Our Summer Reading Challenge Roundup

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Our Summer Reading Challenge Roundup"

All Of It – WNYC
Host: Kushan Avadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Jordan Lof (Producer)
Date: August 29, 2024

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of All Of It celebrates the end of WNYC's Summer Reading Challenge by sharing a wealth of listener reviews, favorite picks, and reading experiences. Host Kushan Avadar sits with producer Jordan Lof—who spearheaded the challenge—to showcase the diverse array of books enjoyed by New Yorkers and listeners nationwide. They share memorable calls, listener texts, and written reflections, creating a collage of literary enthusiasm and community spirit.

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Key Discussion Points & Highlights

The Summer Reading Challenge: Purpose and Progress

• The challenge encouraged listeners to read four (or more!) books by Labor Day, with nearly 200 having already finished and written in (01:06).
• Jordan Lof shares her own progress—initially planning for seven books, she “made a fatal error” by choosing the nearly 900-page 2666 by Roberto Bolaño as her translation pick, and is “in the final 30 [pages]” but unsure if she’ll finish (03:23).
  • "If anyone has a good recommendation for anything under 200 pages, please, please call in." – Jordan Lof (04:00)

Listener Recommendations & Popular Picks

Most Popular Reads Across the Challenge (04:55)

• Long Island by Colm Tóibín
  • “It's got a really fun love triangle. That’s a good one.” — Jordan Lof (05:14)
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (“a lot of people picked it as their translation” due to NYT recognition).

Direct Listener Reflections

1. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

• Listener Bob from Manhattan: “I really liked it. Found the plot intriguing and well executed. I liked the style. I could really visualize the action as it unfolded. Could see this as a limited miniseries.” (06:06)
  • Jordan confirms: It's being adapted by A24 into a miniseries.
• Special author message:
  • "It's truly an extraordinary privilege and a real dream beyond a dream to know that so many of you felt moved to pick it up... If I get got by a ghost, please know I died happy and good luck finishing the challenge this weekend." — Kaliane Bradley (07:05)

2. Erasure by Percival Everett

• Listener Esther: “Interesting to read the book after seeing the [Oscar-nominated] movie... recommend for anyone who saw the movie or who would rather read the book than see the movie.” (08:27)
• Discussion on Everett’s James (his retelling of Huck Finn from Jim’s perspective), including a memorable correction:
  • “Jim is a diminished version of the name James.” — Percival Everett (paraphrased by Kushan, 09:16)

Standout Caller Moments

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

• John from Manhattan: “Basically it's a horror book... a very chilling vampire tale. But I really loved it. It's a fast read, so recommend for anyone who's looking for that. Anyone who's a fan of horror.” (10:22)

All Fours by Miranda July

• Chambers from LA: “Everywhere you go, women are reading that book like crazy… And then they get this look on their face like, 'This is really for women.' Which made me really want to read the book… It is amazing. And I see why women don’t want you to read it because it’s like looking inside the brain of a woman. It’s incredible. It’s beautiful and very sexy.” (11:13, 11:51)

One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

• “Get Out meets the Stepford Wives. It was an excellent book and I would recommend that everyone read it. I'd also love people to read it so I can talk about that ending with them.” — Cecil from Manhattan (12:49)
• Kushan: “A great thriller for me accelerates the further in you go, and this happened. But at the same time, there was this loss of agency... It made me like, mad, but also just a little bewildered. I thought I knew what was going to happen and I didn't.” (13:17)

Unexpected Delights & Literary Surprises

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

• Laura from Mount Vernon: “Every page, I loved it more and more... I hope he writes more novels. That was an unexpected, awesome joy of my summer reading.” (15:24)
• Angela from Grand Rapids adds:
  • “...the time I spent with [the] book made me feel better, particularly the end. I don’t want to spoil anything, but in its way it is an incredibly uplifting book, especially when you’re grappling with mortality.” (16:09)
• Jordan Lof: “He’s a poet—you can tell in his word choice and the way he talks.” (16:09)

The Power Broker by Robert Caro

• Dylan in Brooklyn: “I’ve been trying to finish The Power Broker... for well over a year now. It was dense to say the least, but so incredibly well researched, it feels like required reading living in New York.” (17:27)
  • “Just know that I did get made fun of by roommates for saying it’s starting to get really good at around page 900.” — Dylan (18:06)

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Texts & Additional Recommendations (19:05+)

• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore — praised by a texter for being gripping
• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange — “Worth the effort.”
• Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius — coming-of-age tale of indigenous Arctic peoples

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Further Caller & Listener Book Shoutouts

• The Secret Lives of Baba Segi by Lola Shoneyin (Nigeria, polygamy, and women’s agency) — Valerie from Teaneck (19:47)
• Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro — Alexander from Brooklyn: “Each story was beautifully devastating in a new way and just a delightful read.” (20:47)
• A Promised Land by Barack Obama — Mary Beth from Jones Beach: “It’s a marvelous book... not a struggle to get through; highly recommend it, no matter your politics.” (21:33)
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire — Brad from New Rochelle: “A revelation... hope the upcoming movie can cover the book more fully than the musical does.” (22:22)
• Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi — Allegra from West Orange: “As a childless woman, I liked the way she worked the system... I will absolutely recommend this book to friends. I need to find one willing to discuss and help me unpack.” (23:15)
• You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue — Elga from East Brunswick: “A creative melange of historical fiction and psychedelic fantasia. It’s funny and dark and puts a whole new spin on the tales of conquistadors.” (24:20)

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Community, Gratitude, and Next Steps

• Jordan is compiling all these responses to share on ALL OF IT’s Instagram. Listeners can still submit their post-reading reviews at wnyc.org/summerreading. (25:31)
• Listeners praised Jordan’s efforts keeping the community engaged, and Kushan voiced his gratitude as he prepares to leave the show.
  • "Since I am leaving soon from this show as well, I just wanted to say I am personally grateful for all of the work and partnership you've given to me to help do this show every day." — Kushan Avadar (26:25)
  • "It's been an absolute joy working with you and we'll miss having you here." — Jordan Lof (26:37)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Challenge Motivation

  • "If my listeners and our readers are trying, I got to make a good faith effort." — Jordan Lof (03:23)

• On Literary Discovery

  • "I underestimated our readers. People wrote these really awesome, moving book reviews and it was so lovely looking at them." — Jordan Lof (04:12)

• On the Power of Community Reading

  • "It just has been a true joy to see how much this, how much fun people had with this over the summer.” — Jordan Lof (26:18)

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Episode Timeline

| Timestamp | Segment / Highlight | |-----------|----------------------| | 01:06 | Challenge status & listener engagement | | 03:23 | Jordan’s personal reading journey & request for novella recs | | 04:55 | Popular titles & reading trends | | 06:06 | Listener Bob praises The Ministry of Time | | 07:05 | Author Kaliane Bradley’s special message | | 08:27 | Esther’s review of Erasure by Everett | | 09:16 | Discussion of James & Everett’s language note | | 10:22 | John recommends Nestlings by Nat Cassidy | | 11:13 | Chambers describes All Fours by Miranda July | | 12:49 | One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon recommendation | | 15:24 | Laura from Mount Vernon on Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar | | 17:27 | Dylan conquers The Power Broker | | 19:47 | Valerie from Teaneck recommends The Secret Lives of Baba Segi | | 20:47 | Alexander recommends Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro | | 21:33 | Mary Beth highlights A Promised Land by Barack Obama | | 22:22 | Brad from New Rochelle on Wicked | | 23:15 | Allegra shouts out Diary of a Void | | 24:20 | Elga recommends You Dreamed of Empires | | 25:31 | Jordan’s plan to share community feedback online | | 26:18 | Host/producer mutual appreciation & sign-off |

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Tone and Energy

The episode is thoughtful, witty, and highly interactive. The hosts exude warmth, humility, and genuine excitement about both books and their community of readers. Listener voices and stories are at the heart of the show, making for an engaging literary celebration that feels both expansive and personal.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a treasure trove of book recommendations and community spirit. The hosts and listeners celebrate the joys of reading, the serendipity of literary discovery, and the quirky challenges of tackling long tomes—all while sharing practical tips, cultural commentary, and heartfelt gratitude. Whether you want to know what New York (and beyond) is reading this summer, or seek inspiration for your next literary adventure, this is a must-listen and a must-reference episode.

