The Book Club Review
Episodes
The Book of Love vs The Dud Avocado: Fantasy, Paris & Book Club Verdicts
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Book of Love vs The Dud Avocado: Fantasy, Paris & Book Club VerdictsIn this episode of The Book Club Review, we return to our book club r...
Nearly Departed: Love, Loss and Literary Romance, with Lucas Oakeley
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Valentine’s-ish Literary Romance: Lucas Oakley on Nearly Departed, Boys Book Club & love stories that stay with you long after readingJoin Kate ...
The Bestseller Test • Are bestsellers worth the hype? • Episode #186
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a bestseller? Is it the quality of the writing, or just the right book at the right time? This week Kate is joined by co-host Laura Potter ...
The New Year Reading Reset: Finding fresh inspiration with bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud • #185
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
New year, new intentions – but if you're in the northern hemisphere, January can feel less like renewal and more like the darkest, coldest stretch o...
Favourite and Best: Our Books of 2025 • #184
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're celebrating the end of the year with a look back over our favourite reads of 2025, from new releases to backlist gems, best book club books, bes...
Between the Lines: The Art of the Diary • Episode #183
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
'I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train' wrote Oscar Wilde, in the Importance of Being Ern...
The 2025 Booker Prize: From Shortlist to Spotlight
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore this year's Booker Prize shortlist on the latest episode of the Book Club Review! Hosts Kate and Laura and contributors Phil Chaffee and Marti...
Beyond the Shortlist: The 2025 Booker Longlist titles worth your time • #181
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In which Kate is joined by pod regular, journalist Phil Chaffee and Professor Elizabeth Eva Leach. Both read over 200 books a year, and their reading ...
Autumn bookshelf, with Kate & Laura • Episode #180
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode: Kate and Laura are catching up on their pre-Booker season reading. Did You Are Here by David Nicholls make Laura want to lace up her...
Book Club: Universality and Sparks of Bright Matter • Episode #179
11 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Book Club: Universality by Natasha Brown & Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O'Donnell Welcome to The Book Club Review! In this episode, Laura jo...
Shelf-reflective: Books about Books, with Joseph Dance • #178
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Something a little different this episode as I invite you to head down the rabbit hole with me into the world of books about books. Accompanying us in...
Bookish in Seattle • Episode #177
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Seattle, forever linked with books and reading thanks to Sleepless in Seattle. Also Maria Semple's Where d'you Go Bernadette, tho' to be clear, Bernad...
Friendship and Fiction in New York • Episode #176
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Kate as she takes the Book Club Review on tour to New York, a city filled with incredible bookshops, and book podcasters. Christopher Hermelin of...
Explicitly Literary: sex writing in books • Episode #175
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From lightening and dragons in Iron Flame to trembling mountains in A Court of Thorns and Roses, from Sally Rooney's Connell and Marianne to Ice Plane...
Books, film, TV and Murderbot
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Murderbot to Sense and Sensiblity, what are our favourite adaptations from books that we love? Inspired by the recent Apple adaptation of Martha ...
Nonfiction That Changed Us, featuring Carmageddon by Daniel Knowles
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At a time in which digital information is increasingly uncertain it feels more essential than ever to engage with books that tell us about the world, ...
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon • #172
08 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon is a novel that takes us back to ancient Syracuse, where war, art, and humanity collide. This gripping tale follow...
How to Read Yourself Happy, with Daisy Buchanan • Episode #171
15 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Author, podcaster and reader Daisy Buchanan joins Kate to discuss Read Yourself Happy, her latest book that explores 'shelf-help' and the healing powe...
Book Club: The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk • #170
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Olga Tokarczuk's haunting 'health resort horror story' may have wow-ed the critics, but how did it fare with Laura's book club? Phil, Sarah and Laura ...
Meditations for Mortals, with Oliver Burkeman • Episode #169
25 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Step into a world of philosophical musings and practical wisdom with Oliver Burkeman. 'Meditations for Mortals' is his latest book designed as a four-...
Page-Turning Plans: Looking ahead to 2025 • Episode #168
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a new year and a new episode. Join Kate and Laura as they consider reading intentions for the year ahead, and try to set some realistic goals. Wi...
Unputdownable: the best books we loved in 2024 • Episode #167
29 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wrap up your year with the Book Club Review podcast! Celebrate the joy of reading with us as we highlight the standout books we read in 2024, from pag...
The Booker Prize 2024 • Episode #166
09 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Curious about the 2024 Booker Prize? Wondering if the shortlisted novels live up to the hype? In this latest episode Kate and Laura are joined by retu...
Summer Reading Report 2024: Hits, misses and anticipations
07 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Summer Reading Report: hits, misses, and anticipations We're back from the beach and reflecting on our summer reading in this bonus length bookshelf e...
Notebook Nirvana: Stationery and the Joys of Notetaking, with David Frostick
25 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, originally released for our Patreon subscribers, Kate celebrates the joys of the perfect notebook with fellow enthusiast and ...
Unpacking the best: The NYT's best books of the 21st century • #163
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We love a list, and we love an excuse for a conversation about books, and so we couldn't have been more delighted when the New York Times released the...
Summer Bookshelf • Episode #162
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Laura's on a flying visit to London, and so of course we took the opportunity to get together and swap notes on our recent reading. Regular guest Phil...
Books that Make us Laugh • Episode 161
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by the folk at the New York Times article '22 of the funniest novels since Catch 22', join me (Kate), Phil and Laura as we consider the books...
Talking Non-Fiction, with Tom Rowley of Backstory • Episode #160
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Exploring literary worlds beyond fiction: a dive into non-fiction Join Kate, as she ventures to South London to visit Backstory, a unique indie bookst...
Browsing the So Many Damn Books bookshelf, with Christopher Hermelin • #159
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So Many Damn Books podcast creator and host Christoper Hermelin joins Kate to swap book recommendations and discuss the magic of book club, recent boo...
Book club: The New Life by Tom Crewe • Episode #158
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late 19th-century London. Publishers Penguin cal...
Mild Vertigo and Japan lit • Episode 157
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What did our podcast book club make of Mild Vertigo, Japanese author Mieko Kanai's 1997 novel, recently translated into English by Polly Barton. A 'mo...
Early Spring Bookshelf • Episode #156
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join me (Kate) and Laura as we go through our bookstacks and discuss our recent reads. Find out what why Laura can't put down The Murderbot Diaries by...
Future Reads 2024, with Chrissy Ryan • Episode #155
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've put our 2023 reading lists behind us, and now it's time to look ahead to 2024. Who better to guide us through all the new titles coming our way ...
Best Books of 2023 • Episode #154
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's our 2023 review of the year. Join me (Kate), Laura and Phil as we look back over our favourites, from new releases to backlist gems. Find out our...
The Booker Prize 2023 • Episode 153
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We read all six Booker shortlisted books, now join us as we evaluate them and try to second-guess the Booker judges, before finding out the winner - d...
Lonesome Dove, and other reads • Episode #152
29 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry has sold over 2 and a half million copies worldwide since publication in 1985, and won a Pulitzer Prize. With prose as...
So Late in the Day and other reads • Episode #151
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Irish author Claire Keegan is generally considered to be one of the finest writers working today. 'Every word is the right word in the right place, an...
Fiction and Philosophy, with Jonny Thomson • Episode #150
09 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is there any point in doing a nice thing if you can't flaunt it on social media? Can we ever know what it's like to be a bat? If we know Cinderella is...
Late-Summer Reading, with Bookbar • Episode #149
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you're after fly-through-them page-turners or immersive long-reads, or perhaps you're after a challenge, or the perfect discussion book, we've...
The Years by Annie Ernaux, Super-Infinite by Katherine Rundell, and a whole lot more • Episode #148
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you've been wondering whether or not to tackle the work of Nobel-prizewinner Annie Ernaux, and in partiular The Years, generally considered to be d...
Bookshopaholics • Books on the Hill • #147
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Kate in the historic market town of St. Albans, home to a cathedral, some impressive Roman ruins and one of Kate's favourite independent bookshop...
Fiction Prescriptions with Ella Berthoud • #146
08 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as professional book-recommender and Bibliotherapy queen Ella Berthoud helps us figure out how to overcome life's essential problems (if you'r...
