati”