A Pair of Bookends

For our October Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Ríoghnach Robinson to discuss her debut novel, our October Book Club pick Bad Words which you can buy here (UK) & here (US)
In this episode they discuss the novel (spoiler free!), they get into the art of critism, how social media impacts the way criticism now operates, writing Asian American protagonists, the authors they would lose their mind over meeting, the New York literary scene, the books she's been enjoying & much more!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Ríoghnach via Instagram & rioghnachrobinson.com

Books & other mentions in this episode:
In Every Future, It's Us by Katie Naymon
Sally Rooney
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Florida by Lauren Groff
Sleep Has His House by Anna Kavan
Asylum Piece by Anna Kavan
Tim Brayton- Letterboxd
https://www.alternateending.com/
A Good Person by Kirsten King
Slow Horses- AppleTV
The Babadook (2014)

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

Today's episode brings you a live recording of an event at Blackwell's Manchester, Hannah interviewed author Stacey Yu about her debut novel 'Kitten'. Thank you to Red Newsom for making this episode possible. 
In this episode they discuss 'Kitten' (spoiler free!), what the pre-publication hype was like, how the novel evolved from first draft to final copy, they also talk about the intersections of race, class and regionality, vulnerability & care, our relationship to pets, Mamma Mia! & much more!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Stacey via Instagram & Tik Tok
You can buy Kitten here (UK) & here (US)

Books & other mentions in this episode:
The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt
What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Either/Or by Elif Batuman
Banana Yoshimoto
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Ottessa Moshfegh
Halle Butler
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
Hot Milk (2025)
Jenny Zhang
Normal People (BBC)

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series Hannah was joined by Danish poet and writer Ulrikka S.Gernes to discuss her debut novel, the Danish bestseller A Girl Left The Room which you can buy here. 
In this episode they discuss the response to the novel in Denmark, the power of poetry, complicity and manipulation, the autobiographical nature of the novel, the writers that have influenced her style and much more. 
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Ulrikka via Instagram 

Books & other mentions in this episode:
griffinpoetryprize.com
Wislawa Szymborska
The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner
Chekhov's Letters
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/poem-of-the-day
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Consent by Vanessa Springora
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Elizabeth Strout
The Museum of Innocence - Netflix
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
https://www.masumiyetmuzesi.org/en

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For our September Book Club episode, we are delighted to be bringing you this episode with the author of one of Hannah's all time favourite books Sorrow and Bliss, that author is of course Meg Mason and for this episode Meg joins Hannah to discuss her latest novel Sophie, Standing There which you can buy here: UK, US & AUS.
In this episode they discuss the new novel (spoiler free!), how literary festivals became the backdrop for this book, what it was like featuring the familiar faces we meet throughout the novel, some of Meg's favourite bookshops & how they influenced the bookshop in this book, growing up in a sect and how that informed her protagonist's childhood plus much more!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Meg & her work via megmason.com

Books & other mentions in this episode:
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido
M. John Harrison & Julia Armfield - In Conversation at the LRB
What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan
Emma by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
Daunt Books - Marylebone
John Sandoe
Hill of Content
Roaring Stories
The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen
The Country Girls Trilogy by Edna O'Brien
Middlemarch by George Eliot

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For today's episode Hannah was joined by award-winning author Laurie Petrou to discuss her new novel The Rayburn Affair which you can buy here: (CA), (US), (UK) & (AUS)
In this episode they discuss the differences between Laurie's creative and academic life and how each of those worlds respond differently to generative AI, they talk about the messy women in this book, marriage imbalances, exploring the choice to be childfree, the price of fame, book cover designs, ambition, Simone de Beauvoir & much more!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Laurie via Instagram
Buy Laurie's other books: Stargazer, Sister of Mine, The Rehearsal Club, Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou

Books & other mentions in this episode:
Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Verve Books
Simone de Beauvoir
Jean-Paul Sartre
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
Writers in The Dark - Podcast
Marissa Stapley
The Godfather - Baptism Scene
The Children by Melissa Albert


Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Hannah was joined by Delphine Seddon to discuss her debut novel Darkening Song which you can buy here: US, Canada & UK
Listen to the accompanying playlist here.
In this episode they discuss Delphine's experience of working in the music business, she worked for Warner Brothers records and has worked with artists like Dua Lipa, Muse, Biffy Clyro etc. They also talk about her reasons for featuring parts of the novel in Manchester and Texas, they get into fame and celebrity culture, unexpected experiences of performers, creating a playlist for the book, what would be in the soundtrack of her own life and much, much more. 
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Delphine via Instagram, Substack & delphineseddon.com

Books & other mentions in this episode:
Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Ellie Mason (Music Producer)
S. Michaud (Artist/Singer)
A Year of Nothing by Emma Gannon
Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast
Olive by Emma Gannon

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Hannah was joined by debut author Lorna Elcock to discuss her debut novel The Windhover which you can buy here.
In this episode they discuss Lorna's experience of being shortlisted for the Women's Prize discoveries award, sibling dynamics and how birth order affects them, ceilidhs & creating the build up to THAT scene (no spoilers!), two excellent novel recommendations & much more!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Lorna via Instagram

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
Women's Prize Discoveries
A Sense of Occasion by Brodie Crellin
The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For today's episode Hannah was joined by NYT bestselling author Chloe Benjamin to discuss her lateest novel Under Story which you can buy here. 
In this episode they discuss the ANITA experiment that inspired this book, her incredibly hands-on research process, how her chronic pain was worsened by the success of Chloe's previous novel, isolation & why we're drawn to those narratives in fiction, Wisconsin representation, finding a new appreciation for nature and of course a wonderful amount of recommendations for books & authors for you to turn to next!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Chloe via Instagram & chloebenjaminbooks.com

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
The Disappearers by Marlon James
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chang
Arrival (2016)
A S Byatt
Virginia Woolf
The OA

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For our August Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Australian author Amy Taylor to discuss her new novel Ruins which you can buy here. Let us know your thoughts here.
In this episode they discuss Amy's recent foray into reading speculative fiction, why she chose Athens as the setting for this novel, her interest in Greek theatrical structures and the play Medea, we also get into ambition, desire and the choice to have or not have children.
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Amy via Instagram

Books & other mentions in this episode:
Every Version of You by Grace Chan
Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh
Medea by Euripides
The Loneliest Planet (2011)
The Worst Person in the World (2021)
Widow's Bay (2026)

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

For today's episode Hannah was joined by Claire Powell, author of 'All In' and 'At The Table' to discuss her latest novel which you can buy here.
In this episode topics include writing a male dominated family dynamic, exploring wealth differences in families, setting a novel at an all inclusive resort, why Claire wanted to write about IVF and her own experiences surrounding that and much more. Claire also does not disappoint by bringing us both the high and the low in culture recs which we love! From Ayşegül Savaş' work and Emma Cline's Switzy to the juicy drama of Summer House, there's lots for you to sink your teeth into.
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can follow Claire via Instagram

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
Switzy by Emma Cline
https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2026
The Girls by Emma Cline
The Guest by Emma Cline
https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/emma-cline
Flesh by David Szalay
Black Bag by Luke Kennard
The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savaş
Long Distance by Aysegül Savaş
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
Summer House (2017)
At the Table by Claire Powell

Let us know your thoughts by emailing us [email protected] or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!