The Brit Lit Podcast

The Brit Lit Podcast

A show of news and views from the world of British books and publishing

Claire Handscombe Arts 72 rész News and Views from British Books and Publishing
33: Unbelievable Situations A Lot Of the Time, with Lindsey Kelk.
30 perc 1. évad 33. rész

Lindsey Kelk is back on the podcast today to catch us up on what she’s been up to in the last year. Lindsey is the author of the best-selling I Heart series of romantic comedies as well as countless other books and an exciting new project we possibly have the world exclusive on. She’s also the cohost of two podcasts. We talked about her favourite books of the year, the podcasts she likes, the joys and challenges of writing a beloved series, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

One in a Million, by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart Hawaii, by Lindsey Kelk

Cinders & Sparks, by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart New York, by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart Vegas, by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart Christmas, by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart Forever, by Lindsey Kelk

The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp, by Sarra Manning

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman

To All the Boys I've Loved Before, by Jenny Han

Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan

Wilde About The Girl, by Louise Pentland

Louis & Louise, by Julie Cohen

Becoming, by Michelle Obama

From the Corner of the Oval, by Beck Dorey-Stein

The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin

Lullaby/The Perfect Nanny, by Leila Slimani

The Travelling Cat Chronicles, by Hiro Arikawa

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

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Podcasts mentioned:

Full Coverage

Tight and Fights

Getting Curious

The Emma Guns Show

Who Weekly

The High Low

At Home With

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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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

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Lindsey Kelk

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69: Uncoupling with Lorraine Brown
38 perc 69. rész

Our guest today is Lorraine Brown, whose debut novel Uncoupling came out a couple of weeks ago in the UK, and will be out in the US as The Paris Connection this summer. It’s a delightful love story which made for a great start to my reading year. Lorraine spoke to me just before her novel was published, and we had a meandering chat about all kinds of things from our love of trains, our experiences of LA, why authors should stay away from their Goodreads reviews, and more.

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

(All available in the UK here and most available in the US here)

Uncoupling/The Paris Connection, by Lorraine Brown

The Note, by Zoe Folbigg

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe 

The Chalet, by Catherine Cooper

The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

The Guest List, by Lucy Foley

The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett

Girl A, by Abigail Dean

The Submission, by Amy Waldman

Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling, by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen

The Crow Folk, by Mark Stay

The Divines, by Ellie Eaton

Insatiable, by Daisy Buchanan

Raceless, by Georgina Lawton

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In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates.

Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation?

Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Lorraine Brown

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68: How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, with Cherie Jones
0 perc 68. rész

Our guest today is Cherie Jones, whose Barbados-set novel How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House is hot off the press and has won praise from all quarters. Cosmopolitan calls it “visceral and haunting” and Bernadine Evaristo says that it’s “a hard-hitting and unflinching novel from a bold new writer who tackles head-on the brutal extremes of patriarchal abuse”.

Cherie and I talked about what it’s like to study writing far from home, where to start if you want to read short stories, what it’s like to live in Barbados, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

(All available in the UK here and most available in the US here)

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, by Cherie Jones UK / US / Worldwide

In Praise of Love and Children, by Beryl Gilroy UK / US / Worldwide

The Girl with the Louding Voice, by Abi Daré UK / US / Worldwide

Augustown, by Kai Miller UK / US / Worldwide

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead UK / US / Worldwide

Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, by Leanne Shapton UK / US / Worldwide

Ms Hempel Chronicles, by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum UK / US / Worldwide

Summer Lightning & Other Stories, by Olive Senior UK / US / Worldwide

Miguel Street, by V. S. Naipaul UK / US / Worldwide

People Like Her, by Ellery Lloyd UK / US / Worldwide

Rescue Me, by Sarra Manning UK / US / Worldwide

The Lonely Fajita, by Abigail Mann UK / US / Worldwide

Alexa, What Is There to Know About Love, by Brian Bilston UK / US / Worldwide (signed!)

Little Scratch, by Rebecca Watson UK / US / Worldwide

The Humiliations of Welton Blake, by Alex Wheatle UK / US / Worldwide

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe UK / US / Worldwide

*****

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways.

In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates.

Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

 

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Cherie Jones

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67: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, with Milly Johnson
40 perc 67. rész

Our guest today is bestselling novelist Milly Johnson, who’s the author of many books of romantic fiction, most recently I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. Milly has had a fascinating career, including as a greetings card joke writer, and I hope you’ll enjoy learning about that as much as I did! She talks to us about Christmas themed-book recommendations, why her latest book is her favourite of hers, her time ghost writing for Purple Ronnie, and more.

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Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways.

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Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

(All availalble in the UK here)

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, by Milly Johnson UK / US / Worldwide

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe UK / US / Worldwide

The Yorkshire Pudding Club, by Milly Johnson UK / US / Worldwide

The Birds and the Bees, by Milly Johnson UK / US / Worldwide

The Queen of Wishful Thinking, by Milly Johnson UK / US / Worldwide

For My Best Friend Forever, by Purple Ronnie UK / US / Worldwide

Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper, by Debbie Johnson UK / US / Worldwide

The World at My Feet, by Catherine Isaac UK / US / Worldwide

Christmas For Beginners, by Carole Matthews UK / US / Worldwide

Let's Meet on Platform 8, by Carole Matthews UK / US / Worldwide

I Heart Christmas, by Lindsey Kelk UK / US / Worldwide

Seven Days of Us, by Francesca Hornak UK / US / Worldwide

The Adults, by Caroline Hulse UK / US / Worldwide

The Little Library Christmas, by Kate Young UK / US / Worldwide

Seven Kinds of People You Meet in Bookshops, by Shaun Blythell UK / US / Worldwide

The Flip Side, by James Bailey UK / US / Worldwide

Black History Walks, by Tony Warner UK / US / Worldwide

Erin's Diary, by Lisa McGee UK / US / Worldwide

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Find gift ideas for bookworms here in the UK, here in the US, and more here.

Buy a Libro.fm audiobook gift subscription and support the podcast here.

Lots of Christmas themed books collected for your reading pleasure here!

In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates.

Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Milly Johnson

TwitterInstagram  / Website / Newsletter

 

66: Afraid of the Dark, with Lucy Farfort
23 perc 69. rész

Our guest on episode 66 is Lucy Farfort, who’s the illustrator of the gorgeous new picture book Afraid of the Dark, written by Isabel Otter and Sarah Shaffi.  It’s a lovely book about moving house, new beginnings, friendship and finding ways to cope with fear.  Lucy and I talked about the process of illustrating books, advice for anyone who’d like to get into the field, the importance of diversity in publishing, and more. 

You can see Lucy Farfort talking about and showing us her book here.

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Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways.

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Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Afraid of the Dark, by Isabel Otter, Sarah Shaffi, and Lucy Farfort UK / US / Worldwide

Islandborn, by Junot Diaz and Leo Espinosa UK / US / Worldwide

Billy and the Beast, by Nadia Shireen UK / US / Worldwide

The Bear and the Piano, by David Litchfield UK / US / Worldwide

Holes, by Louis Sachar UK / US / Worldwide

When Life Gives You Mangos, by Kereen Getten UK / US /Wordwide

Failosophy, by Elizabeth Day UK / US / Worldwide

Ghosts, by Dolly Alderton UK / US / Worldwide

The Little Library Year, by Kate Young UK / US / Worldwide

The Little Library Christmas, by Kate Young UK / US / Worldwide

Freshers, by Lucy Ivison and Tom Ellen UK / US / Worldwide

All About Us, by Tom Ellen UK / US / Worldwide

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, by Milly Johnson UK / US / Worldwide

Mantel Pieces, by Hilary Mantel UK / US / Worldwide

A Song for the Dark Times, by Ian Rankin UK / US / Worldwide

Symona's Still Single, by Lisa Bent UK / US / Worldwide

Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams UK / US / Worldwide

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe UK / US / Worldwide

*****

In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates.

Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted, here in the UK, here in the US, and here worldwide.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Lucy Farfort

Twitter/ Instagram  / Website

 

65: Eudora Honeysett Is Quite Well, Thank You, with Annie Lyons
31 perc 68. rész

Our guest on episode 65 is Annie Lyons, who, among other books, is the author of the lovely, heart-warming novel Eudora Honeysett Is Quite Well, Thank You, known in the US as The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. It’s about an older woman who grew up in the Second World War and is now at the end of her life, and kind of over the whole thing, and ready to be done. But then a new family moves in next door, and she makes a new friend. I read it this spring, when reading had been a struggle for weeks –it was just the book I needed.

Among other things, Annie talked to me about her recent favourite reads, her love of Mary Berry, and about her fascinating career in publishing – she worked as a bookseller on Charing Cross Road for a while, and I guarantee you will never be able to guess who her most famous customer was.

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?

 Here are some painless ways.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeysett

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, by Ruth Hogan

Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, by Louis de Bernieres

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Book of Echoes by Rosanna Amaka

Mary Berry's Christmas Collection, by Mary Berry

Mary Berry's Baking Bible, by Mary Berry

Once Upon a Tyne, by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly

Byker Grove, by Adele Parks

The Diary of an MP’s Wife, by Sasha Swire

The Baby Group, by Caroline Corcoran

Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton

The High Moments, by Sara-Ella Ozbek

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

In the US, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

In the UK, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates.

Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Annie Lyons

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64: Everything Is Fine, with Gillian Harvey
21 perc 64. rész

Our guest today is Gillian Harvey, the author of Everything Is Fine. She and I talked about how she ended up living in France, how social media can affect our self-worth, and more. 

