Is Macron as progressive as everyone outside of France thinks he is? What’s the deal with Gabriel Attal, France’s new(-ish) PM? And why do the French love to protest so much? Hannah and I spoke about French politics, both past and present, her relationship to feminism over the years, as well as her cultural recommendations. It was nice to sit down with a fellow Brit who is building a life in Paris. Pen Friend, Hannah’s Substack https://hannahmeltzer.substack.com/ Newsletters referenced: https://hannahmeltzer.substack.com/p/no-problem-attal https://hannahmeltzer.substack.com/p/when-im-64 https ..read more

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For the latest FBC Paris podcast episode, I happily handed the microphone over to my friend Charlotte Moreau, a French journalist and writer.  Here’s the context: I first heard about Claire last year through friend and book club member Betsy. I started following her on Instagram and reached out when she posted about the media silence following the release of her second book but first novel, Féminin. While I wanted to offer Claire a safe space in which to talk about her experience, I knew that a native French speaker would do a much better job. This is when Charlotte entered the chat. And ..read more

The Guardian described I'm A Fan as a “fizzing debut that’s hard to put down”, and I can’t really argue with that. Sheena and I cover everything from complex female characters, The Sopranos, performative feminism and Instagram as a platform of oppression. Books mentioned: Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid Blood and Guts by Cathy Acker ..read more

Today on the podcast, I’m talking to the author Daisy Johnson. Her second novel Sisters was our October book club pick (and gave some of us nightmares!) Released in 2020, this slim novel of just 182 pages is part horror, part psychological thriller, with a serving of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. Focusing on two sisters, September and July, who are born ten months apart, there's a good chance that this book will get under your skin and stay there. Daisy was born in 1990 and her debut short-story collection, Fen, was published in 2016. In 2018 she became the youngest author ever ..read more

Fiona is the French owner of Damn Fine Bookstore, an international bookshop based in Lyon, France. A few years ago, she quit her non-bookish related job to fulfil her dream of opening an independent bookshop. But there were a few hurdles along the way, including a pretty big one that goes by the name of COVID-19. On the cusp of Damn Fine’s one year anniversary, Fiona kindly took some time out of her busy schedule to chat to me about how she set up shop, why she loves Halloween, reading women authors, and her future plans for the shop. She did all of this in English, her second language! Books ..read more

If you’re a fan of Greek mythology and women's voices in particular, you will love These Great Athenians. The debut novel from non-binary writer Valentine Carter, gives voice to 16 of the oft-forgotten and misunderstood female characters of Homer’s epic The Odyssey. Valentine and Lou talk about LGBTQ+ representation within the world of mythology and the limitations of heteronormative interpretations of its characters, as well as Valentine’s research for their book, their writing process, and why Scylla a.k.a. the “rockstar sea monster” is their favourite. Buy a copy of These Great Athenians vi ..read more

My first guest of Season 4 is Sylvia Whitman, owner of Shakespeare and Company Bookshop. In 2004, Sylvia took over the running of the bookshop from her father George Whitman, at 23 years old. She now runs it with her partner David, and together they have started a literary festival, a writing competition and opened a café next door to the bookshop. James Baldwin called Shakespeare and Company the old curiosity shop while Anaïs Nin described it as a house of gentle warmth with walls of books and tea ceremonies. I certainly picked up on both of these qualities when I sat down with Sylvia in the ..read more

Show Notes: In The End, It Was All About Love http://roughtradebooks.com/books/in-the-end-it-was-all-about-love-2/ The Good Agency https://www.thegoodliteraryagency.org/  https://www.instagram.com/thegoodagencyuk/?hl=en  Rough Trade Books http://roughtradebooks.com/  https://www.instagram.com/roughtradebooks/?hl=en  Musa’s next book - One Of Them (out on April 15th) https://unbound.com/books/one-of-them/  The Good Immigrant https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-good-immigrant/9781783523955  Follow Musa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/okwonga/?hl=en  Your P ..read more

Buy a copy of The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/okechukwu-nzelu/the-private-joys-of-nnenna-maloney/9780349701028/?v2=true Follow Okechukwu on Twitter https://twitter.com/NzeluWrites Okechukwu’s Recommended Titles: Diamond Hill by Kit Fan https://www.worldeditions.org/product/diamond-hill/ The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622773/the-prophets-by-robert-jones-jr ..read more