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Transcript

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[Kushan Avadar]

Listener Support WNYC Studios. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Kushan Avadar. I'm in for Alison Stewart. Today we are approaching the end of our all of It Summer Reading Challenge. The deadline to finish your fourth book is Labor Day, and so many of you, almost 200 of you, have already finished and written into us, which is awesome. And we know there are more of you out there making that final push this weekend. So if you have finished, head to wnyc.org get lit to fill out the completion form and to get a prize. Since so many of you have already finished the challenge, we thought we would take this time to share some of the books that you, all our listeners, our readers, have really enjoyed this summer. So, listeners, what was the best book you read for the summer reading challenge? What category did you like best? And for those of you who aren't doing the challenge, you can still call in and just tell us the best book you read this summer. We're here at 212-433-9692. That's 212433, WNYC. You can also hit us up on social, on Instagram, on X. We're at all of it wnyc while we wait for some calls to come in. I am lucky to be joined right across the desk of IT and Get lit producer Jordan Lof. She spearheaded this challenge and she's gonna read some reader responses and reflections with us. Jordan, welcome.

[Jordan Lof]

Thank you so much. And I have to say, I was clearly in Get Lit Brain when I wrote this prep for you. For myself, it's wnyc.org summerreading not get lit Summer reading. We said get lit. I meant summer reading. But if you do go to wnyc.org getlit you can get tickets to our September 30th event with Eric Larson. So if you went there by accident, there's still a great thing for you there. You can sign up for that. But if you want to fill out the thing that says that you finished the challenge, it's wnyc.org summerreading wnyc.org summerreading.

[Kushan Avadar]

And if you want to give us a call, it's 212-433-9692. Lot of great places to go to find things out. It's all great. Tell us, how is your summer reading challenge going, Jordan?

[Jordan Lof]

Okay, so I did come on here and tell listeners something bold, which is that I was going to go for the full seven and I made it through my first four really quickly. And then I made a fatal error. I selected 2666 by Roberto Bolano as my translation. It is nearly 900 pages long and I'm in the final 30. The end is in sight. I can feel it in front of me and I just haven't gotten there yet. So it remains to be seen if I can somehow finish that one and get through two more books this long weekend. But I'm going to try. If my listeners and our readers are trying, I got to make a good faith effort.

[Kushan Avadar]

Could you make the next two, like maybe a little novellas or something?

[Jordan Lof]

Yeah, exactly like. Yeah. If anyone has a good recommendation for anything under 200 pages, please, please call in.

[Kushan Avadar]

So. So usually we hear recommendations from you, but we're going to do things a bit differently today, right?

[Jordan Lof]

Yeah. So I think that our listeners have had heard enough from me. It's been so fun getting on here to, to share some recommendations of my own, but I was so thrilled to see some, so many great responses come in. We asked our readers when they finished the challenge to tell us the four books that they read and then tell us which was their favorite and why. And you know, I thought some people might write like, oh, I really loved Demon Copperhead because it was so good. But I underestimated our readers. People wrote these really awesome, like, moving book reviews and it was so lovely looking at them and compiling them. So I thought what we would do today is just read through some of them, take your calls and discuss what people have been reading.

[Kushan Avadar]

I love that. Let's dive into it. Were there any books that seemed to be very popular with our readers?

[Jordan Lof]

Yeah. So it's very interesting looking through. There were a bunch that stood out as being read by many, many people. I won't go through all of Them, because it's a long list, but a couple that stood out. Long island by Colm Toibin, which was the follow up to his novel Brooklyn. Our engineer Juliana is indicating that she read Long island for the summer reading challenge.

[Kushan Avadar]

Big thumbs up.

