The Brit Lit Podcast

From time to time on the podcast, we speak to someone who is not British, so that we get an outside perspective on UK books. Helen Cullen is Irish, though she has lived in London a long time and her debut novel, The Lost Letters of William Woolf, is set there.

Helen talked to me about the lost art of letter writing, some of her favourite epistolary novels, why she loves London, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Lost Letters of William Woolf, by Helen Cullen

84, Charing Cross Road, by Helen Hanff

Persuasion, by Jane Austen

Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home, by Nina Stibbe

A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf

Three Guineas, by Virginia Woolf

Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn, by Brett Anderson

The Hiding Game, by Naomi Woods

Mrs. Hemingway, by Naomi Woods

The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett

They Don't Teach This, by Eniola Aluko

Confessions of a Bookseller, by Shaun Blythell

To War with the Walkers, by Annabel Venning

Come Again, by Robert Webb

For Emily, by Katherine Slee

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Read Helen's review of The Hiding Game by Naomi Woods.

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Helen Cullen

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Our guest today is Laura Jane Williams, who's the author most recently of Our Stop, a new romcom out this summer. It's the story of Daniel and Nadia, who take the 7.30 train every morning. One morning, Nadia's eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper: To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I'm the guy who's always standing near the doors… Drink sometime? So begins a story of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word. Laura and I talked about what makes train travel romantic, what she thinks of the chick lit label, how she feels about her four-book deal, and more.

City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert

One Day, by David Nicholls

Praise Song for the Butterflies, by Bernice L McFadden

Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams

How to Fail, by Elizabeth Day

Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo

Fleishman Is in Trouble, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

Love, Unscripted, by Owen Nicholls

You, Me and the Movies, by Fiona Collins

The School Run, by Helen Whitaker

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Laura Jane Williams

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I've got a great interview for you today that's both fascinating and more than a little mouth-watering. Olivia Potts is the author of A Half Baked Idea, a memoir which tells the story of how baking became first her comfort and then her profession in the aftermath of her mum's passing away.

We talked about Olivia's time at culinary school, how she came to make what sound like amazing artisanal donuts, her favourite food magazine, and much more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

A Half Baked Idea, by Olivia Potts

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, by Bill Buford

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell

The Comfort Food Diaries: My Quest for the Perfect Dish to Mend a Broken Heart, by Emily Nunn

Poor Man's Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking, by Elissa Altman

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Britain's Best Baker, by Justin Gellatly

The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster, by Sarah Krasnostein

One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson

The Secret Place, by Tana French

Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise, by Katherine Rundell

What Happens Now?, by Sophia Money-Coutts

Crossfire (Noughts and Crosses), by Malorie Blackman

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let's be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Olivia Potts

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Our guest on episode 48 is Anna Stuart, author of the novel Bonnie and Stan, which Ruth Hogan has called "a fresh, original love story beautifully told". If you loved the film Yesterday, you'll find echoes of it in this novel. I spoke to Anna about the setting of her book in both time and place – 1960s Liverpool – how being untidy can help with creativity, the challenges of writing historical fiction, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Bonnie and Stan, by Anna Stuart

She's Leaving Home, by Edwina Currie

Four Minutes to Save a Life, by Anna Stuart

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, by Ruth Hogan

The Keeper of Lost Things, by Ruth Hogan

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson

Headlines and Hedgerows, by John Craven

Please Miss, We're Boys, by Susan Elkin

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let's be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Anna Stuart

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Abbi Waxman's latest novel The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is out this week on both sides of the Atlantic. Nina Hill loves trivia and her cat, and works in a delightful but struggling bookshop. She's an introvert who's got her life and social calendar under control – until she finds out about a whole big family she never knew she had. And just as she's struggling to get her head around that, the trivia competition world throws an attractive guy into her path, too. What I loved best about this book – and there's a lot to love -- was the charming, witty tone of the writing, which addresses the reader directly in places.

Abbi Waxman talked to the podcast about the booksellers that inspired the book, the neighbourhood of LA in which it's set, how her degree in anthropology informs her writing, the joys and challenges of being a Brit living in the US, and more.