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Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Everything is Fine, by Gillian Harvey

A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle

A Year in the Merde, by Stephen Clark

The Neighbour, by Nicola Gill

Normal People, by Sally Rooney

This Lovely City, by Louise Hare

After the End, by Clare Mackintosh

Intimations, by Zadie Smith 

The Fleet Street Girls, by Julie Welch

Love in Colour, by Bolu Babalola

Diamonds at the Lost and Found, by Sarah Aspinall

Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways.

In the US, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

In the UK, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates.

Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel

Gillian Harvey

Twitter / Website

 

 

 

63: Come Again, with Robert Webb
25 perc 66. rész

Our guest on episode 63 is Robert Webb, who, as well as being a writer, is an actor, best known for the hit British comedy Peep Show. He’s the author most recently of the novel  Come Again. He describes that novel like this: Middle-aged widow time travels back to 1992 and tries to save future dead husband when he is an annoying student. Grief, nostalgia, jokes, car-chase, new love, renewal, joy. He and I talked about 90s nostalgia, the unusual structure of his book, and the emotional toll of time travel.

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Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways.

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Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Come Again, by Robert Webb

The Innocent, by Ian McEwan

Feel Free, by Zadie Smith

Sweet Sorry, by David Nicholls

One Day, by David Nicholls

Under the Volcano, by Malcolm Lowry

A Star is Bored, by Byron Lane

Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher

The Golden Rule, by Amanda Craig (UK, 2nd July, literary fiction)

Hearts and Minds, by Amanda Craig

How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? by Pandora Sykes (UK, 9th July, essays)

The Hungover Games, by Sophie Heawood

My Best Friend's Girl, by Dorothy Koomson

All My Lies Are True by Dorothy Koomson

In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk

Note to Boy, by Sue Clarke

Older and Wider, by Jenny Eclair (UK, 2nd July, non-fiction)

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

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Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways.

Sign up for Book of the Month and get your first book for just $9.99 with the code BRITLIT!

In the US, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

In the UK, and for paperbacks and hardbacks published in the UK and not available elsewhere, head to Blackwells.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

I encourage you, now and always, to buy some of your books from Black-owned bookshops in London and in the UK more generally.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Robert Webb

Twitter 

 

Ordinary People, with Diana Evans
26 perc 65. rész

Today, we’re revisiting our interview with Diana Evans from a couple of years ago, as well as hearing about new books out this month. Diana Evans is the author of three novels, 26a, The Wonder, and most recently Ordinary People, which came out this spring in the UK to much acclaim and is out this week in the US. She talked to Claire about her favourite London-set books, her own past life as a dancer, why it was important for her to capture the experience of middle class black brits, and more.

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

26a, by Diana Evans

The Wonder, by Diana Evans

Ordinary People, by Diana Evans

After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie, by Jean Rhys

On Beauty, by Zadie Smith

This Is London: Life and Death in the World City, by Ben Judah

Heart Berries, by Terese Marie Mailhot

Tender Is the Night, by F Scott Fitzgerald

Dancer, by Colum McCann

Lucia Joyce: To Dance in the Wake, by Lucia Joyce

Nijinski, by Richard Buckle

The Cranes Dance, by Meg Howrey

Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates

Get a Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert

Take a Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert

To Be Someone, by Ian Stone

Out of Love, by Hazel Hayes

The Seduction, by Joanna Briscoe

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

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I encourage you, now and always, to buy some of your books from Black-owned bookshops in London and in the UK more generally.

Here's a list of books by Black British authors.

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways

Sign up for Book of the Month and get your first book for just $9.99 with the code BRITLIT!

In the US, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

Get your first three audiobooks for under $5 each with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Diana Evans

Twitter 

 

62: Would Like to Meet, with Rachel Winters
36 perc 62. rész

On episode 62, we hear from Rachel Winters, the author of the rom com Would Like to MeetShe and I talked about our favourite rom coms in both books and film form, advice for people wanting to get into publishing, books featuring older people, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

(buy them all here)

Would Like to Meet, by Rachel Winters

You Deserve Each Other, by Sarah Hogle

You Had Me At Hello, by Mhairi McFarlane

If I Never Met You, by Mhairi McFarlane

The Switch, by Beth O'Leary

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

The Lido/Mornings with Rosemary (US title), by Libby Page

Now Let’s Dance, by Karine Lambert

The Binding, by Bridget Collins

Well Met, by Jen De Luca

Heat Stroke, by Hazel Barkworth

The High Moments, by Sara-Ella

The Cabinet of Calm, by Paul Anthony Jones

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

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Get your first book for just $9.99 when you sign up for Book of the Month with the code BRITLIT!

In the US, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

Get 20% off a year’s digital subscription to the writing magazine Mslexia. Just click this link and use the code BRITLIT20 at the checkout.

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.

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Rachel Winters

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61: The Book of Echoes, with Rosanna Amaka
20 perc 61. rész

On episode 61, we hear from Rosanna Amaka, whose debut novel The Book of Echoes came out in the now long-distant era of February this year, though I spoke to her just before her publication date. The Book of Echoes is a powerful novel that encompasses several different points in history, including the slave trade and the Brixton Riots. Alex Wheatle, who also writes about that part of London, said the following about the Book of Echoes: 'So bewitching I almost felt like I time-travelled back into Brixton 1981. A gorgeous book'. The Observer called it impassioned, lyrical, and affecting, and the Independent called it powerfully redemptive.

Rosanna Amaka talked about her long and winding path to publication, how Brixton has changed over the years, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Book of Echoes, by Rosanna Amaka

The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead

The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

The Switch, by Beth O'Leary

A Theatre for Dreamers, by Polly Samson

You People, by Nikita Lalwani

 Stim, by Lizzie Huxley-Jones

Sway, by Dr Pragya Agarwal

Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, by Craig Brown

One Two Three Four, by Craig Brown

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

 

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In the US, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!

Get 20% off a year’s digital subscription to the writing magazine Mslexia. Just click this link and use the code BRITLIT20 at the checkout.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Rosanna Amaka

Twitter / Website 

 

60: The Authenticity Project, with Clare Pooley
20 perc 60. rész

On Episode 60, our guest today is Clare Pooley, who’s known for her blog Mummy Was a Secret Drinker. She's the author most recently of the heart-warming novel The Authenticity Project.  Clare Pooley and I talked about up lit, the importance of community, how writing a novel compares to writing a memoir, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Authenticity Project, by Clare Pooley

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

Three Hours, by Rosamund Lipton

Saving Missy/The Love Story of Missy Carmichael, by Beth Morrey

One Day in December, by Josie Silver

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, by Josie Silver

The Light we Lost, by Jill Santopolo

One True Loves, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If I Never Met You, by Mhairi McFarlane

Island Stories: an Unconventional History of Britain by David Reynolds

The World According to Physics, by Jim Al-Khalili

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

 

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Get 20% off a year’s digital subscription to the writing magazine Mslexia. Just click this link and use the code BRITLIT20 at the checkout!

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website

Claire

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Clare Pooley

Twitter / Website 

59: Everything I Know About Love, with Dolly Alderton
61 perc 59. rész

Our guest on episode 59 is Dolly Alderton. As well as being half of the High Low podcast, Dolly is also a successful journalist and columnist, and her novel, Ghosts, is forthcoming later this year. Her bestselling memoir Everything I Know About Love came out in the UK in 2018, and is finally out in the US this month, in hardcover, ebook and also audio. We covered her favourite literary friendships, how it feels to write a novel after writing a memoir,  the challenges and joys of working closely with a good friend on a hugely successful project, and more.

 Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton

Ghosts, by Dolly Alderton

My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante

Standard Deviation, by Katherine Heiny

Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding

Your Voice in My Head, by Emma Forrest 

The Hungover Games, by Sophie Heawood

The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes

The Sea, the Sea, by Iris Murdoch

Me, by Elton John

Silver Sparrow, by Tayari Jones

Reckless Daughter: a Portrait of Joni Mitchell, by David Yaffe

High Times, Hard Times, by Anita O'Day

A Theatre for Dreamers, by Polly Sampson

Actress, by Anne Enright

Nothing To See Here, by Kevin Wilson

The Pisces, by Melissa Broder

Actress, by Anne Enright

My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Get 20% off a year’s digital subscription to the writing magazine Mslexia. Just click this link and use the code BRITLIT20 at the checkout!

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Dolly Alderton

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58: Stay Up with Hugo Best, by Erin Somers
25 perc 60. rész

On episode 58, we hear from Erin Somers, the American author of the novel Stay Up with Hugo Best. From time to time on the podcast, I interview people who are not British, for their take on UK books and culture, and it was great to chat to Erin about what differentiates British humour from American humour in particular. We talked about the American institution that is the late night show, the challenge of writing humour, the ridiculous tradition of book blurbing, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Stay Up with Hugo Best, by Erin Somers

Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo

Spring, by Ali Smith

Women Talking, by Miriam Toews

Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home, by Nina Stibbe

Man at the Helm, by Nina Stibbe

The Lido/Mornings with Rosemary, by Libby Page

People Like Us: What it Takes to Make it in Modern Britain, by Libby Page

What Would the Spice Girls Do?, by Lauren Bravo

How To Break Up With Fast Fashion: A guilt-free guide to changing the way you shop - for good, by Lauren Bravo.

People Like Us, by Hashi Mohamed

Miss Austen, by Gill Hornby

Harry Potter Knitting Magic: The Official Harry Potter Knitting Pattern Book, by Tanis Grey

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Get 20% off a year’s digital subscription to the writing magazine Mslexia. Just click this link and use the code BRITLIT20 at the checkout!

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Erin Somers

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57: Get a Life, Chloe Brown, with Talia Hibbert
26 perc 57. rész

Our guest on episode 57 is Talia Hibbert, who’s the author of many romance novels including, most recently, Get a Life, Chloe Brown.

