On this episode, we hear from Stephen Cox, whose debut novel Our Child of the Stars came out earlier this year. And he's also part of an innovative new bookshop in North London that's being run by a cooperative. He and I talked about what makes the '60s such an interesting time to set a novel, the importance of bookshops on the high street, what makes a great writers' group, and more. Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Our Child of the Stars, by Stephen Cox This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood Today would have been my dad's 76th birthday. In his honour, I've made five of his songs public on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and all (or most of) the other places people listen to music. These songs were part of the soundtrack to my childhood. You On My Mind is my favourite of these, and I love that Have Another Drink really showcases his piano playing -- the riffs are very him, very representative of his best musicianship. In his later years, he got a bit obsessed with adding electronic music effects, and I much prefer the original song-and-piano only versions of his songs. I hope some of those survive somewhere, and that I'll be able to share them one day. He also got a bit obsessed with the Obama campaign in '07-'08, and wrote a whole load of songs about that. They're not his best work, but I'll share them at some point too. Heck, maybe the Crooked media boys will get a kick out of them. I miss my dad often and a lot these days -- a lot of his heroes and influences are hitting milestones, releasing memoirs, and, sadly, passing away. I wish I could have seen Rocketman with him, and bought him Elton John's memoir. I wish I could have ranted about Brexit with him, too -- though it's probably best he never had to live through it. I know he'd be pleased that his music lives on, though. I hope people will enjoy it. https://open.spotify.com/album/6Gw81dZOrnvx2kpFKpKN8P?si=NG9WPRjpQSSQPNod7CtN5w The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt Beowulf Dracula, by Bram Stoker Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley Grand Union: Stories, by Zadie Smith Me, by Elton John Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years, Julie Andrews Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella Christmas Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe ***** Get your first three audiobooks for under $5 each with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations. Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it. Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel Stephen Cox Twitter / Website All Good Bookshop Twitter / Website

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