You can listen to the episode here,

or Spotify, or iTunes,

or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, by Abbi Waxman

Other People's Houses, by Abbi Waxman

The Garden of Small Beginnings, by Abbi Waxman

Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast, by Charlie Connelly

Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson

The Body: A Guide for Occupants, by Bill Bryson

At Home: A Short History of Private Life, by Bill Bryson

Sweet Sorrow, by David Nicholls

Expectation, by Anna Day

A Half Baked Idea, by Olivia Potts

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let's be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Abbi Waxman

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Our guest today is Beth O'Leary, who's the author of the runaway hit The Flatshare, which is a Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into multiple languages, including Dutch, Polish and Catalan. Beth talks about her former job in children's publishing, what it was like drafting her novel on the train, how objects left around a flat can tell us a lot about a person, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

Our Stop, by Laura Jane Williams

Are We Nearly There Yet?, by Lucy Vine

Hot Mess, by Lucy Vine

What Fresh Hell, by Lucy Vine

Everything You Ever Wanted, by Luiza Sauma

When We Were Rich, by Tim Lott

Sweet Sorrow, by David Nicholls

One Day, by David Nicholls

The Plus One, by Sophia Money-Coutts

What Happens Now?, by Sophia Money-Coutts

The Switch, by Beth O'Leary

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Beth O'Leary

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Jennifer Ryan returns as a guest to discuss her newly published second novel, The Spies of Shilling Lane. She talked about the woman who inspired the novel, the importance of the British stiff upper lip in the Second World War, why women made great spies in that period, and more.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, by Jennifer Ryan

The Spies of Shilling Lane, by Jennifer Ryan

Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly

Lost Roses, by Martha Hall Kelly

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Jennifer Ryan

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Our guest today is Rajeev Balusabranyam. Rajeev is the author of the novel Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss, which came out earlier this year. He's also very accomplished, with a few literary awards and nominations under his belt and degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge. He talks about his meditation practice, why he loves California, and what it was about the academic world that he wanted to explore in his novel.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss, by Rajeev Balasubramanyam

Island of a Thousand Mirrors, by Nayomi Munaweera

Tell Her Everything, by Mirza Waheed

Those Who Are Loved, by Victoria Hislop

The Book Club, by CJ Cooper

Bonnie and Stan, by Anna Stuart

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let's be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Rajeev Balasubramanyam

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On today's episode, we hear from Louise Walters, who's the author of three novels and also runs her own small publishing company. We talked about why she started Louise Walters Books, what kind of books she looks for, and the advice she has for anyone wanting to go the same route.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson, by Helen Kitson

Don't Think a Single Thought, by Diana Cambridge

Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase, by Louise Walters

A Life Between Us, by Louise Walters

The Road to California, by Louise Walters

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson

Climbers, by John Harrison

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rovelli

Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away and Returning to Britain's Poorest Towns, by Kerry Hudson

Conviction, by Dame Denise Mina

A Nice Cup of Tea, by Celia Imrie

Unscripted, by CLaire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let's be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

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Claire

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Louise Walters

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Our guest today is Laura Mucha, who studied psychology, philosophy and flying trapeze, worked as a face painter,and swam in Antarctica before becoming a lawyer for an international law firm. Then, when she was hit by a car aged 29, she decided to change career – she's now an award-winning poet, author, broadcaster, performer and speaker, and most recently the author of the fabulously named book Love Factually, which is about the science of who, how, and why we love.

Laura was so much fun to talk to, and full of wisdom too. We covered some big topics in this interview – love, death, and poetry among them – and she also mentioned some fascinating-sounding books about creativity.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

Love, Factually/Love Understood, by Laura Mucha

Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, by Jessica Abel

A Poem for Every Day of the Year, by Esiri Ali

With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial, by Kathryn Mannix

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

Saturday Night at the Movies: The Extraordinary Partnerships Behind Cinema's Greatest Scores, by Jennifer Nelson

The Science of Fate: Why Your Future is More Predictable Than You Think, by Hannah Critchlow

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, by Adam Kay

Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story, by Leah Hazard

Don't Touch My Hair, by Emma Dabiri

Faber & Faber: The Untold Story, by Toby Faber

Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo

*****

Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.

Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations.

Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it.

Sign up to Claire's newsletter to get updates on her writing, as well as recommendations for books and podcasts.

For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog.

Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]

*****

The Brit Lit Podcast

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website

Claire

Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel

Laura Mucha

Twitter / Website