Fierce Reads NYC moderated by MashReads
by Anna Banks
read by Anna Banks, Marissa Meyer
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Four fierce authors of romance, suspense, fantasy, and bestselling series for teens: Anna Banks (The Syrena Legacy series), Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles), Emma Mills (This Adventure Ends), and Caleb Roehrig (Last Seen Leaving) make a stop on their tour to present their latest novels and chat with fans. In conversation with MJ Franklin and Aliza Weinberger (MashReads).
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Featuring Mary Gaitskill, Rick Moody & Jill Nelson in Conversation with Amy Scholder
by Amy Scholder
read by Amy Scholder, Mary Gaitskill, Jill Nelson, Rick Moody
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Celebrities fascinate, inspire, and repel us. Mary Gaitskill, Rick Moody, and Jill Nelson read from and discuss a daring new book of private views on public figures: Aretha Franklin, Linda Lovelace, Harriet Tubman, M.F.K. Fisher and more come to life in these intimate portraits by contemporary writers. In conversation with editor Amy Scholder.
Edwidge Danticat's Brother, I'm Dying
by Edwige Danticat
read by Jonathan Demme
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Edwidge Danticat sits down with director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) to discuss and read from her book, Brother, I'm Dying.
Gary Shteyngart Little Failure: A Memoir
by Gary Shteyngart
read by Jay McInerney
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
In conversation with Jay McInerney (Bright Lights, Big City). The author of Super Sad True Love Story presents his new memoir, a seriously hilarious exploration of his life so far.
Discussion of Anna Karenina With Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt and Margot Livesay
by Jennifer Egan
read by Jennifer Egan, Siri Egan
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt, and Margot Livesey once again convene to discuss Leo Tolstoy's classic Anna Karenina.
No Land's Man
by Aasif Mandvi
read by Dean Obeidallah
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Comedian and Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi presents his new (and first) book No Land's Man, a laugh-out-loud account of a second-generation immigrant's search for meaning and identity in an increasingly confusing world. In this collection of personal essays, Mandvi reveals the many contradictory layers of his past in Bombay, England, and the U.S. in a mix of humorous stories, heartfelt observations, and misfit mayhem. In conversation with Dean Obeidallah (The Daily Beast, The Muslims Are Coming).
Sonia Ann Petry's The Street With Sapphire Manzano, and Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts
by Ann Petry
read by Ann Sapphire, Roslyn Manzano
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Sapphire (Push), Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts (Harlem is Nowhere), and actress Sonia Manzano (The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano) discuss the gritty, emotional 1946 classic set in Harlem. Actress Roslyn Ruff (The Piano Lesson, The Help) will read an excerpt. // Other narrators: Sonia Manzano, Roslyn Ruff
Edward St. Aubyn Lost for Words
by Edward St. Aubyn
read by Francine Prose, Edward St. Morris
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The author of the Patrick Melrose novels presents a razor-sharp, fabulously entertaining satire that cuts to the quick of some of the deepest questions about the place of art in our celebrity-obsessed culture. In conversation with Francine Prose (Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932), with an introduction by Paul W. Morris (PEN American Center).
David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
by David Wroblewski
read by Dan Menaker
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
David Wrobleski sits down with Dan Menaker to discuss and read excerpts from his book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.
Rereading Middlemarch with Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt and Margot Livesey
by George Eliot
read by Jennifer Egan, George Hustvedt
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt, and Margot Livesey once again convene to discuss George Eliot's classic novel, Middlemarch. Hope Davis reads an excerpt from the book.
Salman Rushdie's Joseph Anton: A Memoir
by Salman Rushdie
read by Salman Rushdie, Salman McCann
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The author of Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses talks with Colum McCann (Let the Great World Spin) about his long-anticipated, enthralling and provocative new memoir of his exile under the fatwa that sentenced him to death in 1989.
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Celebration
by Harper Lee
read by Various Readers
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Readings and conversation with Kurt Andersen, Libba Bray, Stephen Colbert, Oskar Eustis, Mary McDonagh Murphy, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Isaiah Sheffer, a discussion with the audience. Authors and actors including Stephen Colbert, Libba Bray (award winning young-adult novelist Going Bovine, winner of 2010 Printz Award), Oskar Eustis (Artistic Director at The Public Theater), Kurt Andersen (novelist and Studio 360 Host), Jayne Anne Phillips (novelist and National Book Award finalist Lark & Termite), filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy (author of the upcoming book Scout, Atticus, and Boo), and others pay tribute to the Pulitzer prize-winning classic novel about racial injustice and loss of innocence in a small Southern town. One of the most taught - and frequently challenged - books of the last 50 years, the book was voted the best novel of the 20th century by librarians. The evening includes readings, discussion and audience Q&A.
