Paperback Friends

This is a long promised episode that came about because of me often ranting at bad author bios that only seem to focus on “book awards” rather than the other themselves. I find these types of bios to be very tedious, but let’s leave actually dig deeper here, and do the “Paperback Friends’ thing” and analyse something thoroughly to see if there is something more to these awards Are book awards a pr...

Martha Wells brings the first major arc of The Murderbot Diaries to a close with Exit Strategy. Ending it with another fast-paced rescue mission, and a story that brings its growing relationship with freedom, identity, and the people around it into sharper focus. We look at why this series continues to work so well for me despite some increasingly noticeable flaws, from the repetitive hacking to t...

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Andreas Hedberg from the National Library of Sweden. Andreas is a researcher at the National Library. We managed to cover quite a lot in this episode. How much of a book comes from the writer, and how much from the interpretation? Why are some books worth researching, and what tools can we use to better understand novels? We also get to...

Why did George Orwell write? In this episode of Paperback Friends, I take a look at Orwell's essay Why I Write , where he explores the four motivations he believed drive writers: ego, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse, and of course the aspect that made his own writing so famous. But this episode is about more than Orwell's reasons for writing. We also talk about how his early ambit...

In this episode, we take a look at Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, a hugely popular Swedish novel about grief, loneliness, friendship, and finding a reason to keep going. The emotional beats are not bad, and the novel manages a tender moment or two, but Backman comes to represent a type of writing that is fundamentally disagreeable to me. He favors the plot over the narrative, and that lights...

In this episode of Paperback Friends, we dive into one of the most beloved science-fiction novels ever written: Dune by Frank Herbert. I have to tread lightly on this one, to avoid the drum sand and the fans… While Dune has inspired generations of readers, I found myself struggling to connect with some of its biggest ideas. Why did the political intrigue and character work captivate me, while the...

Martha Wells continues to prove why The Murderbot Diaries has become one of modern science fiction's most beloved series. In Rogue Protocol , Murderbot infiltrates an abandoned research station to uncover the truth behind GrayCris's illegal operations,but beneath the action lies a surprising story about identity, freedom, and friendship. In this episode, we explore why Wells's writing...

Can ambition be moral? In this episode, I review Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman—a book arguing that too many of us spend our lives chasing status instead of solving meaningful problems. We talk about how Bregman builds his case through history and biography, why his arguments are surprisingly compelling, and whether he succeeds in answering the biggest question of all: What do you actually do af...

What if the wilderness doesn't destroy you—but reveals who you really are? This week on Paperback Friends , we return to John Williams to review Butcher's Crossing , the novel that came before Stoner and helped establish Williams as one of the great overlooked American writers. We follow Will Andrews as he abandons his comfortable life for a buffalo hunt deep in the American West, only to discover...

Charles Dickens really is a master of craft, and padding a novel. The Old Curiosity Shop is also one of the most exhausting books I've read for the podcast. In this episode, I take a baseball bat to Dickens' fourth novel while examining why it feels so painfully slow, melodramatic, and padded – there is a very specific reason for it! It's still Dickens though, so it can't be that b...

We’re diving into Ursula K. Le Guin for the first time on Paperback Friends with The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas . It may be one of the shortest stories we’ve covered, but there’s an awful lot packed into those few thousand words. Le Guin’s writing is secondary to the question she builds the story around. Omelas is a perfect utopia, but its happiness depends entirely on the suffering of one chi...

We’re back with Martha Wells and The Murderbot Diaries! I really enjoyed All Systems Red, and Artificial Condition continues to show me why I like this series so much. Wells's writing is remarkable restraint, building a surprisingly complex world without drowning the story in unnecessary detail. The corporate politics, world-building, action, and Murderbot itself all work beautifully together....

In this episode of Paperback Friends, I try to answer a question I've been asking myself ever since I finished the novel: why is this book considered such a fantastic novel? Together we explore why To the Lighthouse became a cornerstone of modernist literature, and why Woolf's stream-of-consciousness style has inspired generations of writers. We talk about modernism, narration, Virginia Wo...

Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day is my favorite novel – not because I believe it's objectively the greatest ever written, but because it was the first book that truly showed me what literature could do. It challenged me, reached me, and ultimately set me on the path that would lead to Paperback Friends. In this episode, we discuss Ishiguro's restrained writing, Stevens as one of...

In this episode of Paperback Friends, I return to Frances Hardinge with The Lie Tree, a Victorian mystery where science, religion, reputation, and social systems collide. This is a novel about deception, but more importantly, it is about the systems that decide what society believes. Hardinge explores gender roles, class, reputation, morality, and the ways people are forced to survive within unfai...

What does it really mean to "not get" a novel? Can an interpretation be wrong, or are books simply open to whatever we bring to them? In this episode of Paperback Friends , we dive into one of my favorite topics: literary interpretation. We talk about what a book means , the difference between an opinion and an interpretation, why some readings fit a story better than others, and why bei...

Parable of the Sower left a massive impression on me, so I expected Parable of the Talents to hit just as hard. It didn't. At least... not in the way I expected. In this episode, we dive into Octavia E. Butler's final Earthseed novel, discussing why this sequel frustrated me, why I think its story is weaker than its predecessor, and how I eventually realized I had misunderstood what Butler...

Some books comfort us. Others challenge us. Some make us uncomfortable, and maybe that's exactly why they're worth reading. In this episode, we talk about why stepping outside your comfort zone as a reader can be one of the most rewarding things you do. From trying new genres to taking on books that ask more of you, I share my own experiences with difficult literature, why I used to avoid...

Life of Pi is one a beloved novels of the 21st century. It has sold millions of copies, won major awards, inspired a successful film adaptation, and continues to be recommended as a modern classic. So why did I spend most of my time with it feeling bored? In this episode, we dive into Yann Martel's famous survival story, following Pi Patel and Richard Parker across the Pacific Ocean as we try...

In this episode of Paperback Friends, I review Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. A squad of academy rejects, an ancient galactic threat, a girl lost in time, and enough banter to power a small moon. Aurora Rising is one of those books that constantly reminded me that I am probably not the target audience for this book. It full of overwritten banter, and enough dollar store humor to f...

Finally! We are reviewing The Alchemist. This one has been a long time coming, and considering how famous this book is, and what it did to new age; I felt it was only a matter of time before we got here. In this episode I break down why The Alchemist has connected with so many readers, why the writing is surprisingly competent; even if its philosophies leaves me largely unconvinced. I love when a...

We got a big one this week, we are tackling none other than Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower. This book has been recommended to me a few times, directly and through book influencers. This book was not a light read, it took a lot from me to get through, but as I stand here on the other side of it; ready to share my review of it with you – I'm very glad that I did. So, let's get...

The war of Sam Ögren against things everybody likes continues! This week I'm raving about book sequels, and why I so much prefer stand-alone books. However, I don't just sit there and complain. I also try to explain why I believe there are so many sequels, and why it makes perfect sense as well as why it's okay to like them. A solid, quick general episode. Gone is the era of filler episodes! Type:...

Personal efficiency expert Oskar Eklind once again honors us with his presence! This time he talks about something that I hear people mention quite often; not reading as much anymore. Why do we stop reading, when does it happen, and how can we pick it back up again? These and more questions we cover in this great interview episode. Thanks for taking the time Oskar; it feels so nice to get an exper...

This was not the best book for me. I don't love the genre, and I can't say much in this novel made me care. Writer Patricia Wolf does something pretty strange considering this is supposed to be a thriller. It's fine for what it is, but I have a lot of fun breaking this one down; I hope you have as much fun listening to it! Type: Review | Book: Outback | Writer: Patricia Wolf