[Jordan Lof]

And she liked it, I think. Yeah, she's nodding. It's got a really fun love triangle. That's a good one. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett came up again and again and again. That's a great one. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. I think this one made it so many times because I said I was going to read it and then I didn't read it. So I'm so glad that other people did. And then another thing I'll just say is it was really interesting to see how I think the New York Times Best books of the 21st century list influenced people's reading. A lot of people picked My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante as their translation, and I think that's because she was picked as the best book of the 21st century so far by the New York Times. So it was cool to see how that influenced our readers selections.

[Kushan Avadar]

Yeah, it's really interesting to have that perch, to see kind of the trends that are happening in 2024 through, through, through this, through this challenge, which is awesome. Can we get into some of the reader responses and recommendations?

[Jordan Lof]

Let's do it. So the first one comes from Bob in Manhattan. He wrote in to say that his favorite was the Ministry of Time by Kellyanne Bradley. I originally heard about it on all of it, and it sounded interesting. Had it on a list to check out. When the challenge came up, I decided to go ahead and read it. I really liked it. Found the plot intriguing and well executed. I liked the style. I could really visualize the action as it unfolded. Could see this as a limited miniseries. I would certainly recommend this to friends. Bob, the good news for you is that it's being turned into a miniseries by A24. So that's already in the works. For those who don't know, this is a debut novel. It's a time travel sort of romance story set in London. It's really great. And Kalyan actually came on our show earlier this year to talk about it, and I reached out to her to say, hey, so many of our readers loved this book. This was one that came up again and again. And she sent us a little message back.

[Kushan Avadar]

Here it comes.

[Kalyan Bradley]

Hello, all of it listeners. This is Kalyan Bradley, the author of the Ministry of Time. I just wanted to say I'M so glad to hear that so many of you chose to read my book for the all of It Summer Reading Challenge. I It is truly an extraordinary privilege and a real dream beyond a dream to know that so many of you felt moved to pick it up. I'm sorry if while I was recording this you heard a lot of banging noises. I live in an extraordinarily haunted house. Sometimes I hear doors going at 3am so if I get got by a ghost, please know I died happy and good luck finishing the challenge this weekend.

[Kushan Avadar]

That's so lovely. Thank you so much for sending that note to us listeners. If you're just joining us or speaking about our Summer Reading Challenge, you have until Labor Day to finish, so head to wnyc.org summerreading to fill out the completion form and call in and tell us what book you read for the challenge. Give us a call. We're at 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. We did just get a text here that said my New York book was the sequel to Brooklyn by Colm Tobin, Long island, and that wasn't as good as Brooklyn. Now I am reading Long island, so shout out because you mentioned that you have another message from a listener named Esther, Is that right?

[Jordan Lof]

Yes. So Esther wrote in to say that she really loved Erasure by Percival Everett. And for those who don't know, that is the novel that inspired, I believe the movie's titled American Fiction, which came out last year. An excellent movie that was Oscar nominated, she said. Interesting to read the book after seeing the movie. Exactly the same in some details but very different in others. And she gives a detail about the sister which is a spoiler and I will not share, she says. I recommend for anyone who saw the movie or who would rather read the book than see the movie, I will say another big book that came up again and again for our readers was James Percival Everett's newest novel, which is sort of a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who sort of travels with him. And you interviewed Percival on the show Cuccia to talk about James. What stood out to you from that conversation?

[Kushan Avadar]

I was so happy to see this book come up because that was one of my favorite, favorite conversations that I've had. I remember talking to Mr. Everett. I was really interested in etymology and the use of language because James, the character switches back and forth and I mentioned to Percival how interesting it was that James is an elevated version of the name Jim. And he checked me and said, actually, Jim is a diminished version of the name James, which really struck me and I was really happy with that coming up in the conversation.

[Jordan Lof]

Yeah, that was an excellent interview, I remember, and just a really stunning read. If you haven't read it already, that's a good one to pick up this weekend.

