The Book Club Review

• Meditations for Mortals, with Oliver Burkeman • Episode #169

  Step into a world of philosophical musings and practical wisdom with Oliver Burkeman. 'Meditations for Mortals' is his latest book designed as a four-week mental retreat, promising to help readers lead a 'saner, freer, and more enchantment-filled life'. Oliver joins Kate to talk about everything from the inspiration he took from Marcus Aurelius to how to invite people over without feeling like you have to spend three hours tidying the house. He also reveals his tips on making life-changes that stick, and the books he turns to when he's not reading for work. Keen to test out the methodology, Kate is then joined by City high-flyer and busy mother-of-three Emily Bohill to discover how Meditations for Mortals works in practice. From managing work-life balance to facing literal rats in the PTA shed, we explore whether the lessons of Meditations are ones that will stay. This episode is for everyone who is keen to turn knowledge into action and embrace life's imperfections. No less important is the fact that Meditations for Mortals is perfect for sparking deep conversations, and there's nothing we love more at The Book Club Review than that. Reading list 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis   Find out more and sign up for The Imperfectionist (a free newsletter) at Oliver Burkeman's website   Subscribe and support the show Want more from the pod? You can subscribe to The Book Club Review via Patreon. Click through for full details and to sign up with a 7-day free trial.   You'll get a weekly-ish minisode, with access to the full archive, and extra bits and bobs like extended episodes or Patreon-only specials, plus access to book recommendations from Kate and fellow pod fans in the chat group. At the higher tier you can join the pod book club and come and talk books with me, Kate, in person. We meet on the last Sunday of the month via Zoom, with a recording posted to listen back to anytime. In February we're reading All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, and in March it's Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munroe. Upcoming books are decided by members vote, so join in and suggest one that you would love to read and discuss.    If you're a Substacker you can also subscribe and support the pod there. (It's slightly cheaper as you don't get the chat or the book club options, but everything else is just the same.)   Timecodes for the time-poor 00:00 Introduction 01:32 An overview of the book, and the degree to which Oliver Burkeman put himself in there 03:55 The relationship between Meditations for Mortals and Four Thousand Weeks 06:24 Imperfectionism 10:45 Practical Applications and personal reflections 13:01 Field-testing the book’s methodology 29:37 Daily-ish and embracing imperfection 34:34 Scruffy hospitality and overcoming procrastination 45:34 Has it changed our lives? 

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• Page-Turning Plans: Looking ahead to 2025 • Episode #168

  It's a new year and a new episode. Join Kate and Laura as they consider reading intentions for the year ahead, and try to set some realistic goals. Will 2025 be the year Kate gets into poetry? Will it be the year Laura weans herself off romance novels? And as always, they're thinking of book club reads to come. Meanwhile Phil sets a goal for himself in 2025 that might surprise you. Books mentioned  4,000 Weeks and Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman  Rejection by Tony Tulithamutte Bliss Montage by Ling Ma The George Smiley novels by John le Carre Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway  My Struggle, Karl Ove Knausgard The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan Assembly and Universality by Natasha Brown Also a Poet and Crush by Ada Calhoun Our Country Friends and Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart Intimacies and Audition by Katie Kitamura Robert Caro's Fifth Lyndon Johnson book Polostan by Neal Stephenson Finance for the People by Paca Leon Essays of E. B. White The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna The Husbands by Holly Gramazio  All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs Intermezzo by Sally Rooney The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk My Friends by Hisham Matar  The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel The Gifts of Reading, Robert Macfarlane (ed) Untitled Memoir from Nicola Sturgeon Katabasis by R. F. Kuang Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind trilogy) Book Lovers by Emily Henry Living and Death and Intimations by Zadie Smith Notes If you’re looking for inspiration in your reading life over the coming year why not subscribe to The Book Club Review Patreon. In addition to the various special episodes you’ll find on there, you’ll get The Book Club Review Weekend, my weeky-ish bonus episode just for Patrons, featuring Laura’s reading updates and regular chats with friends of the pod. Laura and I have cooked up a new feature, called One Book Wonder, that allows us to talk about those books that slip through the cracks between regular episodes. Listen in for our thoughts on Good Material by Dolly Alderton.  You get all that at the entry level, but at the higher tier you can also join the podcast book club and come and talk books with me in person at the end of every month over zoom, or listen back anytime if you can’t make the live session. In January we’re reading the novel that appeared on many a best-of-the-year list, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, In February we’re we’re reading All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, a museum guard's quest to find solace and meaning in art, and in March it’s short stories with Hateship, Friendship, Loveship, Courtship, Marriage by Alice Munroe. But will they make for good book club reads? Join me and the book clubbers over on Patreon and find out. Join our bookish community, get brilliant book recommendations and get the warm glow from knowing that you’re supporting me in making the show. Head to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview and sign up today. Otherwise come and find me anytime on Instagram @bookclubreviewpodcast or check out our website, thebookclubreview.co.uk. But for now, thanks for listening and happy book clubbing.    

