Brit Lit Book Club

She sold two billion books. She's been translated into over a hundred languages. She has a Russian rock band named after her. And yet — she always said that within ten years of her death, no one would remember her at all.  In this episode, I sit down with Graham Kerr and Maria ("Miss Lemon") of English Riviera Walking Tours and English Riviera Custom Tours in Torquay, Devon — two of...

Do you have a classic sitting on your shelf that's been there for two years? Maybe someone gifted you Jane Austen, or you picked up a Brontë at a charity shop with the best intentions. And every time you walk past it, there's a little whisper that says: I should really read that. This episode is for you. In this week's episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, I'm making the case for...

She sold over two billion books. Her play The Mousetrap has run in London's West End for more than seventy years without a single break. And she once vanished for eleven days in a mystery that has never been solved. Dame Agatha Christie wasn't just writing cozy puzzles — she was a brilliant psychologist, a sharp social observer, and quite possibly the most commercially successful novelis...

What if the most beloved children's story in the English language was actually about grief? In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're exploring the extraordinary life of Scottish author J.M. Barrie — the man behind Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Neverland, and Captain Hook — and the devastating true story that inspired one of literature's most enduring characters. We cover it all: th...

What does it mean to fall through time and land in history class? If you've ever stayed up until 2am turning pages of Outlander , convinced you could practically smell the heather and hear the clash of broadswords at Culloden, today's guest has a very official explanation for why that happened — and a doctorate to back it up. Dr. Alex Dold is a public historian, literary scholar, tour gu...

Sir Walter Scott - The Man Who Invented Scotland If you've ever lost yourself in the Highland landscapes of Outlander, stood misty-eyed at a ruined Scottish castle, or felt your heart catch at the sight of a man in a kilt, you have Walter Scott to thank for that. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're exploring one of the most influential authors in literary history: Sir Walter...

What if the most profound literature isn't found in dark Gothic mansions or dramatic tragedy, but in the everyday work of a country veterinarian making rounds through the Yorkshire Dales? In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're heading north to meet James Herriot, the pen name of Alf Wight, whose warm and witty memoirs have comforted millions of readers around the world for over...

Anne Brontë – The Forgotten Sister  She's been called the forgotten Brontë — overshadowed by Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights , dismissed as the quietest and least talented of the three sisters. But Anne Brontë may have been the most radical Victorian novelist of her generation. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're finally giving Anne the spotligh...

The Brit Lit Book Club - Daphne du Maurier: The Woman Behind Rebecca Discover the dark, complex world of Daphne du Maurier, one of the 20th century's most brilliant and misunderstood writers. Join host Vanessa Hunt as she explores the life and legacy of the author who gave us one of literature's most famous opening lines. What You'll Learn: The fascinating, complicated life of Daphn...

What if the book club wasn't just a cozy tradition, but one of the most powerful tools for change in women's history? In this episode of the Brit Lit Book Club, we trace the story of women's reading communities from the salons of ancient Greece and 18th-century France all the way to Oprah's Book Club and BookTok, and uncover just how much of the world women built from a circle...

What does it take to write one of the most enduring novels in human history at eighteen years old, in the middle of a volcanic winter, surrounded by grief? In this episode of the Brit Lit Book Club, we dive deep into Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , tracing the extraordinary life behind one of Gothic literature's greatest masterworks. We explore Mary's radical inheritance: daughter of...

Starting a Classics Book Club: Tips, Traditions & Literary Travel with Keri & Liz  Have you ever dreamed of starting a classics book club but didn't know where to begin? In this episode, I sit down with two friends who started my personal book club, Keri & Liz, to talk all things classic literature and the magic that happens when readers gather around great books. Keri and Liz sha...

Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights (2026) has arrived and the internet has opinions. So do I . In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're stepping away from the page and into the cinema to review the most talked-about British literary adaptation of the year. Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, Fennell's film was never meant to be a faithful retelling, by her own admissio...

Wuthering Heights: Everything You Need to Know Before the New Movie Comes Out This Week The new Wuthering Heights movie starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi is coming soon, and whether you've read Emily Brontë's classic or not, this episode will prepare you for what you're about to see on screen. In this episode: Complete plot summary for first-time readers (or if you're not...

Join author Essie Fox for a haunting conversation about Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights , a Gothic reimagining of Emily Brontë's masterpiece told from Catherine Earnshaw's ghostly perspective. In this special episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, Sunday Times bestselling author Essie Fox discusses her bold new retelling of Wuthering Heights, one of British literature's most...

Beatrix Potter - Author, Illustrator, Farmer, Conservationist, Scientist  Discover the untold story of Beatrix Potter—far more than just the beloved author of Peter Rabbit. In this episode, host Vanessa reveals how Potter was a pioneering scientist, savvy entrepreneur, Lake District conservationist, and one of Victorian England's most rebellious women—all while maintaining the appearance of a...

Discover Elizabeth Gaskell: Victorian Literature's Voice for Social Reform | The Brit Lit Book Club Join host Vanessa as we explore the life and revolutionary works of Elizabeth Gaskell, the Victorian author who gave voice to England's working classes during the Industrial Revolution. In this episode, we journey into 1840s Manchester—the epicenter of industrial England—to discover how a...

This week on the Brit Lit Book Club Podcast, I'm doing something a little different! Instead of our usual author deep-dive, I'm joined by my friend Brittney for a chatty, catch-up style episode about all the literary adventures we've been having. We're sharing all the details from Jane Austen's 250th birthday Regency party - yes, we dressed up in full Regency attire! We di...

Why Performing Shakespeare Still Matters: A Conversation with Michael from Take Note Troupe Why do we still perform Shakespeare 400 years after his death? In this special interview episode (the first for The Brit Lit Book Club) we sit down with Michael, director of Take Note Troupe's Shakespeare in the Park, to explore why Shakespeare's plays remain powerfully relevant for modern audienc...

Journey through 300 years of British Christmas traditions with The Brit Lit Book Club! Discover how Christmas was celebrated in Shakespeare's England, Jane Austen's Regency world, and Charles Dickens' Victorian era. From the twelve days of Tudor revelry and the Lord of Misrule to the quiet family gatherings of Regency drawing rooms, and finally to the Victorian Christmas that shaped...

Dickens and His Illustrators: The Artists Who Drew Victorian Christmas  Ever wonder who first gave visual form to Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Fezziwig's famous ball? Discover the fascinating world of Victorian book illustration and the artists who shaped how we visualize Dickens's most beloved stories. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we explore the crucial but...

Charles Dickens & A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens's Revolutionary Ghost Story  Discover the untold story behind Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol in this deep dive into Victorian literature's most influential work. More than just a holiday tale, A Christmas Carol was a radical political manifesto that changed how we celebrate Christmas and think about poverty, wealth, and s...

Charles Dickens: The People's Author - The Brit Lit Book Club Join us for an in-depth exploration of Charles Dickens, the literary rock star of Victorian England! In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we dive into the life and works of the author behind A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and so many other beloved classics. We'll explore Dickens's fascinating (...

Episode 6: Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre - The Governess Who Changed Everything Discover why Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre was more than just a Gothic romance—it was a revolutionary manifesto for women's equality disguised as a love story. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we explore how Charlotte Brontë created one of literature's most groundbreaking heroines: a plain,...

The Brit Lit Book Club - Episode 5: The Brontë Sisters - Growing Up Wild Step into the windswept world of the Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—three isolated children who transformed childhood fantasies into some of the most passionate and psychologically complex novels ever written. From the remote Yorkshire moors to literary immortality, discover how extreme isolation, family tragedy, a...