The Book Club Review

We're joined by friend and journalist Phil Chaffee to discuss FREE by Lea Ypi, a memoir of her Albanian childhood and of life amid the collapse of Communism. The book won the Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje prize and was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford non-fiction prize and was on many a best-book of 2022 list. Both our book clubs read this one, but what did they make of it? We'll be reporting back. We're also discussing THE SNOW BALL by Brigid Brophy, a swirling, sensual feast that takes place over one night at a New Year's Eve masquerade ball. The novel was published in 1964 and was something of a scandalous sensation at the time. It has recently been re-released to much acclaim, but what did Kate's book club think of it? We'll also have some trusty follow-on recommendations to help you find your next great read. Booklist BORDER by Kapka Kassabova SECONDHAND TIME by Svetlana Alexievich HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY by Winifred Watson 50 GREAT WORKS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE WE COULD DO WITHOUT by Brigid Brophy, Michael Levey and Charles Osborne. Let us know your thoughts, we love to hear from you. Find us on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email us at [email protected]. You can also check out the episode page on our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you'll also find full shownotes and a transcript. If you enjoy our shows please support us by telling your bookish friends – we love to reach new listeners.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When in Vancouver, run to the coolest bookstore you can find and interview the owner. Such is the busman's holiday I've recently been enjoying on a visit to Laura's hometown. It also fits nicely into a new series we've been cooking up where we get to indulge our love of independent bookshops. First up is The Paperhound, owned by Kim Koch and Rod Clarke, which offers a fine selection of used and rare, new and notable books. Join me as I chat to Kim and learn about the joys of book collecting and the time she found a signed first edition of Borges' Ficciones in a box of books left on the street. We'll be pulling out some treasures from her shelves and chatting about life in the strange and wonderful world of used-books. Book list A Little Book of Pussy Cats by Louis Wain Mary Shelly's Frankenstein Aphrodisiacs in your Garden by Charles Connell Minor Detail by Adania Shibli Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins The Paperhound For full shownotes and episode transcript head to our website: The Book Club Review podcast If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or get in touch at [email protected]. And if you enjoy our shows one other way to support us, as ever, is to tell your bookish friends and help us find new listeners.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our bookshelf episodes are the ones where we kick back and talk about the books we've been choosing for ourselves outside of our book club reading. And so join us as we get swept away by the French Revolution and Hilary Mantel's spellbinding book A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY, consider myth and storytelling with a surprisingly feminist slant thanks to Salman Rushdie's latest novel, VICTORY CITY, see another side to New York with our guest Phil Chaffee and Chang Rae Lee's book NATIVE SPEAKER, plan an architectural tour of Norwegian Stave churches thanks to THE BELL AND THE LAKE by Lars Mytting, which Laura reports is a tale of love and drama set among a remote community in 18th-century Norway. We also catch up with Barack Obama's summer reading pick THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS by Jessamine Chan – with a brief aside to celebrate Kate's new-found love for Richard and Judy's book club here in the UK. Phil reports back on the FT's business book of the year, CHIP WAR by Chris Miller, which turns out to be a thumping page-turner, plus we quick fire through a stack of other books we couldn't bear not to mention. Book list A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY by Hilary Mantel (Fourth Estate) VICTORY CITY by Salman Rushdie (Penguin) NATIVE SPEAKER by Chang Rae Lee (Granta) THE BELL AND THE LAKE by Lars Mytting (Hachette) THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS by Jessamine Chan CHIP WAR by Chris Miller (Simon & Schuster) Plus THE PEARL by John Steinbeck SHADOW AND CLAW by Gene Wolff CHARLOTTE by David Foenkinos ROSES IN THE MOUTH OF A LION by Bushra Rehman (published in the UK in January 2023, from St. Martin's Press) Notes Browse the newsletter archive of Three Lives & Company booksellers, New York. Our Emily's Walking Book Club episode # 76 The article Phil mentioned is The 25 Most Significant New York City Novels from the Last 25 Years See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's always good to have things to look forward to in life, and the books we can see coming up on the horizon are no exception. In this episode we'll be finding out the books that Chrissy Ryan and her team at Bookbar are excited about. Whether it's new books from authors we here at the Book Club Review have loved in the past or exciting new debuts from authors we've never heard of, we're primed and ready to get reading as soon as they drop. Plus we have a nerdy dive into what it takes to run a small independent bookshop, and why it's so important to be reading ahead of the pack. Listen in and be prepared to add to your TBR.Book listChrissy recommended Rosewater by Liv Little (Dialogue books / Hachette) Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (Penguin) Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin (Harpercollins)Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery (Bloomsbury) The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan (W&N)Mrs S by K Patrick (Europa Editions) Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (Harper Collins) The Guest, Emma Cline (Penguin) Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks (Penguin)Lucy recommended Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater (Hachette) In Memoriam by Alice Wynn (Penguin) Romantic Comedy by Curtis SittenfeldChandler and Frankie recommended One Small Voice by Santanu Bhattacharya (Penguin)Penance by Eliza Clark (Faber)Collected Works by Lydia Sandgren (Pushkin) Tomás Nevinson, Javier Marías (Penguin)The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor (Penguin)And Frankie also mentioned Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery (Bloomsbury)In addition to bookselling Frankie is also author Francesca Reece and so you might also be interested to try her book Voyeur: 'Devastatingly witty, compulsively readable . . . like Sally Rooney meeting Martin Amis in Paris' writes Francine Toon, author of Pine.To sign up to read and review proofs head to Netgalley UK or Netgalley.comNotesCheck out the episode page on our website for full shownotes and a transcript, and do comment there anytime if you have thoughts on any of the books discussed in this show. You'll also find our archive of over one-hundred episodes to browse through, from our Booker Prize or Women's Prize specials to regular book club chats and interviews with authors and other book industry folk. You can also sign up to our free newsletter for more book recommendations between shows, and find out the details for our Patreon account and how to support us there.A quick free way to support us is to take a moment to rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts, it really helps us reach new listeners. Tell your friends, share on social media, it means so much to us when you do.You can also find us on Instagram @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's Bookshelf time here at The Book Club Review podcast, when we talk about the books we're reading outside of book club, the ones we get to pick and choose for ourselves. And so listen in to find out what Laura thought of The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd, a lesser-known backlist gem, A Place of Greater Safety, Booker-winner Hilary Mantel's immersive doorstop about the French revolution, and The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison's blend of court intrigue, goblins and steampunk. Meanwhile I'm reporting back on Babel by R.F. Kuang, the bestselling fantasy epic set in 19th-century England, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, part bruisingly tender love story, part nerve-clanging submarine thriller, and Either / Or by Elif Batuman, the follow-on from her first novel The Idiot. It's the continuing adventures of her protagonist, Harvard student Selin, and has been described as 'a second year of love, sex, and books'. Whenever you listen to this episode if you have thoughts on it we'd love to hear them. Comment anytime on the episode page on our website thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you'll also find full shownotes, book recommendations and a transcript. Comments there go straight to our inboxes so drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you. You can also sign up for our bi-weekly-ish newsletter for extra reviews and recommendations. If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or get in touch at [email protected]. And if you're not already do subscribe to us and take a moment to rate and review the show in your podcatcher of choice – it helps other listeners to find us and is a great way to support us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a book sells upwards of five and a half million copies and film rights are snapped up by none other than Steven Spielberg it seems to us a special episode is in order. And so join us as we dive into, and attempt to make sense of, the publishing phenomenon that is The Thursday Murder Club, the cozy crime novel set in a retirement community by TV-producer and presenter-turned-author Richard Osman. Join us as Kate and two very special guests give The Thursday Murder Club the book club treatment. Our first guest is author and friend-of-the-pod Colleen Hubbard, whose debut novel Housebreaking was published by Hachette last year and is out in paperback April 2023. She joined Kate over Zoom and brought along her friend Sue, a pilates instructor and keen reader, to help give us more insight into how older readers are responding to this book. Then it's back to Kate and Laura for a stack of our favourite follow-on crime reads, cozy or otherwise. If you haven't yet read The Thursday Murder Club don't worry, we will not spoil the plot for you. What we will do is take a friendly but critical overview to see if we can fathom the secrets behind the book's appeal Book recommendations The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse The Wych Elm by Tana French Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession. Notes The Thursday Murder Club is published by Penguin. Find out more about Colleen and her novel Housebreaking (Hachette) at Colleenhubbard.com The Thursday Murder Club audiobook is produced by Penguin Audio Whenever you listen to this episode if you have thoughts on it we'd love to hear them. Comment anytime on the episode page on our website https://thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you'll also find full shownotes, book recommendations and a transcript. Comments there go straight to our inboxes so drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you. You can also sign up there for our bi-weekly-ish newsletter for extra reviews and recommendations. If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or get in touch at [email protected]. And if you're not already, why not subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. If you want to support us please do take a moment to rate and review the show, which helps other listeners find us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's our best books of 2022, one of our favourite episodes to record as by this point we've done all the hard work of reading, now it's time to sit back and consider which, of all the books we read in 2022, were our very favourites. That might be a new release or it might be a backlist gem. We've also got the books that got us through difficult moments, the books that made us laugh or cry, and the ones we recommended and gave to friends. As we're nothing if not critical we've got some books that didn't quite live up to our expectations before we finally crown our top three books of 2022. As snow falls gently around the shed, the fairy lights twinkle, the mulled wine is warm, and we discuss our favourite reads of 2022 with regular special guest, journalist Phil Chaffee. Books mentioned are listed below, but if you want to be surprised look away now. Book recommendations for Best Books of 2022 Favourite new release: Laura loved TRUST by Herman Diaz, Phil's favourite (with also-rans The Marriage Portraitby Maggie O'Farrell and Love Marriage by Monica Ali) was THE SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES by Deesha Philyaw, while Kate loved SEVEN STEEPLES by Sara Baume (with honorable mentions Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard and Briefly: A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens) Favourite backlist title: Phil picked THE BETROTHED by Alessandro Manzoni (with also-rans The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toíbín, and Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig). Kate loved The Homemaker by Dorothy Canfield-Fisher but her favourite was O CALEDONIA by Elspeth Barker. Laura went for WIVES AND DAUGHTERS by Elizabeth Gaskell. Favourite non-fiction reads: For Kate it was THE PALACE PAPERS, Tina Brown's engaging examination of the British royal family and our collective fascination with (or indifference) to them. Kate's also-rans were Fall by John Preston (did Robert Maxwell fall or was he pushed?), 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman (if we did but have the time to discuss it) and Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (book everyone says is great turns out to be great). Laura only reads non-fiction when her book club forces her too, but luckily she did end up reading CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson, a book that changed her view of the world within the first fifty pages. Phil loved Putin's People by Catherine Belton and Not One Inch by M.E. Sarotte, but his overall favourite was THE RED PRINCE by Timothy Snyder. Favourite Book Club reads. Top of the pile for Laura was MICHEL THE GIANT by Tété-Michel Kpomassie while Phil preferred EIGHT MONTHS ON GHAZZAH STREET by Hilary Mantel. Kate loved The Heart is a Lonely Hunterby Carson McCullers but her ultimate choice was LIGHT PERPETUAL by Francis Spufford Favourite comfort reads: For Phil it was EITHER/OR by Elif Batuman; he now only wants to read books narrated by her protagonist Selin. Laura escaped to a creepy Swiss hotel with THE SANATORIUM by Sarah Pearse while Kate sank into the arms of old friend E.M. Delafield with THE DIARY OF A PROVINCIAL LADY. A book that made us laugh or cry: For Kate it was A HEART THAT WORKS by Rob Delaney. Phil enjoyed THREE MEN IN A BOAT by Jerome K. Jerome (in audiobook form read by Hugh Laurie). Laura loved Small by Claire Lynch and The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, but her final choice was THE BREAD THE DEVIL KNEAD by Lisa Allen-Agostini A book we pressed on a friend: Runner-up for Phil was We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole but his favourite was THE FREE WORLD by Louis Menand. Laura's pick was THE SIXTEEN TREES OF THE SOMME by Lars Mytting Books we read that didn't quite live up to our expectations: THE ABSOLUTE BOOK by Elizabeth Knox promised much for Laura but ultimately didn't deliver. Phil really didn't get on with A LITTLE LIFE by Hanya Yanigahara (and has *really* thought about why) and for Kate LIBERATION DAY by George Saunders didn't quite meet the soaring heights of his other books. Overall Book of the Year: Laura's standout was THE TREES by Percival Everett. Kate loved After Sappho by Selby Wyn Schwartz and The Door by Magda Szabó but her overall favourite read was LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry. Phil meanwhile loved the Elena Ferrante Neopolitan quartet, but his overall book of the year is, as mentioned earlier, THE FREE WORLD by Louis Menand. A few other books we mention in passing: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Babel by R. F. Kuang A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt The Little Library Parties and The Little Library Christmas by Kate Young Find full shownotes and links to related podcast episodes at our website thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you'll also find a transcript and our comments forum. No matter when you listen to this episode you can always drop us a line there and let us know what you thought of it. Tell us your favourite reads of 2022, we'd love to hear about them. You can also sign up for our bi-weekly-ish newsletter and find

We catch up with 2022 Booker Prize winner The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. Kate may have loved it, when she read it for our Booker Prize special episode, but what did the rest of her book club make of it? And we catch up with two recent reads for Laura's book group. The first is My Phantoms, the most recent novel from critics favourite Gwendoline Riley. What's all the fuss about? And did Laura's book club agree it was worth the read? Next we consider Eight Months on Ghazzah Street, a lesser-known work from Hilary Mantel. The real question, it seems, when reading Hilary Mantel is 'why would you ever read anyone else?' Listen in to find out just what it was Laura's group loved so much. We also have a range of recommendations for follow-ons to try, or to read with your book club. Book recommendations Women and Power by Mary Beard Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam Notes The audiobook of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is published by Bolinda Digital (P) Bolinda Publishing 2022, My Phantoms is published by Granta Audio and Eight Months on Ghazzah Street is published by W.F. Howes and all three are available via your preferred audiobook retailer or library app. If you enjoyed this episode catch up with our original take on The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida when we discussed it as part of our Booker Prize special episode. For reviews and recommendations between episodes come and find us over on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod, or email us at [email protected], we always love to hear from you. If you'd like to support us, please do take a moment to rate and review the show, which helps us reach new listeners. And tell your book-loving friends, who might not have heard of us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's episode is a celebration of the joy we find in Fitzcarraldo Editions, an independent publishing house that makes no concessions towards mass appeal but instead offers up books that are consistently ambitious, imaginative and innovative. Their hallmark is their plain typographic covers that allow the words inside to speak for themselves. The editorial line maintained by publisher Jacques Testard since the beginning has reaped rewards and he now publishes four Nobel Prizewinning authors as well as Booker international and Pulitzer prize winners and shortlistees. Not bad for a small publishing house that was started in 2014 on a tiny budget with just one employee, Jacques himself. Listen in to hear the story of Fitzcarraldo - named after a film that celebrates a seemingly impossible endeavour - and how in only his second-ever Frankfurt book fair Jacques found himself negotiating a 12-way bidding war for the English-language rights to Secondhand Time by Nobel winner Sveltlana Alexievich. And, because it's us, you'll also get to hear about the books. What are our favourites? Which do we recommend? Why are so many of them sad? We're joined by Sam MacAuslan, keen Fitzcarraldo reader, to uncover some gems from the list. Like all good things, this episode has been a while in the making but with Fitzcarraldo recently celebrating publishing their 100th book it seemed the perfect time to release it out into the world, we hope you enjoy it, and feel inspired to try a Fitzcarraldo or two. Books mentioned Things I Don't Want to Know Deborah Levy Attention: A Short History by Joshua Cohen Limonov: The Outrageous Adventures by Emannuel Carrère Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich (Bela Shayevich) Minor Detail by Adania Shibley (Elizabeth Jaquette) Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton Flights by Olga Tocarczuk (Jennifer Croft) Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tocarczuk (Jennifer Croft) The Books of Jacob by Olga Tocarczuk (Jennifer Croft) Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tocarczuk (Antonia Lloyd Jones) The Years by Annie Ernaux (Alison L. Strayer) Exteriors by Annie Ernaux (Tanya Leslie) Zone, Matthias Enard (Charlotte Mandell) Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au The Naked Don't Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (Sophie Hughes) Paradise by Fernanda Melchor (Sophie Hughes) The Netanyahus, Joshua Cohen Septology, Jon Fosse (Damion Searls) Notes The film Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog Deborah Levy interview in The White Review New Directions in the US Giramondo in Australia As for us Follow us on Instagram @BookClubReviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Find shownotes, transcript and comments forum over on our website https://thebookclubreview.co.uk and drop us a line, let us know your thoughts on this episode, or tell us about a Fitzcarraldo book you love. And if you're not already do subscribe in your podcatcher of choice and never miss an episode. If you like what we do please help us out by rating and reviewing the show, which helps other listeners find us. Better yet please do share on your social channels, we're so happy to reach new ears and like with a good book recommendation, word-of-mouth is the best way. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A special episode this week as we're joined by comedian, actor and author Rob Delaney to talk about his book A Heart That Works. As so often with books that pack a powerful emotional punch this deals with a difficult subject as Rob tells the story of the death of his young son Henry, and considers his own journey through the grieving process. It's also a deeply moving, funny, thought-provoking and altogether wonderful read. Listen in as Rob and Kate share their stories, which to forewarn you, touch on the topics of death, still-birth and suicide, as well as joy and love and the importance of books as places of emotional refuge, sources of wisdom and pleasure. Booklist A Heart that Works by Rob Delaney The End of the Affair by Graham Greene Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Lucia Berlin, try A Manual for Cleaning Women One, Two, Three, Four by Craig Brown Also mentioned Thunder Road by Jim Cummings The Beatles: Get Back Notes The Rainbow Trust Noah's Ark Hospice Rob Delaney's website Have thoughts on this episode? Whenever you listen you can always leave us a comment over at the episode page on our website, where you'll also find a transcript and full show notes. You can also sign up to our bi-weekly-ish newsletter for book recommendations and what we're reading between episodes. You can also find us on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast and Twitter @bookclubrvwpodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A stack of books for Autumn nights: Laura dives in to the page-turning but 'questionable' Run by Anne Patchett, and is riveted by Gwendolyn Riley's My Phantoms, while all Kate can think about is mushrooms thanks to Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life. She's also been dipping into Empire of Pain author Patrick Radden Keefe's essay collection, Rogues. Also discussed Amazon reviews vs. Goodreads, how 'good but flawed' is often quite a good sign in a book-club read, the marketing history of quorn, how lucky we are not to be Carpenter ants, how surprised to we were to learn that the Dutch have mobsters, the emotional perils of reading too much fiction, and more… BOOKLIST Run by Anne Patchett Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake My Phantoms by Gwendolyn Riley Rogues by Patrick Radden-Keefe WHAT'S NEXT City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell Keep up with us between episodes on Instagram @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us a line at [email protected]. On the episode page on our website you'll find a transcript, full shownotes and a comments forum – let us know your thoughts on any of the books discussed in this episode, comments there go straight to our inboxes and we will reply. You can also browse our archive of past episodes, everything from Booker Prize specials to book club debates. And you can sign up to our bi-weekly ish newsletter for featured books, our tips for what to read next and our current reads.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our most demanding, but possibly also our favourite episode of the year as we're joined by Chrissy Ryan of Bookbar and journalist Phil Chaffee to discuss and debate this year's six shortlisted books. Although we might rail at this much required reading all in one go, the truth is we love tackling the Booker shortlist, which expands our horizons and stretches us as readers like nothing else. So listen in to find out which books we loved, which ones we wished we could have avoided, and which one we think should win the 2022 Booker Prize. Booklist The Trees by Percival Everett audiobook read by Bill Andrew Quinn (Tantor Audio) Oh, William by Elizabeth Strout Audiobook read by by Kimberly Farr (Penguin Audio) The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo Audiobook read by Chipo Chung (Penguin Audio) Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Audiobook read by Aiden Kelly (Faber audio) Treacle Walker by Alan Garner Audiobook read by Robert Powell (Fourth Estate) –– Other books mentioned were Spoons Carpets: An Appreciation by Kit Caless Car Park Life by Gareth F. Rees Erasure by Percival Everett Percival Everett by Virgil Russell Open Water by Caleb Azumah-Nelson Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Lanny by Max Porter Follow us on instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast to keep up with us between episodes, or head to the episode page on our website thebookclubreview.co.uk for full show notes, transcript and comments forum - let us know your thoughts on the Booker shortlist and winner. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Since publication in 2019 The Hummingbird, by Italian Sandro Veronesi (translated into English by Elena Pala), has wowed readers and fellow-authors alike. 'A gripping masterpiece', 'a life-affirming triumph' 'unforgettable'... Just what is all the fuss about? We're joined by pod regular Phil Chaffee and first-timer Jo Norman, both members of Laura's book club, to find out. We've also got four unmissable novels by international authors we think you should know about. Booklist Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp (trans. Jo Heinrich) The Martin Beck novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöo (Joan Tate) Periera Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi (Patrick Creagh) The Door by Magda Szabó (Len Rix) Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginsberg (Jenny McPhee) Have thoughts on this episode? Are you team Kate or team Laura? Whenever you listen to the show you can always let us know via the comments forum on our website. And don't forget to leave us a book recommendation, tell us one of your favourites. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. And if you're not already, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate and review the show, and help other listeners find us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Back together again after the summer, Kate and Laura are catching up on all the books they managed to get through. So listen in for their reactions to summer must-read Tomorrrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. They also covered three books from the Booker Longlist, Trust by Hernan Diaz, The Trees by Percival Everett and After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz. And a couple of long reads: for Kate Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer-winning novel about cowboys in the Old West, and a guilty pleasure fantasy read for Laura, Red Seas under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. Kate is also joined by author Colleen Hubbard to talk about her debut novel Housebreaking. An absorbing page-turner with some powerful themes, it's one we recommend for your TBR pile or book club. Plus we find out more about one of Colleen's all-time favourite reads, The Magician of Lublin. All that and some pod news: new theme music (composed specially for us), a Patreon account, and we share our projects and plans for where we want to take the show. Booklist Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin Trust by Hernan Diaz After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz The Trees by Percival Everett Red Seas under Red Skies by Scott Lynch Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard The Magician of Lublin by Isaac Bashevis Singer Enjoyed the episode? Have thoughts? Whenever you listen to this show don't forget you can drop us a comment at the episode page on our website thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you'll also find full shownotes for all of the books we discussed in the ep. and a transcript. For book recommendations between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, or on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod. We're working hard on our Patreon offer, and are looking forward to sharing it with in a future episode. Until then, thanks for listening and happy reading xSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Step back in time with us as Kate visits Charleston home of Vanessa Bell and important gathering place for the members of the Bloomsbury Group, that collection of writers and artists including Virginia Woolf that coalesced around Gordon Square in London. Undaunted by the ghosts of her relatives Nino Strachey, author of a new book, Young Bloomsbury, joins us to discuss the up-and-coming younger generation, such as writer Julia Strachey, sculptor Stephen Tomlin and photographer Cecil Beaton, who followed in their footsteps. Nino considers the interplay of creative inspiration that flowed between the generations, but also the spirit of tolerance and acceptance of different gender identities and chosen families that allowed these young creatives to flourish. Leave us a comment on our The Book Club Review website, where you'll also find more information on all the books mentioned, a transcript and our comments forum. Let us know your thoughts on the episode, or a Bloomsbury Group book that you love. Follow us between episodes for regular reviews and book recommendations on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast, or on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod. Find Nino on Twitter or Instagram @NinoStrachey. Book recommendations Lytton Strachey by Michael Holroyd (Penguin) Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey Love Letters: Vita and Virginia (Penguin) Orlando by Virginia Woolf (Penguin) L.O.T.E. by Sheila von Reinhold (Jaracanda) All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville West (Penguin), which we talked about on episode 12. The Waves and To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (Penguin) Sissinghurst: The Creation of a Garden by Sarah Raven A Boy at the Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy (Slightly Foxed) Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (Penguin) A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (Penguin) Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood (Picador) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (Virago)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We love a prize and we love a special episode, and so we're delighted to have an excuse to get together to discuss the 2022 Women's Prize shortlist and its winner, The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.The Women's Prize is the UK's annual book award that celebrates the best books written by women. Key criteria for the Prize are accessibility, originality and excellence in writing. Judges are asked to ignore the reviews, publicity spends, an author's previous reputation, and any sense of 'who deserves it' to choose the novel that inspires them, moves them, makes them think – and that they admire and enjoy.And so listen in to hear our frank but friendly take on the shortlist, Ozeki's big win, and whether we agree with the judges. Maybe you don't have time to read them all and just want to read one? Leave it to us, we've got you covered.Great Circle by Maggie ShipsteadSorrow and Bliss by Meg MasonThe Hand the Devil Knead by Lisa-Allen AgostiniThe Island of Missing Trees by Elif ShafakThe Sentence by Louise ErdrichThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth OzekiHave thoughts on this episode? Join us over on our website where you'll find the page for this episode, a transcript and our comments forum. Which of the shortlist was your favourite? Drop us a line and let us know.Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Inseparables is a novel that was never published in Simone de Beauvoir's lifetime. The story goes she showed it to Jean-Paul Sartre and he held his nose. It tells of the intense childhood friendship between Sylvie and Andrée, who were Beauvoir's fictional models for herself and her real-life friend Zaza Lacoin. The translation is by Lauren Elkin, author of Flâneuse, and the book comes with an introduction by Deborah Levy, and an afterword by Sylvie le bon de Beauvoir, plus a captivating selection of letters and photographs from the Beauvoir archive. For this episode Kate was joined by Australian books podcaster Anna Baillie-Karas, in town taking short break from her own podcast Books on the Go. The perfect excuse, then, to read and discuss this powerful short book. But what did we make of it? Should you add it to your reading pile? And would it be a good one for book club? Listen in and find out. Unusually for us this episode does contain spoilers, so if you don't know anything about Simone de Beauvoir and want to read this without any foreknowledge bookmark this show for later and come back to it when you've read the book. We also have four book recommendations inspired by The Inseparables we think you will love. BOOKLIST Petronille by Amélie Northomb, translated by Amelia Anderson At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell Last Summer in the City by Gianfrarnco Calligarich, translated by Howard Curtis Parisian Lives by Deidre Bair NOTES Don't miss the episode page on our website for full shownotes, a transcript and comments forum where you can let us know your thoughts on the episode or recommend us a book. Comments there go straight to our inboxes and we will read and respond so do drop us a line, we love to hear from you. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod, or email us at [email protected] Listen to Lauren Elkin and Deborah Levy discuss The Inseparables for the London Review of Books Listen to the Literary Friction podcast episode Kate mentioned, with Lauren ElkinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dull account of one woman's day or rich and resonant masterpiece? Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf has divided readers since it was published and continues to spark debate today. In London, one day in June, 1923, society hostess Clarissa Dalloway sets out to buy flowers for a party she is giving that evening. Returning home later she is visited by an old friend, Peter Walsh, who rekindles memories and feelings from her youth. Meanwhile making his own path through London traumatised soldier, Septimus Smith, is finding everyday life a torment and his young Italian wife cannot help him. Although they never meet, the two stories interweave as Woolf captures her characters and London on the page. Join Kate and special guest, prolific reader and Instagram book reviewer Charles Pignal as they dive into Dalloway and debate the results. Could Woolf have used a few less semi-colons? Can Kate talk about the book without weeping? If you haven't read it, should you read it? Listen in for the answers to all these questions plus some great follow-on recommendations from Charles and from Kate and Laura picking up on the London theme. Whether you're wondering what to read next for book club or just want some good additions to your own reading pile we have the book for you. Book list The Annotated Mrs Dalloway, with notes by Merve Emre In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman The Waves by Virginia Woolf Young Eliot and Eliot After the Waste Land by Robert Crawford Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel White Teeth and Intimations by Zadie Smith Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson On Golden Hill and Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street and 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks Queenie by Candice Carty Williams. Notes For more from Charles including reviews, his weekly books quiz, and author interviews find him on Instagram @charleslangip Have thoughts on this episode, or a book to recommend? Go to the episode page on our website where you'll find full show notes for all the books discussed, a transcript and a comments forum. Comments go straight to our inboxes so get in touch, we love to hear from you. You can also keep in touch between episodes on Instagram @BookClubReview podcast, or Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us a line at [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Whether you're soaking up Nutcrackers on Rockaway beach like Kate's book-reviewing heroine Molly Young, throwing down a picnic rug in your garden or the local park, fighting your way through airport chaos with the promise of a trip abroad or cosying up with a warm blanket in the Southern Hemisphere, we've got the Summer Reading show for you. It's packed full of recommendations including our own favourite beach reads and tips from booksellers, authors and other friends of the pod. So if you're curious what show-regular Phil Chaffee is diving into this summer, what Emily Rhodes of Emily's Walking Book Club is planning on reading, what Nadia Odunayo of book recommendations app The Storygraph thinks you should try, what onetime journalist now bookseller Tom Rowley is planning on reading when he gets a second off setting up his new bookshop, Backstory, and finally what one of our favourite authors, Ed Caesar, thinks might be the perfect page-turner for you, keep listening. So whether you're inclined towards the hottest new releases or the tried and tested classics (including several our guests love so much they return to them again and again), grab a notepad and listen in. If you enjoyed the show head over to our website to comment and let us know your favourite summer reads, we love to hear from you. Or follow us on Instagram @thebookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email us at [email protected] – want to help us out? Subscribe, drop us a review and tell your book-loving friends about the show. Book recommendations Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The Field by Robert Seethaler Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny Lessons in Chamistry by Bonnie Garmus You Made a Fool of Death with your Beauty by Akwake Emezi A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn News of the Dead by James Robertson Free by Lea Ypi Serious Money by Caroline Knowles The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett The House of Niccolo sequence by Dorothy Dunnet We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole Gallant by V.E. Schwab Clockers by Richard Price Virtue by Hermione Hobie Neon in Daylight by Hermione Hobie Essex Dogs by Dan Jones (published 15 September 2022)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we venture to the frozen north in the very enjoyable company of Tété-Michel Kpomassie, who left his home of Togo, West Africa to pursue his dream of living in Greenland. While we may not have been 100% sold on the cuisine, we were fascinated by his experiences and the unique perspective he brings to his observations about the society he encounters there. First published in English in 1981 the book was recently re-issued by Penguin as part of their Modern Classics series. But do we think it should have a place on your bookshelf? Listen in to find out. And because there are few things we love more than a polar book, we've got a stack of other suggestions for your reading pile, from previous pod favourites like A Woman in the Polar Night by Christine Ritter, to a new to us book called This Cold Heaven, by Gretel Erlich. So come, fix yourself a cup of coffee with reindeer fat, and let us tell you more. Books discussed The Northern Lights, The Amber Spyglass and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials trilogy, [Scholastic]) The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller (Hachette) This Cold Heaven by Gretel Erlich (Harper Collins) Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine (and The Colony of Good Hope [Pan Macmillan]) Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Høeg (Penguin). A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter. Keep in touch: No matter when you listen to this episode you can always comment via the episode page on our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk (where you'll also find the episode transcript). Comments there go straight to our inboxes so let us know your thoughts and we'll reply. Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is all about finding the extraordinary in the everyday, in the little things that may pass us by if we don't pay attention. And so join us as we talk to Miranda Keeling about her book The Year I Stopped to Notice, a joyful, poignant and familiar portrait of everyday life that Neil Gaiman called 'beautiful' and Philip Pullman 'a delight'. Together with Miranda we also recommend six other books that tap into this spirit of observing and capturing moments. Booklist Nobody Told You by Hollie McNish The Outrun by Amy Liptrot (and we also mentioned her latest book, The Instant) No-One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession The Year I Stopped to Notice is published by Icon Books and available to buy now. For more from Miranda you can find at mirandakeeling.com or go to the source and follow her on Twitter @mirandakeeling Enjoyed the episode? Drop us a line anytime and let us know your thoughts at our website thebookclubreview.co.uk. There you'll find a dedicated episode page, full shownotes for all the books we recommended, a transcript and a comments section where we encourage you to let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from listeners. You'll also find our archive of episodes to browse through, from Booker winners to little known gems from the backlist. Drop in on a spirited book club discussion or join us as we catch up on our recent reads. It's all there waiting for you. If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. And if you're not already do subscribe, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts, which help other listeners find us and brings us joy. Do share with your bookish friends, we love to reach new listeners.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we catch up on our recent reads outside of book club, the books we're picking and choosing for ourselves. Laura enjoys The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting, declaring it 'unputdownable', and a good antidote to the brilliant but rather more serious novel The Sympathiser by Viet Thanh Nguyen (her Vancouver book club's pick). We're joined by journalist Phil Chaffee who shares his recent holiday reading, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco and My Fourth Time We Drowned by Sally Hayden. Meanwhile Kate has fallen in love with O'Caledonia by Elspeth Barker and sneaks in This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab, a YA fantasy read that proves perfect for those times when you just want to read about things that aren't real. Book recommendations The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco Matrix by Lauren Groff The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flynn O'Caledonia by Elspeth Barker A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes My Fourth Time We Drowned by Sally Hayden The Naked Don't Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins The Sympathiser by Viet Than Nuygen This Savage Song, Our Dark Duet, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Shades of Magic trilogy, all by V. E. Schwab Head over to the episode page on our website for full shownotes and do leave us a comment in the forum, we love to hear from you. If you are the first, don't be shy! Keep up with what we're reading between shows on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or send us an email [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author Salman Rushdie called it 'an exceptional novel' while Claire Messud 'didn't want it to end' but what did Laura's book club make of this first book in a new trilogy from French-Moroccan sensation Leïla Slimani? We're joined by regular pod-listener Youssra, who gave us her insight into how the book has been received in her native Morocco. And we've got our usual round of book recommendations to help you find your next great read. Book recommendations Une année chez les français by Foud Laroui The Moor's Account by Leila Lalami This Blinding Absence of Light by Tahar Ben Jelloun All Men Want to Know by Nina Bouraoui Year of the Elephant by Leila Abouzeid Notes Have you read the book? Have an opinion on the show? Head to our episode page for full shownotes and episode transcript, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. They go straight to our inbox so we will respond – let's keep the discussion going. https://www.thebookclubreview.co.uk/portfolio/items/the-country-of-others/ Follow us on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast On Twitter @bookclubrvwpod Next episode: Join us as we deep dive into the world of Fitzcarraldo with Jacques Testard, publisher of elegant blue and white books that keep winning awards. If you're looking to find books that will challenge you and broaden your horizons, don't miss it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our bookshelf shows are the ones where we get to cut loose and follow our own preferences, so listen in as Kate tries to figure out the best way to show up for her life after reading Oliver Burkeman's 4,000 Hours. Meanwhile Laura is drawn into 'A dark world of desire and fantasy' with French prizewinner No Touching by Ketty Rouf, we figure out via an emergency call to an Irish friend how to pronounce Colm Tóibín, but unfortunately this doesn't help Kate in her struggle with his book about Thomas Mann, The Magician. Laura gets on better with Brit Bennett's book The Mothers, which she can't put down. Finally, Kate has a new girl-crush on Canadian author Sheila Heti after reading her book Motherhood. Booklist 4,000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman No Touching by Ketty Rouf The Magician by Colm Toíbín Motherhood by Sheila Heti The Mothers by Brit Bennett Laura also mentioned Savage Tongues by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, Little by Edward Carey and Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid. Get in touch with us and tell us what you're reading or recommend us a book on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Find our full episode archive at thebookclubreview.co.uk and don't forget to like, subscribe, tell a friend, share on social media – it helps us reach new listeners and we really do appreciate it :)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's Mother's Day here in the UK and as there's nothing Kate loves more than a special episode we've put together a show on the theme of Motherhood. We're joined by Claire Lynch, author of Small: On Motherhoods, her literary memoir of her own unusual journey into motherhood. Elizabeth Morris of Crib Notes book club joins us too – who better to help us pull together our essential reads on the topic. We've got laughter, we might shed a few tears, and brilliant books to cover all eventualities. BOOKLIST Small: on motherhoods, by Claire Lynch Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder Motherhood by Sheila Heti A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann ní Ghríofa M(otherhood) by Praya Agarwal The Best Most Awful Job by Katherine May The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson No-One Talks About this Stuff by Kat Brown NOTES Follow Claire on Twitter @drclairelynch, and find Elizabeth @Elizabethmoya. You can sign up for her monthly newsletter Crib Notes here. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Check out our full episode archive on our website www.thebookclubreview.co.uk. Do subscribe to us to be sure you never miss an episode. And if you like what we do please rate and review the show, it helps other listeners find us. If you want to go one better please spread the word about us on your social media channels. Reaching new listeners makes us so happy, we treasure each and every one, and your support helps us do that. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Book recommendations galore from author Francesca Beauman, who is also publisher and bookshop proprietor of Persephone Books. In her latest book, The Literaray Almanac, Francesca aims to guide readers in choosing books that chime with moments in the year – from hopeful books to read in March to school curriculum classics not-nearly-as-boring-as-you-remember them in September. We also explore the delights of the Persephone publishing list with old favourites and some exciting new titles. So listen in and share in the joy of giving ourselves permission to say when we don't like something, and turn instead to something we will love. Enjoy. Booklist The Pineapple, King of Fruits and Matrimony, Inc., by Francesca Beauman The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi Ulysses by James Joyce The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu As It Was by Helen Thomas A Well Full of Leaves by Elizabeth Myers The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield Normal People by Sally Rooney Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Notes Find out more about Francesca at her website francescabeauman.com, or head on over to persephonebooks.co.uk for a browse. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email us [email protected] and let us know what you're reading – we love to hear from you. Subscribe to us to be sure you never miss an episode, and if you like what we do please rate and review the show, it helps other listeners find us and we are eternally grateful.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we discuss Benjamin Labatut's Booker International shortlisted novel When We Cease to Understand the World, 2020 Baillie Gifford prizewinner One, Two, Three, Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown and 2021 Costa biography prizewinner Fall: A Life of Robert Maxwell by John Preston, The Outlander by Gil Adams, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab and The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse. Did we love them? Did we loathe them? Listen in to find out. Booklist When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamín Labatut One, Two, Three, Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown Fall: A Life of Robert Maxwell by John Preston The Outlander by Gil Adams The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse Notes Get Back film trailer Carpool Karaoke with Sir Paul McCartney Join the bookish conversation with us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. You can support us by rating and reviewing the show, and most importantly by telling your friends. Please share on social media and help us reach new listeners. Full show notes and our complete episode archive at our website thebookclubreview.co.uk. Sign up for our bi-weekly-ish newsletter. Drop us a line and let us know what you are reading. We always love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've all felt the lure of the short, sweet read, one of those slim books you can finish in a few hours, maybe over a hot cup of tea. But what about the books that may take weeks, even months, to read? The door stoppers, the heavy weights, the long reads. Think Dickens, Tolstoy, and George Eliot, think Hilary Mantel, David Foster Wallace, and Donna Tartt. We dive into The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann's 226,000 book set in a sanitorium in the Swiss Alps in which not much happens. What did we think of it? Should you try it? And if not, what long books do we recommend? We're joined by Toby Brothers of the London Literary Salon and pod-regular Phil Chaffee as we discover the pleasures and perils that come with a book that takes weeks, even months, to read. Books mentioned A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy all seven volumes of Proust Ulysses by James Joyce The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Middlemarch by George Eliot The Books of Jacob by Olga Tocarczuk Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman Pilgrimage by Dorothy Richardson The Alex Ross article Phil mentions is here. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Subscribe to us to be sure you never miss an episode. And if you like what we do please rate and review the show, it helps other listeners find us. If you want to go one better please spread the word about us on your social media channels. Reaching new listeners makes us so happy, we treasure each and every one, and your support helps us do that.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondering what books 2022 has in store for you? What will be your next great read? We're joined by industry insiders Chrissy Ryan, of dream bookshop Bookbar, and Elizabeth Morris of the Crib Notes newsletter to talk what's hot and what to look forward to. We've got your #tbr future-proofed. Book list: Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades The Heavens and The Men by Sandra Newman A Little Life and To Paradise by Hanya Yanigahara Violets by Alex Hyde Love, Marriage by Monica Ali House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh Free Love by Tessa Hadley Salt Slow and Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield Wahala by Nikki May Check out the episode page on our The Book Club Review website for more. If you like this show please take a moment to rate and review, it really helps us reach new listeners. Tell your friends, share on social media, it means so much to us when you do. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dazzling, original, heartfelt and exhilarating, or bleak, depressing, incoherent and unrealistic? What did Kate's book club make of The Promise, Damon Galgut's Booker-winning novel, which tells the story of one white South-African family, and the promise made to their black servant, Salome. Join us as we discuss the book with Stuart Marshall and listen out for our follow-on book recommendations, from Trevor Noah's Born A Crime to Claire Keegan's impactful novella Small Things Like These.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Charmingly eccentric tale with a sharply feminist point of view or a 'hot mess' – what did Laura's book club make of Lolly Willowes by Silvia Townsend Warner? Meanwhile The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers explores loneliness, the human need for understanding and the search for love. What did Kate's book club think. Should you pick it up? Listen in to find out. We also discuss Furious Hours by Casey Cep and A Start in Life by Anita Brookner. Robert McCrumb's 100 Best Novels Written in English 1 in 5 does not represent over 300 years of women in literature: Rachel Cooke's response. Join the conversation between episodes: follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. If you like what we do, please pass it on, share the episode link on social media, and help us spread the word.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's part 2 of our end-of-year special, in which we look back over the books we read outside of book club, the ones we chose for ourselves, and pick out our favourites. And so listen in for more book recommendations than you can shake a stick a, plus recommendations from our book clubs and friends of the pod. We also look ahead to some new releases coming out in 2022. Booklist Kate's top three favourites from 2021 Don't Touch My Hair, Emma Dabiri A Ghost in the Throat, Doireann ní Ghrí­ofa Lean, Fall, Stand, Jon McGregor Laura's top three favourites from 2021 A Life's Work, Rachel Cusk Miss Iceland, Audur Ava Olafsdottir Indian Horse, Richard Wagamese Kate's longlist of favourite reads in 2021 The Moth and the Mountain, Ed Caesar Writers and Lovers and Euphoria Lily King Real Estate, Deborah Levy The Library Book and The Orchid Thief, Susan Orlean All My Friends are Superheroes, Andrew Kaufman Owls of the Eastern Ice, Jonathan C. Slaght Nightbitch, Rachel Yoder Don't Touch My Hair, Emma Dabiri Fun Home, Alison Bechdel Parisan Lives, Deidre Bair Nightbitch, Rachel Yoder Early Morning Riser, Katherine Heiny Love Letters, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West (Alison Bechdel, ed.) A Ghost in the Throat, Doireann ni Ghriofa Re-Educated, Lucy Kellaway Pew, Catherine Lacey Happy All the Time, Laurie Colwin Whereabouts, Jhumpa Lahiri Sorrow and Bliss, Meg Mason Lean, Fall, Stand, Jon McGregor Assembly, Natasha Brown The Stranding, Kate Sawyer The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers Empire of Pain, Patrick Radden-Keefe Matrix, Lauren Groff The See-Through House, Shelley Klein Laura's longlist of favourite reads in 2021 His Only Wife, Peace Adzo Medie Miss Iceland, Hotel Silence and Butterflies in November, Audur Ava Olafsdottir Indian Horse, Richard Wagamese On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong Homeland Elegies, Ayad Akhtar No-One is Talking About This, Patricia Lockwood Great Circle, Maggie Shipstead D: A Tale of Two Worlds, Michael Faber Graceling, Kristin Cashore A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik The Annals of the Western Shore, Ursula Le Guin The Book of Hidden Things, Francesco Dimitri Frederica, Georgette Heyer Conundrum, Jan Morris A High Wind in Jamaica, Richard Hughes The Rules of Civility, Amor Towles Chrissy Ryan's recommendations Open Water, Caleb Azumah Nelson Assembly, Natasha Brown Detransition Baby, Torrey Peters Elizabeth Morris' recommendations Nightbitch, Rachel Yoder Book club recommendations The Summer Book, Tove Jansson The Mermaid of Black Conch, Monique Roffey Whereabouts, Jhumpa Lahiri The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë A Dance to the Music of Time, Anthony Powell The Siege of Krishnapur, J. G. Farrell The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst Isaac Steele and the Forever Man, Daniel Rigby Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer Albert and the Whale, Philip Hoare Trieste or the Meaning of Nowhere, Jan Morris The Bass Rock, Evie Wyld Autumn, Ali Smith The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan The Offing, Benjamin Myers Circe, Madeleine Miller Three Women, Lisa Taddeo My Dark Vanessa, Kate Elizabeth Russell Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Upcoming books in 2022 We also discussed our inordinate desire for The Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss to finally be published, and Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Notes Full details of all the titles discussed in this episode can be found in the shownotes on our website thebookclubreview.co.uk. Do keep up with us between episodes on Instagram and Facebook @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. We always love to hear from you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In part one of our 2021 end-of-year special episode we look back over the books we've covered for book club. Which ones have stayed with us? Which were our stand outs? And which are we going to crown our book club book of the year. Whether you're looking for your next book club read or just a great book for your personal reading pile, don't miss it. We also look forward to new book club plans and projects for the coming year. For our best books of 2021 (from our own personal reading piles) go to Part 2, available in your podcast feed now. Booklist Writers and Lovers, Lily King Early Work, Andrew Martin Euphoria, Lily King Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart The Mermaid of Black Conch, Monique Roffey Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden A Lonely Man, Chris Power (recommended by Gary) The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan I Will Never See the World Again by Ahmet Altan How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue, As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann and The Barsetshire Chronicles by Anthony Trollope (Phil's recommendations) Second Place by Rachel Cusk Matrix by Lauren Groff Full shownotes are on our website thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you can browse our full episode archive and sign up for our bi-weekly-ish newsletter, full of recommendations and bookish links. Keep up with us between episodes on Instagram and Facebook @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. We always love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we talk all things books, apocalypses, whales and the Costa Prize shortlist with Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding. It's a novel about a woman who survives the end-of-the-world by hiding inside the belly of a whale. Find out why we loved it, as we consider its place in the canon of apocalypse novels from Z for Zachariah to The Road. We've also got a ton of book club recommendations, find out what Kate's been reading recently and have some follow-on read suggestions for when you've finished The Stranding. Book list Moby Dick by Herman Melville The Road by Cormac McCarthy Children of the Dust by Louise Lawrence Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien Nights at the Circus and Wise Children by Angela Carter Matrix and Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff Larry's Party and Unless by Carol Shields Assembly by Natasha Brown Still Life by Sarah Winman Wahala by Nikki May (out Spring 2022) Burntcoat by Sarah Hall The Smallest Man by Frances Quinn Weather by Jenny Offill Humankind by Rutger Bregman The Life of the Mind by Christine Smallwood Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Don't miss our website where you can find our archive of over 100 shows to browse through. Don't miss our recent Booker Prize special, or our discussion of Lauren Groff's latest book Matrix and find out why we just can't stop thinking about nuns. You can also find our library of articles including our recent one on our favourite book podcasts. And you can sign up to our bi-weekly newsletter for book reviews, recommendations and more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we dive, in spoiler-free fashion, into Lauren Groff's latest novel, Matrix. It tells of Marie de France, a cast-off from Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine's court, exiled to be a prioress at a run-down Abbey inhabited by starving nuns. Devastated and grieving the young Marie thinks only of regaining the queen's favour and returning to court. Gradually, though, she comes to see that if she is to stay, she must change, and the Abbey with her. The book has been a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist but what did Laura's book club think? We're joined by pod-regulars Phillip Chaffee and Sarah Oliver to discuss it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we discuss the 2021 Booker shortlist in typical book club style, with journalist Phil Chaffee and Chrissy Ryan, owner of Bookbar. We livestream the Booker ceremony so you can catch our immediate reactions to the winner. Did we agree? Was there a book we loved more? Was there one we loathed? Whether we loved them or loathed them, as ever, you can be assured of good debate. We thoroughly recommend any and all of these books for a good read and good discussion. Notes The Paris Review article on Anuk Arudpragasam Phil mentions is here Click here if you're wondering what a nudibranch looks like? Check out our website for our episode archive and more. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Tell us what you're reading for book club right now – we love to hear from you. If you've enjoyed this episode please leave us a quick online review, it helps other listeners find us :) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's our latest Book Club episode, and we're discussing Rachel Cusk's latest novel, Second Place. It was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, but didn't make the cut for the shortlist. Sally Rooney calls it 'masterful', saying it 'achieves a kind of formal perfection' while the Observer newspaper lauds it as 'A landmark in twenty-first-century English literature.' But what did Laura's book club make of it? And who would we rather have to dinner, Rachel Cusk or Deborah Levy? Listen in to find out. Book recommendations To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf The Outline trilogy, by Rachel Cusk, read on audio by Kristen Scott Thomas Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe The audiobook of Second Place by Rachel Cusk is published by Faber & Faber and narrated by Kate Fleetwood. It's available for download now. Listen to the Rachel Cusk interview Phil mentioned at the Edinburgh Literary Festival Find our full episode archive and sign-up link for our newsletter at our The Book Club Review website. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. And if you're not already, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what we do please help spread the word and tell a book-loving friend about our show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've shaken the sand from our flip-flops and put our suitcases away. Now it's back to business as Kate and Laura catch up on their recent reads, everything from this year's Booker International Prize winner to a fantasy romp about teenage wizards. Booklist Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop Mud and Stars by travel writer Sara Wheeler A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik Re-Educated by Lucy Kellaway We also discuss the property website themodernhouse.com if you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes check out the website at www.thebookclubreview.co.uk, find us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Drop us a line and tell us what you're reading, we always love to hear from you. Next episode: Book club on Second Place by Rachel Cusk See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Ashto" and "Jonesy" are two Australians who devour books on everything from self-improvement to business and marketing for their weekly podcast, What You Will Learn. They've recently launched their own book, The Sh*t They Never Taught You. They joined Kate to discuss what books have taught them, and provide her with some personal bibliotherapy to kick her out of her counter-productive ways. Listen in to find out what you can learn.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's our 2021 Summer Reading episode! What are we looking for in our summer reading? We want books that are going to carry us away, books that are immersive and compelling, books that take us places and teach us things. Sometimes we want short reads to suit our mood, others we want long immersive books that will last us through the summer. And as ever, we want books we can discuss and debate. Embracing our usual tendency to veer away from the obvious we've compiled an eclectic list. We've got summer buzz books The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris and Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, but we're also delving into mental health with Meg Mason's hilarious and moving novel Sorrow & Bliss, considering the joys of the untethered life with Jhumpa Lahiri and learning about the Sackler family – architects, it turns out, of America's opioid crisis – with Patrick Radden-Keefe's Empire of Pain. Plus Laura throws in Michael Faber's beguiling fantasy novel D: A Tale of Two Worlds, a novel by First Nations author Richard Wagamese she wants everyone to read, and we briefly consider Erik Larson's gripping history of World War 2, The Splendid and the Vile and why really it's the perfect thing to have beside your deckchair. Wherever you are we wish you a brilliant summer and lots of happy reading. Booklist Sorrow & Bliss by Meg Mason Hotel Silence by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden-Keefe D (a Tale of Two Worlds) by Michael Faber The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalia Harris Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead You can also find full details plus a few extras on our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk. And if you're so inclined you can also sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter there. It has reviews and recommendations and is full of reading inspiration to tide you over until our next episode. Follow us between episodes on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast, on twitter and facebook @bookclubrvwpod or email us at [email protected] – do drop us a line and tell us what you're reading, we always love to hear from you. Special thanks to Mason Dietrich, our new Production assistant.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Looking for something a little off the beaten path for your reading pile? Join us as we discuss Like A Sword Wound by renowned Turkish writer Ahmet Altan. It's the first volume in a quartet and traces not only the social currents of the final years of the Ottoman Empire but also the erotic and emotional lives of its characters. Like A Sword Wound has been described as the Turkish War & Peace. Did Laura's book club agree? We're joined by journalist Philippe Chaffee to discuss it. Like A Sword Wound is translated by Brendan Freely and Yelda Türedi Book recommendations The Passenger magazine on Turkey Beyond the Walls by Nazim Hikmet My Name is Red and The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk Laurence in Arabia by Scott Anderson Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy We also mentioned authors Elif Batuman and Elif Shafak. For full show notes go to www.thebookclubreview.co.uk where you can also sign up to our bi-weekly newsletter, which has reviews, links and plenty of bookish inspiration to keep you going between episodes. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us a line at [email protected]. Subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate and review the show, it helps other listeners find us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In celebration of our 100th episode we turn the spotlight on ourselves a little more than usual to answer listeners' questions. From our favourite childhood reads to the books that shaped us as adults, from books which kept us up all night to books we disagree on (with a shocking mid-show revelation from Laura that threatens to derail the whole discussion), listen in to learn more about us as readers and how we came to make the podcast. Find our full show notes for this episode plus archive of all our past shows on our website, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @bookclubreviewpodcast or Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us an email at [email protected] and tell us about a book you love. Booklist Childhood reads The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling The Chalet School books by Elinor M. Brent Dyer The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Miss Happiness and Miss Flower and Little Plum by Rumer Godden Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien Dark Canyon by Louis L'Amour A Devil to Ride by Patricia Leitch Cobbler's Dream by Monica Dickens Howl's Moving Castle and other books by Diana Wynne Jones The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper White Boots, Ballet Shoes, Theatre Shoes, Hollywood Shoes by Noel Streatfield Transition books To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien General books Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden Normal People by Sally Rooney The Moth and the Mountain by Ed Caesar The Time-Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenneger Watership Down by Douglas Adams Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart The Red Tent by Anita Diamant The Idiot by Elif Batuman Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin The Neapolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Parisian Lives by Deidre Bair The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross West With the Night by Beryl Markham Travels by Michael CrichtonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's here. After weeks of reading, tons of post-it notes and a WhatsApp group busy with thoughts flying back and forth we proudly present our 2021 Women's Prize episode. We're joined by returning podcast guests Elizabeth Morris and Sarah Oliver to review all six shortlisted titles. This is book club so expect the full range of opinions, find out what we loved, and what we didn't, but we've also worked hard to keep the spoilers away so you can enjoy the show and still enjoy the books. Which are your favourites? Listen in and see if you agree with us as we attempt to pick a winner. Booklist Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi How the One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones Piranesi by Susanna Clarke No-One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood Don't miss Crib Notes, the newsletter by Elizabeth Morris for new and busy mothers – an essential monthly run-down of the very best books from the practical to the poetic. She includes just the right information about each, and offers different suggestions according to whether you want something to sink into, or you only have time to scroll. Follow us between episodes on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Were you jumping up and down with thoughts on any of the books we discussed today? Drop us a line and let us know, we always love to hear from you. And don't miss our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk for our full archive of shows and to sign up to our weekly newsletter. It comes out on Sundays and is full of reading inspiration for the week ahead.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A magazine that has always been dear to our hearts is Penguin's Happy Reader, an occasional publication that takes inspiration from the idea of a book club. In the early days of the podcast we were delighted to interview its editor Seb Emina. To celebrate the launch of The Happy Reader's latest edition we're releasing that interview again. From the thinking that goes into every issue, from treasure hunts to the perfect way to drink your tea, from book recommendations to unusual ideas for book club meet ups, this episode has it all. Booklist So many books are mentioned in passing in this episode, but in particular Seb talks about The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (and listen in to episode 9 of the pod for our full book club discussion on that one) Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard You can find out more about The Happy Reader, buy the latest issue or subscribe at their website thehappyreader.com. You can also sign up to their newsletter, Happy Readings, where once a month you'll get a little dose of Happy Readerness in your inbox. Seb is on Instagram and Twitter @sebemina If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Don't miss our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you can find our archive of almost 100 shows to browse through and sign up for our weekly newsletter. It comes out on Sundays, and it full of reading inspiration for your week ahead.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we discuss The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a modern classic, 1989 Booker Prize winner and the author is also the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature but none of this led Laura to hold back, calling it 'dull' and incredibly slow reading. But, of course, hers is not the only voice, so listen in to find out what Kate thought, and what Laura's book club thought. We've also got some book recommendations for your next book club read. Booklist Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf Amsterdam and On Chesil Beach by Ian McKewan Staying On by Paul Scott. If you enjoyed this show check out our website, www.thebookclubreview.co.uk where you can find our archive of shows to browse through. You can also explore our library of book reviews and articles. If you'd like to hear more from us sign up for our weekly newsletter which comes out on Sundays and is full of reviews and recommendations to top you up with bookish inspiration for the week ahead. Sign up via the shownotes, our website or at the link in our Instagram bio. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, and on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or why not get in touch with us at [email protected] – we always love to hear from you. And if you're not already, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and never miss an episode. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate and review the show. It helps other listeners find us, so we really appreciate it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We chat with Chrissy Ryan, founder of Bookbar, a new bookshop and bar in Kate's North London neighbourhood. Chrissy's vision is for Bookbar to be a social space where people can discover their next read and meet other readers in a place where conversation is encouraged. We loved hearing about everything from her in-house book club featuring authors like Ingrid Persaud, Brit Bennett and Curtis Sittenfeld to her shelf-medicate book subscription service – as Chrissy says, like having a literary matchmaker on speed-dial. We come up with an idea for the perfect book club party and talk favourite books. Listen in for Chrissy's must-reads out now or coming soon. Booklist Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe Bad Blood by John Carreyrou Dopesick by Beth Macy Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Faultlines Emily Atami Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters The Female Persuasion by Meg Wollizer China Room by Sunjeev Suhota Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Red Comet by Heather Clark Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn For more about Bookbar check out their website. For more from us follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Drop us a line and let us know what you're reading – we always love to hear from you. For more listening browse our episode archive where you can also sign up for our weekly newsletter. Our next book club read is The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. That episode is coming soon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listen in for Laura's take on Matt Haig's bestselling The Midnight Library, which Kate hasn't yet read. Should she? Meanwhile Kate gets swept into literary Paris with Samuel Beckett and Simone de Beauvoir. Laura takes us to Iceland with an immersive novel that she now wants everyone to drop everything and read, and we catch up with Deborah Levy with the third volume of her living autobiography, Real Estate. Also, we consider what it's like to live in Iceland for two years with writer Sarah Moss, and remember Boomerang, Michael Lewis's enjoyable (though also alarming) economic world tour, and how Iceland's fishermen took to currency speculation like ducks to water. Booklist The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Parisian Lives by Deirdre Bair Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Real Estate by Deborah Levy Names for the Sea by Sarah Moss Boomerang by Michael Lewis Sign up to our weekly newsletter which comes out on Sundays and is full of reading inspiration for the week ahead. You can subscribe via the link in our Instagram bio or on our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk. If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Drop us a line and let us know what you're reading – we always love to hear from you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we tackle this unusual book that mixes prose with poetry and a play script, in which Death is embodied in the form of an old black woman. Mrs Death befriends a young writer, Wolf, who agrees to ghost-write her memoirs. Laura and her book club had strong reactions against this book. It's up to Kate and our special guest author Gary Wigglesworth to see if they can make the others see it in a different light. But are they persuasive? Listen in and see what you think. Book list Watership Down by Richard Adams Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller A Lonely Man by Chris Power Grief is a Thing With Feathers by Max Porter. Want to keep up with us between episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, or follow us for daily book reviews and recommendations on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Don't miss our website thebookclubreview.co.uk for our episode archive and library of book reviews and articles. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and never miss an episode. If you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review the show, which help other listeners find us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us for this 'bookshelf' episode as we discuss the books we've been reading outside of book club. In this episode Kate gets tied up in existential knots over House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas and we consider the parallels between this 800-page fantasy bonkbuster and War and Peace. We explore the idea of 'reading offsetting' whereby we balance our guilty pleasures with books more worthy of our time. We rediscover the Queen of Fantasy Ursula Le Guin and remember why we think her books are so amazing. Kate pronounces 'Don't Touch My Hair' by Emma Dabiri her new favourite book of the year. And we end with an excursion into Arctic landscapes and consider moving to Svaallbad where apparently you don't need a visa! Books mentioned: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas A Fall from Grace and Philippa Holds Court by Jennie Goutet The Western Shore trilogy by Ursula L. Guin Don't Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri Americanah by Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler Want to keep up with us between episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, or follow us for daily book reviews and recommendations on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Don't miss our website thebookclubreview.co.uk for our episode archive and library of book reviews and articles. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and never miss an episode. If you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review the show, which help other listeners find us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bibliotherapist and author (with Susan Elderkin) of classic books about books The Novel Cure and The Story Cure, Ella Berthoud's most recent work is The Art of Mindful Reading, a practical guide that promises to help people to read more mindfully, bringing their lives to books and books into their lives equally. As you might expect we have a lot of book recommendations in this show, plus advice on everything from how to keep a successful book journal to what to do when you're not enjoying your book club book – we've all been there. Listen in and learn how to make the very most of your precious reading time, and even find out how to carve out more of it. Book recommendations What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey, The Pisces by Melissa Broder, Elijah's Mermaid by Essie Fox, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towes and There But For The by Ali Smith You can keep up with Ella via her website, ellaberthoud.com and don't miss her themed sessions on Damian Barr's Literary Salon facebook page and her Instagram and YouTube channels. And if you're in need of a literary makeover or have something you want to work through in your life you can sign up for a bibliotherapy session at the School of Life website. • sign up for our weekly newsletter here • Follow us on Instagram • Follow us on Facebook • Follow us on Twitter • Check out our websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.