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Slate's Audio Book Club

Slate's Audio Book Club

Join Slate's critics for monthly discussions of new and important books. Read the book club selections and then listen in as our critics hold lively - and sometimes heated - debates about the works. Part of the Panoply Network.

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Arts Literature

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ABC: Too Much and Not the Mood: Essays by Durga Chew-Bose

Slate's Audio Book Club

Katy Waldman, Jacob Brogan, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Durga Chew-Bose's collection of essays Too Much and Not the Mood. Next month's book is Do Not Become Alarmed, by Maile Meloy.

57 Min

Jun 29, 2017

ABC: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Slate's Audio Book Club

Katy Waldman, Meghan O'Rourke, and Emily Bazelon discuss Margaret Atwood's dystopic novel The Handmaid's Tale and the Hulu television adaptation.

61 Min

May 21, 2017

ABC: Lincoln In the Bardo by George Saunders

Slate's Audio Book Club

This month Katy Waldman, Meghan O'Rourke, and Nora Caplan-Bricker discuss George Saunders' Lincoln In the Bardo

51 Min

Apr 29, 2017

Episode
Podcast
Time
Released
44 min
Mar 24, 2017
i

In this bonus episode, Katy Waldman, Jeremy Stahl, and Ava Lubell discuss The Art of War by Sun Tzu as self-help and potential guide to understanding the world of 2017

56 min
Mar 13, 2017
i

Slate's Katy Waldman and Laura Miller discuss Zadie Smith's new novel, Swing Time with The New York Time's Parul Sehgal.

48 min
Feb 10, 2017
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Slate's Katy Waldman, John Dickerson of Face the Nation, and writer and poet Meghan O'Rourke discuss Bob Dylan's The Lyrics: 1961-2012.

37 min
Jan 19, 2017
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Slate's Katy Waldman, Aisha Harris, and Laura Bennett discuss Carrie Fisher's Postcards from the Edge, a novel inspired in part by the author's own struggles with drug abuse and experiences as an actor in Hollywood.

48 min
Dec 10, 2016
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Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Gabriel Roth and Jacob Brogan to Michael Chabon's new novel Moonglow.

58 min
Nov 16, 2016
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Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Laura Miller and Jamelle Bouie to compare and contrast Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad and the new book by Ben Winters Underground Airlines.

40 min
Oct 8, 2016
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Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Meg Wiegand and Nora Caplan-Bricker to talk about Lindy West's confident book Shrill.

45 min
Sep 9, 2016
i

Katy Waldman is joined by NPR's Hanna Rosin and Slate's Laura Bennett to sort through their respective feelings on Emma Cline's novel, The Girls.

45 min
Aug 4, 2016
i

Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Dan Kois and L.V. Anderson to discuss the play by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

47 min
Jul 16, 2016
i

Slate critic, Katy Waldman, is joined by Parul Sehgal of the New York Times Book Review and culture critic, Meghan O'Rourke, to discuss Rebecca Traister's All the Single Ladies.

34 min
Jun 10, 2016
i

Katy Waldman, Emily Bazelon, and Jessica Winter discuss Curtis Sittenfeld's modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Eligible.

47 min
May 6, 2016
i

Katy Waldman, Laura Miller, and Susan Matthews discuss Hope Jahren's budding debut memoir, Lab Girl.

38 min
Apr 9, 2016
i

Critics Katy Waldman, Parul Sehgal, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Paul Kalanithi's bestselling memoir, When Breath Becomes Air.

44 min
Mar 24, 2016
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Critics Katy Waldman, Laura Miller, and Laura Bennett discuss A.O. Scott’s insightful new book, Better Living Through Criticism.

41 min
Feb 4, 2016
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Critics Christina Cauterucci, Mark Harris, and Katy Waldman discuss Lucia Berlin's dazzling short story collection. Slate's Audio Book Club is brought to you by Audible.com, with more than 180,000 audiobooks and spoken-word audio products. Get a free 30-

43 min
Jan 14, 2016
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Slate critic, Katy Waldman, is joined by Parul Sehgal of the New York Times Book Review and culture critic, Meghan O'Rourke, to discuss Jonathan Franzen's Dickensian novel – Purity. Next month, Slate's Audio Book Club will discuss A Manual for Cleani

45 min
Dec 8, 2015
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Slate critics Emily Bazelon, Laura Miller, and Katy Waldman discuss Lauren Groff's ambitious new novel, “Fates and Furies.”

