Tea or Books?

Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Margery Sharp, Helen Ashton – welcome to episode 95.

In the first half, we take a detour from our usual practice and pit two authors against each other. And it’s two very big hitters – Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf, suggested by my friend Paul.

In the second half, we look at two post-war novels about houses – The Foolish Gentlewoman by Margery Sharp and The Half-Crown House by Helen Ashton.

Do get in touch with us if you have any suggestions or questions – teaorbooks[at]gmail.com. You can find us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, your podcast app of choice etc. You can also support the podcast at Patreon, from as little as a dollar a month.

The books and authors we mention in this episode are everything by Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf [!] and:

There is a Fortress by Winifred Peck

Rosamond Lehmann, Antonia White, and authors’ houses – welcome to episode 94!

In the first half of this episode, we do a topic suggested by Gillian – do we care where authors live? That is, do we want to visit their houses – we talk through authors’ houses we’ve visited and those we’d like to visit.

In the second half, we compare two coming-of-age novels: Frost in May by Antonia White and Dusty Answer by Rosamond Lehmann.

Do get in touch if you have suggestions for topics, or questions for the central section – [email protected]. You can listen above, through Spotify, through your podcast app of choice, or Apple Podcasts. You can support the podcast, and get mini bonus episodes, from as little as one dollar a month at Patreon.

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

The Last of Summer by Kate O’Brien

Summer, Winter, names – welcome to episode 93.

In the first half, we ask: ‘Do we care what characters are called?’, looking at the strange and ordinary names that characters are given. In the second half, we compare Tove Jansson’s novel – or is it – The Summer Book and short story selection A Winter Book.

As ever, we would love to hear your questions and suggestions to [email protected]. You can listen to the podcast above, through a podcast app, on Apple Podcasts, or on Spotify. You can support the podcast on Patreon, and many thanks to those who do

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

Camilla by Frances Burney

Bernadine Evaristo, Kate Atkinson, and clothes – welcome to episode 92.

In the first half of the episode, Rachel and I discuss clothes in books – do we care what characters wear? I forgot to mention, but do check out Moira’s excellent Clothes in Books blog for lots of this sort of thing.

In the second half, we are unusually modern – comparing Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo.

Do get in touch with us if you have any suggestions or questions – teaorbooks[at]gmail.com – and you can support the podcast at Patreon. Many thanks to those who do!

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

The Flick by Annie Baker

Elizabeth von Arnim and settings of novels – welcome to episode 91!

In the first half of the novel, we look at the settings of novels, and ask whether we prefer familiar or unfamiliar settings. In the second half, we compare two recently reprinted novels by Elizabeth von Arnim – Father and Expiation.

You can listen above, on Spotify, via Apple Podcasts, or any podcast app. You can support the podcast at Patreon, or get in touch at [email protected].

The books and authors we mention in this episode:

O, The Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith

Betty Smith, Dorothy Evelyn Smith, and a review of our reading years…

In the first half, we look back over a very unusual year and ask – was it a good reading year or a bad reading year? We’ve not talked much about the pandemic this year, because we want this to be one of the places people can escape from all that, but in this episode we’ve talked about how it affects our reading.

In the second half, in a slight change to the advertised pairing, we compare O, The Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Both are coming-of-age novels set in the 1910s and published in the 1940s, though in very different environments.

We’ll see you in the new year – in the meantime, you can listen to this podcast on Spotify, via your podcast app, or at Apple podcasts. You can get in touch at [email protected] and/or support the podcast at Patreon.

Thanks to Arpita of Bag Full of Books for her wonderful contribution to our Dorothy Evelyn Smith conversation!

Have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year – here’s hoping 2021 is better than 2020.

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

Three Kings by Stephen Beresford

Marilynne Robinson and gardens – welcome to episode 89!

We are scraping the barrel a little in our first half, and arguably repeating ourselves, but please enjoy our musings on gardens. In the second half, after answering a question from Jen, we talk about Marilynne Robinson’s novels Gilead and Home. Finally, after talking about it for years!

You can listen above, at Spotify, at Apple Podcast, or via any podcast app you use. Reviews and ratings very welcome – they apparently help people find us. If you have any questions or suggestions, do get in touch at [email protected]. And you can support the podcast at Patreon. What a lot of options!

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Blurbs and Kazuo Ishiguro – welcome to episode 88!

In the first half of this episode, Rachel and I talk about whether we want blurbs – i.e. do we do research on what we’re reading before we pick it up. In the second half, we look at two novels by Kazuo Ishiguro: The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go.

Do let us know if you have any questions for the central bit of the podcast – or any topic suggestions; we always love to hear them. You can find us in your podcast app of choice, via Apple podcasts, or on Spotify. And you can support the podcast on Patreon, should you so wish!

Incidentally, apologies for Hargreaves miaowing for his tea throughout… which, indeed, he had already eaten.

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

Jack by Marilynne Robinson

Jane Austen, Jane and Mary Findlater, and – it’s episode 87!

We recorded this episode a little while ago and I have been lazy at editing – but here we are. Hope you like our lovely new logo, courtesy of my graphic designer friend Ellie.

In the first half of this episode, we discuss novels based on real people vs biographies – in the second half, Crossriggs by Jane and Mary Findlater vs a book it seemed a little based on, Emma by Jane Austen.

You can listen to the podcast via Apple Podcasts or your podcast app of choice – reviews gratefully accepted! You can support the podcast, and get bonus mini episodes along with other ‘rewards’, at Patreon.

Oh, and you can find a snippet of me recommending a lovely summer read in the latest Book Club Review Podcast – have a hunt for that in your apps.

Books and authors we mention in this podcast:

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Marilynne Robinson, Francis Spufford, empathy and sympathy!

Welcome to episode 86, in which we talk about characters we feel empathetic towards and those we feel sympathetic towards. And if you aren’t sure of the distinction, don’t worry, we’ve got that covered too.

In the second half, we compare two books with similar titles but very different contents: When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson and The Child That Books Built by Francis Spufford.

Do get in touch if you have any suggestions for topics or a question for the middle bit – we’re at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com. Find us in your podcast app of choice, on Spotify, or on Apple Podcasts. And you can support us on Patreon, where there are also bonus ten-minute episodes from me.

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

The Game by A.S. Byatt