The Readers

Welcome to the latest episode of The Readers. This week Thomas and Simon are back after a small break where Gav came to the rescue. They are talking about reading resolutions as well as the books that they are both about to take on holiday with them, as they are both of on their travels.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here. 

Reading Resolutions 2016 () After quite the catch up Thomas and Simon turn their attention to the fact that it is actually 2016 and a new year and so talk resolutions. What are the resolutions that they are planning on participating in both in their bookish lives and out of them? Are they planning any reading challenges?

Thomas and Simon Are Off On Holiday, What Will They Take to Read? () Thomas and Simon are both off on holiday in the next few days, not together, in fact Thomas will already be on vacation. S they thought they would share the books they are planning on taking with them. Thomas to Mexico and Simon to Cyprus.

Thomas’ Choices…

Crime and Punishment – Dostoyevsky

The Room Upstairs – Monica Dickens

The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene

Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury

The Forgers – Bradford Morrow

Simon’s Choices…

The Anatomy of a Soldier – Harry Barker

Disclaimer – Renee Knight

The Girl in the Red Coat – Kate Hamer

Moriarty – Anthony Horrowitz

Death is a Welcome Guest – Louise Welsh

The Danish Girl – David Ebershoff

The Illuminations – Andrew O’Hagan

Black Water – Louise Doughty

Next time on the Readers () Thomas and Simon will be back in two weeks when they will be back with more book based banter. If you missed the latest (and last in the series) of You Wrote The Book do go and listen, his guest is Joanna Cannon and they discuss her wonderful debut novel The Trouble With Goats and Sheep.

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You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

On this week’s episode Gavin makes a surprise re-appearance and shares episode 2 of his new podcast, An Unreliable Reader, where he talks about his Reading Intentions for 2016. It’s likely he also mention too many books.

Simon and Thomas will be back next fortnight when Simon should finally be able to find his recording equipment again. It's currently under a dust sheet.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Readers. This week Simon has been joined by Gavin, hoorah, to record the latest in their biennial look at the books they are looking forward to in the next 6 months, so what does the first half of 2016 hold?

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

Simon and Gavin’s Books for The First Half of 2016 () This week Simon has been joined by Gavin, hoorah, to record the latest in their biennial look at the books they are looking forward to in the next 6 months, so what does the first half of 2016 hold?

January

Gavin chose...

Occupy Me - Tricia Sullivan

A woman with wings that exist in another dimension. A man trapped in his own body by a killer. A briefcase that is a door to hell. A conspiracy that reaches beyond our world. Breathtaking SF from a Clarke Award-winning author. Tricia Sullivan has written an extraordinary, genre defining novel that begins with the mystery of a woman who barely knows herself and ends with a discovery that transcends space and time. On the way we follow our heroine as she attempts to track down a killer in the body of another man, and the man who has been taken over, his will trapped inside the mind of the being that has taken him over. And at the centre of it all a briefcase that contains countless possible realities.

Simon chose...

Mr Splitfoot – Samantha Hunt

Nat and Rose are young orphans, living in a crowded foster home run by an eccentric religious fanatic. When a traveling con-man comes knocking, they see their chance to escape and join him on the road, proclaiming they can channel the dead - for a price, of course. Decades later, in a different time and place, Cora is too clever for her office job, too scared of her abysmal lover to cope with her unplanned pregnancy, and she too is looking for a way out. So when her mute Aunt Ruth pays her an unexpected visit, apparently on a mysterious mission, she decides to join her. Together the two women set out on foot, on a strange and unforgettable odyssey across the state of New York. Where is Ruth taking them? Where has she been? And who - or what - has she hidden in the woods at the end of the road? Ingenious, infectious, subversive and strange, Mr Splitfoot will take you on a journey you will not regret - and will never forget.

Human Acts – Han Kang

Gwangju, South Korea, 1980. In the wake of a viciously suppressed student uprising, a boy searches for his friend's corpse, a consciousness searches for its abandoned body, and a brutalised country searches for a voice. In a sequence of interconnected chapters the victims and the bereaved encounter censorship, denial, forgiveness and the echoing agony of the original trauma. Human Acts is a universal book, utterly modern and profoundly timeless. Already a controversial bestseller and award-winning book in Korea, it confirms Han Kang as a writer of immense importance.

February

Gavin chose...