53 min
Nov 6, 2015
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Slate critics Laura Bennett, Andrew Kahn, Dan Kois, and Katy Waldman discuss Hanya Yanagihara's misery-soaked epic.

44 min
Oct 8, 2015
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Slate critics Dan Kois, Laura Miller, and Katy Waldman discuss Andy Weir's tense space procedural.

47 min
Sep 18, 2015
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Slate critics Jamelle Bouie, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katy Waldman discuss Ta-Nehisi Coates' searing book about being black in America.

38 min
Aug 7, 2015
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Slate critics Dan Kois, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katy Waldman discuss Harper Lee's newly published sequel to "To Kill a Mockingbird."

46 min
Jul 10, 2015
i

Slate critics Jamelle Bouie, Hanna Rosin, and Katy Waldman discuss Emily St. John Mandel's award-winning novel.

45 min
Jun 5, 2015
i

Slate critics Emily Bazelon, Hanna Rosin, and Katy Waldman discuss Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

42 min
May 8, 2015
i

Slate critics Katy Waldman, Julia Turner, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Helen MacDonald's shapeshifting memoir.

51 min
Apr 10, 2015
i

Slate critics Emily Bazelon, Hanna Rosin, and Katy Waldman discuss Ali Smith's novel about a prickly, grief-torn teenager and her Renaissance painter counterpart.

36 min
Mar 6, 2015
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Katy Waldman, and Laura Bennett discuss Paula Hawkins' bestselling thriller.

46 min
Feb 13, 2015
i

David Carr, former New York Times critic and media columnist, died on Thursday. He was 58. In honor of Carr, we are re-posting our Audio Book Club about his 2008 memoir, The Night of the Gun.

41 min
Feb 13, 2015
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Meghan O’Rourke, and Hanna Rosin discuss the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James.

34 min
Feb 6, 2015
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Meghan O'Rourke, and Hanna Rosin discuss Phil Klay's National Book Award-winning debut collection of stories about the Iraq war.

43 min
Jan 9, 2015
i

Slate critics Katy Waldman, David Haglund, and Parul Sehgal discuss the first in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan trilogy.

35 min
Dec 5, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and Emily Bazelon discuss Karen Joy Fowler's novel about an all-too-human family.

36 min
Nov 7, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Choire Sicha, and Miriam Krule discuss Lev Grossman's fantasy trilogy.

41 min
Oct 10, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Parul Sehgal, and Katy Waldman discuss Cheryl Strayed's memoir.

40 min
Sep 12, 2014
i

Slate's Audio Book Club take on Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay's book of essays on gender, race and her messy life.

47 min
Aug 7, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Emily Bazelon, and Hanna Rosin discuss Roz Chast's cartoon memoir about her parents' decline.

54 min
Jul 11, 2014
i

Slate's Dan Kois and David Haglund talk with New York Times Book Review editor Parul Sehgal about Book 1 of Karl Ove Knausgaard's 6-volume autobiographical epic.

47 min
Jun 6, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Jamelle Bouie, and Emily Bazelon discuss Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel about Nigerians immigrating abroad and returning home.

39 min
May 9, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Meghan O'Rourke, and Jessica Winter discuss Jenny Offill's novel about the struggle to make art part of a full life.

36 min
Apr 11, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Emily Bazelon, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Maria Semple's bestselling comic novel set in Seattle.

69 min
Mar 7, 2014
i

Recorded live at Town Hall Seattle, Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and special guest Hugh Howey discuss Kurt Vonnegut's countercultural classic.

50 min
Feb 6, 2014
i

Slate critics David Haglund, Emily Bazelon and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Mary McCarthy's classic 1953 novel.

45 min
Jan 10, 2014
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Emily Bazelon, and David Haglund discuss James McBride’s National Book Award winning novel about slavery and John Brown.

45 min
Dec 5, 2013
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and Meghan O’Rourke discuss Donna Tartt’s big literary adventure novel.

40 min
Nov 8, 2013
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and Forrest Wickman discuss Thomas Pynchon's mystery set in the New York tech world around 9/11.

41 min
Oct 11, 2013
i

Slate critics David Haglund, Emily Bazelon, and Meghan O’Rourke discuss Orson Scott Card’s science fiction classic.

39 min
Sep 5, 2013
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and David Haglund debate Rachel Kushner’s novel of the New York art scene, Italian revolutionaries, and motorcycle racing.

39 min
Aug 8, 2013
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Emily Bazelon, and Katy Waldman discuss Kate Atkinson’s historical novel about a British woman who lives World War II over and over again.

