Unputdownable: the best books we loved in 2024 • Episode #167
Release Date: 12/29/2024
Beyond the Shortlist: The 2025 Booker Longlist titles worth your time • #181
The Book Club Review
In which Kate is joined by pod regular, journalist Phil Chaffee and Professor Elizabeth Eva Leach. Both read over 200 books a year, and their reading stacks this year have included the Booker longlist. And so who better to consider the books that didn't make the final cut – but which are, notwithstanding, the 'best' books selected from over 150 submitted titles. As we know, really great books can get overlooked for the shortlist. Consider Trust by Hernan Diaz, longlisted but not shortlisted, or, going further back Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and before that Penelope Fitzgerald's...
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Autumn bookshelf, with Kate & Laura • Episode #180
The Book Club Review
In this episode: Kate and Laura are catching up on their pre-Booker season reading. Did You Are Here by David Nicholls make Laura want to lace up her walking boots? How did Kate get on with A Waiter in Paris by Edward Chisholm, a page-turning account that explores a side of the city that tourists never see. We're also reporting back on book club reads Mouthing by Orla Mackey and The Pretender by Jo Harkin. Mix in the enjoyment of Curtis Sittenfeld's latest collection of short stories, and the all-too relevant classic Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and that's our Autumn bookshelf. Books...
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Book Club: Universality and Sparks of Bright Matter • Episode #179
The Book Club Review
Book Club: Universality by Natasha Brown & Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O'Donnell Welcome to The Book Club Review! In this episode, Laura joins Kate to dive into two book club picks: Natasha Brown’s much-anticipated second novel, Universality, and the debut Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O’Donnell. In this episode: Kate and Laura catch up on their current reads, including Sky Daddy by Kate Folk and A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett, before diving into a discussion of Universality. How did it compare to Brown’s acclaimed debut Assembly, and did...
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Shelf-reflective: Books about Books, with Joseph Dance • #178
The Book Club Review
Something a little different this episode as I invite you to head down the rabbit hole with me into the world of books about books. Accompanying us into this particular wonderland is Joseph Dance, host of the Curious Readers podcast. From meta-fictional narratives to booksellers with shadowy agendas, we’re flagging up some of our favourites both for behind-the-scenes insights into the literary world, and for the way they allow us to discover yet more books we might want to read. From Alberto Manguel’s library of 35,000 titles, to Alejandro Zambra’s essay collection On Not Reading,...
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Bookish in Seattle • Episode #177
The Book Club Review
Seattle, forever linked with books and reading thanks to Sleepless in Seattle. Also Maria Semple's Where d'you Go Bernadette, tho' to be clear, Bernadette was not a fan of the rainy city. Londoners, though, umbrella always at hand, feel right at home. A recent family holiday offered a rare chance for an in-person bookish catchup. Listen in for our thoughts on our latest reads including the new novel from Lily King and some purchases from the inimitable Elliot Bay bookshop. Embracing the holiday spirit we're also getting into our bookish cocktails. Luckily Margaret C. Beeler, author of literary...
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Friendship and Fiction in New York • Episode #176
The Book Club Review
Join Kate as she takes the Book Club Review on tour to New York, a city filled with incredible bookshops, and book podcasters. Christopher Hermelin of and Drew Broussard of share cocktails and book recommendations on the theme of friendship. Notes and Booklist by Sigrid Nunez by Sloane Crosley by Lorrie Moore by Julie Bunton by Andrew O’Hagan by Hua Hsu by Arthur Conan Doyle by Rebecca Stead by Stephen King by Sarah Flannery Murphy by Hanya Yanigahara by Meg Wollizer by Michael Chabon by Kayla Raye Whittaker by Gabrielle Zevin by Jeanne Thornton by Gail...
