Person
Every book Greg Cowles recommended on podcasts
Greg Cowles frequently appears as a knowledgeable contributor on The Book Review podcast, where he shares insightful literary commentary and varied reading recommendations. Cowles's discussions on the podcast reveal a broad literary appetite, spanning contemporary fiction, historical collections, essays, and memoirs. During various episodes, he highlighted works such as Sarah Manguso's forthcoming essay collection 300 Arguments and Cara Hoffman's atmospheric 1980s underground novel Running. He also expressed enthusiasm for Paul LaFarge's puzzle-like novel The Night Ocean and Dan Chaon's plot-driven literary thriller Ill Will. Demonstrating an appreciation for historical nonfiction, Cowles recommended the Library of America collection World War I and America, edited by A. Scott Berg. Additionally, he discussed diving into Lily King's novel Euphoria at his wife's suggestion, revisiting Denis Johnson's 1990 story collection Jesus's Son, and turning back to one of his favorite works, William James's classic The Varieties of Religious Experience. Through these varied recommendations, Cowles exhibits a deep engagement with both modern releases and enduring classics, guiding listeners through an eclectic mix of gripping narratives, historical reflections, and thoughtful psychological explorations on the podcast.
Books recommended by Greg Cowles
-
2666
2666 is a massive, complex novel by Roberto Bolaño that explores a wide range of themes, most famously centering on the unsolved femicides in a fictional Mexican border city.
Recommended“I am starting Roberto balan's Monumental novel 2666 which is famously based on the femicides that plagued suad Warez in Mexico”
Where to get it
-
The power broker: Robert Moses and the fall of New York
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A.
Discussed“well of course you know my personal reading is still Robert caros uh the power broker about Robert Moses and I will talk about that in a second”
Where to get it
-
Until the End of Time
Until the End of Time by Brian Greene applies the principles of theoretical physics to humanity's most profound existential questions regarding the origin and meaning of existence.
Recommended“in the meantime I am reading Brian Green's new book until the end of time which applies theoretical physics to the biggest questions of existence like for instance why is there existence”
Where to get it
-
300 arguments
300 arguments by Sarah Manguso is an innovative essay collection consisting of concise, aphoristic observations on art, ambition, time, and solitude.
Recommended“and this book is called 300 arguments it comes out in February”
Where to get it
-
A Time of Gifts
A Time of Gifts is a celebrated travel memoir by Patrick Leigh Fermor that recounts his youthful walking journey across Europe from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople in the 1930s.
Recommended“the name of this book that I'm reading is a time of gifts”
Where to get it
-
Barkskins
Barkskins by Annie Proulx is an expansive historical novel that traces the vast destruction of North American forests across multiple generations through the descendants of two impoverished French immigrants.
Recommended“it's an editor's choice this week that I can heartily recommend is the new novel by Annie PR it's called bark skins”
Where to get it
-
Deaf Republic
Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky is a powerful collection of poetry that tells the story of an occupied town where the inhabitants become deaf after a tragedy, using silence as a form of resistance.
Recommended“it's called deaf Republic”
Where to get it
-
Euphoria A Novel
Euphoria by Lily King is a critically acclaimed novel inspired by the real-life anthropological expeditions of Margaret Mead in New Guinea during the 1930s, exploring complex dynamics of love, jealousy, and scientific ambition.
Recommended“you should read lily kings Foria and I I don't know what made her you know suggest that at this time it's a book that the book review named as one of the 10 best books a couple of years ago”
Where to get it
-
Everybody's Fool
Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo is a compelling novel set a decade after the events of its predecessor, continuing the author's rich exploration of small-town American life.
Recommended“it was 1994 I think but it's set 10 years later it's called Everybody's Fool a sequel to Nobody's Fool”
Where to get it
-
Everything you know
Zoë Heller's compelling novel explores complex personal relationships and sharp social observations through distinct and memorable character dynamics.
Recommended“I've uh I love her first novel everything you know”
Where to get it
-
Home cooking
Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin is a beloved collection of essays and culinary reflections by a celebrated novelist who found deep meaning in the kitchen and the act of feeding others.
Recommended“it is a memoir by Lorie cwin also a novelist who who wrote some Memoirs it's called home cooking a writer in the kitchen”
Where to get it
-
Ill will
Ill will by Dan Chaon is a suspenseful literary thriller that delves into memory, trauma, and a series of dark, unsolved crimes in the American Midwest.
Recommended“and then the last book that I fell into is a book that just grabbed me for plot reasons regular listeners will know that I'm susceptible to Thrillers and and this qualifies although it's very much a literary Thriller is Dan Sha's new book ill will”
Where to get it
-
Jesus' son
Jesus' Son is a potent and slender 1992 short story collection by Denis Johnson that portrays the chaotic, gritty lives of marginal figures through the perspective of an unreliable narrator.
Recommended“when we talk about books that they can't buy yet I thought that instead I would um talk about his first Story collection and only other Story collection besides less of the seid and it's the 1990 collection Jesus's son”
Where to get it
-
Kings County
Kings County is a contemporary novel by David Goodwillie that delves into the lives of various characters navigating modern urban culture, ambition, and personal relationships.
Recommended“now I'm about halfway through a novel called King's County by David goodwillie it came out this summer”
Where to get it
-
Mercy Street
Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh is a compelling novel that explores complex contemporary social issues through the lens of a Boston women's health clinic.
Discussed“also is Jennifer hay who has several novels behind her now and her new one is called Mercy Street”
Where to get it
-
Running
Running by Cara Hoffman is an atmospheric and evocative novel that captures the gritty, underground world of 1980s Athens through the experiences of young drifters.
Recommended“one is Cara Hoffman's novel running which is this very atmospheric kind of steamy novel of underground Athens in the 1980s”
Where to get it
-
The Body in Question
The Body in Question by Jill Ciment is a remarkably short novel, described almost as a novella, featuring precise and artistic construction.
Recommended“and in fiction similarly a very small um beautifully constructed artistically book um almost a noela more than a novel an a book called The Body in question by a writer named Jill cement”
Where to get it
-
The Committed
The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen is the compelling sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer, following the nameless protagonist as he arrives in Paris and becomes entangled in drug dealing, philosophy, and political intrigue.
Recommended“I'm reading the committed by Viet tanw”
Where to get it
-
The Night Ocean
The Night Ocean by Paul LaFarge is an intricate, puzzle-like novel that weaves together historical figures, literary obsession, and the legacy of H.P.
Recommended“the other two novels that I that I really got a kick out of in recent days for work where Paul lefar is the night ocean which is kind of a a puzzle or Rubik's cube of a novel”
Where to get it
-
The North water
The North Water by Ian McGuire is a gripping historical novel that follows a disgraced army surgeon aboard a brutal whaling ship bound for the Arctic.
Recommended“wa one of our best novels of the Year Ian McGuire's the northwater makes its debut on that list”
Where to get it
-
The Varieties of Religious Experience
The Varieties of Religious Experience is a foundational 1902 work of psychology and philosophy by William James, based on his Gifford Lectures and exploring the personal, psychological dimensions of faith, mysticism, and spiritual phenomena.
Recommended“and then I just thought I would very briefly mention because I kind of went back this week to one of my favorite books which is um William James's the varieties of religious experience which I wrote about for the paper this week”
Where to get it
-
Washington Square
Washington Square by Henry James is a compelling novella that explores themes of courtship, family control, and inheritance in nineteenth-century New York City.
Recommended“when he heard that I hadn't read Henry James he said oh you've got to at least read Washington Square and so that's why that one um you know be because Mark Sarvis recommended it to me”
Where to get it
-
What work is
What Work Is is a celebrated poetry collection by Philip Levine that chronicles the lives of American laborers and working-class struggles.
Recommended“Philip LaVine working in in kind of the same vein his book what work is it is a book that I reread”
Where to get it
-
When my brother was an Aztec
When My Brother Was an Aztec is a powerful and harrowing poetry collection by Natalie Diaz that explores family dynamics, addiction, and indigenous identity.
