# Pulp fiction v the classics: summer reading

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/economist-podcasts-921330/pulp-fiction-v-the-classics-summer-reading
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/economist-podcasts-921330/pulp-fiction-v-the-classics-summer-reading.md
Podcast: [Economist Podcasts](https://stenobird.com/podcast/economist-podcasts-921330)
Published: 2026-05-25T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/theintelligencepodcast/episodes/pulp-fiction-v-the-classics-summer-reading
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/d556eb54-6160-4c85-95f4-47d9f5216c49/a/theeconomistallaudio/e/6a10686580978431daf8191b/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=a6nDkPsVTS4gaZnGpMlvCuqCs3hgGexdMZYWs8v6AhU
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/economist-podcasts-921330/episodes/pulp-fiction-v-the-classics-summer-reading
Duration seconds: 1757

## Resource

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 correspondent Tom Standage, Economist deputy editor Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor Alex Hern, AI writer Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  Fiction, romance, sci-fi, crime, thrillers, fantasy, romantasy Jane Austen, Jilly Cooper, Curtis Sittenfeld, Lee Child Matt Dinniman, Pierce Brown, Neal Stephenson Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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