Curious Readers

Join Joseph and Amanda as they discuss the reads they are most looking forward to this Spring, plus a few more updates from prize season. We also introduce a new segment – DNF corner, where we talk about the books we couldn’t wait to put down. Bookish NewsWomen’s Prize for Non-Fiction shortlistInternational Booker Prize shortlistRecent ReadsThe Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross BenjaminTyll by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross BenjaminThe Discomfort of Evening by Lucas RijneveldThe Winner by Teddy WayneCompanion Piece by Ali Smith Joan Is Okay by Weike WangTop Ten Reads for SpringYesteryear by Caro Claire BurkeLand by Maggie O’FarrellHamnet by Maggie O’FarrellKin by Tayari Jones The Vanishing Half by Britt BennettAmerican Marriage by Tayari JonesSilver Sparrow by Tayari JonesDevotions by Lucy CaldwellOpenings by Lucy CaldwellIf We Cannot Go At The Speed Of Light by Kim Cho-yeop, translated by Anton HurTranscription by Ben LernerLeaving the Atocha Station by Ben LernerMy Year In Paris With Gertrude Stein by Deborah LevyYou With The Sad Eyes by Christina ApplegateFamesick by Lena Dunham‘Too Much’ by Lena Dunham‘Girls’ by Lena DunhamYour Presence Is A Danger To Your Life by Samar Yazbek, translated by Leri PriceSecond Hand Time by Svetlana AlexivichLondon Falling: Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden KeefeEmpire of Pain by Patrick Radden KeefeTell Noone by Patrick Radden Keefe Ghost Stories: A Memoir by Siri HustvedtMother Mary Comes To Me by Arundhati RoyOne Aladdin, Two Lamps by Jeanette WintersonDNF Corner My Friends by Frederick BackmanBritt-Marie Was Here by Frederick BackmanWorkhorse by Caroline Palmer Also mentionedCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Amanda and Joseph for their next deep dive into Wendy Erskine’s debut novel, The Benefactors, a polyphonic story about a sexual assault and the lengths that three mothers will go to to keep their sons from being held accountable. Along the way, they discuss the latest prize news, with the Carol Shields Prize longlist topping the episode.Bookish NewsCarol Shields Prize for Fiction longlistRecent ReadsThe Brittle Age by Donatella Di PietrantonioThe books of Elena FerranteThe Only Story by Julian BarnesDeep DiveThe Benefactors by Wendy ErskineSweet Home by Wendy ErskineDance Move by Wendy ErskineClose to Home by Michael MageeMagnolia, written and directed by Paul Thomas AndersonThe Bee Sting by Paul Murray What We’re Reading NextWaiting For The Fear by Oguz AtayThe Door by Magda SzaboIndignity by Lea Ypi Also mentionedCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, join Amanda and Joseph for one of their most personally revealing episodes yet, as they discuss the books that made them: the teenage obsessions, the gateway reads, and the unforgettable titles, passages and writers that made us the readers they are today.(1:20) Bookish News (1:40) The Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist(2:49) Gloria Don't Speak by Lucy Apps @lucy.emma13(3:10) The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson @marxia1 (4:32) The International Booker Prize Longlist(5:36) The Nights Are QuietIn Iran by Shida Bazyar(5:59) Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur(6:28) Taiwan Travelogue Yáng Shuāng-zǐ(8:08) Recent Reads (8:17) Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert @sophiegilbertwrites(12:52) The Missing Ink by Philip Hensher @philiphensher(17:43) The Books That Made Us(23:16) The Odyssey by Homer (various translations including Robert Fagles and Emily Wilson)(24:27) O’ Brother, Where Art Thou directed by Joel and Ethan Cohen (24:54) 'Penelope' by Carol Ann Duffy(28:43) The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper(32:48) Elidor by Alan Garner(32:53) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (34:58) The Odyssey directed by Christopher Nolan(36:56) The Continuous Life: Poems by Mark Strand(40:16) The Colour Purple by Alice Walker(41:25) The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter(46:34) Gilead by Marilyn Robinson(49:38) A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam(53:55) In the Distance by Hernan Diaz(54:36) What We’re Reading Next(55:00) No Friend of This House by Natalie Haynes @nataliehaynesauthor(55:12) One Aladdin, Two Lamps by Jeanette Winterson(56:07) Main Street by Sinclair Lewis(56:43) EveryDay Is For The Thief by Teju Cole @_tejucole Also mentionedTate Modern, Nigerian Modernism (on until 16 April 2026)Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Joseph and Amanda tackle romance. But this is romance with a twist, no tropes or formulas, just good writing that even the most hard-hearted cynic can enjoy. And before that, as Prize season is upon us, they dish the latest on prestigious longlists, and top and tail the episode with current and future reads. (0:52) Bookish news(1:03) The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction(2:52) Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi (4:03) Ask Me How It Works: Love in an Open Marriage by Deepa Paul @storiesbydeepa(4:29) The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet @lyse.doucet(6:04) Mother Mary Comes to Me a memoir by Arundhati Roy @arundatiroyauthor (6:17) International Booker Prize(6:45) The National Book Critics Circle Awards (NBCC)(7:16) Dublin Literary Award(7:56) What I Know About You by Eric Chacour @ericchacour(8:09) The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (8:37) Live Fast by Brigitte Giroud(9:13) Recent Reads (9:21) Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn(14:19) Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash @madelinecash(17:45) Romance for Cynics(19:15) Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin(19:29) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte(24:09) Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid @rachelreidwrites(25:38) Emma & Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen(26:30) Persuasion by Jane Austen(26:56) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte(27:09) Villette by Charlotte Bronte(29:03) The books of Lily King @lilykingbooks(29:23) Minor Black Figures & The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor @brandonlgtaylor(29:23) Memorial: A Novel by Bryan Washington (30:05) Normal People by Sally Rooney @sallyrooneyofficial(30:37) You Are Here by David Nicholls @davidnichollswriter(31:17) Happy All The Time by Laurie Colwin(35:46) Reasons To Be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe @ninastibbe (39:17) Crush by Ada Calhoun @adacalhoun(42:58) Good Material by Dolly Alderton @dollyalderton(47:13) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller @madeline.e.miller(47:47) The Disenchantment by Celia Bell (48:22) The Lovers by Paolo Cognetti (49:24) Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason @meg_mason_writer(50:26) Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey @monicaheisey(51:50) You, Again by Kate Goldbeck @kategoldbeck(52:25) Heartburn by Nora Ephron(53:15) What We’re Reading Next (53:26) Midnight Is Not In Everyone’s Reach by António Lobo Antunes @antonio.lobo.antunes(54:16) White Spines: Confessions of a Book Collector by Nicholas Royle @nicholasroyle(55:15) Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones @tayari(55:21) Kin by Tayari Jones(55:47) My Friends by Frederik Backman @frederickbackman(56:00) The Winner by Teddy WayneThe Benefactors by Wendy Erskine @wednesdaywerskinCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Amanda and Joseph go into the trenches with Daniel Kraus’s repulsively propulsive Angel Down. They also discuss what they’ve been reading recently, including the new Ian McEwan novel and a slew of non-fiction, as well as what they’re looking forward to picking up next. (2:40) Bookish news(2:44) Storygraph (@josephjdance and @itsmoleyreads)(3:47) Faversham Literary Festival, 20 February to 1 March, 2026(4:44) Chocolat and Vianne by Joanne Harris (5:41) Recent reads (6:00) Books, A Manifesto: Or, How To Build A Library by Ian Patterson(7:19) Trees In Winter by Richard Shimell (richardshimell.co.uk)(8:21) Hiroshima by John Hersey (10:33) What We Can Know by Ian McEwan(14:05) Deep Dive - Angel Down(14:45) The Shape of Water by Daniel Kraus(14:53) Trollhunters by Daniel Kraus(15:04) The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus(15:27) Rotters and Scowler by Daniel Kraus(15:46) The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch by Daniel Kraus(15:57) Whale Fall by Daniel Kraus(19:13) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus @krausauthor(23:49) Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman(24:04) Zone by Mathias Enard (24:18) Septology by Jon Fosse(38:56) 1917, directed by Sam Mendes(38:59) All’s Quiet on the Western Front (2022), directed by Edward Berger(41:39) In Memoriam by Alice Winn(57:33) Final thoughts(59:38) What We’re Reading Next(59:44) A High Wind In Jamaica. Or The Innocent Voyage by Richard Hughes(1:00:59) The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! Start the year with Amanda and Joseph as they talk about their reading intentions for 2026. (2:09) Bookish News (2:36) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (directed by Emerald Fennell)(2:46) Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (directed by Chloe Zhao)(2:59) Die My Love by Ariana Harwicz (directed by Lynne Ramsey)(3:34) Train Dreams by Dennis Johnson (directed by Clint Bentley)(3:51) A Pair of Bookends podcast (7:15) What