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Gilbert Cruz's book club picks and book recommendations
Gilbert Cruz’s book club picks
Gilbert Cruz has picked 11 books for the book club on The Book Review. The latest is Orbital by Samantha Harvey, first picked in February 2025. Every pick, newest first:
Gilbert Cruz’s most recommended books
- James by Percival L. Everett
- Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- On Writing by Stephen King
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
- London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
Gilbert Cruz is an American literary critic and editor who has served as the editor of The New York Times Book Review since July 2022. During his appearances on the podcast, Cruz discussed and previewed numerous titles, guiding readers through notable upcoming releases and classic works. He concluded an episode by promoting Min Jin Lee's novel American Hagwan and later encouraged listeners to revisit her debut book, Free Food for Millionaires. While speaking with Stephen King, Cruz discussed Peter Straub's novel Ghost Story and named Floating Dragon as his personal favorite by the author. Cruz also previewed several anticipated fall books, including Marlon James's return to literary fiction with The Disappearers, Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark's biography American Scoundrel about Roy Cohn, Robert Kolker's narrative non-fiction book The Vanishing Family focusing on genetic dementia, Nathaniel Philbrick's history of the California Gold Rush titled The Rush, and Solvej Balle's ongoing series with the fifth volume of On the Calculation of Volume. Through these discussions, Cruz highlighted a diverse array of literary fiction, biography, narrative non-fiction, and historical works for listeners to explore.
Books recommended by Gilbert Cruz
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James
James by Percival L.
Discussed“the big winner last night a the national book awards as expected by many was one of the books on our list this was James by pel Everett”
Where to get it
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Say Nothing
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland that investigates political violence, justice, and the heavy personal cost of what individuals kill and die for.
Discussed“hopefully many of our listeners have already read say nothing but in the event they haven't do what you've been doing for the past 6 years and tell us about it”
Where to get it
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The Road
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, post-apocalyptic novel that follows a father and his young son as they walk across a burned America, striving to survive while holding onto their morality.
Discussed“So today, we're going to dig in on one of those books, number 13 on the list, The Road by Cormac McCarthy.”
Where to get it
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On Writing
Stephen King’s On Writing is part memoir and part masterclass on the craft of storytelling.
Discussed“But I think often about what Stephen King wrote in on writing.”
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“I spoke to Coulson Whitehead as part of this podcast series about his book The Underground ril Road and he said something to the effect when talking about the steps that led to that book”
Where to get it
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Pachinko
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a sweeping historical novel that follows four generations of a Korean immigrant family living in Japan.
Discussed“Her book Pachinko had just been voted one of the best books of the 21st century by the hundreds of authors who participated in that [music] project.”
Where to get it
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The Candy House
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan is a compelling novel that functions as a structural sequel to A Visit from the Goon Squad, exploring themes of memory, technology, and interconnected lives.
Discussed“14 years ago in 2022 she put out a followup to that book The Candy House both share the same structure a series of stories”
Where to get it
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The Warmth of Other Suns
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is a powerful and extensively researched historical account that chronicles the decades-long Great Migration of black citizens leaving the American South for northern and western cities.
Discussed“this week I'm joined by is Isabel Wilkerson author of the 2010 book the warmth of other Sons The Epic story of America's Great Migration it is the best non-fiction book of this Century as chosen by just over 500 respondents to our poll from earlier this summer”
Where to get it
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Midnight in Chernobyl
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham is a gripping historical account documenting the untold story of the world's greatest nuclear disaster.
Discussed“all right in 2019 Our Guest on this week's episode published his first book The gripping accounts of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant and what was then the Soviet Union that book midnight at Noble was one of the book reviews 10 best books of that year”
Where to get it
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London Falling
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe is a true-crime narrative and investigative work by the acclaimed New Yorker reporter.
Recommended“This is London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. Patrick Radden Keefe is back.”
Where to get it
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All Fours
Miranda July's novel All Fours explores relationships, midlife, and identity in a deeply unconventional way.
Discussed“Why is all fours by Miranda July here? I mean, it just, you know, it's so funny.”
Where to get it
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Gone Girl
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a bestselling psychological thriller novel centered on the turbulent marriage and sudden disappearance of Amy Dunne, driven by an unreliable narrator and shocking plot twists.
Discussed“Tina Gong Girl by Gillian Flynn. That's the number one book on this list. Number one by a darn mile.”
Where to get it
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Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is a historical fiction novel that chronicles the rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII.
Discussed“in 2009 there was a book published called Wolf Hall. What a book. I know, what a book.”
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 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel told in a series of fragmentary, interconnected vignettes exploring time, music, ambition, and memory.
