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Welcome to The Book & The Vibe, a historical fiction podcast and book review show for readers who long to inhabit the places and times they read about. I'm your host, Helen Gabay, and each week I pair a spoiler-free historical fiction book review with juicy, real-life historical tidbits designed to enhance your reading experience.

Expect dashes of travel, book-adjacent deep dives, and bonus reviews of mystery, thriller, spy, and narrative nonfiction alongside our historical fiction picks. Rather than plot summaries, I focus on the propulsiveness, vibe, and atmosphere of each story — so you know exactly what kind of world you're about to inhabit. Each episode is designed as a great escape for your precious me-time.

The books we review are filled with adventure, intrigue, mystery, spies, and heroes — and they usually have something bigger to say about the world. Think medieval fiction, ancient Rome, WWII novels, 20th-century historical fiction, gaslit London mysteries, Parisian dramas, Tudor novels, and retellings of legends and myths.

Follow along for weekly historical fiction reviews and book recommendations perfect for your next TBR pick or book club read. I also post vibe-centric summaries on Facebook and Instagram, with a newsletter coming soon featuring deeper book club discussion guides.

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Support the show by sharing the podcast with friends, following the show, leaving a review, or buying from our curated bookshop.

https://bookshop.org/lists/the-book-and-the-vibe-a-mostly-historical-fiction-podcast

Our bio site link gives you all of our social page links, bookshop site, and more: bio.site/Thebookandthevibe 

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In this episode, first we have our spoiler-free review of The Final Problem by Arturo Pérez-Reverte — an updated yet Golden Age styled, locked room murder mystery set on a  Greek island in 1960, starring an aging actor forever shadowed by his most famous role: playing Sherlock Holmes on screen.

From there, we head into Unearthed, where we look at the real man behind that shadow — actor Basil Rathbone, and his true story of heroism as a WWI intelligence officer.

Then it's over to The Tavern for a bonus review of David McCloskey's CIA spy thriller, Moscow X — a fast-paced operation that crosses Moscow, London, and a Mexican horse ranch.

We close things out on Notes from the Road with a trip to Costa Rica: a hillside retreat with a pool overlooking the sea, a jungle stay near Arenal Volcano, and the strangest bird call you'll ever hear.

Costa Rica Hotel where we stayed near Arenal, with the amazing variety of birds, including the Montezuma oropendola - https://www.villadecary.com/ 

Please like and follow the show! 

• You can support the show - and independent bookstores everywhere - by buying the books from the show bookshop:
  • https://bookshop.org/shop/thebookandthevibe
• Social:
  • Facebook and Instagram @thebookandthevibe
• Contact:
  • email = [email protected]
  • website = https://www.thebookandthevibe.com/ 

Send us Fan Mail

This week on The Book & The Vibe, we head into Dark Age Britain with a spoiler-free review of Lancelot by Giles Kristian, a gritty Arthurian historical fiction retelling set around the fifth century.

We’ll talk shield walls, vanished Rome, old gods, Christianity, romance, betrayal, and why this version of Lancelot feels more like The Last Kingdom TV show - complete with a conflicted warrior in the making fighting battles in the mud -  and less like a polished knight of Camelot.

In Unearthed, we trace the evolution of the King Arthur legend, and specifically how Lancelot entered the story in the first place. Then in The Tavern, I’m serving up five 5-star books I’m considering re-reading and then reviewing for the show. And in today’s Note from the Road, we talk about the funny ways television and travel can merge into vacation core memories.

Please like and follow the show! 

• You can support the show - and independent bookstores everywhere - by buying the books from the show bookshop:
  • https://bookshop.org/shop/thebookandthevibe
• Social:
  • Facebook and Instagram @thebookandthevibe
• Contact:
  • email = [email protected]
  • website = https://www.thebookandthevibe.com/ 

Send us Fan Mail

We are largely immersed in Italy this week, starting with a spoiler free review of Nero, by Conn Iggulden, set in ancient Rome. We also discuss Nero's equally notorious uncle, Emperor Caligula, and some of the things Caligula did to make historians question the dynasty's mental health. We touch on the joys of shopping for books in London before we serve up a bonus spoiler free review of the Horowitz/Hawthorne mystery series by Anthony Horowitz, while we help you decide if it would work for you. We wrap up with a look back a trip my husband and I took to Florence, and what the city's doors have to say about their inhabitants.

Please like and follow the show! 

• You can support the show - and independent bookstores everywhere - by buying the books from the show bookshop:
  • https://bookshop.org/shop/thebookandthevibe
• Social:
  • Facebook and Instagram @thebookandthevibe
• Contact:
  • email = [email protected]
  • website = https://www.thebookandthevibe.com/ 

Send us Fan Mail

Spoiler-free book reviews for readers who yearn to inhabit and explore the places and times they read about. Favoring propulsive books filled with adventure, intrigue and mystery, listeners of the show can expect dashes of history, travel and book-adjacent topics to elevate the reading experience. The podcast is a love letter to the simple joy of getting lost in a story, and the places that books can take us.

Please like and follow the show! 

• You can support the show - and independent bookstores everywhere - by buying the books from the show bookshop:
  • https://bookshop.org/shop/thebookandthevibe
• Social:
  • Facebook and Instagram @thebookandthevibe
• Contact:
  • email = [email protected]
  • website = https://www.thebookandthevibe.com/ 

Send us Fan Mail

Book reviews of largely historical fiction novels, from medieval mysteries to WWII spy thrillers. Spoiler-free and focused on vibe instead of plot, we help you decide what to read next.

If you believe that discovering books and dreaming up destinations you may - or may not - actually travel to is just as much fun as reading, then this is the place for you. 

Please like and follow the show! 

• You can support the show - and independent bookstores everywhere - by buying the books from the show bookshop:
  • https://bookshop.org/shop/thebookandthevibe
• Social:
  • Facebook and Instagram @thebookandthevibe
• Contact:
  • email = [email protected]
  • website = https://www.thebookandthevibe.com/