It's Not A Book Club Podcast

F̶l̶a̶w̶e̶d̶ Beauty is in the ruins!Yukio Mishima's The Temple of the Golden Pavilion unfolds in the enchanting city of Kyoto, capturing the story of a young Buddhist monk's obsession with the temple's beauty and his turbulent journey through jealousy, desire, and existential angst.Penned in 1956, Mishima's masterpiece explores the destructive power of beauty and the conflicts between ephemeral desires and spiritual ideals. It's a profound narrative on how an individual's fixation on perfecti...

T̶o̶x̶i̶c̶ Love is in the air!James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room is centred in the 'suave' Parisian inner city, and focuses on the events of an American man's complicated feelings and frustrations with his relationships with other women and men in his life, most notably an Italian bartender named Giovanni. Written in 1956, Baldwin's literary (initially controversial) classic delves into the complexities of love and sexuality, it's intersection with cultural norms and the ...

One political treatise to rule them all, One political treatise to find them, One political treatise to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them... The Prince, written by the great Niccolò Machiavelli is a 16th century instruction guide for new princes and royals.Often referred to as the principalis of modern political philosophy, the treatise is set just prior to the Italian renaissance and details the use of 'fear' as a tactic of control, and the desirable attributes of a g...

A Nigerian literary great.Chinua Achebe debut novel 'Things Fall Apart' follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo man and acclaimed wrestling champion of the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia. The book, first published in 1958, depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern parts of Nigeria and the arrival of colonialism and its effects on the cultural and religious traditions of Umuofia. A thought provoking episode, Zach draws parallels with Okonkwo and the Japanese art of seppuku, Reuben d...

S2 Episode 07: *Yo Melo, queue the scary music* Thinnnnner Thinner, the podcasts first horror novel, by the acclaimed Stephen King centers on lawyer Billy Halleck, a stereotypical middle class suburban white man who kills a crossing Romani woman in a road accident and escapes legal punishment due to his connections. The twist? The woman's father places a curse on Halleck, which causes him to lose weight uncontrollably... Get the popcorn and relax as the guy's create (we...

S2 Episode 06: Chill. Yes they took their time, but they work and it's Jane Austen...The British literary classic, Pride and Prejudice, is an 1813 'novel of manners'. Set in the regency era, the novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet via her relationship with her family, friends and the enticing/elusive Mr Darcy. Tune in to listen to Kehinde's perspective on the books allegorical anchor, Reuben's attempts to determine who is the most Mr Darcy'esque and Za...

Season 2: Episode 5''BELOVED'' is Toni Morrison's fifth novel, and the podcast's second time diving into one of her literary classics. Winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, 'Beloved' is set after the American Civil War and tells the story of a family of formerly enslaved people whose Cincinnati home is haunted by a malevolent spirit. Not immediately easy to read, the guys were quickly won over by Toni Morrison's seamless skill with words. Tune in to a d...

Season 2: Episode 4Russia + Essex = Russex... The guys welcome their second guest on the podcast, Lucia Dove; a writer and poet from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK. Lucia discusses her main inspirations, fragmented experiences and memories from Russia and Essex which influenced her pamphlet of poems 'Say Cucumber', published in 2019. Tune in, as we dissect and discuss: the structure of poems, the demise of Skype, and our own amateur(Reuben's past trauma *yawn*) poetry. &nb...

Season 2: Episode 3Excuse us, we have been busy! We kickstart (restart?) Season 2 with Byung-Chul Han's 'The Disappearance of Rituals. Published in 2019, the book is a critical review of western society, taking aim at neoliberalism and the relentless force of capitalism in the erosion of community in the 21st century. Using examples of rituals from the past Byung-Chul juxtaposes a community without communication – where the intensity of togetherness in silent recognition provides structure an...

Season 2: Episode 2"You may desire more than one woman..."The controversial book, 'The Way of the Superior Man' written by David Deida (published 1997) explores masculinity, femininity and the interplay between them both,, through the lens of the life of a man. The book delves into the importance of a career, family, relationships and intimacy; offering a guidebook for living a masculine life of integrity, authenticity, and freedom. Reube...

