Curious Readers

A bi-weekly bookchat podcast by Joseph Dance and Amanda Moulson, two time-poor curious readers with eclectic TBRs. Every two weeks we meet to talk all things books and deliver some recommendations for new, classic, and contemporary titles you might want to read next. We cover everything from backlist to frontlist, prize winners to debuts, and we are generally spoiler free.

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41 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes41

Newest first

Oct 10, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Ep 20: Banned Books & Literary Censorship
Just in time for Banned Books Week (5-11 October), Joseph and Amanda talk about literary censorship and recommend the samizdat titles they think are worth exploring. They also chat about this year's Booker Prize Shortlist which was announced on 23 September and run through their picks from the Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist, one of the UK's biggest literary prizes for non-fiction. Plus, as always, they talk about what they've been reading recently and what they're excited to pick up next. Book News (1:22) The Booker Prize (7:16) The Baillie Gifford Prize Current Reads (11:16) I Am Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol (15:44) Ask Me How It Works by Deepa Paul (16:19) Authority: Essays On Being Right by Andrea Long Chu Banned Books (21:08) Banned Books Week, 5-11 October 2025 (22:57) PEN America (27:28) Index on Censorship: 100 Banned Novels (27:44) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (29:07) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (29:16) Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (31:37) The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (Amanda’s Pick #1) (35:17) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (Joseph’s Pick #1) (39:16) Deenie by Judy Blume (Amanda’s Pick #2) (42:17) Judy Blume Forever (45:35) July’s People by Nadine Gordimer (Joseph’s Pick #2) (49:50) This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson (Amanda’s Pick #3) (54:42) A Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Joseph’s Pick #3) What We’re Reading Next (58:01) The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits (58:03) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (58:09) Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth (58:40) Transcription by Ben Lerner (59:19) The Renovation by Kenan Orhan Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 26, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Ep 19: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid & National Book Awards Longlists
In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda launch into Atmosphere with an in-depth discussion of the queer-coded astronaut love story by Taylor Jenkins Reid. They also take a look at the recently announced fiction and non-fiction longlists from the National Book Award, plus share what they’ve been reading lately and the titles they’re looking forward to picking up next. Book News The Book Club Review podcast A Pair Of Bookends podcast National Book Awards Margate Bookie Cheltenham Literary Festival Current Reads Farewell Fountain Street by Selçuk Altun, translated by Mel Kenne and Nilgün Dungan Maggie; or, a Man and A Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee Dying for Sex, HBO Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst Deep Dive Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid One True Love by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid What We’re Reading Next Priest Daddy by Patricia Lockwood No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood Nightcrawler by Leila Mottley The Girls That Grew Big by Leila Mottley Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 12, 2025 · 54 min
Ep 18: Starting Out In Speculative Fiction & Sci-Fi
In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda step into the world of sci-fi and speculative fiction and chart a course through some of their favourite fictional forays into evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, deep space exploration, and the perils of the Oort Cloud. They also discuss the latest news from the Hugo Awards, talk about what they’ve been reading recently, and as always, run through the titles they’re looking forward to picking up next. Book News (2:18) The Hugo Awards (3:32) The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Best Novel 2025) (4:20) The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Best Novella 2025) (5:30) Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll (Best Related Work 2025) Current Reads (6:56) The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny by Laura Bates (9:50) Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen (10:02) Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates (12:04) Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (12:19) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab (14:02) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab Speculative Fiction & Sci-Fi Recommendations (19:14) Amanda’s Sci-Fi story (21:25) Sexism in Sci-Fi (21:51) The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (23:56) Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. Le Guin (24:53) Speculative vs Science Fiction (25:48) In Other Worlds: Science Fiction and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood (25:59) The Handmaid’s Tale / The MaddAddam Triology by Margaret Atwood (26:25) The Water Cure / Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh (27:23) In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (Amanda’s Pick #1) (30:33) Voyager Golden Record (30:40) Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield (31:14) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (31:45) Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler (Joseph’s Pick #1) (34:26) The Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley by Robert Sheckley (Joseph’s Pick #1) (35:48) Ten Planets by Yuri Herrera (Joseph’s Pick #1) (37:02) The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (Amanda’s Pick #2) (41:20) To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (Joseph’s Pick #2) (44:10) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Amanda’s Pick #3) (47:56) Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Joseph’s Pick #3) What We’re Reading Next (51:34) Fair Play by Louise Hegarty (51:51) Bone Horn by Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain (52:04) Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller (52:19) House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 29, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
