Pulp fiction v the classics: summer reading

夏日阅读指南

The Intelligence from The Economist

2026-05-25

29 分钟
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单集简介 ...

What do we mean by a “good book”? Some people choose a holiday read that demands time and attention. Others pick rip-roaring novels that require little thought. Our bookworms discuss whether art has to be improving to be praiseworthy, and give genre fiction some much-needed air time.  This is a full list of the books mentioned in the show: “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen “Red Rising” by Pierce Brown Jack Reacher series by Lee Child “The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy “Riders” and the other Rutshire chronicles by Jilly Cooper Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman “Middlemarch” by George Eliot “Ulysses” by James Joyce “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel “The Diamond Age” by Neal Stephenson The Murderbot series by Martha Wells  “The Martian” by Andy Weir “American Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld Guests and host: Catherine Nixey, culture and Britain correspondentTom Standage, Economist deputy editorAlexandra Suich Bass, culture editorAlex Hern, AI writerRosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  Fiction, romance, sci-fi, crime, thrillers, fantasy, romantasyJane Austen, Jilly Cooper, Curtis Sittenfeld, Lee ChildMatt Dinniman, Pierce Brown, Neal Stephenson Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+
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  • The Economist.

  • Hello and welcome to The Intelligence from The Economist.

  • I'm your host Rosie Blau.

  • Today we are blissfully abandoning the news and the real world

  • to talk about something altogether more enjoyable: fiction.

  • And we're thinking about what books to take on holiday.

  • What do you plan to read on the plane, on a sun lounger by the pool,

  • or while you for once give in to all those screen time demands of your kids?

  • We're talking escapism, relaxation, and happiness.

  • I know, not our usual fare.

  • These are the books you want to read,

  • not necessarily the ones you're going to be bragging about or brandishing on the bookshelf behind you during your weekly meeting with your boss.

  • Going under the covers with me are some of the esteemed bookworms of The Economist.

  • Catherine Nixey, our culture and Britain correspondent.

  • Hello, thank you for having me.

  • Tom Standage, our deputy editor and world ahead editor.

  • Great to be here.

  • And from Paris, we're also joined by our culture editor, Alexandra Suich Bass.

  • Good to see you.

  • Today we're discussing pulp fiction versus the classics.