Afleveringen
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Where have the last six months gone? Join Amanda and Joseph as they check in on the reading goals they set themselves in January. Find out if they’ve stuck to their promises, or if they’ve bombed out on their reading resolutions. Plus, they talk about more prize news, and as always, what they’ve been reading recently and what they hope to pick up next.
Bookish News
Hay Festival
Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi (translated by Lin King)
John of John by Douglas Stuart @douglas_stuart
Ruth Ozeki @ozekiland
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
Canon by Lee Lai @_leelai
Hellions by Julia Elliott @jelliottic6
A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar @megha.maj
Women’s Prize
The Booker Prize
Recent Reads
Famesick by Lena Dunham @lenadunham
May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry @poorsasquatch
Stone Fruit by Rebecca Perry
Our Mid-Year Reading Goals
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan @patrickryanyc
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine @wednesdaywerskin
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke @caroclaireburke
The Wreck by Lizzy Stewart @lizzy_stewart
Prairie Oyster by Sophoe Robinson @sophiepoetry
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe @praddenkeefe
Dominion by Addie E. Kitchens @addie_citchens
The Correspondent by Virgina Evans @virginia.l.evans
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash @madelinecash
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Guardian’s ‘100 Best Novels of All Time’
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
Ordinary People by Haldor Laxness
Death’s End by Cixin Liu
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert @sophiegilbertwrites
A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness by Michael Pollan @michael.pollan
You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate @christinapplegate
Indignity by Leah Ypi
Winter In The Blood by James Welch
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones @stephengrahamjones
The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day @yeah_okday
The Sleep Thief by Ibtisam Azem @ibitisam.azem
Charco Press 2026 Fiction Bundle @charcopress
Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz @arianaharwiczw
Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus @kraus_author
Kin by Tayari Jones @tayari
Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn
On The Calculation of Volume series by Solvej Balle
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Practice by Rosalind Brown
Land by Maggie O’Farrell @maggieofarrellofficial
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout @lizstroutauthor
Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason
Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel @emilystjohnmandel
What We’re Reading Next
John of John by Douglas Stuart
The Left and the Lucky by Willy Vlautin
Also mentioned
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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It seems everyone is talking about Yesteryear, and now Joseph and Amanda are too. Join them for their latest deep dive into the most hotly anticipated debut of the year, and hear about what they've been reading recently and which books they hope to pick up next.
Bookish News
The Hay Festival
Hayplayer
Recent Reads
Cannon by Lee Lai @_leelai
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans @virginia.l.evans
Dominion by Addie E Citchens @addie_citchens
Deep Dive
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (adapted for screen by Bryan Forbes)
Trad Wife by Sarah Langan @sarahlangan
Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer @saratogaishere
The Trad Wife by Carrie Hughes @carriehughesbooks
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke @caroclaireburke
Diabolical Lies podcast
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn @thegillianflynn
What We’re Reading Next
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer @eleanorbshearer
Kingfisher by Rozie King
The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson @marxia1
Prairie Oyster by Sophie Robinson @sophiepoetry
Also mentioned
Ramsgate Literary Festival @ The Book Hotel, Ramsgate
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Join Amanda and Joseph for this week’s episode as they delve into the best that nature writing has to offer. Plus, as always, they talk about their current reads and what they're looking forward to picking up next, as well as the latest from the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist.
Bookish News
Women’s Prize shortlist
Recent Reads
Pearl Oyster by Sophie Robinson @sophiepoetry
London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe @praddenkeefe
Tilt by Emma Pattee
Nature Writing
Helm by Sarah Hall
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
The Overstory by Richard Powers
A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness by Michael Pollan @michael.pollan
Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt @lyandahaupt
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald @emerillon
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton @chloedaltonuk
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer @robinwallkimmerer
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
Soundings: Journeys In The Company of Whales by Doreen Cunningham @doreenwriting
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Wintering by Katherine May @katherinemay_
Intertidal: A Coast And Marsh Diary by Yuvan Aves @a_naturalists_column
The Peregrine by J.A. Baker
The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd
Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane @robertmacfarlane
Dart by Alice Oswald
What We’re Reading Next
California Gold by Jodie Chapman @jodiechapman
The Italian Girl by Iris Murdoch
The Bell by Iris Murdoch
The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
Also mentioned
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Join Amanda and Joseph for this week’s episode as they delve into the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, remember Agatha Christie and talk about their favourite mysteries. This time, they really try to be spoiler free!
