Curiously Specific Book Club

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Curiously Specific Book Club

Every podcast, we take you on a walk or a road trip, using a well-known novel as our only guide.

12/11/2023

Happy to report we’re still out there, finding new benches to sit on.

31/07/2023

The last podcast of Series 3 is on general release today. We’ve travelled all the way from Scotland down to near Broadstairs in Kent - in search of the mythical ‘39 Steps’.

Expect press barons, fascists and golf. And a scandal about John Buchan’s shaky knowledge of important dates.

We’re now going to take a break so no new episodes for a while. But there’s 45 books and 75 podcasts to enjoy. Thanks for listening!

24/07/2023

Our last episode of Series 3 takes us up to Scotland, following the footsteps of Richard Hannay of ‘The 39 Steps’. But is he a man to be trusted about routes, locations or dates…?

Support us on Patreon and you’ll get Part Two straight away, in which you’ll find out if the Steps exist and whether there are 39 of them.

10/07/2023

Fancy a day out at the seaside? Come with us to Ramsgate where we will use Margot Bennett’s ‘The Widow of Bath’ to transport you back to 1952.

Get Part Two of this podcast straight away - and without ads - by supporting us on Patreon. Details in bio.

26/06/2023

New podcast out now! We’re taking Geoffrey Household’s classic 1939 thriller ‘Rogue Male’ out for an extended walk.

Part One takes us on a chase through London. Part Two finds us hiding in a secret holloway somewhere in Dorset. But is it specifically the holloway described in the book?

Don’t want to wait a week for Part Two? Support us on Patreon and get it straight away. Details in bio.

12/06/2023

We’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace!

The latest podcast explores the world of A A Milne, at the point in his life when he’s known to the world as a master of light verse - and is not yet the inventor of Winnie-The Pooh.

In Part One we’re roving around London in search of ‘the end of town’. If you want to hear Part Two straight away where we head off to the land of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and … er .. Brian Jones, you need to sign up to support us on Patreon. Details in bio.

05/06/2023

Part Two of our podcast adventure along the River Dart is on general release today. The long poem Dart by Alice Oswald is our guiding text, leading us from a derelict dairy factory to a boat yard and then out to the sea in search of seals. Listen out for references to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Agatha Christie - and crisps!

Support us on Patreon and get every Part Two a week before everyone else - without ads. Details in bio.

29/05/2023

New podcast out today! We follow the River Dart from source to sea using Alice Oswald’s wonderful long poem from 2002 as our guide.

Tune in for moorland folk tales, a steam train and far too much Ted Hughes. Part Two is yours straight away if you support us on Patreon. Details in bio.

22/05/2023

In Part Two of our latest podcast adventure, we pursue Edward Thomas as he cycles from Clapham to the Quantocks in search of spring.

On the way we drop in on Constable’s Cottage in Nether Stowey, prospect for oil at Kilve and hear the chiff chaff sing on Cothelstone Hill (or some other bird).

Support us on Patreon and you get every Part Two a week earlier than anyone else - and with no ads. Details in bio.

08/05/2023

Part Two is out now of our podcast peregrination around North Battersea, using Nell Dunn’s 1963 novel ‘Up The Junction’ as our guide. Contains conversations about So Solid Crew, Harry Potter and why Clapham Junction should really be Battersea Junction.

Support us on Patreon and you get every Part Two a week earlier than anyone else - and without ads. Links in bio.

01/05/2023

New podcast out today! We’re taking you on a tour of Battersea in South London, courtesy of Nell Dunn’s classic 1960s novella ‘Up The Junction’. Is it still a place of smelly slums and vocal, vigorous working class women? Or has gentrification and developer greed swept the world of the book away?

Support us on Patreon and you get immediate access to Part Two of this podcast, where all your questions about Battersea and the book will be answered. (Well,nearly all). Link to Patreon in our bio.

24/04/2023

Part Two of our podcast based around Hanif Kureishi’s ‘The Buddha of Suburbia’ takes us away from South London and into the Wild West - Barons Court and Hammersmith. Here you’ll find The S*x Pistols, Mahatma Ghandi and Samuel Becket! Have a listen on your podcast platform of choice.

Support us on Patreon and you get every Part Two a week early and without ads. Details in bio.

17/04/2023

We continue our book-related adventures through South London by using Hanif Kureishi’s ‘The Buddha of Suburbia’ to guide us around 1970s Bromley, Beckenham and Penge.

Warning - this podcast may contain traces of David Bowie.

If you want Part Two straight away - without ads - come and support us on Patreon. Details in bio.

16/04/2023

From the moor down to the sea in 24 hours. Another recommended book-related adventure coming soon!

15/04/2023

One of the great days out in the field recording podcast material for two very different books. Can you guess both of them?

11/04/2023

Out now! - Part Two of a South London adventure, using Angela Carter’s Wise Children as our guide. This time we’re looking for a dance school, a pub and the place where Carter dreamed up the book.

Support us on Patreon and you never have to wait for Part Two of any episode. And you get photos, vids and maps too. Details in bio.

03/04/2023

We’re taking Angela Carter’s last novel out for a walk to see if we can find any evidence of the buzzing South London theatre & music hall scene that is the main backdrop of the book. Come and explore South London in a slightly different way!

Support us on Patreon today and you get Part Two if this episode straight away without any ads. Plus maps, photos, notes etc. Details in bio.

20/03/2023

Ruth Rendell: “The town these people lived in was in Sussex and, though calling it Kingsmarkham, I based it on Midhurst where I had lived for a time as a child.”

In our latest podcast we take the author at her word and head for Midhurst to map out the very first Inspector Wexford novel. We’re a bit surprised by what we found. Or rather, didn’t find!

Support us on Patreon and you can get Part Two of this episode straight away without ads.

18/03/2023

Magnificent London book safari in the rain yesterday. But which book was guiding us round?

13/03/2023

Part Two of our adventure in the Fens, using Dorothy L Sayers’s ‘The Nine Tailors’ as our guide, is on general release today.

Find out how much we know about Fen drainage, East Anglian bell ringing - and murder!

If you support us on Patreon you get every Part Two of every podcast a week early - and with no ads. Follow the link in the bio to sign up.

06/03/2023

In this latest episode of the podcast, we accompany Lord Peter Wimsey out into the Fens of East Anglia. Warning - this podcast contains plot spoilers, grave disturbances, car crashes and epic amounts of bell-ringing.

If you want to hear Part Two straight away, sign up at Patreon. (See bio for link). Just £2 a month gives you early ad-free access - plus maps, pics, videos.

27/02/2023

Part Two of our adventure is on general release today. supporters have had access to it for a week already (with no ads). Join them! Details in bio.

Having found real home for Hercule Poirot in Cheadle, we’re now in search of Roger Ackroyd’s fancy pile and the asylum where Ralph Paton was holed up.

20/02/2023

A new episode drops today and it’s a all about Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

The story all takes place in the fictional village of King’s Abbot. But is it really fictional? We think we may have found a real house where Hercule Poirot might have grown his marrows and exercised the little gray cells. It’s somewhere near Manchester.

Support us on Patreon and you can get Part Two of this episode straight away - without ads. Details in bio.

13/02/2023

Part Two of our adventure is out now on all major platforms.

We take books out into the wild to see how the world of fiction matches up to the real world.

This time we’re using ’s book to guide us through Covent Garden, and on to Russell Square in search of the Folly ending in Wapping, back by the river .

Support us on Patreon and you get the second part of every episode straightaway without waiting a week like everyone else.

06/02/2023

The new - out now - takes us on a journey down the from source to Hammerton’s Ferry, using as our guide the book ‘Rivers of London’ by .

So how useful is a fantasy novel as a guide to the real world? Where will it take us? Runnymede? Richmond? Thorpe Park?!

This is Part One. If you want Part Two straight away and without ads, you need to support us on Patreon. Link in bio.

30/01/2023

Out now - Part Two of our Satanic adventure across using Peter Ackroyd’s as our guide.

Six great churches to visit - plus the site of a fictional Seventh. Who knew summoning devils could be such fun?

23/01/2023

A new episode has just dropped. Join us on a walk across inspired by Peter Ackroyd’s .

We take in several historic churches and discuss whether it might be possible to summon up devils!

16/01/2023

Part Two of our based adventure across London is out now and involves staring at a lot of walls.

It’s actually a more exciting than that makes it sounds. And supporters have already had it for a week - without ads!

09/01/2023

And we’re back! Part One of our journey into ’s is out now in all major platforms.

If you support us on , you can get Part Two straight away - without ads. Link in bio.

05/12/2022

It’s ’s turn to pick his five favourite clips from our back catalogue.

This is a great listen for new people who want to understand what we do.

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Videos

Meanwhile you still have our latest #podcast about ‘The Night Watch’ to listen to - in which we prove that a good book can take you to some funny places. And that some places are obvious magnets for #cuspec characters. Support us on #Patreon and you can get Part Two immediately which charts a great walk that two of the characters take across 1940s London. @lloydshepherd has even promised one of his carefully hand-drawn maps for you!

