Explore this year's Booker Prize shortlist on the latest episode of the Book Club Review! Hosts Kate and Laura and contributors Phil Chaffee and Martin Vovk discuss and debate the six shortlisted novels.

Listen in to hear our predictions, and then find out our reaction to the winner as we listen in to the live Booker Prize ceremony. We won't spoil the plots for you, just whet your appetite to read some or all of the books, all of which make for brilliant discussion.

Booklist

Paddy Clark, Ha, H, Ha by Roddy Doyle

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Flesh by David Szalay

All That Man Is by David Szalay

Starling House by Alex E. Harrow

Any Human Heart by William Boyd

The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markowits

Carmageddon by Daniel Knowles

You Don't Have To Live Like This by Ben Markowits

Oh William by Elizabeth Strout

All Fours by Miranda July

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

Audition by Katie Kitamura

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Flashlight by Susan Choi

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

Booker Longlist episode

Episode 181 of The Book Club Review

Links

A Good Read: Colm Toibin and Zadie Smith discuss Flesh

Martin's Eyes On the Prize blog

Browse Martin's archive and discover his extensive reviews (including The Women's Prize) here.

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In which Kate is joined by pod regular, journalist Phil Chaffee and Professor Elizabeth Eva Leach. Both read over 200 books a year, and their reading stacks this year have included the Booker longlist.

And so who better to consider the books that didn't make the final cut – but which are, notwithstanding, the 'best' books selected from over 150 submitted titles.

As we know, really great books can get overlooked for the shortlist. Consider Trust by Hernan Diaz, longlisted but not shortlisted, or, going further back Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and before that Penelope Fitzgerald's miraculous novel The Blue Flower. The fallibility of the judging process thus proven let's leave no stone unturned in considering this year's selection. Did the judges overlook a new favourite read?

The Booker Prize is announced on 10th November and we'll be recording an episode on the shortlist on the night. Coming soon!

Booklist

• Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

• Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

• Endling by Maria Reva

• One Boat by Jonathan Buckley

• The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk

• The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

• Universality by Natasha Brown

• The South by Tash Aw

• Love Forms by Claire Adam

• Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth

• The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

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Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon is a novel that takes us back to ancient Syracuse, where war, art, and humanity collide. This gripping tale follows two down-on-their-luck potters who hatch an audacious plan to produce a performance of the works of Euripedes despite the fact that their actors are prisoners of war and their stage set a death camp in a marble pit. It's a story of resilience, friendship, and the power of art in the face of destruction, but did it make for a good book club book?

Regular book-club reporter Phil Chaffee dials in from New York to join Kate alongside keen readers and returning pod guests Emily Bohill and Sarah Oliver in London.

And find out Laura's thoughts at the end as we consider what makes Glorious Exploits such a standout debut, whether or not you need to know about Classical history to enjoy it, and why the audio version is such a particular joy. All this plus our recommendations for follow on reads inspired by Glorious Exploits.

Booklist

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

The Years by Annie Ernaux

Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte

You Dreamed of Empires by Ávaro Enrigue

Metamorphoses by Ovid

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

Circe by Madeleine Miller

Patreon

Signing up for membership is a great way to support the show, and in return you'll have access to weeklyish bonus episodes, plus the archive of back episodes to enjoy. At the higher tier you can join the podcast book club, currently reading Hateship, Friendship, Loveship, Courtship, Marriage by Alice Munroe. I'd love to have you join us.

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Our full archive of episdoes with shownotes

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We look back over the ten books we read for bookclub in 2020. From Taffy Brodesser-Akner's snappy take on contemporary relationships with Fleishman is in Trouble, to The Memory Police, Yoko Ogawa's carefully considered look at memory and the objects that bring meaning to our lives, we read and discussed a wide range of books that we're delighted to go back and revisit – like seeing old friends. But which will be our book club book of the year?

On the shortlist:

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

That Glimpse of Truth, 100 of the Finest Short Stories Ever Written

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

Lanny by Max Porter

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com.

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What's it like to set up your own publishing business? What does it take to succeed? And how do you find the right books? We talk to Kate Macdonald of Handheld Press, who gives us some behind-the-scenes insights into running a small, independent publishers, and her mission to seek out forgotten fiction and authors who need to be rediscovered.

Business as Usual by Jane Oliver and Anne Stafford

Save Me The Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald

The Exile Waiting by Vonda N. McIntyre

Women's Weird, Melissa Edmundson (ed.)

British Weird, James Machin (ed.)

Kingdoms of Elfin by Silvia Townsend Warner

After the Death Of Ellen Keldberg by Eddie Thomas Petersen

The Caravaners, by Elizabeth von Arnim

www.handheldpress.co.uk

For more detailed show notes and our archive of over 80 episodes go to 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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. 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, it helps other listeners find us.

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We discuss The Memory Police, a haunting dystopian novel that explores questions of power, trauma and state surveillance written by Yoko Ogawa, one of Japan's leading contemporary novelists.

Set on an unnamed island, the narrator of The Memory Police describes how every so often something in the inhabitants' lives will disappear. Birds, roses, books, one by one these things vanish overnight and the next day people wake up to find they have lost the memory of them. The Memory Police then arrive to enforce the disappearance, rounding up and destroying all evidence of the disappeared thing. They are also on the hunt for those few members of the population who have the ability to retain their memories, something hard to disguise. These people too must disappear, but what happens to them? The narrator tries to save her friend, R, by hiding him in a concealed room. But as more and more things disappear it starts to become unclear what she is saving him for.

An uncomfortable read that provoked mixed feelings among Laura's book group, but which, on reflection, we think could have been one of the best book club books we have ever done. Listen in to hear more, why Yoko Ogawa is the Georgette Heyer of Japan, and how Laura is about to become a disappeared thing herself. Plus our recommendations for your next book club read.

Books mentioned on the show: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Never Let Me Go and The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and The Happy Reader magazine.

Find full show notes, plus our archive of over 80 episodes, book reviews and articles on our new website: thebookclubreview.co.uk

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Wondering which of the Booker shortlisted novels to read? Look no further, we've got the rundown of all of them in our Booker Prize special. We're joined by previous podcast guests Phil Chaffee and Sarah Oliver to discuss the six titles. Due to Covid we weren't able to be in the same room, but that didn't hold us back. It's book club, so whether we loved them or loathed them, you'll get to hear what we really thought. Plus we play a game of 'Snog, Marry, Avoid' with Booker books, and offer up our favourite reads from past years.

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Find full show notes including extra links on our website www.thebookclubreview.co.uk

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The perfect solution when your book club wants to read a classic, but no-one quite has the energy for the 19th-century greats, Bonjour Tristesse clocks in at just over 100 pages and was written by Françoise Sagan when she was only a teenager. It became an instant bestseller in France, and subsequently around the world, and has remained a hugely popular read ever since. What did Kate's book club make of it? Did they find it fabulous or frivolous? Listen in to find out. We also have some book recommendations for your next read or book club discussion. Check out our new website for extended show notes including some extra links: www.thebookclubreview.co.uk

Book recommendations

Cheri and Claudine at School by Colette

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Au Revoir, Tristesse by Viv Groskop

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Our bookshelf episodes are the ones where we get to let our hair down and talk about the things we're reading outside of our book clubs, the books that we get to pick and choose. So listen in as Kate is bewitched by the new Susanna Clarke novel Piranesi, charmed by Shirley Jackson's memoir of raising her children in Life Among the Savages, and has a guilty confession to make about To Calais in Ordinary Time by James Meek. In Laura's stack are supernatural thriller Himself by Jess Kidd, Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb and The Observations by Jane Harris. Not to mention some guilty pleasure reading of Georgette Heyer and Alison Croggon's fantasy series of Pellinor novels. It's a packed episode, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it.

For detailed notes on this episode, and over 70 other episodes of book club discussions, interviews and features you can find us at our new website: www.thebookclubreview.co.uk. Drop us a line there and say hello, we'd love to hear from you. Tell us what books are keeping you turning the pages right now?

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Identical twin sisters Stella and Desiree Vignes grow up together in a small, southern black community where the inhabitants have noteably light skin. When they run away at the age sixteen they make very different choices. One will marry and then return to her hometown, the other will live her life passing for white, knowing she can never go back. What will happen, though, when the next generation of their families connects? Race, identity, family, love, belonging, all thoughtfully woven through a compulsive page-turner that had both Laura and Kate's book clubs talking... We may just have found the perfect book club book. Did we have anything bad to say about it? Listen in to find out. Booklist: A Drop of Patience by William Melvin Kelley, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo and Passing by Nella Larsen Upcoming shows will be on Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan and The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. Why not read along with us. Drop us a line and let us know what you think, and we can weave your comments into the show.

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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, it helps other listeners find us and means you'll never miss an episode.

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More than ever as we gradually emerge from lockdown we find ourselves appreciating the natural world and the joys of walking. The perfect time then to revisit our interview with Emily's Walking Book Club to hear about the inherent pleasures of walking and talking about books. And picking up on the theme we have some handpicked recommendations for you, perfect for topping up your TBR pile.

From past-podcast favourites such as Peter Matthiessen's Snow Leopard to new release The Well Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith, we found walking and the natural world an easy fit when it came to recommendations. Laura has a theory that all readers like walking, and walkers like reading. But is she right? Or maybe like Kate you try to do both at the same time. Listen in to hear all about it.

For more information about Emily's walking book club including what's coming up and how to book tickets, check out Emily's website emilyrhodeswriter.com

Books mentioned by Emily: The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson, West with the Night by Beryl Markham, Westwood by Stella Gibbons, All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West, The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee, Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple, Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig, and Brodeck's Report by Philippe Claudel.

Kate and Laura's recommendations: The Salt Path by Raynor Wynn, The Gift by Alison Croggon, The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane, Flâneuse: Women Walk the City by Lauren Elkin, and The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us a line at thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you're not already, do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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In real life, Bill Clinton asked Hillary Rodham to marry him three times before she finally said yes. The rest is history. But in Sittenfeld's alternative world, Hillary says no, and their lives diverge from there. Hillary is alone and heartbroken, but she's also free to pursue her own political ambitions – and free from the humiliating sexual scandals that will plague Bill's political career.

Sittenfeld deftly mines the 'What if?" possibilities of her premise, but does the novel live up to the hype? Or is it just literary fan fiction? An exercise in wishful thinking?

Journalist Phil Chaffee joins us to give Rodham the full book club treatment. It's a no holds barred discussion as we try to figure out whether the novel is an ingenious yet plausible glimpse of an alternative reality, or just a writer capitalising on a famous name.

