The Book Club Review
Episodes
89. Shuggie Bain
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On the one hand 'bleak, meandering and depressing' on the other a beautifully written book that has touched the hearts of its readers – but what did...
88. Bookshelf: Spring reads
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Catch up on what we've been reading outside of book club, the books we choose for ourselves. If you're looking for lockdown recommendations we've got ...
87. Writers and Lovers and Early Work
30 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're welcoming in a new year of reading with not one but two books, Writers & Lovers by Lily King, and Early Work by Andrew Martin. Two aspiring ...
86. The Postal Book Club
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A book sent from friend to friend around the world, with a notebook full of comments. Have we found the perfect Covid lockdown bookclub? We're joined ...
85: 2020 Books of the Year Review
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's our biggest recommendations show yet, with over 50 books loved by us, our book clubs, and our three special guests. But what were our most loved ...
84. Books Quiz special episode
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling quizzical? Missing your favourite festive pub quiz? Compete along with us as Gary Wigglesworth, author of 'The Book Lover's Quiz Book', puts u...
83. Book Club Book of the Year 2020
26 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We look back over the ten books we read for bookclub in 2020. From Taffy Brodesser-Akner's snappy take on contemporary relationships with Fleishman is...
82. Close-up: Handheld Press
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to set up your own publishing business? What does it take to succeed? And how do you find the right books? We talk to Kate Macdonald of...
81. The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
28 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss The Memory Police, a haunting dystopian novel that explores questions of power, trauma and state surveillance written by Yoko Ogawa, one of...
80. The Booker Prize 2020
14 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wondering which of the Booker shortlisted novels to read? Look no further, we've got the rundown of all of them in our Booker Prize special. We're joi...
79. Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The perfect solution when your book club wants to read a classic, but no-one quite has the energy for the 19th-century greats, Bonjour Tristesse clock...
78. Bookshelf: Autumn reads
17 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 tha...
77. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
04 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Identical twin sisters Stella and Desiree Vignes grow up together in a small, southern black community where the inhabitants have noteably light skin....
76. Emily's Walking Book Club
12 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
75. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 alterna...
74. Summer Reading: Find your perfect 'beach read'
08 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
'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 summe...
73. Bookshelf: What we're reading outside of book club
18 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 conte...
72. 100 of the Finest Short Stories Ever Written
04 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 sto...
71. The Beekeeper of Aleppo
20 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
70. The BritLit Podcast
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
69. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
24 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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, f...
68. Bookshelf: Lockdown reads
17 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We love our book clubs, but what do we read when we get to choose for ourselves? In this episode we have an eclectic mix, encompassing everything from...
67. The London Archives Book Club
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The London Metropolitan Archives was established to collect, preserve, celebrate and share the stories of London and Londoners. They also have a book ...
66. Lanny by Max Porter
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part novel, part poem, Lanny evokes a typical English village whose residents are observed by an ancient spirit of nature – with a particular intere...
65. Bookshelf: Lockdown reads
05 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Comfort reads to curl up with? Or books that provoke, stimulate and challenge? In this episode, we share our latest lockdown reads. We stay close to h...
64. Crib Notes Interview
22 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For many parents home-schooling their children over the coming weeks, the idea of reading in snatches of borrowed time will strike a strong chord. Aft...
63. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang clocked in at number 80 on The Guardian's list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Barack Obama's...
62. Bookshelf: Our reads beyond book club
08 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Laura reports in on The Wych Elm by Tana French, The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne and The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman. Kate's stac...
61. Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
26 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fleishman is in Trouble tells the story of Toby, a successful NYC doctor whose almost ex-wife Rachel has vanished, leaving him alone with their two ch...
60. Top 10 Book Club Books
25 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Reading the right books is key to making your book club a success. But how to choose? Listen in to hear the top 10 books we think make for perfect boo...
59. How to Start a Book Club: The Ultimate Guide
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ready to start your own book club? This special episode tells you how, from who to invite and what books (or genre) to read, to the pitfalls you'll w...
58. Bookshelf: What we're reading beyond book club
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In our stacks this episode: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Seven Days in the Artworld by Sarah Thornton, 84 Charing Cross Ro...
57. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Barker's retelling of the Iliad from the female perspective proves a surprisingly marmite read. It was shortlisted for the Women's Prize and recei...