We’ve Been Reading  (7:19) Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson(8:22) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans(13:51) Reading Resolutions(23:28) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt(24:39) Independent People by Halldór Laxness(25:05) Death’s End by Cixin Liu(26:29) Farewell Fountain Street by Selçuk Altun(26:42) Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü(26:54) Journey To The Edge of Life by Tezer Özlü(27:00) Snow by Orhan Pamuk (28:17) My Clavicle and Other Major Misalignments by Marta Sanz(31:12) Steering the Craft by Ursula K Le Guinn(31:21) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King(31:45) Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk(33:51) Katabasis by RF Kuang(34:06) The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami(34:14) The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong(35:14) On The Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle(37:05) Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver(45:17) Rougon-Macquart Cycle by Emile Zola(46:26) The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji(50:31) What We’re Reading Next(50:44) Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy(52:27) Money by Emile Zola(53:20) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus Also MentionedWhitstable Silent Book Club @silentbookclubwhitstableCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Joseph and Amanda talk about some of their favourite short story collections - ranging from canonical gems to new voices - plus, as always, they talk about what they’ve been reading recently and discuss what they’re excited to read next. (1:24) Bookish news(2:20) Birchbark Books(2:27) Inkwell Books(2:40) Red Balloon Books(2:56) Excelsior Bay Books / Milkweed Books / Black Garnet Books(3:08) Shop Minneapolis bookshops from anywhere at Bookstore.org and libro.fm(4:31) Standwithminnesota.com(5:36) The TS Eliot Prize(6:03) Wellwater by Karen Solie (7:17) Recent Reads (7:27) Buckeye by Patrick Ryan @patrickryanyc(12:40) A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell(17:14) Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh(18:17) Short Story Collections(18:26) Joseph's Short Story Quiz(25:38) Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny @katherineheiny(30:59) Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny(34:32) Mslexia(34:45) Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer @zzpacker56(40:42) In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway(46:37) The Latehomecomer: Essential Stories by Mavis Gallant(51:18) Furies: Stories of the Wicked, Wild and Untamed by Margaret Atwood and others @therealmargaretatwood(52:21) Stories of Place:///zinc.level.blindfold edited by Niamh McAnally @niamh_mcanally(53:00) The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda @matsudaoko(56:40) You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi @lilianacolanzi, translated by Chris Andrews (58:06) Selected stories by Nikolai Gogol(59:19) Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn(59:59) What We’re Reading Next (1:00:13) I’m Glad My Mother Died by Jennette McCurdy @jennettemccurdy(1:00:50) Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy(1:01:19) Palaver by Bryan Washington @bry.washingCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Amanda and Joseph for an end-of-year bibliofest as they talk about their top 10 books of the year, plus they dish the dirt on the titles that sadly didn’t live up to their expectations over the last twelve months. (1:20) Bookish News (1:24) The Warwick Prize For Women In Translation (1:44) And The Walls Became The World All Around by Johanna Ekström and Sigrid Rausing, translated by Sigrid Rausing(3:33) The New Yorker at 100 (Netflix)(5:22) Our Top 10 Books of 2025 (#10 to #6)(6:55) New York Times Best Books of 2025(8:32) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai(8:55) Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood(9:52) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus(10:41) The Director by Andrew Kehlmann(11:15) You Should Have Left by Andrew Kehlmann(11:53) The Sisters by Jonas Hassan Khemiri (12:55) Wild Thing: A Life Of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux(13:01) A Marriage At Sea / Maurice & Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst(15:34) We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt's Lessons in Love and Disobedience by Lyndsey Stonebridge(18:16) The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley(20:06) Objects Of Desire by Neil Blackmore (#10)(21:47) Playworld by Adam Ross (#9)(23:08) A Person Is A Prayer by Ammar Kalia (#8)(24:58) Good Girl by Aria Aber @aria.arber (#7)(27:16) Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno translated by Natasha Lehrer (#6)(31:13) Christmas Cracker Questions Speed Round(32:11) The Story of a Heart by Dr Rachel Clarke(34:10) Nevada by Imogen Binnie(36:21) A Big Storm Knocked it Over by Laurie Colwin(38:37) Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe(39:17) The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe(41:15) I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol(41:42) Close to Home by Michael Magee(42:31) Heart the Lover by Lily King(42:37) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans(43:25) Flashlight by Susan Choi(44:38) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab(44:55) The Names by Florence Knapp(48:29) In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust(48:51) A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell(49:26) On the Calculation of Volume, volumes I, II and III by Solvej Balle(49:54) A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah K Maas(50:26) Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson(50:51) Our Top 10 Books of 2025 (#5 to #1)(51:02)The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (#5)(53:24) The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (#4)(56:26) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (#3)(1:02:16) My Clavicle and Other Major Misalignments by Marta Sanz and translated from the Spanish by Katie King (#2)(1:02:44) Unwell Woman by Elinor Cleghorn(1:04:48) One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (#1)(1:07:37) Spent by Alison Bechdel (#1)(1:10:24) All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert(1:11:56) Twist by Column McCann(1:12:32) Moderation by Elaine Castillo(1:14:11) What We’re Reading Next(1:14:28) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus (1:14:40) Whale Fall by Daniel Kraus(1:16:24) A Dance to the Music of Time by Antony PowellAlso mentioned Gordon Burn Prize For New Writing Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Amanda and Joseph as they get graphic – about the best graphic novels they’ve read and the ones they are keen to add to their TBRs. Along the way, they talk about their recent reads and discuss the books they hope will close out their reading year. (0:47) Bookish News (5:41) National Book Award (6:00) The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine (6:45) One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (7:46) The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith(8:25) The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri (8:48) We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara(9:52) Recent Reads (9:56) 11.22.63 by Stephen King (15:20) Ultraluminous by Katherine Faw (21:12) Graphic Novels (25:35) Alison by Lizzy Stewart(26:19) Ducks by Kate Beaton (30:11) Sabrina by Nick Drnaso (30:17) Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls(30:57) The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings (36:59) Goodnight Pun Pun by Inio Asano (37:22) Sheets by Brenna Thummler (38:02) Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson (38:13) Blankets by Craig Thompson (45:05) Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez (49:15) Walk Me To the Corner by Anneli Furmark (53:34) Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast (54:13) Florrie: A Football Love Story by Anna Trench (54:46) Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto (55:53) Firefly by Robert Macfarlane and Luke Adam Hawker(56:34) Walking Distance by Lizzy Stewart (57:12) The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco (58:02) This Beautiful, Ridiculous City by Kay Sohini (59:04) What We’re Reading Next (59:29) On The Calculation of Volume: Volumes II and III by Solvej Balle (1:00:28) The Silver Book by Olivia Laing(1:00:43) Books: A Manifesto, Or, How To Build A Library by Ian Patterson (1:01:11) The Riders in the Chariot by Patrick White Also mentioned The Liverpool Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum @harbourbooksCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Amanda and Joseph for another deep dive, this time into Heart the Lover, Lily King’s tale of first loves and lost opportunities. Plus, as always, they talk about their recent reads and discuss the titles they’re keen to pick up next. (1:23) Book News(1:23) The Booker Prize 2025(1:34) Flesh by David Szalay (2:09) The Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction(2:12) How to End a Story: Collected Diaries by Helen Garner (2:45) The Goldsmith’s Prize(3:26) We Live Here Now by CD Rose(4:11) What We’re Reading Next (4:16) Big Kiss, Bye Bye by Claire Louise Bennett(7:46) Checkout 19 by Claire Lousie Bennett(8:28) Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley(14:26)  Deep Dive into Heart the Lover (15:44) The Pleasing Hour(15:49) The