[Kushan Avadar]

Yeah. Let's go to some calls. We've got a bunch of folks coming in that want to share their favorites. Let's go to John in Manhattan. John, hey, welcome to the show. I hear some sirens in the background. Is everything okay?

[John from Manhattan]

Oh, yeah, you know, I'm just in New York talking about a New York centric book, so that's kind of what's happening. Kusha, I want to say it's been a pleasure listening to you these past several months. And Jordan, this is John of John and Molly calling in.

[Kushan Avadar]

Oh, hi, John, nice to hear you as well.

[John from Manhattan]

Yeah, I read Nestlings by Nat Cassidy for the New York book Prompt, and basically it's a horror book and the couple wins the housing lottery and they have an apartment in what I think is like based on the San Remo on the Upper west side. So it's like a very chilling vampire tale. But I really loved it. It's a fast read, so recommend for anyone who's looking for that and anyone who's a fan of horror. But basically I think they pitched it Salem's Lot meets Rosemary's Baby. So that doesn't appeal to folks in the horror genre, then not sure what will.

[Kushan Avadar]

John, thank you so much for that call. We really appreciate it. Nestling is the book. Thanks so much. Let's go to Chambers calling us from la. Hey, Chambers, welcome to the show.

[Chambers from LA]

Thanks, Thanks. I read. Well, everyone in la, every woman in la, it seems, of a certain age, is reading the book All Fours by Miranda July. Everywhere you go, women are reading that book like crazy.

[Kushan Avadar]

And Chambers, did you read that?

[Chambers from LA]

I did. And what I asked women, I said, hey, is this a good book? You know, and they love it. And I said, maybe I should read it. And then they get this look on their face like, this is really for women. This is really women of a certain age. Which made me really want to read the book. And then I heard on Gilbert Cruz on the New York Times podcast that he too, women were telling him not.

[Kushan Avadar]

To read the book.

[Chambers from LA]

He said he was going to read it. I decided I was going to read. Is amazing. It is amazing. And I see why women don't want you to read it because it's like looking inside the brain of a woman. It's incredible. It's beautiful and very sexy.

[Kushan Avadar]

Chambers, thanks so much for that call. Jordan, are you familiar with that book All Fours?

[Jordan Lof]

I am. This is another one that was very popular among our readers. And I believe what he was sort of skirting around there is. There's a lot about menopause, I believe in that novel, and also sex during menopause. So maybe that's why so many women of a certain age were feeling really called to read it. Cause it felt representative of their experience. I have not yet read it, but it's on my list because so many people have just been loving that this summer.

[Kushan Avadar]

Cool. Well, thank you so much, Chambers, for that. Before we go to break, I want to bring up one more because we just got a text and I think this leads into one of the listeners, Cecil from Manhattan. The text that we got says my favorite, a book you heard about on all of it. One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon.

[Jordan Lof]

Yes. So this was also very popular with our readers. Cecil from Manhattan wrote in to say One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon was thrilling. Truly. Get out meets the Stepford Wives. It was an excellent book and I would recommend that everyone read it. I'd also love people to read it so I can talk about that ending with them. And Kusha, you and I both read this book. We talked about the ending. And you actually DMed the author to discuss the ending with her.

[Kushan Avadar]

I did.

[Jordan Lof]

What did you say?

[Kushan Avadar]

So after our interview, I said, you know, I've got about two chapters left and I really want to talk to you after I finish. And Nicola was very gracious and said, sure, talk to me once you finish it. And after I finished it, I had so many big feelings about it. A great thriller for me, kind of accelerates the further in you go. And this happened. But at the same time, there was this loss of agency that I felt a lot of the characters had. And it made me like, mad, but also just a little bewildered. And I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, but it was really surprising. I thought I knew what was going to happen and I didn't. So it was just very big feelings.

[Jordan Lof]

I would say it's a very unsettling ending, but it's also a page turner. You're going to fly through that book. If you're looking again for something to pick up this weekend, you can say you heard about it on all of it. One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon. Our readers seem to really love that one.

