Joumana Khatib

Khatib called Trip a surprising, funny, anti-algorithmic novel and said its author deserves more recognition.

“I don't think Amy Baradale is as known as she ought to be”

The Daily: Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays (Nov 30, 2025) · Listen from 36:39

Khatib recommended Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club as a funny, non-gory cozy mystery.

“And there's nothing unsettling. There's nothing gory. It's just a good old fashioned, you know, mystery”

The Daily: Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays (Nov 30, 2025) · Listen from 26:34

Khatib argued that a book gift shows a person who has everything how the giver sees them, even if they never read it.

“The person who has everything does not yet have a window into how you look at them”

The Daily: Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays (Nov 30, 2025) · Listen from 23:48

Khatib described Kiran Desai's novel as lush, absorbing and witty.

“It's lush, it's sensual, it's completely absorbing. There's a real wit to this book”

The Daily: Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays (Nov 30, 2025) · Listen from 10:45

Khatib expressed admiration for translators, calling their work invisible and among the hardest to do.

“I have such an affection for translators because they toil in invisibility. And I think it's one of the hardest things to do”

The Daily: Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays (Nov 30, 2025) · Listen from 6:49

Khatib said The Colony surprised her at every turn and reminded her why reading is exciting.

“This is the kind of book that reminded me of why reading is exciting”

The Daily: Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays (Nov 30, 2025) · Listen from 6:05