Person
Every book Greg Kohl's recommended on podcasts
Greg Kohl's appears as a literary commentator on The Book Review, where he frequently discusses contemporary fiction and timeless classics alike. During his appearances, Kohl's engages with significant works of literature by reflecting on how they resonate personally and fit into broader cultural or historical lineages. Among his favorite reads, he highlighted Claudia Rankine's Just Us as a memorable book that deeply affected him during the year he read it. When the discussion turned to classic 19th-century literature, Kohl's contrasted the great adultery novels of that era, specifically Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary and Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, with George Eliot's Middlemarch, ultimately recommending Eliot's work as a novel that encapsulates and elevates the achievements of the others. In addition to these recommendations, Kohl's discussed several other notable titles and their literary contexts. He brought up John Berger's Pig Earth, noting the author's background as a British art critic and referencing his widely taught text Ways of Seeing. Furthermore, Kohl's explored the literary trend of riffing on Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, mentioning Percival Everett's novel James as well as Nancy Rawles's 2005 book My Jim when examining character portrayals and prior retellings.
Books recommended by Greg Kohl's
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Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is a sweeping nineteenth-century masterpiece examining love, infidelity, and societal norms in imperial Russia.
Recommended“before this year I think I would have said Madam bovery or Anna kenina kind of the the great adultery novels of the 19th century”
Where to get it
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Just Us
Just Us by Claudia Rankine is a provocative examination of American race relations, whiteness, and the cultural imagination.
Recommended“one book that really got in my head and has stayed with me this year since I read it is just us by the writer Claudia Ranken”
Where to get it
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Madame Bovary
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert is a classic nineteenth-century French novel that tells the tragic story of a provincial doctor's wife who engages in extra-marital affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities of her provincial life.
Recommended“before this year I think I would have said Madam bovery or Anna kenina kind of the the great adultery novels of the 19th century”
Where to get it
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Middlemarch
Middlemarch by George Eliot is widely regarded as a masterwork of Victorian literature, brilliantly capturing the complex social fabric, political undercurrents, and psychological depths of provincial English life.
Recommended“but this year I read Middle March by George Elliot and also a great 19th century novel and it enclosed what Madam B and and Karenina both did”
Where to get it
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A Curious Mind
Discussed“at number seven a curious book called a curious Mind by the um Hollywood and TV producer Brian graser with co-writer Charles Fishman”
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a foundational American classic that follows a young boy's journey down the Mississippi River alongside an escaped slave named Jim.
Discussed“it's interesting to me that pel ever is not the first person to do that with the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”
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Bill o'Reilly's Legends and Lies
Discussed“at number one Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies by Bill O'Reilly and David Fischer”
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Blood on snow
Discussed“uh then at number nine Joe Nesbo has a book called blood on snow not part of his Harry Hole series”
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Chasing Sunsets
Discussed“then um then um new at number 14 Karen kingsburry has the second book in her Angels walking series it's called Chasing Sunsets”
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Falling in love
Discussed“at number five Donna Leon continues her guita brunetti um series of mysteries set in Venice with a book called falling in love”
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Go Set A Watchman
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee is a novel written before To Kill a Mockingbird that follows an adult Scout returning to Maycomb, Alabama, and confronting her aging father's complex racial views.
Discussed“Harper Lee has her quote new old novel or draft or whatever you want to call it um ghost had a Watchman the book that eventually became To Kill a Mockingbird”
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Hot pursuit
Discussed“and then finally new at number four Stuart Woods continues his Stone Bearington Thriller series uh this is the 33rd book in the series it's called Hot Pursuit”
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Inside the O' Briens
Discussed“has book called Inside the O'Brien Still Alice you probably remember was about early onset Alzheimer's”
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Killing the Legends
Killing the Legends by Bill O'Reilly is a popular non-fiction historical work that explores the lives of legendary figures and American historical events.
Discussed“at number one Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies by Bill O'Reilly and David Fischer”
Where to get it
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Miracle at Augusta
Discussed“then new at number 10 James Patterson uh teams up with his old collaborator Peter donga let's call it donga d e j n g for a book called Miracle at Augusta a golf narrative”
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My Jim
Discussed“yeah that a novelist named Nancy RS did a book called my gym published in 2005”
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Pig Earth
Discussed“I'm reading a novel called Pig Earth by John burger burger is best known as a British art critic he wrote a book called ways of seeing that is still used in College art history classes”
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The lady from Zagreb
Discussed“where down at number 15 the British writer Philip K continues his Bernie Gunther uh detective series with a book called the lady from Zagreb car is British”
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The Obsession
Discussed“well Nora Roberts is there she makes her debut at number one with a novel called the OB session”
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Was Huck Black?
Discussed“in the 9s there was a book of literary criticism by a woman named Shelley Fisher fishkin called was Huck black”
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Words without music
Discussed“um starting down at number 15 the composer the um modern the Contemporary um composer Philip Glass has a memoir out called words without music that hits the list”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (16: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I'm reading a novel called Pig Earth by John burger burger is best known as a British art critic he wrote a book called ways of seeing that is still used in College art history classes”
“you may remember earlier this year I reviewed Ben McGrath's book Riverman about a solo canoeist who did these kind of Epic Journeys”
“I know that there is a copy of the great Santini on the Shelf at my parents house because I always saw it growing up and Confused it from the title a little bit with the Great Train Robbery by Paul THU”
“I know that there is a copy of the great Santini on the Shelf at my parents house because I always saw it growing up”
“at number 15 Don winow has a book called the cartel”
“then at number seven uh Stuart Woods continues his Stone Bearington series it's the 34th book in this in the series called naked greed”
“at number four Ernest Klein who previously hit the list with a book called Ready Player one has a new book called Armada”
“Ernest Klein who previously hit the list with a book called Ready Player one has a new book called Armada”
“ghost had a Watchman the book that eventually became To Kill a Mockingbird”
“Arthur C Brooks's the conservative heart uh shows up there and that's reviewed in our August 2nd issue”
“at number one um on the non-fiction list there's a new title there tanahi coats between the world and me”
“at number one um on the non-fiction list there's a new title there tanahi coats between the world and me”
“then at number 12 Lisa Genova uh who of course wrote Still Alice which became the basis for the movie has book called Inside the O'Brien”
“the only one that has missed is the first book New York dead it did hit the ebook list”
“uh then at number five another Memoir another Hollywood Memoir um Candace Bergen who of course played Murphy Brown she had a previous Memoir 30 years ago called knockwood”
“she had a previous Memoir 30 years ago called knockwood um about growing up with the father”