Recommended“she is a poet yeah she she's got a very fine book called when my brother was an Aztec”
Where to get it
-
World War I and America
World War I and America edited by A.
Recommended“so um that book has transitioned very seamlessly for me into a collection that was published earlier this year to coincide with the Centennial of America's entry into World War Iit's a collection published by the library of America called World War I and America told by the Americans who lived it”
Where to get it
-
Zero K
Zero K by Don DeLillo is a thought-provoking contemporary novel exploring themes of cryonics, mortality, and modern alienation.
Recommended“and zero K his new novel it feels like he is completely in this one”
Where to get it
-
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.
Discussed“um starting down at number 15 apostu Story collection by a writer named Lucia Berlin called a manual for cleaning women listeners may remember that uh the reviewer of that collection for us Ruth Franklin was on the podcast recently”
Where to get it
-
A Place of Greater Safety
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel is an immersive historical novel that traces the intense lives, political ambitions, and tragic fates of key figures during the French Revolution.
Discussed“uh you may remember last time I had taken a break from the power broker to start Hillary mantel's novel a place of Greater safety about the French Revolution”
Where to get it
-
America's bitter pill
America's Bitter Pill by Steven Brill is an investigative non-fiction book that scrutinizes the immense monetary interests, political maneuvering, and behind-the-scenes negotiations involved in the creation and implementation of modern American healthcare reform.
Discussed“so i looked at step Brill whose new book is going to be on the cover of our January 11th issue his new book America's bitter pill does not come out in time to make this list”
Where to get it
-
Angels
Discussed“uh it followed the same character as the protagonist of his very first novel called Angels which came out in 1980”
Where to get it
-
Angle of repose
Angle of repose by Wallace Stegner is a sweeping historical fiction novel that follows a retired historian confined to a wheelchair who researches his grandparents' lives on the American frontier.
Discussed“which book is that angle Repose angle Repose exactly which is”
Where to get it
-
Another Brooklyn
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson is a lyrical coming-of-age novel set in 1970s Brooklyn, marking the acclaimed author's first adult novel in two decades.
Discussed“the book I'm reading is another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson best known really as a children's book writer”
Where to get it
-
Apartment
Discussed“or Teddy Wayne's most recent novel apartment was also about the New York creative class in in the late '90s and early 2000s”
Where to get it
-
Autumn
Autumn by Ali Smith is a reflective contemporary novel that captures the shifting political and cultural landscape of Great Britain.
Discussed“I'm reading a novel called Autumn by Ali Smith the British writer”
Where to get it
-
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.
Discussed“well so I um have just spent two weeks on the beach in Nantucket and the books that I brought with me were both books that I had talked about on this show one was Bruce Springsteen's autobiography Born to Run”
Where to get it
-
Cometh the Hour
Discussed“he's back at number one this week with a novel called cometh the hour”
Where to get it
-
Coming Through Slaughter
Discussed“I almost picked up to reread Michael andi's book coming through Slaughter because I had just recommended it to John”
Where to get it
-
-
Data and Goliath
Discussed“at number six uh we have a cyber security expert uh named Bruce schne and his book is called data and Goliath it's kind of the same thing it's looking at the surveillance State uh and corporate surveillance and offering consumers tips on protecting their privacy”
Where to get it
-
Dead heat
Discussed“Patricia Briggs who's best known for her mercy Thompson Series of urban fantasy novels has the fourth book in her Alpha and Omega series not a Mercy Thompson book um they're said a little bit earlier in that same fictional Universe um this book is called Dead Heat and it's new at number8”
Where to get it
-
Field guide
Field Guide by Robert Hass is the acclaimed debut poetry collection by the esteemed American poet, which originally earned the prestigious Yale Series of Younger Poets prize.
Discussed“um when I was like 13 years old I stumbled across in my local library a copy of Robert hass's book uh praise I think it was oh no Field Guide his his very first book”
Where to get it
-
Games People Play
Games People Play by Eric Berne is a classic psychology text that explores transactional analysis and the hidden motivations behind human social interactions.
