Shelf Indulgence

The books we share with children can help them see themselves, imagine other lives and ask questions about the world. In this episode, we consider the stories adults choose for young readers and the ideas, values and possibilities those books carry. What makes a book meaningful to a child, and how can we choose stories that invite curiosity, empathy and conversation?

For parents, educators and anyone who has ever given a child a book.

TikTok: @shelfindulgencereads

Instagram: @shelfindulgence_reads

Discord: https://discord.gg/x5zFj9aZd

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/shelfindulgencereads

Is a five-star rating a measure of a book, or of how you felt while reading it? This week, Amy asks what we’re really saying when we rate a book, and why a three-star review might be the most interesting one of all.

In the Bookish News: a possible real-life inspiration for Oliver Twist, worrying figures on representation in children’s books, Netflix’s East of Eden sending readers back to Steinbeck, Anne Carson’s Nobel Prize win, the romance event controversy causing a stir on bookish social media, and Sally Rooney’s books being pulled from UK sale.

Then, the Big Opinion: why we need to bring back the three-star review. In What Everyone Is Reading, Amy looks at when BookTok hype turns into homework. On The Shelf, she shares five books she’d genuinely give five stars. And in the Literacy Corner, she asks whether a book can be good if you didn’t enjoy it.

Join the Discord to chat books with other Shelfies, and vote in the Shelf Indulgence Book Awards. Winners will be announced in Episode 10 on 23 November. Want more behind the scenes? Subscribe to The Inner Shelf.

TikTok: @shelfindulgencereads

Instagram: @shelfindulgence_reads

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/shelfindulgencereads

Discord: https://discord.gg/VEkc4KE9H

Contains strong language.

What happens when your favourite book makes it to the screen? And what happens when Hollywood gets it spectacularly wrong?

This week on Shelf Indulgence, we're talking book-to-screen adaptations: the casting choices that leave us questioning everything, the plot changes that make us wonder whether the people behind the adaptation actually read the book, and the stories that deserve a little more time to breathe.

From The Love Hypothesis to The Seven Year Slip, we're getting into the books we'd love to see adapted, the stories that might work better as TV shows than films, and why some changes make perfect sense while others feel like a personal attack on our favourite characters.

I'm also getting personal about a couple of adaptations that have stuck with me for all the wrong reasons. Because apparently, I have a LOT of feelings about this topic. (This episode was supposed to be 20 minutes. It is very much not 20 minutes.)

Whether you're someone who needs every detail to match the book or you're happy to let an adaptation do its own thing, there's plenty to unpack.

The big question: does an adaptation need to be faithful to the book, or does it just need to be good?

Let's talk about it.

Welcome to Adaptation Nation.

TikTok: @shelfindulgencreads

Instagram: @shelfindulgence_reads

Discord: https://discord.gg/CURj4y9Wx

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/shelfindulgencereads

Apparently we've reached the point where we're judging people for where they bought their books. Bought it from a big retailer? Someone's mad. Borrowed it from the library? Congrats, you've found the one morally acceptable option.

This week I'm getting into when reading became a morality contest — and why I think BookTok occasionally loses the plot on what actually makes someone "a real reader." Plus: a petition to mandate teacher-librarians in Australian schools, authors finding AI-generated books listed under their own names, and a messy US fight over library e-book lending that doesn't have a clean "good guy."

And I'll tell you exactly how I actually get my books — because spoiler, it's not just one way, and I don't feel remotely guilty about it.

🎧 New episodes weekly. Come hang out with The Shelfies on Discord, or get the behind-the-scenes chaos on The Inner Shelf (Patreon). Find me on Instagram @shelfindulgence_reads and TikTok @shelfindulgencereads.

Dark romance is everywhere right now. But what happens when the things that make these books compelling start blurring the line between fantasy and abuse?

In Episode 2 of Shelf Indulgence, I’m getting into the darker side of dark romance — the obsession, violence, coercion and power dynamics that sit at the centre of the genre, and why so many readers are drawn to stories that would be deeply troubling in real life.

We’re talking about the difference between enjoying something as a fictional fantasy and romanticising the behaviour it portrays, why dark romance has exploded in popularity, and where the line between “this is meant to be disturbing” and “this is being presented as romantic” can get complicated.

And, because I’m still me, I’ve also got some reading recommendations for anyone who wants the intensity and complicated relationships without necessarily going all the way into the darkest corners of the genre.

This one comes with a few content warnings, a lot of opinions, and absolutely no judgement about what you choose to read.

TikTok: @shelfindulgencereads

Instagram: @shelfindulgence_reads

Discord: https://discord.gg/qJUhY6e9U

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/shelfindulgencereads

Welcome to Shelf Indulgence!

In the very first episode, I’m introducing you to the person behind the books — and giving you a little taste of what this podcast is going to be.

We’re talking about the books I can’t stop recommending, why I think reading is about so much more than simply finishing a book, and the things I’m currently obsessed with across the bookish world.

Expect book news, reading thoughts, literacy, adaptations, opinions, recommendations and, inevitably, a little bit of chaos.

Basically, it’s Shelf Indulgence — just with a lot more time to talk.

Grab your current read, settle in, and let’s talk books.

TikTok: @shelfindulgencereads

Instagram: @shelfindulgence_reads

Discord: https://discord.gg/qJUhY6e9U

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/shelfindulgencereads