56. Bee's Bookshare Interview
10 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A book club for people who don't like the idea of all having to read the same book. At Bee's Bookshare everyone brings a book they've loved, loathed, ...
55. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We delve into the whirlwind story of Elizabeth Holmes and her biotech company Theranos. At its height, valued at 9 billion dollars. At its heart, a pr...
54. Bookshelf: What we're reading beyond book club
19 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Listen in as we discuss the books we've reading outside of book club. In Laura's stack: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, The Lies of Locke Lamora by S...
53. The Family Book Club
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Annie and Dave tell us about their family book club that has kept their family engaging with books and debating their merits for seven years now. They...
52. Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
15 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A sweeping and evocative portrait of an Egyptian family at a time of great social change, from Nobel Prizewinning author Naguib Mahfouz. 'Writing wort...
51. Barnabees Secondhand Bookshop interview
31 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our latest interview is with Tyona Campbell, owner of Barnabees, a very special secondhand bookshop tucked away in the small Suffolk village of Westle...
51.5 Archive: The Happy Reader interview
10 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Happy Reader is a magazine that takes the idea of a book club as its inspiration. To celebrate the launch of their latest issue we're revisiting o...
50. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
03 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
My Sister the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite's superbly titled debut novel, has been one of the literary sensations of 2019 –nominated for the W...
49. The Second Shelf Bookshop interview
27 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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, manusc...
48. I Will Never See the World Again by Ahmet Altan
20 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 serv...
47. The Margate Bookshop interview
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
46. Bookshelf: What we're reading beyond book club
06 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 identif...
Feature: The Reading Retreat
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 wher...
45. Wilde Imagination Book Club interview
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
44. Book Club: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
09 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
43. Book Club: Milkman by Anna Burns
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Masterpiece from the contemporary heir to Samuel Beckett or demanding endurance read with not nearly enough paragraph breaks? We debate Anna Burns' Bo...
42. Close-up: Books on the Go Podcast
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
41. Book Club: A Different Drummer and If Beale Street Could Talk
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 Willia...
40. Bookshelf: What we're reading beyond book club
14 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 Ab...
39. Close-Up: Book of the Year Club
04 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
38. Book Club: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
25 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology, whose compelling book offers us the chance to be more attractiv...
37. Bookshelf: What we're reading beyond book club
05 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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'...
36. Close-up: The Mostly Harmless Book Club
24 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From Game of Thrones to Watership Down via Haruki Marukami, Margaret Atwood, Frank Herbert and everything in-between, Mostly Harmless are a thriving b...
35. Book Club: Normal People
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 Roon...
34. Simon Schama interview
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A special episode with historian, academic, documentary maker, journalist, cultural polymath and keen fiction reader Simon Schama. Listen in to find o...
Archive: The Horror Book Club
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of our favourite interviews, duly resurrected for any who heard Andy on our recent Haunting of Hill House show and wanted to know more about his b...
33. Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
20 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hill House, 'not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more.' ...
32. Bookshelf: What we're reading beyond book club
12 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What we've been reading outside of book club – the books we get to pick and choose. On the list: Things I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton, Mrs Gas...
31. London Literary Salon interview
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Whether for book club or your TBR shelf, 2019 may be the year for a challenge. But what is it about classics such as Proust's In Search of Lost Time,...
30. Lullaby by Leïla Slimani
27 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
'The baby is dead. It took only a few seconds.' So begins this bestselling thriller by French author Leïla Slimani, and the winner of the prestigious...
29. Book Club Book of the Year
23 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We take stock of another year of book club books and square off to choose an official Book Club Book of the Year. On the list: Call Me By Your Name by...
28. The Paperbacks Book Club interview
16 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
From hockey team to all-male book club with 50+ members, Jim West tells us how founding The Paperbacks revealed 'the great undiscovered demographic': ...
27. The Unfinished Palazzo by Judith Mackrell
08 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The story of three extraordinary women – Luisa Casati, Doris Castleross, Peggy Guggenheim – and the Venetian Palazzo that captivated them. Judith ...
Feature: The best new book club books
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Wondering what to buy the book clubber in your life for Christmas? Here's Claire Griffiths of Highbury bookshop Ink84 with a brilliant rundown of new ...
26. Bookshelf: What we're reading beyond book club
01 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What do we read when not reading book club books? Listen in to find out. This episode, we report in on non-fiction sleeper-hit A Shepherd's Life by Ja...