What is your book club reading next?

At the end of the show, keep listening for our follow-on recommendations, all inspired by Rodham. In this episode, that includes:

• American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
• 'Up, Simba' from Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace
• Political Fictions by Joan Didion
• Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

Other books mentioned in this episode:

• Prep, Sisterland and You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

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'Beach read', 'holiday read', 'summer read'. This year there's another term in the mix: the 'stay-cation read'. But whatever you call it, for us summer reading is all about choice. Reading what you want. Not reading what you should.

So, what do YOU feel like reading? Well, we're here to help you decide. Speed read. Comforting classic. Wish fulfillment romance. Genre-bending Whodunnit. Rollicking historical epic. Forgotten 1930s gem. We've got you covered.

Listen in to find your perfect 'beach read' – even if you're nowhere near a beach.

We're joined by Emily of the Walking Book Group of Hampstead Heath, Elizabeth Morris of the Crib Notes newsletter, friend and journalist Phil Chaffee – who joins us on upcoming episode devoted to Rodham – and Simon of the Tea and Books podcast.

This show is all about recommendations. Here's a list of everything we cover:

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
• Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
• Sea of Poppies by Amitav Gosh
• Highland Fling by Nancy Mitford
• Middlemarch by George Eliot
• Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
• Business As Usual by Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford
• The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan
• The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo

Also mentioned:

• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala
• The Meaning of Rice by Michael Booth
• Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
• Love in a Cold Climate, The Pursuit of Love and Wigs on the Green by Nancy Mitford
• In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh
• Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane
• H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

You can find out more about Emily's Walking Book Club, including how to join, here. We'd also encourage you to watch Emily sing the praises of Middlemarch, part of her brilliant lockdown series.

Have a listen to Tea or Books with Simon (Stuck in a Book) and Rachel (Book Snob) as they debate ideas around books. Warning: have your notepad at the ready, as this show will leave you with a ton of recommendations.

For more recommendations, from the back list to the hottest new new releases, sign up for Crib Notes, Elizabeth Morris's monthly newsletter. Follow her on Instagram @cribnotesbookclub and Twitter @elizabethmoya for more tips and reviews.

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Author, podcaster and reader Daisy Buchanan joins Kate to discuss Read Yourself Happy, her latest book that explores 'shelf-help' and the healing power of books and reading to inspire, comfort and fortify. You might not think that someone who regularly interviews literary stars like Anne Patchett and Lauren Groff on her podcast 'You're Booked' might also be someone who has struggled throughout her life with anxiety. Find out how books helped Daisy overcome her fears and inspired her to be adventurous in the manner of her favourite literary heroines. We also discuss the practicalities of the reading life, how to manage a mountainous TBR, and insider stories from the Jilly Cooper book club. With Valentine's Day in mind, find out how to 'Read Yourself Romantic' with Daisy's favourite romance novels. Oh, and you'll get about a million other brilliant book recommendations along the way!

Notes

If you're interested to try a Serious Readers lamp use our special offer code BCR at checkout for £150 off any HD light.

Looking for your perfect bookish match? Use our offer code BookClubReview for 10% off a subscription to Book Lovers Dating.

Reading list

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Strange Beach by Oliwaseun Olawiola

The Pirahna Club: Power and Influence in Formula 1 by Timothy Collings (my husband's book, by the way, in case you were wondering. He's been dipping in for something he's working on.)

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe

Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Rivals by Jilly Cooper

The Come Up by Jonathan Abrams

I Want my MYV by Rob Tannenbaum

Uncommon People by Miranda Sawyer

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny

Us by David Nicholls

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser Akner

Peter Hujar's Day by Linda Rosenkrantz

Deano: Life After Football by Dean Windass

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart

Camp by Paul Baker

Notes from the Henhouse by Elspeth Barker

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

The Gemma Books by Noel Streatfield

Love Junkie by Robert Plunket

Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes

Expiation by Elizabeth Von Arnim

They Were Sisters and Greenbanks by Dorothy Whipple

The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

Mhairi McFarlane - various titles, try If I Never Met You

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It's a summer sizzler of a Bookshelf with rave reviews from both Laura and Kate for their eclectic books of choice. For Kate, it's all about hot contemporary reads, including Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House, an eye-opening memoir about an abusive lesbian relationship. Whereas Laura's enchanted by the African adventures of 1930s aviatrix Beryl Markham, and dazzled by William Melvin Kelley's portrait of a black musician in Jazz Age America.

Listen in to hear what we made of…

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener

Morning by Allan Jenkins

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

A Drop of Patience by William Melvin Kelley

The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

Also mentioned on this episode:

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

Out of Africa by Karen Blixen

Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou – listen in to episode 55 for a full discussion

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

Plot 29 by Allan Jenkins

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker – listen in to episode 38 for a full discussion

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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com.

If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts – we love to hear from you, and you'll never miss an episode.

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The short story. Sad sister to the novel? Or pinnacle of the literary form? In this episode, Laura sets out to persuade Kate, self-professed short story sceptic, she's got it all wrong.

Since the Covid Crisis went global, Laura's book club has been working their way through That Glimpse of Truth: 100 of the Finest Short Stories Ever Written selected by the late literary agent David Miller. One short story, once a week, with a Zoom chat every Monday to discuss it.

Listen in to hear the standout stories – and if Kate is convinced.

