Booktails Podcast

Summer Beach Read 2 It's the beginning of summer, your boyfriend has just left you for someone else - but the sun is shining, it's time to get out of the city and spend a long, hot, sexy summer in ... a wee island in Cornwall? Join Rachel and Serena to surf the wave of Taylor Cole's One Summer and expect singing in Simlish, discussions on flaky heroines, cute animal sidekicks far too many eccentri...

Summer Beach Read 1 - Rachel's recommendation Peach schnapps lovers and sunscreen experts unite: this is your time.  It's classic romantic comedy this week complete with the AC breaking and cute inside jokes! Join us as we delve into this Emily Henry delight and discuss dream travel jobs and real life romcom situations! Learn about Serena's recent 2 star holiday, full of German karaoke, climbing w...

Science Fiction 3 What do you do at the end of the world? DON'T PANIC. Go to the pub and have a few pints of our Black Hole cocktail, then jump on a spaceship and listen to Vogon poetry as the earth blows up under you! Hitch a ride with us as we blast off to podcast universes unknown, and test your Hitchhikers Guide Knowledge at the end before you say "So long, and thanks for all the fish."

Science Fiction 2 - Rachel's Rec This week we are very excited to dive into Philip K Dick's trippy 1969 masterpiece Ubik, so use your anti-precog powers to go back in time with us. Drink your Ubik Coffee as we deep dive into what this book really means (hint: metaphors... maybe?) and, of course, reenact some Ubik style ads. And, for some reason, we sing Céline Dion and imagine Phil Collins drummin...

Sci- Fi 1- Serena's Recommendation  🎶Scieeeeence Fictiooon, triple feature 🎶  The time has come for us to take our protein pills and put our helmets on, we're heading headfirst into the sci fi universe! Be like our confident king Paul and feel your main character energy this ep. From concubines to pirates to bad robots, this book has it all. Is Paul Atreides as sexy as a Sharpie- breasted bird?...

Nostalgia 3 - Serena’s Recommendation Are you scared of things that go bump in the night? What about living dummies or giant man eating blobs? It's time to pay homage to R.L. Stine, "the Stephen King of children's literature", and hopefully he made plenty of loofa doing it. ;) Whether these delighted you (like Rachel) or terrified you (like Serena) as a child, it's time to give yourself goosebumps...

Nostalgia 2 - Rachel's Recommendation Fancy reliving your teens? Maybe not, but join us to reminisce about ours in the second instalment of our Nostalgia theme! Periods, boys, boobs and bras are the hot topics in Judy Blume's 'Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret'. Were you a Pre-Teen Sensation, or maybe more of a Laura Danker? Either way, there's space for you here. Whether you prefer your rim sa...

Nostalgia 1 What makes you feel nostalgic? For us it's reindeer ice cream, Barbie motor homes, Groovy Chick everything and Fatdog Mendoza. And, of course, Jacqueline Wilson books. What teacher did you fancy at school and why is the answer your Art or English teacher? Like Ellie, we're all grown up now, but does anyone really grow up? Come with us for a deep dive into the ultimate comfort read. Gra...

Romantasy 3 - Serena's Recommendation A reader without a cocktail is a tragedy. A reader with too many cocktails is drunk. Is your favourite hobby starting a revolution like our shadow Xaddy? If so then you'll already know this social media Romantasy phenomenon, if not, welcome new rider.  Whether your soundtrack to Fourth Wing has been 'Ordinary' or good old Pirate Metal, let us be the new music...

Romantasy 2 - Rachel's Recommendation Trigger warnings: Discussions of Sexual assault and violence. The moment has come! Two real Scottish lassies discussing Outlander in the homeland. We are shameful Scots who don't like whiskey, but we're drinking it anyway - in cocktail form! We would not be chill with just moving to the 1700s and would have very few useful skills, would you? Message us on soci...

Romantasy 1 This week Rachel found a dead fox in her garden and was whisked away to a fairy kingdom. Do you have the hots for Tamlin or Rhysand, our red flag kings? Or do you prefer cartoon lions or beasts? We listen and we don't judge. We all know what we're here for, and that's some good old fairy smut. But nevertheless this one may get controversial... *NOTES* - The scrapped ACOTAR streaming se...

Gothic Romance 3 It's a slightly different one for the third week of gothic romance as instead of a novel we are looking at the British Library's anthology, Doomed Romances: Strange Tales of Uncanny Love edited by Joanne Ella Parsons (2024). This book features the OG vampire novella Carmilla and a whole host of short stories from hundreds of years ago to present day, featuring a ghost bride, fairy...

Gothic Romance 2 - Serena's Recommendation Get lost on the Yorkshire moors with Rachel and Serena as they debate how much of a red flag Heathcliff and Cathy really are (spoiler alert: very), in Emily Brontë's classic gothic romance Wuthering Heights (1847), plus - why is Nelly so very annoying? (We know you were thinking it!) And actually - are there ANY redeemable characters in this book? Let's f...

Gothic Romance 1 - Rachel's Recommendation Is Van Helsing sexy? This and other burning questions will be answered by Serena and Rachel as they examine the plot, characters, tropes and spice of Bram Stoker's classic 1897 vampire novel, complete with analysis of gender politics, Twilight comparisons (of course) and a lot of hatred for Lucy's mum.  Dracula's Kiss Cocktail: 1 shot vodka, 1 shot Black...