Ep 17: How To DNF Like A Pro
In this week’s episode, we respond to our listeners with all our deepest, darkest DNF secrets: why we do it, when we do it, and how we feel when it happens. We also talk about the books we’ve read recently as well as the backlist titles and new releases we hope to explore in the coming weeks. Book News (2:31) The Sealey Challenge (4:25) The Wild Iris by Louise Glück (4:48) Midden Witch by Fiona Benson (5:16) Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems by William Carlos Williams (6:02) That Broke Into Shining Crystals by Richard Scott / What The Earth Seemed To Say by Marie Howe / Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith (6:44) So I Got To Thinking podcast Current Reads (11:11) Child Of My Heart by Alice McDermot (14:19) The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (18:15) Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry DNFs (23:43) Middlemarch by George Eliot (26:43) Let The Great World Spin by Column McCann (27:17) Apeirogon by Column McCann (27:48) Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar (30:28) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (30:58) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (35:39) Twist by Colum McCann (39:23) Neuromancer by William Gibson (40:06) Butter by Asako Yuzuki (43:25) Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart (44:48) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt (46:38) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (54:06) This Other Eden by Paul Hardy (55:02) Rouge / All’s Well / Bunny by Mona Awad (56:17) The Ishiguro Effect (59:06) Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (59:28) I Gave You Eyes And You Looked Towards Darkness by Irène Sola What We’re Reading Next (1:01:03) We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad (1:01:37) Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Rie Qudan (1:02:11) Maggie; Or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar: A Novel by Katie Yees Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 15, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min
Ep 16: Books About Art & the Booker Prize Longlist
On this week’s bumper episode we cover the Booker Prize longlist before exploring some of our favourite fiction and non-fiction about art. We ask why books featuring artists seem to be so perennially popular and what is it about the artist’s life that keeps us coming back for more. Book News The Booker Prize Long List Love Forms by Claire Adam The South by Tash Aw Universality by Natasha Brown One Boat by Jonathan Buckley Flashlight by Susan Choi The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Audition by Katie Kitamura The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller Endling by Maria Reva Flesh by David Szalay Seascraper by Benjamin Wood Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga Orbital by Samantha Harvey Current Reads Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin Books About Art The Original by Nell Stevens The Artist by Lucy Steeds A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru Biography of X by Catherine Lacey A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar My Friends by Hisham Matar The Return by Hisham Matar Alison by Lizzy Stewart Daybook: The Journal of an Artist by Anne Truitt Turn by Anne Truitt Prospect by Anne Truitt Wet Paint by Chloe Ashby The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier The Art Forger by Barbara Shapiro My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art by Mary Gaskill ‘Olympia’ and ‘A Bar at the Folies-Bergère’ by Edouard Manet annetruitt.org The Whitney Museum of American Art The Courtauld Institute of Art Jon Harvey, artist What We’re Reading Next The Compound by Aisling Rawle Neuromancer by William Gibson Moderation by Elaine Castillo America Is Not The Heart by Elaine Castillo Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 1, 2025 · 51 min
Ep 15: The Women by Kristin Hannah (Deep Dive)
Book News The Hugo Awards Galle Literary Festival, 22-25 January 2026 Edinburgh International Book Festival, 9-24 August 2025 Current reads Free Play: Improvisation in Life & Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch On Elizabeth Bishop by Colm Tóibin The Names by Florence Knapp Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins-Reid Deep Dive into Kristin Hannah Firefly Lane The Nightingale The Winter Garden The Four Winds The Women The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien What We’re Reading Next The Sunflower Boys by Sam Wachman Katabasis by R.F. Kuang Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 18, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
Ep 14: Memoirs We Can't Stop Recommending
Join us this week as we delve into our favourite memoirs and recommend some bizarre stories of fame, feuds, cults, and figure skating. Of course, we also share the latest book news, current reads and what we plan to read next. Book News Close to Home by Michael Magee Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe Current reads A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura Lonely Castle In The Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura Memoirs I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner Aftermath by Rachel Cusk Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis Bossy Pants by Tina Fey Homesick: A Memoir by Jennifer Croft The Extinction Of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft Flights by Olga Tolkaczuk The Books Of Jacob by Olga Tolkaczuk Into The Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough The Woman In Me by Britney Spears Daisy Jones And The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Salt Path by Raynor Winn A Million Little Pieces by James Frey The Museum Of Lost And Fragile Things by Suzanne Joinson The Sound Of Gravel by Ruth Wariner Educated by Tara Westover Stay True by Hua Hsu Fierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick Knife by Salman Rushdie The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby This Is The Place To Be by Lara Pawson What we’re reading next The Coin by Yasmin Zaher The Echoes by Evie Wyld Days Of Light by Megan Hunter Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser Orlanda by Jacqueline Harpman I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman Also mentioned The Harrison Chambers Of Distinction Cool People Reading Podcast Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 4, 2025 · 1 hr