We talked about the illustrated cover trend, how she got her start writing novels, what it’s like to get picked as a Book of the Month author, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Get a Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert

Splendid , by Julia Quinn

Take a Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black

The Kingmaker, by Kennedy Ryan

The Rebel King, by Kennedy Ryan

Three Little Words, by Jenny Holiday

Roaring Girls: The Forgotten Feminists of British History, by Holly Kyte

Genius and Ink: Virginia Woolf on How to Read

The Matchmaker, by Catriona Innes

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, by Abbi Waxman

Star-Crossed, by Minnie Darke.

Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Very Nice, by Marcy Dermansky

Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson

Summerlings, by Lisa Howarth

The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Get 20% off a year's digital subscription to the writing magazine Mslexia. Just click this link and use the code BRITLIT20 at the checkout!

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Talia Hibbert

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56: The Little Library Year, by Kate Young
27 perc 56. rész

On episode 56, we hear from Kate Young, who’s the author of The Little Library Cookbook and The Little Library Year, collections of recipes inspired by books. Kate Young is Australian but has lived in the UK for ten years, so I think we can claim her as one of our own. We talked about her journey writing about books and food, the process of creating recipes, Australian authors who deserve to be better known elsewhere, and more. 

You can listen to the episode here,

or Spotify, or iTunes,

or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Little Library Cookbook: 100 Recipes from Your Favorite Books, by Kate Young

The Little Library Year: Seasonal Cooking and Reading, by Kate Young

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Song for Summer, by Eva Ibbotson

Home Fire, by Kamila Shamsie

Possum Magic, by Mem Fox

Looking for Alibrandi, by Melina Marchetta

Saving Francesca, by Melina Marchetta

Cloudstreet, by Tim Winton

The Secret River, by Kate Grenville

If on a Winter's Night a Traveller, by Italo Calvino

Bowie's Books, Bowie's Bookshelf, by John O'Connell

That Reminds Me, by David Owusu

She Speaks: The Power of Women's Voices, by Yvette Cooper

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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Kate Young

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55: You, Me and the Movies, with Fiona Collins
18 perc 57. rész

Our guest on episode 55 is Fiona Collins, who's the author of several novels including, most recently, You, Me and the Movies, a story about bumping into a long-ago love and the feelings it reignites. It's out now as an ebook and will be coming out in paperback on Boxing Day.

Fiona Collins and I talked about audiobooks, one of my favourite American authors, and film adaptations -- including the perennial debate of which screen version of Pride and Prejudice we prefer.

 Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

You, Me and the Movies, by Fiona Collins

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen

You, Me and the Movies, by Fiona Collins

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Expectation, by Anna Hope

Becoming, by Michelle Obama

Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

(some of Claire’s favourite quotes from the book can be found here)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,  by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Forever, Interrupted, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

After I Do, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

One True Loves, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Beautiful Ones, by Prince

I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story, by Anthony Daniels

Between the Stops: The View of my Life from the Top of the Number 12 Bus, by Sandi Toksvig

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Get a week of access to the full digital archive of Mslexia Magazine with the code BRITLIT.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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54: Our Child of the Stars, with Stephen Cox
30 perc 56. rész

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Stephen Cox

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All Good Bookshop

Twitter / Website

 

53: All The Books, with Liberty Hardy
29 perc 55. rész

From time to time on the podcast, we speak to someone who is not British, so that we get an outside perspective on UK books. On episode 53, we hear from Liberty Hardy, Book Riot's resident velocireader and all round Queen Of All Things Books. She talked about how she manages to read as much as she does – and she really does read a LOT – and we also talked about her favourite Kate Atkinson book, what Sarah Waters quote she has as a tattoo, and a lot more. It's a fun one -- have a listen!

Also, it's the podcast's 2nd birthday today! If you'd like to buy it a present, some love on patreon.com/britlitblog is always appreciated.

 Books mentioned in this episode:

 Himself, by Jess Kidd

Things in Jars, by Jess Kidd

From The Wreck, by Jane Rawson

Star-Crossed, by Minnie Darke.

Ghost Wall, by Sarah Moss

A God in Ruins, by Kate Atkinson

Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters

The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters

The Confessions of Frannie Langton, by Sara Collins

Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, by Max Porter

Lanny, by Max Porter

Here We Are, by Graham Swift

The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator, by Timothy C Winegard

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Liberty Hardy

Twitter / Instagram / podcast

 

52: Love Unscripted, with Owen Nicholls
42 perc 54. rész

We hear from Owen Nicholls, author of the debut rom com Love, Unscripted. If you liked High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, Love Unscripted is definitely one for you to pick up. Owen Nicholls talks about some underrated rom coms, a little known film he recommends to us all, the breathtaking speed of the publishing industry (!) when compared to film making, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Love, Unscripted by Owen Nicholls

In at the Deep End, by Kate Davies

Do Not Feed the Bear, by Rachel Elliott

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Confession, by Jessie Burton

Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times on Television, by Louis Theroux

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Other things mentioned:

Love, Unscripted Giveaway!

The Maid's Head Hotel, Norwich

The Script Notes podcast

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Owen Nicholls

Twitter

 

51: The Lost Letters of William Woolf, with Helen Cullen
33 perc 53. rész

From time to time on the podcast, we speak to someone who is not British, so that we get an outside perspective on UK books. Helen Cullen is Irish, though she has lived in London a long time and her debut novel, The Lost Letters of William Woolf, is set there.

Helen talked to me about the lost art of letter writing, some of her favourite epistolary novels, why she loves London, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Lost Letters of William Woolf, by Helen Cullen

84, Charing Cross Road, by Helen Hanff

Persuasion, by Jane Austen

Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home, by Nina Stibbe

A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf

Three Guineas, by Virginia Woolf

Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn, by Brett Anderson

The Hiding Game, by Naomi Woods

Mrs. Hemingway, by Naomi Woods

The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett

They Don’t Teach This, by Eniola Aluko

Confessions of a Bookseller, by Shaun Blythell

To War with the Walkers, by Annabel Venning

Come Again, by Robert Webb

For Emily, by Katherine Slee

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Read Helen's review of The Hiding Game by Naomi Woods.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Helen Cullen

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50: Our Stop, with Laura Jane Williams
25 perc 52. rész

Our guest today is Laura Jane Williams, who’s the author most recently of Our Stop, a new romcom out this summer. It’s the story of Daniel and Nadia, who take the 7.30 train every morning. One morning, Nadia’s eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper: To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime? So begins a story of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word. Laura and I talked about what makes train travel romantic, what she thinks of the chick lit label, how she feels about her four-book deal, and more.

City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert

One Day, by David Nicholls

Praise Song for the Butterflies, by Bernice L McFadden

Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams

How to Fail, by Elizabeth Day

Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo

Fleishman Is in Trouble, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

Love, Unscripted, by Owen Nicholls

You, Me and the Movies, by Fiona Collins

The School Run, by Helen Whitaker

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Laura Jane Williams

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49: A Half Baked Idea, with Olivia Potts
33 perc 51. rész

I’ve got a great interview for you today that’s both fascinating and more than a little mouth-watering. Olivia Potts is the author of A Half Baked Idea, a memoir which tells the story of how baking became first her comfort and then her profession in the aftermath of her mum’s passing away.

We talked about Olivia's time at culinary school, how she came to make what sound like amazing artisanal donuts, her favourite food magazine, and much more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

A Half Baked Idea, by Olivia Potts

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, by Bill Buford

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell

The Comfort Food Diaries: My Quest for the Perfect Dish to Mend a Broken Heart, by Emily Nunn

Poor Man’s Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking, by Elissa Altman

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Britain's Best Baker, by Justin Gellatly

The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster, by Sarah Krasnostein

One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson

The Secret Place, by Tana French

Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise, by Katherine Rundell

What Happens Now?, by Sophia Money-Coutts

Crossfire (Noughts and Crosses), by Malorie Blackman

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

 (A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Olivia Potts

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48: Bonnie and Stan, with Anna Stuart
18 perc 48. rész

Our guest on episode 48 is Anna Stuart, author of the novel Bonnie and Stan, which Ruth Hogan has called “a fresh, original love story beautifully told”. If you loved the film Yesterday, you’ll find echoes of it in this novel. I spoke to Anna about the setting of her book in both time and place – 1960s Liverpool – how being untidy can help with creativity, the challenges of writing historical fiction, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Bonnie and Stan, by Anna Stuart

She's Leaving Home, by Edwina Currie

Four Minutes to Save a Life, by Anna Stuart

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, by Ruth Hogan

The Keeper of Lost Things, by Ruth Hogan

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson 

Headlines and Hedgerows, by John Craven

Please Miss, We're Boys, by Susan Elkin

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Anna Stuart

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47:The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, with Abbi Waxman
30 perc 47. rész

Abbi Waxman’s latest novel The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is out this week on both sides of the Atlantic. Nina Hill loves trivia and her cat, and works in a delightful but struggling bookshop. She’s an introvert who’s got her life and social calendar under control – until she finds out about a whole big family she never knew she had. And just as she’s struggling to get her head around that, the trivia competition world throws an attractive guy into her path, too. What I loved best about this book – and there’s a lot to love -- was the charming, witty tone of the writing, which addresses the reader directly in places.

Abbi Waxman talked to the podcast about the booksellers that inspired the book, the neighbourhood of LA in which it’s set, how her degree in anthropology informs her writing, the joys and challenges of being a Brit living in the US, and more.

