The Book Club Review

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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 WintonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What are we reading outside of book club? In Kate's stack this episode: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami and Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple. In Laura's: Heartburn by Nora Ephron, You Think it I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld, The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar. Listen in to hear what we thought of them, the hits and misses and whether there are any book club gems in there.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So often in the reading world we are chasing the latest new release, so it was a great pleasure to interview Simon Thomas who specialises in seeking out books from the past. We explore his unusual take on a book club where he and like-minded book bloggers read and review books from a particular year in the last century. This interview is full of gems and some great book club suggestions, so have a pen ready at the end! • Next up for the Book of the Year Club is 1965 and it starts in April. Check out Simon's website www.stuckinabook.com for more info. You can also find him on Instagram @Simonedwardthomas and on Twitter @stuck_inabook. And finally we recommend curling up for a listen to Simon's own podcast, Tea or Books, available on iTunes, in which he and his friend Rachel (Book Snob) debate the difficult decisions of reading and books. • Books mentioned on this show: The Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield, Merry Hall by Beverly Nichols, Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym, Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker, The Museum of Cheats by Silvia Townsend Warner, Little and Alva and Irva, both by Edward Carey and Simon's top book club suggestion Another Part of the Woods by Beryl Bainbridge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We discuss Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology, whose compelling book offers us the chance to be more attractive, slimmer, happier and healthier, all thanks to a good night's sleep. Critics have called this international bestseller 'accessible', 'compelling' and 'enlightening', but what did Kate's book club make of it? For us was it electrifying or soporific? Listen in to find out. • 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, subscribe to us and never miss an episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do we read when not busy reading our book club books? Listen in to find out. This episode it's a wide-ranging list as we report in on Lily Allen's My Thoughts Exactly, The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis, the provocative Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey, short stories from the Orkney Islands, French classic Bonjour Tristesse, and the indulgent, laugh-out-loud Why Mummy Drinks by Gill Sims. Oh yes, and The Female Persuasion by Meg Wollitzer too. 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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From Game of Thrones to Watership Down via Haruki Marukami, Margaret Atwood, Frank Herbert and everything in-between, Mostly Harmless are a thriving book club devoted to sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comics. We interviewed founders Derek and Barbara about the hits and misses over the years, and get a great set of expert recommendations for die-hard enthusiasts, and also those thinking about trying a genre novel. • The Mostly Harmless Book Club meet monthly, find details here. • Books mentioned in this episode were: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Dune by Frank Herbert, the novels of George R. R. Martin, Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights by Ryu Mitsuse, Annihilator by Grant Morrison, Ronin by Frank Miller, The Female Man by Joanna Russ, The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie, The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemison, Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Normal People was named Waterstones book of the year, was longlisted for the 2018 Booker Prize and most recently won the Costa Novel Award. Sally Rooney's editor at Faber & Faber dubbed her a 'Salinger for the Snapchat generation', while praise has been heaped on the book by the critics. But did it make for a good book club read? Is the hype justified? Listen in to find out.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.