Confessions of a Book Hoarder

This episode dives into The Lamb, a quiet but unsettling novel that blends grief, folklore, and the uncanny. I explore how its sparse prose builds tension, what it’s really saying about motherhood and isolation, and why its final chapters stay lodged in the mind long after you close the book.

In Episode 7, Denise delves into Spellbound’s bold reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, a chapter where the familiar fairy tale fractures into something far darker and more intimate. As the curse at the centre of the story intensifies, she traces how the novel transforms the classic “sleep” into a living force not a passive enchantment, but a predatory magic that chooses its moment and its victim with...

In this episode of Confessions of a Book Hoarder , Denise dives into the rich symbolism of food in literature and its feminist dimensions. Talking about Asako Yuzuki’s Butter she explores how appetite, cooking, and meals become metaphors for women’s agency, rebellion, and identity. Listeners will discover how food in novels is never just about sustenance — it’s about power, memory, and desire. Den...

This Halloween, we open the creaking cover of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein—a novel born from grief, lightning, and genius. In this episode of Confessions of a Book Hoarder, I delve into the life of the teenage author who changed literary history, the haunting themes of abandonment and ambition, and the misunderstood creature who longs not for vengeance, but for love. We’ll trace the legacy of monst...

In this cosy and chaotic episode, Denise dives into Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood—a spellbinding debut about burnout, late blooming, and the quiet magic of reclaiming your power. Join her as she unpacks Belle Blackthorn’s trials, Rune’s brooding charm, and the everyday enchantments that feel tailor-made for 90s fans of witch fiction. Expect literary confessions, witchy wisdom, and a gentle reminder:...

Episode 3 – Dissecting Boy Parts by Eliza Clark In this episode of Confessions of a Book Hoarder, we dive headfirst into the chaotic, magnetic world of Boy Parts by Eliza Clark—a cult debut that flips the male gaze, dismantles likability, and lets its protagonist spiral with unapologetic ferocity. We unpack Irina’s descent into obsession, art, and identity collapse, exploring themes of power, perf...

In this episode of Confessions of a Book Hoarder , Denise uncorks the emotional mayhem of Alice Slater’s Let the Bad Times Roll —a novel that’s equal parts biting, bleak, and bizarrely comforting. Through the lens of literary obsession and gentle rebellion, she explores how Slater’s characters stumble through grief, identity, and the allure of self-destruction with a glass of wine in one hand and...

🎧 Episode 1: Welcome to the Confessions of a Book Hoarder Podcast. Welcome to the first-ever episode of Confessions of a Book Hoarder . I’m Denise—a lifelong collector of paperbacks, emotions, and existential dread—and today, I’m diving into Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book cracked something open in me. It’s the kind of story that clings to your ribs, not because it’s loud, but becaus...