You can listen to the episode here,

or Spotify, or iTunes,

or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, by Abbi Waxman

Other People's Houses, by Abbi Waxman

The Garden of Small Beginnings, by Abbi Waxman

Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast, by Charlie Connelly

Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson

The Body: A Guide for Occupants, by Bill Bryson

At Home: A Short History of Private Life, by Bill Bryson

Sweet Sorrow, by David Nicholls

Expectation, by Anna Day

A Half Baked Idea, by Olivia Potts

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Abbi Waxman

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46: The Flatshare, with Beth O’Leary
23 perc 46. rész

Our guest today is Beth O’Leary, who’s the author of the runaway hit The Flatshare, which is a Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into multiple languages, including Dutch, Polish and Catalan. Beth talks about her former job in children’s publishing, what it was like drafting her novel on the train, how objects left around a flat can tell us a lot about a person, and more.

 Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

Our Stop, by Laura Jane Williams

Are We Nearly There Yet?, by Lucy Vine

Hot Mess, by Lucy Vine

What Fresh Hell, by Lucy Vine

Everything You Ever Wanted, by Luiza Sauma

When We Were Rich, by Tim Lott

Sweet Sorrow, by David Nicholls

One Day, by David Nicholls

The Plus One, by Sophia Money-Coutts

What Happens Now?, by Sophia Money-Coutts

The Switch, by Beth O'Leary

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Beth O'Leary

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45: The Spies of Shilling Lane, with Jennifer Ryan
24 perc 45. rész

Jennifer Ryan returns as a guest to discuss her newly published second novel, The Spies of Shilling Lane. She talked about the woman who inspired the novel, the importance of the British stiff upper lip in the Second World War, why women made great spies in that period, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, by Jennifer Ryan

The Spies of Shilling Lane, by Jennifer Ryan

Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly

Lost Roses, by Martha Hall Kelly

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Jennifer Ryan

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44: Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss, with Rajeev Balusabranyam
19 perc 44. rész

Our guest today is Rajeev Balusabranyam. Rajeev is the author of the novel Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss, which came out earlier this year. He’s also very accomplished, with a few literary awards and nominations under his belt and degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge. He talks about his meditation practice, why he loves California, and what it was about the academic world that he wanted to explore in his novel.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss, by Rajeev Balasubramanyam

Island of a Thousand Mirrors, by Nayomi Munaweera

Tell Her Everything, by Mirza Waheed

Those Who Are Loved, by Victoria Hislop

The Book Club, by CJ Cooper

Bonnie and Stan, by Anna Stuart

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Rajeev Balasubramanyam

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43: I'd Better Doing Something With My Life, with Louise Walters
13 perc 43. rész

On today’s episode, we hear from Louise Walters, who’s the author of three novels and also runs her own small publishing company. We talked about why she started Louise Walters Books, what kind of books she looks for, and the advice she has for anyone wanting to go the same route.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson, by Helen Kitson

Don't Think a Single Thought, by Diana Cambridge

Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase, by Louise Walters

A Life Between Us, by Louise Walters

The Road to California, by Louise Walters

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson

Climbers, by John Harrison

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rovelli

Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away and Returning to Britain’s Poorest Towns, by Kerry Hudson

Conviction, by Dame Denise Mina

A Nice Cup of Tea, by Celia Imrie

Unscripted, by CLaire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Louise Walters

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42: Love Factually, with Laura Mucha
31 perc 44. rész

Our guest today is Laura Mucha, who studied psychology, philosophy and flying trapeze,  worked as a face painter,and swam in Antarctica before becoming a lawyer for an international law firm. Then, when she was hit by a car aged 29, she decided to change career – she’s now an award-winning poet, author, broadcaster, performer and speaker, and most recently the author of the fabulously named book Love Factually, which is about the science of who, how, and why we love.

Laura was so much fun to talk to, and full of wisdom too. We covered some big topics in this interview – love, death, and poetry among them – and she also mentioned some fascinating-sounding books about creativity.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Love, Factually/Love Understood, by Laura Mucha

Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, by Jessica Abel

A Poem for Every Day of the Year, by Esiri Ali

With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial, by Kathryn Mannix

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

Saturday Night at the Movies: The Extraordinary Partnerships Behind Cinema's Greatest Scores, by Jennifer Nelson

The Science of Fate: Why Your Future is More Predictable Than You Think, by Hannah Critchlow

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, by Adam Kay

Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story, by Leah Hazard

Don't Touch My Hair, by Emma Dabiri

Faber & Faber: The Untold Story, by Toby Faber

Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Laura Mucha

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41: The Sisterhood, with Daisy Buchanan
41 perc 41. rész

Daisy Buchanan is the author most recently of the memoir The Sisterhood, a book about growing up as the eldest of six girls. She and I talked about the books she recommend to her sisters, why Judy Blume’s novels have been so formative for so many of us,  what book covers featuring the back of a woman’s head have going for them, and more.

 

You can listen to the episode here,

or Spotify, or iTunes,

or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Sisterhood: A Love Letter to the Women Who Have Shaped Me, by Daisy Buchanan

I Love You More Than You Know: Essays, by Jonathan Ames

The Blessing, by Nancy Mitford

Anybody Out There, by Marian Keyes

What a Carve Up! , by Jonathan Coe

Oh My God What a Complete Aisling, by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen

Last Minute Rooms in Bethlehem: And Other Great Internet Search Histories of the Past, by Dale Shaw

Forever, by Judy Blume

Flowers in the Attic, by V C Andrews

Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann

The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k, by Sarah Knight

The Time of Indifference, by Alberto Moravia

The Neapolitan Novels, by Elena Ferrante

Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer

How to Be a Grown Up, by Daisy Buchanan

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy

Sex and Rage, by Eve Babitz

Scribble Scribble, by Nora Ephron

Delight, by JB Priestley

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

Our Life in a Day, by Jamie Fewery

Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan

The Parisian, by Isabella Hamma

Going Solo: My choice to become a single mother using a donor, by Genevieve Roberts

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

Podcasts Mentioned on the Show:

You're Booked

Backlisted

The High Low

Always There

Sentimental Garbage

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Daisy Buchanan

Twitter

Daisy Buchanan is the author most recently of the memoir The Sisterhood, a book about growing up as the eldest of six girls. She and I talked about the books she recommend to her sisters, why Judy Blume’s novels have been so formative for so many of us,  what book covers featuring the back of a woman’s head have going for them, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Sisterhood: A Love Letter to the Women Who Have Shaped Me, by Daisy Buchanan

I Love You More Than You Know: Essays, by Jonathan Ames

The Blessing, by Nancy Mitford

Anybody Out There, by Marian Keyes

What a Carve Up! , by Jonathan Coe

Oh My God What a Complete Aisling, by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen

Last Minute Rooms in Bethlehem: And Other Great Internet Search Histories of the Past, by Dale Shaw

Forever, by Judy Blume

Flowers in the Attic, by V C Andrews

Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann

The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k, by Sarah Knight

The Time of Indifference, by Alberto Moravia

The Neapolitan Novels, by Elena Ferrante

Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer

How to Be a Grown Up, by Daisy Buchanan

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy

Sex and Rage, by Eve Babitz

Scribble Scribble, by Nora Ephron

Delight, by JB Priestley

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

Our Life in a Day, by Jamie Fewery

Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan

The Parisian, by Isabella Hamma

Going Solo: My choice to become a single mother using a donor, by Genevieve Roberts

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

 (A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

Podcasts Mentioned on the Show:

You're Booked

Backlisted

The High Low

Always There

Sentimental Garbage

*****

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Daisy Buchanan

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40: Unscripted, with Claire Handscombe
37 perc 40. rész

On today's episode, you get to hear from Claire, the host of the podcast, about her own novel, Unscripted, out today. It's a smart beach read about a young aspiring writer with a celebrity crush and a determined plan. Claire speaks to her friend Juliet about the challenge of writing from multiple points of view, how Myers Briggs has helped form her characters, what she really thinks of LA, her long and torturous route to publication, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

Star-Crossed, by Minnie Darke

One Day in December, by Josie Silver

Becoming, by Michelle Obama

So Here's the Thing . . .: Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older, and Trusting Your Gut, by Alyssa Mastromonaco

Reasons to Be Cheerful, by Nina Stibbe

How to Fail, by Elizabeth Day

The Party, by Elizabeth Day

Some Kids I Taught And What They Taught Me, by Kate Clanchy

*****

Buy Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

Get your ticket to see Claire and four other debut authors at the Riff Raff on Thursday 11th April.

See other information for Claire's book tour.

Sign up to Claire’s newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

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.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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39: It's Not About The Burqa, with Mariam Khan.
27 perc 41. rész

Mariam Khan is the editor of the new collection of essays called It's Not About The Burqa, in which seventeen Muslim women write about faith, feminism, sexuality and race. She talks to the podcast about the process of putting together the anthology, what she thinks about feminism, why she loves audio books, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Good Immigrant, by Nikesh Shukla

Scythe, by Neal Shusterman

Let Me Tell You This, by Nadine Aisha Jassat

Nasty Women, by 404 Ink

My Past Is a Foreign Country, by Zeba Talkhani

The Good Immigrant USA: 26 Writers Reflect on America, ed. Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman

The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Pre-order 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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Mariam Khan

Twitter

38: All That Jazz, with publicist Charlie Morris
20 perc 40. rész

Our guest today is Charlie Morris, who’s a senior publicity and marketing exec at Little Tiger UK and Stripes Books.  She talks to the podcast about what her job looks like day to day, advice she has for people wanting to get into the publishing industry, a groundbreaking book she’s been working on for a year, and more.

