A Pair of Bookends

Hello to all you fabulous Bookends! We are so delighted to be bringing you a Bonus Book Club episode this month, where we are in conversation with the incredible Man Booker Prize longlisted author Sophie Mackintosh with her latest novel, the Women's Prize long-listed 'Cursed Bread'. We chatted to Sophie about her experiences with rejection, how a historical poisoning in rural France inspired her latest book and why intimacy and desire are some of our favourite themes ever! We hope you enjoy this chat and if you do, as always, please do give us a rate, review and subscribe as it helps us to reach other Bookends!

To buy Cursed Bread: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/cursed-bread-sophie-mackintosh/7079548?ean=9780241539613

Give Sophie a follow: https://www.instagram.com/sophmackintosh/?hl=en / https://twitter.com/fairfairisles?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Books & Authors discussed:

My Husband by Maud Ventura
Barbara Cummings
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh
Owlish by Dorothy Tse
End of Nightwork by Aidan Cottrell- Boyce

Other cultural bits discussed:
The Banshees of Inisherin
Dogville
Listen to Sunday Salon podcast ep with Sophie Mackintosh: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sophie-mackintosh/id1449117087?i=1000437232007

Follow us on Instagram @apairofbookendspod or on Twitter and Tik Tok @apairofbookends. Thank you so much for listening, until next time- happy reading!

Welcome back Bookends to our latest episode in our Debut Spotlight series, this episode is with Swedish Sami journalist and author Ann-Helen Laestadius to discuss her best-selling debut adult novel 'Stolen', published in the UK in January after a huge bout of success in Sweden in 2021.

TW: This conversation includes discussion of animal abuse and mental illness which some listeners may find distressing.

Aswell as discussing the novel, we talked about Sami communities, culture and identity, men's mental health, the brutality and violence inflicted on reindeer herders, climate change and adapting this epic novel for Netflix (which will be released in 2024!). We so loved chatting to Ann-Helen and her book is beyond beautiful and powerful and it's so important that this book reaches a huge readership so the communities affected have their voices heard.
To buy the book: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/stolen-ann-helen-laestadius/7290732?ean=9781526659989

To follow Ann-Helen: https://www.instagram.com/annhelenlaestadius/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/AHLaestadius

Books & Authors discussed on the episode:
Lycka Till by Malin Stehn
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
Silvia Avallone

Please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us to reach other bookends! You can follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok. Until next time, happy reading! x

Welcome back Bookends to our latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series! This week we were joined by writer Nicole Flattery to chat about her upcoming novel 'Nothing Special', we loved chatting to Nicole about how she didn't fully kick off her writing career until her late twenties and how odd it is that we view women's success against a timeline. Aswell as deep diving into her brilliant book, we discussed the moral ambiguity of Andy Warhol, how reading plays can transform the way you view dialogue, mother/daughter dynamics and much more. Nothing Special will be published on the 2nd of March by Bloomsbury. We hope you enjoy the episode!

If you do, please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps us massively and allows us to grow as a podcast. You can follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram or @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok.

To buy Nicole's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/nothing-special-nicole-flattery/7111402?ean=9781526612120

Follow Nicole: https://www.instagram.com/flattern16/?hl=en

Books & Authors discussed in the episode:
Lynne Tillman
All the lovers in the night by Mieko Kawakami
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
The Copenhagen trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen
Fierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick
Gwendoline Riley
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
Close to home by Michael Magee
I am homeless if this is not my home: A novel by Lorrie Moore
Who will run the frog hospital? by Lorrie Moore
Veronica by Mary Gaitskill
Send Nudes by Saba Sams

Other culture recs:
Dopesick (Disney +)
The Lost Daughter (Netflix)
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner (play)
Bad Gays Podcast, Andy Warhol episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/special-episode-andy-warhol-with-sholem-krishtalka/id1455620224?i=1000442525395
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wG9NjCC8Mr6NNzslgpQyO

Welcome back Bookends to another Book Club episode! Our Feb book choice is the brilliantly unsettling Are You Happy Now, a book that will give you whiplash for all its twists and turns! An incredible dystopia about the mental health crisis and millenial life. We were joined by author Hanna Jameson and we had a great time chatting to her about the book, fan fiction communities, curating playlists for novels and the all important trio- capitalism, grief and sex. We hope you enjoy!

