Bookies' Favourite

In this bonus episode, Aaron, Colin & Hannah revisit There’s a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, translated by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert, published by Bullaun Press.

The novel was the 2025 winner of the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Press (now the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize), and we take this opportunity to examine why it won.

We discuss the book’s style and use it as a lens to think about what the judges may be responding to as we continue our journey through the current Queen Mary longlist.

This episode is all about context, criteria, and clues — what makes a small press novel stand out at prize level?

📖 Next Episode

Up next in our longlist reading series:
The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas. Translated from the Spanish by Julia Sanches & Jennifer Shyue. Published by Héloïse Press

Read along with us and share your thoughts as we continue unpacking the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize longlist

We begin our Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 longlist series with Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson. Published by Small Axes / HopeRoad.

Our bookie this week is Jean-François Bodart @nathanael_archer

This is our second time discussing Small Boat, having previously covered it during our International Booker Prize 2025 episodes. Returning to the novel a year on, we reflect on how it holds up, which themes have stayed with us, and why this slim but devastating book continues to resonate.

We all loved it then — and many of its questions, images, and moral tensions are still very much with us now.

📖 Next Up

Our next read is The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas, translated by Julia Sanches and Jennifer Shyue, published by Héloïse Press.

📚 Read along with us, share your thoughts, and join the book club as we work our way through the longlist ahead of the prize announcement.

More Queen Mary longlist episodes coming soon.

🎙️ Hosts

• Aaron: @AaronRiceMedia

• Hannah: @certifiedbookyapperhannah

• Lucy: @bookz2026

• Colin: @c_f_writes

Bookies' Favourite: @bookiesfavouritebookclub

Email us [email protected]

We’re kicking off a brand new reading series focused on selected titles from the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 Longlist — formerly known as the Republic of Consciousness Prize.

We’ll be reading five longlisted books, before choosing a final sixth title from the shortlist once it’s announced. From there, we’ll follow the prize all the way to the winner.

📅 New episodes every Monday
🏆 Prize winner announced: 25th March
🎁 Bonus episodes every Friday

Check our social media for the full reading schedule, read along with us, and share your thoughts — everyone’s welcome to join the book club.

📖 Our Longlist Picks

Group pick:• Small Boat by Vincent DelecroixTranslated by Helen Stevenson

We’ll also be revisiting Small Axes / HopeRoad, which we previously discussed during our International Booker Prize 2025 shortlist coverage — with a brand new episode on it coming this Monday.

Hannah’s pick:
• The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas
Translated by Julia Sanches & Jennifer Shyue (Héloïse Press)

Colin’s pick:
• Spit by David Brennan (époque press)

Lucy’s pick:
• On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis
Translated by Katharine Halls (Peirene Press)

Aaron’s pick:
• Figures Crossing the Field Towards the Group by Rebecca Gransden (Tangerine Press)

🎙️ Hosts

• Aaron: @AaronRiceMedia

• Hannah: @certifiedbookyapperhannah

• Lucy: @bookz2026

• Colin: @c_f_writes

Follow us @bookiesfavouritebookclub

Email us ⁠[email protected]⁠" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">[email protected]

📣 Read along with us, share your reactions on social media, and help us decide which shortlisted book becomes our final sixth read.

Welcome to the next chapter of Bookies’ Favourite!

We reach the end of Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan with Part III, Chapter 5: World — the final chapter of our read-along series.

Aaron & Lucy discuss the closing moments of the novel, the meaning and placement of the letters threaded between each chapter, and share their overall reflections on the book as a whole now that the journey is complete.

📚 What’s Next

Our next episode will be a special finale conversation with:

• Oisín Fagan (author)

• Tom Alexander (audiobook narrator)

• Anna Bu Kliewer (cover illustrator)

• Sofia Hericson (cover designer)

Send us your thoughts on Eden’s Shore and any questions you’d like us to ask our guests — we’d love to include them.

After that, we’ll be launching our next literary award series, coming very soon.

📩 Get in Touch

📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bookiesfavouritebookclub/
(@bookiesfavouritebookclub)

📧 Email: [email protected]

Thanks for reading along with us — and we’ll see you for the finale conversation

Check out Aaron's The Novel Series book club podcast!

Aaron & Lucy return to Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan for Part II, Chapter 4: Play — the chapter where everything comes to a head.

In this episode, we dig into the climax of the novel: the play itself, the unfolding revolution, and how the many threads of the story are tied together. We also talk through the return of familiar faces, with cameo appearances from characters we last encountered much earlier in the book, and reflect on how their journeys finally converge.

📚 What’s Coming Next

🔹 Final Read-Along Episode: World — the closing chapter of Eden’s Shore
🔹 Special Finale Episode: A full conversation with

• Oisín Fagan (author)

• Tom Alexander (audiobook narrator)

• Anna Bu Kliewer (cover illustrator)

• Sofia Hericson (cover designer)

We’d love to include your thoughts on the book and your questions for our guests, so please send them in via our socials or email.

🏆 And After That…

We’re launching a brand-new literary award series very, very soon — more details coming shortly.

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 [email protected]
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

It’s official — Flesh by David Szalay (Jonathan Cape) has won the Booker Prize 2025, and the Bookies are here to react!

Aaron, Colin, Lucy & Hannah unpack the result — with Aaron diving deeper into the novel after his re-read and celebrating becoming the first host to successfully predict the Booker winner (from the two shortlists we’ve covered so far!).

We also hear from Bob the Bookerer, who shares his reaction to the win and thoughts on the Booker’s choice this year.

🎧 Missed our full in-depth review of Flesh?
👉 Listen here

📚 What’s Next for the Bookies

The team discuss what’s coming up next — including more literary prize lists, shortlisted reads, and award-winning novels. We want to know what you want us to cover next, so send us your suggestions!

📩 Get in touch via Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub) or email [email protected]

🌊 Returning Soon: Eden’s Shore Read-Along

Lucy & Aaron will soon be wrapping up their chapter-by-chapter read-along of Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan, including the final chapters and a special interview with the author himself!

🏅 Introducing… The Bookies’ Favourites!

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our very own award show, The Bookies’ Favourites — celebrating our picks for the best books we’ve read this year. More details coming soon!

It’s time for our Booker Prize 2025 finale predictions! The Bookies sit down to rank all six shortlisted books, share their personal winner picks, and look at the bookies’ odds to see who the experts think will take home this year’s prize.

We’re also joined (in spirit!) by some returning friends of the podcast:
📚 @bobthebookerer
📖 @dymphnaflynn
📘 @afewofchifavoritethings
💡 Plus, Maddi from @bookswithmaddi shares her Audition theory!

📚 The 2025 Booker Prize Shortlist

Here’s the full shortlist, in the order we covered them on the podcast:

1️⃣ Audition by Katie Kitamura — Fern Press
 🎧 Listen to our episode on Audition
 💬 Featured Bookie: @bobthebookerer

2️⃣ The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller — Sceptre
 🎧 Listen to our episode on The Land in Winter

3️⃣ Flashlight by Susan Choi — Jonathan Cape
 🎧 Listen to our episode on Flashlight
 📱 Aaron hasn’t read this one yet, but will be posting his reaction on social media before the winner is announced.

4️⃣ The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits — Faber
 🎧 Listen to our episode on The Rest of Our Lives
 💬 Featured Bookie: @dymphnaflynn

5️⃣ Flesh by David Szalay — Jonathan Cape
 🎧 Listen to our episode on Flesh

6️⃣ The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny by Kiran Desai — Hamish Hamilton
 🎧 Listen to our episode on The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny
 📖 Colin hasn’t yet read this one.

🗣️ Share Your Reaction!

The winner is announced on Monday, and we want to hear your thoughts!
📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 [email protected]
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

We’ve reached the final book on the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist! This week, Aaron, Hannah, and Lucy discuss The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny by Kiran Desai — a tender, multi-layered story exploring how the two titular characters navigate love, family, and belonging, both in India and beyond.

The team dive into Desai’s luminous prose, the emotional depth of her characters, and how this novel fits within the broader themes of this year’s shortlist.

We also give a special shout-out to our friends at @bookfarepod — go give them a listen for more great bookish chats! 🎧

📅 Coming Up Next

📊 Tomorrow: our Final Rankings & Predictions episode — including the Bookies’ odds ahead of Monday’s Booker Prize 2025 winner announcement.
🏆 Then: our Winner Reaction episode, dropping after the announcement!

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 [email protected]
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

Which book do you think will take home the prize?

**This episode was recorded before Flesh was announced as the Booker Prize 2025 winner***

We’re onto book five of the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist with Flesh by David Szalay — a look at how others can influence our lives and define the relationships we form.

📅 Coming Up Next

Next week: our final shortlisted title, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (Hamish Hamilton). 🌙

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 [email protected]
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

This week, the team hit the road with The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits — a story of midlife crisis, family tensions, and health struggles, all unfolding across a cross-country road trip through the US. Opinions are divided on this one, but there’s plenty to discuss!

Our Bookie of the Week is @dymphnaflynn — book reviewer, Costa Book Awards Judge 2021, and former BBC Arts producer — sharing her thoughts on this Booker-shortlisted novel.

We also hear from listeners in the book club who’ve been reading along, and of course, Aaron brings back Read It & Eat It, cooking up a batch of pancakes inspired by the book. 🥞

Judging the Book by Its Cover

Next up: Flesh by David Szalay (Jonathan Cape). We take a first look at the cover and share our early expectations.

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 [email protected]
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

Share your thoughts on The Rest of Our Lives and join the discussion for Flesh!