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Books mentioned on this episode:

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munroe

The Tenth of December by George Saunders

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, which we discussed in detail on episode 63.

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Laura's book club read:

That Glimpse of Truth: 100 of the Finest Short Stories Ever Written, selected by David Miller

Stories from the collection mentioned on the show:

'Mr Know-All' by W. Somerset Maugham

'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe

'The Children Stay' by Alice Munro

'D'Accord Baby' by Hanif Kureishi

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Subscribe to us and never miss an episode. And if you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review us! It helps other listeners find us.

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In honour of National Reading Group Day and World Refugee Day, we discuss The Beekeeper of Aleppo, the bestselling novel by Christy Lefteri.

It's a heartrending and important novel. The story of Nuri and Afra, a devastated couple forced to flee their home in Aleppo in the hopes of reaching safety in the UK.

Harrowing and haunting, it's a must read. But did it make for a good discussion book? Is there any hope amid the heartbreak? Listen in to find out.

We sat down to discuss it with special guest and fellow podcast host Anna Baillie Karas of Books on the Go.

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If you'd like to be more involved, Christy Lefteri suggests at the end of her book that you seek out the following organisations:

Open Cultural Centre, an NGO and education project in northern Greece

Faros (The Lighthouse), a Christian non-profit providing humanitarian care in Athens

Salusbury World, a charity supporting refugees in the UK.

The Buzz Project, a Yorkshire charity founded by the Syrian apiarist Professor Ryad Alsous.

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Books mentioned in this episode:

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Disoriental by Negar Djavadi

I Will Never See the World Again by Ahmet Altan

What Is The What by Dave Eggers

Cleanness by Garth Greenwell

How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

The Nickel Boys and Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Simon the Fiddler and The News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

Au Revoir, Tristesse by Viv Groskop

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We cross the Atlantic to catch up with Claire Handscombe, presenter and producer of BritLit, a fortnightly podcast that tracks what's going on in the British publishing world.

We talk about Claire's novel Unscripted, which she highly recommends as a beach read, whether you're able to go to an actual beach or just have to make do with a deckchair in your garden.

Claire also gives us a shelf's worth of great book recommendations, plus some top tips for anyone thinking of making a books podcast of their own.

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Books mentioned in this episode:

Unscripted by Claire Handscombe

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere by Celest Ng

The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rules for Being a Girl by Candice Bushnell and Katy Cotugno

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Head over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

The Book of Hidden Wonders by Polly Crosby

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For more details on Claire, check out her website Britlitblog.com. We also love her Twitter feed @britlitpodcast, which is regularly updated with great links from the book world.

For any Wingnuts out there who might be listening, you can also check out Claire's book Walk With Us: How the West Wing Changed Our Lives.

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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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and take a moment to rate and review us, it helps other listeners find us and means you'll never miss an episode. Plus we love to hear from you.

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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a publishing phenomenon: a debut novel that has sold more print copies in 2019 than any other adult title, fiction or non-fiction.

Appropriately, given our current Corona lockdown situation, it's a book about a girl who lives isolated in the wilderness, wrestling with loneliness. The plot draws together romance, crime and a courtroom drama building to a suspenseful conclusion.

A page-turner, then, but what did Kate's book club make of it? Listen in to find out.

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Books mentioned on this episode:

Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, Furious Hours by Casey Cep, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald and The Outrun by Amy Liptrot.

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For more book reviews and recommendations between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com.

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We love our book clubs, but what do we read when we get to choose for ourselves? In this episode we have an eclectic mix, encompassing everything from hot new releases to out-of-print old childhood favourites, with some musing on just what it is we're looking for in a good Lockdown read.

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Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Weather by Jenny Offill

The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

Home by Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah

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The London Metropolitan Archives was established to collect, preserve, celebrate and share the stories of London and Londoners. They also have a book club. We sit down with Claire Titley and Charlie Turpie to learn more about it in an episode chock-full of great reading suggestions.

If you're interested in joining the London Metropolitan Archives book club you can stay up to date with all their events by following them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @ldnmetarchives. And you can find Claire on Instagram @clairelouisetitley and Charlie @charliebooksandcoffee

Books mentioned in this episode were:

Penelope Lively's City of the Mind

This is London by Ben Judah, and do check out our episode 9 for my book club's spirited discussion of that book

Margery Allingham's Campion Novels, including The Tiger in the Smoke

Mrs Dalloway and The Years by Virginia Woolf,

Mr Loverman and Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

James Boswell's London Journal,

Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series

Next episode: Bookshelf, in which we discuss Exciting Times by Naoise Doolan, Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, The Hottest Dishes of the Tatar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky, Weather by Jenny Offill and Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. That episode is coming soon.

Next up for book club is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, a haunting tale of love and murder set in the marshland of South Carolina that has found millions of readers, topping bestseller lists around the world, but what did my book club think? Were they as ravished as Reese Witherspoon, who didn't read the last ten pages because she didn't want the book to end. Coming soon.

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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. If you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review us on iTunes, we really appreciate it.

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Part novel, part poem, Lanny evokes a typical English village whose residents are observed by an ancient spirit of nature – with a particular interest in one child.

The Guardian called it '...a fable, a collage, a dramatic chorus, a joyously stirred cauldron of words', but what did Kate's book club make of it?

We discuss, and share some recommendations for your next book club read, including Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss and The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.