If you enjoy this episode please don't forget to rate, review & subscribe as it helps to boost us in the charts and you can give us a follow @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok.

Buy Hanna's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/are-you-happy-now-the-newest-novel-from-the-author-of-the-last-for-fans-of-emily-john-st-mandel-sally-rooney-and-patricia-lo-hanna-jameson/7007775?ean=9780241515075

Follow Hanna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannajamesonwrites/?hl=en

Books & Authors discussed on this episode:
A Restless Truth by Freya Marske
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Karen Thompson Walker
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Ocean Vuong
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Other recs:
The Leftovers (HBO/ Now TV)

Until next time, happy reading! x

Happy Monday Bookends! Welcome back to the latest episode in our Debut Spotlight series, this time we are in conversation with the Carribean Author and Poet Kevin Jared Hosein, author of upcoming debut international novel 'Hungry Ghosts' (publishing on 16th of Feb with Bloomsbury).
It was such a delight to chat to Kevin about his incredible novel which explores class, grief, loss, religion, morality and so much more, we cannot recommend it enough!
Aswell as deep diving into his book we talk about Kevin's experience of breaking into international publishing, the historical issues of class, culture and religion in Trinidad and Tobago, how being a Biology teacher inspires his writing style and more, we hope you enjoy!

To buy Kevin's book:
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/hungry-ghosts-kevin-jared-hosein/7073687?ean=9781526644480

You can follow Kevin on Instagram @kjaredhosein

Tix for Kevin Jared Hosein and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo in conversation in Brixton - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-kevin-jared-hosein-discusses-hungry-ghosts-with-ayanna-lloyd-banwo-tickets-511543529467

Please don't forget to rate/review/subscribe as it helps us to reach other bookends and you can follow us on Instagram @apairofbookendspod and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok.

Books discussed:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima
Sisters by Daisy Johnson
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Until next time, happy reading!

Welcome back bookends to another episode in our Debut Spotlight series where we are in conversation with the wonderful Imogen Crimp, author of the incredible debut 'A Very Nice Girl' which we both loved!

We find out why Imogen made the leap from training to be an opera singer to publishing her debut novel, deep dive into power, money, desire and self-worth and how powerful her writing is of an actor inhabiting their character's mind. We highly recommend any performers out there give this one a listen as I'm sure a lot of what we discuss will really resonate and I hope up-and-coming debut authors also find solace in hearing how natural the ebbs and flows of a creative career are.

To buy Imogen's book (out in paperback Feb 9th):
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-very-nice-girl-imogen-crimp/7041517?ean=9781526628916

Imogen isn't on social media but you can follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok. You can also email us [email protected], book recs are always welcome! If you enjoy the episode, please don't forget to rate/review & subscribe as it helps to reach other bookends.


Books mentioned:
The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin
Voyage in the dark by Jean Rhys
Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery

Thanks so much for listening, happy reading x

Welcome back Bookends to our next instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, this time with author Eleanor Shearer who we are sure her debut 'River Sing Me Home' will be a future classic. Drawing on some of her own family history and a huge amount of research, River sing me home is a book about one woman escaping her plantation to search for her five children.

Aswell as finding out about Eleanor's debut journey, we chat about the incredible places and people she visited during her research for the novel, how she wanted to move away from the more traumatic narratives around slavery, why song and music were so integral to this novel and much more. This was such an insightful conversation and we were so thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Eleanor, please do go buy her book as we promise it's a memorable and moving story that will undoubtedly receive much deserved hype.

To buy River Sing Me Home: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/river-sing-me-home-a-powerful-luminous-and-redemptive-novel-of-a-mother-s-search-for-her-children/9781472291363

To keep up to date with Eleanor's work, follow her @eleanorbshearer on Instagram and Twitter.

Please do rate, review & subscribe as it helps to boost us in the charts and give us a follow @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok.

Books spoken about during the episode:

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy
Small Island by Andrea Levy
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx
Bird Cloud: A Memoir by Annie Proulx
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
To Shoot Hard Labour: The Life and Times of Samuel Smith by Fernando Carol Smith
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
Lady MacBethad by Isabelle Schuler
Clytemnestra by Constanta Casati
The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts by Soraya Palmer
The Revels by Stacey Thomas
28 Questions by Indyana Schneider

Thanks for listening and see you next time!

Welcome back bookends to our second episode in our Debut Spotlight series with author Victoria MacKenzie and her debut novel 'For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain' which was published on the 19th of January by Bloomsbury.
Trigger warning: Mention of child/infant loss, talk of death/grief.
We speak about Victoria's experience of not getting her first book published, how she started out as a poet and how the stories of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe came to be the heroines of her debut novel. This was such a fascinating conversation and for two gals that haven't been so eager to read much historical fiction, we absolutely gobbled up this book and loved hearing all about Victoria's writing process and research.

To order Victoria's book:
https://uk.bookshop.org/books/for-thy-great-pain-have-mercy-on-my-little-pain-9781526647887/9781526647887
To follow Victoria:
https://twitter.com/forthygreatpain?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

As always, we have recommendations for you from the episode:

Books-
The Pharmacist by Rachelle Atalla
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich
The book of Margery Kempe
The Red Bird Sings by Aiofe Fitzpatrick
Orpheus Builds A Girl by Heather Parry
Music-
Pompeii by Cate Le Bon
TV-
The Wire

If you enjoy the podcast please do rate/review/subscribe as it helps us to reach other bookends! Follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram or @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok. If you want to get in contact with us you can email us [email protected]
Until next time, happy reading! x

Welcome back bookends to our first book club episode of 2023! Our January book club pick is the powerhouse short story collection 'Send Nudes', for this episode we were joined by the author of the book, the insanely talented Saba Sams. We talk about the messiness of humans, the joy of getting our worst impulses down on the page and why a vagina smelling like prawn cocktail crisps is potentially the greatest line ever written?!
We loved this conversation and we hope you do too, as always it's full of recommendations, please do check those about below! Rate, review & subscribe if you enjoy the podcast as it helps us to reach new bookends. Follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Tik Tok and Twitter.

To buy Send Nudes, out now in paperback: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/send-nudes-by-the-winner-of-the-bbc-national-short-story-award-2022-9781526621795/9781526621795
To follow Saba & her work: https://www.instagram.com/saba_sams/?hl=en

Books & Authors mentioned:
Summer of my amazing luck by Miriam Toews
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Veronica by Mary Gaitskill
Jhumpa Lahiri
Salvage the bones by Jesmyn Ward
Young Skins by Colin Barrett
Porn: An Oral History by Polly Barton

Other Recs:
I May Destroy You - BBC Iplayer
Fish Tank (2009 Movie)
Wasp (2003 Short Film)
The White Lotus (HBO / Now TV)
The Bear (Disney +)

Happy belated new year bookends! We're back with a minisode, a real recommendation extravaganza.
We talk through our Top 5 books of last year, the 2023 releases we're excited about, the adaptations we're looking forward to, why we should have an adaptation series (all in favour say aye!) and much, much more.
We will be bringing lots more of these minisodes to you this year alongside lots more author interviews and debut author highlights! Email us [email protected] if you have any recs or authors you'd like us to have on.
Follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and Tik Tok!
Please do rate, review, subscribe & share so we can reach more of you lovely bookends xxx

Books spoken about:
Touching the void by Joe Simpson
Love and Virtue by Diana Reid
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
Our Wives under the sea by Julia Armfield
Salt Slow by Julia Armfield
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
Making A Scene by Constance Wu
Misfits by Michaela Coel
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
You've Got A Friend In 10A by Maggie Shipstead
The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee
The Doloriad by Missouri Williams
Leave the world behind by Rumaan Alam
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
The Memory Of Animals by Claire Fuller (out April 2023)
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (out Feb 2023)
Yellowface by R.F Kuang (out May 2023)
Babel by R.F Kuang
Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (out May 2023)
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan (out June 2023)
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
Fourteen Days: An Unauthorised Gathering (out May 2023)
Weyward by Emilia Hart (out Feb 2023)
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey (out 17th of Jan)

Other recs:
Touching The Void (documentary) - Netflix
Michaela Coel - MacTaggart Lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odusP8gmqsg
I May Destroy You - BBC Iplayer
Schitt's Creek - Netflix
House of Books and Friends - Manchester bookshop

Episodes referred to:
To Paradise- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-to-paradise-by-hanya-yanagihara/id1616736675?i=1000555641262
Our Wives under the sea - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-our-wives-under-the-sea-by-julia-armfield/id1616736675?i=1000559068779
Interview with Maggie Shipstead - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-your-tbr-with-maggie-shipstead/id1616736675?i=1000574613704