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The Promise podcast episode

The Promise by Damon Galgut: a quietly powerful family epic • Episode #111

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February 3, 2022/Posted by: The Book Club Review

Join us for our latest book club episode on The Promise by Damon Galgut. 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-prize-winning novel, which tells the story of one white South-African family, and the promise made to their black servant, […]

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-prize-winning novel. As ever we also have some great follow-on book recommendations.

Lolly Willowes and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter book covers

Lolly Willowes and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter • #110

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January 24, 2022/Posted by: The Book Club Review

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 in 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 […]

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 by Carson McCullers explores loneliness, the human need for understanding and the search for love. What did Kate's book club think?

Kate and Laura best books of 2021

Best Books of 2021 • Episode #109 Part 2

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December 28, 2021/Posted by: The Book Club Review

It’s time for our best books of 2021. In Part 2 of our special end-of-year double-episode we’re looking back over the books we’ve read outside of book club this year. The ones we got to pick and choose for ourselves. The ones that didn’t feel like homework (although don’t get us wrong, we love our book […]

It's time for our best books of 2021. In Part 2 of our special end-of-year double-episode we're looking back over the books we’ve read outside of book club this year. Listen in for over 70 book recommendations from us, our book clubs and our special guests.

Best book club books of 2021

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

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December 27, 2021/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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December 14, 2021/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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November 30, 2021/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

November 6, 2021/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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October 18, 2021/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

September 29, 2021/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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September 18, 2021/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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August 13, 2021/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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July 30, 2021/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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July 19, 2021/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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June 19, 2021/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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June 11, 2021/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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June 9, 2021/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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May 24, 2021/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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May 15, 2021/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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May 1, 2021/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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April 29, 2021/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.

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