40 min
Jul 11, 2013
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and David Plotz discuss Meg Wolitzer's novel.

40 min
Jun 17, 2013
i

Slate critics Dan Kois and David Haglund discuss George Saunders’ celebrated collection of short stories.

39 min
May 2, 2013
i

Emily Bazelon, David Haglund, and Meghan O'Rourke celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first volume of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time.

46 min
Apr 12, 2013
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Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Lawrence Wright's epic investigation into Scientology.

48 min
Mar 1, 2013
i

Slate’s Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and David Haglund discuss Lauren Groff’s novel of a 1970s hippie commune.

44 min
Feb 1, 2013
i

Slate’s David Plotz, Julia Turner, and Seth Stevenson celebrate Jane Austen’s classic novel on its 200th birthday.

48 min
Jan 4, 2013
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Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and Emily Bazelon discuss Katherine Boo’s National Book Award-winning story of life in a Mumbai slum.

47 min
Nov 30, 2012
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Slate critics Dan Kois, Hanna Rosin, and David Haglund discuss Zadie Smith’s novel about four Londoners from the same council estate.

41 min
Nov 2, 2012
i

Dan Kois, Emily Bazelon, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss David Mitchell's epic novel.

34 min
Oct 5, 2012
i

Slate critics Dan Kois, Meghan O’Rourke, and David Haglund discuss Sheila Heti’s polarizing novel about life and art.

39 min
Sep 7, 2012
i

Dan Kois, Emily Bazelon and Hanna Rosin discuss the plot-twisting thriller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

45 min
Aug 3, 2012
i

Dan Kois, Emily Bazelon and David Haglund discuss the sprawling London novel Capital by John Lanchester.

41 min
Jun 29, 2012
i

Dan Kois, Meghan O'Rourke, and Hanna Rosin discuss the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James.

45 min
Jun 1, 2012
i

Emily Bazelon, Dan Kois, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Alison Bechdel's comic memoir Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama

41 min
Dec 8, 2011
i

Emily Bazelon, Hanna Rosin, and special guest novelist Amy Bloom discuss Sue Miller's The Good Mother on the novel's 25th anniversary.

44 min
Oct 31, 2011
i

Slate editors discuss Helen Schulman's "This Beautiful Life," a new novel about a video that goes viral and ruins the lives of two teenagers at a posh New York City private school.

37 min
Sep 26, 2011
i

For Slate's September Audio Book club, Yale art historian and architect Kishwar Rizvi joins Emily Bazelon and Hanna Rosin to discuss The Submission, Amy Waldman's novel about memorializing 9/11.

39 min
Aug 29, 2011
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Michael Agger, Emily Bazelon, and Julia Turner talk about the memorable themes and intricate structure of Jennifer Egan's prize-winning A Visit From the Goon Squad.

38 min
Jul 16, 2011
i

Slate editors Emily Bazelon and Hanna Rosin discuss the final book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Joining them are two Potter enthusiasts: Emily’s son Simon, 8, and Hanna’s daughter Noa, 10. They discuss death, loyalty and Snape's love for L

33 min
Jun 27, 2011
i

Slate editors Emily Bazelon and Hanna Rosin, and the New Yorker’s Margaret Talbot discuss Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks’ latest historical novel, Caleb’s Crossing.

43 min
May 31, 2011
i

Our critics, including Yale historian David Blight, discuss the Civil War classic The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara.

36 min
Apr 27, 2011
i

In this week’s audio book club, Slate’s Daniel Engber, David Plotz and Hanna Rosin discuss Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstein, about his quest to compete in the U.S. Memory Championships, and what he learned about the human brain along the way.

44 min
Mar 27, 2011
i

In this week’s Audio Book Club, Slate’s Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and Hanna Rosin discuss Karen Russell’s Swamplandia!, a new novel about the struggle of a family who runs an alligator-wrestling theme park.

40 min
Feb 27, 2011
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Slate’s Audio Book Club discusses Emma Donoghue’s Room, a best-selling novel about a 5-year-old boy raised by his mother in a shed where she has been held prisoner since before he was born.

41 min
Jan 26, 2011
i

Hanna Rosin, Ann Hulbert, and Nina Shen Rastogi discuss Amy Chua's book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

36 min
Dec 30, 2010
i

Emily Bazelon, Hanna Rosin and Margaret Talbot discuss the new translation of Gustave Flaubert's nineteenth century French classic Madame Bovary. Relive your college days with this dissection of the original desperate housewife.

