The Booker Prize 2024 • Episode #166
The Book Club Review
Curious about the 2024 Booker Prize? Wondering if the shortlisted novels live up to the hype? In this latest episode Kate and Laura are joined by returning guests Phil, Sarah and Martin to dive deep into this year's shortlist bringing you their usual frank, honest opinions in true book-club style. This isn’t your typical review show — you get real, unfiltered thoughts from book lovers who tell it like it is. From literary brilliance to unexpected twists, find out which books wowed us, which ones left us wanting more, and whether this year’s Booker picks truly deserve the spotlight....
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Summer Reading Report 2024: Hits, misses and anticipations
The Book Club Review
Summer Reading Report: hits, misses, and anticipations We're back from the beach and reflecting on our summer reading in this bonus length bookshelf episode. On Kate's stack summer favourite GRETA AND VALDIN by Rebecca K. Reilly, Olivia Laing's memoir The Garden Against Time, the hotly tipped HEADSHOT by Rita Bullwinkel, TRUST by Hernan Diaz, Miranda July's new novel ALL FOURS and upcoming book club reads THE FRAUD by Zadie Smith and HUMANELY POSSIBLE by Sarah Bakewell. Meanwhile Laura talks about REAL AMERICANS by Rachel Kong, THE LAST UNICORN by Peter S. Beagle, THE LAST MURDER AT THE...
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Notebook Nirvana: Stationery and the Joys of Notetaking, with David Frostick
The Book Club Review
In this special episode, originally released for our Patreon subscribers, Kate celebrates the joys of the perfect notebook with fellow enthusiast and stationery shop owner David Frostick (Lift, Southwold). From the importance of flat-lay paper to the perfect pen we've got it all covered just in time for back-to-school season. And then we turn to the art of notetaking. Kate and Laura discuss how they take notes on the books they're discussing on the show, and then we find out how the professionals do it, with friends of the pod, journalist Phil Chaffee and literary critic Emily Rhodes. We also...
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Unpacking the best: The NYT's best books of the 21st century • #163
The Book Club Review
We love a list, and we love an excuse for a conversation about books, and so we couldn't have been more delighted when the New York Times released their list of the best books of the 21st century, so far. From 503 top tens submitted by authors and other literary world folk, and a bit of statistical magic, they boiled it down to their definitive top 100. And we had to hand it to them, it's a damn good list. Still, we might argue with a few of their choices, and of course have some thoughts of our own. And so in this episode you'll get our own Book Club Review top 20 books, some of which were on...
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Summer Bookshelf • Episode #162
The Book Club Review
Laura’s on a flying visit to London, and so of course we took the opportunity to get together and swap notes on our recent reading. Regular guest Phil Chaffee dialled in from New York to add his picks to the mix. Find out what we thought of summer it-book The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, we consider the auto fictional world of Deborah Levy, Kate reports back on Francis Spufford’s new novel – and podcast book club read – Cahokia Jazz and we round it off with art-world memoir All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield – unputdownable in Kate’s opinion, find out why. It’s...
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Books that Make us Laugh • Episode 161
The Book Club Review
Inspired by the folk at the New York Times article ‘22 of the funniest novels since Catch 22’, join me (Kate), Phil and Laura as we consider the books that make us laugh. Listen in as we explore the NYT's suggestions and add in a few of our own. Find out the author we can’t believe they missed, and the book that reliably makes Laura – a tough customer when it comes to funny books – laugh every time. Books mentioned The New York Times by Kurt Vonnegut and by Elif Batuman by Elif Batuman by Iraj Pezeshkzad by Kaveh...
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Talking Non-Fiction, with Tom Rowley of Backstory • Episode #160
The Book Club Review
Exploring literary worlds beyond fiction: a dive into non-fiction Join Kate, as she ventures to South London to visit Backstory, a unique indie bookstore founded by former journalist Tom Rowley. Rowley shares his journey from journalism to opening a bookshop, the challenges and joys of running a bookstore, the importance of community engagement, and launching the second issue of the Backstory Magazine. We then turn our attention to non-fiction, pulling out some favourites, both backlist and new releases. As Tom says, 'I just read. I want good stories, I don't care whether...
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Browsing the So Many Damn Books bookshelf, with Christopher Hermelin • #159
The Book Club Review
podcast creator and host Christoper Hermelin joins Kate to swap book recommendations and discuss the magic of book club, recent book discoveries and bookish pet peeves. EPISODE BOOK LIST by Dave Eggers by Dave Eggers , including The by Julius Taranto by Julie Myerson by Asako Yuzuki (Polly Barton, trans.) by Mieko Kanai (Polly Barton, trans.) by Polly Barton by Jennifer Croft by Percival Everett, and we also mentioned and by Luca Debus and Francesco Mateuzzi NOTES Join the club and support us on Follow The Book Club Review on and Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast
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Book club: The New Life by Tom Crewe • Episode #158
The Book Club Review
Two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late 19th-century London. Publishers Penguin call by Tom Crewe ‘A brilliant and captivating debut, in the tradition of Alan Hollinghurst and Colm Tóibín' but what did our book club make of it? Kate is reporting back, with regular guest Philip Chaffee joining from New York. We'll be catching up on the discussion as well as bringing you our take on recent reads FAKE ACCOUNTS by Lauren Oyler and NORTH WOODS by Daniel Mason, as well as our recommendations for books inspired by Crewe's novel....
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Mild Vertigo and Japan lit • Episode 157
The Book Club Review
What did our podcast book club make of Mild Vertigo, Japanese author Mieko Kanai's 1997 novel, recently translated into English by Polly Barton. A 'modernist masterpiece' written in sentences that go on for pages with hardly any paragraph breaks might not seem like an obvious book club winner; listen in to find out if we were won over. To discuss it Kate is joined by Yuki Tejima, also known as @booknerdtokyo, and Shawn Mooney, aka Shawn the Book Maniac. Listen in for their thoughts on Mild Vertigo, their current reads and our book recommendations for anyone wanting the inside track on great...
info_outlineOur Bookshelf episodes are the ones dedicated to the books we’re each reading outside of book club, the ones we tend to love because we chose them for ourselves.
Laura has been reading the latest from ANIMAL LIFE, the latest novel from podcast favourite, Icelandic author Audur Ava Olafsdottir. A short, quiet novel, but one that struck a chord. She's also been happily working through THE MIRROR VISITOR QUARTET by French author Christelle Dabos. What is it about this epic fantasy series that has her so happily hooked?
Kate has been catching up with LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, the smash hit that tells of scientist turned tv-cooking show presenter Elizabeth Zott. Also on her stack is I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU, by Rebecca Makkai, the New York Times bestseller that has been described as ‘A twisty, immersive whodunit perfect for fans of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.’ And for a non-fiction palette cleanser she's been reading Saving Time: Discovering Life Beyond the Clock, by artist and writer Jenny Odell. To read it, fellow time-philosopher Oliver Burkeman comments, ‘'is to experience how freedom might feel'.
Listen in for all this plus the current reads and books we can't wait to get to, including SUPER-INFINITE by Katherine Rundell, STONE BLIND by Natalie Haynes and MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY buy Winifred Watson. And just why are Laura's book club struggling with Salman Rushdie's latest, VICTORY CITY?
NOTES
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