Ep 13: Queer Lit Picks for Pride (& All Year Round)
Who says queer lit is just for June? In our latest episode we talk about some queer titles and authors that we'd recommend reading all year round. Plus, we walk through some queer literary milestones and of course chat about what we've been reading recently and what we're looking forward to picking up next. Book News The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya Winter Animals by Ashani Lewis Revolutionary Acts: Love & Brotherhood In Black Gay Britain by Jason Okundaye Food For The Dead by Charlotte Shevchenko Knight Current reads The Coin by Yasmin Zaher The Story Of A Heart by Dr. Rachel Clark Queer literature Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Joseph And His Friend by Bayard Taylor The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde The Well Of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall Death In Venice by Thomas Mann The City And The Pillar by Gore Vidal The Price Of Salt by Patricia Highsmith ‘Carol’ by Todd Haynes Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde Loving Her by Ann Shockley Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Stag Dance by Torrey Peters Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Who’s Afraid Of Gender? by Judith Butler Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White Love Me Tender / PlayBoy by Constance Debré The End Of Eddy by Edouard Louis Love In Exile by Shon Faye Girlhood / Abandon Me: Memoirs by Melissa Febos A Short History Of Trans Misogyny by Jules Gill-Peterson The Best Of Me by David Sedaris This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson Nothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Histories by Diarmuid Hester Our Pride picks The Lost Past Of Billy McQueen by Neil Alexander Valencia by Michelle Tea Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield Tiepolo Blue by James Cahill And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts Nevada by Imogen Binnie What We’re Reading Next The Wax Child by Olga Ravn The Employees by Olga Ravn Helm by Sarah Hall Close To Home by Michael Magee The Names by Florence Knapp Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James at Fish Island Studio (@fishislandstudio) Register as an organ donor at organdonation.nhs.uk (UK) and donatelife.net (US) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 20, 2025 · 45 min
Ep 12: Sun, Sea and Page-Turners - Our Best Beach Reads
This week’s episode is about the perennial conundrum that faces every reader at this time of year - what to read at the beach? We talk about which genres are best suited for reading al fresco and give you our favourite holiday read recommendations. Of course, we also share our latest book news, current reads and what we plan to read next. Book News The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner Question 7 by Richard Flanagan Albion by Anna Hope Fair Play by Louise Hegarty Petals Of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong’o Current reads The Husbands by Holly Gramazio Wild Boar by Hannah Lutz Beach reads The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Ariadne by Jennifer Saint Elektra by Jennifer Saint Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes Circe by Madeline Miller Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens The Trio by Johanna Hedman The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller The Overstory by Richard Powers The Guest by Emma Cline The Girls by Emma Cline The Swimmer by John Cheever Walking On The Ceiling by Ayşegül Savaş Summer by Edith Wharton Last Resort by Andrew Lipstein My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Brutes by Dizz Tate Spent by Alison Bechdel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel You Killed Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi Sunset by Jessie Cave Girlfriends by Holly Bourne What we’re reading next A Marriage At Sea by Sophie Elmhurst Necessary Fictions by Eloghosa Osunde Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu Also mentioned @BeesBookShare The Garden Gate Project Margate Louisiana Channel by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek in Denmark The Hay Player Hay Festivals Open Water by Chris Kentis Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James at Fish Island Studio (@fishislandstudio) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 6, 2025 · 56 min
Ep 11: Audition by Katie Kitamura (Deep Dive) & more prize winners
This week’s episode is one of deep dives, this time into Audition by Katie Kitamura, an ambiguous and destablising read that packs a lot into very few pages. We also share some recent book and literary prize news and talk about what’s on our TBRs. Books: Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (translated by Deepa Bhasthi) The Book Of Sand by Geetanjali Shree Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck The Vegetarian by Han Kang Small Boat by Vicent Delacroix (translated by Helen Stevenson) Clear by Carys Davies (Winner of the Ondaatje Prize 2025) The Adversary by Michael Crummey (Winner of the Dublin Literary Award 2025) Red Milk by Sjón Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams Audition / Gone To The Forest / The Longshot / A Separation / Intimacies by Katie Kitamura My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe Also mentioned: Teatime Book Club, @Teatime.pictures Rosemary’s Baby by Roman Polanski Suspiria by Dario Agento (with a 2013 remake by Luca Guadagnino) Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 23, 2025 · 58 min
Ep 10: Korean Reads We Recommend
This week’s episode is all about our favourite reads by Korean and Korean-American authors, including books about sulky giant octopuses, sinkhole tourism, empathy bypasses, diasporic depression, simulated marriages, and tearful encounters with gochujang. And as always, we discuss recent reads and what’s next on our TBRs. Recent reads In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (tr. Terence Kilmartin) Sweat by Emma Healy The Meteorites: Encounters With Outer Space And Deep Time by Helen Gordon Korean books and authors Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner Sea Change by Gina Chung The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-Eun (tr. Lizze Buehler) Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim The Hive And The Honey by Paul Yoon The Trunk by Kim Ryeo-Ryeong (tr. The KoLab) Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn (tr. Sandy Joosun Lee) Black Girl From Pyongyang: In Search Of My Identity by Monica Macias Up next The Women by Kristin Hannah The Husbands by Holly Gramazio Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid My Friends by Frederik Backman Kakigori Summer by Emily Itami Endling by Maria Reva Also mentioned @angelazbao Snow Piercer, Parasite by Bong Joon Ho Libro FM Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 9, 2025 · 59 min
Ep 9: Big Book Fear
This week’s episode is a BIG one. Or at least, one in which we talk about big things, namely big books and why – or why not – we find them intimidating. And as always, we discuss recent reads and what’s next on our TBRs. Recent reads On The Calculation Of Volume (Volume I) by Solvej Balle Confessions by Catherine Airey Big Book Fear The Book of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Middlemarch by George Eliot – narrated by Juliet Stevenson The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth Lost Illusions and Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac 2666 by Roberto Bolaño In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust Pachinko by Min Jin Lee The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvilli Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain In A Digital World by Maryanne Wolf 11.22.63 by Stephen King Angle Of Repose by Wallace Stegner Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Secondhand Time: The Last Of The Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara The Goldfinch / The Secret History / The Little Friend by Donna Tartt Cherry by Nico Walker The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss Future Reads Days Of Light by Megan Hunter The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins Wild Ground by Emily Usher Also mentioned The Ondaatje Prize 2025 shortlist Chatsworth House The Storygraph The Book Club Review Podcast Patreon Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 23, 2025 · 53 min
Ep 8: Short Contemporary Classics
This week’s episode is a brief encounter with short contemporary classics and the lilliputian tomes under 200 pages we recommend if you’re looking for something to get you out of a reading slump. We also talk book news, what we’ve been reading recently, and the titles we’re looking forward to picking up in May. Recent reads Ministry Of Time by Kaliane Bradley Playworld by Adam Ross Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott Short classics Fair Play by Tove Jansson The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing Ben, In The World by Doris Lessing We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver The Tenth Man by Graham Greene What we’re reading next Soft Core by Brittany Newell Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley The Emperor Of Gladness by Ocean Vuong Let Me Tell You by Paul Griffiths Let Me Go On by Paul Griffiths Also mentioned @LadiesLitSquad Disney+ Dying for Sex Dolly Alderton and Netflix’s Adaptation of Pride & Prejudice Can You Ever Forgive Me Dune A Complete Unknown Wellness by Nathan Hill Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 9, 2025 · 59 min
Ep 7: Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte (Deep Dive) & April releases
On this week’s episode we dive deep into Rejection – not the emotion – the novel in stories by Tony Tulathimutte. We also discuss things we’ve read and want to read in April and revisit the Women’s Prize nominations now that they have been shortlisted. Our deep dive Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte Private Citizens by Tony Tulathimutte Recent reads The Iliad by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson The Odyssey by Homer Hype Machine: Inside the Cult of Crypto by Joshua Oliver I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman Green Dot by Madeline Gray Women’s prize shortlist Good Girl by Aria Aber All Fours by Miranda July The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis What we’re looking forward to in April Twist by Column McCann Tilt by Emma Pattee The Colony by Annika Norlin Audition by Katie Kitamura Notes to John by Joan Didion Also mentioned The Coach and Horses Pub Quiz, Whitstable The Book Lovers’ Pub Quiz The BookClub Review Podcast Adolescence on Netflix Let the Great World Spin by Column McCann Apeirogon by Column McCann Intimacies by Katie Kitamura Blue Nights by Joan Didion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 26, 2025 · 46 min
Ep 6: Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist 2025 - predictions, omissions & hot(ish) takes