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Books mentioned on this episode:

Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

Gwelio, Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood by Martin Booth

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

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Comfort reads to curl up with? Or books that provoke, stimulate and challenge? In this episode, we share our latest lockdown reads.

We stay close to home with period drama Belgravia by Julian Fellowes, and London-based fantasy Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. We escape to Provence with unreconstructed male-wish-fulfillment novel Hotel Pastis by Peter Mayle, and escape altogether with the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Cobb. We're delighted by heartwarming romance Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda, and intrigued by Lost at Sea by Jon Ronson. We walk in the footsteps of Raynor Winn on The Salt Path and finally consider the practicalities of sheep farming with The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks.

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For many parents home-schooling their children over the coming weeks, the idea of reading in snatches of borrowed time will strike a strong chord.

After the birth of her son, Elizabeth Morris decided to put her career in the book world to good use and set up Crib Notes, a book club in newsletter form. Every month, she curates the perfect book recommendations for new and busy mothers. 'Sometimes you just need a little spark of mental stimulation to remind you of who you are beyond being a mother', Elizabeth explains.

Listen in for some fantastic book recommendations – for all readers, not just mums! – and some great practical tips for how to fit in reading when all you have are stolen moments.

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Sign up for Crib Notes at tinyletter.com/CribNotes

Find Elizabeth on Twitter @elizabethmoya and on Instagram @cribnotesbookclub

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Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

My Wild and Furious Nights by Clover Stroud

Constellations, Sinead Gleeson

I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell

Weather by Jenny Offill

The Panic Years, Nell Frizzell

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

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Keep up with what we're doing between episodes on Instagram and facebook @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod, and email us anytime at thebookclubreview@gmail.com, we'd love to hear from you. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us, it helps other listeners find us and means you'll never miss an episode.

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Olga Tokarczuk's haunting 'health resort horror story' may have wow-ed the critics, but how did it fare with Laura's book club? Phil, Sarah and Laura join Kate to discuss it. You'll also find out the books we've been reading lately, and our suggestions for follow-on reads if The Empusium leaves you hankering for more.

Books mentioned

The Sewing Girl's Tale by John Wood Sweet

Two Step Devil by Jamie Quattro

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Strange Beach by Oluwaseum Olayiwola

The Fizcarraldo poetry subscription

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk

Sanatorium by W. Somerset Maugham

The Wind Rises by Hayao Miyazaki

The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft

The Paper Hound bookshop

The Plague and I by Betty Macdonald

Backlisted episode #138

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Schwärmerai

NOTES

Support the show and get exclusive subscriber benefits

On Patreon: weekly-ish minisodes, chat groups, special feature episodes, War & Peace readalong, and at the higher tier join the monthly book club

Or via Substack: weekly-ish minsodes and special feature episodes

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Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang clocked in at number 80 on The Guardian's list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Barack Obama's a fan too. But what about Laura's book club? What did they make of this mesmerising collection of eight stories, one of which formed the basis of the film Arrival starring Amy Adams?

Real-life rocket scientists Kristy and Ed join the discussion and weigh in on the big questions. Like, will reading Chiang make you more intelligent? Do you have to be a sci-fi devotee to enjoy these stories? And finally, did the book make for a good book club discussion? All this, plus some great book recommendations for your next read.

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Find us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast

on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod

email thebookclubreview@gmail.com

Please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, it helps other listeners find us and means you'll never miss an episode.

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Books mentioned

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Wally Funk's Race for Space: The Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer by Sue Nelson

Pavane by Keith Roberts

Ed's author recommendations: John Brunner, James Blish ('Cities in Flight' and 'The Seedling Stars' [with the puddle story 'Surface Tension'] among others), and Algis Budrys

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Laura reports in on The Wych Elm by Tana French, The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne and The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman. Kate's stack consists of Love by Hanne Ostavik, The Anna Karenina Effect by Viv Groskop and Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Join us as we review them and figure out if there are any book club gems in there.

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Drop us a line at thebookclubreview@gmail.com, follow us on facebook or instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast or on twitter @bookclubrvwpod. And if you enjoy the show do take a moment to rate and review us on iTunes, it helps other listeners find us and brings us joy.

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Fleishman is in Trouble tells the story of Toby, a successful NYC doctor whose almost ex-wife Rachel has vanished, leaving him alone with their two children. But is she the selfish, self-absorbed, neglectful mother he portrays?

It's been described as a Trojan Horse of a novel, a sharp, dry portrait of the blind spots that come with male privilege and entitlement. But what did Laura's book club make of it? Listen in to find out.

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This Tom Hanks Story Will Help You Feel Less Bad (New York Times)

How Taffy Brodesser-Akner Thrives on Stress (Real Simple magazine)

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Reading the right books is key to making your book club a success. But how to choose?

Listen in to hear the top 10 books we think make for perfect book club reads. They vary from fiction to non-fiction, and cut across every genre and subject. But they're all highly readable, packed full of ideas and will divide opinion – always good for a sparky debate.

Want more? See below for links to the episodes where we've discussed these books in more detail.

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1. Educated by Tara Westover. Episode 22

2. Putney by Sofka Zinovieff

3. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. Episode 55

4. Supper Club by Lara Williams

5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Episode 33

6. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

7. East West Street by Philippe Sands. Episode 18

8. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

9. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. Episode 8

10. This is London by Ben Judah. Episode 9

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Ready to start your own book club?

