The Community Library

Welcome back to The Community Library! This month the theme was FICTION IN TRANSLATION, so my dear friend Kali and I sat down to discuss One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. We talked for so long that I had to split this episode into two parts! Part two will be out tomorrow, so you don’t have to wait long at all. In this episode we talk about magical realism, how Macondo is its...

Welcome back to The Community Library! Because this month’s theme is FICTION IN TRANSLATION, I decided to try and read three translated novels in just one week. Did I succeed? Did I fail miserably? Listen to find out! This month’s discussion pick is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. That episode will be out on the 24th of May, just one week away! Visit my website here for a...

Welcome back to The Community Library! This week I chat to translator and Doctor of Philosophy, my mother: Dr Kate Rice! We talk all things language and translation: my mum’s interest in languages, how she started working in translation, and why translated fiction is sometimes frustrating to read. I hope you enjoy! The discussion pick for this month is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garc...

Hello and welcome back to The Community Library! This week, my dear friend and regular guest on the podcast Harry and I discuss Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan. This is the second book in the Percy Jackson series – you can listen to our discussion of the first book here , and our episode on the first movie adaptation here . In this delightfully chatty and chaotic episode, Har...

Welcome back to The Community Library, also known as Angourie’s Harry Potter Fan Club. This month, the theme is FANTASY, so of course I just had to do an episode all about Harry Potter (again). This week, I’m talking about the brand of Wizarding World TM, and its relationship to the original book series. This month, the discussion pick is Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan. It’s...

Hello and welcome back to The Community Library! This week’s episode is continuing the theme from way back in December: Classics! In this episode, I analyse and compare Zadie Smith’s White Teeth and Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood , and what makes both of them future classics. Visit my website here for a full transcription of this episode. White Teeth by Zadie Smith Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murak...

Welcome back to The Community Library, and thank you for your patience while I was on hiatus. I am so glad to be back and bringing you a very special episode of the podcast: self-isolation edition! In this episode I recommend feel-good books for you to read that will hopefully ease your mind in this crazy time. Visit my website here for my full list of book recommendations and more links! My Insta...

Happy December! Welcome back to The Community Library, and to a whole new theme for this month! December’s theme is Classics, and we’re kicking it off with an episode that asks: what is a classic? I talk about Homer, Austen, Shelley, Dickens, Wilde, Woolf, Fitzgerald, Lee, and many, many more. I hope you enjoy this quick discussion episode! For a full transcription of the episode, plus more links...

Welcome back to part 2 of my discussion of Jane Austen’s Emma and the 1995 modern film adaptation Clueless . In this episode I talk about privilege and class, the issue of Josh being Cher’s ex-step-brother, and why Elton is actually the WORST. I hope you enjoy! December’s discussion pick was chosen by you, the listeners! The most suggested book was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. We’ll be discu...

Welcome back to another episode! This week I’m talking about one of my favourite novels and one of my favourite movies: Emma by Jane Austen, and Clueless (1995). I talk about why Emma/Cher is so likable, how high society is just like high school, and why Cher and Josh are more compatible than Emma and Mr Knightley. This episode was really hard to cut down, so it’s actually been split into two part...

Hello and welcome back to The Community Library! This week I’m talking all about my favourite film and TV adaptations of books. From Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet to Bridget Jones’s Diary, I talk about a wide range of adaptations. Make sure you tune in next week for a discussion of Jane Austen’s Emma in comparison with the 1995 classic film Clueless ! For a full transcription of the episode, plus...

Hello and welcome to season 2 of The Community Library! I can’t wait to get back into podcasting and share this season with you. This month’s theme is Book to Film Adaptations – something that has been highly requested by you guys! I’ve been lucky enough to act in three film adaptations of books, and so this week I’m talking about those experiences. I talk about Jasper Jones , Every Day , and Ladi...