*****

 Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Proud, ed. Juno Dawson

Once and Future, by Amy Rose

Music and Malice in Hurricane Town, by Alex Bell

All The Lonely People, by David Owen

In at the Deep End, by Kate Davies

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts), by L C Rosen

The Good Immigrant, by Nikesh Shukla

The Good Immigrant USA: 26 Writers Reflect on America, ed. Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman

How to Be a Grown-Up, by Daisy Buchanan

The Sisterhood: A Love Letter to the Women Who Have Shaped Me, by Daisy Buchanan

Don’t You Forget About Me, by Mhairi McFarlane

You Had Me At Hello, by Mhairi McFarlane

Roald Dahl's Rotsome & Repulsant Words

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Charlie Morris

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37: The Hunting Party, with Lucy Foley.
21 perc 39. rész

Lucy Foley is the author of four novels, including most recently The Hunting Party. It’s a creepy, insightful thriller about a group of university friends who, for their annual New Year’s Eve trip, have chosen a remote location in the Scottish Highlands. And a few days into their trip, one of them is found dead. Who died; who killed them; and why: that’s what we read on to find out. Lucy spoke to the Brit Lit Podcast about her pivot away from historical fiction to thrillers, why she structured The Hunting Party as she did, her favourite fiction about groups of friends and what it is that makes groups of longtime friends such fertile territory for fiction, and more.
Books Mentioned on the Podcast:
The Secret History , by Donna Tartt
The Shooting Party , by Isabel Colegate
Big Little Lies , by Liane Moriarty
The Lady Vanishes , by Ethel Lina White
The Dry , by Jane Harper
Stone Mothers , by Erik Kelly
He Said/She Said , by Erin Kelly
Blood Orange , by Harriet Tyce
It's Not About the Burqa: Muslim Women on Faith, Feminism, Sexuality and Race , by Mariam Kham
Stubborn Archivist , by Yara Rodrigues Fowler
Late in the Day , by Tessa Hadley
Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe
(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)
*****
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.
Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.
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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com
*****
The Brit Lit Podcast
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Claire
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Lucy Foley
Twitter

 

36: The Bestseller Experiment, with Mark Stay
29 perc 38. rész

Mark Stay's new fantasy novel, The End of Magic, is hot off the press. As well as being an author, he's one half of the podcast The Bestseller Experiment, which chronicles his adventures in publishing alongside another Mark. The podcast has tons of useful advice for anyone conducting their own experiment in becoming a bestselling author. We talked about Mark's new novel, his experience of crowdfunding, three things he’s learned along the way of his experiment in becoming a bestselling author, and more.

 Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Back to Reality, by Mark Stay and Mark Oliver

The End of Magic, by Mark Stay

Robot Overlords, by Mark Stay

Headhunters, by Jo Nesbo

Robot Overlords, by Tade Thompson

Soupy Twists!: The Full Official Story of the Sophisticated Silliness of Fry and Laurie, by Jem Roberts

The Lost Properties of Love, by Sophie Ratcliffe

The Face Pressed Against a Window, by Tim Waterstone

A Love Story for Bewildered Girls, by Emma Morgan

I Owe You One, by Sophie Kinsella

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Mark Stay

Twitter / Website

The Bestseller Experiment

Twitter / Website / Podcast

 

35: Oh My Gods, with Alexandra Shepperd
18 perc 37. rész

Alexandra Sheppard is the author of YA novel Oh My Gods, the story of Helen Thomas,  whose dad is none other than the Greek god Zeus. Not only does Helen have all the usual teen stuff to deal with — like new friends to make and a cute boy to impress — she also has to keep her chaotic family’s true identities secret. Alex talks about her love for Greek mythology, how it felt to re-read her teenage diaries, an author she and Claire love, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Oh My Gods, by Alexandra Sheppard

The Everlasting Rose, by Dhonielle Clayton

The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton

On The Come Up, by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Tiny Pretty Things, by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

Shiny Broken Pieces, by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

Well-Read Black Girl, ed. by Glory Edim

Roald Dahl’s Creative Writing with Matilda

Kick the Moon, by Muhammad Khan

The Wall, by John Lanchester

The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Alexandra Sheppard

TwitterWebsite

 

34: Shake it Up a Bit, with Ben from the Bookshop Band
36 perc 34. rész

Our guest today is Ben from the Bookshop Band.  The Bookshop Band started in 2010 and write songs inspired by – you’ve guessed it – books. They’re about to embark on their first tour of the US, so if you’re based in or around New York, New Mexico, or Colorado, you’ll have a chance to catch Ben and Beth at one of several locations between now and the first week of February. I spoke to Ben about their upcoming tour, how they started out, their songwriting process, and more. 

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Paris Wife, by Paula McLane

The Book of Dust, by Philip Pullman

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce

All The Lonely People, by David Owen

Oh My Gods, by Alexandra Sheppard

Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss, by Rajeev Balasubramanyam

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton, by Anstey Harris

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Links mentioned in the podcast episode:

The Bookshop Band US tour

The Open Book - a bookshop holiday

A Critic Sells Books Down by the Seashore -- New York Times article calling the Bookshop Band "not just good but achingly good".

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website

Claire

Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel

The Bookshop Band

TwitterWebsite / YouTube

 

32: Seven Days Of Us with Francesa Hornak
23 perc 34. rész

We hear from Francesa Hornak, the author of Seven Days of Us, a page-turner of a novel about family tension perfect to curl up with over the Christmas holidays. In episode 32 of the Brit Lit Podcast, she tells us about the books she likes to give for Christmas, her favourite reads about family tension, the novel her grandmother wrote, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Seven Days of Us, by Francesca Hornak

The Nest, by Cynthia d'Aprix Sweeney

The Vacationers, by Emma Straub

Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng

Hangover Square, by Patrick Hamilton

Love, Nina, by Nina Stibbe

A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan

The Diary of a Nobody, by George Grossmith

Eleven, by Patricia Highsmith

One Point Two Billion, by Mahesh Roa

The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachmann

The Pure Gold Baby, by Margaret Drabble

Normal People, by Sally Rooney

Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney

Theresa's Choice, by Rachel Cecil

In Our Mad and Furious City, by Guy Gunaratne

The Au Pair, by Emma Rous

Friends Like These, by Sarah Alderson

Friend Request, by Laura Marshall

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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31: One Day in December, with Josie Silver.
18 perc 31. rész

Josie Silver is the author of One Day in Decembera delightful novel, perfect for curling up with by the fire. Claire loved it, and she’ll be recommending it to all the romantics in her life. Josie talked to the Brit Lit Podcast about why winter brings out our romantic side, her favourite love stories in fiction, an example of how much blind luck can be involved in succeeding in the publishing industry, and more.

You can listen to the episode here,

or Spotify, or iTunes,

or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

One Day in December, by Josie Silver

Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

The Time Traveller's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

The Break, by Marian Keyes

Star-Crossed, by Minnie Darke

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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30: What Would the Spice Girls Do?: How the Girl Power Generation Grew Up with Lauren Bravo
31 perc 30. rész

Lauren Bravo is the author of What Would the Spice Girls Do?: How the Girl Power Generation Grew Up, which makes some fascinating and important points about identity, feminism, and the power of the girl gang. In this episode, Lauren talks to Claire about what she was reading back in the days when the Spice Girls were blaring out from her ghetto blaster, her friendship with previous podcast guest Daisy Buchanan, the book she made her boyfriend read while standing over him to make sure he laughed in the right places, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

What Would the Spice Girls Do?: How the Girl Power Generation Grew Up, by Lauren Bravo

Sweet Valley Twins, by Francine Pascal

The Baby-Sitters Club, by Ann M. Martin

Anastasia Krupnik Stories, by Lois Lowry

Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends, by Kelsey Miller

Promising Young Women, by Caroline O'Donoghue

The Break, by Marian Keyes

OMG, What a Complete Aisling, by Sarah Breen and Emer McLysaght

Conversations with Friends,  by Sally Rooney

Work Like a Woman, by Mary Portas

Crudo, by Olivia Laing

Vile Bodies, by Evelyn Waugh

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison

The Diary of a Nobody, by George and Weedon Grossman

Middle England, by Jonathan Coe

Five Days of Fog, by Anna Freeman

The Story of Crossrail, by Christian Wolmar

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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29: The Adults with Caroline Hulse
34 perc 31. rész

Caroline Hulse is the author of The Adults, a really enjoyable novel about what happens when two exes go on holiday together, with their new partners and the daughter who links them. What could possibly go wrong? She talks to Claire about her love of board games, how being a writer has changed her relationship with books, why she chose to start her novel with the revelation that someone gets shot with an arrow at the end, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Adults, by Caroline Hulse

For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker, by Victoria Coren

Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

Anatomy of a Scandal, by Sarah Vaughan

Standard Deviation, by Katherine Heiney

Degrees of Guilt, by HS Chandler

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

It's All a Game: A Short History of Board Games, by Tristan Donovan

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?: And 87 Other Serious Answers to Questions in Songs, by James Ball

Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery: A Guide to the truly good restaurants and food experiences of the United Kingdom, by Giles Coren and Jules Mercer

Let's Get Fizzical: More than 50 Bubbly Cocktail Recipes with Prosecco, Champagne, and Other Sparkling Wines, by Pippa Guy.

*****

Claire's post on bookish board games is here.

Why pre-ordering book is a great way to support an author: read about it here.

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted.

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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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28: The Most Difficult of Circumstances, with AJ Pearce
23 perc 30. rész

Our guest this time is AJ Pearce, the author of Dear Mrs. Bird , a lovely novel about female friendship set in World War II's London. Emmy is determined to be a Lady War Correspondent, but instead finds herself working for the redoubtable Mrs Bird at the problem page of a Women's Magazine. AJ spoke to me about how she put herself in the shoes of women who lived during the blitz, the challenges of using real events in her fiction, and her own favourite World War II novels.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Dear Mrs. Bird, by AJ Pearce

Cheerfulness Breaks In, by Elizabeth E. Wein

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, by John Boyne

Code Name Verity, by Angela Thirkell

Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams

Pigeon Pie, by Nancy Mitford

Louis & Louise, by Julie Cohen

If Only I Could Tell You, by Hannah Beckerman

The Doll Factory, by Elizabeth Macneal

What Would the Spice Girls Do?: How the Girl Power Generation Grew Up, by Lauren Bravo

The Book of the Year 2018: Your Definitive Guide to the World’s Weirdest News, by No Such Thing As a Fish

Brief Answers to the Big Questions, by Stephen Hawking

The Life and Times of a Very British Man, by Kamel Ahmed.