Bookish News
International Booker Prize shortlist short flims
Helen DeWitt and Windham Campbell Literary Award
Recent Reads
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm (Sam Hughes)
The Wreck by Lizzy Stewart @lizzy_stewart
Alison by Lizzy Stewart
The Novels of Agatha Christie and Golden Age Detective Fiction
Snow Upon the Desert by Agatha Christie
Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Death On The Nile by Agatha Christie
Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
The Murder of Roger Akroyd by Agatha Christie
A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup
V is for Venom by Kathryn Harkup
The Knox Decalogue
S.S. Van Dine’s Commandments
Fair Play by Louise Hegarty
Our Favourite Mysteries
In the Woods (The Dublin Murder Squad series) by Tana French @tanafrenchwrites
The Trees by Percival Everett
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett @r.jackson.bennett
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett @janice.hallett
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Whitstable Pearl by Julie Wassmer
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
‘Only Murders in the Building’
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Høeg
The Girl in the Maze by R K Jackson @randal.jackson1
The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai @rebeccamakkai
What We’re Reading Next
Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag
The Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day @yeah_okday
Prairie Oyster by Sophie Robinson @sophiepoetry
Also mentioned
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Join Joseph and Amanda as they discuss the reads they are most looking forward to this Spring, plus a few more updates from prize season. We also introduce a new segment – DNF corner, where we talk about the books we couldn’t wait to put down.
Bookish News
Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist
International Booker Prize shortlist
Recent Reads
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin
Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin
The Discomfort of Evening by Lucas Rijneveld
The Winner by Teddy Wayne
Companion Piece by Ali Smith
Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang
Top Ten Reads for Spring
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Kin by Tayari Jones
The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
Devotions by Lucy Caldwell
Openings by Lucy Caldwell
If We Cannot Go At The Speed Of Light by Kim Cho-yeop, translated by Anton Hur
Transcription by Ben Lerner
Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
My Year In Paris With Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy
You With The Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate
Famesick by Lena Dunham
‘Too Much’ by Lena Dunham
‘Girls’ by Lena Dunham
Your Presence Is A Danger To Your Life by Samar Yazbek, translated by Leri Price
Second Hand Time by Svetlana Alexivich
London Falling: Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
Tell Noone by Patrick Radden Keefe
Ghost Stories: A Memoir by Siri Hustvedt
Mother Mary Comes To Me by Arundhati Roy
One Aladdin, Two Lamps by Jeanette Winterson
DNF Corner
My Friends by Frederick Backman
Britt-Marie Was Here by Frederick Backman
Workhorse by Caroline Palmer
Also mentioned
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Join Amanda and Joseph for their next deep dive into Wendy Erskine’s debut novel, The Benefactors, a polyphonic story about a sexual assault and the lengths that three mothers will go to to keep their sons from being held accountable. Along the way, they discuss the latest prize news, with the Carol Shields Prize longlist topping the episode.
Bookish News
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction longlist
Recent Reads
The Brittle Age by Donatella Di Pietrantonio
The books of Elena Ferrante
The Only Story by Julian Barnes
Deep Dive
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
Sweet Home by Wendy Erskine
Dance Move by Wendy Erskine
Close to Home by Michael Magee
Magnolia, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
What We’re Reading Next
Waiting For The Fear by Oguz Atay
The Door by Magda Szabo
Indignity by Lea Ypi
Also mentioned
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week, join Amanda and Joseph for one of their most personally revealing episodes yet, as they discuss the books that made them: the teenage obsessions, the gateway reads, and the unforgettable titles, passages and writers that made us the readers they are today.