45 min
Dec 19, 2010
i

Meghan O’Rourke, Troy Patterson, and Michael Agger discuss Jaimy Gordon's book, Lord of Misrule. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

39 min
Dec 2, 2010
i

In this week’s gabfest, DoubleX's Emily Bazelon and Hanna Rosin, along with The New Yorker’s Margaret Talbot, discuss Nicole Krauss’ latest novel, Great House. They discuss why this novel is less light hearted than Krauss’ last one, The History of

46 min
Nov 15, 2010
i

Meghan O’Rourke, Troy Patterson, and Michael Agger discuss Tom McCarthy's book, Remainder. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

51 min
Oct 7, 2010
i

In this week's audio book club, DoubleX's Emily Bazelon and Hanna Rosin and The New Yorker's Margaret Talbot discuss Jonathan Franzen's Freedom. The novel follows Patty and Walter Berglund's failing marriage and serves as a commentary on how we live.

36 min
Sep 20, 2010
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Jacob Weisberg, Jody Rosen and Troy Patterson discuss Gary Shteyngart's book, Super Sad True Love Story. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

40 min
Aug 16, 2010
i

Julia Turner, June Thomas and Troy Patterson discussTom Rachman's book, "The Imperfectionists." We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

41 min
Jul 18, 2010
i

Stephen Metcalf, Troy Patterson, and Michael Agger discuss Bret Easton Ellis’ book, Imperial Bedrooms. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

56 min
Jun 21, 2010
i

Meghan O’Rourke, Troy Patterson and Jody Rosen discuss David Shields’ book, Reality Hunger - A Manifesto. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

33 min
Jun 17, 2010
i

DoubleX editors Hanna Rosin and Emily Bazelon, along with The New Yorker's Margaret Talbot, discuss Rebecca Skloot's new non-fiction book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

52 min
May 16, 2010
i

Meghan O’Rourke, Troy Patterson and Emily Bazelon discuss Harper Lee's book, To Kill A Mockingbird. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

42 min
May 6, 2010
i

DoubleX editors Hanna Rosin and Emily Bazelon along with The New Yorker's Margaret Talbot discuss Chang-rae Lee's new novel, The Surrendered.

44 min
Apr 19, 2010
i

Stephen Metcalf, Troy Patterson, and Daniel Gross discuss Michael Lewis' book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

45 min
Mar 15, 2010
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Troy Patterson, Jacob Weisberg, and John Swansburg discuss Hilary Mantel's book, Wolf Hall. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

51 min
Feb 14, 2010
i

Meghan O’Rourke, Stephen Metcalf, and Troy Patterson discuss Don DeLillo's book, White Noise. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

40 min
Jan 18, 2010
i

Meghan O’Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and Troy Patterson discuss Mary Karr's memoir, Lit. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

45 min
Dec 21, 2009
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Meghan O’Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and Troy Patterson discuss Vladimir Nabokov's book, The Original of Laura. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

48 min
Nov 16, 2009
i

Slate's Audio Book Club. Meghan O'Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and Troy Patterson compare two versions of a story by Raymond Carver - "The Bath," and "A Small Good Thing." One version was heavily edited by Gordon Lish.

46 min
Oct 19, 2009
i

Meghan O’Rourke, Michael Agger, and Troy Patterson discuss Nicholson Baker's book, The Anthologist. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

63 min
Sep 17, 2009
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Slate's Audio Book Club. Stephen Metcalf, Troy Patterson, and James Ryerson discuss J.D. Salinger's classic novel The Catcher in the Rye. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

41 min
Aug 20, 2009
i

Slate's Audio Book Club. Meghan O'Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and guest Laura Kipnis discuss Cristina Nehring's "A Vindication of Love." We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

46 min
Jul 15, 2009
i

Slate's Audio Book Club. Meghan O'Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and Troy Patterson discuss Gay Talese's "Thy Neighbor's Wife." We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program

43 min
Jun 18, 2009
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Slate's Audio Book Club. Meghan O'Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and Troy Patterson discuss two short stories - John Cheever's The Swimmer, and Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard To Find. .

45 min
May 21, 2009
i

Slate's Audio Book Club. Meghan O'Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and Troy Patterson discuss Rivka Galchen's Atmospheric Disturbances. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

59 min
Mar 18, 2009
i

Slate's Audio Book Club. Katie Roiphe, Troy Patterson, and James Surowiecki discuss David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program.

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