SEASON 2! *horn noise*The boys are back! Kicking off season 2 with an explosive episode, after reading Luster the debut novel by Raven Leilani. The book follows a 23-year-old black female protagonist, Edie, as she gets involved in a polygamous relationship with a middle aged white man and his wife. Released in August 2020, the book has already received a mainly positive critical reception, but do the guys agree...Twitter: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCASTInstagram: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCAST

Season 1: Episode 12The last episode of the series, the last episode (first episode?) of the year! The guys finish Season 1 with Skinhead, a handbook of the potent 'cult' skinhead movement in England by the British fashion photographer Nick knight. Reuben, Zach and Kehinde discuss the migrant influences of Skinhead culture, the characteristics and behaviour of Skinheads, and their attitudes towards school, the police, and the government. Happy Pandemic-New Year!Twitter: @ITS...

Season 1: Episode 11Intelligence...the guys try to de-code what it means?From discussing Charlton supporters to whether Zach would date someone smarter than him, the INACP boys discuss the science fiction short story by American writer Daniel Keyes. The novel, published in 1966, is told by a series of progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, the first human subject for an experimental surgery. The story touches on ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally d...

Season 1: Episode 10The first guest of the podcast, Derek Owusu, joins the boys in discussing his most recent book 'That Reminds Me'. A story of a young man named 'K' told in fragments of memory...Derek talks about his inspiration for the book, debates with Zach about how to correctly write a sentence and laughs about the shared nostalgia of growing up in London. A special thanks for Kwanda for sponsoring this episode and GUAP studios for hosting us. Helpline Numbers:Anxiety UK 03444 775 774M...

Season 1: Episode 9If you love cats you'll love this episode artwork. The boys discuss the first book 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is a comedy science fiction series created by Douglas Adams. This episode is exactly 42 years from the original radio broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, what are the chances of that!The boys talk about the parameters of the book, does size matter? and the serendipity of the events of this year (and life in general). Tune in and lets us know your thoughts....

Season 1: Episode 8Your QUARANTINE CONTENT continues as the boys discuss the three act screenplay: An Inspector Calls by J.B.Priestly. *SPOILER ALERT* - A tense investigation by the omniscient Inspector Goole, crashes an engagement party to which the Burling family discover that they are all in fact responsible for Eva Smith's suicide. We discuss themes such as the responsibility of the governments, 'Social Climbing' and Juvenoia. Reuben also talks about the limitations of mankind, Zach gives...

Season 1: Episode 7After months of anticipation, the guy's have finally finished reading the acclaimed dystopian novel: A Clockwork Orange by English writer Anthony Burgess. Published in 1962, it is set in a near-future society that has a youth subculture of extreme violence. The boy's look into themes of empathy, try to determine what deduces free will and discuss the nuances of London slang? Tune in...Twitter: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCASTInstagram: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCAST

Season 1: Episode 6The boy’s are back! Kicking off the New Year with a descriptive analysis of the childhood favourite; Biff and Chip: Rainbow Machine. Inspired by the book, Zach goes on a monologue about the ‘woke’ reading habits of his youth , Reuben dictates some facts about rainbows(..?) and Kehinde offers theories on which books children should read from the INABCP catalogue.Twitter: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCASTInstagram: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCAST

Season 1: Episode 5In this episode the boys review the highly acclaimed autobiographical comedy book written by American comedian Tina Fey. The five week New York Times topping book, selling in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide seems to deconstruct Reuben's toxic masculinity, finally make Zach laugh and prompt a disclosure in femininity within architecture from Kehinde... Twitter: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCASTInstagram: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCAST

Season 1: Episode 4In this episode the lads dive into Toni Morrison's second novel Sula. Published in 1973, the book touches on friendship between women when unmediated by men and the choices available to black women outside of the their own societies approval. They touch on conversations such as nature VS nurture and the complexities of life and the concept of 'Sonder'.Twitter: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCASTInstagram: @ITSNOTABOOKCLUBPODCAST