English Teacher(15:53) Father of the Rain(15:57) Euphoria (16:30) Writers & Lovers (18:04) Heart The Lover synopsis(25:17) Book Reporter Talks to: Lily King, Heart the Lover(29:07) The Aeneid by Virgil (29:12) “Some day we will remember even these our hardships” (Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit)(31:34) Ulysses by James Joyce(31:41) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald(32:14) Literary references in Heart The Lover(32:47) ‘The Dead’ by James Joyce(1:06:41) We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman(1:07:21) What we’re reading next(1:07:45) Independent People by Halldor Laxness(1:08:05) Ambrose Through The Tall Grass by Nathan Korn(1:09:01) The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez(1:09:43) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Amanda and Joseph on this week’s episode as they discuss the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist and talk in depth about what worked and what didn’t work for them with each of the six nominated books. They also chat book news and have a look at some of the upcoming titles they’re looking forward to reading next. (0:32) Book News(1:12) Lone Wolf by Adam Weymouth(4:50) Gresham College Lecture Series 2025-2026(5:24) Booker Prize shortlist (5:56) The Booker Prize 2025(9:33) The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller(20:00) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai(27:26) The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits(28:09) All Fours by Miranda July(35:05) Endling by Maria Reva(35:22) Amanda’s Sarah Jessica Parker impression(36:25) Audition by Katie Kitamura(42:20) Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga(43:03) Flashlight by Susan Choi(43:07) Trust Exercise by Susan Choi(49:35) Flesh by David Szalay (57:05) What We’re Reading Next (57:15) 11.22.63 by Stephen King(57:30) Antidote by Karen Russell (58:40) Taipei by Tao Lin(59:23) Heart the Lover by Lily King Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creeps, chills, and carefully crafted dread - join Joseph and Amanda for this week’s episode as they recommend a stack of mood-heavy reads for spooky season. Plus, Team CR talks László Krasznahorkai - this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature - and as always they discuss what they’ve been reading lately and what they’re looking forward to picking up next. (0:44) Book News(0:51) Nobel Prize for Literature (1:46) Louisiana Channel(2:52) Sátántangó by Lászlo Krasznahorkai(5:41) Rivals by Jilly Cooper(7:00) Current Reads(7:04) Objects of Desire by Neil Blackmore(10:43) Fair Play by Louise Hegarty (13:48)  Spooky Season Reading(15:06)  Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica(17:55) Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfeld(19:01) The Echoes by Evie Wyld(19:28) Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda(19:51) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab(20:27) Our Share of the Night by Mariana Enriquez (21:36) Pet Sematary by Stephen King(22:55) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving(24:04) Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn(25:04) The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston(27:22) Earthlings by Sayaka Murata(27:36) Beloved by Toni Morrison(28:25)  Ghost stories by MR James, Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allen Poe and HP Lovecraft(29:44) Come Closer by Sara Gran (Joseph’s Pick #1)(34:23) Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (Amanda’s Pick #1)(39:04) The Houseguest and Other Stories by Amparo Dávila, tr. by Audrey Harris and Matthew Gleeson (Joseph Pick #2)(44:21) Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (Amanda’s Pick #2)(46:24) Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka(49:32) Spooky Books Recommended to Amanda(49:44) Sinead Hanna @sineadhannacraic(50:14)  The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell(50:29) Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker (51:06) Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison(51:42) Spooky Books Recommended to Joseph(51:52) A Game In Yellow by Hailey Piper(52:42) Ashley @coffeeandcuentos(52:59) Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, ed. Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.