The Only Way is Reading

First came the action of running, and accompanying it was the entity known as me. I run; therefore I am. In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and his writing. Equal parts travelogue, training log and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and settings ranging from Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston.

Reserve What I Talk about When I Talk about Running

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Freya chats with ECC BAME Network members Zenith, Neera and Michael in this special Black History Month takeover episode of The Only Way Is Reading.

They are discussing Louise Hare's fantastic debut This Lovely City, published by HarperCollins Publishers. The novel, set in 1948 and 1950, follows Laurie, a Jamaican musician who moved to London on the HMT Empire Windrush. He is courting a British mixed race woman, Evie, when he finds a baby, dead in Clapham Common pond. From then on, nothing is as simple as it seems...

Hare paints a vivid image of the life of the Windrush generation in this brilliant book full of suspense, fear and hope. The group loved it and their analysis makes for a great listen. 

This review has hints of spoilers, so if you want to read the book first, reserve it from your local library now: https://tlc.ent.sirsidynix.net.uk/client/en_GB/essex/search/results?qu=this+lovely+city&te=&lm=ESSEXTHURR

P.s. please excuse the echoey audio - we will record in a different room next time!

On this special episode of The Only Way Is Reading we jump straight into a soundscape of Chapter 12 in The War of the Worlds.

We are joined by local musician and sound artist Chris Adam who lead the Invasion Soundscaping Workshop on 28 October 2021. We discuss H. G. Wells' epic novel, why electronic music is so good for the telling of futuristic tales and how anyone can make music.

I’m Beth and today myself and my co-host Freya are getting criminal with crime fiction, interviewing author Abigail Dean and we’ll be hearing an update about the upcoming Essex Authors Day.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Only Way Is Reading. Series 1 is still available on Spotify, Google podcasts, Apple Podcasts and a few other platforms. We also have three one-off episodes about poetry, LGBT+ History Month and a young adult special. Join us for our next episode where we’ll be having our own book group and discussing short stories! This has been Beth and Freya on the Only Way is Reading. See you next time.

Hosted by Beth and Freya.

I’m Beth and today myself and my co-host Freya are getting real with non-fiction and Freya interviews international man of mystery, David Omand. We will also be discussing the themes and characters in the genre and we’ll be hearing more about our Reading Well scheme.

Hosted by Beth and Freya.

I’m Beth and in this episode we’ll be doing the time warp and reviewing historical fiction and Freya interviews best-selling author Liz Trenow who speaks about her family history of silk-weaving and how that inspired her to become a writer. 

We’ll also hear more about the Reading Agency’s Reading Well scheme.

Episode 2: Syfy and Fantasy 

Hosted by Beth and Freya.

Hello and welcome to Series 2 episode 2 of The Only Way is Reading, a podcast brought to you by Essex Library Services. We are dedicated to bringing you great book recommendations and interest stories with a library twist. I’m Beth and today myself and my co-host Freya will be travelling across galaxies and into other dimensions as we discuss sci-fi and fantasy. We’ll also be hearing about Reading Friends, a great programme launched by the Reading Agency that brings people together and tackles loneliness using the proven power of reading.