Discussed“one of the things I was surprised to find on the non-fiction list that week was a book by a psychoanalyst named Eric burn it's called games people play”
Where to get it
-
Gratitude
Discussed“it's a book called gratitude uh it's by Oliver saxs and what this book does is it gathers all four of the um oped essays that Oliver sax wrote for uh the New York Times after his cancer diagnosis”
Where to get it
-
Homesick For Another World
Homesick for Another World is a striking collection of dark, idiosyncratic short stories by Ottessa Moshfegh that investigates loneliness, grotesque human behavior, and contemporary alienation with biting wit.
Discussed“it's a Story collection called homesick for another world the author is otessa Mos”
Where to get it
-
Huck out west
Discussed“one is Robert cover's new novel couver of course going back almost 50 years is one of the the great postmodernist”
Where to get it
-
Indistinguishable from the darkness
Discussed“he wrote a poem called now I smack my head which I saw in a small literary journal when I was uh maybe 19 years old and uh it was later collected in his book indistinguishable from the darkness”
Where to get it
-
-
Leaving Berlin
Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon is a historical espionage novel set in the tense, divided landscape of post-World War II Germany, following a writer who is forced into a dangerous game of intelligence reporting.
Discussed“um now he has his seventh novel leaving Berlin New at number 11”
Where to get it
-
Live right and find happiness (although beer is much faster)
Discussed“another familiar Nam Dave Barry has a book called live right and find happiness although beer is much faster”
Where to get it
-
Mating
Mating by Norman Rush is a sprawling, intellectually ambitious novel following a brilliant female American anthropologist in Botswana as she navigates an intellectual and romantic entanglement with a utopian community leader.
Discussed“earlier this year I read uh Norman Rush's mating and both of those books are books about anthropologists”
Where to get it
-
Midnight Sun
Discussed“Joe Nesbo who of course is famous for the Harry hle series is back with a non Harry Hole book uh called Midnight Sun”
Where to get it
-
Precious gifts
Discussed“starting down at number 14 Danielle Steel is back with a book called precious gifts there's your possible Christmas tie-in although it's um not such a Christmasy book it's a book about a patriarch who has died and dispersed his estate among his children and former wife”
Where to get it
-
Reckless
Discussed“at number seven I'm new on the list this week Chrissy hind the longtime lead singer and frontwoman of the pretenders has a memoir called Reckless”
Where to get it
-
Romance Of The Thin Man And The Fat Lady
Discussed“and so Lena Dunham um singles out man and wife by Robert L”
Where to get it
-
So long, see you tomorrow
So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell is a celebrated, poignant novella that explores a childhood memory, isolation, and a tragic murder in a small Midwestern town.
Discussed“and now I'm reading William Maxwell's novel so long see you tomorrow”
Where to get it
-
The Baron in the Trees
Discussed“but I had never read his short novel The Baron in the trees which was one of the ones on this new releas table it's not a new release it was published like 60 years ago”
Where to get it
-
The Big Picture
Discussed“and actually I should clarify number 12 the big picture by Shan Carol we have not reviewed yet so I've just given something away we shall be reviewing wait we are planning a review of Sean Carroll's the big picture”
Where to get it
-
The Bone Labyrinth
Discussed“uh it is James rollins' new novel it's his latest Sigma Force Thriller the bone Labyrinth is new at number nine on the combined fiction list”
Where to get it
-
The Buried Giant
Kazuo Ishiguro's atmospheric and evocative novel The Buried Giant examines memory, love, vengeance, and the fragile peace of a mythical post-Arthurian Britain.
Discussed“it's called the buried Giant and it is a sort of fable set in post Arthurian uh Britain and reviewed two weeks ago on our cover by Neil giman”
Where to get it
-
The collected essays of Elizabeth Hardwick
Discussed“I mention it only to say that that book sent me off to um retrack down Elizabeth Hardwick's collected essays”
Where to get it
-
The elegant universe
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene is a bestselling popular science book that offers a clear and accessible introduction to string theory and the fundamental nature of spacetime.