[Kushan Avadar]

Yeah, we gotta take a quick break. But when we come back, we're gonna talk more about other favorite books that folks who completed the Summer Reading Challenge have said to us. We're speaking about the Summer Reading Challenge. You have until Labor Day to finish. So head to wnyc.org summerreading to fill out the completion form. Keep sending us calls. We're at 212-433-9692 more recommendations from you. Spoken by our producer, Jordan Loff after this. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Kusha Navadar, and we are here with Jordan Lof, a producer on all of it and the get lit producer. And we're talking about our summer Reading Challenge. You have until Labor Day to finish. So this long weekend is the finish line. Head to WNY to fill out the completion form. We're taking your calls about your favorite books if you have participated in this challenge and if you haven't. And we're also hearing from some people who have finished the challenge, what books really stood out to them. So give us a call. Send us a text. We're at 212-433-9692. Let's go to Laura in Mount Vernon. Hey, Laura, welcome to the show.

[Laura from Mount Vernon]

Hi. Thanks for having me on, Jordan. I loved my bookmark. Thank you. I used it all summer for all my reading challenge books. So a book that I had no plans to ever read just because I read a lot and didn't think I'd have time to fit it in was Martyr by Kaveh Akbar. I actually picked it up for the at the leave one take one bookshelf in my coffee shop and every page. I loved it more and more. It was such a great book. I can't say enough good things about it. It was awesome. I hope he writes more novels. I can't wait to read more by him. And that was an unexpected, awesome joy of my summer reading.

[Kushan Avadar]

Thank you so much, Laura, for that. It seems like that was pretty popular among our listeners, right, Jordan?

[Jordan Lof]

It really was. I have this response from Angela in Grand Rapids. She said, I feel fortunate to have read Martyr when I did. I happened to start reading the book one day before a close friend passed away. And somehow the time I spent with book made me feel better, particularly the end. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but in its way, it is an incredibly uplifting book, especially when you're grappling with mortality. And I was just so glad to see so many people read this debut novel. It's about a young poet who is thinking about ending his life, who then meets an artist who is spending her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Kaveh Akbar is himself a poet, and you could really tell in your interactions with him. The way that he talks and his way with words was just incredible. When I was waiting to bring him into the studio, I had sort of asked him, oh, are you so excited to have this book physically out in the world? How does that feel? And in his response, I think he used five different words I had to go to the dictionary to look up. I just was like, this is a poet. This is a poet, you guys, because he's using the most beautiful language. And I have no idea what he just said, but I know what he meant was that he was really happy to have this book in the world. And I'm sure he'd be really happy to hear that so many of you guys loved reading it.

[Kushan Avadar]

Absolutely. And Laura, thank you so much for that call. All right, what have we got next, Jordan?

[Jordan Lof]

All right, Koosha, we got a Power Broker reader.

[Kushan Avadar]

Really?

[Jordan Lof]

Someone did it. Someone did it. I don't think they did it in two weeks, which was the challenge I issued a little while ago. But Dylan in Brooklyn wrote to say, I've been trying to finish the Power Broker by Robert Caro for well over a year now. It was dense to say the least, but so incredibly well researched, it feels like required reading. Living in New York, as it provides so much context for the landscape of the city today, I'm happy I can say I finished it all. 1,000, 162 pages this summer. I'd certainly recommend it to a friend who has ample free time and an unbreakable attention span. Just know that I did get made fun of by roommates for saying it's starting to get really good at around page 900.

[Kushan Avadar]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jordan Lof]

So, Dylan, I celebrate your accomplishment. Yes, that's an achievement. Koosha, have you ever thought of tackling the power broker?

[Kushan Avadar]

I have thought of tackling the power broker. Dylan, I stand in your shadow. The loss. The longest book that I read this summer was Bright Sword by Lev Grossman. Oh, yeah, that clocks at, like, just under about 700 pages. So not quite the +1000 that we're talking about. So, Dylan, that is very impressive. How about you, Jordan?

[Jordan Lof]

I have a copy of the Power Broker. As most literate New Yorkers like to say, I have it on my shelf, but have I read it? No. I really love Alison Stewart's fun fact that she was going to dedicate a room to the power broker where she was just gonna have it open somewhere. Sort of like how display a Bible or something.

