Anna and Geoff react to the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, ANGEL DOWN by Daniel Kraus, a World War 1 novel written in one sentence. We also discuss Dwight Garner's New York Times article about the lack of book critics and our views on book influencers and reviews that make news, such as the Harper's review of To Paradise by Hana Yanagihara. Our book of the week is TRANSCRIPTION by Ben Lerner. This novel about a writer who writes an article about his mentor from his memory of their interview after dropping his phone in a sink tackles issues such as phone addiction, parenting and eating disorders. It was a Telegraph 'most anticipated book of 2026' and a New York Times 'book everyone will be talking about'. Recommended for book clubs. We had to ask:

• Why did he not put his phone in a bowl of rice?
• Is this a book about tech addiction?
• How does it differ from an Ian McEwan novel?
• How many unreliable narrators do we have here?

Read-alikes: AUDITION by Katie Kitamura LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION by Ben Lerner Coming up: LONDON FALLING by Patrick Radden Keefe

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Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist. Is it more commercial than usual? Our book of the week is LÁZÁR by Nelio Biedermann translated by Jamie Bulloch. This sweeping historical novel about the aristocratic von Lázár family during the 20th century from the Austro Hungarian empire through to Russian occupation is a buzzy debut which has received much praise. Patti Smith, Dua Lipa and Christian Kracht are fans. It prompted some questions:

• Is One Hundred years of Solitude a good comparison?
• What is the meaning of the translucent skin and gothic forest?
• Can you spot the modern literature references (Anna missed most of them!)

Here are some read-alikes if you enjoyed Lázár:

• Held by Anne Michaels
• Beddebrooks by Thomas Mann
• The Director by Daniel Kehlmann translated by Ross Benjamin
• The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth translated by Michael Hofmann

Coming up: TRANSCRIPTION by Ben Lerner

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Anna and Geoff discuss the news that Helen deWitt has turned down the Windham Campbell prize. Are authors expected to do too much publicity? Our book of the week is PEDRO PÁRAMO by Juan Rulfo translated by Douglas J. Weatherford. 'Wuthering Heights located in Mexico written by Kafka' gives a hint - this book is a trip. It broke Anna's brain but Geoff found it richly rewarding once you get into it. Pedro Páramo inspired a generation of Hispanic writers including Gabriel Garcia Márquez and is considered a classic. It's now a Netflix film - but is it too faithful to the book? We needed the Wikipedia plot summary for this one. Read-alikes THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez A SUNNY PLACE FOR SHADY PEOPLE by Mariana Enriquez translated by Megan McDowell HURRICANE SEASON by Fernanda Melchor translated by Sophie Hughes Coming up: LÁZÁR by Nelio Biedermann translated by Jamie Bulloch

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Anna and Annie discuss the 2026 Booker International Shortlist. Our book of the week is HEART THE LOVER by Lily King. This buzzy novel follows three friends at university and into adulthood. A follow up from King's best-seller WRITERS AND LOVERS, it is an instant New York Times best-seller and is long-listed for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction (shortlist to be announced on 22 April). It's also Zadie Smith's pick for 'the book that made me weep uncontrollably.' More literary romances: THE EVENING OF THE HOLIDAY by Shirley Hazzard SEEING OTHER PEOPLE by Diana Reid

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Anna and Annie discuss the news that Hachette has pulled the book SHY GIRL by Mia Ballard from publication after concerns it was written by AI. Our book of the week is A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF by Megha Majumdar. This follow-up to her novel A Burning is set in near-future, dystopian Kolkata. A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF is full of ethical dilemmas, flawed characters and memorable food scenes - a good book club pick. It has been long listed for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction. Read-alikes: THE DIRECTOR by Daniel Kehlmann translated by Ross Benjamin (iykyk) LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam Coming up: HEART THE LOVER by Lily King Follow us!

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Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 International Booker Prize longlist. We're intrigued by Women Without Men: A novel of Modern Iran by Shahrnush Parsipur translated by Faridoun Farrokh and The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar translated by Ruth Martin. Our book of the week is SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood. This short novel about a man who works as a shanker on a foggy beach and a film-maker who wants to set a movie there was long listed for the 2025 Booker Prize. There is much to discuss:

• Are we now shrimping experts?
• How do we feel about dreams in novels?
• Do we like bleak, isolated settings?

Annas suggests two read-alikes if you enjoyed Seascraper:

• The Horse by Willy Vlautin
• Clear by Carys Davies

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Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction longlist, including Flashlight, The Correspondent and Audition. Some of the other long-listed books feature writers as characters, which gets us talking about turn-offs in novels. Our book of the week is DEPARTURE(S) by Julian Barnes. This is the final book by the Booker Prize-winning author. It is a novel about a couple who reunite later in life, with authobiographical elements from Barnes' own life, or it could be a memoir containing a short story. There is also Proust, philosophy and some observations on memory. Described as 'elegant' (The Times) and 'unmistakably Barnes' (Observer), it got us thinking: Where is the line between memoir and novel? Is DEPARTURE(S) a love story? Are the memory bits too Oliver Sacksy? Coming up: SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood. Follow us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the cancellation of Adelaide Writers' Week 2026 amid the controversy after the Adelaide Festival Board disinvited Palestinian-Australian writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fatteh. Among the authors who withdrew from Writers' Week was Richard Flanagan, who wrote this article (sorry for the paywall). Director Louise Adler resigned with this letter to the Guardian. Since we recorded this episode, the new Board has retracted the decision and apologised to Dr Abdel-Fatteh. In other book news, Random House has dropped David Walliams, as discussed on this episode of The Rest is Entertainment podcast. Our book of the week is THE SAFEKEEP by Yael van der Wouden, a debut novel set in 1960s Netherlands which was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and won the 2025 Women's Prize. Coming up: SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood.

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It's our best books of the year episode! Anna, Amanda and Annie reveal our favourite reads of 2025: Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden The Time of the Child by Niall Williams The Granddaughter by Bernhard Schlink translated by Charlotte Collins A Guardian and a Thief by Megan Majhumdar Eurotrash by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie (and audio book) Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor (and substack Sweater Weather) Heart the Lover by Lily King

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Anna and Geoff discuss their reaction to the 2025 Booker Prize winner, FLESH by David Szalay, and the winner of the Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction, Australian author Helen Garner for her collection of diaries HOW TO END A STORY. Our book of the week is CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner. Her follow-up novel after the Booker-shortlisted Mars Room, this centres on Sadie Smith, an undercover agent who infiltrates a commune in rural France. It was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. This raised questions we weren't expecting from a literary novel, such as: Is it a spy thriller? Is Sadie enough of a slob to be compared with Jackson Lamb? Which Sesame Street character does Bruno remind us of? Coming up: NESTING by Roisin O'Donnell

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