A Pair of Bookends

For our October Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Ríoghnach Robinson to discuss her debut novel, our October Book Club pick Bad Words which you can buy here (UK) & here (US) In this episode they discuss the novel (spoiler free!), they get into the art of critism, how social media impacts the way criticism now operates, writing Asian American protagonists, the authors they would lose their...

Today's episode brings you a live recording of an event at Blackwell's Manchester, Hannah interviewed author Stacey Yu about her debut novel 'Kitten'. Thank you to Red Newsom for making this episode possible.  In this episode they discuss 'Kitten' (spoiler free!), what the pre-publication hype was like, how the novel evolved from first draft to final copy, they also talk about the intersections of...

For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series Hannah was joined by Danish poet and writer Ulrikka S.Gernes to discuss her debut novel, the Danish bestseller A Girl Left The Room which you can buy here .  In this episode they discuss the response to the novel in Denmark, the power of poetry, complicity and manipulation, the autobiographical nature of the novel, the writers that have influ...

For our September Book Club episode, we are delighted to be bringing you this episode with the author of one of Hannah's all time favourite books Sorrow and Bliss, that author is of course Meg Mason and for this episode Meg joins Hannah to discuss her latest novel Sophie, Standing There which you can buy here: UK , US & AUS . In this episode they discuss the new novel (spoiler free!), how lite...

For today's episode Hannah was joined by award-winning author Laurie Petrou to discuss her new novel The Rayburn Affair which you can buy here: (CA) , (US) , (UK) & (AUS) In this episode they discuss the differences between Laurie's creative and academic life and how each of those worlds respond differently to generative AI, they talk about the messy women in this book, marriage imbalances, ex...

For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Hannah was joined by Delphine Seddon to discuss her debut novel Darkening Song which you can buy here: US , Canada & UK Listen to the accompanying playlist here . In this episode they discuss Delphine's experience of working in the music business, she worked for Warner Brothers records and has worked with artists like Dua Lipa, Muse, Bif...

For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Hannah was joined by debut author Lorna Elcock to discuss her debut novel The Windhover which you can buy here . In this episode they discuss Lorna's experience of being shortlisted for the Women's Prize discoveries award, sibling dynamics and how birth order affects them, ceilidhs & creating the build up to THAT scene (no spoilers!), tw...

For today's episode Hannah was joined by NYT bestselling author Chloe Benjamin to discuss her lateest novel Under Story which you can buy here .  In this episode they discuss the ANITA experiment that inspired this book, her incredibly hands-on research process, how her chronic pain was worsened by the success of Chloe's previous novel, isolation & why we're drawn to those narratives in fictio...

For our August Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Australian author Amy Taylor to discuss her new novel Ruins which you can buy here . Let us know your thoughts here . In this episode they discuss Amy's recent foray into reading speculative fiction, why she chose Athens as the setting for this novel, her interest in Greek theatrical structures and the play Medea, we also get into ambition, des...

For today's episode Hannah was joined by Claire Powell, author of 'All In' and 'At The Table' to discuss her latest novel which you can buy here . In this episode topics include writing a male dominated family dynamic, exploring wealth differences in families, setting a novel at an all inclusive resort, why Claire wanted to write about IVF and her own experiences surrounding that and much more. Cl...

For the latest instalment in our Books to Screen series, Hannah was joined by author & freelance writer Shahed Ezaydi to discuss the Amazon Prime adaptation of Carley Fortune's novel Every Summer After, Every Year After. In this episode they discuss the excellent soundtracks of Prime series, the changes the TV adaptation of Every Summer After made, what they loved about the novel, casting &amp...

For today's episode, Hannah was joined by author Ashley Hickson-Lovence to discuss his latest novel About To Fall Apart, which is out now and you can buy here .  In this episode they discuss the story that inspired this novel and what it was like navigating those difficult conversations with family when writing their history. They also chat about influences like Max Porter, Caleb Femi, Irish folk...