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• Unputdownable: the best books we loved in 2024 • Episode #167

  Wrap up your year with the Book Club Review podcast! Celebrate the joy of reading with us as we highlight the standout books we read in 2024, from page-turners to genre reads, to literary fiction and best book club books. We'll finish with our 'if we could only choose one' favourites for our overall book(s) of the year. This episode also features recommendations from our podcast book clubbers, fantastic readers all, who bring their choices into the mix. This is a bonus length episode as there was so much to go through, so take that dog for an extra long walk, get the children prepared for a long swing at the park or just curl up in a cozy spot with notepad in hand to jot down some of these books we think you shouldn't miss. Or, of course, use the handy list below. Books mentioned Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa What You Are Looking For is In The Library by Michiko Ayoyama Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree   Most enjoyable read Loot by Tania James Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly The Wedding People by Alison Espach   Best page-turner The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley Going Infinite by Michael Lewis    Best Non-fiction How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair Grief is for People by Sloane Crossley The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire by Bart van Loo Maurice and Marilyn by Sophie Elmhurst The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke   Best Book Club Book Enter Ghost by Isabelle Hamid The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden Cuddy by Benjamin Myers The Fraud by Zadie Smith August Blue by Deborah Levy Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai (Polly Barton trans.) Wifedom by Anna Funder Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (The Inspector Gamache series)   Best Genre Novel or Comfort Read How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells The Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka   Overall best book read in 2024 James by Percival Everett Kate: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Laura: Real Estate by Deborah Levy (vol. 3 in her 'living autobiography' series   Join the Book Club Review club Head to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview to explore what's on offer with regular extra episodes packed with reading recommendations and at the higher tier membership of the pod bookclub: upcoming reads for January are Marty by Kaveh Akbar, February: All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley and March: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro.  Serious Readers For seriously good reading lamps with a Book Club Review special discount head to seriousreaders.co.uk/BCR and use the code BCR at checkout for £100 off any HD light. Shipping within the UK is free, and you get a 30-day trial period so you can see for yourself what a difference they make. Stay connected Find Kate on Instagram and Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast, or drop us a comment anytime at the episode page on our website. What were your favourite reads from 2024? We'd love to hear about them.  

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• The Booker Prize 2024 • Episode #166

  Curious about the 2024 Booker Prize? Wondering if the shortlisted novels live up to the hype? In this latest episode Kate and Laura are joined by returning guests Phil, Sarah and Martin to dive deep into this year's shortlist bringing you their usual frank, honest opinions in true book-club style.  This isn’t your typical review show — you get real, unfiltered thoughts from book lovers who tell it like it is. From literary brilliance to unexpected twists, find out which books wowed us, which ones left us wanting more, and whether this year’s Booker picks truly deserve the spotlight. Plus of course our guesses as to which one might win. Notes Check out Martin's brilliant blog Eyes on the Prize for a fantastic look back through Booker Winners past, including his 'worst to best' ranking. Other books mentioned Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware We Solve Murders by Richard Osman The Trees by Percival Everett Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver My Friends by Hisham Matar Subscribe Want more from The Book Club Review? Want to help support it financially? Come and join Kate at Patreon.com/thebookclubreview where for a small monthly fee you'll receive benefits such as a weekly books minisode, occasional special episodes of the podcast made just for Patreons, and at the higher tier you can join our monthly book club for live discussions with Kate over Zoom. If you’re a Substacker you’ll also find extra content from The Book Club Review there – check thebookclubreview.co.uk/bookspodcast/subscribe for more details. For the love of a good lamp:  Visit seriousreaders.com/BCR for our special offer on any HD light – use the code BCR at checkout and if you're in the UK you can also benefit from free shipping. You get a month to try out the lights to decide if they're for you, if not you can return them. We seriously love them, and think you will too.  

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  1:22:57
• Summer Reading Report 2024: Hits, misses and anticipations

  Summer Reading Report: hits, misses, and anticipations   We're back from the beach and reflecting on our summer reading in this bonus length bookshelf episode. On Kate's stack summer favourite GRETA AND VALDIN by Rebecca K. Reilly, Olivia Laing's memoir The Garden Against Time, the hotly tipped HEADSHOT by Rita Bullwinkel, TRUST by Hernan Diaz, Miranda July's new novel ALL FOURS and upcoming book club reads THE FRAUD by Zadie Smith and HUMANELY POSSIBLE by Sarah Bakewell. Meanwhile Laura talks about REAL AMERICANS by Rachel Kong, THE LAST UNICORN by Peter S. Beagle, THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Stuart Turton, Kiley Reid's latest COME AND GET IT, Reese's Book Club pick SLOW DANCE by Rainbow Rowell and Austeriltz by W. G. Sebald.    We also hear about the best bookish party Laura attended courtsey of the Vancouver Public Library, and the Kate's experience of reading just one book, and one book only, at a time – a strong departure from her usual habits of three on the go at once. But will she stick to it?   Timecodes for the time poor 08:58 Real Americans by Rachel Kong: A Not-to-Read Recommendation 17:39 The Garden Against Time by Olivia Lange: A Deep Dive 25:27 The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle: A Disappointment 30:44 Headshot by Rita Bullwinkle: A Mixed Review 40:02 Stuart Turton's The Last Murder at the End of the World: A Fun Read 44:20 Exploring 'Trust' by Hernan Diaz 49:34 Campus Life and Money in 'Come and Get' It by Kiley Reid 59:57 Miranda July's 'All Fours': A Perimenopausal Journey 01:12:40 A Lighthearted Romance: 'Slow Dance' by Rainbow Rowell 01:15:13 Upcoming Reads and Final Thoughts Patreon Want more from your favourite podcast? Want to support the person who makes it? Come and join Kate at Patreon.com/thebookclubreview where for a small monthly fee you'll receive benefits such as a weekly books dispatch, which you can read or listen to as a pod, occasional special episodes, and at the higher tier you can join our monthly book club for live discussions with Kate over Zoom.  For the love of a good lamp:  Visit seriousreaders.com/BCR for our special offer on any HD light – use the code BCR at checkout and if you're in the UK you can also benefit from free shipping. You get a month to try out the lights to decide if they're for you, if not you can return them. We seriously love them, and think you will too.

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