Books On The Go

Anna and Geoff discuss the Singapore government paying people to read books, and the 2026 National Book Awards longlist for fiction.   Our book of the week is SWITZY by Emma Cline. Switzy is Cline's latest novel after her best-sellers The Girls and The Guest. David, a retired executive suffering from Alzheimers, is travelling to Zurich to end his life.  We follow David's point of view as he visits his daughter and an old school friend, while pretending he is fine. Switzy is a national best-seller, a Most Anticipated Book of Fall and has been longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.    Read-alikes: WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH by Sigrid Nunez MAYFLIES by Andrew O'Hagan Podcast: Better Off Dead   We also give our (wrong) predictions for the Booker Prize shortlist!   Coming up: THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY by Elizabeth Strout and THE RENOVATION by Kenan Orhan.   Follow us! Email: [email protected] Instagram: @abailliekaras  Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz  

Anna and Geoff discuss the challenges facing our local bookstores: rising taxes in the UK and a cyber-hacking event affecting a major distributor in Australia.  We also take a look at the current front-runners for the Booker Prize.   Our book of the week is debut novel ALL THEM DOGS by Djamel White. A gritty neo-noir story about Tony Ward who returns to Dublin and starts working for an enforcer in a local gang, it has been long listed for the 2026 Booker Prize.   We talk about: What makes a good underworld crime thriller and what are some of the pitfalls for literary authors venturing into this area. Why this is not a gangland Heated Rivalry. When a book leaves you wanting more.    Coming up:  TELL ME EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Strout   Follow us! Email: [email protected] Instagram: @abailliekaras  Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss THE PALM HOUSE by Gwendoline Riley.  Set in London, it centres on friends Laura and Putnam, both journalists facing a changing work landscape. It is longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.   We enjoyed this book, especially the spare writing. It got us talking: How important is plot? Is this a comic novel? Geoff's alternative title for the book. We also pick our next reads from the Booker Prize Longlist.   Other books mentioned:   The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey Capture by Amanda Lohrey The Gate at The Stairs by Lorrie Moore Birds of America by Lorrie Moore Foster by Claire Keegan The Friend by Sigrid Nunez   Coming up: All Them Dogs by Djamel White Follow us! Email: [email protected] Instagram: @abailliekaras  Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna and Geoff are joined by Kate Slotover of the Book Club Review Podcast, on location in London.  We discuss our top holiday reading recommendations.   Our picks:   FAMESICK by Lena Dunham THE PALACE PAPERS by Tina Brown ENOUGH SAID by Alan Bennett   SLOUGH HOUSE by Mick Herron WAITING ON A FRIEND by Natalie Adler LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION by Ben Lerner PARADISO by Michele Masneri translated by Richard Village RECEIPTS FROM THE BOOKSHOP by Katie Clapham THE LINE OF BEAUTY by Alan Hollinghurst     Also discussed: TRANSCRIPTION by Ben Lerner VILLA COCO by Andrew Sean Greer THE SILVER BOOK by Olivia Laing SUNSTRUCK by William Hunter THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller EUROTRASH by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles EARTH 7 by Deb Olin Unferth   Pressing questions:  What makes a good holiday read? How many ghosts are too many? Is running a bookshop the dream job? Follow us! Email: [email protected] Instagram: @abailliekaras (Anna) / @bookclubreviewpodcast (Kate) Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the Dublin Literary Award winner, Gliff by Ali Smith.   Our book of the week is HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser. Lispector was the Ukrainian-Brazilian novelist writing from the 1940s to 1970s who is widely referenced and is having a moment on BookTube and BookTok.  She was compared with Virginia Woolf and Cubist artists. A short book (80 pages) but not a quick read as we discovered.  Geoff has an intriguing theory about the first section (spoiler alert).  Anna found it too abstract and meta but maybe it all makes sense?    Apologies for the audio quality, Anna's microphone was not working (we realised belatedly)!   Coming up: our top holiday reads. Follow us! Email: [email protected] Instagram: @abailliekaras  Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz