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Best book club books of 2021

Best Book Club Books of 2021 • Episode #109 Part 1

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

It’s time for our best book club books of 2021. In Part 1 of our two-part end-of-year special we look back over our book club reads. Which ones have stayed with us? Which ones sparked debate? And which will we crown our book club book of the year? We also hear from Gary Wigglesworth, author […]

In Part 1 of our end-of-year special episode we look back over the book club books we've read this year. Which have stayed with us? Which were our favourites? And which is our book club book of the year?

Kate Sawyer author

The Stranding with Kate Sawyer • #108

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Join us as we talk all things books, whales and the 2021 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. Listen via the media player above or your favourite podcast app. ‘Ruth lives in the […]

Kate Sawyer, joins us, author of the Costa shortlisted novel The Stranding, in which a woman survives the end of the world by hiding inside a beached whale. We also consider the broader canon of apocalypse novels, we've got three brilliant book-club recommendations from Kate (see below) plus follow-on reads from us, and we get a sneak peak into Kate's reading pile as she lets us in on some of her recent favourites.

Matrix by Lauren Groff book cover

Matrix by Lauren Groff • #107

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Join us as we dive into Lauren Groff’s latest novel, Matrix. This short, unusual novel is a fictional account of the life of 12-century poet Marie de France, a cast-off from Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine’s court, exiled to be Prioress at a run-down abbey inhabited by starving nuns. Devastated and grieving the young Marie thinks […]

Join us as we dive into Lauren Groff's latest novel, Matrix, a fictional account of the life of 12-century poet Marie de France. It's a bold vision of female love, devotion and desire and has been a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist and a hit with fellow authors like Brit Bennett and Madeleine Miller. But did it make for a good book club read? Listen in as we're joined by Phil Chaffee and Sarah Oliver to discuss it.

booker prize 2021 books

The 2021 Booker Prize episode • #106

/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Join us as we discuss the 2021 Booker shortlist in typical book club style, with returning guest, journalist Phil Chaffee, and new-to-the-pod Chrissy Ryan, owner of Bookbar, our favourite bookshop / bar. We livestream the Booker ceremony so you can catch our immediate reactions as winner Damon Galgut is announced. Did we agree? Was there […]

Join us as we watch the livestream of the 2021 Booker Prize ceremony and discuss all the books on the shortlist. Listen in to find out if we loved them or loathed them. And if you haven't dived into the shortlist yet, we've kept it spoiler free.

Second Place by Rachel Cusk book cover

Second Place by Rachel Cusk • #105

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

It’s our latest Book Club episode, and we’re discussing Rachel Cusk’s latest novel, Second Place. A woman invites a famous artist to use her guesthouse in the remote coastal landscape where she lives with her family. Powerfully drawn to his paintings, she believes his vision might penetrate the mystery at the center of her life. […]

Laura's book club tackles Second Place, the new novel by Rachel Cusk. It was longlisted but not shortlisted for the 2021 Booker – did they miss a classic? Sally Rooney has called it ‘masterful’, saying it ‘achieves a kind of formal perfection’, but did Laura's group agree? We also have four follow-on book recommendations for your next book club read.

Book cover montage

Bookshelf: back-to-school reads • #104

/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Here in the UK we’ve got a petrol crisis, the days are getting noticeably shorter and the last two weeks of unbroken autumn sunshine seem to have come to an end. Things feel a little gloomy – but happily we have a new episode out to distract us. We’ve got heavy hitters, like David Diop’s […]

Listen in as we catch up with our latest reads, everything from this year's Booker International Prize winner to a fantasy romp about teenage wizards. Listen in and let us help you decide what to read next, whether for yourself or for book club.

Adam Ashton and Adam Jones

‘What You Will Learn’ with Adam Ashton and Adam Jones • #103

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

We love book discussion here at The Book Club Review, the more books the better, so we were interested in two Australians who devour books on everything from self-improvement to business and marketing for their weekly podcast What You Will Learn. Adam Ashton and Adam Jones have recently launched their own book, The Sh*t They […]

Listen in to find out the books that can help you improve your life from Adam Ashton and Adam Jones, two Australians who have turned reading improving books into an art form with their weekly podcast What You Will Learn.

Summer Reading 2021 • #102

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

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 […]

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. Join us as we compile our essential list for Summer 2021.

Like A Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan book cover

Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan • 101

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

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 (translated by Brendan Freely and Yelda Türedi). It’s the first volume in a quartet and traces not only the social currents of the final years of the […]

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 and end up feeling a little wiser, a little more intellectual, with our cultural horizons nicely enlarged. And then, as ever, we have some follow-on book recommendations. In this episode we're joined by journalist and friend-of-the-pod Philip Chaffee.

image of books for podcast episode

Kate and Laura get personal • #100

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

For our 100th podcast 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 […]

For our 100th podcast episode we turn the spotlight on ourselves a little more than usual to answer listeners' questions. From the books we love to the ones we don't and everything in-between.

the women's prize shortlist episode

The 2021 Women’s Prize episode • #99

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

It’s here. After weeks of reading, tons of post-it notes and a smokin’ 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. You’re in safe book club hands so expect […]

It’s our 2021 Women’s Prize shortlist episode. We’re joined by guests Elizabeth Morris and Sarah Oliver to discuss every book on the shortlist. But did we love them? Did we loathe them? Most importantly who do we think should win. Listen in to our spoiler-free show and feel inspired to pick up one or all six of these amazing books.

Seb Emina The Happy Reader

The Happy Reader, with Seb Emina • #98

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

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 […]

To celebrate the launch of the latest issue of our favourite magazine, Penguin's Happy Reader, we're happily re-releasing our interview with its editor, Seb Emina. Listen in for his best book discoveries, find out what goes into creating the perfect bookish magazine and if you're thinking of starting a book club, Seb has some interesting suggestions for meet ups.

the remains of the day book cover

The Remains of the Day • #97

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Join us as we turn our attention to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Booker winning novel The Remains of the Day, which follows Stevens, butler to Lord Darlington and manager of a large stately home as he looks back on a life spent in service. Taking an opportunity from his new employer, a wealthy American, Stevens sets out […]

Laura adopts a less than reverential attitude towards Kazuo Ishiguro's Booker winning novel The Remains of the Day but does Kate agree? What did her book club think? Listen in to find out if this one is worth adding to your TBR pile, plus we've got some more great recommendations for your next book club read

Chrissy Ryan of Bookbar bookshop

Bookbar, with Chrissy Ryan • #96

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

We got together with Chrissy Ryan, founder of new North London bookshop and bar Bookbar to talk about her vision for a social space where people feel welcome whether they read a book a day, a week, a month or a year. You know when you walk into an independent bookshop and the selection is […]

Combining bookshop and bar seems almost too good to be true. Join us as we live the dream chatting to Chrissy Ryan of Bookbar, a bookshop and events space that embraces the social side of reading. Listen in for a dose of Chrissy's joyous enthusiasm for books, her essential selection of books she loves right now and her hot picks of the ones that are coming soon.

montage of book covers

Bookshelf: From Paris to Iceland via an imaginary library • #95

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Or listen via your favourite podcast app here. In this episode we get Laura’s take on Matt Haig’s bestselling novel The Midnight Library, which Kate hasn’t yet read. Should she? Meanwhile Kate gets swept into literary Paris with Deidre Bair’s memoir of her time writing biographies of Samuel Beckett and Simone de Beauvoir, Parisian Lives. Laura […]

We're both in a travelling mood as our recent reads take us from an imaginary library to real life Paris, with stopovers in Iceland, India and Greece, not to mention Kate's exciting visit to a real-life bookshop for the first time in ages. It's all here in our latest episode of Bookshelf.

Book cover Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

94. Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Or listen via your favourite podcast player here: 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. Mrs Death has had […]

Join us as we tackle this highly original 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. Why read a book about a subject most of us would prefer not to think about? Listen in to find out.

montage of book covers

93. Bookshelf: A little bit of Maas hysteria

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Listen above or via your favourite podcast player here. 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 […]

Join us as we review the books we've each been reading outside of book club – the ones we get to pick and choose for ourselves. From otherworldly bonkbuster House of Earth and Blood to a memoir of an Arctic winter our books have certainly been taking us places this month.

portrait of Ella Berthoud

92. Ella Berthoud and The Art of Mindful Reading

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Or listen via your podcast feed: https://pod.fo/e/c5bc5 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 […]

We're joined by Bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud whose book The Art of Mindful Reading promises to help us engage more deeply with the books that we read. Expect lots 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. 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 cover The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

91. The Mermaid of Black Conch

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Or listen on your podcast app. Join us as we discuss the winner of the 2020 Costa Book of the Year, an award that seemed to surprise booksellers and publishers Peepal Tree Press alike, who had to scramble to print new copies to meet demand. Even Margaret Atwood got excited about this ‘fishy tale of […]

Join us as we discuss The Mermaid of Black Conch, winner of the 2020 Costa Book of the Year, an award that seemed to surprise booksellers and publishers Peepal Tree Press alike, who had to scramble to print new copies to meet demand. Did it make for a good book club book? Was Kate able to cope with reading all the sex? If you buy a book about a mermaid is it then ok to complain it’s unrealistic? Listen in to find out.

portrait of Little Library Cookbook author Kate Young for Book Club Review podcast episode

90. The Little Library Cookbooks

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/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Or listen in your podcast app here. A cook book with the magic ingredient of reading recommendations • A Little Library Year by Kate Young Now you may be someone who prefers to spend your time reading rather than cooking, but what if there was a cookbook that enabled you to do both? It was […]

Listen in as we talk all things cooking and reading thanks to The Little Library cookbooks, which brilliantly combine the two. Author Kate Young tells us what to cook in an Apocalypse, her childhood reading favourites, and her current reading recommendations plus a perfect pick for book club.