The Book Club Review

Our bookshelf episodes are the ones where we get to let our hair down and talk about the things we're reading outside of our book clubs, the books that we get to pick and choose. So listen in as Kate is bewitched by the new Susanna Clarke novel Piranesi, charmed by Shirley Jackson's memoir of raising her children in Life Among the Savages, and has a guilty confession to make about To Calais in Ordinary Time by James Meek. In Laura's stack are supernatural thriller Himself by Jess Kidd, Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb and The Observations by Jane Harris. Not to mention some guilty pleasure reading of Georgette Heyer and Alison Croggon's fantasy series of Pellinor novels. It's a packed episode, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it. For detailed notes on this episode, and over 70 other episodes of book club discussions, interviews and features you can find us at our new website: www.thebookclubreview.co.uk. Drop us a line there and say hello, we'd love to hear from you. Tell us what books are keeping you turning the pages right now?

Identical twin sisters Stella and Desiree Vignes grow up together in a small, southern black community where the inhabitants have noteably light skin. When they run away at the age sixteen they make very different choices. One will marry and then return to her hometown, the other will live her life passing for white, knowing she can never go back. What will happen, though, when the next generation of their families connects?   Race, identity, family, love, belonging, all thoughtfully woven through a compulsive page-turner that had both Laura and Kate’s book clubs talking... We may just have found the perfect book club book. Did we have anything bad to say about it? Listen in to find out.   Booklist: A Drop of Patience by William Melvin Kelley, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo and Passing by Nella Larsen   Upcoming shows will be on Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan and The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. Why not read along with us. Drop us a line and let us know what you think, and we can weave your comments into the show. 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. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, it helps other listeners find us and means you’ll never miss an episode.

More than ever as we gradually emerge from lockdown we find ourselves appreciating the natural world and the joys of walking. The perfect time then to revisit our interview with Emily’s Walking Book Club to hear about the inherent pleasures of walking and talking about books. And picking up on the theme we have some handpicked recommendations for you, perfect for topping up your TBR pile. From past-podcast favourites such as Peter Matthiessen’s Snow Leopard to new release The Well Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith, we found walking and the natural world an easy fit when it came to recommendations. Laura has a theory that all readers like walking, and walkers like reading. But is she right? Or maybe like Kate you try to do both at the same time. Listen in to hear all about it. For more information about Emily’s walking book club including what’s coming up and how to book tickets, check out Emily’s website emilyrhodeswriter.com Books mentioned by Emily: The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson, West with the Night by Beryl Markham, Westwood by Stella Gibbons, All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West, The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee, Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple, Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig, and Brodeck’s Report by Philippe Claudel.  Kate and Laura's recommendations: The Salt Path by Raynor Wynn, The Gift by Alison Croggon, The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane, Flâneuse: Women Walk the City by Lauren Elkin, and The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us a line at thebookclubreview@gmail.com. And if you’re not already, do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

In real life, Bill Clinton asked Hillary Rodham to marry him three times before she finally said yes. The rest is history. But in Sittenfeld’s alternative world, Hillary says no, and their lives diverge from there. Hillary is alone and heartbroken, but she’s also free to pursue her own political ambitions – and free from the humiliating sexual scandals that will plague Bill’s political career.  Sittenfeld deftly mines the ‘What if?” possibilities of her premise, but does the novel live up to the hype? Or is it just literary fan fiction? An exercise in wishful thinking?  Journalist Phil Chaffee joins us to give Rodham the full book club treatment. It’s a no holds barred discussion as we try to figure out whether the novel is an ingenious yet plausible glimpse of an alternative reality, or just a writer capitalising on a famous name.  What is your book club reading next? At the end of the show, keep listening for our follow-on recommendations, all inspired by Rodham. In this episode, that includes: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld Becoming by Michelle Obama What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton ‘Up, Simba’ from Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace  Political Fictions by Joan Didion Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin Other books mentioned in this episode: Prep, Sisterland and You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

'Beach read', 'holiday read', 'summer read'. This year there’s another term in the mix: the ‘stay-cation read’. But whatever you call it, for us summer reading is all about choice. Reading what you want. Not reading what you should.  So, what do YOU feel like reading? Well, we’re here to help you decide. Speed read. Comforting classic. Wish fulfillment romance. Genre-bending Whodunnit. Rollicking historical epic. Forgotten 1930s gem. We’ve got you covered.  Listen in to find your perfect ‘beach read’ – even if you’re nowhere near a beach.  We’re joined by Emily of the Walking Book Group of Hampstead Heath, Elizabeth Morris of the Crib Notes newsletter, friend and journalist Phil Chaffee – who joins us on upcoming episode devoted to Rodham – and Simon of the Tea and Books podcast. This show is all about recommendations. Here’s a list of everything we cover: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner Sea of Poppies by Amitav Gosh Highland Fling by Nancy Mitford Middlemarch by George Eliot Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman Business As Usual by Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo Also mentioned: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala  The Meaning of Rice by Michael Booth Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld Beloved by Toni Morrison War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Love in a Cold Climate, The Pursuit of Love and Wigs on the Green by Nancy Mitford In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald The Road by Cormac McCarthy Lord of the Flies by William Golding Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo You can find out more about Emily’s Walking Book Club, including how to join, here. We’d also encourage you to watch Emily sing the praises of Middlemarch, part of her brilliant lockdown series. Have a listen to Tea or Books with Simon (Stuck in a Book) and Rachel (Book Snob) as they debate ideas around books. Warning: have your notepad at the ready, as this show will leave you with a ton of recommendations. For more recommendations, from the back list to the hottest new new releases, sign up for Crib Notes, Elizabeth Morris’s monthly newsletter. Follow her on Instagram @cribnotesbookclub and Twitter @elizabethmoya for more tips and reviews.