One of the joys of taking a book for a walk is you find things that the writer has chosen to ignore. In this case, a naturist colony and a Wiccan coven! #crookedheart #lissaevans #books #bookstagram #stalbans #travel #literature #locations

If Jack Carter wanted to mix it with some local #Scunthorpe lads in the 1960s, who would they be? Tony Jacklin & Graham Taylor! Have a listen to Part Two of our #podcast and find out how Ted Lewis’s hard-boiled novel maps onto the real-world landscape of a #Lincolnshire steel town. #books #bookstagram #places #travel #humber #literature #podcasting

Using the book #GetCarter as our guide, we went to #Scunthorpe - a town popularly known in the past as ‘Boozeville UK’. Somehow we survived… Every episode we take a book out into the wild to see if the real world matches up to the world of fiction. #books #podcast #bookstagram #travel #literature

We got a bit tired and frustrated on this trip to track down the locations in ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ - but at least we found the chip shop. Every episode we take a book out into the wild to see how the real world matches up to the world of fiction. Listen for free on your podcast platform of choice. #books #bookstagram #kes #barnsley #yorkshire #travel

When taking #books our for a walk, we often get a bit diverted (well , Tim does). Whilst exploring the world of #Kes and #BillyCasper, for example, we learned a lot about other Barnsley boys of the 1960s - Charlie Williams, Arthur Scargill, Brian Glover - and Harry Worth! Have a listen - Part One out now #bookstagram #barnsley #yorkshire #literature #travel

Part Two of our #podcast about #GwendolineRiley’s #ColdWater provides a walking tour of central #Manchester, plus *forensic* dating of the book using, amongst other things, #ElliotSmith #setlists! Note - you could have been listening to this 10 days ago if you supported us on Patreon (see bio for link). #books #walking #literature #travel

Our investigation into the novel #ColdWater took us on a great walkabout across #Manchester. But our first stop had to be #Macclesfield. Find out why by listening to the #podcast. #bookstagram #travel #books #literature #gwendolineriley

Part Two of #TheRats #podcast takes us down the #RegentsCanal lifting the lid on this gritty, trashy, punky depiction of #1970s #London. Support us on Patreon (see bio for details) and you can get the second part of every podcast a week earlier than anyone else - without ads.

In our #books related #podcast, we always like to discuss what else is happening media-wise in the year of a book’s publication. In 1974, it wasn’t just #TheRats that people were going crazy for. It was also Kung Fu Fighting, Tiger Feet, Jaws and Wombles. Which led us to the burning question - what exactly is a #Womble?! #jamesherbert #bookstagram #travel #towerhamlets #london #poplar #stepney

Part 2 of our #Dracula #podcast uses the book to track down a number of the Count’s UK residences - chiefly in #Purfleet and #Piccadilly. Have a listen. If you’d like to get Part Two of every episode a week before everyone else - and ad-free! - you need to come and support us on Patreon. #books #bookstagram #travel #bramstoker #london #vampires

While you’re all still listening to #Dracula (you are listening, right?), we’re completing a field trip for a book that is NOT set in Newcastle…

You’ll find all kinds of #dracula-related info in our latest #podcast. From Stoker’s obsession with modern gadgetry through to real shipwrecks at #whitby. Join us! #books #bookstagram #bramstoker #locations #travelpodcast

Part 2 of ‘The Woman in Black’ episode is available to all today. Listen to how @lloydshepherd coped in a dark spooky tunnel in Lincolnshire. Patreon supporters have had it for a week (ad-free!). Link in bio shows how to join that selective group. #podcast #womaninblack #susanhill #books #bookstagram #lincolnshire #louth

A message from the wilds as we produce our show about 'The Woman in Black

If you support us on patreon.com, you get lots of extra content - notes, research, weblinks, photos, videos, maps. and you get early ad-free access to all the shows.

Another book. Another field trip. This time we’re out in the wilds of Stepney. #therats #rats #jamesherbert #books #bookstagram #podcast #stepney #whitechapel #london #canals

Part Two of our #dayofthetriffids episode take us on a hunt across West Sussex in search of Shirning Farm. We also find time to discuss how the idea of Triffid seeds might not be that far-fetched… Sign up at Patreon via our bio to receive Part Two of every episode straight away and without ads as soon as Part One is released. #podcast #books #bookstagram #travel #locations #pulborough #steep #southdowns #westsussex

We were looking for the hospital and the pub mentioned at the beginning of ‘The Day of the Triffids’, but went down a rabbit hole involving The Sweeney and AC/DC. Latest podcast available now. See bio for details. #podcast #triffids #wyndham #books #bookstagram #london #soho #travel #walking

Part Two of the Riddley Walker episode continues to be on general release. Contains vital info about Punch and Judy shows, the location of Widders Dump, the significance of dormobiles - and nuclear dread in the 1970s. #podcast #books #travel #riddleywalker #russelhoban #kent #wye #crundaldowns #ashford #canterbury #folkestone #bookstagram #literature

Part One of our podcast about Russell Hoban’s ‘Riddley Walker’ is out now. Even though there’s a lot of made-up names for places in this book, we’ve tracked down all the real-world locations on which they’re based. Have a listen. #places #locations #books #bookstagram #kent #riddleywalker #russelhoban #wye #ashford #canterbury #northdowns #podcast