The Inseparables is a novel that was never published in Simone de Beauvoir's lifetime. The story goes she showed it to Jean-Paul Sartre and he held his nose. It tells of the intense childhood friendship between Sylvie and Andrée, who were Beauvoir's fictional models for herself and her real-life friend Zaza Lacoin. The translation is by Lauren Elkin, author of Flâneuse, and the book comes with an introduction by Deborah Levy, and an afterword by Sylvie le bon de Beauvoir, plus a captivating selection of letters and photographs from the Beauvoir archive. For this episode Kate was joined by Australian books podcaster Anna Baillie-Karas, in town taking short break from her own podcast Books on the Go. The perfect excuse, then, to read and discuss this powerful short book. But what did we make of it? Should you add it to your reading pile? And would it be a good one for book club? Listen in and find out. Unusually for us this episode does contain spoilers, so if you don't know anythin...
Dull account of one woman’s day or rich and resonant masterpiece? Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf has divided readers since it was published and continues to spark debate today. In London, one day in June, 1923, society hostess Clarissa Dalloway sets out to buy flowers for a party she is giving that evening. Returning home later she is visited by an old friend, Peter Walsh, who rekindles memories and feelings from her youth. Meanwhile making his own path through London traumatised soldier, Septimus Smith, is finding everyday life a torment and his young Italian wife cannot help him. Although they never meet, the two stories interweave as Woolf captures her characters and London on the page. Join Kate and special guest, prolific reader and Instagram book reviewerCharles Pignal as they dive into Dalloway and debate the results. Could Woolf have used a few less semi-colons? Can Kate talk about the book without weeping? If you haven’t read it, should you read it? Listen in for the answ...
Whether you're soaking up Nutcrackers on Rockaway beach like Kate's book-reviewing heroine Molly Young, throwing down a picnic rug in your garden or the local park, fighting your way through airport chaos with the promise of a trip abroad or cosying up with a warm blanket in the Southern Hemisphere, we've got the Summer Reading show for you. It's packed full of recommendations including our own favourite beach reads and tips from booksellers, authors and other friends of the pod. So if you’re curious what show-regular Phil Chaffee is diving into this summer, what Emily Rhodes of Emily’s Walking Book Club is planning on reading, what Nadia Odunayo of book recommendations app The Storygraph thinks you should try, what onetime journalist now bookseller Tom Rowley is planning on reading when he gets a second off setting up his new bookshop, Backstory, and finally what one of our favourite authors, Ed Caesar, thinks might be the perfect page-turner for you, keep listening. So whether you're inclined towards the hottest new releases or the tried and tested classics (including several our guests love so much they return to them again and again), grab a notepad and listen in. If you enjoyed the show head over to our website to comment and let us know your favourite summer reads, we love to hear from you. Or follow us on Instagram @thebookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email us at thebookclubreview@gmail.com– want to help us out? Subscribe, drop us a review and tell your book-loving friends about the show. Book recommendations Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The Field by Robert Seethaler Sea of Tranquilityby Emily St. John Mandel Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny Lessons in Chamistry by Bonnie Garmus You Made a Fool of Death with your Beauty by Akwake Emezi A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn News of the Dead by James Robertson Free by Lea Ypi Serious Money by Caroline Knowles The Lymond Chroniclesby Dorothy Dunnett The House of Niccolo sequence by Dorothy Dunnet We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole Gallant by V.E. Schwab Clockers by Richard Price Virtue by Hermione Hobie Neon in Daylight by Hermione Hobie Essex Dogs by Dan Jones (published 15 September 2022)
Join us as we venture to the frozen north in the very enjoyable company of Tété-Michel Kpomassie, who left his home of Togo, West Africa to pursue his dream of living in Greenland. While we may not have been 100% sold on the cuisine, we were fascinated by his experiences and the unique perspective he brings to his observations about the society he encounters there. First published in English in 1981 the book was recently re-issued by Penguin as part of their Modern Classics series. But do we think it should have a place on your bookshelf? Listen in to find out. And because there are few things we love more than a polar book, we’ve got a stack of other suggestions for your reading pile, from previous pod favourites like A Woman in the Polar Night by Christine Ritter, to a new to us book called This Cold Heaven, by Gretel Erlich. So come, fix yourself a cup of coffee with reindeer fat, and let us tell you more. Books discussed The Northern Lights,The Amber SpyglassandThe Golden Compassby Philip Pullman (His Dark Materialstrilogy, [Scholastic]) The Memoirs of Stockholm Svenby Nathaniel Ian Miller (Hachette) This Cold Heavenby Gretel Erlich (Harper Collins) Prophets of Eternal Fjordby Kim Leine (andThe Colony of Good Hope[Pan Macmillan]) Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snowby Peter Høeg (Penguin). A Woman in the Polar Nightby Christiane Ritter. Keep in touch: No matter when you listen to this episode you can always comment via the episode page on our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk(where you'll also find the episode transcript). Comments there go straight to our inboxes so let us know your thoughts and we'll reply. Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook
This episode is all about finding the extraordinary in the everyday, in the little things that may pass us by if we don't pay attention. And so join us as we talk to Miranda Keeling about her book The Year I Stopped to Notice, a joyful, poignant and familiar portrait of everyday life that Neil Gaiman called 'beautiful' and Philip Pullman 'a delight'. Together with Miranda we also recommend six other books that tap into this spirit of observing and capturing moments. Booklist Nobody Told You by Hollie McNish The Outrun by Amy Liptrot (and we also mentioned her latest book, The Instant) No-One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession The Year I Stopped to Notice is published by Icon Books and available to buy now. For more from Miranda you can find at mirandakeeling.com or go to the source and follow her on Twitter @mirandakeeling Enjoyed the episode? Drop us a line anytime and let us know your thoughts at our website thebookclubreview.co.uk. There you'll find a dedicated episode page, full shownotes for all the books we recommended, a transcript and a comments section where we encourage you to let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from listeners. You'll also find our archive of episodes to browse through, from Booker winners to little known gems from the backlist. Drop in on a spirited book club discussion or join us as we catch up on our recent reads. It's all there waiting for you. If you’d like to see what we’re up to between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you’re not already do subscribe, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts, which help other listeners find us and brings us joy. Do share with your bookish friends, we love to reach new listeners.