The Book of Speculation - Erika Swyler

Simon Watson lives alone on the Long Island Sound in his family home, a house perched on the edge of a cliff that is slowly crumbling into the sea. His parents are long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, works for a travelling carnival and seldom calls. On a day in late June, Simon receives a mysterious book from an antiquarian bookseller; it has been sent to him because it is inscribed with the name Verona Bonn, Simon's grandmother. The book tells the story of two doomed lovers who were part of a travelling circus more than two hundred years ago. The paper crackles with age as Simon turns the yellowed pages filled with notes and sketches. He is fascinated, yet as he reads Simon becomes increasingly unnerved. Why do so many women in his family drown on 24th July? And could Enola, who has suddenly turned up at home for the first time in years,

Welcome to the latest episode of The Readers. This week Thomas and Simon record the episode that Thomas has been desperate to do for over a year, they recommend each other (and you) need to read when you can if you haven’t already!

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here. 

Thomas and Simon Recommend A Select Super Seven Each () This fortnight Thomas has finally convinced Simon to record the episode he has been wanting to record for  ages and ages… He and Simon selecting seven books they love that they would love the other to read. They discuss the books and why you should read them.

Simon’s Choices…

My Policeman – Bethan Roberts

The Redemption of Galen Pike – Carys Davies

Magda – Meike Ziervogel

Mr Loverman – Bernadine Evaristo

The Hunger Trace – Edward Hogan

Deep Water – Patricia Highsmith

The Proof of Love – Catherine Hall

Thomas’ Choices…

Maurice – E.M. Forster

Deliverance – James Dickey

Ship of Fools – Katherine Anne Porter

An American Tragedy – Theodore Dreiser

As We Are Now – May Sarton

Martin Eden – Jack London

Have your read any of these and if so which ones? Which seven books would you love Simon and Thomas to read?

Next time on the Readers () Thomas and Simon will be back in two weeks when they will be back with more book based banter. Next week Simon returns with You Wrote The Book where his special guest is Ruth Ware who joins him to discuss her book In A Dark, Dark Wood. Don’t miss last week’s episode when he was joined by Michel Faber to discuss Michel’s last ever novel.

Get the RSS link for the podcast by clicking here.

You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Readers. This week Thomas and Simon talk about two topics that they should have talked above a long time ago… because two listeners sent them back in the Spring. With the attitude of better late than never they talk about their literary confessions and regrets plus if reading a favourite book just once is enough!

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

Literary Confessions and Regrets () In the first part of the show Simon and Thomas answer listener Michelle’s question about their literary confessions. Which are the books that they are embarrassed to have read or not read? Have they ever regretted missing a book event? What other regrets and confessions do Simon and Thomas have, and which ones do you have?

Is Reading Your Favourite Book Only Once Really Enough () Listener ? wants to know if reading a your favourite book just once is enough? Thomas and Simon talk about their experiences of reading their favourite books again and why they may or may not want to. Would you want to read your very favourite book again or do you think they should just be read and cherished once?

Next time on the Readers () Thomas and Simon will be back in two weeks when they will be back with more book based banter. Next week Simon returns with You Wrote The Book where his special guest is Michel Faber who joins him to discuss his last book The Book of Strange New Things. Don’t miss last week’s episode when he was joined by Paul McVeigh.

Get the RSS link for the podcast by clicking here.

You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

This week on the Readers it is time to bring back Reading Horizons, though with a twist as Thomas and Simon discuss what they have been reading, what they are reading and how on earth they decide what they are going to read next...

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

What We Have Read & What We Are Reading () It is time to have a catch up with Thomas and Simon have been reading and are reading at the moment...

 

Thomas has read: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

He is currently reading: At The Bottom of Everything by Ben Dolnick

 

Simon has read: The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring

He was reading: Riotous Assembly by Tom Sharpe

How We Choose What To Read Next () Normally Simon and Thomas would instantly share what they are reading next, however whilst Simon knows that he really fancies reading ‘The Watch Tower’ by Elizabeth Harrower, Thomas has been a little more stuck/spoilt for choice with three possibilities. These are ‘The Pure Gold Baby’ by Margaret Drabble, ‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and ‘May We Be Forgiven’ by A.M. Homes. So they decided it was time to talk about how they choose what they read next. Do they wander through their shelves, bookstores or libraries and pick by whim? Do they have a special selection by the bed? All is revealed in the second section of the show and they want to know how you pick what you are reading next? So let them know...

Next time on the Readers () Thomas and Simon will be back in two weeks with more book based banter. Simon will be back next Tuesday with You Wrote The Book! with guest Meike Ziervogel discussing 'Magda' and on Friday it is the second episode of new book club show Hear... Read This.

Get the RSS link for the podcast by clicking here.