This special episode tells you how, from who to invite and what books (or genre) to read, to the pitfalls you'll want to avoid.

It's packed full of inspiration and advice from book clubs we've interviewed over the years, including the Proust Book Group in Paris, London's own Jilly Cooper book club, a Horror Book Club and the Walking Book Club of Hampstead Heath.

We've even come up with the top 10 recommended book club books guaranteed to get the discussing going. So, listen in for everything you need to know to start and run a flourishing book group.

How to find the right book club books? Here are some of our recommended places to look: newspapers summer reading guides and end of year lists, in particular The Times and Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Observer and The Financial Times, The Washington Post and the New York Times; prizes The Booker Prize, The Booker International Prize (for books in translation), The Women's Prize, The Wainwright Prize (for nature writing), The Costa Book Awards, The Goldsmiths Prize (for books that open up new possibilities in the novel form), The Baillie Gifford Prize (for non-fiction), The Walter Scott Prize (for historical-fiction), in the US The National Book Award, the Pulitzer, Barack Obama's annual reading list, in Australia the Miles Franklin and the Stella Prize, and back in Europe Kate's favourite, The Dublin Literary Award (for books nominated by libraries around the world)

Book clubs mentioned in the show:

Emily's Walking Book Club of Hampstead Heath

Simon Thomas's Book of the Year Club

The Horror Book Club

The Lesbian Book Club

The London Literary Salon (Toby Brothers)

Ink84 Bookshop book club

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In our stacks this episode: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Seven Days in the Artworld by Sarah Thornton, 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury by Helene Hanff and Help Me! by Marianne Power. Listen in to find out what we thought of them, and whether there are any gems in there for your next book club read.

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Pat Barker's retelling of the Iliad from the female perspective proves a surprisingly marmite read. It was shortlisted for the Women's Prize and received widespread critical praise but Kate's book club was less convinced. Listen in to find out whether we loved or loathed it, plus some recommendations for your next book club read.

Laura's off for this episode, back for our next Bookshelf show, coming soon. THIS SHOW CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS.

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A book club for people who don't like the idea of all having to read the same book. At Bee's Bookshare everyone brings a book they've loved, loathed, can't put down or can't get into and shares them – best of all everyone gets to take away a new read at the end. We met up with Bryony Bishop, founder of Bee's Bookshare, to find out more.

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Books mentioned:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting

Stoner by John Williams

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

Having a Wonderful Crime by Craig Rice

Salt on your Tongue by Charlotte Runcie.

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Bees Bookshare meets every other month, visit beesbookshare.co.uk for the latest event details and news.

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Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, it helps other listeners find us and means you'll never miss an episode. Thanks :)

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We delve into the whirlwind story of Elizabeth Holmes and her biotech company Theranos. At its height, valued at 9 billion dollars. At its heart, a product that didn't work.

In this compelling book, Wall Street Journal writer John Carreyrou sets out his dogged efforts to penetrate the wall of fear and intimidation that hid the truth. Gripping stuff, but did it make for a good book club read? What did Kate's book club think?

Listen in to find out.

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Listen in as we discuss the books we've reading outside of book club. In Laura's stack: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Queenie, by Candice Carty Williams, while Kate has The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, The Friend by Sigrid Nunez and The Easternmost House by Juliet Blaxland. We also discuss the Wainwright Prize shortlist, how to dip into your TBR and whether there are any gems in all of these for your next book club read.

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Step into a world of philosophical musings and practical wisdom with Oliver Burkeman. 'Meditations for Mortals' is his latest book designed as a four-week mental retreat, promising to help readers lead a 'saner, freer, and more enchantment-filled life'. Oliver joins Kate to talk about everything from the inspiration he took from Marcus Aurelius to how to invite people over without feeling like you have to spend three hours tidying the house. He also reveals his tips on making life-changes that stick, and the books he turns to when he's not reading for work.

Keen to test out the methodology, Kate is then joined by City high-flyer and busy mother-of-three Emily Bohill to discover how Meditations for Mortals works in practice. From managing work-life balance to facing literal rats in the PTA shed, we explore whether the lessons of Meditations are ones that will stay.

This episode is for everyone who is keen to turn knowledge into action and embrace life's imperfections. No less important is the fact that Meditations for Mortals is perfect for sparking deep conversations, and there's nothing we love more at The Book Club Review than that.

Reading list 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis Find out more and sign up for The Imperfectionist (a free newsletter) at Oliver Burkeman's website Subscribe and support the show Want more from the pod? You can subscribe to The Book Club Review via Patreon. Click through for full details and to sign up with a 7-day free trial. You'll get a weekly-ish minisode, with access to the full archive, and extra bits and bobs like extended episodes or Patreon-only specials, plus access to book recommendations from Kate and fellow pod fans in the chat group. At the higher tier you can join the pod book club and come and talk books with me, Kate, in person. We meet on the last Sunday of the month via Zoom, with a recording posted to listen back to anytime. In February we're reading All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, and in March it's Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munroe. Upcoming books are decided by members vote, so join in and suggest one that you would love to read and discuss. If you're a Substacker you can also subscribe and support the pod there. (It's slightly cheaper as you don't get the chat or the book club options, but everything else is just the same.) Timecodes for the time-poor

00:00 Introduction

01:32 An overview of the book, and the degree to which Oliver Burkeman put himself in there

03:55 The relationship between Meditations for Mortals and Four Thousand Weeks

06:24 Imperfectionism

10:45 Practical Applications and personal reflections

13:01 Field-testing the book's methodology

29:37 Daily-ish and embracing imperfection

34:34 Scruffy hospitality and overcoming procrastination

45:34 Has it changed our lives?