Discussed“green you may remember is he's the Columbia physicist who U first made a name for himself more than 20 years ago for the general public as an advocate for string theory with his book The Elegant universe”
Where to get it
-
The Emperor's Children
The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud is a sharp social novel that chronicles the lives of three ambitious young cousins navigating career, romance, and intellectual pretension in pre-9/11 New York City.
Discussed“this is a a book that puts me in mind of clar muds The Emperor's Children”
Where to get it
-
The English spy
Discussed“Daniel Silva continues his Gabriel Allen series that's said about the Israeli spy whose day job is as an art restorer the new book is called the English spy”
Where to get it
-
The Fifth Gospel
Discussed“so now Caldwell joins him as a standalone author with another Da Vinci Code type book um called The Fifth Gospel which centers on the Vatican and the Shroud of Turin and is new at number 14”
Where to get it
-
The Girl on the Train
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a psychological thriller centering on an unstable commuter who becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation after observing something suspicious from a train window.
Discussed“and what's number one on the bestseller list fiction side still Paula Hawkins the girl on the train that has spent I think 13 consecutive weeks at number one”
Where to get it
-
The hyphenated family
Discussed“it is a a family Memoir called the hyphenated family it was published in 1960”
Where to get it
-
The industries of the future
Discussed“we start with a business book called the industries of the future by Alec Ross which is just what it sounds like”
Where to get it
-
The Kingdom
The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère is a sweeping and introspective work exploring the origins and early days of Christianity through historical analysis and personal narrative.
Discussed“the other was the ual career book The Kingdom which is about the early days of Christianity and John took up the kingdom after you left on vacation and he was hoping last week career wouldn't come up”
Where to get it
-
The Known World
The Known World by Edward P.
Discussed“I'm reading the novel The Known World by Edward p Jones”
Where to get it
-
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson is a posthumous short story collection by the acclaimed author.
Discussed“and that's um Dennis Johnson's postumus Story collection the laress of the sea maiden”
Where to get it
-
The Little Paris Bookshop
Discussed“then down at number 16 there is the rare translated bestseller the little Paris Bookshop by uh an author named Nina George”
Where to get it
-
The Lost City of the Monkey God
Douglas Preston's The Lost City of the Monkey God is a gripping non-fiction adventure and archaeological narrative detailing a dangerous jungle expedition into the Honduran rainforest in search of a legendary ancient settlement.
Discussed“it's called the lost city of the monkey god and it's um a book about archaeology”
Where to get it
-
The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.
Discussed“or the love affairs of Nathaniel P by Adele Waldman who reviewed this book for us”
Where to get it
-
The Oregon Trail
Discussed“the two new titles are the Oregon Trail by uh the journalist Rinker Buck at number 10”
Where to get it
-
The Secret War
Discussed“and at number 14 the popular historian Max Hastings has a book called The Secret War which looks at um the rise of the intelligence State and the use of intelligence uh during World War II”
Where to get it
-
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“and in fact I am uh it's Paul be is the sellout I'm I'm late to the game with this one”
Where to get it
-
The Telomere Effect
The Telomere Effect by Dr.
Discussed“the scientists Elizabeth Blackburn and Alyssa eel have a book out called the tiir effect um it's an anti-aging book”
Where to get it
-
The Widow
Discussed“the name of the novel is the Widow and it's a story of a woman uh whose husband was the chief suspect in The Disappearance of a 2-year-old girl”
Where to get it
-
The Woman in Cabin 10
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a gripping psychological thriller by Ruth Ware that follows a journalist who witnesses a suspected murder while on a luxury cruise, only to find that all passengers and crew are seemingly accounted for.
Discussed“um another British writer a mystery writer who's really kind of following in Agatha Christie's footsteps writing these kind of classic locked room type Mysteries has a novel called the woman in Cabin 10”
Where to get it
-
The Wright Brothers
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough is a meticulous historical biography that chronicles the lives of the two bicycle mechanics from Dayton who achieved humanity's first powered flight.
