In this episode Kate is joined by Amanda Moulson, co-host of the Curious Readers podcast, to consider the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist. Ahead of the prize ceremony next week, which one do we think will win? Perhaps like Amanda you have read them all, but if, like Kate, you’re going to struggle to get to all six, which ones should you focus on? Which are the standout reads? Which are the books most likely to delight, surprise, and stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page?
We’re covering all six books, and you’ll also find out what Amanda has on her TBR, the books she most loves recommending, and how a busy book podcaster organises her bookshelves.
Timestamps for the time-poor
00:00 Welcome and Prize Preview
01:31 Meet Amanda Molson
01:44 Quickfire Reading Habits
03:18 Bookshelf Organization
04:06 Favorite Recs and Current Reads
06:20 Kate’s Power Broker Detour
08:54 Patreon Readalong and Book Club
10:12 Women’s Prize Context and History
15:09 Shortlist Book 1 Flashlight
20:51 Shortlist Book 2 Dominion
25:23 Shortlist Book 3 The Correspondent
26:31 Sybil’s Dark Past
27:07 Audiobook Clip Letters
29:15 Cozy Yet Dark
30:22 Famous Author Replies
31:14 Sybil Effect Debate
32:49 Craft and Book Clubs
33:28 The Mercy Step Setup
34:40 Mercy Step Clip
36:35 Child Narrator Power
37:12 Small Press Spotlight
38:01 Kingfisher Obsessive Love
38:50 Kingfisher Clip Warning
40:40 Kingfisher Reactions
41:35 Heart the Lover Clip
44:07 Two Halves Romance
45:36 Illness and Mortality
47:33 Marketing and Triggers
49:04 Winner Predictions
51:23 Wrap Up and Patreon
52:25 Kate’s Recent Reads and Outro
Books mentioned
You’ll find all the titles we mentioned in our Bookshop.org list. Buying books there helps support independent bookshops, and also supports The Book Club Review.
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate
Open Book by Jessica Simpson
A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken
The Power Broker by Robert Caro
We Are Green and Trembling Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
Feminist History for Every Day of the Year by Kate Mosse
The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden
Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Flashlight by Susan Choi
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson
Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
A Bookshop of One’s Own by Jane Cholmeley
Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
The Director by Daniel Kehlman
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
This is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin
