Sarah and co-host Ellison convene for what is one of their favorite days of the year: the recording of AMR’s annual summer reading episode! But the duo soon realizes it should be labeled a pop culture show, as they take frequent tangents to discuss their current favorite British TV shows (“Crashing” for SBS; “The Split” for Ellison) and new podcasts Sarah is listening to (“The RFK Tapes” and “The Gateway”). Speaking of podcasts, Ellison shares why her show, “The Book Bully,” has been on hiatus. When the conversation dwells on books (starting at 18:15), the recommendations run the gamut, from Scandinavian noir to several “quirky” novels to a novel with a “meta” conceit both SBS and E adored! Laughs—and a few tears—abound on this delightful conversation between two dear friends.
Phone number for leaving questions for new bi-weekly “call-in” show: 470-BADASS1(470-223-2771)
BOOKS MENTIONED (apologies for list not being 100% complete—lots of suggestions flying around!):
Snare by Lilja Sigurdardøttir
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
What You Don’t Know about Charlie Outlaw by Leah Stewart
The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld
How Hard Can It Be by Allison Pearson
French Exit by Patrick DeWitt
Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
Advice for Future Corpses by Sally Tisdale
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Yay! This is the podcast I look forward to all year! I just put the two Horowitz books on reserve at our library. When y’all mentioned wanting to find a good Civil War book (I think that’s what was said, but I listened to this on a humid early morning run, so maybe I just made that up…) I immediately thought of Gone With the Wind, but that’s probably me just channeling my 85 year old self. :) I loved that book anyway. Thanks for the recommends Sarah and Ellison! PS- Ellison, I am one of the your Book Bully listeners, and we are missing you. But we know it’s important to take the time you need, so no pressure. Just wanted to let you know you’re loved.
Between this podcast and the NPR booklist i’m starting to get some library-hold panic. I have too much to read and too many shows and podcasts to consume! Ellison I didn’t know you were originally from KY – I knew there was a reason I loved listening to you so much! (KY is my adopted home and I am very in love with it).
loved this podcast, could you also post your Netflix suggestions from this episode? Thanks
Mea culpa, Holly and Lisa. Thanks so much for the wonderful comments and encouragement. I am so nervous about getting back on the horse but continue to miss the podcast. We shall see. LOVED, loved GONE WITH THE WIND and should probably re-read it. So many books, only one pair of eyes!
And Marcia – the Netflix ones I can recall we talked about are THE CROWN and GRACE and FRANKIE but I know there were others. I just finished watching the stand-alone GODLESS which was excellent. Not as violent as I had feared and terrific story-telling.
Sarah, I have a Civil War recommendation which is not quite what described looking for, but you might like. I just finished listening to “My Name is Not Friday”, by Jon Walter. It’s the story of a Black boy’s experience in the South during that era. It does deal with tough subjects like slavery, but since it’s YA, it never gets graphic as an adult novel would. I really, really enjoyed it. And I would recommend making time in your podcast listening to listen to this instead of reading it, because the reader does a great job with the accents and inflections, which added even more depth.
Thank you, Holly! I’ll be sure Sarah sees this!