You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Readers Podcast. Last month after discussing the American classics Simon came up with the idea of both Thomas and himself coming up with two separate lists of the ten books that they think sum up their country for them and would give to someone if they moved to their country to ‘read up on it’.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

Catching Up () Before the madness of the books that Thomas and Simon want to discuss they have a catch up. First Simon mentions the sad news of the passing of one of the old school bloggers Norman Geras of NormBlog. They then have a natter about the Man Booker winner, Thomas’ book buying binge and Simon going mad in London and judging the Not The Booker.

Our Country in 10 Books () In the main section of the show, Simon and Thomas discuss the books they think they would give to someone moving to their country, or visiting for a long time, that give their most realistic insight into it.

Simon’s choices are...

The Room of Lost Things – Stella Duffy (London)

The News Where You Are – Catherine O’Flynn (Birmingham)

The Woman in Black – Susan Hill (Norfolk)

One Good Turn – Kate Atkinson ( Edinburgh)

The Long Falling – Keith Ridgway (Northern Ireland)

The Proof of Love – Catherine Hall (The Lake District)

The Claude Glass – Tom Bullough (Wales)

Agatha Raisin & The Quiche of Death – M.C. Beaton (The Cotswolds)

Rough Music – Patrick Gale (Cornwall)

My Policeman – Bethan Roberts (Brighton)

Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma – Kerry Hudson (Great Britain all over)

Yes, you may notice Simon cheated with eleven books, oops. Thomas choices are...

Tepper Isn’t Going Out – Calvin Trillin (New York)

Go Tell It on the Mountain – James Baldwin (New York)

The Magnificent Spinster – May Sarton (New England)

Echo House – Ward Just (Washington, DC)

Deliverance – James Dickey (South)

Then We Came to the End – Joshua Ferris (Chicago)

Main Street – Sinclair Lewis (Midwest)

The Professor’s House – Willa Cather (Southwest)

A Way of Life, Like Any Other – Darcy O’Brien (Southern California)

Tales of the City – Armistead Maupin (Northern California)

So those are their lists! Simon and Thomas are desperate now to go off and read the books on the others lists that they haven’t already. Are you going to do the same? Would you agree with their lists? Most importantly, what would your ten books be that would sum up your country, as Simon and Thomas would love to read your lists... there’s a mission!!

Next time on the Readers () Thomas and Simon will be back in two weeks with more book based banter including the books that they have been reading recently.

Get the RSS link for the podcast by clicking here.

You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

In this weeks episode Simon goes solo and has a chat with you about lots of bookish bits and bobs. First up he talks through the Costa First Novel shortlist which he is judging, then he discusses book panics and book funks (with several tangents in between) aswell as just some general thoughts on public reading, goals and plans for 2018. It was like therapy for him.

OOPS!!!! Gav Apologises for the earlier version with SPOILERS!!!

In this episode Simon and Thomas have a little surprise announcement, they discuss their reading horizons and Simon has a BIG favour to ask of you at the end of the show.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here. You can also support The Readers if you feel like it via www.patreon.com/thereaders

The Readers Horizons () Simon and Thomas share some slightly surprising news with you all. Yes, sadly Thomas has decided it is time to leave The Readers podcast after 107 episodes so far (and another 5 episodes ahead) which is quite some going. Simon is a little shocked and a bit sad but totally understands and wonders what should happen to the readers after December. If you would like to help decide the future of the podcast you can by heading here https://goo.gl/forms/pxg9KiOg0hn4Yv4n2 

Reading Horizons () Simon and Thomas share what books they have read, are reading and want to read next.

Simon had just read: Little Beast by Julie Demers

He is reading: Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend and The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

And is planning on reading: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Thomas has read: The Pest House by Jim Crace

He is reading: Stingray Afternoons by Steve Rushin

And is planning on reading: The Second Death of Unica Aveyano by Ernesto Mestre-Reed 

Simon Asks A Favour () Simon has a little favour to ask you as he would love to know what you think should happen to the (as yet to be determined) future of The Readers.  Please give this questionnaire ten minutes of your time here

https://goo.gl/forms/pxg9KiOg0hn4Yv4n2 

Many thanks!

Get the RSS link for the podcast by clicking here.

You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

You can also support The Readers if you feel like it via www.patreon.com/thereaders

In this episode Simon and Thomas are back after an unintentional summer break, so they have a big old catch up.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here. You can also support The Readers if you feel like it via www.patreon.com/thereaders

Catching Up () Simon and Thomas have a catch up about what has been going on, how their summer reading went and what they have been reading, what they have been watching and just how everything has been over all really.

Books Discussed on the Show () To follow.

Get the RSS link for the podcast by clicking here.

You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

You can also support The Readers if you feel like it via www.patreon.com/thereaders