Back in a couple of weeks. Don’t read anything exciting without me x
NEW EPISODE • Young Bloomsbury • with Nino Strachey
🎧 https://pod.fo/e/13693a
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.
‘In the 1920s a new generation stepped forward to invigorate the Bloomsbury Group – creative young people who tantalised the original ‘Bloomsberries’ with their captivating looks and provocative ideas.
Young Bloomsbury introduces us to an extraordinarily colourful cast of characters, including novelist and music critic Eddy Sackville-West, ‘who wore elaborate make-up and dressed in satin and black velvet’; sculptor Stephen Tomlin; and writer Julia Strachey. Talented and productive, these larger-than-life figures had high-achieving professional lives and extremely complicated emotional lives.
Bloomsbury had always celebrated sexual equality and freedom in private, feeling that every person had the right to live and love in the way they chose. But as transgressive self-expression became more public, this younger generation gave Old Bloomsbury a new voice. Revealing an aspect of Bloomsbury history not yet explored, Young Bloomsbury celebrates an open way of living that would not be embraced for another hundred years.’
It was such a delight to get to record this episode with Nino on a beautiful summer's day in the magical setting of Charleston. Were the ghosts listening in as we swapped book recommendations? I like to think they were.
Hachette Books #youngbloomsbury #ninostrachey Charleston #bookpodcast
I’m struggling to edit down conversation with @ninostrachey about her book YOUNG BLOOMSBURY only because everything she says is so interesting. I loved hearing about the bookshop where Bloomsbury’s literati went to shop and catch up, both the older generation, Virginia Woolf, Clive Bell et al, but also the new younger people who were drawn into their orbit. Sculptor Stephen Tomlin became a close friend of the group and made the busts of Woolf and Lytton Strachey that give us such a sense today of what they were like.
The images above, of course, are not from the long-vanished bookshop (I couldn’t find any photographs of it online – perhaps none exist?) They are from Charleston Farmhouse, home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, where they welcomed friends and nurtured their own unconventional family. Nino Strachey’s book explores the less-well-known, younger members of the group such as Julia Strachey, Eddie Sackville-West and Raymond Mortimer, to name but three, often only mentioned in passing but all interesting in their own right. Nino is fascinated by the creative dialogue between the generations, and finds a relevant contemporary focus in exploring Bloomsbury’s open approach to queer and non-binary people who struggled to find a place to fit in.
Needless to say I loved our chat in the library at Charleston, surrounded by Clive Bell’s books with Lytton listening in from the table. I confess to have found myself somewhat intimidated – not because of Nino, of course, who couldn’t have been easier to talk to, but the thought of all those famous ghosts, listening in. Charleston is an extraordinary place to visit. You feel the previous inhabitants have just stepped out and might be back at any minute!
The book is YOUNG BLOOMSBURY and that episode is coming soon. I will crack on with the editing.
I’m struggling to trim my conversation with @ninostrachey about her book YOUNG BLOOMSBURY only because everything she says is so interesting. I loved hearing about the bookshop where Bloomsbury’s literati went to shop and catch up, both the older generation, Virginia Woolf, Clive Bell et al, but also the new younger people who were drawn into their orbit. Sculptor Stephen Tomlin became a close friend of the group and made the busts of Woolf and Lytton Strachey that give us such a sense today of what they were like.
The images above, of course, are not from the long-vanished bookshop (I couldn’t find any photographs of it online – perhaps none exist?). They are from Charleston Farmhouse, home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, where they welcomed friends and nurtured their own unconventional family. Nino Strachey’s book explores the less-well-known, younger members of the group such as Julia Strachey, Eddie Sackville-West and Raymond Mortimer, to name but three, often only mentioned in passing but all interesting in their own right. Nino is fascinated by the creative dialogue between the generations, and finds a relevant contemporary focus in exploring Bloomsbury’s open approach to queer and non-binary people who struggled to find a place to fit in.