(1:20) Bookish News
(1:40) The Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist
(2:49) Gloria Don't Speak by Lucy Apps @lucy.emma13
(3:10) The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson @marxia1
(4:32) The International Booker Prize Longlist
(5:36) The Nights Are QuietIn Iran by Shida Bazyar
(5:59) Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur
(6:28) Taiwan Travelogue Yáng Shuāng-zǐ
(8:08) Recent Reads
(8:17) Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert @sophiegilbertwrites
(12:52) The Missing Ink by Philip Hensher @philiphensher
(17:43) The Books That Made Us
(23:16) The Odyssey by Homer (various translations including Robert Fagles and Emily Wilson)
(24:27) O’ Brother, Where Art Thou directed by Joel and Ethan Cohen
(24:54) 'Penelope' by Carol Ann Duffy
(28:43) The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
(32:48) Elidor by Alan Garner
(32:53) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
(34:58) The Odyssey directed by Christopher Nolan
(36:56) The Continuous Life: Poems by Mark Strand
(40:16) The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
(41:25) The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter
(46:34) Gilead by Marilyn Robinson
(49:38) A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam
(53:55) In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
(54:36) What We’re Reading Next
(55:00) No Friend of This House by Natalie Haynes @nataliehaynesauthor
(55:12) One Aladdin, Two Lamps by Jeanette Winterson
(56:07) Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
(56:43) EveryDay Is For The Thief by Teju Cole @_tejucole
Also mentioned
Tate Modern, Nigerian Modernism (on until 16 April 2026)
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week, Joseph and Amanda tackle romance. But this is romance with a twist, no tropes or formulas, just good writing that even the most hard-hearted cynic can enjoy. And before that, as Prize season is upon us, they dish the latest on prestigious longlists, and top and tail the episode with current and future reads.
(0:52) Bookish news
(1:03) The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction
(2:52) Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi
(4:03) Ask Me How It Works: Love in an Open Marriage by Deepa Paul @storiesbydeepa
(4:29) The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet @lyse.doucet
(6:04) Mother Mary Comes to Me a memoir by Arundhati Roy @arundatiroyauthor
(6:17) International Booker Prize
(6:45) The National Book Critics Circle Awards (NBCC)
(7:16) Dublin Literary Award
(7:56) What I Know About You by Eric Chacour @ericchacour
(8:09) The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
(8:37) Live Fast by Brigitte Giroud
(9:13) Recent Reads
(9:21) Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn
(14:19) Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash @madelinecash
(17:45) Romance for Cynics
(19:15) Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
(19:29) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
(24:09) Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid @rachelreidwrites
(25:38) Emma & Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
(26:30) Persuasion by Jane Austen
(26:56) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
(27:09) Villette by Charlotte Bronte
(29:03) The books of Lily King @lilykingbooks
(29:23) Minor Black Figures & The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor @brandonlgtaylor
(29:23) Memorial: A Novel by Bryan Washington
(30:05) Normal People by Sally Rooney @sallyrooneyofficial
(30:37) You Are Here by David Nicholls @davidnichollswriter
(31:17) Happy All The Time by Laurie Colwin
(35:46) Reasons To Be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe @ninastibbe
(39:17) Crush by Ada Calhoun @adacalhoun
(42:58) Good Material by Dolly Alderton @dollyalderton
(47:13) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller @madeline.e.miller
(47:47) The Disenchantment by Celia Bell
(48:22) The Lovers by Paolo Cognetti
(49:24) Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason @meg_mason_writer
(50:26) Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey @monicaheisey
(51:50) You, Again by Kate Goldbeck @kategoldbeck
(52:25) Heartburn by Nora Ephron
(53:15) What We’re Reading Next
(53:26) Midnight Is Not In Everyone’s Reach by António Lobo Antunes @antonio.lobo.antunes
(54:16) White Spines: Confessions of a Book Collector by Nicholas Royle @nicholasroyle
(55:15) Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones @tayari
(55:21) Kin by Tayari Jones
(55:47) My Friends by Frederik Backman @frederickbackman
(56:00) The Winner by Teddy Wayne
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine @wednesdaywerskin
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week, Joseph and Amanda talk about some of their favourite short story collections - ranging from canonical gems to new voices - plus, as always, they talk about what they’ve been reading recently and discuss what they’re excited to read next.
