The Eat, Watch and Binge Read Podcast

In Episode 14 of the EWBR podcast, Anisha & Dhruv discuss their favourite dark and disturbing books: from Christina Dalcher's Vox to George Orwell’s 1984 to Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin to Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let me Go and plenty, plenty more. Then there's a little rant about the Amy Adams starrer The Woman in The Window (sigh) and some high praise for Kate Winslet’s riveting character study in the limited series, Mare of Easttown. Plus, after being lauded as the future of home entertainment, has the Netflix backlash begun? What gives?

BINGE READ 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781780228228 Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099532927 A Little Life by Hanya https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781529061246 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571230587 1984 by George Orwell https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781784876555 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781784876258 Vox by Christina Dalcher https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780008300678 V For Vendetta by Alan Moore https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781401285005 Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241953242 My Dark Venessa https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780008342289 Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241989173 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571335770 We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver https://uk.bookshop.org/books/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin/9781781255674 The Push by Ashley Audrain https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241434550 The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-fifth-child/9780586089033 Good Omens by Neil Gaimen and Terry Prachett https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780552176453 Woman in the Window by AJ Finn https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780008333324 AJ Finn (author of Window in the Window backstory): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/a-suspense-novelists-trail-of-deceptions The Dinner by Herman Koch by https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781782394884 Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Plats https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781526602169 

WATCH Woman in the Window on Netflix (movie) Mare of Easttown on Now TV, HBO Undoing on House of Cards on Netflix Orange is the New Black on Netflix Tiger King on Netflix Selling Sunset on Netlfix I May Destroy You on BBC 

EAT Sorry - nothing to eat!

In Episode 13 of the EWBR podcast, Anish and Dhruv discuss the cultural juggernaut that is the new(ish) Planet of the Apes franchise and talk about their favourite books based on a good old fashioned moral dilemma, including An American Marriage by Tayari Jones and Blurred Lines by Hannah Begbie. Also, how does publisher lead marketing ("chic-lit", "guy books" etc) impact how/what we read? Let's not forget the joy inducing (and Pulitzer price winning) Less, by Andrew Sean Greer.

Finally, Anisha's been roasting veggies like there's no tomorrow, which leads us to a cracking book recommendation - Rukmini Iyer's brilliant culinary masterpiece, The Green Roasting Tin.

Tune in now!

In Episode 12 of the EWBR podcast, Anisha & Dhruv discuss the Young Adult genre in fiction – marketing ploy or the real deal? For all you Potterheads out there, before there was Potter, there was Ged – we talk about Ursula Le Guin’s epic Earthsea series and in the non-fantasy space, Weightless by Sarah Bannan. Then there’s Michaela Coel’s searing and very, very relevant TV drama of consent in this day and age, I May Destroy You. Finally, Anisha’s been having a bit of a salad love-in, so more on that and the ever reliable flavour gurus Meera Sodha, Ottolenghi and Sabrina Ghayour. (The links below are affiliate links. We may earn a little commission from any purchases you make which can support the podcast so thank you! This comission does not impact the price you pay.) BINGE READ The Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn keenehttps://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781534468016 Enid Blyton (The Famous Five Collection is a good place to start https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781444910582) Jeffrey Archer books (start with Kane and Abel https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781509808694 ) The Twilight Series by Stephanie Mayer https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780349001326 The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781338686531 The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781408856789 The Earthsea Series by Ursula K. Le Guin https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781473223547 The Narnia Series https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780007528097 The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781406387933 Weightless by Sarah Bannon https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781408856314 Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571333134 Normal People by Sally Rooney https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571334650 The Goldfinch by Donna Tart https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780349139630 Great Expectations by David Copperfield https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781989631928 Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781474613460 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781780228228 WATCH The College Admissions Scandal on Netflix I May Destroy You by Michaela Coel Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge EAT Radish and pomegranate salad by Meera Sodha The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781910931899

Ep. 11 - Anisha and Dhruv mark International Women's Day by discussing two of their favourite women writers, Zadie Smith (White Teeth, On Beauty, Grand Union)  and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Americanah, We Should All Be Feminists). Then there’s the irreverent 2000s British comedy,-drama Teachers and Anisha’s latest Apple TV comedy recommendation, Ted Lasso. Plus, a cracking Iraqi burger meal kit recommendation. Finally, is an Instant Pot worth the fuss? BINGE READ - Women’s Day Special

Zadie Smith

Writing about London discussed in episode 3 https://anchor.fm/eatwatchbingeread/episodes/ Episode-3-About-Lo-Fi-Sci-Fi--Woke-Friends--Evocative-Writing-and-Dumplings-eo4jdo

