In this special episode, originally released for our Patreon subscribers, Kate celebrates the joys of the perfect notebook with fellow enthusiast and stationery shop owner David Frostick (Lift, Southwold). From the importance of flat-lay paper to the perfect pen we've got it all covered just in time for back-to-school season.

And then we turn to the art of notetaking. Kate and Laura discuss how they take notes on the books they're discussing on the show, and then we find out how the professionals do it, with friends of the pod, journalist Phil Chaffee and literary critic Emily Rhodes. We also hear from Bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud whose book, The Art of Mindful Reading, is full of great suggestions for how to get the most from your reading.

If this whets your appetite come and join us at Patreon.com/thebookclubreview where for a small monthly fee (or you can sign up for annual membership if you prefer) you'll receive benefits such as Kate's weekly books email, occasional special episodes, and at the higher tier you can join our monthly book club for live discussions with Kate over Zoom. If you love the pod your support is helpng Kate make the shows, which means a lot, so thank you for considering it.

Discover David's store LIFT here.

For other things referenced in this episode here's an index to products with links.

For the love of a good lamp:

Visit seriousreaders.com/BCR for our special offer on any HD light – use the code BCR at checkout and if you're in the UK you can also benefit from free shipping. You get a month to try out the lights to decide if they're for you, if not you can return them. We seriously love them, and think you will too.

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We love a list, and we love an excuse for a conversation about books, and so we couldn't have been more delighted when the New York Times released their list of the best books of the 21st century, so far. From 503 top tens submitted by authors and other literary world folk, and a bit of statistical magic, they boiled it down to their definitive top 100. And we had to hand it to them, it's a damn good list. Still, we might argue with a few of their choices, and of course have some thoughts of our own.

And so in this episode you'll get our own Book Club Review top 20 books, some of which were on the NYT's list, most of which were not. They're the books we felt had been overlooked, books we loved and were desparate to talk about, books we want to share with you.

And so join me (Kate) and Sarah in London, Phil in New York and Laura in Vancouver as we spend a delightful hour considering the best of the best. I guarantee you'll come away with at least one book for your TBR, and hopefully you'll love it as much as we did.

No booklist, as I thought you might like to find out as you listen, but you'll find all the books discussed at the episode page on our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk

Here's the link to the NYT's list

Also do check out our episode sponsors Serious Readers, who are offering £100 off their brilliant HD reading lamps, use the code BCR at checkout. UK customers get free delivery, elsewhere you can still take advantage of the offer, but there will be a shipping charge.

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Laura's on a flying visit to London, and so of course we took the opportunity to get together and swap notes on our recent reading. Regular guest Phil Chaffee dialled in from New York to add his picks to the mix.

Find out what we thought of summer it-book The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, we consider the auto fictional world of Deborah Levy, Kate reports back on Francis Spufford's new novel – and podcast book club read – Cahokia Jazz and we round it off with art-world memoir All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield – unputdownable in Kate's opinion, find out why.

It's also our first ever sponsored episode. Introducing Serious Readers, a company dedicated to creating the world's best reading lamps. Listen in for Kate's interview with founder Alex Pratt, and learn more about why your eyes might struggle under standard LED lighting. We know how much as readers you care about your eyes, so we were happy to tell you about a product that feels like just what they need.

Listen in for all the details, and if you're interested to try them head to seriousreaders.com/BCR and use code BCR for £100 off any HD light. You have 30 days to decide if they're right for you. In the UK you'll also get free delivery. Outside of the UK the offer is still valid, but there would also be a shipping charge.

BOOKS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford

The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford

Real Estate by Deborah Levy

All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield

SERIOUS READERS

Like the sound of Serious Readers? Head to seriousreaders.com/BCR and use code BCR for £100 off any HD light, you'll also get free delivery in the UK, and you have 30 days to try them out.

PATREON

Support the show, and get extras in return

Head over to our Patreon to find out how to support the pod, and the things you'll get in return, from book recommendations to extra episodes. At the higher tier you can join our monthly book club – if you look at that membership level you'll find a link to the full list of books for 2024. This month we're reading Wifedom by Anna Funder.

Or to hear about books between shows come find the pod on Instagram or Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast

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Inspired by the folk at the New York Times article '22 of the funniest novels since Catch 22', join me (Kate), Phil and Laura as we consider the books that make us laugh. Listen in as we explore the NYT's suggestions and add in a few of our own. Find out the author we can't believe they missed, and the book that reliably makes Laura – a tough customer when it comes to funny books – laugh every time.