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Annie and Dave tell us about their family book club that has kept their family engaging with books and debating their merits for seven years now. They give us their tips for making it work and we follow up with some recommendations for books we might try out on our own families.

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A sweeping and evocative portrait of an Egyptian family at a time of great social change, from Nobel Prizewinning author Naguib Mahfouz. 'Writing worthy of a Tolstoy, a Flaubert or a Proust' said The Independent newspaper but what did Laura's book club make of it? Listen in to find out, plus lots of great recommendations to help you find your next book club read.

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Recommendations were Women of Sand and Myrrh by Hanan Al-Shaykh, The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and Sally recommended The Map of Love by Ahdef Soueif and The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning.

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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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, it helps other listeners find us and means you'll never miss an episode.

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Our latest interview is with Tyona Campbell, owner of Barnabees, a very special secondhand bookshop tucked away in the small Suffolk village of Westleton.

Tyona tells us about how her shop is in a small way a protest against the data-gathering online giants, why in her shop you don't so much find the books as they find you, and why books benefit from being coddled and canoodled. She also has a couple of great recommendations for your next book club read.

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Follow Barnabees on Instagram @barnabeesbooks, and if you want to visit in person the shop is located on the Yoxford Road in Westleton, IP17 2AF. It's open Thursday–Sunday 11am–5pm.

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If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow BCRP on Instagram or Facebook @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, it helps other listeners find us and means you'll never miss an episode.

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The Happy Reader is a magazine that takes the idea of a book club as its inspiration. To celebrate the launch of their latest issue we're revisiting one of our favourite interviews, with editor Seb Emina. He told us about the careful thinking and attention to detail that goes into putting the magazine together plus has some great book recommendations and a radical suggestion for a book club where no-one is allowed to mention the book club book. Intrigued? Then listen on.

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Find out more about The Happy Reader magazine and read along with their next book of the season at www.thehappyreader.com

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Books recommended were Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard, The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, which we also covered in episode 13 of the podcast.

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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 why not drop us a line at thebookclubreview@gmail.com and tell us about your book club. And if you're not already, do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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My Sister the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite's superbly titled debut novel, has been one of the literary sensations of 2019 –nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction and long listed for the Booker.

But what did both our book clubs make of it? Does it merit all the acclaim? Listen in to find out.

Heads up: it's SPOILER-full, so don't listen unless you've read the book, or have no intention of reading it.

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Books mentioned on this episode:

Ponti by Sharlene Teo, Half of a Yellow Sun, Why We Should All be Feminists, and Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngoze Adiche and Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

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On our next book club show, we'll be discussing Palace Walk, the first novel in Nobel Prize-winner Naguib Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy.

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Tucked away in London's Soho is a hidden gem of a bookshop. The Second Shelf sells rare and antiquarian books, modern first editions, ephemera, manuscripts, and rediscovered works – all by women.

We sit down with proprietor A. N. Devers to learn how she went from rare-book dealing to shopkeeping. We also hear about the bookshelves that regularly make customers gasp, and why all women should think about collecting books by women writers.

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For more information check out The Second Shelf's website www.thesecondshelf.com, find them on Twitter @secondshelfbks or Instagram @secondshelfbooks

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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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you're not already, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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It's a slight volume, but packs a powerful punch. Each of its short essays was smuggled out of the prison where Altan serves – and continues to serve – a life sentence.

The book has been championed by author, international human rights lawyer and general real-life Mark Darcy figure Philippe Sands, while writer A. L. Kennedy said 'Read this – it will explain why you ever read anything, why anyone ever writes.' But what did Kate's book club make of it?

Listen in to find out. Plus our usual range of recommendations for your next book club read.

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Books mentioned on this episode:

• A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk
• A Day in the Life of Yvan Denisovich by Alexander Solyenitzhn
• The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
• Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières

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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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you're not already, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Ever dreamed of owning a bookstore? How about one a stone's throw from the beach? When she realised the British seaside town of Margate didn't have a bookshop for new titles, Francesca Wilkins realised it would be the perfect place to realise her lifelong ambition and launch her own store. Listen in for the behind-the-scenes story, some great book recommendations and the secret, in a nutshell, to running a successful bookshop.

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In our Bookshelf shows we discuss the books we're reading outside of book club, the ones we get to pick and choose! Join us as we successfully identify a book perfect for beach reading this summer, get to the bottom of Kate's problem with audio books (and the cure, The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton), muse on what it's like reading a book when there's no cover image (the joys of the elegant but inscrutable Fitzcarraldo edition), discuss Laura's intentions to set aside lightweight fluff and get back into some serious reading and hear Kate's true-life encounter with Philippa Perry, author of 'The Book You Wish Your Parents had Read'.

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Books mentioned in this episode: Becoming by Michelle Obama, A Brief History of Seven Killings and Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James, The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton, Transcription by Kate Atkinson, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead, Flights and The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, Mr Salary by Sally Rooney, The Book You Wish Your Parents had Read by Philippa Perry and The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer

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If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Facebook and Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email us at thebookclubreview@gmail.com

Subscribe, like us, leave a comment, we love all that, and never miss an episode. Thanks for listening and happy reading.

