The Book Club Review

A special episode this week as we're joined by comedian, actor and author Rob Delaney to talk about his book A Heart That Works. As so often with books that pack a powerful emotional punch this deals with a difficult subject as Rob tells the story of the death of his young son Henry, and considers his own journey through the grieving process. It's also a deeply moving, funny, thought-provoking and altogether wonderful read. Listen in as Rob and Kate share their stories, which to forewarn you, touch on the topics of death, still-birth and suicide, as well as joy and love and the importance of books as places of emotional refuge, sources of wisdom and pleasure. Booklist A Heart that Works by Rob Delaney The End of the Affair by Graham Greene Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Lucia Berlin, try A Manual for Cleaning Women One, Two, Three, Four by Craig Brown Also mentioned Thunder Road by Jim Cummings The Beatles: Get Back Notes The Rainbow Trust Noah's Ark Hospice Rob Delaney's website Have thoughts on this episode? Whenever you listen you can always leave us a comment over at the episode page on our website, where you'll also find a transcript and full show notes. You can also sign up to our bi-weekly-ish newsletter for book recommendations and what we're reading between episodes. You can also find us on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast and Twitter @bookclubrvwpod

A stack of books for Autumn nights: Laura dives in to the page-turning but 'questionable' Run by Anne Patchett, and is riveted by Gwendolyn Riley's My Phantoms, while all Kate can think about is mushrooms thanks to Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life. She's also been dipping into Empire of Pain author Patrick Radden Keefe's essay collection, Rogues. Also discussed Amazon reviews vs. Goodreads, how 'good but flawed' is often quite a good sign in a book-club read, the marketing history of quorn, how lucky we are not to be Carpenter ants, how surprised to we were to learn that the Dutch have mobsters, the emotional perils of reading too much fiction, and more… BOOKLIST Run by Anne Patchett Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake My Phantoms by Gwendolyn Riley Rogues by Patrick Radden-Keefe WHAT'S NEXT City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell Keep up with us between episodes on Instagram @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us a line at thebookclubreview@gmail.com. On the episode page on our website you'll find a transcript, full shownotes and a comments forum – let us know your thoughts on any of the books discussed in this episode, comments there go straight to our inboxes and we will reply. You can also browse our archive of past episodes, everything from Booker Prize specials to book club debates. And you can sign up to our bi-weekly ish newsletter for featured books, our tips for what to read next and our current reads.

Our most demanding, but possibly also our favourite episode of the year as we're joined by Chrissy Ryan of Bookbar and journalist Phil Chaffee to discuss and debate this year's six shortlisted books. Although we might rail at this much required reading all in one go, the truth is we love tackling the Booker shortlist, which expands our horizons and stretches us as readers like nothing else. So listen in to find out which books we loved, which ones we wished we could have avoided, and which one we think should win the 2022 Booker Prize. Booklist The Trees by Percival Everett audiobook read by Bill Andrew Quinn (Tantor Audio) Oh, William by Elizabeth Strout Audiobook read by by Kimberly Farr (Penguin Audio) The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo Audiobook read by Chipo Chung (Penguin Audio) Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Audiobook read by Aiden Kelly (Faber audio) Treacle Walker by Alan Garner Audiobook read by Robert Powell (Fourth Estate) –– Other books mentioned were Spoons Carpets: An Appreciation by Kit Caless Car Park Life by Gareth F. Rees Erasure by Percival Everett Percival Everett by Virgil Russell Open Water by Caleb Azumah-Nelson Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Lanny by Max Porter Follow us on instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast to keep up with us between episodes, or head to the episode page on our website thebookclubreview.co.uk for full show notes, transcript and comments forum - let us know your thoughts on the Booker shortlist and winner.

Since publication in 2019 The Hummingbird, by Italian Sandro Veronesi (translated into English by Elena Pala), has wowed readers and fellow-authors alike. 'A gripping masterpiece', 'a life-affirming triumph' 'unforgettable'... Just what is all the fuss about? We're joined by pod regular Phil Chaffee and first-timer Jo Norman, both members of Laura's book club, to find out. We've also got four unmissable novels by international authors we think you should know about. Booklist Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp (trans. Jo Heinrich) The Martin Beck novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöo (Joan Tate) Periera Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi (Patrick Creagh) The Door by Magda Szabó (Len Rix) Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginsberg (Jenny McPhee) Have thoughts on this episode? Are you team Kate or team Laura? Whenever you listen to the show you can always let us know via the comments forum on our website. And don't forget to leave us a book recommendation, tell us one of your favourites. 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. If you like what we do please do take a moment to rate and review the show, and help other listeners find us.

Back together again after the summer, Kate and Laura are catching up on all the books they managed to get through. So listen in for their reactions to summer must-read Tomorrrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. They also covered three books from the Booker Longlist, Trust by Hernan Diaz, The Trees by Percival Everett and After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz. And a couple of long reads: for Kate Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer-winning novel about cowboys in the Old West, and a guilty pleasure fantasy read for Laura, Red Seas under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. Kate is also joined by author Colleen Hubbard to talk about her debut novel Housebreaking. An absorbing page-turner with some powerful themes, it's one we recommend for your TBR pile or book club. Plus we find out more about one of Colleen's all-time favourite reads, The Magician of Lublin. All that and some pod news: new theme music (composed specially for us), a Patreon account, and we share our projects and plans for where we want to take the show. Booklist Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin Trust by Hernan Diaz After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz The Trees by Percival Everett Red Seas under Red Skies by Scott Lynch Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard The Magician of Lublin by Isaac Bashevis Singer Enjoyed the episode? Have thoughts? Whenever you listen to this show don't forget you can drop us a comment at the episode page on our website thebookclubreview.co.uk, where you'll also find full shownotes for all of the books we discussed in the ep. and a transcript. For book recommendations between episodes follow us on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, or on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod. We're working hard on our Patreon offer, and are looking forward to sharing it with in a future episode. Until then, thanks for listening and happy reading x

Step back in time with us as Kate visits Charleston home of Vanessa Bell and important gathering place for the members of the Bloomsbury Group, that collection of writers and artists including Virginia Woolf that coalesced around Gordon Square in London. Undaunted by the ghosts of her relatives Nino Strachey, author of a new book, Young Bloomsbury, joins us to discuss the up-and-coming younger generation, such as writer Julia Strachey, sculptor Stephen Tomlin and photographer Cecil Beaton, who followed in their footsteps. Nino considers the interplay of creative inspiration that flowed between the generations, but also the spirit of tolerance and acceptance of different gender identities and chosen families that allowed these young creatives to flourish. Leave us a comment on our The Book Club Review website, where you'll also find more information on all the books mentioned, a transcript and our comments forum. Let us know your thoughts on the episode, or a Bloomsbury Group book that you love. Follow us between episodes for regular reviews and book recommendations on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast, or on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod. Find Nino on Twitter or Instagram @NinoStrachey. Book recommendations Lytton Strachey by Michael Holroyd (Penguin) Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey Love Letters: Vita and Virginia (Penguin) Orlando by Virginia Woolf (Penguin) L.O.T.E. by Sheila von Reinhold (Jaracanda) All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville West (Penguin), which we talked about on episode 12. The Waves and To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (Penguin) Sissinghurst: The Creation of a Garden by Sarah Raven A Boy at the Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy (Slightly Foxed) Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (Penguin) A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (Penguin) Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood (Picador) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (Virago)

We love a prize and we love a special episode, and so we're delighted to have an excuse to get together to discuss the 2022 Women's Prize shortlist and its winner, The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. The Women's Prize is the UK's annual book award that celebrates the best books written by women. Key criteria for the Prize are accessibility, originality and excellence in writing. Judges are asked to ignore the reviews, publicity spends, an author's previous reputation, and any sense of 'who deserves it' to choose the novel that inspires them, moves them, makes them think – and that they admire and enjoy. And so listen in to hear our frank but friendly take on the shortlist, Ozeki's big win, and whether we agree with the judges. Maybe you don't have time to read them all and just want to read one? Leave it to us, we've got you covered. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason The Hand the Devil Knead by Lisa-Allen Agostini The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak The Sentence by Louise Erdrich The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki Have thoughts on this episode? Join us over on our website where you'll find the page for this episode, a transcript and our comments forum. Which of the shortlist was your favourite? Drop us a line and let us know. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com.

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 anything about Simone de Beauvoir and want to read this without any foreknowledge bookmark this show for later and come back to it when you've read the book. We also have four book recommendations inspired by The Inseparables we think you will love. BOOKLIST Petronille by Amélie Northomb, translated by Amelia Anderson At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell Last Summer in the City by Gianfrarnco Calligarich, translated by Howard Curtis Parisian Lives by Deidre Bair NOTES Don't miss the episode page on our website for full shownotes, a transcript and comments forum where you can let us know your thoughts on the episode or recommend us a book. Comments there go straight to our inboxes and we will read and respond so do drop us a line, we love to hear from you. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @bookclubreviewpodcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod, or email us at thebookclubreview@gmail.com Listen to Lauren Elkin and Deborah Levy discuss The Inseparables for the London Review of Books Listen to the Literary Friction podcast episode Kate mentioned, with Lauren Elkin

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 reviewer Charles 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 answers to all these questions plus some great follow-on recommendations from Charles and from Kate and Laura picking up on the London theme. Whether you're wondering what to read next for book club or just want some good additions to your own reading pile we have the book for you. Book list The Annotated Mrs Dalloway, with notes by Merve Emre In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman The Waves by Virginia Woolf Young Eliot and Eliot After the Waste Land by Robert Crawford Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel White Teeth and Intimations by Zadie Smith Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson On Golden Hill and Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street and 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks Queenie by Candice Carty Williams. Notes For more from Charles including reviews, his weekly books quiz, and author interviews find him on Instagram @charleslangip Have thoughts on this episode, or a book to recommend? Go to the episode page on our website where you'll find full show notes for all the books discussed, a transcript and a comments forum. Comments go straight to our inboxes so get in touch, we love to hear from you. You can also keep in touch between episodes on Instagram @BookClubReview podcast, or Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or drop us a line at thebookclubreview@gmail.com.

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 Tranquility by 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 Chronicles by 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)