LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng

How could I have forgotten how insanely great this book is? Listen in for a reminder (especially if you haven't read it since 1997) of the beauty and richness of this masterpiece. And find out why one Booker Prize judge members called the novel "execrable"--and why it still won! NO RE-READING NECESSARY!

People. This book is SO GOOD. Let me help you get the most out of it. (Or maybe explain a little, if you weren't totally convinced.) And let me tell you why I think it should win the Booker Prize!

Tune in to fully appreciate the ways this novel is REALLY DELIVERING. We look at how it is, in many ways, a traditional, straight-forward novel--and why that's such a good thing with Stuart at the helm. Listen now in case Stuart wins his SECOND BOOKER PRIZE on November 9!

Did you love this GIGANTIC bestseller from nine years ago? Let me remind you why! It was SO fun to dig in to how Ng makes fiction do what fiction does best: her narrative stance, structure, plotting and characterization are so strong. OR--maybe you didn't quite get the hype?? Allow me to offer a couple of explanations as to why that might be. This lecture--underscoring why certain novels are such gigantic phenonemena--ended up being an excellent way to help you become a BETTER READER (though I think you're perfect the way you are). Treat yourself now!

NO READING REQUIRED! I READ THE WHOLE (super short) SHORT STORY TO YOU! Remember Chopin's THE AWAKENING? This 1894 story has the same vibe, same boldness, same feminist prose--but it's short! Listen in for a deeper understanding of crucial elements of old-school, classic short fiction: reminders of why the form works well and how writers today uphold or push against conventions. This twisty tiny masterpiece was SO FUN to dig into. Listen in now!

Watch me conjure John Steinbeck from the dead! NO ACTUAL READING OF THE NOVEL REQUIRED! If you love the TV series, listen now to get A LOT more out of it. I'll tell you, this 1952 classic surprised me! Its sense of place, lessons in history, denigration/elevation of women, biblical underpinnings...the list of strengths could go on and on. Whether its your favorite novel of all time, or you've only seen the show, or you have just the haziest ninth-grade memories of Lenny squeezing that bunny in OF MICE AND MEN--tune in to hear why Steinbeck deserved that Nobel Prize.

To be completely honest, I picked this up because I thought I saw it on the Booker long list. I was mistaken (!!) but WOW am I glad I read it. How is this his first novel??? Also, best title ever. *** https://blog.loa.org/2014/10/an-interview-with-jed-perl-how-lives-of.html https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dialogues-the-david-zwirner-podcast/id1400997563?i=1000554152182 https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jed-perl/we-never-called-it-frisco/

This book is SO smart. Listen in to appreciate its richness, depth and complexity. ALSO, an hour from now you'll know the crucial difference between extraction skimming and reading as a means of real understanding.

Goodman is sooooo smart. HELEN is inventive, heady, strange and HILARIOUS. Listen in to see what all those Booker judges might have identified when they longlisted this gem of a novella. Resources consulted and/or cited: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/makenna-goodman-interview https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/06/helen-of-nowhere-by-makenna-goodman-review-a-perfect-fairytale-for-our-times https://www.guernicamag.com/makenna-goodman-motherhood-and-isolation/ https://www.sevendaysvt.com/arts-culture/books-arts-culture/inside-the-mind-of-booker-prize-nominee-makenna-goodman/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbRJv5dyq3M

Luiselli is TOO GOOD. This readable, complex, multi-faceted text proves yet again that she's a voice we need to hear. Listen in for a better appreciation of the structure, the polyphonic nature, its autofiction elements and the crucial use of echo. Plus what I think is REALLY GOING ON HERE.