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If you've ever dreamed of switching everything off and being able to read for hours, then this is the show for you. Reading Retreats run holidays where people can rediscover their love of uninterrupted reading but what is the experience really like? Your intrepid reporter from The Book Club Review went along to Matlock in Derbyshire with a stack from the TBR pile to find out.

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To find out more about Reading Retreats check out their website www.readingretreat.co.uk, or find them on facebook and twitter @retreatandread.

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Books mentioned on this show were: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey; in Annie's stack were A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Aisha Malik, Rosewater by Tade Thompson, Belonging by Umi Sinha and Among Others by Jo Walton; in Sheila's stack were The Only Story by Julian Barnes, Revenge on the Rye by Alice Castle, Washington Black by Esi Edugyan and Broken Ground by Val McDermid and A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert; Sarah Ward recommended The Silence of the Sea by Yrsa Sigurdardottir and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters; and in my stack were Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner, There There by Tommy Orange, Bad Blood by Jon Carreyrou and Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday.

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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 thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you're not already, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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It's a new year and a new episode. Join Kate and Laura as they consider reading intentions for the year ahead, and try to set some realistic goals. Will 2025 be the year Kate gets into poetry? Will it be the year Laura weans herself off romance novels? And as always, they're thinking of book club reads to come. Meanwhile Phil sets a goal for himself in 2025 that might surprise you.

Books mentioned

4,000 Weeks and Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Rejection by Tony Tulithamutte

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

The George Smiley novels by John le Carre

Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway

My Struggle, Karl Ove Knausgard

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Assembly and Universality by Natasha Brown

Also a Poet and Crush by Ada Calhoun

Our Country Friends and Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart

Intimacies and Audition by Katie Kitamura

Robert Caro's Fifth Lyndon Johnson book

Polostan by Neal Stephenson

Finance for the People by Paca Leon

Essays of E. B. White

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk

My Friends by Hisham Matar

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel

The Gifts of Reading, Robert Macfarlane (ed)

Untitled Memoir from Nicola Sturgeon

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind trilogy)

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Living and Death and Intimations by Zadie Smith

Notes

If you're looking for inspiration in your reading life over the coming year why not subscribe to The Book Club Review Patreon. In addition to the various special episodes you'll find on there, you'll get The Book Club Review Weekend, my weeky-ish bonus episode just for Patrons, featuring Laura's reading updates and regular chats with friends of the pod. Laura and I have cooked up a new feature, called One Book Wonder, that allows us to talk about those books that slip through the cracks between regular episodes. Listen in for our thoughts on Good Material by Dolly Alderton.

You get all that at the entry level, but at the higher tier you can also join the podcast book club and come and talk books with me in person at the end of every month over zoom, or listen back anytime if you can't make the live session. In January we're reading the novel that appeared on many a best-of-the-year list, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, In February we're we're reading All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, a museum guard's quest to find solace and meaning in art, and in March it's short stories with Hateship, Friendship, Loveship, Courtship, Marriage by Alice Munroe. But will they make for good book club reads? Join me and the book clubbers over on Patreon and find out. Join our bookish community, get brilliant book recommendations and get the warm glow from knowing that you're supporting me in making the show. Head to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview and sign up today.

Otherwise come and find me anytime on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast or check out our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk. But for now, thanks for listening and happy book clubbing.

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One book club in south London have found a way to get even more out of their book club meetings, and that's to invite the authors along. Listen in to hear more about the 'Wilde Imagination' book club, plus tips on how to manage your group so that everyone, from the loudest to the quietest, gets to have a say.

Books mentioned on this show: A Girl In Traffick by Mamta Valderrama, Eleanor Oliphant is Perfectly Fine by Gail Honeyman, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Get in touch with us at thebookclubreview@gmail.com, follow us on Instagram @thebookclubreviewpod or leave us a comment on iTunes, we'd love to hear from you. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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We're joined by author Phyllis Richardson to discuss Golden Hill, Francis Spufford's rollicking historical novel. It has plot full of more twists and turns than a slide at Centerparcs so we've split the episode into two; the first half is the safety zone where we won't spoil the plot for you, but if you have read it and want to dive deeper listen on for part two. Come back to us at the end for our recommendations and to hear more about Phyllis's wonderful book about authors and their houses, House of Fiction.

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Books mentioned: The Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine (discussed in full detail in episode 6 of the pod), The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson, The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey, Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne.

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House of Fiction by Phyllis Richardson is published by Unbound.

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Masterpiece from the contemporary heir to Samuel Beckett or demanding endurance read with not nearly enough paragraph breaks? We debate Anna Burns' Booker-Prize winning novel – a tale of suffocating gossip, ever-present violence and one young woman's struggle to retain her sense of self during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. For this show we were joined by @jenny.mccullough who brought a fascinating perspective to it from her Northern Irish background.

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Books mentioned: The People's Act of Love by James Meek, A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear Macbride, Days Without End by Sebastian Barry, Troubles by J. G. Farrell, The Trial by Franz Kafka, The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry.

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The twitter feed Jenny mentions is from Dr. Caroline Magennis, @DrMagennis, for Northern Irish literature recommendations.

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