It’s a summer sizzler of a Bookshelf with rave reviews from both Laura and Kate for their eclectic books of choice. For Kate, it’s all about hot contemporary reads, including Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House, an eye-opening memoir about an abusive lesbian relationship. Whereas Laura’s enchanted by the African adventures of 1930s aviatrix Beryl Markham, and dazzled by William Melvin Kelley’s portrait of a black musician in Jazz Age America. Listen in to hear what we made of… In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Morning by Allan Jenkins West with the Night by Beryl Markham A Drop of Patience by William Melvin Kelley The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel Also mentioned on this episode: A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen Out of Africa by Karen Blixen Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou – listen in to episode 55 for a full discussion Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris Plot 29 by Allan Jenkins Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker – listen in to episode 38 for a full discussion 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.  If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts – we love to hear from you, and you’ll never miss an episode.

The short story. Sad sister to the novel? Or pinnacle of the literary form? In this episode, Laura sets out to persuade Kate, self-professed short story sceptic, she’s got it all wrong.  Since the Covid Crisis went global, Laura’s book club has been working their way through That Glimpse of Truth: 100 of the Finest Short Stories Ever Written selected by the late literary agent David Miller. One short story, once a week, with a Zoom chat every Monday to discuss it.  Listen in to hear the standout stories – and if Kate is convinced. * Books mentioned on this episode: Too Much Happiness by Alice Munroe The Tenth of December by George Saunders Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, which we discussed in detail on episode 63. * Laura’s book club read: That Glimpse of Truth: 100 of the Finest Short Stories Ever Written, selected by David Miller Stories from the collection mentioned on the show: ‘Mr Know-All’ by W. Somerset Maugham ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allan Poe ‘The Children Stay’ by Alice Munro ‘D’Accord Baby’ by Hanif Kureishi * Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReviewPodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod, or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com.  Subscribe to us and never miss an episode. And if you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review us! It helps other listeners find us.

In honour of National Reading Group Day and World Refugee Day, we discuss The Beekeeper of Aleppo, the bestselling novel by Christy Lefteri.  It’s a heartrending and important novel. The story of Nuri and Afra, a devastated couple forced to flee their home in Aleppo in the hopes of reaching safety in the UK. Harrowing and haunting, it’s a must read. But did it make for a good discussion book? Is there any hope amid the heartbreak? Listen in to find out. We sat down to discuss it with special guest and fellow podcast host Anna Baillie Karas of Books on the Go. * If you’d like to be more involved, Christy Lefteri suggests at the end of her book that you seek out the following organisations: Open Cultural Centre, an NGO and education project in northern Greece Faros (The Lighthouse), a Christian non-profit providing humanitarian care in Athens Salusbury World, a charity supporting refugees in the UK. The Buzz Project, a Yorkshire charity founded by the Syrian apiarist Professor Ryad Alsous. * Books mentioned in this episode: The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan Disoriental by Negar Djavadi I Will Never See the World Again by Ahmet Altan What Is The What by Dave Eggers Cleanness by Garth Greenwell How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang The Nickel Boys and Zone One by Colson Whitehead Simon the Fiddler and The News of the World by Paulette Jiles Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke Au Revoir, Tristesse by Viv Groskop * Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReviewPodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod, or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com.  Subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode. And if you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review us. It helps other listeners find us.

We cross the Atlantic to catch up with Claire Handscombe, presenter and producer of BritLit, a fortnightly podcast that tracks what's going on in the British publishing world. We talk about Claire's novel Unscripted, which she highly recommends as a beach read, whether you're able to go to an actual beach or just have to make do with a deckchair in your garden. Claire also gives us a shelf's worth of great book recommendations, plus some top tips for anyone thinking of making a books podcast of their own.  • Books mentioned in this episode:  Unscripted by Claire Handscombe Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng Little Fires Everywhere by Celest Ng The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Rules for Being a Girl by Candice Bushnell and Katy Cotugno What You Wish For by Katherine Center Head over Heels by Hannah Orenstein The Book of Hidden Wonders by Polly Crosby • For more details on Claire, check out her website Britlitblog.com. We also love her Twitter feed @britlitpodcast, which is regularly updated with great links from the book world. For any Wingnuts out there who might be listening, you can also check out Claire's book Walk With Us: How the West Wing Changed Our Lives. • 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. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and take a moment to rate and  review us, it helps other listeners find us and means you’ll never miss an episode. Plus we love to hear from you.  

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a publishing phenomenon: a debut novel that has sold more print copies in 2019 than any other adult title, fiction or non-fiction.  Appropriately, given our current Corona lockdown situation, it’s a book about a girl who lives isolated in the wilderness, wrestling with loneliness. The plot draws together romance, crime and a courtroom drama building to a suspenseful conclusion. A page-turner, then, but what did Kate's book club make of it? Listen in to find out.  • Books mentioned on this episode: Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, Furious Hours by Casey Cep, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald and The Outrun by Amy Liptrot. • For more book reviews and recommendations between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and if you like what we do please help other listeners to find us by taking a moment to rate and review us on iTunes, we always appreciate it.