Curious Readers

Just in time for Banned Books Week (5-11 October), Joseph and Amanda talk about literary censorship and recommend the samizdat titles they think are worth exploring. They also chat about this year's Booker Prize Shortlist which was announced on 23 September and run through their picks from the Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist, one of the UK's biggest literary prizes for non-fiction. Plus, as always...

In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda launch into Atmosphere with an in-depth discussion of the queer-coded astronaut love story by Taylor Jenkins Reid. They also take a look at the recently announced fiction and non-fiction longlists from the National Book Award, plus share what they’ve been reading lately and the titles they’re looking forward to picking up next.   Book News The Book...

In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda step into the world of sci-fi and speculative fiction and chart a course through some of their favourite fictional forays into evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, deep space exploration, and the perils of the Oort Cloud. They also discuss the latest news from the Hugo Awards, talk about what they’ve been reading recently, and as always, run throug...

In this week’s episode, we respond to our listeners with all our deepest, darkest DNF secrets: why we do it, when we do it, and how we feel when it happens. We also talk about the books we’ve read recently as well as the backlist titles and new releases we hope to explore in the coming weeks.  Book News (2:31) The Sealey Challenge (4:25) The Wild Iris by Louise Glück (4:48) Midden Witch by Fi...

On this week’s bumper episode we cover the Booker Prize longlist before exploring some of our favourite fiction and non-fiction about art. We ask why books featuring artists seem to be so perennially popular and what is it about the artist’s life that keeps us coming back for more. Book News The Booker Prize Long List  Love Forms by Claire Adam  The South by Tash Aw Universality by Natas...

Book News The Hugo Awards Galle Literary Festival , 22-25 January 2026 Edinburgh International Book Festival , 9-24 August 2025  Current reads Free Play: Improvisation in Life & Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch On Elizabeth Bishop by Colm Tóibin The Names by Florence Knapp Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins-Reid Deep Dive into Kristin Hannah  Firefly Lane  The Nightingale The Winter Garde...

Join us this week as we delve into our favourite memoirs and recommend some bizarre stories of fame, feuds, cults, and figure skating. Of course, we also share the latest book news, current reads and what we plan to read next. Book News Close to Home by Michael Magee Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe Current reads A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry  Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon by Mizu...

Who says queer lit is just for June? In our latest episode we talk about some queer titles and authors that we'd recommend reading all year round. Plus, we walk through some queer literary milestones and of course chat about what we've been reading recently and what we're looking forward to picking up next. Book News The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya Winter Animals by Ashani Lewis Revolutionary Acts: Love...

This week’s episode is about the perennial conundrum that faces every reader at this time of year - what to read at the beach? We talk about which genres are best suited for reading al fresco and give you our favourite holiday read recommendations. Of course, we also share our latest book news, current reads and what we plan to read next. Book News The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner Question 7 by Ric...

This week’s episode is one of deep dives, this time into Audition by Katie Kitamura, an ambiguous and destablising read that packs a lot into very few pages. We also share some recent book and literary prize news and talk about what’s on our TBRs. Books: Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (translated by Deepa Bhasthi)   The Book Of Sand by Geetanjali Shree Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck The Vegetaria...

This week’s episode is all about our favourite reads by Korean and Korean-American authors, including books about sulky giant octopuses, sinkhole tourism, empathy bypasses, diasporic depression, simulated marriages, and tearful encounters with gochujang. And as always, we discuss recent reads and what’s next on our TBRs. Recent reads In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (tr. Terence Kilmartin)...

This week’s episode is a BIG one. Or at least, one in which we talk about big things, namely big books and why – or why not – we find them intimidating. And as always, we discuss recent reads and what’s next on our TBRs. Recent reads On The Calculation Of Volume (Volume I) by Solvej Balle  Confessions by Catherine Airey Big Book Fear  The Book of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk  The Bee Sti...

This week’s episode is a brief encounter with short contemporary classics and the lilliputian tomes under 200 pages we recommend if you’re looking for something to get you out of a reading slump. We also talk book news, what we’ve been reading recently, and the titles we’re looking forward to picking up in May.  Recent reads Ministry Of Time by Kaliane Bradley Playworld by Adam Ross Ex-Wife b...

On this week’s episode we dive deep into Rejection – not the emotion – the novel in stories by Tony Tulathimutte. We also discuss things we’ve read and want to read in April and revisit the Women’s Prize nominations now that they have been shortlisted. Our deep dive   Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte Private Citizens by Tony Tulathimutte Recent reads The Iliad by Homer and translated by Emily W...

On this week’s episode we catch up on what we’ve been reading, share our thoughts on the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, and talk about some of the April releases we’re looking forward to picking up soon.  Recent reads Carnality by Lina Wolf, tr. by Frank Perry Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas  The Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist Good Girl b...

Join either side of the Atlantic as we dive into our favourite London/New York novels. It’s an episode full of stiff upper lips, demonic possessions, sociopaths, bedsits, alcoholic dollmakers, sassy parrots, and white asparagus. Plus we talk about our must visit NY-LON bookshops and reading spots, and we look ahead to new releases set in and around the Big Smoke and the Big Apple we can’t wait to...

This week, we deep dive into Liz Moore’s viral woodland thriller The God of the Woods - and we have opinions. We also talk about the new releases we’re looking forward to reading in March.  Recent reads The Future by Catherine Leroux (translated by Susan Ouriou) Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue (translated by Natasha Wimmer) March 2025 releases The Horse...

This week, we have a chat about why reading is an act of resistance and delve into the books we turn to during a crisis–whether climactic, sociological or existential. We also discuss our favourite reads for a complete escape. Recent reads Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers  The Long View by Elizabeth Jane Howard Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen Reading for resistance Demon Copperhead b...

This week we learn more about each other and get into the books on our backlist, including our recommendations for non-fiction and fiction reads. We also take a look at the longlist of the Dublin Literary Award and talk about surprises, omissions and favourites that you might want to add to your own TBR. Recent reads Nothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Histories by Diarmuid Hester  Eve...

Join us for our very first episode in which we quiz each other on how we read, talk all things holiday reading and deliver some great recommendations for new, contemporary and classic books you might want to read next. Books mentioned in this episode: What we’ve read: Prophet by Helen MacDonald and Sin Blanché Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan My Beloved Monster by Caleb Carr The Anthropologists by A...

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