Needless to say I loved our chat in the library at Charleston, surrounded by Clive Bell’s books with Lytton listening in from the table. I confess to have found myself surprisingly intimidated – not because of Nino, of course, who couldn’t have been easier to talk to, but the thought of all those famous ghosts, listening in. Charleston is an extraordinary place to visit. You feel the previous inhabitants have just stepped out and might be back at any minute!
The book is YOUNG BLOOMSBURY and that episode is coming soon. I will crack on with the editing.
🎧 📚 NEW EPISODE • The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir, translated by Lauren Elkin • with Anna Baillie Karas of Books on the Go podcast
Listen here: https://pod.fo/e/131a97
Yearning for Paris?
In the mood for reading something short?
Want to try something that introduces you to one of the greats of 20th century letters and feminist thought
Plus Deborah Levy and Lauren Elkin added to the mix?
Don’t miss this weekend’s special episode with Anna Baillie-Karas for our latest book discussion as we delve into The Inseparables, a rediscovered novella from Simone de Beauvoir, recently translated into English by Lauren Elkin, and described by the Telegraph as reading 'surprisingly like a French Elena Ferrante'. It tells the story of Andrée and Sylvie, two young girls who meet in school and become close friends, but one of them is free to choose her own path in life, the other is not. Based on her own experiences this is Beauvoir's fictional account of a friendship that shaped her as a person.
With Anna in town it seemed the perfect short book for us to discuss but what did we make of it? Listen in to find out if you should add it to your reading pile or perhaps read it for book club. We’ve also got four follow on reads we think you’ll love
Given that Simone de Beauvoir's personal history has been well documented and discussed we don't hold back from considering how the story turns out. So if you don’t know anything about Simone de Beauvoir and want to come to this story completely fresh bookmark this ep and come back to us when you’ve read it as unusually for us there are spoilers in this one.
#theinseparables #simonedebeauvoir #bookpodcast #bookclub
Today’s #throwbackthursday is a little trip down memory lane to this time last year, when we were tentatively planning our staycations (as at that point, strange to think of it, travel was not an option). We felt it was more important than ever, then, to have the perfect selection of books to read so if you didn’t catch this episode the first time around join us as we run through our summer reading recommendations.
Listen here: https://pod.fo/e/dfc90
What are we looking for in our summer reading? We want books that are going to carry us away, books that are immersive and compelling, books that take us places and teach us things. Sometimes we want short reads to suit our mood, others we want long immersive books that will last us through the summer. And as ever, we want books we can discuss and debate.
With that in mind we compiled an eclectic list. It features summer buzz books The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris and Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, but we’re also delving into mental health with Meg Mason’s hilarious and moving novel Sorrow and Bliss, considering the joys of the solitary life with Jhumpa Lahiri's Wherabouts and learning about the Sackler family with Patrick Radden-Keefe’s Empire of Pain (that I’m enthusing about in the clip). Plus Laura throws in Michael Faber’s beguiling fantasy novel D: A Tale of Two Worlds, plus a novel by First Nations author Richard Wagamese she wants everyone to read, and we briefly consider Erik Larson’s gripping history of World War 2, The Splendid and the Vile and why really it’s the perfect thing to have beside your deckchair.
How about you, are you putting together your holiday reading stack? I’m enjoying the process of mentally shuffling through mine. So far I’ve got the option of one big book I’ve been meaning to read for a while that will probably take me through my whole trip, or two or three shorter ones I also want to get through. Decisions, decisions…
NEW EPISODE • Mrs Dalloway, and other London reads • with Charles Pignal • Listen now: https://pod.fo/e/12ee56
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, society hostess Clarissa Dalloway sets out to buy flowers for a party she is giving that evening. Returning home in the afternoon she is visited by an old friend, Peter Walsh, who rekindles memories and feelings from her youth. Meanwhile nearby a traumatised soldier, Septimus Smith, is struggling 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 Charles Pignal (@charleslangip on Instagram) 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 on the theme of London. 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.
