EU Confidential

Escape the EU Bubble: Expert Summer Book Picks


Listen Later

This week, we’re taking a breath. EU Confidential is stepping away from summits, trade battles, and late-night trilogues — and turning to something more refreshing: books.

Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by audio producer (and self-confessed book nerd) Dionisios Sturis for this special summer reading edition. From sharp political non-fiction to playful fiction, poetry and literary escapes, we’re sharing what EU insiders are packing in their holiday bags — and what they think you should read this summer.

You’ll hear from:

-Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat

- Jessica Rosencrantz, Sweden’s minister for EU affairs

- Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport

- And from listeners and colleagues with their own smart, silly, brainy and bloody picks

We also speak with Jeroen Reijnen, author of "Big in Brussels" — an insider’s guide to surviving (and thriving) in the EU bubble.
So pour yourself something cold, put your phone on silent, and dive in.
And here is our summer reading list:

  • Bonjour Tristesse – Françoise Sagan
  • Killing Thatcher – Rory Carroll
  • Do Not Disturb – Michela Wrong
  • The Great Game – Peter Hopkirk
  • The Situation Room – George Stephanopoulos
  • Autocracy, Inc. – Anne Applebaum
  • I Giorni di Vetro (The Days of Glass) – Nicoletta Verna
  • Dak li l-Lejl Iħallik Tgħid (What the Night Lets You Say)– Pierre J. Mejlak
  • The Vegetarian – Han Kang
  • Human Acts – Han Kang
  • Tatendrang (Urge for Action) – Theresia Töglhofer
  • The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – John le Carré
  • Perfection – Vincenzo Latronico
  • Prague – Arthur Phillips
  • Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf
  • Common Sense: A Political History – Sophia Rosenfeld
  • I Want to Go Home But I’m Already There – Róise Lanigan
  • The Redbreast – Jo Nesbø
  • The Kingdom – Jo Nesbø
  • The Kindly Ones – Jonathan Littell
  • The Empusium – Olga Tokarczuk
  • Tell Me Everything – Elizabeth Strout
  • There Lives the Young Girl in Me Who Will Not Die – Tove Ditlevsen
  • Notes from a Big Country / I’m a Stranger Here Myself – Bill Bryson
  • H is for Hawk – Helen Macdonald

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    EU ConfidentialBy POLITICO

    • 4.4
    • 4.4
    • 4.4
    • 4.4
    • 4.4

    4.4

    95 ratings


    More shows like EU Confidential

    View all
    Inside Europe by DW

    Inside Europe

    181 Listeners

    Economist Podcasts by The Economist

    Economist Podcasts

    4,178 Listeners

    The Truth of the Matter by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

    The Truth of the Matter

    255 Listeners

    Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes by ECFR

    Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

    104 Listeners

    The Interview by BBC World Service

    The Interview

    364 Listeners

    POLITICO's Off Message by POLITICO

    POLITICO's Off Message

    609 Listeners

    Foreign Policy Live by Foreign Policy

    Foreign Policy Live

    603 Listeners

    POLITICO's Pulse Check by POLITICO

    POLITICO's Pulse Check

    455 Listeners

    The Conversation with Dasha Burns by POLITICO

    The Conversation with Dasha Burns

    1,510 Listeners

    The Playbook Podcast by POLITICO

    The Playbook Podcast

    681 Listeners

    Power Play by POLITICO

    Power Play

    964 Listeners

    Women Rule by POLITICO

    Women Rule

    308 Listeners

    POLITICO Money by POLITICO

    POLITICO Money

    206 Listeners

    The Europeans | European news, politics and culture by Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer

    The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

    158 Listeners

    The Intelligence from The Economist by The Economist

    The Intelligence from The Economist

    2,530 Listeners

    POLITICO Energy by POLITICO

    POLITICO Energy

    140 Listeners

    Independent Thinking by Chatham House

    Independent Thinking

    21 Listeners

    POLITICO Tech by POLITICO

    POLITICO Tech

    388 Listeners

    The Rachman Review by Financial Times

    The Rachman Review

    141 Listeners

    Hold Your Fire! by International Crisis Group

    Hold Your Fire!

    61 Listeners

    Westminster Insider by POLITICO

    Westminster Insider

    45 Listeners

    Global Security Briefing by The Royal United Services Institute

    Global Security Briefing

    24 Listeners

    The Foreign Affairs Interview by Foreign Affairs Magazine

    The Foreign Affairs Interview

    444 Listeners

    POLITICO Berlin Playbook by POLITICO

    POLITICO Berlin Playbook

    11 Listeners