Person
Every book Satie Stein recommended on podcasts
Satie Stein is a frequent guest on The Book Review podcast, where she often reflects on the reading experiences that shaped her childhood, discusses educational curricula, and recommends engaging titles for young readers and adults alike. Stein emerges as an enthusiastic advocate for literature that fosters a lifelong love of reading, tracing her own early passion back to the first Betsy-Tacy book by Maud Hart Lovelace. For younger audiences and back-to-school reading lists, she enthusiastically recommended Alvin Schwartz's spooky collection 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark', Beverly Cleary's classic 'Ramona the Pest', and Harry Allard and James Marshall's 'Miss Nelson is Missing!', praising its iconic illustrations. In addition to children's literature, Stein has shared adult fiction recommendations, such as Diana Athill's novel 'Don't Look at Me Like That', which she suggested during a lightning round following its re-release by the New York Review of Books. Beyond leisure reading, Stein's podcast discussions delve into academic texts and classic literature, including classroom experiences with William Shakespeare's plays 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Macbeth', highlighting both theatrical student performances and cinematic adaptations.
Books recommended by Satie Stein
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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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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 classic children's novel following the energetic and strong-willed Ramona Quimby as she navigates the trials and tribulations of starting kindergarten.
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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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a famous trilogy of folklore-based horror anthologies paired with distinct, eerie illustrations that terrified generations of young readers.
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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A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is a tragic novel depicting a romance set against the brutal backdrop of the Italian front during the First World War.
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 landmark modernist novel by William Faulkner that chronicles the arduous journey of the Bundren family as they transport the matriarch's body for burial, told through shifting stream-of-consciousness perspectives.
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
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Beloved
Beloved by Toni Morrison is a powerful, haunting novel about a formerly enslaved woman haunted by the trauma of her past and the literal ghost of the daughter she lost.
Discussed“I remember reading um we read quite a bit of it was Beloved that we first read in high school Tony Morrison and that was such a good high school book.”
Where to get it
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Betsy-Tacy (Betsy-Tacy #1)
Discussed“I should say I was not an early reader and I think what really started me loving it was um the first Betsy Tacy book.”
Where to get it
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Macbeth
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a classic tragedy exploring unchecked ambition, guilt, and the corrupting nature of political power.
Discussed“whether that be the Zepharelli or the Roman Palansky McBth or So, they showed you the most inappropriate versions of these stories.”
Where to get it
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Nine Stories
Nine Stories by J.D.
Discussed“I mean, you mentioned nine stories and we read that later on and that was another gut punch.”
Where to get it
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Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a classic novella depicting the tragic journey of two displaced ranch workers, George and Lennie, as they search for economic opportunity during the Great Depression.
Discussed“I do remember reading of Men and it made I found it almost traumatic. I remember that.”
Where to get it
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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a classic tragedy exploring the intense, destructive romance of two young star-crossed lovers caught between feuding families.
Discussed“especially Romeo and Juliet being a a way that, you know, first of all, we acted them out.”
Where to get it
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Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a monumental, lyrical novel that traces the multi-generational journey of Milkman Dead as he uncovers his family's rich history, cultural roots, and the transcendent mythologies of the African American experience.
Discussed“And so we also had um the audio book of I think Song of Solomon in his case. And that was fantastic.”
Where to get it
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The Ambassadors
Discussed“I was really interested to read the Illusions to Henry James's 1903 novel The ambassadors because I had in the time since read that she deliberately modeled at least a setup on that”
Where to get it
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The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye by J.
Discussed“Oh um seventh grade we read Catcher in the Eye and I absolutely loved it.”
Where to get it
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The Idiot
The Idiot is a classic novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky that explores the life and moral struggles of Prince Myshkin, a man of pure goodness navigating a corrupt society.
Discussed“we read The Idiot in high school by Doski, which is this, you know, difficult Russian literature, but he I just remember loving it.”
Where to get it
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The Pearl
Discussed“We read that and The Pearl, and I found them so incredibly upsetting that that I have never read them again.”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sunday Special: The Books We Read in School | The Book Review | 2025-10-03 | 17 |
| Book Club: Let's Talk About "The Talented Mr. Ripley," by Patricia Highsmith | The Book Review | 2024-07-26 | 1 |
| Great Books from The First Half of 2023 | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |