The 15 Minute Book Club

By Alex Churchill, Matt Bone

We don't always have an hour or so to spare. In this new, short-form podcast, Alex and Matt interview an author, gameshow style, and they have fifteen minutes on the clock to convince you to buy th

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FAQs about The 15 Minute Book Club:

How many episodes does The 15 Minute Book Club have?

The podcast currently has 1,256 episodes available.

The 15 Minute Book Club episodes:

June 17, 2026 The Long Game with Leander Schaerlaeckens
Leander Sharlockens joins us to discuss his new book about the US Men's National Team, The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, and we trace the uneven history of the U.S. men’s national team, from its early struggles and the 1950 win over England through the long period when the programme was underfunded and disorganised to today's hopes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780593653876

UK Amazon Link: https://amzn.eu/d/0el47ixp

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub

0:00 Introduction to U.S. Soccer
3:17 Title IX’s Soccer Boom
6:19 From Glory to Collapse
7:34 Team America Disaster
10:28 Youth Soccer and Dropout
11:51 A Country, Not a Nation
13:53 Europe Beckons American Players
16:33 Adu’s Rise and Fall
17:56 Choosing the Book’s Profiles
19:45 The Berhalter Debate
21:24 World Cup Expectations
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
25min
June 03, 2026 Gareth L. Powell on Jitterbug
After much pestering, we have the author of Alex's favourite recent read joining us! Gareth L. Powell's latest is Jitterbug, in which a crew of bounty hunters find themselves ensnared in a conspiracy on the very fringes of the devastated solar system, in a ship that acts like a parrot. Alex was very happy.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy Jittberbug by Gareth L. Powell at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781835414514
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781835414514

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
20min
May 20, 2026 The Fifth Crusade with Thomas Smith
The Fifth Crusade was unlike any other. It was the first to invade Egypt, a story filled with adventure and intrigue, yet it often gets overshadowed by its predecessors. Dr. Thomas Smith joins us to tell the untold tale of this epic campaign, where the Crusaders faced more than just battles; they encountered a land filled with ancient history and the remnants of powerful empires.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt by Thomas Smith at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780300283952
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780300283952

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
22min
May 06, 2026 Athens and Sparta with Adrian Goldsworthy
This week on the 15-Minute Book Club, Adrian Goldsworthy joins us to delve into the rivalry between Athens and Sparta in the 5th century BC and their continued influence on us today. Plus, we ask just how much of ancient history is just made up.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781800245426
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781541619982

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub

You can find all of Adrian's books below, including the fab Ferox series!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=adrian+goldsworthy
US Link: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Adrian+Goldsworthy
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
21min
April 29, 2026 The Ship's Cat with Alex Howard
There is no room to swing a cat this week as we are wall to wall cats! Author Alex Howard joins us to tell us about Archie the streetwise cat's odyssey in his new book, The Ship's Cat, and he has just 15 minutes to convince you to buy it.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Preorder The Ship's Cat by Alex Howard at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781785307706

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
22min
April 22, 2026 The Visionaries with James Holland
James Holland joins us to convince you to buy his upcoming book, The Visionaries: The Making of the Post World War II Order in the West in just 15 minutes! James' new book looks at the politics and economics of WW2 in a change of gear from his usual campaign focus. Let us know if he convinced you in the comments!

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy The Visionaries: The Making of the Post World War II Order in the West by James Holland at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link (7 May): https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780857509710
US Link (26 May): https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780802168078

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
21min
April 01, 2026 Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC with Nick Purewal
The sale of Chelsea FC in 2022 saw politics play a vital role in the sale of football. Nick Purewal, the then AP correspondent assigned to Chelsea had a ringside seat to the remarkable £2 billion pound sale. Nick joins us to discuss interviewing everyone from Roman Abramovich down with Chelsea fan Alex and Matt, who couldn't care less...

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781785909894

There is no US Bookshop link, so here is the link for that other bookstore place we don't really like, but hey, what can you do... https://a.co/d/06OJiXPK

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
20min
March 18, 2026 Remembering Len Deighton - Bomber
On the 17th March 2026, author Len Deighton passed away at the age of 97. To remember this wonderful author, Boney is in the hot seat as he tries to convince Alex that Bomber is a must read from the extensive cateloge of Deighton's books.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy Len Deighton's Bomber at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780241493700
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780802161611

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
21min
March 11, 2026 Eden Undone with Abbott Kahler
At the beginning of the Great Depression, three groups of Germans moved to Floreana Island in the Galápagos to create their own utopia. Over the coming years, paradise crumbled into sex, acrimony, and eventually murder. Author Abbott Kahler joins Alex and Boney to ask what the hell happened and to convince you to buy Abbott's book, in just 15 minutes.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II by Abbott Kahler at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780008729721
US Link - https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780451498663

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
20min
March 04, 2026 The Age of Alchemy with Kit Chapman
Our old buddy Kit Chapman joins us to tell us all about his new book, which looks at the global quest to achieve immortality, cure all disease and transmute lead into gold as he reveals the illuminating stories of how the alchemists first broke new ground and shaped the scientific method.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Pre-order The Age of Alchemy: The Secret History of Chemistry from Ancient Magic to Modern Science by Kit Chapman at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link - Out on 30 Apr 2026: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781805221159
US Link - Out on 20 OCT 2026: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781778404177

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
19min

FAQs about The 15 Minute Book Club:

How many episodes does The 15 Minute Book Club have?

The podcast currently has 1,256 episodes available.

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