Join us as we catch up on our recent reads outside of book club, the books we're picking and choosing for ourselves. Laura enjoys TheSixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting, declaring it 'unputdownable', and a good antidote to the brilliant but rather more serious novelThe Sympathiser by Viet Thanh Nguyen (her Vancouver book club's pick). We're joined by journalist Phil Chaffee who shares his recent holiday reading,The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco and My Fourth Time We Drowned by Sally Hayden. Meanwhile Kate has fallen in love with O'Caledonia by Elspeth Barker and sneaks in This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab, a YA fantasy read that proves perfect for those times when you just want to read about things that aren't real. Book recommendations The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco Matrix by Lauren Groff The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flynn O’Caledonia by Elspeth Barker A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes My Fourth Time We Drowned by Sally Hayden The Naked Don’t Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins The Sympathiser by Viet Than Nuygen This Savage Song,Our Dark Duet,The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue andTheShades of Magic trilogy, allby V. E. Schwab Head over to the episode page on our website for full shownotes and do leave us a comment in the forum, we love to hear from you. If you are the first, don't be shy! Keep up with what we’re reading between shows on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or send us an email thebookclubreview@gmail.com.
Author Salman Rushdie called it 'an exceptional novel' while Claire Messud 'didn't want it to end' but what did Laura's book club make of this first book in a new trilogy from French-Moroccan sensation Leïla Slimani? We're joined by regular pod-listener Youssra, who gave us her insight into how the book has been received in her native Morocco. And we've got our usual round of book recommendations to help you find your next great read. Book recommendations Une année chez les français by Foud Laroui The Moor’s Account by Leila Lalami This Blinding Absence of Light by Tahar Ben Jelloun All Men Want to Know by Nina Bouraoui Year of the Elephant by Leila Abouzeid Notes Have you read the book? Have an opinion on the show? Head to our episode page for full shownotes and episode transcript, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. They go straight to our inbox so we will respond – let's keep the discussion going. https://www.thebookclubreview.co.uk/portfolio/items/the-country-of-...
Our bookshelf shows are the ones where we get to cut loose and follow our own preferences, so listen in asKate tries to figure out the best way to show up for her life after reading Oliver Burkeman’s 4,000 Hours. Meanwhile Laura is drawn into ’A dark world of desire and fantasy’ with French prizewinner No Touching by Ketty Rouf, we figure out via an emergency call to an Irish friend how to pronounce Colm Tóibín, but unfortunately this doesn't help Kate in her struggle with his book about Thomas Mann, The Magician. Laura gets on better with Brit Bennett's book The Mothers, which she can't put down. Finally, Kate has a new girl-crush on Canadian author Sheila Heti after reading her book Motherhood. Booklist 4,000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman No Touching by Ketty Rouf The Magician by Colm Toíbín Motherhood by Sheila Heti The Mothers by Brit Bennett Laura also mentioned Savage Tongues by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, Little by Edward Carey and Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid. Get in touch with us and tell us what you’re reading or recommend us a book on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com. Find our full episode archive at thebookclubreview.co.uk and don't forget to like, subscribe, tell a friend, share on social media – it helps us reach new listeners and we really do appreciate it :)
It's Mother's Day here in the UK and as there's nothing Kate loves more than a special episode we've put together a show on the theme of Motherhood. We're joined by Claire Lynch, author of Small: On Motherhoods, her literary memoir of her own unusual journey into motherhood. Elizabeth Morris of Crib Notes book club joins us too – who better to help us pull together our essential reads on the topic. We've got laughter, we might shed a few tears, and brilliant books to cover all eventualities. BOOKLIST Small: on motherhoods, by Claire Lynch Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder Motherhood by Sheila Heti A Life’s Work by Rachel Cusk A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann ní Ghríofa M(otherhood) by Praya Agarwal The Best Most Awful Job by Katherine May The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson No-One Talks About this Stuff by Kat Brown NOTES Follow Claire on Twitter @drclairelynch, and find Elizabeth @Elizabethmoya. You can sign up for her monthly newsletter Crib Notes here. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com. Check out our full episode archive on our website www.thebookclubreview.co.uk. Do subscribe to us to be sure you never miss an episode. And if you like what we do please rate and review the show, it helps other listeners find us. If you want to go one better please spread the word about us on your social media channels. Reaching new listeners makes us so happy, we treasure each and every one, and your support helps us do that.
Book recommendations galore from author Francesca Beauman, who is also publisher and bookshop proprietor of Persephone Books. In her latest book,The Literaray Almanac, Francesca aims to guide readers in choosing books that chime with moments in the year – from hopeful books to read in March to school curriculum classics not-nearly-as-boring-as-you-remember them in September. We also explore the delights of the Persephone publishing list with old favourites and some exciting new titles. So listen in and share in the joy of giving ourselves permission to say when we don't like something, and turn instead to something we will love. Enjoy. Booklist The Pineapple, King of Fruits and Matrimony, Inc., by Francesca Beauman The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi Ulysses by James Joyce The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu As It Was by Helen Thomas A Well Full of Leaves by El...