Welcome back! I’m sorry that this episode is a day late, but I hope it was worth the wait! In this episode, my friend Harry and I tackle Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. We discuss the pronunciation of Greek names, how all the kids at Camp Half-Blood are related, and why Keeping Up With Zeus and the Olympians should totally be a reality TV show. Though this is the last offici...

Welcome back to The Community Library! This week I sat down with Maija (who you might remember from episode 3) to chat about one of our favourite pieces of feminist literature, A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf. We asked ourselves what is required to create art, what would happen if Shakespeare had a sister, and we came to the conclusion that Virginia Woolf is a bad b*tch. I hope you enjoy! Th...

Welcome back to The Community Library! This week I’m talking about my trip to the Los Angeles Central Library. In this episode I talk about what inspired the visit, why I love libraries, and the library’s collection of patent listings. I hope you enjoy! Join me next week for a discussion of A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf! You can listen to the audiobook for free on Spotify or YouTube . Visi...

Welcome back to The Community Library! This week’s episode is short and sweet, and all about what I read in the month of June. It was quite a sad reading month for me with only six completed books, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this episode!  The next discussion pick is A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. You can listen to the audiobook on Spotify here , or on YouTube here . Visit my...

Welcome back to another episode of The Community Library! Last week I participated in BooksandLala’s Buzzwordathon, and I decided to document the process and turn it into an episode for you all! I hope you enjoy this more casual, follow-me-around-style episode.  The next discussion pick is A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. Links! Lala’s YouTube channel , Instagram , and Twitter Lala’s Bu...

Welcome back to The Community Library! Last week I published an emergency episode because I wasn’t happy with the how the first draft of this episode turned out. Thank you so much for being patient! After putting more time and effort in, I’m really proud of the result of this episode. This week, I’m talking all about fiction, or rather the lack thereof, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone...

Welcome to this week’s minisode! This week I’m talking about all twelve books I read in the month of May. There’s a good mix of stuff in here; from middle-grade murder mysteries to feminist non-fiction.  Our next discussion pick is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling. Be sure to read along so you can join in the discussion! Books I read in May: Claudine in Paris by Colet...

Welcome back to The Community Library! Unfortunately for this week’s episode I don’t have a guest! It’s just little ol’ me talking all by myself for a whole 44 minutes. I loved discussing The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and I hope you enjoy this episode! Thank you to everyone who sent in questions and suggestions of what to talk about – I included almost all of them in this episode!...

Happy 10th episode! This week, I’m discussing why I love books that feature plays, and recommending some of my favourite books that do so! I talk about Shakespeare and Jane Austen, but also a graphic novel and a middle-grade. Please let me know if you can think of any more books featuring plays that I might enjoy!    Next week, I’ll be discussing The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exu...

Welcome back to The Community Library! I’m very excited to bring you this week’s episode, which is all about pop/country icon Taylor Swift and mid-19th-century poet Robert Browning. In this episode I discuss the parallels between Browning’s 1842 poem My Last Duchess and Swift’s 2014 hit Blank Space . I had lots of fun creating this episode, and I hope you enjoy!  Our next discussion pick is T...

Welcome back to another minisode! This week my topic of discussion is re-reading books, specifically childhood favourites. I talk about what happens when a re-read is disappointing, and why I’m scared of re-reading my Jacqueline Wilson favourites. Let me know if you like re-reading, and what the experience is like for you! A full transcription is available on my website here . The next discussion...

Thank you for waiting an extra week for this episode! It took me ages to edit, but I’m very happy with how it’s turned out. This week, activist and artist (artivist) Kali and I discussed Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan! We loved this book, and we hope you did too! We speak about growing as activists, styles of activism, and channelling activism into art. Kali also does a brilliant re...

Welcome back! This week, I sat down with Bonnie (who also featured in episode 1) and we discussed our favourite female friendships in books. From Matilda and Miss Honey to Anne Shirley and Diana Barry, female friendships in books are so important and wonderful, and we loved recording this episode for you. Let us know your favourite female friendships in books! Join me next week for a discussion on...