I Think You Should Read

For our final episode of season 2, actor, comedian and crime fiction nerd Peter McGann joins Rachel and Áine to discuss Ross MacDonald's 'The Chill'. Digressions include explaining to Rachel what hard-boiled crime fiction is, why Ross MacDonald doesn't get all the plaudits that other writers in the genre do and what exactly makes a good crime fiction novel. You can follow Peter on Instagram here a...

What is the self? This week we're exploring this and other deep questions with author and musician Rónán Hession. Digressions include why we need to read more translated works, the brutality of life and why this book is like a strong blue cheese. You can follow Rónán on Bluesky here and find his website here. You can follow us on a multitude of social media platforms; Instagram Bluesky Áine's Book...

This week, we talk to author Richy Craven about his enduring love of Terry Pratchett as we dive into Pratchett's stand-alone novel 'Nation'. Digressions include entry-level colonialism, dealing with the loss of everyone you know and coping with having voices in your head while trying to run an island. You can follow Richy on Instagram here. You can buy his book here. You can follow us on a multitu...

Content warning: This episode is heavy on the fatphobia. There is also a brief discussion of sexual assault. This week, it's a first for us on ITYSR as we encounter the worst book we've ever encountered. Author, writer, podcaster and proud Kildare woman Rosemary MacCabe joins us to discuss Louise Mensch's (neé Bagshawe as she was then) diabolical 'Venus Envy'. Digressions include the book slop tha...

If you were an orphan who learnt how to hypnotise people, what would you do with your new found power? That's the question we ask podcaster, TV host and all round good Cork woman Fionnuala Jones who joins us to discuss Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng. Digressions include the influence of Roald Dahl, why were all obsessed with orphans in the early 00s and what moral...

This week we're going back in time to review the 1960's rock and roll scene with music journalist and author Dean Van Nguyen. Dean has chosen 'Out of the Vinyl Deeps' an essay collection on the writing of the New Yorker's first female music critic Ellen Willis. Digressions include how much Bob Dylan is too much Bob Dylan, what would Willis make of Taylor Swift and whether it's ever ok to call John...

What is the meaning of a moving castle and why does Rachel think it involves tax evasion? This week Áine and Rachel are joined by author and podcaster Sarah Maria Griffin to discuss Diana Wynne Jones' "Howl's Moving Castle". Digressions include world-building in Wales, Howl being an incredibly annoying person and what success looks like as an author. Apologies for Rachel's audio which failed. She...

Does satire work? In our first episode of season 2, Áine and Rachel chat to author, writer and many-siblings holder Séamas O'Reilly about Jonathan Coe's 'What A Carve Up!'. Digressions include discussions on left wing comedy, the state of the world now versus the late 80s and how we all really feel about Margaret Thatcher. You can follow us on a multitude of social media platforms; Instagram Blues...

We're back for season 2! As good podcasts hosts, we've taken on your feedback from Season 1. In this minisode, join Rachel and Áine as they take you through those changes and more importantly the books and guests they'll cover this season! Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*extremely Wizzard voice IT'S CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISTMAS!!! Join Áine and Rachel for a chat about their favourite books of 2024 - part review of our years in reading, part gift guide. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our last episode of Season 1 and we’re joined by best-selling author and friend of the pod Catherine Walsh, author of best-selling, world-beating romantic comedies like Holiday Romance and Snowed In! Catherine chats to us about Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, a historical fantasy epic based on the myth of the Children of Lir. Digressions include Billie Eilish, the band Hanson, sel...

Author of Paddy Indian, The Uncoupling and the Tainted Cauvery Madhavan joins us to discuss Martin Malone's 'The Broken Cedar'. We discuss Malone's unique career as a soldier in Lebanon, the current situation in Palestine and how a book written 20 years ago is as relevant as ever. You can follow us on a multitude of social media platforms; Instagram Twitter Bluesky Áine's Bookstagram Want to get i...

Steve O’Rourke is the author of the acclaimed memoir “And A Bang on the Ear”. He chats to us about our second Nobel Prize winner of the season, the experimental Turkish novel, My Name Is Red.  Book recommendations this week! Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck The List by Yomi Adegoke Yellowface by RF Kuang (banger) None Of This Is Serious by friend of the pod Catherine Prasifka Babel b...

"Your feelings will make you insane!" Novelist Catherine Prasifka joins us to chat about Annie Ernaux’s intense work of non-fiction, A Girl’s Story, as well as the nature of memory and the horrors of being a teenage girl! Catherine is the author of NONE OF THIS IS SERIOUS, and the recently released THIS IS HOW YOU REMEMBER IT, both of which slap and are well worth a read. Content warnings inc...

Activist Aoife Martin speaks to us about Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, a novel guaranteed to make you feel cold even in the middle of summer. Set in the Ozark mountains, the novel is both action-packed and deceptively deep! We also use the term bleak approximately 4 million times. Books we recommend in this episode: How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney As You Were by Elaine Feeney Jewish Space...

We chat to award-winning writer and essayist Mark O’Connell about the book he thinks everyone should read: The Adversary by Emmanuel Carreré. A chilling true-crime story about notorious murderer Jean-Claude Romand, The Adversary served as inspiration for O’Connell in writing his most recent work, the critically acclaimed A Thread of Violence. Join Mark, Rachel and Áine for a chat about true crime,...

Writer, podcaster and all-round legend Sophie White joined us for a chat to really get into The Breathing Method, a short novella by the master of horror Stephen King. We’re telling you nothing else because this is a novella - and episode - that it’s better to go into knowing absolutely nothing about what happens next!  Content warnings for this episode include: freak accidental death, car ac...

Have you got your towel with you? Áine and Rachel chat to Patrick Freyne, Irish Times journalist, writer and all-round froody guy about Douglas Adams’ iconic sci-fi comedy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Digressions include but are not limited to growing up in Ireland in the 1980s, the importance of humour and why anything lacking humour is not to be trusted and Áine's love for Marvin. You...

Rachel and Áine are two bookworms with two very important questions for their guests; what book do you think everyone should read and why? Coming up this season, we've eight wonderful guests from the world of books to answer those very questions. Our first episode with Patrick Freyne discussing The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy will drop on Friday, May 3rd, wherever you get your podcasts. You ca...