Discussed“on the top of the non-fiction L someone who's a little bit more accustomed to being number one yeah uh David Mulla remains at number one this week with um the Wright brothers his biography”
Where to get it
-
Tom Clancy commander-in-chief
Discussed“at number three Mark greeny returns he's uh the person who for the end of Tom Clancy's career co-wrote several of Tom Clan's books and then picked up the Jack Ryan series Once Clancy died in 2013 he's back with a new Jack Ryan book called Tom Clancy commanderin-chief”
Where to get it
-
Tree of Smoke
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson is a massive, sprawling novel set during the Vietnam War that won the National Book Award for its unflinching portrayal of the conflict.
Discussed“he won the national book award for his novel tree of smoke which was a big kind of sprawling Vietnam novel”
Where to get it
-
Trees & other poems
Discussed“one that I love is is John Waters uh calling out Joyce Kilmer's trees as a as a poem that of course he would do something like that the first poem that quote stirred him sexually”
Where to get it
-
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“I'm reading a novel called trust exercise by Susan Choy”
Where to get it
-
Two years eight months and twenty-eight nights
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie is a sprawling novel that reimagines a world of magical realism, jinn, and philosophical conflict inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.
Discussed“then at number nine Solon rushy uh is on the hard cover fiction list with 2 years 8 months and 28 nights which is uh for the mathematically inclined it it amounts to 1,1 Knights”
Where to get it
-
Ulysses
Ulysses by James Joyce is a monumental modernist novel that chronicles a single day in the life of Leopold Bloom in Dublin, mirroring the structure of Homer's Odyssey.
Discussed“I am finally reading a book that I have resisted for decades I'm reading James Joyce's ulyses”
Where to get it
-
Valiant ambition
Nathaniel Philbrick's historical non-fiction work examines pivotal events and figures from the American Revolutionary era with rigorous research and narrative flair.
Discussed“it's true all three of the new titles in non-fiction have recently been reviewed in uh the book review starting up at number five Nathaniel philbrick's new one valali and ambition of course he's also a bestselling regular”
Where to get it
-
Who is Rich?
Who Is Rich? by Matthew Klam is a darkly comic contemporary novel about a middle-aged cartoonist grappling with marriage, art, and desire.
Discussed“but a review that has just gone online and will be in an upcoming issue is our review of Matthew clam's new novel who is Rich”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (89: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and I thought I might follow that up with another book about the French Revolution that I've never gotten around to A Tale of Two Cities which I have now bought and left prominently on my bedside table as a kind of prompt like a to-do list”
“it's by the poet and essayist um Sarah manuso whose last book ongoingness was a book about her diary that she's kept”
“well you remember last week I was reading the Jim Harrison Nolla collection Legends of the Fall and the title Nolla in that bookthe one with Brad Pit”
“it put me in mind a little bit of Rachel cusk's recent books outline and Transit”
“it put me in mind a little bit of Rachel cusk's recent books outline and Transit”
“one of them I'll just mention quickly because our review has not yet appeared but it's Dany senna's new novel it's called new people”
“um clam our listeners may remember made a big noise with a Story collection called Sam the Cat that came out 17 years ago”
“he's also the protagonist of Joyce's debut novel portrait of the Artist as a Young Man so again you're bringing those associations into your reading of this book”
“it doesn't feel cheaper or more gimmicky than say atonement where it's um one character you know somebody um recasting events from the past in an attempt to redeem herself”
“I'm reading trust exercise by Susan Choy”
“Rick Atkinson's the British are coming”
“I read love and Trouble by CLA derer”
“I read love and Trouble by CLA derer”
“there's a new number one at the top of the uh hard cover fiction list it's by Danielle Steel her new novel is the mistress new at number one”
“and steuart Woods has like the millionth entry in his Stone Bearington series uh called below the belt that's new at number three”
“the book that I was reading right before it was um Paul be's the sellout um which is also very much a book book about kind of America as a colonial power”
“you may remember um that shortly before Christmas I was reading her novel Eileen which came out in 2015”
