Ep. 36: Claire Gibson (Author of Beyond the Point) + Book Recommendations

In Episode 36, Claire Gibson, author of Beyond the Point (my review), talks about the inspiration behind the novel, what it was like growing up on the West Point campus, two editorial choices she made, and...of course, shares her book recommendations!

This post contains affiliate links (plus: here’s your Amazon Smile-specific affiliate link), through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

Highlights

• What it was like to grow up on the West Point campus.
• A story about one of the women she interviewed as research for the book that didn’t make it into the book.
• Which of the three main characters is most like Claire herself.
• How Claire decided to more or less reveal the crux of the ending in the Prologue.
• Why Claire decided to make her three main characters competitive athletes (they all played basketball for West Point).
• A glimpse into Claire’s second novel (which she’s currently working on).
• Claire’s favorite book of all-time.

Claire’s Book Recommendations

Two OLD Books She Loves

• East of Eden by John Steinbeck (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [19:27]
• So Big by Edna Ferber | Buy from Amazon [21:22]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• A Woman is No Manby Etaf Rum (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [23:03]
• All That You Leave Behind by Erin Lee Carr | Buy from Amazon [24:36]

One Book She DIDN’T Love

• Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [27:09]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• The Book of Longingsby Sue Monk Kidd (Release Date: April 28, 2020) | Buy from Amazon [30:33]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares | Buy from Amazon [3:27]
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides | Buy from Amazon [22:51]
• The Night of the Gun by David Carr | Buy from Amazon [25:02]
• All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [29:20]
• The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff (