Person
Every book Emily Aken recommended on podcasts
Emily Aken is an engaged contributor to The Book Review podcast, where she frequently shares her literary insights, current reads, and thoughtful recommendations across various genres. Through her appearances, Aken emerges as a versatile reader who appreciates both compelling non-fiction and engaging works of fiction. Among her notable mentions, she recommended Nicholas Boggs's biography 'Baldwin', highlighting its focus on the celebrated writer James Baldwin as a standout non-fiction choice. When discussing friendship-themed titles, she brought up Simone de Beauvoir's 'Las inseparables', a novelized memoir written in the 1950s. She also introduced John Carreyrou's investigative work 'Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup' as a book she was actively reading. Seeking a balance between literary depth and humor, Aken shared that a colleague recommended Dolly Alderton's comic novel 'Good Material', which she picked up to enjoy a lighter narrative experience. Additionally, she expressed her fondness for historical fiction by spotlighting Colm Toibin's novel 'The Magician' by the Irish novelist. Through these selections, Aken showcases a broad literary appetite, ranging from investigative journalism and biography to contemporary comic fiction and deeply atmospheric historical narratives.
Books recommended by Emily Aken
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Billion Dollar Whale By Tom Wright, Bradley Hope & Bad Blood Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup By John Carreyrou 2 Books Collection Set
Billion Dollar Whale By Tom Wright, Bradley Hope and Bad Blood Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup By John Carreyrou comprises gripping investigative journalism accounts detailing massive corporate fraud and financial scandals.
Recommended“I'm reading Bad Blood secrets and lies in a Silicon Valley startup by John carero”
Where to get it
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Baldwin
Baldwin is a biographical work by author Nicholas Boggs that chronicles the life and literary career of the acclaimed writer James Baldwin.
Recommended“I will go with the biography Baldwin by Nicholas Bogs. It's a biography of the writer James Baldwin.”
Where to get it
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Good Material
Good Material by Dolly Alderton is a sharp and humorous contemporary novel that explores the messy aftermath of a breakup from the perspective of a heartbroken male comedian.
Recommended“I wanted a literary experience but I wanted a comic novel and good material was recommended by a colleague and I thought huh you not knowing anything about Dolly alderton”
Where to get it
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Kairos
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck is a nuanced and complex age-gap novel by the acclaimed German writer that explores the fraught dynamics of a relationship against the historical backdrop of the collapsing East German regime.
Recommended“and it's chyros by Jenny erpenbeck the German novelist who is a perennial Nobel long Lister”
Where to get it
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Las inseparables
Las inseparables is a novelized memoir by Simone de Beauvoir that explores a lifelong, intense female friendship during youth, written in the 1950s but published posthumously.
Recommended“this is one I actually thought maybe Jam would mention it is in separable by Simone deovir which is a novelized memoir written in the 50s”
Where to get it
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The Magician
The Magician by Colm Tóibín is a historical fiction novel that offers a novelized chronicle of the life of the celebrated German author Thomas Mann.
Recommended“the book I want to mention is the magician by colum toin the Irish novelist this is a work of historical fiction”
Where to get it
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Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding is a landmark contemporary comedic novel that popularized the Bridget Jones series and captured the experiences of a single British woman navigating romance and professional life in the 1990s.
Discussed“and Bridget Jones Diary was 1996 and I feel that this I think dolly alderton is very self-consciously descendant of those writers”
Where to get it
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High Fidelity
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby is a widely recognized breakup novel published in 1995 that explores romance, music obsession, and personal growth through the lens of a struggling record store owner.
Discussed“because I wanted to pick up on Nick Hornby because that this High Fidelity was a breakup novel published in 1995”
Where to get it
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Mrs Osmond
Discussed“I'm reading Mrs Osmond by John banville which is Believe It or Not a sequel to portrait of a lady”
Where to get it
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My Year of Rest and Relaxation
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh is a provocative novel about a young, privileged Manhattan woman who decides to spend a year in a chemically induced slumber to escape the pressures of her life.
Discussed“this was a book that we were talking about for months there were a lot of such so many good books this year but I wanted to talk about my year of rest and relaxation by otessa mosag”
Where to get it
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The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James is a classic 1881 novel following the spirited young American heiress Isabel Archer as she navigates European society, independence, and a disastrous marriage.
Discussed“I'm reading Mrs Osmond by John banville which is Believe It or Not a sequel to portrait of a lady long awaited seet a long awaited and maybe we should start by reminding people about portrait of a lady itself”
Where to get it
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There Is No Place for Us
There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone is an investigative non-fiction book that examines the harsh reality of the working homeless in America.
Discussed“This is There Is No Place for Us. All right. There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone.”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 10 Best Books of 2025 | The Book Review | 2025-12-02 | 2 |
| Book Club: 'My Brilliant Friend,' by Elena Ferrante | The Book Review | 2024-08-23 | 1 |
| Tayari Jones on 'An American Marriage' | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 2 |
| Tyranny in Rome and Fake Drugs in Fiction | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 4 |
| Talking About the 10 Best Books of 2018 | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 2 |
| Talking About the 10 Best Books of 2021 | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
| Book Club: Dolly Alderton's 'Good Material' | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 5 |
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I think it belongs on a shelf with Evicted by Matthew Desmond and Invisible Child by Andrea Elliot.”
“I think it belongs on a shelf with Evicted by Matthew Desmond and Invisible Child by Andrea Elliot.”
“if you've read priest daddy her h I ious and Brilliant Memoir you know that she grew up in rectories across the Midwest with a priest father a very eccentric one”
“because the sheer amount of writing that pla left her journals and scrapbooks her poems and short stories her novel The Bell jar and letters so many letters it's dazzling”