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Every book Jen Arai recommended on podcasts
Jen Arai appears as a guest on The Book Review to share her reading experiences, with a particular focus on the unique qualities of audiobooks and memoirs read by their own authors. Arai enthusiastically recommends John le Carré's memoir The Pigeon Tunnel, noting how much she enjoyed listening to the author narrate his own life story. Similarly, she praises Keith Richards's memoir Life, highlighting the portions that Richards reads aloud himself as being far superior to sections performed by others. Expanding on her listening habits, Arai mentions that she is currently revisiting Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day in audiobook form, a book she initially read in print decades prior. Alongside her audio selections, Arai discusses print books she has recently encountered, including Anita Brookner's novel Look at Me, which she started reading on the subway. She also shares her listening experience with Sarah Polley's memoir Run Towards the Danger, discussing it as another engaging title she enjoyed. Through her recommendations, Arai highlights the intimate and enhanced connection readers can form with memoirs and novels when experienced through audio narration.
Books recommended by Jen Arai
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Life
Life by Keith Richards is a candid rock-and-roll memoir detailing the legendary guitarist's extraordinary years with the Rolling Stones and his infamous lifestyle.
Recommended“I would say that the portions of the Keith Richards Memoir which he reads aloud are far better than the portions in which people are doing kind of Jack Sparrow impersonations”
Where to get it
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The Pigeon Tunnel
John le Carré's memoir The Pigeon Tunnel offers a fascinating look into the renowned spy novelist's extraordinary life, blending personal anecdotes with reflections on espionage and storytelling.
Recommended“oh yes uh recently I listened to the pigeon tunnel by John lar his Memoir and he reads it and it's absolutely amazing”
Where to get it
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Look at me
Look at Me by Anita Brookner is a poignant psychological novel that examines loneliness, self-deception, and the quiet struggles of a perceptive young librarian trying to navigate the demands of London's social and intellectual circles.
Discussed“I was on the subway reading an actual print book which is a book that I a novel I just started called Look At Me by Anita Brookner”
Where to get it
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Run Towards the Danger
Discussed“and so another one I listened to which was which which was interesting I mean I enjoyed listening to it was Sarah Po's Memoir run towards the danger”
Where to get it
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The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is a masterclass in psychological fiction, following an aging English butler named Stevens as he reflects on his career of dedicated service and his unrequited love amid the shifting political landscape of post-World War II Britain.
Discussed“I I did want to mention actually a book that I had read in print a long time ago probably a couple of decades ago actually and now I'm listening to in audiobook form and it's the remains of the day by kazuo ishiguro”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| What We're Reading | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 5 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I think when I read this book it might have been around the time that never let me go came out which was maybe about 20 20 years ago it's uh 2005”
“and so I read this one and then I had meant to read the unconsoled and I haven't read it so far”