Discussed“today I'm joined by Jennifer Egan who released a visit from the Goon Squad in summer 2010 14 years ago in 2022 she put out a followup to that book The Candy House”
Where to get it
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The Power Broker
The Power Broker by Robert A.
Discussed“we had Robert Kon a few months ago for the 50th anniversary with the power broker and I always think about him being able to describe the dirt in the Texas Hill Country”
Where to get it
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A Marriage at Sea
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst is a true story of love, obsession, and shipwreck detailing a couple who abandoned life on land to sail across the ocean.
Recommended“Marriage at Sea, a true story of love, obsession, and shipwreck, made it onto the book reviews top 10 books of 2025, and it was one of my personal favorites last year as well.”
Where to get it
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To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic American novel by Harper Lee that explores themes of racial injustice and moral growth in the American South.
Discussed“and so there is something about when Merl stre reads or when reads tequilla Mockingbird which I know is one we both love we love we both love that”
Where to get it
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The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a celebrated classic horror novel about a haunted mansion and psychological isolation.
Discussed“Victor, I'd love it if you can read the first paragraph of The Haunting of Hill House. I'm happy to.”
Where to get it
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Master of the Senate
Master of the Senate by Robert A.
Discussed“volume three Master of the Senate won the Pulitzer Prize”
Where to get it
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Fire Weather
Fire Weather by John Vaillant is a harrowing work of narrative non-fiction that tells the true story of the massive 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire against the backdrop of a changing, hotter world.
Discussed“on this week's episode I'm speaking with the author of one of those books John Valiant author of fire weather a true story from a hotter world”
Where to get it
- Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
- Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer
- Lone Women by Victor LaValle
- Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
- The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
- The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossman
- The Outsider by Stephen King
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue
- Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
- Middlemarch by George Eliot
- A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
- My Brilliant Friend by Chiara Lagani
- My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen
- Fun by Unknown
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Wolf Hall by Mantel Hillary
- Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
- Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
- The egg and I by Betty MacDonald
- America's Bank by Roger Lowenstein
- Doomed to succeed by Dennis Ross
Questions about Gilbert Cruz’s book recommendations
What book does Gilbert Cruz recommend most?
James by Percival L. Everett. Gilbert Cruz recommended it in 6 episodes, with 2 explicit recommendations.
How many books has Gilbert Cruz recommended on podcasts?
We have found 945 books Gilbert Cruz recommended or discussed, across 358 episodes of 1 podcast. Ad reads and passing mentions are not counted.
What books are on Gilbert Cruz's reading list?
The books Gilbert Cruz has recommended most on podcasts are James by Percival L. Everett, Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, On Writing by Stephen King and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. The year-by-year lists below have all 945.
What books has Gilbert Cruz picked for the book club?
Orbital by Samantha Harvey, My Brilliant Friend by Chiara Lagani, The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, James by Percival L. Everett, Good Material by Dolly Alderton, Erasure by Percival Everett, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride and The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and 3 more, newest first.
What did Gilbert Cruz recommend on The Book Review?
James, Say Nothing and The Road, among 945 books in all.
What is the latest book Gilbert Cruz recommended?
Interview With the Vampire, discussed on The Book Review (2026-10-23).
People who recommend the same books
Gilbert Cruz’s latest episodes with books
It’s Time for a Big Ol’ Fall Book Preview
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The Disappearers
at 3:05 -
American Scoundrel
at 7:42 -
The Vanishing Family
at 12:38 -
Free Food for Millionaires
at 18:24 - Other Worlds Than These
at 24:35 -
The Rush
at 31:13 -
On the Calculation of Volume (Book V)
at 37:49 -
Our Noble Selves
at 43:02 -
Ply
at 44:28 -
Trust
at 44:41 -
The Time Traveler's Wife
at 45:53 -
Life Out of Order
at 46:15 -
A Court of Splintered Harmony
at 47:24 -
Take My Word for It
at 47:45 -
Promise Me, America
at 48:03
Let’s Talk About the 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century
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Presumed Innocent
at 10:08 -
And Then There Were None
at 10:27 -
Crooked House
at 11:00 -
Gone Girl
at 16:04 -
Sharp Objects
at 18:03 -
Broken Harbor
at 20:31 -
Mystic river
at 23:57 -
All the Sinners Bleed
at 25:51 -
The God of the Woods
at 27:53 -
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
at 32:25 -
No Country for Old Men
at 32:37 -
Butter
at 43:28
Gilbert Cruz’s book recommendations by year
All 945 books Gilbert Cruz recommended or discussed across 358 episodes, filed by the year each episode came out. Each year goes episode by episode, with the minute every book came up.