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****
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.


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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 britlitpodcast@gmail.com


*****

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27: Looking Through the Spy Hole, with Claire Fuller
22 perc 29. rész

In this first anniversary episode, we hear from Claire Fuller, who is the author of three novels: Our Endless Numbered Days, Swimming Lessons, and Bitter Orange, which came out in the UK in September and is out in the US next week. She talks about the intriguing dedication in that novel, her love of Shirley Jackson, how Leonard Cohen's music coloured her writing of her latest novel, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Bitter Orange, by Claire Fuller

No Voice from the Hall: Early Memories of a Country House Snooper, by John Harris

The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson

The Lottery and Other Stories, by Shirley Jackson

The Hours, by Michael Cunningham

The Essex Serpent, by Sarah Perry

Melmoth, by Sarah Perry

A Better Me: The Official Autobiography, by Gary Barlow

The Story of NOW That's What I Call Music in 100 Artists

Best of Today: 60 Years of Conversations, Contradictions and Controversies, by the BBC

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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26: Dark Undercurrents of Everyday Life
20 perc 28. rész

Claire speaks to Charlotte Duckworth, author of psychological suspense novel The Rival. They discuss Charlotte’slong journey as a writer and some of her novel’s themes: how motherhood changes a woman and often rocks her sense of identity and how that can play out against the backdrop of her work.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Rival, by Charlotte Duckworth

Our Kind of Cruelty, by Araminta Hall

No Further Questions,by Gillian McAllister

Rosie Loves Jack, by Mel Darbon

Help Me!: One Woman's Quest to Find Out if Self-Help Really Can Change Her Life, by Marianne Power

Dear Mr Pop Star, by Derek and Dave Philpott

The Good Guys: 50 Heroes Who Changed the World with Kindness, by Rob Kemp

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Pregnant Then Screwed offers support for women who have faced maternity of pregnancy discrimation.

The Faber Academy's Writing a Novel course is a comprehensive six-month writing course for the serious writer, with access to some of the biggest names in publishing.

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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25: This Inexhaustible Canvas
24 perc 27. rész

Diana Evans is the author of three novels, 26a, The Wonder, and most recently Ordinary People, which came out this spring in the UK to much acclaim and is out nextz week in the US. She talked to Claire about her favourite London-set books, her own past life as a dancer, why it was important for her to capture the experience of middle class black Brits, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

26a, by Diana Evans

The Wonder, by Diana Evans

Ordinary People, by Diana Evans

After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie, by Jean Rhys

On Beauty, by Zadie Smith

This Is London: Life and Death in the World City, by Ben Judah

Heart Berries, by Terese Marie Mailhot

Tender Is the Night, by F Scott Fitzgerald

Dancer, by Colum McCann

Lucia Joyce: To Dance in the Wake, by Lucia Joyce

Nijinski, by Richard Buckle

The Cranes Dance, by Meg Howrey

Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates

Rise, by Gina Miller

Ballet: The Definitive Illustrated Story, by Viviana Durante

Ed Sheeran: Memories We Made, by Christie Goodwin

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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24: You Can Pretty Much Do Anything
30 perc 26. rész

Claire’s guest today is Joanna Penn, who's a bit of a superstar in the world of self-publishing. She's the author of 28 books to date, including thrillers and non-fiction to help authors with their careers, and she's an award-winning creative entrepreneur, podcaster, and professional speaker. Her website, TheCreativePenn.com, has been named as one of the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest. She talks about her own career journey, the state of self-publishing now and how it has changed, and more. If you're an aspiring author, this episode is full of practical tips -- as well as a lot of encouragement!

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Valley of Dry Bones, by JF Penn

How To Write Non-Fiction, by Joanna Penn

Successful Self-Publishing, by Joanna Penn

Map of Shadows, by JF Penn

A Thousand Fiendish Angels, by JF Penn

Crypt of Bone, by JF Penn

Danse Macabre, by Stephen King

Rot & Ruin, by Jonathan Maberry

State of Play: Under the Skin of the Modern Game, by Michael Galvin.

Four Feet Under: Thirty Untold Stories of Homelessness in London, by Tamsen Courtenay.

The Island, by M A Bennett

Prague Spring, by Simon Mawer

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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23: A Particular Kind of Loneliness
20 perc 25. rész

On this week's episode, we hear from Sarah J Harris, who's the author of The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder, as well as YA novels under a different name.  She discusses the particular loneliness of synaesthesia, her love for the martial arts, the long path to publication, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder, by Sarah J Harris

Jessica Cole: Model Spy, by Sarah Sky

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton

Don’t You Cry, by Cass Green

The Woman Next Door, by Cass Green

In a Cottage in a Wood, by Cass Green

I Am Heathcliff, ed. by Kate Mosse

Hold Back the Stars, by Katie Khan

The Light Between Us, by Katie Khan

The Versions of Us, by Laura Barnett

The Summer of Impossible Things, by Rowan Coleman

Bitter Orange, by Claire Fuller

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?, by Holly Bourne

Perfidious Albion, by Sam Byers

Country, by Michael Hughes

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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22: Around Books All The Time
12 perc 24. rész

We hear from Bronte Hutchinson, who's a successful and popular Bookstagrammer. She talks about the logistics of what she does, what she looks for in a book cover, how she organises her to-be-read pile, and the books she can’t stop raving about.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Water Cure, by Sophie Mackintosh

The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder, by Sarah J Harris

Vox, by Christina Dalcher

A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings, by Helen Jukes

Around the World in 80 Days: My World Record Breaking Adventure, by Mark Beaumont

I Am Heathcliff, ed. Kate Mosse

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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21: The Stuff You Can't Prepare For
34 perc 23. rész

Claire speaks to Daisy Buchanan, who's a prolific journalist and the author of How to Be a Grown-Up, which is out now in paperback. They discuss how difficult the 20s years can be, their opposite experiences of family life, their shared ambivalence towards motherhood, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

How to Be a Grown Up, by Daisy Buchanan

The Multi-Hyphen Method: Work less, create more, and design a career that works for you, by Emma Gannon

The Pursuit of Love, by Nancy Mitford

Love in a Cold Climate, by Nancy Mitford

The Blessing, by Nancy Mitford

Don't Tell Alfred , by Nancy Mitford

Highland Fling, by Nancy Mitford

Noblesse Oblige: an enquiry into the identifiable characteristics of the English aristocracy, by Nancy Mitford

Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton

Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld

Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Break, by Marian Keyes

The Art of Not Falling Apart, by Christina Patterson

Promising Young Women, by Caroline O'Donoghue

To Throw Away Unopened, by Viv Albertine

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.: A Memoir, by Viv Albertine

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, by Judith Kerr

The Lost Letters of William Woolf, by Helen Cullen

Useless Magic: Lyrics and Poetry, by Florence Welch

Eye Can Write: A memoir of a child’s silent soul emerging, by Jonathan Bryan

Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible, by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

20: Behind Closed Doors
23 perc 22. rész

Claire’s guest is Alicia Drake, author of the Paris-set coming of age novel I Love You Too Much. They discuss something of Alicia’s writing process, the Frenchness of her novel, and its themes – among them loneliness, the ache to belong, and what happens when beauty fades.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

I Love You Too Much, by Alicia Drake

The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris, by Alicia Drake

The Horseman, by Tim Pears

The Wanderers, by Tim Pears

Anything Is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout

Bookshop Girl, by Chloe Coles

How to Rob a Bank, by Tom Mitchell

Unconventional, by Maggie Harcourt

Theatrical, by Maggie Harcourt

How Do You Like Me Now?, by Holly Bourne

How to be Famous, by Caitlin Moran

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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A Transcendental Alchemy
29 perc 21. rész

Claire speaks to Rosie Walsh, whose novel The Man Who Didn’t Call is out today. They talk about how love can drive us mad at any age, why Rosie loves the Elena Ferrante novels, how the Pomodoro technique helps her writing, and much more.

Books Mentioned in the Episode:

The Man Who Didn't Call/Ghosted, by Rosie Walsh

The Neapolitan Novels, by Elena Ferrante

Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff

The Woman In The Mirror, by Rebecca James

Whiskey When We're Dry, by John Larison

The Publishing Game: Adventures in Books: 150 years of Hodder & Stoughton, by Edward Stourton

Grenfell Hope: Ravaged by Fire but Not Destroyed, by Gaby Doherty 

The Incurable Romantic: and Other Unsettling Revelations, by Dr Frank Tallis

The One Who Wrote Destiny, by Nikesh Shukla

Run, Riotby Nikesh Shukla

Love Will Tear Us Apart, by Holly Seddon

*****

Find out more about Clown Doctors and support Hearts and Minds here.

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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18: A Passionate, Angry Novel
33 perc 20. rész

Our guest on Episode 18 is Sarah Vaughan, author of three books including the bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal, which came out in January 2018. We talked about what inspired her best-selling novel, her experience of studying at Oxford, the advantages of writing fiction later in life, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Anatomy of a Scandal, by Sarah Vaughan

The Art of Baking Blind, by Sarah Vaughan

The Farm at the Edge of the World, by Sarah Vaughan

White Teeth, by Zadie Smith

Our Endless Numbered Days, by Claire Fuller

Jamaica Inn, by Daphne du Maurier

The Trick to Time, by Kit de Waal

He Said/She Said, by Erin Kelly

Tin Man, by Sarah Winman

Bitter Orange, by Claire Fuller

Swimming Lessons, by Claire Fuller

The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken, by the Secret Barrister

The Sparsholt Affair, by Alan Hollinghurst

The Line of Beauty, by Alan Hollinghurst

American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld

Jude the Obscure, by Thomas Hardy

Beowulf

Disco Sour, by Giuseppe Porcaro

Waiting for Callback: It's a Wrap, by Honor and Perdita Cargill

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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17: Uncomfortable Empathy, with Guy Gunaratne
26 perc 19. rész

In Episode 17, we hear from Guy Gunaratne, whose debut novel In Our Mad and Furious City has just come out to wide and well-deserved acclaim. We talked about the impetus for his book, what he’s learned about storytelling from grime music and from his own work as documentary marker, and more.

Books mentioned on the episode:

In Our Mad and Furious City, by Guy Gunaratne

Go Tell It on the Mountain, by James Baldwin

The Tin Drum, by Gunter Grass

The Adventures of Augie March, by Saul Bellow

Epitaph of a Small Winner, by Machado de Assis

Ponti, by Sharlene Teo

Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials and the Meaning of Grime, by Jeffrey Boakye 

Memory Songs: A Personal Journey into the Music that Shaped the 90s, by James Cook

Soap the Stamps, Jump the Tube, by Gail Thibert

My Box-Shaped Heart, by Rachel Lucas

Meet Me at the Museum, by Anne Youngson

Happy Little Bluebirds, by Louise Levene

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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.

Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

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16: More Interesting More Quickly
37 perc 18. rész

Our guest on Episode 16 is Caroline Ambrose, who’s the founder of the Bath Novel Award, an advocate for public libraries, a quiz show veteran, and a superfan of super trees.

She talks us through the ins and outs of running a writing prize, what it is that makes the Bath Novel Award special, some of the exciting books that have been shortlisted and are now out in the world, her work campaigning for libraries, and more.

Books mentioned on the episode:

Rainbirds, by Clarissa Goenawan

Precocious, by Joanna Barnard

Hush Little Baby, by Joanna Barnard

Baby Doll, by Holly Overton

Friend Request, by Laura Marshall

Troublemakers, by Catherine Barter

Testament, by Kim Sherwood

The Book of Dust, by Philip Pullman

The Lido, by Libby Page

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

Writers as Readers: A Celebration of Virago Modern Classics, by Virago

Casablanca: My Moroccan Food, by Nargisse Benkabbou

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, by Ruth Hogan

Ella on the Outside, by Cath Howe

White Rabbit, Red Wolf, by Tom Pollack

*****

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*****

Other podcasts mentioned on the show:

The Joined Up Writing Podcast

The Pro Book Nerds

The Bookstore Podcast

Better Words Podcast

Nerdy Things Podcast

Your Biggest Fangirl Podcast

*****

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15: Indispensable Hearts of the Community
20 perc 17. rész

Claire speaks to Libby Page, author of The Lido, which is out today. They discuss the inspiration for the book, the magic of outdoor swimming, the new Up Lit trend, and more.

Books mentioned on the episode:

The Lido, by Libby Page

(pre-order The Lido in the US)

Tin Man, by Sarah Winman

Three Things About Elsie, by Joanna Cannon

I Love You Too Much, by Alicia Drake

Swell, by Jenny Landreth

Floating, by Joe Minihane

Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves, and the Will to Swim, by Alexandra Heminsley

Waterlog: A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain, by Roger Deakin

Now Let's Dance, by Karine Lambert

White Teeth, by Zadie SmithArticle mentioned on the episode:

Up Lit: the new book trend with kindness at its core

*****

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*****

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14: A Decidedly Dark Turn
20 perc 16. rész

Claire's guest is Muhammad Khan, author of the recent YA Novel I Am ThunderThey discuss the inspiration for his book, his transition from teacher to writer, the first book he read featuring an Asian character and the impact that it had on him, and more.

Books mentioned on the episode:

I Am Thunder, by Muhammad Khan

Rice without Rain, by Minfong Ho

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Apple Tree Yard, by Louise Doughty

The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

Dear Mrs Bird, by A J Pearce

The One Who Wrote Destiny, by Nikesh Shukla

Clean, by Juno Dawson

The Music: A Novel Through Sound, by Matthew Herbert

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

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*****

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BONUS: Preview of UNSCRIPTED, by Claire Handscombe
12 perc 15. rész

In this bonus episode, hear an excerpt from Claire’s novel, Unscripted, forthcoming from Unbound. You can pre-order the novel and pledge for Kickstarter-style rewards at UnscriptedNovel.com

*****

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*****

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13: In a Pub, Three Writers
36 perc 14. rész

Our guest on Episode 13 is John Mitchinson, a long-time publishing veteran, co-founder of Unbound and co-host of the Backlisted Podcast. We go deep into the weeds of the groundbreaking publishing company he helped found, his own role there, and publishing in general.

Books mentioned on the episode:

The Good Immigrant, by Nikesh Shukla

A Murder of Crows, by Ian Skewis

The Sewing Machine, by Natalie Fergie

Black And Blue, by Ian Rankin

My House of Sky: A Life of J A Baker, by Hetty Saunders and Robert Macfarlane

The Peregrine, by J A Baker

Something Happened, by Joseph Heller

Town House, by Norah Lotts,

Dance To The Music Of Time, by Anthony Powell

The Kingdom, by Emmanuel Carrere, transl. John Lambert

Jesus' Son, by Denis Johnson

Berg, by Ann Quinn

The Perfect Girlfriend, by Karen Hamilton

Panic Room, by Robert Goddard

Morning: How to Make Time, by Allan Jenkins

The Feed, by Nick Clark Windo

The Sparsholt Affair, by Allan Hollinghurst

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

 

*****

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*****

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Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

*****

 

12: School Uniforms and Sticky Toffee Pudding
38 perc 13. rész

Our guests today are Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison, two authors who co-write YA novels about awkward love stories. They discuss their books, their friendship, their university years, and differences between the British and American teen experiences, and it’s a lot of (almost clean) bookish fun.

*****

Books mentioned on the episode:

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

Lobsters/A Totally Awkward Love Story, by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Never Evers, by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Freshers/Freshmen, by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton

Sweet Valley High, by Francine Pascal

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 & 3/4by Sue Townsend

I Capture The Castle, by Dodie Smith

Withering Tights, by Louise Rennison

Holes, by Louis Sachar

Born A Crime, by Trevor Noah

Seven Days of You, by Cecilia Vinesse

Hot Mess, by Lucy Vine

What Fresh Hell, by Lucy Vine

Tender, by Eve Ainsworth

The Exact Opposite of Okay, by Laura Steven

Life Lessons from Remarkable Women: Tales of Triumph, Failure and Learning to Love Yourself, by Stylist Magazine

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading, by Lucy Mangan

Love After Love, by Alex Hourston

The Perfect Girlfriend, by Karen Hamilton

*****

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*****

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11: A Nice Problem to Have
32 perc 12. rész

We hear from Jimena from Belgravia Books, a London-based independent bookshop which is also the home of Gallic Books, a publisher devoted to bringing the best of French literature to an English-speaking audience. We talked about what she loves most about working in a bookshop, French books to put on your reading list, and the new worlds that translated fiction opens to us.

*****

Books mentioned in this episode:

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

The Red Notebook, by Antoine Laurain

Lullaby/The Perfect Nanny, by Leila Slimani

We Need To Talk About Kevin, by Leila Slimani

The Foundling Boy, by Michel Déon

The Foundling's War, by Michel Déon

Your Father's Room, by Michel Déon

The Great and the Good, by Michel Déon

La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One, by Philip Pullman

The Shortest History of Germany, by James Hawes

Hot Milk, by Deborah Levy

Black Sugar, by Miguel Bonnefoy, transl. Emily Boyce

Smoking Kills, by Antoine Laurain, transl. Loise Lalaurie Rogers

Tell Me How it Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions, by Valeria Luiselli

Prodigal, by Charles Lambert

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, by Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari

Brixton Beach, by Roma Tearne

Monsieur Ka, by Vesna Goldsworthy

Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, by Andrew Morton

Wallis in Love: The untold true passion of the Duchess of Windsor, by Andrew Morton

Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains, by Helen Thomson

The Image of You, by Adele Parks

*****

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*****

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10: That Grey, Grim Area of Celebrity
20 perc 11. rész

Claire speaks to Daniel Ross, whose novel Bobby Denise is Reigning Rampant is forthcoming from Unbound. They talk about the process of crowdfunding a novel as well as some of his favourite books about cats and music.

Books mentioned this episode:

Bobby Denise Is Reigning Rampant, by Daniel Ross

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

Johnny Ruin, by Don Dalton

The Second Death of Daedalus Mole, by Niall Slater

Such Small Hands, by Andres Barba

Know Your Place: Essays on the Working Class by the Working Class, ed. Nathan Connolly

Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders

Kafka On The Shore, by Haruki Murakami

Cat Country, by Lao She

The Travelling Cat Chronicles, by Hiro Arikawa

Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop, by Bob Stanley

Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton

The Adulterants, by Joe Dunthorne

Feel Free, by Zadie Smith

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turnton

The Only Story, by Julian Barnes

Goodbye, Perfect, by Sarah Barnard

A Quiet Kind of Thunder, by Sarah Barnard

 

 

*****

Pre-order Bobby Denise Is Reigning Rampant at Unbound.

Pre-order Claire’s novel Unscripted at Unbound.

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*****

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09: So Invested in Characters
27 perc 10. rész

Our guest today is Maggie Harcourt, author of the YA novels The Last Summer of Us, Unconventional, and the forthcoming Theatrical. We talked about our respective fandoms past and present, her experience of conventions, why fanfiction can be a useful tool for the beginner writer, and much more.

Books mentioned on the show:

Unconventional, by Maggie Harcourt

Theatrical, by Maggie Harcourt

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

Hold Back the Stars, by Katie Khan

Wing Jones/The Heartbeats of Wing Jones, by Katherine Webber

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, by Lauren James

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes

After You, by Jojo Moyes

Still Me, by Jojo Moyes

The Feed, by Nick Clark Windo

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

Trying, by Emily Phillips

I Am Thunder, by Muhammad Khan

*****

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*****

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08: We Just Need a Hot Air Balloon
21 perc 9. rész

Our guest today is Nikesh Shukla, writer, editor, rapper, and advocate for BAME voices in publishing. We talked about the pervasiveness of social media, the upcoming US edition of The Good Immigrant, and his response to the ubiquity of fictional white boys with dogs called Timmy.

Books mentioned on the show: 

Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading, by Lucy Mangan

Dear Mrs. Bird, by A J Pearce

In Our Mad and Furious City, by Guy Gunaratne

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder, by Sarah Harris

Bitter Orange, by Claire Fuller

Transcription, by Kate Atkinson

Coconut Unlimited, by Nikesh Shukla

Meatspace, by Nikesh Shukla

The Good Immigrant, ed. Nikesh Shukla

The One Who Wrote Destiny, by Nikesh Shukla

Feel Free: Essays, by Zadie Smith

The Adulterants, by Joe Dunthorne

I Still Dream, by Jane Smythe

The Buddha of Suburbia, by Hanif Kureshi

Happiness for Humans, by PZ Reizin

The Fandom, by Anna Day

Hearts And Minds: The Untold Story of the Great Pilgrimage and How Women Won the Vote, by Jane Robinson

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, by Joanna Cannon

Three Things About Elsie, by Joanna Cannon

Anatomy of a Scandal, by Sarah Vaughan

*****

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*****

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07: Eat a Bacon Sandwich
23 perc 8. rész

As we look to the New Year, we hear from Rosy Edwards and Amy Baker of The Riff Raff, a London-based community of writers. They spoke about their memoirs about dating and travel, recommended books they’ve recently loved, and gave tips to anyone whose Near Year’s Resolution is to finally write that book.

Books mentioned on the show:

Confessions of a Tinderella, by Rosy Edwards

Miss-adventures: A Tale of Ignoring Life Advice While Backpacking Around South America, by Amy Baker

His Frozen Fingertips, by Charlotte Bowyer

Is Monogamy Dead?: Rethinking relationships in the 21st century, by Rosie Wilby

Rattle, by Fiona Cummins

Dark Pines, by Will Dean

What We Lose, by Zinzi Clemons

Girl in Snow, by Danya Kukafka

Fire Sermon, by Jamie Quatro

Little Deaths, by Emma Flint

Educated, by Tara Westover

The Party, by Elizabeth Day

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, by Jennifer Ryan

Unconventional, by Maggie Harcourt

Freshers, by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Now Let's Dance, by Karine Lambert, translated by Anthea Bell

Piglettes, by Clémentine Beauvais

 

 

*****

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*****

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06: Catfights Behind the Gym
19 perc 6. rész Cliare Handscombe

Claire speaks to stand-up comedian Rosie Wilby, author of Is Monogamy Dead?, about literary friendships, the painfulness of breakups, and her favourite music memoirs. There’s also news of a giveaway and books recommendations for a listener’s mum and sister.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Is Monogamy Dead? by Rosie Wilby

Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding

Tales Of The City, by Armistead Maupin

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, by Carrie Brownstein

Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up and Tried to Be a Pop Star, by Tracey Thorn

She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music, by Lucy O’Brien

Trans: A Memoir, by Juliet Jacques

How To Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own, by Kate Bolick

Modern Romance, by Aziz Ansari

Out of Time, by Miranda Sawyer

Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly

Still Alice, by Lisa Genova

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Wals

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews

The Diplomat's Daughter, by Karin Tanabe

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green

Astonish Me, by Maggie Shipstead

A Kind of Freedom, by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore

A Man Called Ove, by Frederik Backman

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, by Joanna Cannon

Love in Small Letters/Love in Lowercase, by Francesc Miralles

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

The Terrible Privacy Of Maxwell Sim, by Jonathan Coe

Man at the Helm, by Nina Stibbe

*****

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*****

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05: The Best and the Worst in People
18 perc 5. rész Claire Handscombe

This week, we hear from Lucy Vine, author of the 2017 summer hit Hot Mess. She tells us why we need a new Bridget Jones-style heroine, talks about her favourite books of the year, and reflects on the challenges of the second novel. 

Books mentioned on the show:

Hot Mess, by Lucy Vine

Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding

What Fresh Hell, by Lucy Vine

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Sweetpea, by C J Skuse

Unconventional, by Maggie Harcourt

Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton

Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body, by Sarah Pascoe

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

How to Be a Grown-Up, by Daisy Buchanan

How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig

Trying, by Emily Phillips

Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, by Lindy West

World War Z, by Max Brooks

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

The Essex Serpent, by Sarah Perry

The Boy From Aleppo Who Painted The War, by Sami Sukkar

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver

The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion

Love in Small Letters/Love in Lowercase, by Francesc Miralles

*****

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*****

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04: I Am a Bookcase Snob
25 perc 5. rész Claire Handscombe

Our guest today is Lindsey Kelk, the best-selling author of the I Heart series, among other rom com novels. We talk about reading age-inappropriate books as child, discuss the relative merits of LA and New York, and gush about John Green.

Books mentioned on the show:

The I Heart series, by Lindsey Kelk

We Were On a Break, by Lindsey Kelk

The Sweet Valley High series, by Francine Pascal

The Casteel Family Saga, by V C Andrews

Flowers in the Attic, by V C Andrew

The Magic Cottage, by James Herbert

Looking for Alaska, by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green

Paper Towns, by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

I Heart Forever, by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart Christmas, by Lindsey Kelk

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë

Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics), by Charlotte Brontë

Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding

American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis

Ham on Rye, by Charles Bukowski

Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green

The Book of Dust, by Philip Pullman

Faking Friends, by Jane Fallon

Some Kind of Wonderful, by Giovanna Fletcher

A Christmas Wedding, by Paige Toon

Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur

Wild Embers, by Nikita Gill

Christmas on Coronation Street, by Maggie Sullivan

Keep Smiling Through, by Dame Vera Lynn

We’re Asleep, Dad, by Simon Key

The Bacon Book, by Christopher Sjuve

The Best of A. A. Gill, by A A Gill

Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at London’s National Theatre, by Sir Nicholas Hytner

*****

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*****

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03: Dizzied by the Free-Flowing Drink
26 perc 4. rész

Claire speaks to Elizabeth Day, author of the literary thriller The Party, about her time at Cambridge, how her journalism career trained her to be a novelist, and our picks for the Man Booker Prize.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Party, by Elizabeth Day

Middlemarch, by George Eliot

The Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe

The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen

Underworld, by Don DeLillo

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P, by Adelle Waldman

Swing Time, by Zadie Smith

The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante

Gnomon, by Nick Harkaway

History of Wolves, by Emily Fridlund

Elmet, by Fiona Mozley

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy

The Burning Girl, by Claire Messud

Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders

The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy

Invitation To The Waltz, by Rosamond Lehmann

The Weather In The Streets, by Rosamond Lehmann

Love & Fame, by Susie Boyt

Autumn, by Ali Smith

Winter, by Ali Smith

Mythos, by Stephen Fry

An Almost Perfect Christmas, by Nina Stibbe

Love, Nina, by Nina Stibbe

*****

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*****

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02: Drizzle on the Tent
18 perc 3. rész

Claire talks to Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest, about the British authors who inspire her, as well as her love of London and of the Great British Bake Off. She also highlights new books out this week and gives tips on finding British books if you’re not UK-based.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Nest, by Cynthia d'Aprix Sweeney

The Master Bedroom, by Tessa Hadley

The Past, by Tessa Hadley

The Photograph, by Tessa Hadley

The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words, by Paul Antony Jones

Of Women, by Shami Chakrabati

Seven Days of Us, by Francesca Hornak

The Vacationers, by Emma Straub

The Power, by Naomi Alderman

The Secret Life: Three True Stories, by Andrew O'Hagan

*****

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*****

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01: Knees Up, Mother Brown
30 perc 1. rész Claire Handscombe

Welcome to the Brit Lit podcast, where we talk about all things books from a British perspective. Claire’s first guest is Jennifer Ryan, author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, an epistolary novel set in an English village in World War II. She also explains what Super Thursday is and gives a shout out to some interesting new books.

Books mentioned: 

Me. You. A Diary, by Dawn French

Thinking Out Loud: Love, Grief and Being Mum and Dad, by Rio Ferdinand

Finding My Virginity, by Richard Branson

Mary's Household Tips and Tricks: Your Guide to Happiness in the Home, by Mary Berry

Nadiya's Bake Me a Festive Story: Thirty festive recipes and stories for children, by Nadiya Hussain

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Mrs Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf

The Stranger, by Albert Camus

Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh

Hamlet, by Shakespeare

The Diaries of Nella Last, by Nella Last

Year of Wonder, by Clemency Burton-Hill

When They Go Low, We Go Highby Philip Collins

The Little Library Cookbookby Kate Young

The Sparsholt Affair, by Alan Hollinghurst

The Party, by Elizabeth Day

*****

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*****

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00: Introducing the Brit Lit Podcast
1 perc 1. rész Claire Handscombe

The Brit Lit Podcast is coming soon! Have a listen to this short episode to learn more about the show. 

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