Books mentioned

The New York Times article '22 of the funniest novels since Catch 22'

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

The Idiot and Either/Or by Elif Batuman

The Possessed by Elif Batuman

Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad

Martyr by Kaveh Akbar

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Where d'You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman

Three Men and a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

Vanity Fair by William MakepieceThackarey

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Notes

Here's the Patreon link If you'd like to get more involved and support the show, and you'll get lots of good things in return: Patreon.com/thebookclubreview

Keep up to date between shows, follow The Book Club Review podcast on Instagram

Next book club read: Wifedom by Anna Funder

Do take a quick moment to rate and review us via your podcast app, your support is really appreciated. And hey, if you have bookish friends, tell them about the show, maybe they will like it too.

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Exploring literary worlds beyond fiction: a dive into non-fiction Join Kate, as she ventures to South London to visit Backstory, a unique indie bookstore founded by former journalist Tom Rowley. Rowley shares his journey from journalism to opening a bookshop, the challenges and joys of running a bookstore, the importance of community engagement, and launching the second issue of the Backstory Magazine. We then turn our attention to non-fiction, pulling out some favourites, both backlist and new releases. As Tom says, 'I just read. I want good stories, I don't care whether they're true or not' 00:40 A visit to south London's indie bookshop Backstory, and why Kate's name is on the wall 01:53 From journalism to bookshop owner: Tom's lockdown dream comes true 04:25 Embracing the community: the transition from market stall to bookshop 09:26 Launching Backstory Magazine: a new chapter in storytelling 14:54 Exploring non-fiction: feel the fear and read it anyway 17:49 Just what is deep backlist? Tom's first recommendation is My War Gone By, I Miss it So by Anthony Lloyd (September Publishing) 20:18 Kate recommends Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell by John Preston (Penguin) 22:46 Tom's next pick: Maurice and Marilyn: A Whale, A Shipwreck, A Love Story by Sophie Elmhurst (Penguin) 25:52 Kate pulls out The Wager by David Grann (Simon & Schuster) (and we also talk about Devil in the White City by Erik Larson [Penguin]) 29:08 Tom recommends The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson (Penguin) 31:15 Great minds think alike: Kate and Tom both recommend The Moth and the Mountain by Ed Caesar (Penguin), author and now DJ! 35:32 An aside from Kate about The Possessed by Elif Batuman (Granta) 37:17 Towards the end of the episode we reach 'peak Tom', with Little Englanders by Alwyn Turner (Profile) 41:17 Book club reads: Red Memory by Tania Branigan (Faber) and Close to Home by Michael Magee (Penguin) 42:25 Tom's book of the summer: The Safe Keep by Yael van der Wouden (Penguin) 44:18 List of books, how to get support the pod and get extras via our Patreon account and details of our upcoming episode in which Phil and Laura join Kate to talk about books that make us laugh Notes Visit Backstory online at www.backstory.london

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So Many Damn Books podcast creator and host Christoper Hermelin joins Kate to swap book recommendations and discuss the magic of book club, recent book discoveries and bookish pet peeves.

EPISODE BOOK LIST

The Eyes & The Impossible by Dave Eggers

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

McSweeney's magazine, including The Panorama issue

How I Won A Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto

Non-Fiction by Julie Myerson

Butter by Asako Yuzuki (Polly Barton, trans.)

Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai (Polly Barton, trans.)

Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton

The Extinction of Irena Ray by Jennifer Croft

James by Percival Everett, and we also mentioned Erasure and The Trees

Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schultz by Luca Debus and Francesco Mateuzzi

NOTES

Join the club and support us on Patreon

Follow The Book Club Review on Instagram and Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast

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Two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late 19th-century London. Publishers Penguin call The New Life by Tom Crewe 'A brilliant and captivating debut, in the tradition of Alan Hollinghurst and Colm Tóibín' but what did our book club make of it? Kate is reporting back, with regular guest Philip Chaffee joining from New York. We'll be catching up on the discussion as well as bringing you our take on recent reads FAKE ACCOUNTS by Lauren Oyler and NORTH WOODS by Daniel Mason, as well as our recommendations for books inspired by Crewe's novel.

Booklist

Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler

The Smiley Novels by John Le Carre

North Woods by Daniel Mason

Maurice by E. M. Forster

Alec by William di Canzio

Young Bloomsbury by Nino Strachey

Blackouts by Justin Torres

Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant

The Ladies Lindores by Margaret Oliphant

Tom Crewe's booklist on bookshop.org.uk

Podcast episode on Young Bloomsbury

The audiobook of The New Life is read by Freddie Fox and published by Penguin Audio, available wherever you get your audiobooks

Keep up with us between shows. Follow us on Instagram or Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast, browse our website for our full archive, or drop us a line at [email protected]

Want the deep dive? All the details of our Patreon extras and how to sign up here.

Thanks for listening, happy reading, happy book clubbing

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What did our podcast book club make of Mild Vertigo, Japanese author Mieko Kanai's 1997 novel, recently translated into English by Polly Barton. A 'modernist masterpiece' written in sentences that go on for pages with hardly any paragraph breaks might not seem like an obvious book club winner; listen in to find out if we were won over.

To discuss it Kate is joined by Yuki Tejima, also known as @booknerdtokyo, and Shawn Mooney, aka Shawn the Book Maniac. Listen in for their thoughts on Mild Vertigo, their current reads and our book recommendations for anyone wanting the inside track on great Japanese fiction.

Book list

A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata (trans. Juliet Winters Carpenter)

Home Reading Service by Fabio Morábito (trans. Curtis Bauer)

Woman Running in the Mountains by Yūko Tsushima (trans. Geraldine Harcourt)

Also Territory of Light and Child of Fortune by Yoko Tsutshima

Grass for my Pillow by Sayiichi Maruya (trans. Dennis Keene)

The Little House by Kyoto Nakajima (trans. Ginny Tapley Takamori)

There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuo Tsumura (trans. Polly Barton)

Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton

Porn: An Oral History by Polly Barton

Butter by Asako Yuzuki (trans. Polly Barton)

Follow us on Instagram and threads @bookclubreviewpodcast

Support the show and get Kate's weekly book-recommendations email, access to our book spreadsheets, connect with fellow readers and join our book club: find all the details on our Patreon page.

If you enjoyed the episode, please share it, rate and review us on your podcast app, which helps other listeners find us.

Find full shownotes and our episode archive at our website thebookclubreview.co.uk

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Join me (Kate) and Laura as we go through our bookstacks and discuss our recent reads. Find out what why Laura can't put down The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Meanwhile I've discovered Mrs Miniver, a comfort read from the 1930s that still has a message for us today, Laura's made a discovery of her own – that there's more to Anita Brookner than Hotel du Lac, with her 1988 novel The Latecomers. We go from one good book club read to another with The Fraud by Zadie Smith, and Laura reports in from the recent backlist past with How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang. I take a detour through a ring of enchanted toadstools with Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, and Laura confesses to having spent a weekend lost in the pages of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. She's only interested in the dragons, mind.

Books mentioned

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther

The Latecomers by Anita Brookner

The Fraud by Zadie Smith (UK paperback out in June)

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

UK listeners can find all the books listed above at our Bookshop.org.uk bookshop, if you purchase them there you'll be supporting independent bookshops and your favourite indie podcasters.

Find out all the details of what we're offering on our Patreon here, including a weekly book recmomendations newsletter from Kate, occasional extra bits and bobs plus access to our pod book spreadsheets, and at the higher tier you can join our bookclub and talk books with Kate in person once a month.

And come and find Kate on Instagram or Threads, or drop us a line at [email protected] and let us know your thoughts on the books discussed here anytime.

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We've put our 2023 reading lists behind us, and now it's time to look ahead to 2024. Who better to guide us through all the new titles coming our way than Chrissy Ryan, owner of North London's buzziest bookshop and social space, Bookbar.

New books by favourite authors, a non-fiction page-turner that will have you hooked, a high-concept potential blockbuster and a follow-up novel from the author of a debut that got people talking, we've got something for everyone.

Not to mention our tips and strategies for how to avoid feeling overwhelmed by that TBR.

Listen via the media player above or your preferred podcast player with this podfollow link.

Books mentioned

You are Here by David Nicholls (April)

All that Glitters by Orlando Whitfield (May)

Some Trick by Helen DeWitt

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Glass Houses (May), and Voyeur by Francesca Reece

England is Mine by Nicholas Padamsee (April)

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (out in paperback May 2024)

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Fire Weather by John Vaillant

Not the End of the World by Dr Hannah Ritchie

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman (March)

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (and we also mentioned Such a Fun Age)

Notes

Find out what we're up to and support the show on Patreon.

The 10 Best New Novelists for 2024, The Observer

Who is Still in the Metaverse by Paul Murray for New York Magazine

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