“and listeners may remember that last year I recommended Dylan Thomas's child's Christmas in Wales”
“I read Kings County by David good Willy”
“this is a sequel to his debut novel The sympathizer which won the pet surprise back in like 2015”
“actually he gets involved in the Paris underground in a way that keeps reminding me more than anything of the Sal Bell novel The Adventures of Augie March where it's another story of an outsider”
“the first novel in this sequence of novels that he's writing um the sympathizer is set partly in Vietnam and partly in Southern California”
“I'm reading the committed by Viet tanw and I I'm reading Raymond Chandler's the big sleep and I read Beijing payback by Daniel n and yoga by Emanuel career”
“the first third of the book all comes from roughly the era of slouching towards Bethlehem the late 60s”
“I've been reading this new biography of Sylvia Plath called red comet by Heather Clark and that's not what I'm going to talk about here today”
“essay collected in a Hardwick collection called seduction and trail that I don't own but I do own the collected essays of Elizabeth Hardwick”
“essay collected in a Hardwick collection called seduction and trail that I don't own but I do own the collected essays of Elizabeth Hardwick”
“well partly inspired by John in your reading of Middle March”
“I'm reading 2666 by Roberto Balan”
“the latest book in that series uh is called the girl in The Spiders web was reviewed in our cover of course by the child child”
“Joseph Cannon who I just found out was formerly a president of Dutton but um who has been on the list since 1997 with his debut novel Los alos”
“kazuo ishiguro the British novelist who has made the list a couple of times he's uh the author of the remains of the day”
“kazuo ishiguro the British novelist who has made the list a couple of times he's uh the author of the remains of the day he's the author of never let me go”
“there is another new cyber security book um joining future Crimes by Mark Goodman which is at number nine in its second week on the list”
“starting down at number 11 Christine fan continues her dark series uh paranormal romance about a species called the carpathians with a book called Dark ghost”
“then at number nine Clive kusler and his co-writer Russell Blake also continuous Series this is the Fargo Adventure series um with a book called The Solomon curse”
“then at number eight Danielle Steel with a standalone book uh called undercover a romantic suspense novel”
“up at number four more series action uh from Czech wendig continuing the Star Wars series with a book called Star Wars aftermath”
“down at number 12 sha naor has a book called Relentless strike that looks at the Joint Special Operations Command uh which takes on the war on terror”
“then at number 11 Linda hman has written about Sandra Deo Conor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the first women on the Supreme Court a book called sisters in law”
“then up at number six John U bacon the sports journalist uh has written a book about the Michigan Wolverines college football program called Endzone”
“yeah his very first book back in 1978 he wrote a book called The teamers and it hit the hard cover non-fiction list in 19 78”
“and then in u 2011 he also spent a few weeks on the extended list with a book that he did about America's educational system called class Warfare”
“you can go through and find correspondences like the Leo biscaglia book loving each other was number two on that list it's kind of inspirational musings just the way that Ann Lamont's new book small victories is which is on this week's”
“you can go through and find correspondences like the Leo biscaglia book loving each other was number two on that list it's kind of inspirational musings just the way that Ann Lamont's new book small victories is which is on this week's”
“but in fact it's probably a closer match to Charles crout Hammer's things that matter which is also TV commentators essays can kind of fill us”
“actually on the hard cover fiction list uh there are four new titles starting down at number 10 Ace Atkins who picked up Robert B Parker's Spencer series after Parker's death has the next book in that series it's called Robert B Parker's Kickback”
“then at number nine Clive Barker continues his uh Barker's books of Blood series with the Scarlet gospels”
“at number six Mary Kay Andrews has a kind of a Summer Romance a book called Beach town”
“and at number three Neil Stevenson the renowned science fiction writer has a new novel out called seven EES that uh all one word seven EES knew at number three”
“well on the fiction side there are four new titles uh starting with a familiar name down at number 15 ja a Jance is back on the list with dance of the bones”
