99 episodes
Your Favorite Book Malavika Praseed
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- Arts
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5.0 • 17 Ratings
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Everyone's got a book they'll remember forever. I want to find out what it is and why it matters so much. Each episode, I talk to a new guest about their favorite book. I read it too, draw all my own conclusions, and the fun begins!
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Sula by Toni Morrison (with Saeed Jones, Author of Alive at the End of the World)
Our guest this week is Saeed Jones, the acclaimed memoirist and poet, whose recent collection ALIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD takes on both individual and collective grief in the midst of a nation in crisis. Spanning topics from the legacy of Black artists and entertainers to visions of the end of the world as a chaotic rave, Saeed brings every feeling to the forefront and never turns his back to the hard questions.
Saeed chose a book stemming from his adolescence and one that continues to generate deeper meaning for him, Toni Morrison's SULA. This book, hardly two hundred pages in length, delves deep into what it means to be a Black girl, and to be both in and out of a community, and the complicated social dynamics it takes to perpetuate said community. The book is luminous at a prose level and never ceases to shock at every turn. There are some spoilers for this episode, but none that take away from the integrity of the novel.
Together we chat about all things crafting a poetry collection, why the United States struggles with creating a grief culture, the triumphs and pitfalls of high school literary opinions, and so much more.
Books discussed: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel Moniz, Magical Negro by Morgan Parker
Buy Saeed's book: https://bookshop.org/books/alive-at-the-end-of-the-world/9781566896511
Follow the show on instagram and twitter @yfbpodcast -
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (with Joe Meno, Author of Book of Extraordinary Tragedies)
Our guest is Joe Meno, author of eleven books and most recently, BOOK OF EXTRAORDINARY TRAGEDIES, a family saga taking place in Chicago's south side. Told by twenty year old Aleks, former musical prodigy turned patriarch of his young family, we are shown the limits of human endurance as the family deals with medical crises, desperate poverty, and one heartbreak after another. At the same time there is a real tenderness and creativity underlining these characters, buoying everything with a sense of hope.
Joe chose Jesmyn Ward's landmark novel SALVAGE THE BONES for his episode. Like his own novel, Ward's book shows a young family in peril and the means they take to survive, but the setting differs entirely. We are taken to rural Mississippi in the days before Hurricane Katrina, as Esch and her brothers live their lives and prepare for the oncoming storm. It's a haunting, brutal read and one that proves unforgettable for us both.
Buy Joe's book: http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/book-of-extraordinary-tragedies/
Follow the show on instagram and twitter @yfbpodcast -
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (with Adam Levin, Author of Mount Chicago)
Our guest is Adam Levin, author of multiple novels and most recently, the author of MOUNT CHICAGO. This sprawling novel features the city of Chicago in the midst of natural disaster and centers two lives, comedian and writer Solomon Gladman, as well as his biggest fan, Apter Schutz. The book delves into grief, metafiction, publishing, parrots, and so much more that really defies a conventional summary.
Levin chose another book difficult to summarize, J.D. Salinger’s FRANNY AND ZOOEY. Following the youngest siblings of the Glass family, Salinger explores themes of spiritual emptiness, creativity, and social isolation in a novel that feels very much like a stage play in its form and construction. We reflect on how there’s always more to discover in reading and rereading a novel, even generations after its initial publication.
Buy Adam's book: https://bookshop.org/books/mount-chicago/9780385548243
Follow the podcast on instagram and twitter @yfbpodcast -
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Wang Anyi (with Belinda Huijuan Tang, Author of A Map for the Missing)
We're back for a new season! Our guest this week is Belinda Huijuan Tang, author of the debut novel A Map for the Missing. The novel spans time from the 1970s through the 1990s, in China as well as the United States, and centers family secrets and miscommunication along with the impact of pursuing one's dreams. What does it mean to live a life of knowledge, and how easy is it to achieve that path?
Belinda chose Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow as her favorite book. Written in 1995 and translated from Chinese, this novel spans four decades in the life of Wang Qiyao, a former beauty queen who lives a life of heartbreak in both old and new Shanghai. The book is dense, complex, but also deliciously petty and joyful in its depictions of Wang Anyi's hometown. As always, no spoilers!
Books discussed: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo, Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You by Alice Munro
Buy Belinda's book: https://bookshop.org/books/a-map-for-the-missing/9780593300664
Follow the podcast on instagram and twitter @yfbpodcast -
A Death in the Family by James Agee (with Jean Thompson, Author of The Poet's House)
Welcome to the Season 4 finale! Our guest is Jean Thompson, author of many novels, former National Book Award finalist, and most recently the author of The Poet's House. This book explores the sordid lives and falsehoods of poets in California through the eyes of a young admirer, a woman entrenched in blue-collar life but fascinated by poetry. The book takes on the blurred lines of mentorship, the elitism of poetry, and the differences between loving writing and writers themselves.
Jean chose a book first and foremost for its prose style, so unique and unlike a great deal of contemporary writing. James Agee's A Death in the Family, his posthumous Pulitzer prize winning masterpiece, takes the simple and magnifies it to Biblical proportions. The death of a family patriarch shatters the suburban ideals within, and we witness the internal and external carnage in one way or another.
This is our season finale, but Your Favorite Book will be back in mid-august with more interviews. Stay tuned!
Follow the show on instagram and twitter @yfbpodcast
Buy Jean's book: https://bookshop.org/books/the-poet-s-house-9798200880980/9781643751566 -
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (with Natalka Burian, Author of The Night Shift)
We're indulging in something fun and delightful today, because that's just what we all need. My guest is Natalka Burian, author of the great new speculative novel THE NIGHT SHIFT, which combines the night life of New York City with the portals and intrigue of a time traveling sci-fi novel. It's fast paced and engaging from the very beginning, and an absolutely fun read. Natalka shares her thoughts on working in the service industry, running a nonprofit, and idolizing NYC from her childhood on a farm. We chat all about From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and spoiler, we're both absolutely delighted. Don't worry, no spoilers for the book.
Buy Natalka's book: https://bookshop.org/books/the-night-shift-9780778333043/9780778333043
Natalka's tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@natalkaburian?lang=en
Follow the podcast on instagram and twitter @yfbpodcast
Customer Reviews
Great podcast
I listen to almost every episode of this podcast. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m rarely familiar with her guests beforehand, but the host is so smart and fun. I learn from and also enjoy this podcast. Five stars!
Great Podcast for Book-Lovers
I was introduced to this podcast because my best friend (shoutout Rachel Allen) was on it, and I’ve so enjoyed both episodes she’s been on! Malavika is an insightful host and it makes the episodes such a pleasure to listen to.
Love Malavika!
This host is thoughtful and intelligent and curious, which I think are all of the best attributes of a host. I’m incredibly excited about the new series called Pulitzer Pries, where Malavika goes through all of the Pulitzer prize winners.