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.
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).
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.
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).
On Beauty With Author Zadie Smith
by Zadie Smith
read by Laura Miller
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Zadie Smith sits down with Laura Miller to discuss and read from her novel, On Beauty.
Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert
read by Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Back by popular demand, Jennifer Egan (A Visit from the Goon Squad), Siri Hustvedt (The Blazing World), and Margot Livesey (The Flight of Gemma Hardy) revisit Gustave Flaubert's classic in a lively discussion. With a reading by Amanda Quaid (Pericles at the Public Theater).
Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
by Aimee Bender
read by Heidi Julavits, Lillo Wei
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Aimee Bender sits down with Heidi Julavits to discuss her book, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Lillo Wei reads an excerpt from the book.
Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic
by Julie Otsuka
read by David Rakoff, Rita Wolf
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Julie Otsuka sits down with David Rakoff to discuss her novel Buddha in the Attic. Rita Wolf reads an excerpt from the book.
David Rakoff's Half Empty and Sloane Crosley's How Did You Get This Number
by David Rakoff
read by David Glass
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The whip-smart and funny authors of the essay collections Don't Get Too Comfortable (Rakoff) and I Was Told There'd Be Cake (Crosley) join up to examine our contemporary culture and the many ways life can go awry in New York City, as presented in their new books. Ira Glass (This American Life) will introduce the authors.
Jeanette Winterson: Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?
by Jeanette Winterson
read by A. M. Homes
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The author of the international best-selling novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit tackles her own reality in her riveting memoir. In this remarkable book she confronts the various paths her childhood took, from being raised by a religious zealot who kept a gun in the dresser to pondering her sexuality and other core parts of her identity and the search for her biological mother. Funny, acute, fierce and celebratory, this is a tough-minded search for belonging, for love, a mother, an identity, and a home. In conversation with A.M. Homes, author of the recent novel, May We Be Forgiven and the memoir The Mistress's Daughter.
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.
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.
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.
Robert Catch 22
by Joseph Heller
read by Lesley Stahl, Christopher Buckley, Mike Nichols, Joseph Buckley
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
An evening of readings and discussion: Heller's friends and colleagues including Christopher Buckley, Robert Gottlieb, and Mike Nichols. They revisit his classic black comedy set at the end of World War II, one of the most important books about patriotism, honor, and the absurdities of war and beauracracy of the 20th century. The conversation is led by Lesley Stahl. An excerpt is performed by Scott Shepherd (Gatz).
Emma Donoghue's Room
by Emma Donoghue
read by Michael Cunningham, Emma Connolly
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Emma Donoghue discusses her extraordinary new novel with author Michael Cunningham (The Hours and By Nightfall). This wondrous book is told from the point of view of a five-year-old boy who lives with his mother in an 11-by-11-foot room. Performance playlist: Reading by Michal Friedman, a conversation between Emma Donoghue and Michael Cunningham, and a discussion with the audience.
Joan Didion's Blue Nights
by Joan Didion
read by Griffin Dunn
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Joan Didion joins Griffin Dunn for an evening of literature and film celebrating her novel Blue Nights.
Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son
by Denis Johnson
read by Chuck Palahniuk, Denis LaValle
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Authors Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), Victor LaValle (The Devil in Silver), Michael Cunningham (The Hours), and Jenny Offill (Dept. of Speculation) celebrate the 25th anniversary of Denis Johnson's contemporary classic short story collection. Jesus' Son chronicles the grief and transcendence of dreamers, addicts, and lost souls; and inspired the film starring Billy Crudup, Holly Hunter, Denis Leary and Jack Black.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell with Author Susanna Clarke
by Susanna Clarke
read by Symphony Space
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Susanna Clarke discusses and reads from her novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell.
An Evening With Justin Vivian Bond
by Justin Vivian Bond
read by Mike Albo
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
The Tony-nominated cabaret legend performs songs and speaks candidly with writer and performer Mike Albo about the novella-length memoir Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels. With simplicity, humor, and compassion, Bond raises issues about LGBTQ adolescence, homophobia, parenting, and sexuality, while being utterly entertaining.
Singer, songwriter, and Tony-nominated performance artist Mx. Justin Vivian Bond is an Obie, Bessie, and Ethyl Eichelberger Award winner. As one half of the performance duo Kiki and Herb, Bond has toured the world, headlining at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, and starring in a Tony-nominated run-on Broadway: Kiki and Herb Alive on Broadway. His film credits include a role in John Cameron Mitchell's feature Shortbus. Bond is currently releasing a record, Dendrophile, and is writing a play with Sandra Bernhard.
The Lover
by Marguerite Duras
read by Catherine Lacey, Marguerite Sharma
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Catherine Lacey (Nobody Is Ever Missing), Akhil Sharma (Family Life), Francoise Mouly (art editor at The New Yorker), and Kate Zambreno (Heroines, Green Girl) discuss the acclaimed novel in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Marguerite Duras' (Hiroshima Mon Amour) haunting, luminous book tells of the tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover in pre-war Indochina. With a reading by Kathleen Chalfant (The Affair, Angels in America on Broadway).
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.
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
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.
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).
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.
House of Names
by Colm Tóibín
read by Elissa Schappell, Colm Ryan
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Award-winning, bestselling author Colm Tóibín returns to the Thalia Book Club for a discussion on his latest novel with Elissa Schappell (Blueprints for Building Better Girls). With a performance from the novel by Amy Ryan (Birdman).
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).
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).
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).
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.
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).
To the Lighthouse
by Virginia Woolf
read by Jennifer Egan, Virginia Hustvedt
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Back by popular demand, novelists Siri Hustvedt (The Blazing World, March 2014), Jennifer Egan (Pulitzer Prize-winner for A Visit from the Goon Squad) and Margot Livesey (The Flight of Gemma Hardy), the trio that has brought Middlemarch, Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina and The Portrait of a Lady to life at past events in this series, revisit Virginia Woolf's classic.
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.
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).
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).
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.
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).
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).
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).
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.
Memoirs of Africa With Alexandra Fuller and Wendy Kann
by Alexandra Fuller
read by Alexandra Sheffer
Part of the Thalia Book Club series
Isaiah Sheffer sits down with two memoirists, Alexandra Fuller and Wendy Kann, to discuss their memoirs from Africa: Fuller's Scribbling the Cat and Kann's Casting with a Fragile Thread.
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.
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.