“then at number 12 another familiar name Robert B Parker who died a long time ago but has remained prolific uh reed frell Coleman is continuing Robert B Parker's series with Robert B Parker's the devil wins”
“then finally uh new at number one this this week Lee Child uh is back with another Jack Reacher novel this one's called make me and it debuts right at the top of the list”
“girl on the train still on there”
“all the light we cannot see still on there”
“um down at number 13 Kristen Hannah the night Andale has now spent 32 weeks on the list”
“another book that we recently reviewed at number 12 Dale ruskov's the prize which looks at um school reform in Newark New Jersey”
“maybe Patty Smith got the ball rolling back with just kids which won the national book award in 2010”
“she's got another book coming out later this she does m train a second Memoir”
“then at number seven somebody that everybody has heard of Christopher Moore is back with a sequel to his book a dirty job called secondhand Souls”
“then at number seven somebody that everybody has heard of Christopher Moore is back with a sequel to his book a dirty job called secondhand Souls”
“uh at number six Philip mcgregory writes another uh tutor novel uh this one is The Taming of the queen about Henry VII and his sixth wife Katherine Parr”
“then uh up at number three Louise Penny returns to the list with her 11th Armand gamh novel called the nature of the Beast”
“and finally new at Number One X marks the spot uh Sue Grafton uh is back on the list with a book just called X part of her alphabet series”
“just two new titles on the non-fiction side of things Tracy 's biography of Joan didan the last love song uh makes its entrance on the hard cover non-fiction list at number 11”
“and then Steve Silberman who was also on the podcast recently uh has a history of autism called neurotribes and that's new at number eight”
“like that other big um translated fiction title The Alchemist”
“of course Anthony do is still there after more than two years all the light we cannot see uh is at number 10”
“Carol is a physicist uh so he joins the theoretical physicist Carlo relli um who seven brief lessons on physics is still on the list at number 16”
“uh before the fall Noah Holly quoted uh Jack laain saying I hate exercise but I like the results”
“his first number one New York Times bestseller came all the way back in 1979 with Kan and Abel”
“uh yeah I mean there's there's only one new book on either of the hard cover bestseller lists uh this week fiction or non-fiction it is a novel by Dean C called Ashley Bell new it number 12 on the hard cover fiction list”
“so & you've got the p Woman cooks dinner time at number one then down at number nine The Pioneer Woman Cooks a year of holidays and at number 10 The Pioneer Woman Cooks see where that's going food from my Frontier”
“one of the things I love about the food and diet bestseller list is just the juxtoposition of things like at number six 10day green smoothie cleanse and at number seven Thug Kitchen”
“then Jane green the British writer who now lives in Connecticut has a novel called Falling which is about a British woman who now lives in Connecticut”
“there's a new Star Wars book on the hard cover fiction list um by a guy named Chuck wendig who's written some previous Star Wars books this one is called aftermath”
“uh the I think it's the third book book in that series is called guilty Minds new at number 14”
“Daniel Silva has the next Thriller in his Gabriel Allan series called the Black Widow and that debut is right at the top of the hard cover fiction list”
“I was very excited to see Jesse klear debut on the non-fiction list yeah you'll grow out of it her essay collection is at number 10”
“she she did a previous Memoir talking about actually is stolen Life”
“it's called the field of fight by a retired General Michael T Flynn he wrote that book with Michael leine”
“then up at number four the political strategist Dick Morris and his wife Eileen mcgan have a book called Armageddon”
“then at number two dases duza um who back in 2012 had a bestseller called Obama's America now has a bestseller called Hillary's America”
“dases duza um who back in 2012 had a bestseller called Obama's America”
“Don Dilo who I I am just in love with his novel underworld”
“I loved his book Point Omega which takes place in the desert but they're they're very small almost like plays”
“A Book Like falling man about 911 but it felt almost obligatory”
“or the smaller White Noise which was really his breakthrough novel in terms of a mainstream audience”
“and Richard Russo also kind of returns to form he he's got a sequel to A Nobody's Fool which came out mid90s”