Reading Materials

In this week’s bonus episode, Lucia is joined by a very special guest — Tatyana, host of The Bookish Banter Podcast — to discuss Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.

We dig into this bold sci-fi dystopia, chat about Hunger Games comparisons, and question the decision-making skills of some very short-sighted YA protagonists.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:10 - Introduction to Tatyana

07:50 - Introduction to the author

10:35 - The blurb

Spoilers for the entire book from this point

11:30 - Our discussion of Iron Widow

01:20:25 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Exes and O's by Amy Lea

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Best Men by Sidney Karger

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Links:

Xiran Jay Zhao on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

First published in 1939 under a different and highly controversial title, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is the world's best-selling mystery. Join us as we round off our season of classics with our special guest, Madina, as we talk about red herrings, rhymes and recent TV adaptations.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - An Introduction to Our Special Guest

05:35 - Spoiler Warning

06:00 - An Introduction to the Author

11:55 - Content Warning: Use of the N Word (From the original title of the book!)

20:55 - The Blurb

21:55 - Our Discussion of And Then There Were None

01:46:30 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Links:

Agatha Christie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

First published in 1920, The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting follows a world-famous animal doctor and his voyage to Africa to save the monkeys from a mysterious disease. Tune in this week to hear our thoughts on animal names, the history of vaccines and the importance of full disclosure when books are revised for modern audiences.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

02:45 - Spoiler Warning

03:00 - Introduction to the Author

05:45 - The Blurb

06:15 - Our Discussion of the Book

01:18:05 - The Book We Will Be Reading Next Time

01:18:55 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Links:

Hugh Lofting on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

First published in 1911, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett tells the story of orphaned girl Mary who comes to live in an English country house and discovers a magical garden. Celebrate our podcast 2 year anniversary with us and hear our thoughts on friendship, character development and the restorative properties of the Yorkshire Moors.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:25 - Life Updates

02:00 - Spoiler Warning

05:40 - An Introduction to the Author

12:40 - The Blurb

13:40 - Our Discussion of The Secret Garden

01:23:30 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:24:10 - Outro

01:24:35 - Blooper

Other Books Mentioned:

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson-Burnett

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Links:

Frances Hodgson Burnett on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

First published in 1864, The Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne is a sci-fi adventure novel about a geology professor and his nephew, who set off across Iceland to find a route to the Earth's core. Join us for our discussion of this classic and hear our thoughts on the difference between a mile and a Danish mile, the loyalty of Hans and the feasibility of surviving a volcanic eruption.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

01:30 - Spoiler Warning

01:50 - Introduction to the Author

08:25 - The Blurb

09:10 - Our Discussion of the Book

01:17:10 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:18:25 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

⁠Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea⁠ by Jules Verne

⁠Around the World in Eighty Days⁠ by Jules Verne

⁠From the Earth to the Moon⁠ by Jules Verne

⁠The Count of Monte Christo⁠ by Alexandre Dumas

⁠The Left Hand of Darkness⁠ by Ursula K. Le Guin

⁠On the Origin of Species⁠ by Charles Darwin

⁠The Secret Garden⁠ by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Links:

⁠⁠Jules Verne⁠⁠ on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

First published in 1927, To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf follows the lives of the Ramsay family beginning with their trip to the Isle of Skye. Join us as we continue our season of classics and hear our thoughts on strained familial relationships, the stream-of-consciousness style of writing and the significance of the letter Q.

Full disclosure - we really didn’t like this book.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

02:45 - An Introduction to the Author

07:00 - Spoiler Alert

08:30 - The Blurb

09:00 - Our Discussion of To The Lighthouse

53:40 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

56:45 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Emma by Jane Austen

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Passing by Nella Larsen

Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Links:

Virginia Woolf on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

First published in 1815, Emma is the last novel by Jane Austen to be released during her lifetime. Join us for our discussion of this ‘comedy of manners’ and hear our thoughts on unlikeable characters, riddles and relationships in Georgian-Regency England.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Life Updates

07:00 - An Introduction to the Author

15:50 - Spoiler Alert

22:35 - The Blurb

23:00 - Our Discussion of Emma

01:20:35 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:21:05 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Links:

Jane Austen on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

First published in 1903 in a serialized format, The Call of the Wild by Jack London tells the story of Buck, a dog stolen from his home in California and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska during the 1890’s Klondike Gold Rush. Join us as we discuss this moving story of survival and Buck’s return to primitivism, and hear our thoughts on how this book explores human nature, its depiction of violence and whether or not it has stood the test of time.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

08:45 - Spoiler Warning

09:00 - Introduction to the Author

18:10 - The Blurb

18:35 - Our Discussion of The Call of the Wild

01:03:50 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:05:10 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff

White Fang by Jack London

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

Dune by Frank Herbert

Emma by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Links:

Jack London on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

Published in 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a scandalous book that gained further notoriety when it was used against the author - Oscar Wilde - himself as evidence in court. Join us as we unpack this gothic novel and hear our thoughts on abridged editions of books, amorality and how this story of decadence and leading a double life is still relevant today.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

07:00 - An Introduction to the Author

11:10 - Spoiler Warning

12:45 - The Blurb

13:45 - Our Discussion of The Picture of Dorian Gray

01:20:50 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:21:55 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Meet Me At The Museum by Anne Youngson

Dead in Devon by Stephanie Austin

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Links:

Oscar Wilde on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

We continue our season of classics with Dodie Smith’s coming of age story ‘I Capture the Castle.’ Published in 1948, it is the most recently released book we will be covering this season. Join us to hear our thoughts on young love, marrying for money, writer’s block and romantic depictions of the British countryside.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:35 - Life Updates

02:20 - Spoiler Warning

02:45 - An Introduction to the Author

06:30 - The Blurb

07:00 - Our Discussion of I Capture the Castle

01:08:00 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:08:30 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Links:

Dodie Smith on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].