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Explicitly Literary: sex writing in books • Episode #175
The Book Club Review
From lightening and dragons in Iron Flame to trembling mountains in A Court of Thorns and Roses, from Sally Rooney’s Connell and Marianne to Ice Planet Barbarians - sex in books has gone mainstream. From serious high-brow literature to warm and cozy rom-coms, what do we want or need from writers when it comes to including sex in their books? To consider the matter Kate is joined by critic Elizabeth Morris (Crib Notes), and author Alex Allison’ (The Art of the Body and Greatest of All Time) We'll be bringing you our recommendations for books we think push all the right buttons,once we’ve...
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Books, film, TV and Murderbot
The Book Club Review
From Murderbot to Sense and Sensiblity, what are our favourite adaptations from books that we love? Inspired by the recent Apple adaptation of Martha Wells sci-fi novels The Murderbot Diaries, this episode is a celebration of the world of books to film. From the joy of seeing a book that we love brought to the big screen, to the pitfalls when things don't match up to our expectations, we're considering the hits and misses, and passing on our recommendations. You'll be hearing from pod regulars Laura Potter and Phil Chaffee, plus we meet Philippa Donovan, a literary scout to the film and TV...
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Nonfiction That Changed Us, featuring Carmageddon by Daniel Knowles
The Book Club Review
At a time in which digital information is increasingly uncertain it feels more essential than ever to engage with books that tell us about the world, diversify our perspectives and propose solutions for change. Yet these 'serious' books aren't always what we feel like reading. In this episode Kate is joined by regular contributor Phil Chaffee to talk about the books so good they powered through them like a good novel, and felt changed afterwards. The books they want to pass on to someone else. The books that make for great book club discussions. One such is Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life...
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Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon • #172
The Book Club Review
by Ferdia Lennon is a novel that takes us back to ancient Syracuse, where war, art, and humanity collide. This gripping tale follows two down-on-their-luck potters who hatch an audacious plan to produce a performance of the works of Euripedes despite the fact that their actors are prisoners of war and their stage set a death camp in a marble pit. It’s a story of resilience, friendship, and the power of art in the face of destruction, but did it make for a good book club book? Regular book-club reporter Phil Chaffee dials in from New York to join Kate alongside keen readers and...
info_outlineWrap up your year with the Book Club Review podcast! Celebrate the joy of reading with us as we highlight the standout books we read in 2024, from page-turners to genre reads, to literary fiction and best book club books. We'll finish with our 'if we could only choose one' favourites for our overall book(s) of the year. This episode also features recommendations from our podcast book clubbers, fantastic readers all, who bring their choices into the mix. This is a bonus length episode as there was so much to go through, so take that dog for an extra long walk, get the children prepared for a long swing at the park or just curl up in a cozy spot with notepad in hand to jot down some of these books we think you shouldn't miss. Or, of course, use the handy list below.
Books mentioned
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
What You Are Looking For is In The Library by Michiko Ayoyama
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Most enjoyable read
Loot by Tania James
Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Best page-turner
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Going Infinite by Michael Lewis
Best Non-fiction
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Grief is for People by Sloane Crossley
The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing
The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire by Bart van Loo
Maurice and Marilyn by Sophie Elmhurst
The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke
Best Book Club Book
Enter Ghost by Isabelle Hamid
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
August Blue by Deborah Levy
Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai (Polly Barton trans.)
Wifedom by Anna Funder
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (The Inspector Gamache series)
Best Genre Novel or Comfort Read
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
The Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka
Overall best book read in 2024
James by Percival Everett
Kate: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Laura: Real Estate by Deborah Levy (vol. 3 in her 'living autobiography' series
Join the Book Club Review club
Head to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview to explore what's on offer with regular extra episodes packed with reading recommendations and at the higher tier membership of the pod bookclub: upcoming reads for January are Marty by Kaveh Akbar, February: All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley and March: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro.
Serious Readers
For seriously good reading lamps with a Book Club Review special discount head to seriousreaders.co.uk/BCR and use the code BCR at checkout for £100 off any HD light. Shipping within the UK is free, and you get a 30-day trial period so you can see for yourself what a difference they make.
Stay connected
Find Kate on Instagram and Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast, or drop us a comment anytime at the episode page on our website. What were your favourite reads from 2024? We'd love to hear about them.