A Pair of Bookends

Welcome back Bookends to Season 2 in our Debut Spotlight series, for today's episode we were joined by Natasha Calder, author of the brilliant and eerie 'Whether Violent or Natural' which was published by Bloomsbury in the UK yesterday! We chatted to Natasha about her experiences from her first book 'The Offset' which she co-authored with friend Emma Szewczak to writing solo for her debut novel. Aswell as deep diving into her writing processes for this book, we chatted unreliable narrators, the joy of not knowing the reveal behind a magic trick and Lydia's obsession with Pedro Pascal... it's a lot. We hope you enjoy!

To buy 'Whether Violent or Natural': https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/whether-violent-or-natural-natasha-calder/7251105?ean=9781526653680
To buy 'The Offset': https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-offset-calder-szewczak/6048924?ean=9780857669186

You can follow Natasha's upcoming work here: https://natashacalder.com/

Books discussed during the episode:
Alone on the wall by Alex Honnold and David Roberts
Building Stories by Chris WareTouching the void by Joe Simpson





Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Falling Animals by Sheila Armstrong
How To Gut A Fish by Sheila Armstrong
Temper by Phoebe Walker
Dryland by Sara Jaffe
Other cultural recs mentioned:
Finding Michael (Disney +)
Free Solo (Disney +)
Boiling Point (Netflix)
The Sparks Brothers (Doc)

Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed this episode please do rate, review & subscribe so we can reach more listeners. You can follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram or @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok. Until next time, happy reading! Han & Lyd x

Welcome back Bookends to Season 2 of our Debut Spotlight series where we shine the light on the freshest new authors and their work, we recorded this back at the start of April and are thrilled to bring you this conversation with the incredible best-selling debut author of 'Collected Works', Lydia Sandgren.

Aswell as deep diving into this wonderful tome of a novel, we chat about the characters that feel like friends, parenting and gender disparities, how being a psychologist informs her writing and so much more, we hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

To buy Collected Works: A Novel - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/collected-works-a-novel-lydia-sandgren/7433747?ean=9781782277989

To follow Lydia - https://www.instagram.com/lydiasandgren/?hl=en-gb

Please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach other Bookends! If you'd like to give us a follow you can do so @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok. Thanks so much for listening, Han & Lyd x

Books mentioned during episode:
My Struggle (series of six autobiographical novels) by Karl Ove Knausgård
Diaries 1918-1939 by Thomas Mann
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann

Welcome Bookends to a very exciting bonus episode in collaboration with The Rathbones Folio Prize 2023, we were joined by all three of this year's winners of the prize: Margo Jefferson, Michelle de Kretser and Victoria Adukwei Bulley. It was truly an honour to chat to these three incredible women about their winning books and learning more about their process, their inspirations and their feelings about winning the prize. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Buy Constructing A Nervous System: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/constructing-a-nervous-system-a-memoir-margo-jefferson/6745611?ean=9781783785568

Buy Scary Monsters by Michelle de Kretser: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/scary-monsters-michelle-de-kretser/6320985?ean=9781838953973

Buy Quiet by Victoria Adukwei Bulley: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/quiet-victoria-adukwei-bulley/6754129?ean=9780571370337
To follow Victoria: https://www.instagram.com/victoriaadukweibulley/?hl=en

If you enjoyed this episode please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach more listeners! You can follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram or @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok!

Books & other recommendations mentioned throughout:
Michaela Coel in conversation with Louis Theroux - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/11-michaela-coel/id1508985962?i=1000500762509
The Good Immigrant (edited) by Nikesh Shukla
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
The Sovereignty of Quiet by Kevin Quashie
Sula by Toni Morrison

Welcome Bookends to our April Book Club episode! This month we're inviting you to delve into 'The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa', a tragicomic coming-of-age tale of Andy Africa, a Nigerian teenager who amidst debating theories of anifuturism and mathematics takes a fascination in blonde, white women. Set amidst a backdrop of political and social unrest and a complex family life, this smart and funny novel showcases contemporary African life, the ramifications of colonialism, Western culture and what it means to grow up in a turbulent environment.

For this episode, we chatted to Stephen Buoro, the brilliant mind behind this powerful debut. We talk about how Stephen wrote half of his novel on his Blackberry and how that formed the pacing of the book, what it means to feel betrayed in relationships when it comes to race and class, friendship, sexual awakenings and the tragedy of his fantastic 'avocado toast' scene.
Stephen's book is out in the UK on the 13th of April and the US on the 18th.

If you enjoyed this episode please do rate, review & subscribe so we can reach more listeners!

To buy Stephen's book (UK):
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-five-sorrowful-mysteries-of-andy-africa-stephen-buoro/7198691?ean=9781526637994

Books & Authors discussed in the episode:
Brutes by Dizz Tate
Mister, Mister by Guy Gunaratne
Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham

If you'd like to follow us you can do so @apairofbookendspod on Instagram or @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok.
Thank you so much for listening! Han & Lyd x

Welcome back Bookends to another episode in our Debut Spotlight series where we shine the light on the freshest new authors and their work. For this episode we were joined by Julia Boggio who is the author of the sizzling romance of the season 'Shooters' and the co-host of the Two Lit Chicks podcast.

As Julia was a professional photographer herself for 15 years, there's little she doesn't know about the biz and she was unafraid to share the gossip on the world of wedding photography and how that helped form her fantastic new novel, we also found out her experiences with self-publishing, her experience of ageism in the publishing industry and how she single-handedly created the coolest marketing campaign for her book (which you can find via her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliaboggio/?hl=en)

TW: Whilst this is mostly a light-hearted episode, there is discussion of mental health and mention of infertility, if you find these themes triggering we understand if you want to give this episode a miss. However, please support Julia in other ways you can.

To buy Shooters: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SHOOTERS-sizzling-romantic-photographers-Photographers/dp/1739215117/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1680471827&sr=8-1

To listen to Julia's podcast, we were particular fans of the Bonnie Garmus episode: https://www.twolitchicks.org/episodes/a-conversation-with-bonnie-garmus

To support more of Julia's work: https://juliaboggio.com/

If you enjoyed this episode, please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach more listeners! If you'd like to give us a follow, we love hearing from you!
Instagram: @apairofbookendspod
Twitter & Tik Tok: @apairofbookends

Books & Authors mentioned in the episode:
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Benidorm, actually by Jo Lyons
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab

Other recs:
Dolly Parton's America Podcast: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KqcT/

Thanks so much for listening, until next time - happy reading! Han & Lyd x

Welcome back Bookends! Today's episode is a joyous one, we had Meg Clothier on to chat to us about her brilliant new book 'The Book of Eve', an exciting and magical exploration of women and power and the forces of religion and beyond. We loved it and highly recommend you get yourselves a copy! It's out now and published by Wildfire.
Aswell as chatting about the book, we discuss the overlap between self and fiction, how Meg's constant desire to smell things around her evokes a sensory experience for her readers, patriarchal systems within the church and so much more, it's a riveting conversation and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

To buy The Book of Eve: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-of-eve-a-spellbinding-tale-of-magic-and-mystery-meg-clothier/6871031?ean=9781472276087
To follow Meg: https://twitter.com/meg_clothier
To pre-order Meg and her father Jonny Clothier's joint book: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/THE-COUNTRYMANS-HANDBOOK-by-MEG-CLOTHIER-JONNY/9781788168694

Listen to 'Relatively' podcast episode with Meg and Chris Clothier: https://www.relativelypodcast.com/episodes/22

You can also follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok, as always please do get in touch with any of your book reccs via any of our socials or you can email us [email protected]

Books & Authors mentioned in this ep:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
The Mirror and The Light by Hilary Mantel
Nuns and Nunneries in Renaissance Florence by Sharon T. Strocchia


Marina Warner
Jilly Cooper
My Wild and Sleepless Nights by Clover Stroud

Until next time, happy reading! Han & Lyd x

Welcome back Bookends to another episode in our Debut Spotlight series, where we shine the light on the freshest new authors and their work. For this episode, we were joined by the wonderful Costanza Casati, author of one of our favourite reads this year, the powerhouse myth retelling- 'Clytemnestra'.
We discuss the importance of keeping these stories alive for future generations, why it was important to Costanza to represent female rage and desire through Clytemnestra and were spoiled by her extensive list of book reccs, which are always welcome here!
If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach other listeners. You can follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok.