For this year's Summer reading episode, 20 different authors have very kindly sent in recordings offering up the books they think you should be reading this summer and beyond, think of this episode as voicenotes from your bookish pals!  If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on  Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram , X & Tik...

For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Rebecca Bainbridge joined us to discuss her debut novel The Pool Party which you can buy here .  In this episode Hannah & Rebecca discuss how Rebecca's Mum got her into reading, the influences behind Rebecca's novel from Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies to Christos Tsiolkas's The Slap, they also get into school gates politics, how Dads a...

For today's episode Hannah was joined by returning guest of the podcast Louise Beech- who also writes as Louise Swanson- to discuss her latest novel Wonderful, a reimagining of a world in which Marilyn Monroe didn't die at 36 and instead went on to live a long and fulfilling life.  In this episode Hannah and Louise discuss where Louise's love for Marilyn began, some of her favourite books and docu...

For today's episode Hannah was joined by returning guest of the pod Chloë Ashby to discuss her latest novel Family Friends which you can buy here . In this episode they discuss writing about messy families and relationships, lust and desire & money and class- all the good stuff! Chloë also spoke about her feelings on the Tracey Emin exhibition, how much she loved Hamnet and told us what the cu...

For our July Book Club, we invited you to join us in reading People in Love , the much-anticipated second novel from Claire Daverley. In this episode, Hannah & Claire discuss the books that have been 'guiding lights' for Claire whilst working on this project, how useful running & wild swimming are for her as a writer, long-term relationships, weddings, tragedy, The Bear, dinner party scene...

For today's instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Hannah was joined by Amman Brar to discuss his debut novel 'Mr Sidhu's Post Office' which you can buy here .  In this episode they discuss the Horizon Scandal, how Amman's father influenced the character of Mr Sidhu, life in Punjab, writing for theatre vs writing novels plus much more! If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subs...

Kicking off Season 8 in our Debut Spotlight series is Jessica Elisabeth, author of Bloodline of the Coven. In this episode Jessica talks about wanting to be 'that girl in the bathroom hyping everyone up', balancing writing with work and motherhood and learning the importance of community. There may also be mentions of Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, Off Campus and witches, you've been warned... If you enjoy...

For today's episode Hannah was joined by Angela Flournoy to discuss her latest novel The Wilderness which you can buy here (UK) & here (US) . UK listeners you can pre-order The Turner House here .  In this episode Hannah & Angela discuss the intimacies of female friendship, the differences between New York & L.A, the US' Class system, what Angela's DJ requests are + much more! If you e...

For today's episode Hannah was joined by bestselling author Rosie Walsh to discuss her latest novel The One Day You Were My Husband which you can buy here (UK) & here (US) . In this episode Rosie discusses the places she's travelled to for writing including Thailand & Stockholm for this novel, they talk about complex families, a couple of brilliant books about grief & loss, writing big...

For our June Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Anna Goldreich to discuss her debut novel The Leveret which is out now and you can find your copy here ,  In this episode they discuss exploring baby loss through the lens of a Queer relationship, the healing power of animals and nature, mental health, what a Queer Utopia would look like to Anna and much more.  If you enjoy this episode please do...

For today's episode Hannah spoke to Kathleen MacMahon about her latest novel Other People's Lives. In this episode they discuss their love for the work of Lily King, how Irish people 'go at things sideways', generational differences and much more.  If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram , X...

For the latest instalment in our Books to Screen series, Hannah was joined by Amanda Moulson, co-host of the wonderful Curious Readers podcast to discuss the brilliant adaptation of Margo's Got Money Troubles. In this episode they discuss the recent prominence of sex work in TV shows, who is getting it wrong and who is getting it right, they also talk messy mother/daughter relationships, motherhoo...

For this week's episode we have returning guest of the podcast, Imogen Crimp! In this episode Hannah and Imogen discuss second novel syndrome, exploring the world of filmmaking, writing gothic settings, the influence of Dorris Lessing on this story, Japanese fiction and a recent great film.  PSA: There were some technical difficulties in this episode but we have tried to edit those out where possi...