(52:32) Talking Scared Podcast with Neil McRobert(53:47) Rekt by Alex Gonzalez(54:33) What We’re Reading Next (55:03) Greyhound by Joanna Pocock(55:41) Big Kiss, Bye-Bye by Claire-Louise Bennett(55:57) What A Time To Be Alive by Jenny Mustard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just in time for Banned Books Week (5-11 October), Joseph and Amanda talk about literary censorship and recommend the samizdat titles they think are worth exploring. They also chat about this year's Booker Prize Shortlist which was announced on 23 September and run through their picks from the Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist, one of the UK's biggest literary prizes for non-fiction. Plus, as always, they talk about what they've been reading recently and what they're excited to pick up next. Book News(1:22) The Booker Prize(7:16) The Baillie Gifford PrizeCurrent Reads(11:16) I Am Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol(15:44) Ask Me How It Works by Deepa Paul(16:19) Authority: Essays On Being Right by Andrea Long ChuBanned Books(21:08) Banned Books Week, 5-11 October 2025(22:57) PEN America(27:28) Index on Censorship: 100 Banned Novels(27:44) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (29:07) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (29:16) Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (31:37) The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (Amanda’s Pick #1)(35:17) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (Joseph’s Pick #1)(39:16) Deenie by Judy Blume (Amanda’s Pick #2)(42:17) Judy Blume Forever(45:35) July’s People by Nadine Gordimer (Joseph’s Pick #2)(49:50) This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson (Amanda’s Pick #3)(54:42) A Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Joseph’s Pick #3)What We’re Reading Next(58:01) The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits(58:03) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai(58:09) Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth(58:40) Transcription by Ben Lerner(59:19) The Renovation by Kenan OrhanCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda launch into Atmosphere with an in-depth discussion of the queer-coded astronaut love story by Taylor Jenkins Reid. They also take a look at the recently announced fiction and non-fiction longlists from the National Book Award, plus share what they’ve been reading lately and the titles they’re looking forward to picking up next.  Book NewsThe Book Club Review podcastA Pair Of Bookends podcast National Book AwardsMargate BookieCheltenham Literary FestivalCurrent ReadsFarewell Fountain Street by Selçuk Altun, translated by Mel Kenne and Nilgün DunganMaggie; or, a Man and A Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie YeeDying for Sex, HBOMaurice and Maralyn by Sophie ElmhirstDeep Dive Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReidForever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins ReidAfter I Do by Taylor Jenkins ReidMaybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins ReidOne True Love by Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins ReidDaisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidMalibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins ReidCarrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins ReidWhat We’re Reading NextPriest Daddy by Patricia LockwoodNo One Is Talking About This by Patricia LockwoodWill There Ever Be Another You by Patricia LockwoodNightcrawler by Leila MottleyThe Girls That Grew Big by Leila Mottley Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda step into the world of sci-fi and speculative fiction and chart a course through some of their favourite fictional forays into evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, deep space exploration, and the perils of the Oort Cloud. They also discuss the latest news from the Hugo Awards, talk about what they’ve been reading recently, and as always, run through the titles they’re looking forward to picking up next. Book News(2:18) The Hugo Awards(3:32) The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Best Novel 2025)(4:20) The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Best Novella 2025)(5:30) Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll (Best Related Work 2025)Current Reads(6:56) The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny by Laura Bates(9:50) Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen(10:02) Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates(12:04) Annie Bot by Sierra Greer(12:19) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab(14:02) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. SchwabSpeculative Fiction & Sci-Fi Recommendations(19:14) Amanda’s Sci-Fi story(21:25) Sexism in Sci-Fi(21:51) The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley(23:56) Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. Le Guin(24:53) Speculative vs Science Fiction(25:48) In Other Worlds: Science Fiction and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood(25:59) The Handmaid’s Tale / The MaddAddam Triology by Margaret Atwood(26:25) The Water Cure / Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh(27:23) In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (Amanda’s Pick #1)(30:33) Voyager Golden Record(30:40) Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield(31:14) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang(31:45) Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler (Joseph’s Pick #1)(34:26) The Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley by Robert Sheckley (Joseph’s Pick #1)(35:48) Ten Planets by Yuri Herrera (Joseph’s Pick #1)(37:02) The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (Amanda’s Pick #2)(41:20) To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (Joseph’s Pick #2)(44:10) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Amanda’s Pick #3)(47:56) Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Joseph’s Pick #3) What We’re Reading Next(51:34) Fair Play by Louise Hegarty(51:51) Bone Horn by Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain(52:04) Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller(52:19) House of Day, House of Night by Olga TokarczukCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, we respond to our listeners with all our deepest, darkest DNF secrets: why we do it, when we do it, and how we feel when it happens. We also talk about the books we’ve read recently as well as the backlist titles and new releases we hope to explore in the coming weeks. Book News(2:31) The Sealey Challenge(4:25) The Wild Iris by Louise Glück(4:48) Midden Witch by Fiona Benson(5:16) Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems by William Carlos Williams(6:02) That Broke Into Shining Crystals by Richard Scott / What The Earth Seemed To Say by Marie Howe / Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith(6:44) So I Got To Thinking podcastCurrent Reads(11:11) Child Of My Heart by Alice McDermot(14:19) The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai(18:15) Anastasia Krupnik by Lois LowryDNFs (23:43) Middlemarch by George Eliot(26:43) Let The Great World Spin by Column McCann(27:17) Apeirogon by Column McCann(27:48) Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar(30:28) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami(30:58) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold(35:39) Twist by Colum McCann(39:23) Neuromancer by William Gibson(40:06) Butter by Asako Yuzuki(43:25) Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart(44:48) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt(46:38) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara(54:06) This Other Eden by Paul Hardy(55:02) Rouge / All’s Well / Bunny by Mona Awad(56:17) The Ishiguro Effect(59:06) Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee(59:28) I Gave You Eyes And You Looked Towards Darkness by Irène Sola What We’re Reading Next(1:01:03) We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad(1:01:37) Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Rie Qudan (1:02:11) Maggie; Or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar: A Novel by Katie YeesCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s bumper episode we cover the Booker Prize longlist before exploring some of our favourite fiction and non-fiction about art. We ask why books featuring artists seem to be so perennially popular and what is it about the artist’s life that keeps us coming back for more.Book NewsThe Booker Prize Long List Love Forms by Claire Adam The South by Tash AwUniversality by Natasha BrownOne Boat by Jonathan BuckleyFlashlight by Susan ChoiThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran DesaiAudition by Katie KitamuraThe Rest of Our Lives by Ben MarkovitsThe Land in Winter by Andrew MillerEndling by Maria RevaFlesh by David SzalaySeascraper by Benjamin WoodMisinterpretation by Ledia XhogaOrbital by Samantha HarveyCurrent ReadsMargo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi ThorpeThe Night Always Comes by Willy VlautinBooks About Art The Original by Nell StevensThe Artist by Lucy Steeds A Little Life by Hanya YanagiharaNightbitch by Rachel YoderWhat I Loved by Siri HustvedtBlue Ruin by Hari KunzruBiography of X by Catherine LaceyA Month in Siena by Hisham MatarMy Friends by Hisham MatarThe Return by Hisham MatarAlison by Lizzy StewartDaybook: The Journal of an Artist by Anne TruittTurn by Anne TruittProspect by Anne TruittWet Paint by Chloe AshbyThe Goldfinch by Donna TarttGirl With A Pearl Earring by Tracey ChevalierThe Art Forger by Barbara ShapiroMy Struggle by Karl Ove KnausgårdWild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue PrideauxNinth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art by Mary Gaskill‘Olympia’ and ‘A Bar at the Folies-Bergère’ by Edouard Manetannetruitt.orgThe Whitney Museum of American ArtThe Courtauld Institute of Art Jon Harvey, artist