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In this episode Kate gets tied up in existential knots over House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas and we consider the parallels between this 800-page fantasy bonkbuster and War and Peace. We explore the idea of ‘reading offsetting’ whereby we balance our guilty pleasures with books more worthy of our time. We rediscover the Queen of Fantasy Ursula Le Guin and remember why we think her books are so amazing. Kate pronounces Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri her new favourite book of the year, and we end with an excursion into Arctic landscapes with Christiane Ritter’s A Woman in the Polar Night and consider moving to Svalbard where apparently you don’t need a visa!
Books mentioned
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
A Fall from Grace and Philippa Holds Court by Jennie Goutet
The Western Shore trilogy by Ursula L. Guin
Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie
A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter
Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler
