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

Tove Jansson, Celia Dale, jobs in books! Welcome to episode 110 https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/tea-or-books-110.mp3 A bit of a longer break than usual because I lost my voice. But we’re back, asking – in the first half of the episode – whether we care where characters work? Are we drawn to books about workplaces? In the second half, we compare two very good novels – Tove Jansson’s The True Deceiver and Celia Dale’s A Helping Hand. You can get in touch at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com, support on Patreon, find us on Spotify, and all those good things. The books and ..read more

Penelope Lively, Helen Hull, boarding houses and isolation – welcome to episode 109! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/tea-or-books-109.mp3 In the first half of this episode, Rachel and I compare boarding houses novels and novels where people live alone – up to and including complete isolation. The blog post by Jacqui that I mentioned is on her blog. In the second half, we pit two novels set during heatwaves against each other – Heat Wave by Penelope Lively and Heat Lightning by Helen Hull. It was hot when I read them, even though it definitely isn’t now. Do ge ..read more

Bite, E.M. Delafield, Elizabeth Taylor – welcome to episode 108! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/tea-or-books-108.mp3 In the first half of this episode, we discuss a topic suggested by Gina – do we prefer books with bite or without bite? All will be explained in due course… In the second half we pit two books with similar plots against each other: Late and Soon by E.M. Delafield and A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor. Do get in touch – with voice notes, questions, suggestions – to teaorbooks[at]gmail.com. You can find us at Patreon, Apple Podcast ..read more