What We’re Reading NextThe Compound by Aisling RawleNeuromancer by William GibsonModeration by Elaine CastilloAmerica Is Not The Heart by Elaine CastilloFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book NewsThe Hugo AwardsGalle Literary Festival, 22-25 January 2026Edinburgh International Book Festival, 9-24 August 2025 Current readsFree Play: Improvisation in Life & Art by Stephen NachmanovitchOn Elizabeth Bishop by Colm TóibinThe Names by Florence KnappAtmosphere by Taylor Jenkins-ReidDeep Dive into Kristin Hannah Firefly Lane The NightingaleThe Winter GardenThe Four WindsThe Women  The Things They Carried by Tim O’BrienWhat We’re Reading NextThe Sunflower Boys by Sam WachmanKatabasis by R.F. KuangLonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us this week as we delve into our favourite memoirs and recommend some bizarre stories of fame, feuds, cults, and figure skating. Of course, we also share the latest book news, current reads and what we plan to read next.Book NewsClose to Home by Michael MageeSay Nothing by Patrick Radden KeefeCurrent readsA Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon by Mizuki TsujimuraLonely Castle In The Mirror by Mizuki TsujimuraMemoirs I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdyIn The Dream House by Carmen Maria MachadoCrying In H Mart by Michelle ZaunerAftermath by Rachel CuskDying of Politeness by Geena DavisBossy Pants by Tina FeyHomesick: A Memoir by Jennifer Croft The Extinction Of Irena Rey by Jennifer CroftFlights by Olga TolkaczukThe Books Of Jacob by Olga TolkaczukInto The Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley KeoughThe Woman In Me by Britney SpearsDaisy Jones And The Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Salt Path by Raynor WinnA Million Little Pieces by James FreyThe Museum Of Lost And Fragile Things by Suzanne JoinsonThe Sound Of Gravel by Ruth WarinerEducated by Tara WestoverStay True by Hua HsuFierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick Knife by Salman RushdieThe Best Minds by Jonathan RosenQuietly Hostile by Samantha IrbyThis Is The Place To Be by Lara PawsonWhat we’re reading nextThe Coin by Yasmin ZaherThe Echoes by Evie Wyld Days Of Light by Megan HunterTheory & Practice by Michelle de KretserOrlanda by Jacqueline HarpmanI Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline HarpmanAlso mentioned The Harrison Chambers Of DistinctionCool People Reading PodcastFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who says queer lit is just for June? In our latest episode we talk about some queer titles and authors that we'd recommend reading all year round. Plus, we walk through some queer literary milestones and of course chat about what we've been reading recently and what we're looking forward to picking up next.Book NewsThe Hypocrite by Jo HamyaWinter Animals by Ashani LewisRevolutionary Acts: Love & Brotherhood In Black Gay Britain by Jason OkundayeFood For The Dead by Charlotte Shevchenko KnightCurrent readsThe Coin by Yasmin ZaherThe Story Of A Heart by Dr. Rachel ClarkQueer literatureGiovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Joseph And His Friend by Bayard Taylor The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde The Well Of Loneliness by Radclyffe HallDeath In Venice by Thomas Mann The City And The Pillar by Gore Vidal The Price Of Salt by Patricia Highsmith ‘Carol’ by Todd Haynes Sister Outsider by Audre LordeLoving Her by Ann Shockley Detransition, Baby by Torrey PetersStag Dance by Torrey PetersTell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt Song Of Achilles by Madeline MillerA Little Life by Hanya YanagiharaWho’s Afraid Of Gender? by Judith ButlerGreta & Valdin by Rebecca K. ReillyA Boy's Own Story by Edmund White Love Me Tender / PlayBoy by Constance Debré The End Of Eddy by Edouard Louis Love In Exile by Shon FayeGirlhood / Abandon Me: Memoirs by Melissa FebosA Short History Of Trans Misogyny by Jules Gill-PetersonThe Best Of Me by David SedarisThis Book Is Gay by Juno DawsonNothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Histories by Diarmuid HesterOur Pride picksThe Lost Past Of Billy McQueen by Neil AlexanderValencia by Michelle TeaOur Wives Under The Sea by Julia ArmfieldTiepolo Blue by James CahillAnd The Band Played On by Randy ShiltsNevada by Imogen BinnieWhat We’re Reading NextThe Wax Child by Olga RavnThe Employees by Olga RavnHelm by Sarah Hall Close To Home by Michael MageeThe Names by Florence Knapp Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodesCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James at Fish Island Studio (@fishislandstudio)Register as an organ donor at organdonation.nhs.uk (UK) and donatelife.net (US) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.