(1:24) Bookish news
(2:20) Birchbark Books
(2:27) Inkwell Books
(2:40) Red Balloon Books
(2:56) Excelsior Bay Books / Milkweed Books / Black Garnet Books
(3:08) Shop Minneapolis bookshops from anywhere at Bookstore.org and libro.fm
(4:31) Standwithminnesota.com
(5:36) The TS Eliot Prize
(6:03) Wellwater by Karen Solie
(7:17) Recent Reads
(7:27) Buckeye by Patrick Ryan @patrickryanyc
(12:40) A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell
(17:14) Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
(18:17) Short Story Collections
(18:26) Joseph's Short Story Quiz
(25:38) Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny @katherineheiny
(30:59) Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
(34:32) Mslexia
(34:45) Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer @zzpacker56
(40:42) In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
(46:37) The Latehomecomer: Essential Stories by Mavis Gallant
(51:18) Furies: Stories of the Wicked, Wild and Untamed by Margaret Atwood and others @therealmargaretatwood
(52:21) Stories of Place:///zinc.level.blindfold edited by Niamh McAnally @niamh_mcanally
(53:00) The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda @matsudaoko
(56:40) You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi @lilianacolanzi, translated by Chris Andrews
(58:06) Selected stories by Nikolai Gogol
(59:19) Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn
(59:59) What We’re Reading Next
(1:00:13) I’m Glad My Mother Died by Jennette McCurdy @jennettemccurdy
(1:00:50) Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
(1:01:19) Palaver by Bryan Washington @bry.washing
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week, Amanda and Joseph go into the trenches with Daniel Kraus’s repulsively propulsive Angel Down. They also discuss what they’ve been reading recently, including the new Ian McEwan novel and a slew of non-fiction, as well as what they’re looking forward to picking up next.
(2:40) Bookish news
(2:44) Storygraph (@josephjdance and @itsmoleyreads)
(3:47) Faversham Literary Festival, 20 February to 1 March, 2026
(4:44) Chocolat and Vianne by Joanne Harris
(5:41) Recent reads
(6:00) Books, A Manifesto: Or, How To Build A Library by Ian Patterson
(7:19) Trees In Winter by Richard Shimell (richardshimell.co.uk)
(8:21) Hiroshima by John Hersey
(10:33) What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
(14:05) Deep Dive - Angel Down
(14:45) The Shape of Water by Daniel Kraus
(14:53) Trollhunters by Daniel Kraus
(15:04) The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus
(15:27) Rotters and Scowler by Daniel Kraus
(15:46) The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch by Daniel Kraus
(15:57) Whale Fall by Daniel Kraus
(19:13) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus @krausauthor
(23:49) Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman
(24:04) Zone by Mathias Enard
(24:18) Septology by Jon Fosse
(38:56) 1917, directed by Sam Mendes
(38:59) All’s Quiet on the Western Front (2022), directed by Edward Berger
(41:39) In Memoriam by Alice Winn
(57:33) Final thoughts
(59:38) What We’re Reading Next
(59:44) A High Wind In Jamaica. Or The Innocent Voyage by Richard Hughes
(1:00:59) The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Happy New Year! Start the year with Amanda and Joseph as they talk about their reading intentions for 2026.
(2:09) Bookish News
(2:36) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (directed by Emerald Fennell)
(2:46) Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (directed by Chloe Zhao)
(2:59) Die My Love by Ariana Harwicz (directed by Lynne Ramsey)
(3:34) Train Dreams by Dennis Johnson (directed by Clint Bentley)
(3:51) A Pair of Bookends podcast
(7:15) What We’ve Been Reading
(7:19) Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
(8:22) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
(13:51) Reading Resolutions
(23:28) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
(24:39) Independent People by Halldór Laxness
(25:05) Death’s End by Cixin Liu
(26:29) Farewell Fountain Street by Selçuk Altun
(26:42) Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü
(26:54) Journey To The Edge of Life by Tezer Özlü
(27:00) Snow by Orhan Pamuk
(28:17) My Clavicle and Other Major Misalignments by Marta Sanz
(31:12) Steering the Craft by Ursula K Le Guinn
(31:21) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
(31:45) Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk
(33:51) Katabasis by RF Kuang
(34:06) The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
(34:14) The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
(35:14) On The Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle
(37:05) Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
(45:17) Rougon-Macquart Cycle by Emile Zola
(46:26) The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji
(50:31) What We’re Reading Next
(50:44) Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
(52:27) Money by Emile Zola
(53:20) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
Also Mentioned
Whitstable Silent Book Club @silentbookclubwhitstable
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Join Amanda and Joseph for an end-of-year bibliofest as they talk about their top 10 books of the year, plus they dish the dirt on the titles that sadly didn’t live up to their expectations over the last twelve months.
(1:20) Bookish News
(1:24) The Warwick Prize For Women In Translation
(1:44) And The Walls Became The World All Around by Johanna Ekström and Sigrid Rausing, translated by Sigrid Rausing
(3:33) The New Yorker at 100 (Netflix)
(5:22) Our Top 10 Books of 2025 (#10 to #6)
(6:55) New York Times Best Books of 2025
(8:32) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
(8:55) Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
(9:52) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
(10:41) The Director by Andrew Kehlmann
(11:15) You Should Have Left by Andrew Kehlmann
(11:53) The Sisters by Jonas Hassan Khemiri
(12:55) Wild Thing: A Life Of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux
(13:01) A Marriage At Sea / Maurice & Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
(15:34) We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt's Lessons in Love and Disobedience by Lyndsey Stonebridge
(18:16) The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley
(20:06) Objects Of Desire by Neil Blackmore (#10)
(21:47) Playworld by Adam Ross (#9)
(23:08) A Person Is A Prayer by Ammar Kalia (#8)
(24:58) Good Girl by Aria Aber @aria.arber (#7)
(27:16) Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno translated by Natasha Lehrer (#6)
(31:13) Christmas Cracker Questions Speed Round
(32:11) The Story of a Heart by Dr Rachel Clarke
(34:10) Nevada by Imogen Binnie
(36:21) A Big Storm Knocked it Over by Laurie Colwin
(38:37) Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe
(39:17) The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe
(41:15) I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol
(41:42) Close to Home by Michael Magee
(42:31) Heart the Lover by Lily King
(42:37) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
(43:25) Flashlight by Susan Choi
(44:38) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
(44:55) The Names by Florence Knapp
(48:29) In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
(48:51) A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
(49:26) On the Calculation of Volume, volumes I, II and III by Solvej Balle
(49:54) A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah K Maas
(50:26) Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
(50:51) Our Top 10 Books of 2025 (#5 to #1)
(51:02)The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (#5)
(53:24) The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (#4)
(56:26) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (#3)
(1:02:16) My Clavicle and Other Major Misalignments by Marta Sanz and translated from the Spanish by Katie King (#2)
(1:02:44) Unwell Woman by Elinor Cleghorn
(1:04:48) One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (#1)
(1:07:37) Spent by Alison Bechdel (#1)
(1:10:24) All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
(1:11:56) Twist by Column McCann
(1:12:32) Moderation by Elaine Castillo
(1:14:11) What We’re Reading Next
(1:14:28) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
(1:14:40) Whale Fall by Daniel Kraus
(1:16:24) A Dance to the Music of Time by Antony Powell
Also mentioned
Gordon Burn Prize For New Writing
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
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Join Amanda and Joseph as they get graphic – about the best graphic novels they’ve read and the ones they are keen to add to their TBRs. Along the way, they talk about their recent reads and discuss the books they hope will close out their reading year.
(0:47) Bookish News
(5:41) National Book Award
(6:00) The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine
(6:45) One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
(7:46) The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith
(8:25) The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri
(8:48) We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
(9:52) Recent Reads
(9:56) 11.22.63 by Stephen King
(15:20) Ultraluminous by Katherine Faw
(21:12) Graphic Novels
(25:35) Alison by Lizzy Stewart
(26:19) Ducks by Kate Beaton
(30:11) Sabrina by Nick Drnaso
(30:17) Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls
(30:57) The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings
(36:59) Goodnight Pun Pun by Inio Asano
(37:22) Sheets by Brenna Thummler
(38:02) Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson
(38:13) Blankets by Craig Thompson
(45:05) Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez
(49:15) Walk Me To the Corner by Anneli Furmark
(53:34) Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast
(54:13) Florrie: A Football Love Story by Anna Trench
(54:46) Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto
(55:53) Firefly by Robert Macfarlane and Luke Adam Hawker
(56:34) Walking Distance by Lizzy Stewart
(57:12) The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco
(58:02) This Beautiful, Ridiculous City by Kay Sohini
(59:04) What We’re Reading Next
(59:29) On The Calculation of Volume: Volumes II and III by Solvej Balle
(1:00:28) The Silver Book by Olivia Laing
(1:00:43) Books: A Manifesto, Or, How To Build A Library by Ian Patterson
(1:01:11) The Riders in the Chariot by Patrick White
Also mentioned
The Liverpool Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum
@harbourbooks
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Join Amanda and Joseph for another deep dive, this time into Heart the Lover, Lily King’s tale of first loves and lost opportunities. Plus, as always, they talk about their recent reads and discuss the titles they’re keen to pick up next.
(1:23) Book News
(1:23) The Booker Prize 2025
(1:34) Flesh by David Szalay
(2:09) The Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction
(2:12) How to End a Story: Collected Diaries by Helen Garner
(2:45) The Goldsmith’s Prize
(3:26) We Live Here Now by CD Rose
(4:11) What We’re Reading Next
(4:16) Big Kiss, Bye Bye by Claire Louise Bennett
(7:46) Checkout 19 by Claire Lousie Bennett
(8:28) Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
(14:26) Deep Dive into Heart the Lover
(15:44) The Pleasing Hour
(15:49) The English Teacher
(15:53) Father of the Rain
(15:57) Euphoria
(16:30) Writers & Lovers
(18:04) Heart The Lover synopsis
(25:17) Book Reporter Talks to: Lily King, Heart the Lover
(29:07) The Aeneid by Virgil
(29:12) “Some day we will remember even these our hardships” (Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit)
(31:34) Ulysses by James Joyce
(31:41) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
(32:14) Literary references in Heart The Lover
(32:47) ‘The Dead’ by James Joyce
(1:06:41) We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
(1:07:21) What we’re reading next
(1:07:45) Independent People by Halldor Laxness
(1:08:05) Ambrose Through The Tall Grass by Nathan Korn
(1:09:01) The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez
(1:09:43) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Join Amanda and Joseph on this week’s episode as they discuss the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist and talk in depth about what worked and what didn’t work for them with each of the six nominated books. They also chat book news and have a look at some of the upcoming titles they’re looking forward to reading next.
(0:32) Book News
(1:12) Lone Wolf by Adam Weymouth
(4:50) Gresham College Lecture Series 2025-2026
(5:24) Booker Prize shortlist
(5:56) The Booker Prize 2025
(9:33) The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
(20:00) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
(27:26) The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
(28:09) All Fours by Miranda July
(35:05) Endling by Maria Reva
(35:22) Amanda’s Sarah Jessica Parker impression
(36:25) Audition by Katie Kitamura
(42:20) Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga
(43:03) Flashlight by Susan Choi
(43:07) Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
(49:35) Flesh by David Szalay
(57:05) What We’re Reading Next
(57:15) 11.22.63 by Stephen King
(57:30) Antidote by Karen Russell
(58:40) Taipei by Tao Lin
(59:23) Heart the Lover by Lily King
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Creeps, chills, and carefully crafted dread - join Joseph and Amanda for this week’s episode as they recommend a stack of mood-heavy reads for spooky season. Plus, Team CR talks László Krasznahorkai - this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature - and as always they discuss what they’ve been reading lately and what they’re looking forward to picking up next.
(0:44) Book News
(0:51) Nobel Prize for Literature
(1:46) Louisiana Channel
(2:52) Sátántangó by Lászlo Krasznahorkai
(5:41) Rivals by Jilly Cooper
(7:00) Current Reads
(7:04) Objects of Desire by Neil Blackmore
(10:43) Fair Play by Louise Hegarty
(13:48) Spooky Season Reading
(15:06) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
(17:55) Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfeld
(19:01) The Echoes by Evie Wyld
(19:28) Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
(19:51) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
(20:27) Our Share of the Night by Mariana Enriquez
(21:36) Pet Sematary by Stephen King
(22:55) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
(24:04) Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
(25:04) The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston
(27:22) Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
(27:36) Beloved by Toni Morrison
(28:25) Ghost stories by MR James, Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allen Poe and HP Lovecraft
(29:44) Come Closer by Sara Gran (Joseph’s Pick #1)
(34:23) Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (Amanda’s Pick #1)
(39:04) The Houseguest and Other Stories by Amparo Dávila, tr. by Audrey Harris and Matthew Gleeson (Joseph Pick #2)
(44:21) Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (Amanda’s Pick #2)
(46:24) Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
(49:32) Spooky Books Recommended to Amanda
(49:44) Sinead Hanna @sineadhannacraic
(50:14) The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
(50:29) Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker
(51:06) Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
(51:42) Spooky Books Recommended to Joseph
(51:52) A Game In Yellow by Hailey Piper
(52:42) Ashley @coffeeandcuentos
(52:59) Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, ed. Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
(52:32) Talking Scared Podcast with Neil McRobert
(53:47) Rekt by Alex Gonzalez
(54:33) What We’re Reading Next
(55:03) Greyhound by Joanna Pocock
(55:41) Big Kiss, Bye-Bye by Claire-Louise Bennett
(55:57) What A Time To Be Alive by Jenny Mustard
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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