25. Lesbian Book Club interview
20 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when your small start-up book club is so popular that you quickly become overwhelmed with new members? For Eléonore Pratoussy of the L...
24. Less + House of Impossible Beauties
18 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our new, shorter-format episode in which we discuss Pulitzer-prize winning comic novel Less by Andrew Sean Greer, and Joseph Cassara's nove...
23. The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit
06 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined by US Vogue senior editor Chloe Schama to consider The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit which was Kate's last book club read. We consider...
22. Educated by Tara Westover
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
From no formal education before the age of seventeen to a PhD from Cambridge ten years later, Tara Westover's transformation is the stuff of Hollywood...
21. A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark
12 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A Far Cry From Kensington has many fans amongst the critics but what did Kate's book club make of it. Did they fall in love with Muriel Spark's gentee...
20. Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
02 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The New York Times called it a 'powerfully expansive novel' and it was shortlisted for the Booker, but what did Laura's book club make of 'Do Not Say ...
Introducing The Book Club Review
02 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We love books, we love book clubs, and so we created a show dedicated to both. We review the books read most recently by our own book clubs. We interv...
19. Swing Time by Zadie Smith
18 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It has been called her finest novel, but what did Laura's book club make of Zadie Smith's Swing Time? In our regular interview we talk to The Divas, a...
18. East West Street by Philippe Sands
15 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
East West Street is a memoir by prominent British barrister Philippe Sands. It's a history of atrocity combined with a relentless search for the truth...
17. Dr Fischer of Geneva, or The Bomb Party by Graham Greene
20 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We find out what Kate's book club made of Dr Fischer of Geneva, or The Bomb Party, by Graham Greene. Published in 1980, at the end of Greene's life, t...
16. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
04 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Proustian mediatation on love and desire? Atmospheric beach read? What did Laura's book club make of André Aciman's Call Me By Your Name? First publi...
15. Jilly Cooper Book Club
25 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In which journalist Kat Brown tells us all about her Jilly Cooper book club, and we decide Jilly Cooper is essentially the same as Proust. Find out mo...
14. Two Serious Ladies + A Horse Walks Into A Bar
21 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We debate Two Serious Ladies, a neglected 1940s 'cult' classic by Jane Bowles, and David Grossman's A Horse Walks Into A Bar, which won the 2017 Man B...
13. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
20 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The Happy Reader special: a celebration of Penguin's magazine that thinks it's a book club, and a live book club discussion of their Winter Book of th...
12. All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West
27 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It came highly recommended, and so with anticipation Kate's book club read All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West. We knew she was good at gardening...
11. Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
07 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
For Laura's book club we delve into The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy. Longlisted for the Booker Prize (2017), it didn't make the shor...
10. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
09 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
For Kate's most recent book club we set off for the high Himalayas in search of snow leopards and spiritual enlightenment with Peter Matthiessen's cul...
9. This Is London by Ben Judah
16 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Laura's latest book club read was This Is London by Ben Judah (2016), a spare and unflinching investigation into what life in London can be like for t...
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders • Episode #8
05 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Lincoln in the Bardo is a ghostly story that unfolds in a graveyard over the course of a single night. Narrated by a chorus of voices and historical s...
7. Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
13 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What did Laura's book club make of THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead, now a Pulitzer Prize and US National Book Award winner. We also disco...
Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine • Episode #6
13 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In which Kate and Laura have wildly differing opinions over Kim Leine's historical novel The Prophets of Eternal Fjord (nominated for the 2017 Interna...
5. Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
31 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Kate makes a serious confession, and we try to figure out if The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon is set in an avenue or ...
4. Hag-Seed + Border
05 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features a rare falling out between Kate and her book club over Margaret Atwood's latest novel, Hag-Seed, while Laura's book club appreci...
3. Left-Hand of Darkness + Second-Hand Time
29 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Can a sci-fi novel make for a good book club book? We find out with The Left-Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin. Did Laura's book club, mostly sci-fi ...
2. The Vegetarian + The Reader
19 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss South Korean author Han Kang's short novel about a troubled woman who decides to stop eating meat. We also look at international bestseller...
The Sellout and Hillbilly Elegy • Our book clubs dive in
19 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode Kate's book club dive into Paul Beatty's 2016 Booker Prize winning novel THE SELLOUT while Laura's have been reading HILLBILLY EL...