The Book Club Review

The Book of Love vs The Dud Avocado: Fantasy, Paris & Book Club Verdicts

The Book of Love vs The Dud Avocado: Fantasy, Paris & Book Club VerdictsIn this episode of The Book Club Review, we return to our book club roots with two wildly different novels: The Book of Love by Kelly Link and The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy.The Book of Love is the first novel from acclaimed American short story virtuoso and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link. In a seemingly ordinary coastal town three teenagers become pawns in a supernatural power struggle. Vulture magazine named it ‘the escapist masterpiece of the year’ but what did Laura’s book club think?Our second book-club pick is Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado – a fizzing, exuberant novel from 1958 about a young American woman let loose in Paris, determined to live life on her own terms. It gained instant cult status on first publication and remains a timeless portrait of a woman hellbent on living, a book that feels bracingly modern despite being nearly seventy years old. But did it make for a good book club read?We've also got some listener feedback on Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, we're catching up on recent reads, and the books we’re excited about next.Get more from the pod on PatreonCome behind the scenes and enjoy extra episodes, book club membership, community chat threads, readalongs, Kate's reading diaries and more, head to patreon.com/thebookclubreviewBooklistYou'll find all the books mentioned in the pod's Bookshop.org bookshopBookshop.org listSlow Days Fast Company by Eve BabitzDidion and Babitz by Lili AnolikProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirThe Book of Love by Kelly LinkAmerican Gods by Neil GaimanWhat We Can Know by Ian McEwanThe Dud Avocado by Elaine DundyBonjour Tristesse by Françoise SaganNiccolo Rising by Dorothy DunnettOther links of noteOne Grand BooksFrances Ambler's substackSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nearly Departed: Love, Loss and Literary Romance, with Lucas Oakeley

Valentine’s-ish Literary Romance: Lucas Oakley on Nearly Departed, Boys Book Club & love stories that stay with you long after readingJoin Kate and Lucas Oakeley for this Valentine's-ish episode of The Book Club Review, recorded at Housman's Bookshop in King's Cross. We're exploring literary fiction where love takes centre stage, but the reward is complexity rather than a guaranteed happy ending.Nearly Departed manages to combine the enjoyable tropes of Rom Com with the thoughtful exploration through writing that we associate with literary fiction. We explore how Lucas’s real-life experiences—witnessing a fatal cycling accident and his father's first wife dying young—shaped the book's exploration of love, loss, and second chances, and the art of balancing humour with heartbreak while playing with rom-com tropes.Of course, we’ve got plenty of recommendations for love stories with emotional depth, including Lily King's Writers & Lovers, Andrew Kaufman's All My Friends Are Superheroes, Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, David Nicholls' Sweet Sorrow, Douglas Stuart's John of John, and hot-book-of-the-moment Wuthering Heights. We’re also discussing Boys Book Club, the organization Lucas has co-founded to encourage men to read and talk about books. What makes a great book club pick for an all-male book club? We’re going to be finding out.We’ve even got Valentine's recipe – rigatoni with a long-simmered ‘Sunday sauce’ – and a couple of cocktail ideas. All in all, the perfect ingredients for a literary Valentine’s weekend.Become a member of The Book Club Review communityJoin The Book Club Review community on Patreon for ad-free listening, extra episodes, Kate’s weekly reading diaries, the opportunity to connect with other listeners in the chat groups, and at the higher tier to talk books in-person with Kate at the monthly book club. Find all the details and how to sign up at patreon.com/thebookclubreview.BooklistYou can find all the titles mentioned in this episode in the Book Club Review bookshop on bookshop.orgNearly Departed by Lucas Oakeley Heart The Lover by Lily KingAll My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew KaufmanSweet Sorrow by David NichollsJohn of John by Douglas StuartWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëComfort MOB: Food that Makes You Feel GoodTheory & Practice by Michelle de KretserAll My Precious Madness by Mark BowlesThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre DumasThe Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott FitzgeraldLife Out of Order by Audrey NiffeneggerLinksFollow Lucas on Instagram and Tik Tok @lucasoakeley, and you can find out all the details for the Boy’s Book Club at theboysbookclub.co.ukHousmans bookshop, the longest continuous-running radical bookshop in Britain, established in 1945 and based in London’s Kings Cross since 1959See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Bestseller Test • Are bestsellers worth the hype? • Episode #186

What makes a bestseller? Is it the quality of the writing, or just the right book at the right time? This week Kate is joined by co-host Laura Potter and returning guest Phil Chaffee to find out.Between us we've tackled six of the biggest bestsellers out there – Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets, Freida McFadden's The Housemaid, Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary, Matt Dinnerman's Dungeon Crawler Carl, SenLinYu's Alchemised, and Sarah Adams' In Your Dreams – and we have some opinions.We're sharing our honest experiences of each one: what worked, what didn't, and whether these books truly earned their place on the bestseller lists. But this isn't just a round of verdicts. We're also pooling our recommendations for the bestsellers we genuinely think are worth your time, like The Correspondant by Virginia Evans – because there are some real gems out there among the hype.And as always, we round off with our current and upcoming reads.Press play to find out which bestsellers passed the test – and which ones didn't.Support the pod on PatreonExplore all the benefits of membership. Kate's weekly reading diary is available to free members. Paid tiers include ad-free episodes, extra shows, chat group access and our monthly book club at Patreon.com/thebookclubreview. BooklistYou can also find all the books mentioned in The Book Club Review bookshop on Bookshop.org, the online bookstore that supports independent bookshops.The Secret of Secrets by Dan BrownThe Da Vinci Code by Dan BrownThe Housemaid by Frieda McFaddenGone Girl by Gillian FlynnIn Your Dreams by Sarah AdamsAlchemized by SenLinYuGideon the Ninth by Tamsyn MuirDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanThe Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirThe Martian by Andy WeirNobody's Fool by Harlen CobdenThe Correspondant by Virginia EvansThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Robin Buss)Rivals by Jilly CooperThe novels of Stephen KingThe Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerThe Smiley books by John Le CarreThe Underground Railroad by Colson WhiteheadThe Night Always Comes by Willy VlautinIce by Jacek Dukaj (Author) , Ursula Phillips (Translator)The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. ByattI'll Take The Fire by Leïla Slimani(also The Country of Others and Watch US Dance)Lullaby / The Perfect Nanny by Leïla SlimaniNearly Departed by Lucas OakeleyCaptain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de BernieresThe Covenant of Water by Abraham VergheseDemon Copperhead by Barbara KingsolverSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The New Year Reading Reset: Finding fresh inspiration with bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud • #185