Grand Union https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241463376

On Beauty https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241989166

White Teeth https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241463376

Swing Time https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780141036601 Changing my Mind https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780141019468 Embassy of Cambodia

The Lazy River https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/18/the-lazy-river

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi

Americanah https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780007356348

Half of a Yellow Sun https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780007506071

Zikora (available on Kindle)

We Should All Be Feminists https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780008115272

Arundhati Roy

Writing discussed in episode 1 https://anchor.fm/eatwatchbingeread/episodes/Episode-1-About- Biryani--the-Crown--Jhumpa-Lahiri-etc-ener34

WATCH

Ted Talk, We Should All be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_we_should_all_be_feminists/transcript Teachers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teachers_(British_TV_series)

Ted Lasso https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy Megan Markle on Oprah (available on iTV)

Japan special! Join Anisha & Dhruv for Episode 10 of the EWBR podcast as they discuss (Haruki) Murakami, magic realism and other Japanese literary favourites, notably Nobel prize winner Yasunari Kawabata, Banana Yashimoto and Riku Onda. Then there's the brilliant BBC/Netflix genre mash-up Giri/Haji and an almost bust-up on differing (sigh) views on Ramen.

The new and improved EWBR podcast is back with a sharper, shorter, leaner (etc) format. Join Anisha & Dhruv as they discuss Neil Gaiman’s seminal masterpiece, the Sandman series and The Wachowskis sprawlinglyambitious global (ish) saga, Sense8. Anisha’s been hate watching Bridgerton, so expect loads of opinionated dissing. Then, thoughts on colour blind casting and a bit of Beth O’Leary (The Flatshare and The Switch), Brit Bennett (The Vanishing Half) and Gail Honeyman. Finally, the joy of surprise, curated book subscriptions!

In Episode 8 of the EWBR podcast, Anisha and Dhruv talk about their favourite comedies – from the classic American sitcom format mastered by Seinfeld, Friends and The Office, to the cynicism of Veep and Schitt's Creek and Phoebe Waller Bridge’s dark masterpiece Fleabag. Also, do subtitles detract from the tv/movie experience or is dubbing massively overrated (hint: it is!). Moving on to reading resolutions – John Steinbeck, Stephen King, Iris Murdoch, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, William Faulkner, William Thackeray and many, many more. Finally, are meal kits worth the fuss? Tune in now! 

WATCH 

Friends (specifically the pivot episode) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends ; Modern Family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Family ; Parks and Recreation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parks_and_Recreation ; Seinfeld https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinfeld ; Fleabag https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p070npjv/fleabag ;Malcolm In the Middle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_in_the_Middle ;Titus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_%28TV_series%29 ;The Office (USA version) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(American_TV_series) ;Schitts Creek https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schitt%27s_Creek ;Brooklyn Nine Nine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine ;Watch this clip and you will love Brooklyn Nine Nine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlBYdiXdUa8 ;Coupling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_(British_TV_series) ;Good Girls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Girls_%28TV_series%29 ; The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marvelous_Mrs._Maisel ; Sex Education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Education_%28TV_series%29 ; Veep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veep ;That 70’s Show https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_%2770s_Show ; One Day At A Time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Day_at_a_Time_%282017_TV_series%29 ; Kim’s Convenience https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim%27s_Convenience 

Dhruv's recommendations for subtitled shows/movies 

Open Your Eyes https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125659/ House of Flowers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Flowers_%28TV_series%29 Call My Agent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_My_Agent! ;Deutschland 83 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschland_83 ;Gran Hotel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Hotel_%28TV_series%29 

BINGE READ

Dhruv’s reading resolutions Read Iris Murdoch Sea the Sea https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099284093 2. Read John Steinbeck East of Eden https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241980354 Of Mice and Men https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781781125939 Grapes of Wrath https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241980347 Winter of our Discontent https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780141186313 The Moon is Down https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780141395371 Sweet Thursday https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780141185521 3. William Faulkner Sound and the Fury https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099475019 Light in August https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099283157 4. Gabriel Garcia Marquez 100 Years of Solitude https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241968581 Love in the Time of Cholera https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241978924 Collected Stories https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241968758 Speical mention: I Only Came to Use the Phone Anisha’s reading resolutions 1. Read Stephen King On Writing https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781444723250 Dead Zone https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781444708097 2. Middlemarch by Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot) https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9788027305056 3. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780141439839

In Episode 7 of the EWBR podcast, Anisha and Dhruv discuss and recommend their favourite short story collections from Neil Gaiman, Somerset Maugham, O Henry, Roald Dahl, Michel Faber, Jeffrey Archer and more. Then there's the excellent political potboiler Collateral, headlined by Carey Mulligan, copper show Line of Duty, Gillian Anderson starrer The Fall and the eerily prescient drama Years and Years. Also, eating out vs eating at home in your jammies, post lockdown food wishlist(s) and a recommended versatile food ingredient that allows for culinary culture hopping within the comfort of your own home.

In Episode 6 of the EWBR podcast, Anisha and Dhruv discuss books that were successfully adapted for cinema and television, including Sally Rooney’s Normal People and Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club. Then there's Alfonso Cuarón's version of the enduring Dickens classic, Great Expectations and Vishal Bhardwaj’s epic Hindi Shakespearean trilogy. Also, accidental Veganism, dry January and miscellaneous food trends (activated charcoal muffins, anyone?!)

EPISODE 6 SHOW NOTES

 (Please note show notes may include affiliate links) 

WATCH AND BINGE READ

 Normal People by Sally Rooney 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571334650 (book) 

TV Show: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571367863 (script) 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p089g8rs/episodes/guide (TV show) 

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099765219 (book) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club (movie) 

Choke by Chuck Palanuik https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/jul/22/fiction.chuckpalahniuk 

Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571333134 

Atonement by Ian Mcewan  

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099507383 (book) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_%28film%29 (movie) 

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099532927 (book)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_%28film%29 (movie) 

Forrest Gump 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781405876759 (book) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Gump (movie) 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571335770 (book) 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571275489 (script) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Let_Me_Go_%282010_film%29 (movie) 

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571325689 

Jhumpa Lahiri discussed in episode 1 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571322732 

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780349139630 (book) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goldfinch_%28film%29 (movie) 

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Suitable_Boy_%28TV_series%29

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781989631928 (book) 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119223/ (movie) 

Two other movies by Alfonso Cuarón: 

Y Tu Mamá También https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245574/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_11 

Roma https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6155172/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_3 

Fitoor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitoor 

King Uncle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Uncle 

Hamlet by Shakespeare https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780199535811 

Haider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haider_%28film%29 

Othello by Shakespeare https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781678146269 

Omkara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omkara_%282006_film%29 

Jane Austen's complete works https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781474938143 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780593118092 (book) 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3281548/ (movie) 

EAT 

Veganuary 

Dry January

Food and cultural appropriation discussed in Episode 4 

Activated charcoal infused food Mushroom Coffee

In Episode 5 of the EWBR Podcast, Anisha and Dhruv talk about their favourite books and authors, including Ernest Hemingway, David Szalay, Judy Blume, Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth. Then there are some great recommendations for children’s books by Russian authors. Also, the machiavellian politics of The Morning Show, verbose Aaron Sorkin vehicle The Newsroom, Defending Jacob and the fluffy Anna Kendrick starrer, Love Life. (Please note show notes may include affiliate links)

WATCH

The Morning Show - Apple TV https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-morning-show/umc.cmc.25tn3v8ku4b39tr6ccgb8nl6m

The Dark Knight (movie) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_(film)

The Newsroom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Newsroom_(American_TV_series)

The West Wing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_West_Wing

Almost Famous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almost_Famous

Watchmen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen_%28TV_series%29

Defending Jacob - Apple TV https://tv.apple.com/us/show/defending-jacob/umc.cmc.5h5mr0shyyqqahqdv55ywyilr

Primal Fear https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_Fear_%28film%29

Love Life - BBC iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p08nbxcw/love-life

BINGE READ

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781447294832 (also discussed in episode 1)

Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099285038

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781781396803

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780007141784

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780751542738

All That Man Is by David Szalay https://uk.bookshop.org/books/all-that-man-is-shortlisted-for-the-man-booker-prize-2016/9780099593690

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781474618793

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780753807736

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780006550686

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241980767

When Daddy Was a Little Boy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6672414-when-daddy-was-a-little-boy

Eleven Stories for Boys and Girls https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/646895.Eleven_Stories_for_Boys_and_Girls

The Adventures of Dunno and Friends by Nikolay Nosov https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1137064.The_Adventures_of_Dunno_and_his_Friends?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=d2PpTgej1H&rank=1

AND NOTHING TO EAT THIS WEEK!

You can find the Eat, Watch and Binge Read Podcast @eatwatchbingeread https://instagram.com/eatwatchbingeread

You can find Anisha on her blog Fashion and Frappes http://www.fashionandfrappes.com and on Instagram as https://instagram.com/fashionandfrappes

Dhruv is shy and likes to pretend he's mysterious (also he can't "work the internet") so he's probably reachable at @eatwatchbingeread https://instagram.com/eatwatchbingeread