[Kushan Avadar]

Right, the Gutenberg Bible.

[Jordan Lof]

Exactly. So she could just walk up to it when she felt like and sort of page through and then say, okay, I'm done reading, and just leave it on the table. So I don't know if you're thinking about trying it. Maybe that's one way to tackle it.

[Kushan Avadar]

Absolutely. We got some texts that I'd love to read. The first one said I loved reading the God of the woods by Liz Moore, Although I had the same question as everybody else on Goodreads after I read it. I've also got the Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. Worth the effort. Well worth the effort. Also stolen by Anne Helen Lestadius. Am I saying that correctly?

[Jordan Lof]

I am not sure.

[Kushan Avadar]

Coming of age about indigenous people of the Arctic Circle. Awesome listeners. We're here with producer Jordan Loft talking about the summer reading challenge. We are gonna take some of your calls now to hear what you are enjoying reading this summer. Let's start with Valerie in Teaneck, New Jersey. Hey, Valerie, welcome to the show. Hello. Hi.

[Valerie from Teaneck]

Hi.

[Kushan Avadar]

How are you? Good, thanks. Valerie, what are you reading that you enjoy? The Secret Lives of Baba Segi. It takes place in Nigeria and it's a story of a man who has three wives. He's getting ready to take his fourth wife. So I think you go in with the opinion of what is wrong with these women? Why would they stay in a relationship with the. You know, with this man? Yeah. And Valerie, it sounds like you read more than the. It sounds like you read more than the four categories too, for this summer reading challenge. Is that right? Yeah. Because I belong to several book clubs, so I read like over 100 books a year.

[Jordan Lof]

Wow.

[Kushan Avadar]

Above and beyond. Yeah. Valerie, thank you so much for that, for that call and for that shout out. Let's go to Alexander in Brooklyn. Hey, Alexander, welcome to the show.

[Alexander from Brooklyn]

Hi there. I am still struggling to finish up my fourth book, but I wanted to call in to shout out Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro, which I read in the category of recommended by a friend or in this case, by my mother. I had never read anything by her before and I might be the only person under the sun that not have read any. I know she's extremely renowned, but if there is anyone else out there who hasn't read any, I highly recommend it. That the short story collection and each story was beautifully devastating in a new way and just a delightful read. Very highly recommended.

[Kushan Avadar]

Wonderful. Too much happiness, Alexander, thank you so much. Let's go to Mary Beth in Jones Beach. Hi, Mary Beth. Welcome to the show.

[Valerie from Teaneck]

Thanks a lot. Yeah, it's a beautiful day at Jones Beach. So I read the Promised Land by Barack Obama, and I picked it up on the spur of the moment in the library. It's a marvelous book. It's very personal. He has a lot of personal reflections or a judicious amount, but the explanation of the legislative process and who the players are and what they did and what they couldn't do is just. It's a trip down memory lane. Of course, it starts before his 2008 presidency and goes up to 2012. So it's. And it's entertaining. It's not like a real struggle to get through it. So I highly recommend it. No matter what your politics is, it's a real education.

[Kushan Avadar]

Wonderful. Mary Beth, thank you so much. And enjoy the day at Joan's Beach. I hope it continues to be nice there for you. So, Jordan, let's get back into some of the other recommendations that we got. Some messages.

[Jordan Lof]

Yeah. So this one from Brad from New Rochelle really made me smile. He wrote in to say Wicked by Gregory Maguire was a revelation. It is an adult story that tackles problems related to persecution of otherness, political violence, bias, and truth in friendships. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope the upcoming movie can cover the book more fully than the musical does. Have recommended it to both my daughters and others. So I love that he's giving it to his daughters. And I'm glad to see some people read the Wicked book. I think I shouted that out on one of the times I appeared on the show. It's really so different from the musical. It's darker, it's kind of bleak, and it's a really good sort of alternative fairy tale story. So even if you love the musical, if you're really excited about the movie, I recommend giving that one a try.

[Kushan Avadar]

Wonderful. Yeah. Wicked. That's wonderful. You know, I still need to see Wicked. I've never seen Wicked.

[Jordan Lof]

You've never seen Wicked? How long have you lived in the city?

[Kushan Avadar]

Long enough that I should have seen Wicked. It's on my list.

[Jordan Lof]

You have certainly got to.

[Kushan Avadar]

Or I'll read the book.

[Jordan Lof]

All right, there you go. Up next, I've got from Allegra in West Orange, New Jersey. She read Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi. That's translated from Japanese. I found a lot to think about here. I like the way she kept doubling down, including research and costumes, to fully commit to her deception. I like all of the questions it raised about a range of topics and as a childless woman, I liked the way she worked the system. I will absolutely recommend this book to friends. I need to find one willing to discuss and help me unpack. And Allegra, I just wanted to let you know I have also read Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi. I was glad to see someone pick it up. That is about a young Japanese woman who learns that if she pretends to be pregnant at her office, she gets to get out of all these little sort of sexist things that the men in her office require of her, like making them coffee in the morning and sort of serving people during meetings. She gets to leave work early. So obviously the longer this goes on, she has to sort of physically start to show that she's pregnant and it goes from there. It's a slim little book. It's translated from Japanese and it's a great one to pick up this weekend.

[Kushan Avadar]

Wonderful. Let's keep going. You have Elga in East Brunswick?

[Jordan Lof]

I do. Elga really loved you. Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrique. That's translated from Spanish. It is a creative melange of historical fiction and psychedelic fantasia. It's funny and dark and puts a whole new spin on the tales of conquistadors. Truly an enjoyable read. This one has also been on my to be read list. It's an alternative history where conquistadors and Hernan Cortez get stuck in the palace of Montezuma and I think sort of have a trip of some kind. They get confused, they get lost. I've heard really great things about this one. So if you're looking for a translated work, that's a good one to pick up.

[Kushan Avadar]

Wonderful. We've got a text here that I want to read. It says I read the Power Broker twice. Amazing book. As are all Robert Caro's works.

[Jordan Lof]

Twice.

[Kushan Avadar]

Twice. Here's what it says. Try the audiobook. It's easier on your eyes and hands. So maybe that's a little tip for folks.

[Jordan Lof]

That's a good tip. But twice for the Power Broker. You are made of stronger stuff than I.

[Kushan Avadar]

That's funny. So we're wrapping up here. As we go out. I want to ask you what are you hoping to do with all of these messages and what can folks do if they want to to get in on some of the action now?

[Jordan Lof]

Yes. So I am hoping to compile a lot of these. I asked people who. Who shared if they would be fine with us sharing their selections on social media. Most people said yes. So thank you for that. So I'll be posting this on social on all of it, at all of it WNYC on our Instagram at some point hopefully. And if you want to send a response in, you can go to wnyc.org summerreading that's where you can tell us what you read, what you liked, if you have a comment about what you enjoyed, what you didn't enjoy about the challenge, any feedback for the future, you can type that into me. I'm happy to take a look. And it just has been a true joy to see how much this, how much fun people had with this over the summer. People wrote in some really nice things and I am so grateful to everyone for participating and going along with this.

[Kushan Avadar]

And Jordan, we are also grateful for the enormous amount of work that you have put in listeners. She stuffed every envelope with those bookmarks.

[Jordan Lof]

Oh, with lots of help.

[Kushan Avadar]

And with lots of help. But also, Jordan, I just want to say, since I am leaving soon from this show as well, I just wanted to say I am personally grateful for all of the work and partnership you've given to me to help do this show every day. So thank you very much.

[Jordan Lof]

Kusha. It's been an absolute joy working with you and we'll miss having you here.

[Kushan Avadar]

Jordan Lof is our get lit producer and we thank you so much for being here. There is more all of it on the way. Coming up. Gabe Bardago, staff writer at the Infatuation, will talk to us about Boba Tea. If you have a place where you love to get Boba in the city, give us a call. That's coming up on all US of Stay with us.

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