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
by Eric Idle
read by Eric Idle, Eric Pierce
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
A founding member of Monty Python and creator of Spamalot discusses his absurdly funny memoir of his remarkable journey from childhood in an austere boarding school, coming of age as a writer and comedian during the sixties and seventies, and his successful career in comedy, television, theater, and film. In conversation with David Hyde Pierce. (Added bonus: Eric is bringing his guitar, and there just might be a sing-along....)
Ann Patchett's State of Wonder
by Ann Patchett
read by Emma Straub, Ann Alda
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The author of Bel Canto and Truth & Beauty talks with Jane Hamilton (A Map of the World; The Short History of a Prince) and delves deeply into the backstory of her latest creation, a thought-provoking literary thriller, set deep in the Amazon jungle, with fascinating characters that defy our expectations, and chockful of suspense, romance, and betrayal.
A Celebration of Jane Austen With Author Karen Joy Fowler and Other Janeites
by Jane Austen
read by Karen Joy Fowler, Jane Davis
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Karen Joy Fowler leads a celebration of Jane Austen. Hope Davis reads selections from Austen's classic works.
Sloane Crosley, Look Alive Out There
by Sloane Crosley
read by Zadie Smith
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Essayist and author Sloane Crosley will be joined by award-winning writer Zadie Smith (Swing Time) in a conversation on Crosley's newest essay collection, Look Alive Out There.
Rabih Alameddine's An Unnecessary Woman
by Rabih Alameddine
read by Elizabeth Strout, Rabih Dillon
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
One of the Middle East's most celebrated writers, Rabih Alameddine, discusses his novel An Unnecessary Woman, an intimate and moving portrait of a reclusive book-loving 72-year-old Lebanese woman who views her complicated past through the lens of her favorite works of literature. In conversation with Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge). Mia Dillon will read an excerpt.
Paul Auster, 4, 3, 2, 1
by Paul Auster
read by Todd Gitlin, Paul Stuhlbarg
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Contemporary master Paul Auster comes to Symphony Space for the paperback of his Booker-nominated tour de force, 4 3 2 1. With author and scholar Todd Gitlin (The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage) and a performance from the novel by Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name).
Nicole Krauss’ Great House
by Nicole Krauss
read by Deborah Treisman, Lois Smith
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Nicole Krauss sits down with Deborah Treisman to discuss her book, Great House. Lois Smith reads an excerpt.
The Red-Haired Woman
by Orhan Pamuk
read by Elif Batuman, Orhan Furr
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Nobel Prize winner and bestselling novelist Orhan Pamuk comes to Symphony Space for a conversation with author Elif Batuman (The Idiot) on his latest novel, The Red-Haired Woman. Sit down with one of the greatest storytellers of our time as he talks about the eternal conflicts of fathers and sons, of east and west, of tradition and modernity. With a performance from the novel by actor David Furr (Noises Off).
Roz Chast and Jules Feiffer
by Roz Chast
read by Roz Mouly
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The iconic and irresistible cartoonists join up to talk about their new books: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, a graphic memoir by Chast, and Kill My Mother, a noir graphic novel by Feiffer. In conversation with New Yorker art editor Françoise Mouly. Presented in association with Strand Bookstore.
Tessa Hadley’s Late in the Day
by Tessa Hadley
read by Colm Tóibín, Tessa Wolf
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The acclaimed British novelist and short story master who recruits admires with each book discusses her latest novel with fellow author Colm Tóibín (House of Names). Ingeniously moving between past and present, Late in the Day exposes how infinite alternate configurations lie beneath the seemingly dependable arrangements we make for our lives. With a reading by Rita Wolf (An Ordinary Muslim).
Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
read by John Hockenberry, Geraldine Wolf
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Geraldine Brooks sits down with John Hockenberry to discuss her novel People of the Book. Rita Wolf reads an excerpt.
Forest Dark
by Nicole Krauss
read by Rebecca Goldstein, Emily Skeggs
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Join bestselling author Nicole Krauss to discuss her upcoming new novel, Forest Dark, an intellectual, humorous, provocative book exploring life and God through the eyes of two Americans lost in Tel Aviv. Krauss will be interviewed by National Humanities Medalist, novelist and philosopher Rebecca Goldstein (Plato at the Googleplex). With a performance from the novel by Emily Skeggs (Fun Home).
Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists
by Tom Rachman
read by Sree Srinivasan, Tom Fehr
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Tom Rachman sits down with Sree Srinivasan to discuss his novel, The Imperfectionists. David Fehr reads an excerpt.
Louise Erdrich's The Red Convertible
Selected and New Stories, 1978-2008
by Louise Erdrich
read by Louise Erdrich, Amy Goodman, Sonia Manzano
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Louis Erdrich sits down with Amy Goodman (Democracy Now) to discuss her short story collection, The Red Convertible. Sonia Manzano reads an excerpt from the book.
Henry James’s the Portrait of a Lady With Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt and Margot Livesey
by Henry James
read by Jennifer Egan, Henry Hustvedt
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Novelists Egan (Pulitzer Prize-winner for A Visit from the Goon Squad), Hustvedt (The Summer Without Men) and Livesey (The Flight of Gemma Hardy) - the trio that brought Middlemarch and Anna Karenina to life at this book club - are back by popular demand to revisit James' classic. With a reading from the novel by Fritz Weaver. // Other narrators: Margot Livesy, Fritz Weaver
An Evening With Jane Gardam
by Jane Gardam
read by Stacy Schiff, Jane Hecht
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
In a rare New York appearance, the beloved British author of Old Filth and The Man in the Wooden Hat, the funny, romantic and surprising paired novels about a 50-year marriage between a crusty British barrister and his sparkling surprising Betty, discusses these books and her brand-new third chapter in this remarkable series, Last Friends. Paul Hecht will read from the book. In conversation with Stacy Schiff (Cleopatra).
Fierce Reads NYC
by Anna Banks
read by M. J. Franklin
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Four fierce authors of romance, suspense, fantasy, and bestselling series for teens: Anna Banks (The Syrena Legacy series), Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles), Emma Mills (This Adventure Ends), and Caleb Roehrig (Last Seen Leaving) make a stop on their tour to present their latest novels and chat with fans. In conversation with MJ Franklin and Aliza Weinberger (MashReads).
All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories by Edward P. Jones
by Edward P. Jones
read by Wyatt Mason, Edward P. Lavallade
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Edward P. Jones sits down with Wyatt Mason to discuss his collection, All Aunt Hagar's Children. Carmen De Lavallade reads an excerpt from the book.
Claire Messud: The Woman Upstairs
by Claire Messud
read by Meghan O'Rourke, Claire Kalember
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The New York Times best-selling author of the literary page-turner The Emperor's Children discusses her richly drawn new novel with Meghan O'Rourke (The Long Goodbye). Her latest release is a riveting compulsively readable confession of a 37-year-old elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Mass, drawn into the complex world of her new neighbors - a Lebanese scholar and professor of Ethical History, his glamourous Italian artist wife and their son - who move in and change her life in ways she never expected. With a reading from the novel by Patricia Kalember (Don't Dress for Dinner).
The Forgotten Waltz
by Anne Enright
read by Hannah Tinti, Amy Ryan
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Anne Enright sits down with Hanna Tinti to discuss her book, The Forgotten Waltz. Amy Ryan reads an excerpt.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Americanah
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
read by Robin Desser, Chimamanda Ngozi Choy-Kee
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The author of the critically acclaimed Half of a Yellow Sun and Purple Hibiscus presents her newest novel Americanah, a story of love and race centered around a young man and woman from Nigeria facing challenges in the countries they come to call home.
Jamaica Kincaid: See Now Then
by Jamaica Kincaid
read by Ian Frazier
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The author of Annie John, Lucy, and The Autobiography of My Mother delves into her long-awaited new novel about a complicated modern family, featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sweet and their two children, Heracles and Persephone, who live in the Shirley Jackson house in Vermont. Kincaid discusses her novel with her old friend Ian Frazier (The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days).
Sally Mann’s Hold Still
by Sally Mann
read by Malcom Jones, Sally Patchett
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
One of America's most renowned and controversial photographers, Sally Mann, whose photos inspired the feature film What Remains, discusses her beautiful and revealing new memoir Hold Still. In lyrical prose and startlingly revealing photographs she crafts a totally original form of personal history that has the page-turning drama of a great novel. Introduction by Malcolm Jones (culture and book critic for the Daily Beast). In conversation with Ann Patchett (Bel Canto).
Chast! Menaker! Trillin!
by Roz Chast
read by Roz Gopnik, Jane Curtin
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Roz Chast brings her brilliant, hilarious artwork to No Fair! No Fair! and Other Jolly Poems of Childhood by Calvin Trillin and The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense by Daniel Menaker, as well as her own memoir Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?. Join us for a conversation moderated by Adam Gopnik (The New Yorker) between the artist and authors, plus readings by Jane Curtin and Reg Rogers (The Knick).
Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep
by Raymond Chandler
read by Jonathan Lethem, Raymond Freeman
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude) joins Judith Freeman and Rich Cohen in celebrating Raymond Chandler's classic detective novel, The Big Sleep.
All You Can Ever Know
by Nicole Chung
read by Nicole Chung, Nicole Cliffe
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Join editor-in-chief of Catapult Magazine, Nicole Chung, as she discusses her debut memoir All You Can Ever Know with fellow Toast alumna Nicole Cliffe. In her much-anticipated first book, Chung explores with depth, compassion and even humor, her upbringing as an adopted child in a white family, her search for her parents, and the birth of her own child. This is a must-read book for anyone who has had, created, or wanted a family. With a performance from the book by Greta Lee (La Bête).
Nathan Englander, Dinner at the Center of the Earth
by Nathan Englander
read by Mira Jacob, Nathan Hamilton
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Pulitzer finalist and bestselling author Nathan Englander will be joined by author Mira Jacob (The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing) to discuss his new, novel, Dinner at the Center of the Earth, a powerful, riveting story exploring the Israel-Palestine conflict through the lives of a prisoner in a secret cell and the soldier who watched over him for a dozen years. With a performance from the novel by actor Josh Hamilton (13 Reasons Why).
Richard Ford's The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land
by Richard Ford
read by Richard Ford, Richard Sheffer
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Richard Ford joins Isaiah Sheffer to discuss his novels The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land. David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, Temple Grandin, Lincoln) reads excerpts from Ford's works.
Ann Patchett, Commonwealth
by Ann Patchett
read by Emma Straub, Ann Alda
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The acclaimed bestselling author returns to Symphony Space to discuss her latest novel. Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, Commonwealth tells the enthralling and tender story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families' lives. In conversation with Emma Straub (Modern Lovers). An excerpt from the novel will be performed by Alan Alda.
A Gentleman in Moscow
by Amor Towles
read by Liesl Schillinger, Amor Gaines
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
A Gentleman in Moscow recounts the story of Count Alexander Rostov. In 1922, on the heels of the Russian Revolution, the Count is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal and sentenced to permanent house arrest in Moscow's grand Hotel Metropol. In something of a literary feat, as the Count's story progresses over three decades, the walls of the Metropol seem to expand, rather than close in around readers. Brimming with humor and wit, an unforgettable cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this remarkable novel casts a spell as it relates the Count's endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose. Amor Towles joins us for an evening of conversation with Liesl Schillinger on this thrilling new work. With a reading by Tony Award-winning actor Boyd Gaines.
Little Fires Everywhere
by Jennifer Egan
read by Jennifer Cheung, Susannah Rogers
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Jennifer Egan and best-selling Celeste Ng come together for a compelling discussion of their new novels, Manhattan Beach and Little Fires Everywhere, two stories of family secrets and the children who discover them. Performances by Cindy Cheung (Mistress America) and Susannah Rogers (The Diary of a Teenage Girl).
Margot Livesey Mercury
by Margot Livesey
read by Meg Wolizter, Margot Cerveris
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Margot Livesey, one-third of the popular team who lead the annual Thalia Book Club discussions with Jennifer Egan and Siri Hustvedt, returns to discuss her first novel since 2012. Mercury is a beautifully crafted emotional thriller, which explores the ways in which relationships can be disrupted and ultimately destroyed by obsession, secrets, and ever-escalating lies. In conversation with author Meg Wolizter (The Interestings). With a reading by Michael Cerveris (Fun Home).
Thomas Mallon's Yours Ever and John Freeman's The Tyranny of E-mail
by Thomas Mallon
read by Thomas Mallon, John Freeman
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Tom Mallon joins John Freeman to discuss their books, Mallon's Yours Ever and Freeman's Tyranny of E-Mail.
W.G. Sebald's The Rings of Saturn
by W. G. Sebald
read by Rick Moody, W. G. Mengestru
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Rick Moody (The Ice Storm), Dinaw Mengestu (All Our Names), and Hari Kunzru (Gods Without Men) lead a spirited conversation of Sebald's classic. Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story) will read an excerpt.
The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster With Author Kaye Gibbons
by Kaye Gibbons
read by Elissa Schappell, Kaye Marcovicci
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Kaye Gibbons joins Elissa Schappell to discuss The Life All Around Me, the sequel to her novel Ellen Foster. Andrea Marcovicci reads an excerpt.
Mastering the Art of Writing About Cooking
by Julia Child
read by Various Readers
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Judith Jones and Alex Prud'homme discuss and read from their kitchen-based memoirs: Prud'homme's My Life in Food and Jones's My Life In Paris (co-authored by Prud'homme and Julia Child).