New year, new intentions – but if you're in the northern hemisphere, January can feel less like renewal and more like the darkest, coldest stretch of endless winter. Maybe what you need isn't another resolution. Maybe you just need the right book.Ella Berthoud is an writer and an artist, but most importantly from our point of view a bibliotherapist. She has been prescribing fiction for life's ailments for over a decade. She co-wrote The Novel Cure, a brilliant guide that matches books to every psychological state and is packed with sound recommendations.Who better then to give me some great suggestions for avoiding the January blues. Join Kate and Ella as they talk about the questions that vex every reader: how do we find more time for reading? How do we escape reading slumps? And how can we read more deeply without it feeling like homework?Plus of course we're swapping lots of great book recommendations for January and the year ahead. Listen in for a shot of literary inspiration that might be just what you need.BooklistThe Novel Cure by Ella Berthoud Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReedCursed Daughters by Oyinkan BraithwaiteJitterbug Perfume by Tom RobbinsThe Enchanted April by Elizabeth von ArnimA Place Called Winter by Patrick GaleNotes from an Exhibition by Patrick GaleMetamorphoses by Ovid Humanly Possible by Sarah BakewellThe Golden Ass by ApuleiusA Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter (Jane Degras)Dálvi by Laura GallowayThe Artist by Lucy SteedsThe Homemade God by Rachel JoyceThe Hounding by Xenobe PurvisCall Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu GuoPerfection by Vincenzo LatronicoThings: A Story of the Sixties by Georges PerecSky Daddy by Kate FolkThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Robin Buss)Find out more about Ella at ellaberthoud.comFind all the books mentioned in this episode in the Book Club Review Bookshop, on Bookshop UK, the online retailer that supports independent bookshops.PatreonHead to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview to join The Book Club Review community for book recommendations, readalongs, book club and, new for 2026, Kate’s Reading Diaries. You can also buy someone gift membership at https://www.patreon.com/thebookclubreview/gift Serious ReadersTake advantage of the Serious Readers offer. Head to seriousreaders.com/bcr and use the code BCR at checkout for £150 off any HD light.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Favourite and Best: Our Books of 2025 • #184

We're celebrating the end of the year with a look back over our favourite reads of 2025, from new releases to backlist gems, best book club books, best non-fiction, best comfort reads and more. Between us we read over 350 books in 2025. Listen in to hear the ones we loved best. We've also got a radical new idea for a book club involving cold-water swimming and the works of Robert B. Parker, and how to embrace DNFing without guilt. Join us for recommendations to see you through the festive season and set your new reading year off in style.With Phil Chaffee and Sarah OliverSerious ReadersTake advantage of Serious Readers offer. Head to seriousreaders.com/bcr and use the code BCR at checkout for £150 off any HD light.PatreonHead to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview for all the benefits of membership and how to sign up.You can also buy someone gift membership at https://www.patreon.com/thebookclubreview/gift BooklistMother Mary Come to Me by Arundhati RoyThe Silver Book by Olivia LaingCrudo by Olivia LaingDream Count by Chimamanda Ngoze AdicheThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran DesaiHeart the Lover by Lily KingDeep Cuts by Holly BrickleyThe Transit of Venus by Shirley HazzardPet Sematary by Stephen KingYou Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro EnrigueVera, or Faith by Gary ShteyngartLake Shore by Gary ShteyngartOur Country Friends by Gary ShteyngartGlorious Exploits by Ferdia LennonA Waiter in Paris by Edward ChisholmThe First Man by Albert CamusRobert B. Parker novelsQuestion 7 by Richard FlanaganThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre DumasMuybridge by Guy DelisleThe Sense & Sensibility Diaries by Emma ThompsonThe Lockwood & Co novels by Jonathan StroudThe Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth BrowerShattered Lands by Sam DalrympleMaurice and Marilyn, or A Marriage at Sea by Sophie ElmhurstAgent Zo by Clare MulleyThe Devil Two Step by Jamie QuattroTrain Dreams by Denis JohnstonTree of Smoke by Denis JohnstonThe Director by Daniel KelmanWe Do Not Part by Han KangHow to End a Story by Helen Garner (3 volume diaries collection)The Children’s Bach by Helen GarnerThis House of Grief by Helen GarnerEucalyptus by Murray BailWild Thing by Sue PrideauxNonesuch by Francis SpuffordPet Sematary 1983 coverSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.