Person
Every book Sadie Stein recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Sadie Stein has recommended or discussed 37 books on podcasts, as of August 28, 2026.
- Sadie Stein has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of August 28, 2026.
- Those books came up in 7 episodes, as of August 28, 2026.
- The 3 books Sadie Stein has mentioned in the most episodes, as of August 28, 2026: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Affinity and Don't look at me like that.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Sadie Stein aired on August 28, 2026.
Updated
Sadie Stein’s most recommended books
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
- Affinity by Sarah Waters
- Don't look at me like that by Diana Athill
- Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier
- Eight Ghosts by Sarah Perry
- Madness by Antonia Hylton
- Miss Nelson is missing! by Harry Allard
- Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
- Reunion by Fred Uhlman
- Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Sadie Stein recommended a diverse array of books ranging from gripping nonfiction and literary novellas to classic spooky stories and beloved children's literature. For readers interested in investigative nonfiction, she recommended Patrick Radden Keefe's Say Nothing as a compelling follow-up read. Turning to fiction, she suggested Fred Uhlman's novella Reunion as a thoughtful companion piece and highlighted Daphne du Maurier's collection Don't Look Now and Other Stories, particularly praising the lesser-known piece Monte Verita. For younger readers and back-to-school reading lists, Stein recommended Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Beverly Cleary's Ramona the Pest, and Harry Allard and James Marshall's Miss Nelson is Missing!, drawing attention to Marshall's iconic illustrations. Furthermore, she celebrated the works of John Bellairs by discussing The House with a Clock in Its Walls and its sequels, emphasizing how integral Edward Gorey's book covers and illustrations are to those stories. Stein also shared her personal appreciation for Edward Gorey's distinctive style by naming The Willowdale Handcar as her favorite book by the author during a discussion celebrating a century of his artistic legacy.
Books recommended by Sadie Stein
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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz is a classic, widely read children's horror anthology that compiles terrifying American folklore and urban legends, accompanied by famously unsettling illustrations by Stephen Gammell.
Recommended“But if I had to give it to one, it has got to be Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alan Schwarz, which is a book I know Gilbert also enjoyed as a child.”
Where to get it
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Affinity
Sarah Waters's Affinity is a gothic historical novel set in a Victorian women's prison and spiritualist circles, chronicling the intense relationship between a wealthy volunteer and an imprisoned spiritualist medium.
Recommended“I would add to that Affinity another of her spookier ones which yes is about spiritualism also a perfect book which you have to read”
Where to get it
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Don't look at me like that
Don't Look at Me Like That by Diana Athill is a poignant novel exploring complex relationships, personal freedom, and emotional vulnerability.
Recommended“I would recommend Diana aills don't look at me like that which has just been re-released by New York Review of Books”
Where to get it
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Don't Look Now
Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier is a chilling collection of short fiction known for its atmospheric tension, psychological depth, and dark twists.
Recommended“yeah they put out don't look now and Other Stories on another great movie based on her books and that also includes another one I love called Monte verita which I once read about and read like the wind and it's not so well known but I highly recommend it”
Where to get it
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Eight Ghosts
Eight Ghosts by Sarah Perry, Mark Haddon, and Max Porter is a contemporary horror anthology featuring stories set in various real-life heritage locations across the country.
Recommended“and you have a mixture of classic collections like sherid and lau Walter Dyan and then new writers and I picked up a book called Eight ghosts which is put out in connection with English heritage and each of the stories by a contemporary horror writer is set at some real life Heritage house or space in the UK which”
Where to get it
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Madness
Madness by Antonia Hylton is a striking work of non-fiction that investigates the history and legacy of Crownsville Hospital, a segregated asylum in Maryland.
Recommended“and this is a Madness by Antonia Hilton”
Where to get it
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Miss Nelson is missing!
Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard and James Marshall is a humorous children's picture book about a well-behaved classroom whose sweet teacher disappears and is replaced by a strict substitute.
Recommended“And um another good back to school pick is um Miss Nelson is Missing with the iconic James Marshall illustrations.”
Where to get it
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Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary is a beloved middle-grade children's novel that captures the trials, tribulations, and humorous misunderstandings of starting kindergarten through the eyes of the irrepressible Ramona Quimby.
Recommended“And we're starting kindergarten, so we just read Ramona the Pest to him and he loved it.”
Where to get it
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Reunion
Reunion by Fred Uhlman is a poignant and tightly crafted novella that explores the tragic friendship between two schoolboys in Germany as the Nazi party rises to power.
Recommended“Um, but to go in a slightly different direction, I I thought a few times about this novella, Reunion by Fredman.”
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.
Recommended“I would say definitely read Say Nothing if you haven't and if you liked it, I second that.”
Where to get it
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The Birds
The Birds by Daphne Du Maurier is a famous collection of suspenseful and eerie short stories that explores the darker sides of human nature and the terrifying unpredictability of the natural world.
Recommended“yeah they put out don't look now and Other Stories on another great movie based on her books and that also includes another one I love called Monte verita which I once read about and read like the wind and it's not so well known but I highly recommend it”
Where to get it
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The Ghost stories of Edith Wharton
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton is a collection of eerie and psychological short tales penned by the celebrated master of American literary realism.
Recommended“well if I were telling people to read one I think I would have to go with a classic which is Edith Wharton's ghost stories and they are uh have been collected a bunch of times but New York Review Classics put out a very good collection I guess last year maybe two years ago which is Wharton's own selection”
Where to get it
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The House with a Clock in Its Walls
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs is a classic dark fantasy novel that follows a young orphan who goes to live with his uncle, only to discover a world of magic, mystery, and malevolent forces.
Recommended“and then the John Belair books if you like the house with the clock and its walls and all the sequels again you can't really separate his illustrations and covers from those terrific books”
Where to get it
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The paying guests
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters is a gripping historical novel set in 1920s London following a struggling mother and daughter who take in lodgers, leading to intense psychological drama.
Recommended“I also think you have to read her last book which was called the paying guests oh that's it's so good which just has some scenes of such Menace including one where someone where a man is getting a shave with a straight Riser that is just just excruciating”
Where to get it
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The Sullivanians
The Sullivanians by Alexander Stille is a compelling nonfiction work exploring the history, dynamics, and eventual decline of a radical Upper West Side psychotherapy commune.
Recommended“this book is by Alexandra Stila and it is called the sullivanians subtitle sex Psychotherapy and the wildlife of an American commune”
Where to get it
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The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is a classic gothic novella that follows a governess who becomes convinced that the remote estate where she cares for two children is haunted by malevolent spirits.
Recommended“but I think we could not end this conversation without mentioning a turn at the screw just because it started it all and it in if you want psychosexual Thrills if you want to be really scared if you want a great writer seeing what can be done with this media you just can't beat Henry James Henry James and”
Where to get it
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The Virago Book of Ghost Stories
The Virago Book of Ghost Stories is a chilling and brilliantly curated anthology edited by Richard Dalby that brings together uncanny tales written exclusively by women from the eighteenth century through the modern era.
Recommended“I've been debating and I wanted to say if you're reading one collection the verago book of ghost stories is so good it's all women writers from the 18th century uh through the Modern Age It's just so well cated there's barely a lemon in the bunch”
Where to get it
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The Willowdale Handcar
The Willowdale Handcar by Edward Gorey is an eccentric and atmospheric illustrated story that follows a group of curious characters on a mysterious journey.
Recommended“my favorite and let me know if you've read it is called called the Willowdale handar”
Where to get it
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A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is a celebrated novel that chronicles a tragic wartime romance and the brutal realities of combat, known for its spare prose and poignant explorations of human resilience.
Critiqued“And I'm thinking here of a farewell to arms, which which was a particular dud in my freshman English class.”
Where to get it
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As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying is a classic 1930 novel by American author William Faulkner that presents the harrowing journey of the Bundren family as they attempt to fulfill their matriarch's dying wish for burial.
Critiqued“Um, being made to read it in a high school English class as I lay dying as well. Um, and just it I was like, I I I have no idea what's happening.”
Where to get it
The other 17 books Sadie Stein recommended or discussed, ranked
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Betsy-Tacy (Betsy-Tacy #1) by Maud Hart Lovelace
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare
- Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- The Ambassadors by Henry James
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
- The Idiot by Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский
- The Insect God by Edward Gorey
- The Iron Tonic, Or, A Winter Afternoon in Lonely Valley by Edward Gorey
- The Pearl by John Steinbeck
- The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken