The Book Review

Latest Episodes:

Book Club: Let’s Talk About ‘Etna,’ by Paul Yoon Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Paul Yoon’s new novel, “Etna,” follows a haunted, battle-scarred war veteran who wants desperately to go home. He also happens to be a dog — a mixed-breed shepherd trained to sniff out bombs for an unnamed military in the throes of an unnamed conflict — and he has no idea where he is anymore, or if his old farm is even still standing after so much violence. Undeterred, he ventures into the great unknown, to somehow find his way back.

The result is a powerful story about survival, the brutal cost of war and what it means to step forward after calamity.

On this episode of the Book Review Book Club, the host MJ Franklin discusses the novel with his colleagues Elisabeth Egan and Scott Heller. You can follow along, and add your own comments to the discussion here.

Other books (and poems, and a movie) mentioned in this episode:

The “Odyssey”
The work of E.E. Cummings
The film “A Dog’s Purpose,” directed by Lasse Hallström (adapted from W. Bruce Cameron’s novel, also named “A Dog’s Purpose”)
“The Vulnerables,” by Sigrid Nunez
“The Eyes and the Impossible,” by Dave Eggers
“Angel Down,” by Daniel Kraus
“Marley & Me,” by John Grogan
“Flush,” by Virginia Woolf
“Doggerel,” by Reginald Dwayne Betts
“Dog Show,” by Billy Collins
“Deaf Republic,” by Ilya Kaminsky
“An Immense World,” by Ed Yong
“Station Eleven,” by Emily St. John Mandel
“The Road,” by Cormac McCarthy

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John Green Knows a True Hollywood Ending is Complicated Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

MJ Franklin is in the host chair this week, in for Gilbert Cruz. MJ spoke with New York Times book critic Dwight Garner about Marlon James’s new novel, “The Disappearers.” Dwight recently reviewed the book, calling it "the novel of the decade, if not the century." With praise like that, the review itself has become a topic of conversation. Dwight talks about the novel, the moment he realized it was a masterpiece and, more broadly, his approach to criticism.

We also have a wide-ranging conversation with John Green, the best-selling author. Green is known for his young adult novels, but he makes his adult-fiction debut with “Hollywood, Ending.” We discuss the book, fame and the titles that made an impression on him when he was young.

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The Best Books of the 21st Century: Taffy Brodesser-Akner on ‘The Corrections’ Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

If you were a reading adult in the early 2000s, you probably tackled, or at least heard about, “The Corrections,” Jonathan Franzen’s best-selling and much discussed book.

The novel won the National Book Award, was a Pulitzer finalist, and an Oprah Book Club pick.

The book arrives at its 25th anniversary this month, and in today’s episode of the “Book Review” podcast, host Gilbert Cruz talks with Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a writer for The New York Times magazine and novelist, about why this novel is so essential to modern American literature. And that’s not just her take: “The Corrections” ranks fifth on our list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, as voted on by hundreds of influential readers.

“The Corrections” is a book about America at the turn of the century; it was published just before 9/11. Brodesser-Akner, who admits to having read the novel 20 times, says that Franzen’s work “became the defining book of America’s golden moment, which ended on Sept. 10.”

Listen to and Follow ‘The Book Review’

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Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We Want to Hear From You

We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com.

Credits

The “Book Review” Podcast is hosted by Gilbert Cruz, produced by Amy Pearl, Sarah Diamond and Patricia Sulbarán. The show is mixed by Pedro Rosado. Special thanks to Dahlia Haddad.

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