To buy Clytemnestra (what are you waiting for?!) : https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/clytemnestra-the-spellbinding-retelling-of-greek-mythology-s-greatest-heroine-costanza-casati/7153728?ean=9780241554746

You can follow Costanza: https://www.instagram.com/costanzacasati/?hl=en and https://twitter.com/costanzacasati?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Books & Authors mentioned:
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
Fleabag- The Scriptures by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Elif Shafak
Sarah Moss
Madeline Miller
Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
Gillian Flynn
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
Talking At Night by Claire Daverley
Sally Rooney
One Day by David Nicholls
Dazzling by Chịkọdịlị Emelumadu
Lady MacBethad by Isabelle Schuler

Other mentions (plays):
The Odyssey
Agamemnon by Aeschylus
The Trojan Women by Euripedes

See you next time! Han & Lyd x

Hey bookends! We're so delighted to bring you our March Book Club episode, in conversation with the force of nature that is Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, author of the magical, breathtaking new novel 'Dazzling' which we hope you can join us in reading!
We discuss her inspiration for Dazzling, why Wildfire was the obvious choice of publisher for her, the state of the economy and how that impacts the art that we create, Igbo culture and so much more, it was a truly illuminating conversation and potentially the most we've laughed whilst recording! If you enjoy this episode please don't forget to rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach other listeners.
TW: Whilst this episode is mostly fun and light-hearted, we must give our listeners the heads up that this conversation includes mention of rape & miscarriage, if these things affect you we understand that you may want to give this episode a miss, but please pick up Chikodili's book all the same which doesn't explore these topics.

Buy Dazzling: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/dazzling-the-bewitching-nigerian-debut-unlike-anything-you-ve-read-before-chikodili-emelumadu/6776601?ean=9781472289643

Follow Chikodili:
Twitter- https://twitter.com/chemelumadu?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

If you'd like to follow us, please do so @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok, if you have any book recs or authors you wish to connect us with, you can email us [email protected]

Books & Authors mentioned:
The Red Bird Sings by Aiofe Fitzpatrick
God's Children Are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu
The Bottled Leopard by Chukwuemeka Ike
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Maame by Jessica George
What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie
Weyward by Emilia Hart
The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent

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

Hey Bookends! It's our favourite time of year and we are here to bring you a 'minisode' of all of our thoughts on this year's Women's Prize For Fiction Longlist, we are always so excited for the release of this list and this year was no different! Apologies in advance for how sweary we are, we were very excited and borderline delirious after recording two pods in one day... but if deep diving into the women's prize isn't necessarily your thing, we also talk about rats in bow-ties, Hannah discovers how to say the word awry and Lydia announces her retirement from the podcast to start a new career as an embalmer.

Thank you as always for your support, if you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach other bookends! If you'd like to follow us you can do so @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok.

Women's Prize 2023 Longlist
Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo
Homesick by Jennifer Croft
I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel
Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
Pod by Laline Paull
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

Other books & bits discussed:
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
They're Going To Love You by Meg Howrey
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hossein
@bookbodega
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Thanks so much for listening. Until next time, happy reading! x

Welcome back Bookends to the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, where we shine the spotlight on some of the freshest, most exciting new authors to put on your radar. Back in January we recorded an episode with the wonderful Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow to discuss her incredible debut novel 'All The Little Bird-Hearts' which we both completely adored. Aswell as talking through her journey into being published, we discuss the importance of neurodiverse representation in a neurotypical world, why Italian folklore features so heavily in the book, mother/daughter dynamics and much, much more, we were also thrilled to find that Viktoria has the most wonderful list of recommendations for us. If you enjoyed the episode please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach other listeners. All the little Bird-Hearts is out now and published by Tinder Press.

To buy Viktoria's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/all-the-little-bird-hearts-viktoria-lloyd-barlow/6927344?ean=9781472288004
To read Viktoria's Granta essay: https://granta.com/these-stolen-twins/

You can follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram or @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok. If you'd like us to feature any authors or you have book reccs/ ideas for future episodes, we would love to hear them, you can email us [email protected]!

Books & Authors discussed:
The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer
Patricia Highsmith
Edith Wharton
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Road Through The Wall by Shirley Jackson
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
Mrs March by Virginia Feito
The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
The Secret History by Donna Tartt