A Pair of Bookends

For our May Book Club episode Hannah was joined by author of the viral Tender Is the Flesh, Agustina Bazterrica to discuss her latest novel The Unworthy. They discuss why writing graphic horror scenes doesn't affect Agustina, the writers that have influenced her work & the books, TV & films she's been enjoying recently. If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe and for more content you can find us via Patreon. 
You can follow Agustina via Instagram, Twitter/X & Facebook. 
You can follow us via Instagram, Twitter/X & Tik Tok

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
Sarandí by Pamela Terlizzi Prina
Even If Everything Ends by Jens Liljestrand
Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel by Truman Capote
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (FX/Disney +)
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Greek Lessons by Han Kang
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas
Funes the Memorious (Short Story) by Jorge Luis Borges
Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation by Silvia Federici
Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women by Silvia Federici
The Matrix (1999)
Angeles Salvador
Sinners (2025)
Oddity (2024)
BRAT: A Ghost Story by Gabriel Smith
Blackwater I: The Flood by Michael McDowell

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

On today's episode we are throwing it back to pod roots (OG listeners will remember this from 2022) by bringing back a Top of Your TBR episode where Hannah interviews an author about their book and the books they think should be at the top of YOUR TBR piles. For today's episode Hannah was joined by the novelist, researcher and lecturer Nat Reeve to discuss his novels Nettleblack and Earlyfate, his writing influences and the 5 books he thinks should be at the top of your reading piles. 
WRITING AGENTS - bafflingly, Nat Reeve has two amazing historical novels that are published by Cipher Press but does not have a writing agent, if you'd like to get in touch with Nat regarding representation you can find him via https://natreeve.com/

If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps to boost us in the charts! You can also find us via Patreon for exclusive content. 
You can follow us via Instagram, Twitter/X & Tik Tok. 

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
Nettleblack by Nat Reeve
Earlyfate by Nat Reeve
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike
Charles Dickens
Wilkie Collins
Gilbert and Sullivan - Librettos
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Mrs March by Virginia Feito
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Fayne by Ann-Marie MacDonald
We That Are Young by Preti Taneja
King Lear
The Quick and The Dead by Emma Hinds
The Knowing by Emma Hinds
Mother Naked by Glen James Brown
Mischief Acts by Zoe Gilbert

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

On today's episode Hannah was joined by Jo Harkin to chat about her latest novel The Pretender. 
They discuss how Jo ended up switching from Sci-Fi to Historical Fiction, her research process, the writers and books that influenced this book and lots more. 
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe and for extra content from us you can find us via Patreon. 
If you want to give us a follow you can do so via Instagram, Twitter/X & Tik Tok. 
You can buy Jo's previous novel Tell Me An Ending which was a New York Times Sci-Fi Book of the Year here.

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru
Red Pill by Hari Kunzru
White Tears by Hari Kunzru
The Portrait Artist by Dani Heywood-Lonsdale
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Hilary Mantel
The Cauliflower® by Nicola Barker
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Margaret Atwood
Kazuo Ishiguro

Thanks so much for listening, until next time-happy reading!

On today's episde Hannah was joined by the wonderful Elif Shafak to discuss her latest novel There Are Rivers in the Sky which is out now in paperback. They discuss the importance of storytelling, not letting fear hold her back, why she wanted to write about the Yazidi people and so much more. 
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe and for more content you can find us via Patreon. 
You can find Elif via Instagram and via her Substack: Unmapped Storylands.
You can find us via Instagram, Twitter/X & Tik Tok

Books & other mentions in this episode:
The Poems of Hannah Arendt
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak
How To Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

Thanks so much for listening, until next time- happy reading!

On today's episode Hannah was joined by Sarah Harman to discuss her debut novel All The Other Mothers Hate Me. They discuss how the failures in Sarah's previous career helped pave the way to writing her debut novel, winning the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, motherhood, messy female protagonists & lots more. If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon.
You can follow Sarah via Instagram or sign up to her upcoming newsletter here.
You can follow us via Instagram, Twitter/X & Tik Tok.

Books & other mentions in this episode:
The Favourite by Fran Littlewood
Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
American Murder: Gabby Petito
Fleabag (BBC)
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
Scam Inc (Podcast by The Economist)

Thanks so much for listening, until next time- happy reading!

For today's episode Hannah was joined by the wonderful debut author Holly Brickley to discuss her incredible novel Deep Cuts. They discuss what inspired Holly's love for music, our loss of 00's communication and how that affects romance, the exciting upcoming adaptation of her novel & loads more. If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe and for extra content you can find us via Patreon. 
You can follow Holly via Instagram
You can follow us via Instagram, Twitter/X & Tik Tok

Books & other mentions in this episode:
Deep Cuts playlist
Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

Thanks so much for listening, until next time, happy reading!

On today's episode Hannah was joined by American author Ben Markovits to discuss his latest novel The Rest of Our Lives. They discuss writing about his own illness through his protagonist, long-term marriage, basketball and more. 
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe. For more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can also follow us via Instagram, Twitter/X & Tik Tok.

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Beppo: A Venetian Story by George Gordon Byron
Independence Day by Richard Ford
Friday Night Lights (TV)
Friends
Seinfeld

If you'd like to get in touch please email us [email protected], for the full list of books discussed on episodes check us out via uk.bookshop.org/shop/apairofbookendspod
Thanks so much for listening! Until next time, happy reading!

On today's episode Hannah is joined by Susan Barker, author of Old Soul.
Aswell as discussing the novel (spoiler free!), they chat about immortality and the anxiety around death and ageing, building tension in your writing and Susan brings with her a ton of recommendations from films to books!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe and for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can also follow us via Instagram, Twitter/X& Tik Tok.
You can follow Susan via Instagram.

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
The Incarnations by Susan Barker
And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh
The Knowing by Emma Hinds
Number9Dream by David Mitchell
Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
It Follows (2014)
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Danse Macabre by Stephen King
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Night Shift by Stephen King
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
House of Leaves by Mark Z.Danielewski
Carrie by Stephen King
Alien: Romulus (2024)
https://crimereads.com/susan-barker-why-we-need-monstrous-women/
X (2022)
Misery (1990)
Under The Skin by Michel Faber
I'm Still Here (2025)

If you'd like to get in touch please email us [email protected] or you can find us on Instagram @apairofbookendspod
Thanks so much for listening, until next time- happy reading!

For our March Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Booker Prize shortlisted author David Szalay to discuss his latest book Flesh. Whilst they deep dive into the book, this chat is spoiler free. They chat about choosing to write a sad ending, featuring Covid in his book, the Immigrant experience and lots more. If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe. For more exclusive content you can find us over on Patreon. 
You can also follow us via Instagram, Twitter/X and Tik Tok. 
You can find David via Facebook. 

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
Flesh by David Szalay
All That Man Is by David Szalay
The Usual Desire to Kill by Camilla Barnes
Alan Hollinghurst
The Party by Tessa Hadley

Thank you so much for listening! Until next time, happy reading!

Welcome to another episode in our Debut Spotlight series, on today's episode Hannah chats to author Dani Heywood-Lonsdale about her debut novel The Portrait Artist. 
They also discuss Art/Art History, writing diverse representation in historical fiction, grief & more. If you enjoy this episode, please do rate, review & subscribe and for more exclusive content find us over on Patreon.
You can also follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok. 
You can find Dani via Instagram & X

Books & other mentions in this episode: 
The Pretender by Jo Harkin
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Peter Pan: The Original 1911 Peter and Wendy Edition by J.M Barrie
https://www.emilyponsonby.com/
Emily Ponsonby Instagram

Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, happy reading!