To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Enter the chaotic court of the Six Duchies with Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, where loyalty is lethal and magic always has a price. In this episode, I unpack Fitz’s disastrous diplomacy, as he navigates love against duty and one very inconvenient wolf bond. Expect political chaos, slow-burn heartbreak, and feelings sharper than a royal blade.

Painting: Today I painted Nighteyes

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Substack: https://substack.com/@alexanderwoolven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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#BookPodcast, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Who gets to tell history? Just because we have a story doesn’t mean we have the truth. History is a woven tapestry of perspectives, one that grows richer and more honest the more voices we allow into it. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents a narrative where side characters exist largely to serve Huck’s moral journey. In contrast, Percival Everett’s James reclaims the identity of one of those marginalised figures, shifting the perspective and challenging the reader to reconsider what was left unsaid. No longer a character in service of plot, James explores the duality of perception, the power of narrative voice, and the nature of silence, especially how history forgets those who did not speak, even when silence itself was an act of self-preservation. In this episode, I compare Huckleberry Finn and James to examine perspective, narrative authority, race, and the ways literature shapes our understanding of truth and history.

Painting: Today I painted Huck and James on a raft along the Mississippi

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Substack: https://substack.com/@alexanderwoolven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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#BookPodcast, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation

 To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

In this episode, I dive into Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb, exploring who FitzChivalry Farseer really is and whether he ever truly knows himself. From isolation and duty to identity and belonging, it is clear that Fitz uncertainty of himself allows others to take advantage and shape him as they see fit.

Painting: Today I painted a deer on a shield

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Substack: https://substack.com/@alexanderwoolven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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#BookPodcast, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Some stories don’t just trace characters arcs - they wrestle with human nature itself. In East of Eden, John Steinbeck explores the nature of good and evil, and the choices that define who we become. Set against the backdrop of the biblical story of Cain and Abel across generations, asking one powerful question: are we bound by our past, or do we have the freedom to choose our own path?

Painting: Today I painted a globe coming out of a book

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Substack: https://substack.com/@alexanderwoolven

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

Email: [email protected]

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Substack link: Reflections on a world book tour https://alexanderwoolven.substack.com/p/reflections-on-a-world-book-tour

In 2025 for the podcast, I wanted to try something different to bring meaning to the podcast. Having grown up in a typical Anglo household, my upbringing was surrounded by the normality of Western books. This is in no way a criticism of something that couldn’t be helped, especially because those books are colourful, wonderful and the reason I fell in love with literature.

Painting: Today I painted a globe coming out of a book

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Additional segments throughout the podcast include:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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#BookPodcast, #ChristmasPodcast, #HolidayPodcast, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BookishChristmas, #HolidayReading, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation, #EndOfYearReflection, #ChristmasSpecial

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Curl up with a warm drink for a very Christmassy episode of the podcast! This festive season its books stories that spark reflection, and how reading can inspire us to show up more thoughtfully in society. As the year comes to a close, this time of year encourages empathy, responsibility, and active participation in our communities. From small everyday actions to bigger conversations that matter, because being part of society isn’t just about observing; it’s about engaging, questioning, and caring.

Painting: Today I painted a candle

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Additional segments throughout the podcast include:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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#BookPodcast, #ChristmasPodcast, #HolidayPodcast, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BookishChristmas, #HolidayReading, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation, #EndOfYearReflection, #ChristmasSpecial

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Some seek isolation for its freedom, but for Sybylla Melvyn, the open space of the Australian Outback only serves to drown her. Miles Franklin’s first novel, My Brilliant Career captures the lack of agency young girls and women growing up in rural Australia would have felt towards the turn of the 20th century. A country on the cusp of its own independence still saw half the population oppressed. Dreaming of a brilliant career, Sybylla’s frank attitude, and quick wit often gets her into trouble in a world where submission is a norm.

Painting: Today I painted a gum tree in the outback

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Additional segments throughout the podcast include:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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#WakeInFright #KennethCook #Duality #Indulgence #LackOfJudgment #Outback #AustralianGothic #LiteraryAnalysis #PsychologicalThriller #BookAnalysis #feminsim

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Support Indie fiction and booksellers: https://radiantpress.ca/?srsltid=AfmBOopCrOHhz5NfAY5DMu-m3Urp8COR7JSSirFvEiRk26RRq1MXmad9

Mockingjay is the final instalment of Suzanne Collins Hunger Games trilogy. A story that delves deeper into the political issues of a rebellion and the true cost of the face of war. Where propaganda is rife and for Katniss Everdeen, it becomes clearer as time passes that children are a political currency both sides are happy to spend.

Painting: Today I painted a Mockingjay pin

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Additional segments throughout the podcast include:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Is the isolated outback town of Bundanyabba a paradise of absolute freedom or a living nightmare? This week, Kenneth Cook's novel, Wake in Fright, explores the disturbing duality at the heart of the story and how the lack of judgment in The Yabba can make hell of heaven in a life of excess and indulgence - a dangerous freedom that strips away social constraints. For the locals, this is heaven; a life free from moral scrutiny, for John Grant it is a nightmare he spirals into until the thing he wants to escape is the fabric of a town he is now intimately part of.

Painting: Today I painted a beer

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Additional segments throughout the podcast include:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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#WakeInFright #KennethCook #Duality #Indulgence #LackOfJudgment #Outback #AustralianGothic #LiteraryAnalysis #PsychologicalThriller #BookAnalysis

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com

Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlught unfolds with a swift and unflinching frankness. The story of a widowed woman trying to understand and find her place in this new found world, while also trying to distance herself from her past. Difficult to outrun who you were when it is the path that lead you to where you are.

Painting: Today I painted some blur florals

Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:

Additional segments throughout the podcast include:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5

Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod

Email: [email protected]

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/

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