Banned books, Bonnie Garmus and A.J. Pearce – welcome to episode 126! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tea-or-books-126.mp3 In the first half of the episode, we discuss banned books – should books ever be banned? Does a book being banned make us want to read it more? In the second half, we pit two recent novels set in the mid-century: Dear Mrs Bird by A.J. Pearce and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. You can get in touch with suggestions, comments, questions etc (please do!) at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you. Find us at Spotify ..read more

Celeb memoirs, Michael Cunningham, Elizabeth Fair – welcome to episode 125! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/tea-or-books-125.mp3 In the first half, Rachel and I discuss celebrity memoirs – do we read them? What do we count as a celebrity memoir? In the second half, we each chose one of the other’s favourite 2023 reads – Day by Michael Cunningham (one of my favourite reads from last year) and Landscape in Sunlight by Elizabeth Fair. You can get in touch with suggestions, comments, questions etc at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you. Find ..read more

Our favourite books from 2023 – or reads, because of course we mostly read ‘backlisted’ titles. Always a fun one to record – this time with the added bonus that we were each going to choose one from the other’s list to read for the next episode. https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/tea-or-books-124.mp3 Some of our Patreon patrons also appear in this episode. You can join them, and get early access to episodes and other perks, at our Patreon. Do feel free to get in touch at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com. The books and authors we mention in this episode are: Taken at the Flood by A ..read more

Mary Lawson joins us to talk about all her novels – welcome to episode 122! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/tea-or-books-122-mary-lawson.mp3 I can’t quite believe I’m writing this, but THE Mary Lawson – Canadian author of Crow Lake, The Other Side of the Bridge, Road Ends, and A Town Called Solace – joins us in this episode to talk through her work. We discuss how she approaches writing a novel, some of her creative decisions, and a little hint about her next book. Do let us know any future episode suggestions, or any questions you have, at teaorboo ..read more

D.E. Stevenson, Eva Ibbotson, travel inspo – welcome to episode 120! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/tea-or-books-120.mp3 We have our first returning guest – the wonderful Claire, who blogs at The Captive Reader. In the first half of this episode, we talk about inspiration from travel – do we get it from our fiction reading or non-fiction reading? In the second half, we compare two novels Claire suggested – Eva Ibbotson’s The Morning Gift and D.E. Stevenson’s The English Air, two novels starting just before the Second World War. You can get in touch with sugg ..read more

Miriam Toews, Olga Tokarczuk and detective fiction – welcome to episode 119! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/tea-or-books-119.mp3 In the first half of this episode, we discuss detective fiction – do we prefer the mystery-solver to be a professional or an amateur? And in the second half we compare two fairly recent novels – Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, and Women Talking by Miriam Toews. Do get in touch if you have any questions or suggestions for the podcast – at teaorbooks[at]gmail ..read more

Julie Otsuka, Jamaica Kincard, adults’ and children’s books – welcome to episode 118! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/tea-or-books-118.mp3 In the first half – a topic suggested by Aileen, where we discuss authors who wrote both children’s and adult’s books and whether we read both. In the second half, we compare two novellas about immigrant experiences – Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid and The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. As ever, you can support the podcast at Patreon, get in touch at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! Listen to the podcast wher ..read more

Barbara Pym, May Sarton, and bookshops – welcome to episode 115! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/tea-or-books-115.mp3 In the first half of the episode, we take up Sally’s suggestion of topic – and discuss whether or not we like books set in bookshops and libraries. More suggestions for books in this category, please! In the second half, we compare Barbara Pym’s Quartet in Autumn with May Sarton’s Journal of a Solitude and pick our favourite. You can get in touch with suggestions etc at teaorbooks@gmail.com – get the episodes a few days early, and other bonuse ..read more

Elizabeth Gaskell, Winifred Holtby, and more – welcome to episode 113! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/tea-or-books-113.mp3 In the first half of this episode, we look at literary retellings – by which we mean authors using fairy tales or Greek mythology or basically whatever we fancy including in this very loose definition. It feels like a topic we’ve done before, but apparently we haven’t? In the second half, we compare two doorstoppers – South Riding by Winifred Holtby and Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell. Do get in touch at teaorbooks@gmail.com – you ca ..read more

Dorothy Whipple, May Sinclair, and favourite books of 2022 – welcome to episode 112! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/tea-or-books-112.mp3 Happy new year! Welcome to the first episode of Tea or Books? for 2023 – recorded on two different days, so hopefully it’s not too awkward. In the first half, we cover our favourite reads from 2022 (so won’t be a HUGE surprise if you read my blog) and in the second half we compare They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple and The Three Sisters by May Sinclair. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your p ..read more