The Book Club Review

Tucked away in London's Soho is a hidden gem of a bookshop. The Second Shelf sells rare and antiquarian books, modern first editions, ephemera, manuscripts, and rediscovered works – all by women. We sit down with proprietor A. N. Devers to learn how she went from rare-book dealing to shopkeeping. We also hear about the bookshelves that regularly make customers gasp, and why all women should think about collecting books by women writers. • For more information check out The Second Shelf's website www.thesecondshelf.com, find them on Twitter @secondshelfbks or Instagram @secondshelfbooks • 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, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s a slight volume, but packs a powerful punch. Each of its short essays was smuggled out of the prison where Altan serves – and continues to serve – a life sentence. The book has been championed by author, international human rights lawyer and general real-life Mark Darcy figure Philippe Sands, while writer A. L. Kennedy said ‘Read this – it will explain why you ever read anything, why anyone ever writes.’ But what did Kate’s book club make of it? Listen in to find out. Plus our usual range of recommendations for your next book club read. • Books mentioned on this episode: A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk A Day in the Life of Yvan Denisovich by Alexander Solyenitzhn The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières • 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, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ever dreamed of owning a bookstore? How about one a stone's throw from the beach? When she realised the British seaside town of Margate didn't have a bookshop for new titles, Francesca Wilkins realised it would be the perfect place to realise her lifelong ambition and launch her own store. Listen in for the behind-the-scenes story, some great book recommendations and the secret, in a nutshell, to running a successful bookshop. 

In our Bookshelf shows we discuss the books we're reading outside of book club, the ones we get to pick and choose! Join us as we successfully identify a book perfect for beach reading this summer, get to the bottom of Kate's problem with audio books (and the cure, The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton), muse on what it’s like reading a book when there’s no cover image (the joys of the elegant but inscrutable Fitzcarraldo edition), discuss Laura’s intentions to set aside lightweight fluff and get back into some serious reading and hear Kate’s true-life encounter with Philippa Perry, author of ‘The Book You Wish Your Parents had Read’. • Books mentioned in this episode: Becoming by Michelle Obama, A Brief History of Seven Killings and Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James, The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton, Transcription by Kate Atkinson, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead, Flights and The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, Mr Salary by Sally Rooney, The Book You Wish Your Parents had Read by Philippa Perry and The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer • If you'd like to see what we're up to between episodes follow us on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Facebook and Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email us at thebookclubreview@gmail.com Subscribe, like us, leave a comment, we love all that, and never miss an episode. Thanks for listening and happy reading.

If you've ever dreamed of switching everything off and being able to read for hours, then this is the show for you. Reading Retreats run holidays where people can rediscover their love of uninterrupted reading but what is the experience really like? Your intrepid reporter from The Book Club Review went along to Matlock in Derbyshire with a stack from the TBR pile to find out. • To find out more about Reading Retreats check out their website www.readingretreat.co.uk, or find them on facebook and twitter @retreatandread. • Books mentioned on this show were: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey; in Annie's stack were A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Aisha Malik, Rosewater by Tade Thompson, Belonging by Umi Sinha and Among Others by Jo Walton; in Sheila's stack were The Only Story by Julian Barnes, Revenge on the Rye by Alice Castle, Washington Black by Esi Edugyan and Broken Ground by Val McDermid and A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert; Sarah Ward recommended The Silence of the Sea by Yrsa Sigurdardottir and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters; and in my stack were Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner, There There by Tommy Orange, Bad Blood by Jon Carreyrou and Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday. • 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, why not subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

One book club in south London have found a way to get even more out of their book club meetings, and that's to invite the authors along. Listen in to hear more about the 'Wilde Imagination' book club, plus tips on how to manage your group so that everyone, from the loudest to the quietest, gets to have a say. Books mentioned on this show: A Girl In Traffick by Mamta Valderrama, Eleanor Oliphant is Perfectly Fine by Gail Honeyman, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Get in touch with us at thebookclubreview@gmail.com, follow us on Instagram @thebookclubreviewpod or leave us a comment on iTunes, we'd love to hear from you. Subscribe and never miss an episode.  

We're joined by author Phyllis Richardson to discuss Golden Hill, Francis Spufford's rollicking historical novel. It has plot full of more twists and turns than a slide at Centerparcs so we've split the episode into two; the first half is the safety zone where we won't spoil the plot for you, but if you have read it and want to dive deeper listen on for part two. Come back to us at the end for our recommendations and to hear more about Phyllis's wonderful book about authors and their houses, House of Fiction.  • Books mentioned: The Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine (discussed in full detail in episode 6 of the pod), The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson, The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey, Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne. • House of Fiction by Phyllis Richardson is published by Unbound.

Masterpiece from the contemporary heir to Samuel Beckett or demanding endurance read with not nearly enough paragraph breaks? We debate Anna Burns' Booker-Prize winning novel – a tale of suffocating gossip, ever-present violence and one young woman’s struggle to retain her sense of self during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. For this show we were joined by @jenny.mccullough who brought a fascinating perspective to it from her Northern Irish background. • Books mentioned: The People's Act of Love by James Meek, A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear Macbride, Days Without End by Sebastian Barry, Troubles by J. G. Farrell, The Trial by Franz Kafka, The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. • The twitter feed Jenny mentions is from Dr. Caroline Magennis, @DrMagennis, for Northern Irish literature recommendations.

For a ton of great recommendations most of which were new to us we turned to Anna Bailie Karas from Australian podcast Books on the Go. Listen in to hear about some books that might be new to you, or ones that you might have overlooked when they came out. And finally a book that has all of Australia buzzing that's not yet been published in the UK... Find Books on the Go on iTunes, and on all other major podcast platforms, or check out their website . Find Anna on Instagram @abailliekaras Books mentioned on the show: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein The Erratics by Vicki Laveau-Harvie No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man by Jane Harper, outback crime novels We That Are Young by Preti Taneja Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton An American Marriage by Tayari Jones The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton

What happens when all the black people in a Southern town decide to pack their things and leave? First published in 1962 A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelly had been largely forgotten until rediscovered by journalist Kathryn Schulz. Her New Yorker article put it back on the map. Laura's book club were intrigued by the story, but did it live up to the cultural hype? Meanwhile Kate's book club tackled If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin, a moving story of love in the face of injustice set in Harlem, New York. The Hollywood film adaptation was nominated for several awards but what did we think of the book? Listen in to find out.