😎📚💕🎧 SUMMER READING SPECIAL • Link in the bio / stories
Whether you’re soaking up Nutcrackers on Rockaway beach like my book-reviewing heroine @mollybethyoung, 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 the good folk at @bookbaruk are recommending, what show-regular @philip_chaffee is diving into this summer, what @emilyrhodeswriter of Emily’s Walking Book Club is turning to, what @nodunayo of book recommendations app @the.storygraph thinks you should try, what onetime journalist now bookseller @tomjrowley is planning on reading when he gets a second off setting up his new bookshop, @backstory.london, and finally what one of our favourite authors, @byedcaesar, thinks might be the perfect page-turner for you, keep listening.
From hot new releases to tried and tested classics (including several our guests love so much they return to them again and again), we’ve got you covered.
But it’s possible we’ve missed something. It’s possible. What’s a summer read that you love? Comment and let us know.
🇬🇧 GIVEAWAY • To celebrate our lovely followers we wanted to do a little giveaway and so if you’re in the UK comment below, tag a friend and let me know which page corner you think I’ve folded from my 137 page copy of The Inseparables. Runs until midnight Friday 17th June and I’ll announce the winner on Saturday.
You could win
• The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight
• The Woman’s Prize Journal
• Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
• Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin
🤞 😊 📚 ❤️
NEW EPISODE: 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 his dream of living in Greenland. While we may not have been 100% sold on the cuisine, we were fascinated by his experiences and the unique perspective he brings to his observations about the society he encounters there.
First published in English in 1981 the book was recently re-issued by Penguin as part of their Modern Classics series. But do we think it should have a place on your bookshelf? Listen in to find out.
And because there are few things we love more than a polar book, we’ve got a stack of other suggestions for your reading pile, from previous pod favourites like A Woman in the Polar Night by Christine Ritter, to a new to us book called This Cold Heaven, by Gretel Erlich.
So come, fix yourself a cup of coffee with reindeer fat, and let us tell you more.
Books discussed
The Northern Lights, The Amber Spyglass and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials trilogy, [Scholastic])
The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller (Hachette)
This Cold Heaven by Gretel Erlich (Harper Collins)
Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine (and The Colony of Good Hope [Pan Macmillan])
Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Høeg (Penguin).
A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter.
Since we did the show I keep thinking of other books that would have fit the theme. How about you, what’s an icebound read you’d recommend?
NEW EPISODE • The Year I Stopped to Notice, with Miranda Keeling
Escape with us into the magic of the everyday, in the little things that may pass us by if we don't pay attention. We’re joined by @mirandakeeling to find out more about her book The Year I Stopped to Notice, a joyful, poignant and familiar portrait of everyday life that Neil Gaiman called 'beautiful' and Philip Pullman 'a delight'.
Together with Miranda, we also recommend five other books that tap into the spirit of observing and capturing fleeting moments.
And so listen in for more on Nobody Told You by Hollie McNish, The Outrun by Amy Liptrot (and The Instant, her latest book), No-One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin and Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession
Très-devoted listeners of the pod (and I now have written evidence that there is a listener out there who has listened to every single episode, an achievement I’m pretty sure is only shared by myself and Laura) may remember Miranda from when she joined us on episode 19 to talk about Swing Time by Zadie Smith. Laura first met Miranda at a picnic and within about two minutes had invited her to join her book club. We were so happy to have an excuse to get Miranda back on to talk about her own book.
Don’t forget you’ll find full shownotes on all the books we’ve discussed, plus a transcript and comments forum on our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk, so head over there anytime and let us know any thoughts you’d like to share. What’s a book that captures the everyday that you love?
New episode • Sunday listening • Join us as we catch up with our latest reads
Our bookshelf episodes are where we sit back and relax and talk about the books we’ve been reading outside of book club, the ones we get to pick and choose for ourselves. We’re joined by friend-of-the-pod Phil Chaffee to hear about his holiday reading – listen in and feel either inspired or daunted by his idea of a good beach read (The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, and Sally Hayden’s devastating account of conditions for those seeking to migrate or find asylum in Europe, My Fourth Time We Drowned – both of which he assures us are amazing).
Meanwhile listen in as I try to persuade you all to read O’Caledonia by Elspeth Barker. As a parent I never tire of dark stories about terrible parenting narrated by emotionally scarred children – it’s always good to read what not to do – and so this ticked a lot of boxes, besides offering an unforgettable heroine and setting. Read it and if you love it too we can be friends for life.
If that’s not for you we can still be friends if you like my other recommendation – a book that kept me happily up late turning the pages, This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab.
As for Laura, she dived into Sixteen Days of the Somme by Lars Mytting, kindly gifted to us by Andrew at Abrams Press, and did not regret it. If you’re looking for a riveting beach-read or something to curl up with after a long day at work she reckons it’s just the ticket. She’s also been reading The Sympathiser, Viet Tanh Nguyen's Pulitzer-prize winning novel. Not an easy read, by all accounts, but a gripping one, with some unforgettable scenes. But will Laura finish it or will the prospect of torture scenes at the end put her off?
Listen in for a crisp run-down of all of these plus various things we mention on the side (Matrix, A High Wind in Jamaica, The Naked Don’t Fear the Water, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Darker Shades of Magic books by V.
NEW EPISODE • Laura's book club dive into Ferrante-esque family saga THE COUNTRY OF OTHERS by Leïla Slimani
How did Laura and her book club get on with Leïla Slimani's latest book, THE COUNTRY OF OTHERS, which tells the story of a Frenchwoman (based on Slimani's own grandmother) who marries a Moroccan man and moves to that country in the 1950s. Mathilde is dreaming of a glamorous and beautiful new life but what she discovers instead is disillusionment as her husband struggles to develop the unpromising patch of land he has inherited into a prosperous farm. Politically, French colonists have the upper-hand, but as the novel shows, unrest among Moroccans is growing. Will Mathilde and her family get swept up in in the coming conflict? As readers of Slimani will know to expect, the novel is a masterclass in sustained tension, and much more.
And so listen in to hear what Laura and her book club thought. We were also delighted to be joined by regular listener @youss_be who from her Moroccan-British perspective was able to give us some valuable insight into the wider cultural context, and her personal take on the book.
Animated discussion you say? Debate? Sounds like the perfect book for us. Listen in and let us know what you think. My friend and fellow bookclubber Amanda mentioned to me the other day that she sometimes has thoughts on an episode but doesn't know where to air them. For that, my friends, we have our website, where each episode has a dedicated page including notes on book recommendations, a lovingly crafted transcript and, most crucially, each has a comments section – little known and little-used except by some devoted Georgette Heyer fans. And so we invite you over there to share your thoughts, anytime, and let's keep the discussion going.
🎧 Link in the bio, and stories.
NEW EPISODE • #117 • Bookshelf • What have we been reading lately? • Link in the bio / stories
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 show up for her life after reading Oliver Burkeman’s 4,000 HOURS
Meanwhile Laura is drawn into ’A dark world of desire and fantasy’ with French prizewinner NO TOUCHING by Ketty Rouf.
We figure out via an emergency call to an Irish friend how to pronounce Colm Tóibín, but unfortunately this doesn't help Kate in her struggle with his book about Thomas Mann, THE MAGICIAN
Laura gets on better with Brit Bennett's book THE MOTHERS, so well in fact she can't put down.
Finally, Kate has a new girl-crush on Canadian author Sheila Heti after reading her book MOTHERHOOD.
Booklist
📖 4,000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman
📖 No Touching by Ketty Rouf
📖 The Magician by Colm Toíbín
📖 Motherhood by Sheila Heti
📖 The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Laura also mentions Savage Tongues by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, Little by Edward Carey and Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid.
🎧 Episode #116 • Motherhood • featuring Claire Lynch, author of SMALL: ON MOTHERHOODS: https://pod.fo/e/115eec
'Claire Lynch knew that having children with her wife would be complicated but she could never have anticipated the extent to which her life would be redrawn by the process. This dazzling debut begins with the smallest of life’s substances, the microscopic cells subdividing in a petri dish in a fertility treatment centre. She moves through her story in incremental yet ever growing steps, from the fingernail-sized pregnancy test result screen which bears two affirmative lines to the premature arrival of her children who have to wear scale-model oxygen masks in their life-saving incubators. Devastatingly poignant and profoundly observant – and funny against the odds – Claire considers whether it is our smallness that makes our lives so big.'
Our other guest is Elizabeth Morris @cribnotesbookclub, whose monthly newsletter is filled with book recommendations for any mums trying to carve out the time to keep reading.
As for book recommendations we couldn't resist adding a few more into the mix, so join us as we discuss Claire's book and then dive off into other favourites that explore the subject, from earwax to emotional ties. There's laughter, there are tears (what can I say, I'm basically a watering pot these days) and hopefully some wisdom in there too.
Books discussed:
📖 Small by Claire Lynch
📖 Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
📖 Motherhood by Sheila Heti
📖 A Life’s Work by Rachel Cusk
📖 A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann ní Ghríofa
📖 M(otherhood) by Praya Agarwal
📖 The Best Most Awful Job by Katherine May
📖 The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
📖 The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (as recommended by @francescabeauman)
📖 Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson
📖 No-One Talks About this Stuff edited by Kat Brown
#bookspodcast #bookrecommendations #motherhood
Shout out today to Elizabeth Morris at cribnotesbookclub When I first became a mother I barely read a thing for a year, and so I've always been slightly awed by Elizabeth, who not only kept reading, she created a monthly newsletter to share book recommendations with other mothers.
She writes 'When I first gave birth to my son I felt stressed just scrolling through Twitter, looking at the latest cycle of "hot books" flashing up in my feed. How would I ever keep up? When your life is suddenly a constant cycle of night-feeds and nappy changes, it is easy to feel out of the loop. Even if you have older children, you might be feeling guilty that you have not yet read the latest prize-winning work of literary genius. When writing Crib Notes, I like to take this pressure off: instead I usually mix and match old favourites with a smattering of carefully selected new titles. The only thing that should matter, really, is that you enjoy your hard-won reading time.'
We first met Elizabeth when we invited her onto the pod to talk about Crib Notes (episode 64). Since then we've kept in touch and I'm always so happy to have her back on. She's one of those readers who inspire me both to read more, and to reflect more deeply on what I'm reading. And so who better to join us for our latest episode on Motherhood. We were also joined by author Claire Lynch to discuss her book SMALL before we digressed into a range of favourite book recommendations around the theme.
So if you haven't caught it yet listen in
🎧 https://pod.fo/e/115eec
and if you haven't yet read #NIGHTBITCH by Rachel Yoder, as discussed by Elizabeth in the clip, run to the bookshop. Run!
#bookspodcast #bookrecommendations #bookdiscussions #bookclub #motherhood
Weekend listening: join us as we chat to Claire Lynch about her book SMALL: ON MOTHERHOODS. We're also joined by Elizabeth Morris of Crib Notes book club – who better to help us come up with our essential reads on the theme of motherhood.
Listen here: https://pod.fo/e/115eec
Book recommendations
📖 Small by Claire Lynch
📖 Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
📖 Motherhood by Sheila Heti
📖 A Life’s Work by Rachel Cusk
📖 A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann ní Ghríofa
📖 M(otherhood) by Praya Agarwal
📖 The Best Most Awful Job by Katherine May
📖 The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
📖 The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
📖 Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson
📖 No-One Talks About this Stuff
#bookspodcast #bookrecommendations #motherhood