The Women's Prize 2023 • Episode #145
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Six books, four readers and, as always, plenty of opinions. Join Kate, Laura and guests Sarah Oliver and Nina Davies as they dive into the 2023 Women'...
Bookshelf: Summer vibes • Episode #144
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our bookshelf shows are the ones where we get to cut loose and follow our own preferences, so listen in as Kate and Laura swap feel-good early summer ...
So Many Damn Books • Episode #143
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So Many Damn Books is a show that aims to celebrate reading in all its forms, and to do so with a cocktail in hand. For over 200 episodes now Christop...
Book Club: Victory City • #142
21 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Salman Rushdie's most recent novel Victory City was published in February 2023 to much critical acclaim but, as ever here at the Book Club Review, we'...
Bookshelf: Easter reads • Episode #141
15 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our Bookshelf episodes are the ones dedicated to the books we're each reading outside of book club, the ones we tend to love because we chose them for...
Free and The Snow Ball • Book Club, episode #140
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined by friend and journalist Phil Chaffee to discuss FREE by Lea Ypi, a memoir of her Albanian childhood and of life amid the collapse of Com...
Bookshopaholics: The Paperhound, Vancouver
19 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When in Vancouver, run to the coolest bookstore you can find and interview the owner. Such is the busman's holiday I've recently been enjoying on a vi...
Bookshelf: Spring Reads • Episode #138
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our bookshelf episodes are the ones where we kick back and talk about the books we've been choosing for ourselves outside of our book club reading. An...
Future reads 2023 • Episode #137
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's always good to have things to look forward to in life, and the books we can see coming up on the horizon are no exception. In this episode we'll ...
Bookshelf: Winter Reads • Episode #136
29 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Bookshelf time here at The Book Club Review podcast, when we talk about the books we're reading outside of book club, the ones we get to pick and...
The Thursday Murder Club • Episode #135
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When a book sells upwards of five and a half million copies and film rights are snapped up by none other than Steven Spielberg it seems to us a specia...
Best Books of 2022 • Episode #134
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's our best books of 2022, one of our favourite episodes to record as by this point we've done all the hard work of reading, now it's time to sit ba...
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, My Phantoms and Eight Months on Ghazzah Street – what did our book clubs make of them?
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We catch up with 2022 Booker Prize winner The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. Kate may have loved it, when she read it for our B...
Fitzcarraldo Editions, with Jacques Testard • #132
27 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a celebration of the joy we find in Fitzcarraldo Editions, an independent publishing house that makes no concessions towards mass a...
A Heart That Works, with Rob Delaney
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 book...
Bookshelf: Autumn reads
06 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Booker Prize 2022
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 disc...
Book Club: The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi
02 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since publication in 2019 The Hummingbird, by Italian Sandro Veronesi (translated into English by Elena Pala), has wowed readers and fellow-authors al...
Bookshelf: the Autumn book report
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Young Bloomsbury, with Nino Strachey • #126
07 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
The Women's Prize 2022 • #125
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 an...
The Inseparables, with Anna Baillie-Karas • 124
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 hi...
Mrs Dalloway, with Charles Pignal • #123
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 contin...
Summer Reading special 2022
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland
11 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
The Year I Stopped to Notice by Miranda Keeling
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 u...
Bookshelf: From a literary thriller to a guilty pleasure fantasy read
14 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 The Sixteen Trees of...
The Country of Others by Leïla Slimani
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
Bookshelf: our latest reads
09 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our bookshelf shows are the ones where we get to cut loose and follow our own preferences, so listen in as Kate tries to figure out the best way to sh...
Motherhood • with Claire Lynch
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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. W...
What to read and when, with Francesca Beauman
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Book recommendations galore from author Francesca Beauman, who is also publisher and bookshop proprietor of Persephone Books. In her latest book, The ...
Bookshelf: from prizewinning literature to beachy bestsellers
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we discuss Benjamin Labatut's Booker International shortlisted novel When We Cease to Understand the World, 2020 Baillie Gifford prizewinne...
Long reads
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We've all felt the lure of the short, sweet read, one of those slim books you can finish in a few hours, maybe over a hot cup of tea. But what about t...
Upcoming reads: books to get excited about in 2022
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wondering what books 2022 has in store for you? What will be your next great read? We're joined by industry insiders Chrissy Ryan, of dream bookshop B...
The Promise by Damon Galgut
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dazzling, original, heartfelt and exhilarating, or bleak, depressing, incoherent and unrealistic? What did Kate's book club make of The Promise, Damon...
Book club: Lolly Willowes and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
16 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Charmingly eccentric tale with a sharply feminist point of view or a 'hot mess' – what did Laura's book club make of Lolly Willowes by Silvia Townse...
Best books of 2021 Part 2: Our books of the year
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's part 2 of our end-of-year special, in which we look back over the books we read outside of book club, the ones we chose for ourselves, and pick o...
Best books of 2021 Part 1: best book club books
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of our 2021 end-of-year special episode we look back over the books we've covered for book club. Which ones have stayed with us? Which wer...
Kate Sawyer and The Stranding • 108
12 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we talk all things books, apocalypses, whales and the Costa Prize shortlist with Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding. It's a novel about a...
Matrix by Lauren Groff • 107
27 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we dive, in spoiler-free fashion, into Lauren Groff's latest novel, Matrix. It tells of Marie de France, a cast-off from Queen Eleanor of A...
The 2021 Booker Prize • #106
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we discuss the 2021 Booker shortlist in typical book club style, with journalist Phil Chaffee and Chrissy Ryan, owner of Bookbar. We livest...
Second Place by Rachel Cusk
09 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's our latest Book Club episode, and we're discussing Rachel Cusk's latest novel, Second Place. It was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, but did...
104. Bookshelf: Back-to-school reads
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've shaken the sand from our flip-flops and put our suitcases away. Now it's back to business as Kate and Laura catch up on their recent reads, ever...
Close-up: Adam Ashton and Adam Jones
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Ashto" and "Jonesy" are two Australians who devour books on everything from self-improvement to business and marketing for their weekly podcast, What...
Bookshelf: Summer Reading 2021
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's our 2021 Summer Reading episode! What are we looking for in our summer reading? We want books that are going to carry us away, books that are imm...
Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Looking for something a little off the beaten path for your reading pile? Join us as we discuss Like A Sword Wound by renowned Turkish writer Ahmet Al...
100: Kate and Laura answer your questions
17 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In celebration of our 100th episode we turn the spotlight on ourselves a little more than usual to answer listeners' questions. From our favourite chi...
The Women's Prize 2021 episode
19 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's here. After weeks of reading, tons of post-it notes and a WhatsApp group busy with thoughts flying back and forth we proudly present our 2021 Wom...
98. The Happy Reader
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A magazine that has always been dear to our hearts is Penguin's Happy Reader, an occasional publication that takes inspiration from the idea of a book...
97. The Remains of the Day
05 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we discuss The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a modern classic, 1989 Booker Prize winner and the author is also the winner of t...
96. Bookbar, with Chrissy Ryan
23 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Chrissy Ryan, founder of Bookbar, a new bookshop and bar in Kate's North London neighbourhood. Chrissy's vision is for Bookbar to be a so...
95. Bookshelf: the rundown of our best recent reads
15 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Listen in for Laura's take on Matt Haig's bestselling The Midnight Library, which Kate hasn't yet read. Should she? Meanwhile Kate gets swept into lit...
94. Mrs Death Misses Death
01 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we tackle this unusual book that mixes prose with poetry and a play script, in which Death is embodied in the form of an old black woman. M...
93. Bookshelf: A little bit of Maas hysteria
25 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for this 'bookshelf' episode as we discuss the books we've been reading outside of book club. In this episode Kate gets tied up in existential...
92. Ella Berthoud and The Art of Mindful Reading
17 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bibliotherapist and author (with Susan Elderkin) of classic books about books The Novel Cure and The Story Cure, Ella Berthoud's most recent work is T...
91. The Mermaid of Black Conch
04 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we discuss the 2020 Costa Book of the Year, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey. 'A fishy tale of doomed womanhood', even Margaret...
90. The Little Library Cookbooks, by Kate Young
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a reader's dream cookbook? One that has delicious recipes but also a wealth of literary references to inspire your next read? It turns out the...