On this week’s episode we catch up on what we’ve been reading, share our thoughts on the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, and talk about some of the April releases we’re looking forward to picking up soon. Recent reads Carnality by Lina Wolf, tr. by Frank Perry Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas The Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist Good Girl by Aria Aber The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley Somewhere Else by Jenni Daiches Amma by Saraid de Silva Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings All Fours by Miranda July The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Nesting by Roisín O'Donnell A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike Birding by Rose Ruane The Artist by Lucy Steeds Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis Our Contenders Colored Television by Danzy Senna Orbital by Samantha Harvey There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak Gliff by Ali Smith The Echoes by Evie Wylde It Lasts Forever And Then It’s Over by Anne de Marcken Excited to Read in April Room on the Sea by Andre Aciman Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt Also mentioned The Stella Prize The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 12, 2025 · 52 min
Ep 5: Our Favourite New York/London Novels
Join either side of the Atlantic as we dive into our favourite London/New York novels. It’s an episode full of stiff upper lips, demonic possessions, sociopaths, bedsits, alcoholic dollmakers, sassy parrots, and white asparagus. Plus we talk about our must visit NY-LON bookshops and reading spots, and we look ahead to new releases set in and around the Big Smoke and the Big Apple we can’t wait to read. Recent reads Universality by Natasha Brown Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa (translated by Polly Barton) Stories of Place:///zinc.level.blindfold edited by Niamh McAnally Our Favourite NY-LON Novels Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon The Vulnerables by Sigird Nunez Look At Me by Anita Brookner Big Swiss by Jen Beagin There Are More Things by Yara Rodrigues Fowler NY-LON Books We're Excited to Read in 2025 Confessions by Catherine Airey Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay MacCleod Chapman Lorne by Susan Morrison Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch An Opinionated Guide to Literary London by John Clegg Also mentioned The Strand Bookstore Books Are Magic Codex The London Library Housmans Bookshop John Sandoe Books Judd Books Daunt Books Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 28, 2025 · 50 min
Ep 4: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Deep Dive) & March releases
This week, we deep dive into Liz Moore’s viral woodland thriller The God of the Woods - and we have opinions. We also talk about the new releases we’re looking forward to reading in March. Recent reads The Future by Catherine Leroux (translated by Susan Ouriou) Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue (translated by Natasha Wimmer) March 2025 releases The Horse by Willy Vlautin Show Don’t Tell and Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld Universality by Natasha Brown Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 14, 2025 · 59 min
Ep 3: Reading As an Act of Resistance
This week, we have a chat about why reading is an act of resistance and delve into the books we turn to during a crisis–whether climactic, sociological or existential. We also discuss our favourite reads for a complete escape. Recent reads Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers The Long View by Elizabeth Jane Howard Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen Reading for resistance Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong A Personal Matter by Kenzaburō Ōe The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid For a crisis Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie On Freedom by Maggie Nelson Eating Animals byJonathan Safran Foer Surrender by Joanna Pocock Orbital by Samantha Harvey In the Distance by Hernan Diaz Empireland and Empireworld by Sathnam Sanghera The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshanna Zubenoff To escape The Moomins and The Summer Book by Tove Janson You Are Here by David Nicholls Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny Also mentioned in this episode: NYRB Classics Challenge Indigenous Reading Circle The Galle Literary Festival Faversham Literary Festival Margate Bookie The Margate Bookshop Brick Lane Bookshop Birchbark Books & Native Arts Harbour Books (@harbourbooks) Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 29, 2025 · 48 min
Ep 2: Our Backlist Picks for 2025
This week we learn more about each other and get into the books on our backlist, including our recommendations for non-fiction and fiction reads. We also take a look at the longlist of the Dublin Literary Award and talk about surprises, omissions and favourites that you might want to add to your own TBR. Recent reads Nothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Histories by Diarmuid Hester Evenings and Weekends by Oisin McKenna From the backlist/longlist Hold Still: A Memoir by Sally Mann The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen King by Jonathan Eig When the Clock Broke by John Ganz The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks Ducks by Kate Beaton Boy Parts by Eliza Clark Audition by Pip Adam Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor Wild Houses by Colin Barrett Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 15, 2025 · 56 min
Ep 1: Our First Episode
Join us for our very first episode in which we quiz each other on how we read, talk all things holiday reading and deliver some great recommendations for new, contemporary and classic books you might want to read next. Books mentioned in this episode: What we’ve read: Prophet by Helen MacDonald and Sin Blanché Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan My Beloved Monster by Caleb Carr The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş She’s Always Hungry by Eliza Clark Osebol: Voices from a Swedish Village by Marit Kapla What we’re looking forward to: Playworld by Adam Ross Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity and Finding Your Life's Purpose by Martha Beck Love in Exile by Shon Faye Also mentioned in this episode: The Stand, Pet Semetary, 11.22.63 by Stephen King The Storygraph Harbour Books (@harbourbooks) Silent BookClub Whitstable (@silentbookclubwhitstable) Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.