We Read The Beach by Alex Garland

This week on He Read She Read® Sarah and JP are joined by special guest, Stephanie Carson, to dive into The Beach, by Alex Garland. The trio discuss the 1996 novel’s huge success, the appeal of main character, Richard, and whether the book is self-indulgent or self-aware.Plus, Steph shares a bunch of great book recommendations. You can follow Steph @stephanieshouseofbooks and listen to her podcast, Cool People Reading wherever you get your pods. He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers.  Follow us on Instagram @heread_sheread to join in our book chat and to enter some great giveaways. The He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded. 

This week on He Read She Read® Sarah and JP unpack Meg Mason’s latest book, Sophie Standing There, about sound technician, Sophie, who works at a literary festival. They discuss the structure of the book, the choices Mason made around character, and the complexities of parasocial relationships.And of course, they share their latest book recommendations. He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers.  Follow us on Instagram @heread_sheread to join in our book chat and to enter some great giveaways. The He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah tackle Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction epic, Dune. They discuss the bestselling series, why science fiction is so enduring and the recent popularly of fantasy and romantasy. As always, they wrap up with some new book recommendations. He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers. Follow us on Instagram @heread_sheread to join in our book chat and to enter some great giveaways. The He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded. 

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah are joined by investigative journalist, Louise Milligan, to unpack Helen Garner’s controversial 1995 book, The First Stone. They discuss the issue at the centre of the book, the approach Garner took, her distinctive writing style and whether it would have been published today. Louise then provides some book recommendations. You can follow Louise @milliganreports He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers.Follow us on Instagram @heread_sheread to join in our book chat and to enter some great giveaways. The He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah are blasting off into outer space and deep-diving Taylor Jenkin-Reid’s latest novel Atmosphere. They discuss what they like and dislike about the commercial blockbuster and how they would rewrite the ending.Recommendations:Sarah recommended Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead.JP recommended Seascraper by Benjamin Wood. And he snuck in a bonus recommendation Train Dreams by Denis Johnson and The Elements by John Boyne.  He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers. Follow us on Instagram @heread_shereadThe He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah dive into one of the most talked about books of the year, Lily King’s Heart the Lover. They discuss why it has captured so many hearts around the world and why it is so loved. JP explains his pet peeve of literary references in novels and Sarah explains her allergic reaction to the protagonist’s love interest at the beginning of the novel. They risk cancellation by unpacking whether the tear-inducing ending was earned or emotionally manipulative.He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers.

For the first episode of He Read She Read®, JP and Sarah deep dive the 2025 Booker Prize winning novel Flesh by David Szalay. They talk about how the Booker Prize is determined and the controversial 2025 judge, how they feel about Flesh and whether they believe it’s a worthy Booker Prize winner.Recommendations:JP recommended Dove by Georgia Harper.Sarah recommended Don’t Let Him In by crime fiction author, Lisa Jewell.He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers.The He Read She Read ®team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah are joined by journalists, authors and fellow podcasters, Clare and Jessie Stephens. They discuss The Names by Florence Knapp. They talk about what they liked and what they didn’t and whether the high concept premise of the book was maintained throughout the novel.Recommendations:Clare and Jessie both recommend Heart the Lover by Lily KingHe Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers.Follow us on Instagram @heread_shereadFollow Clare Stephens @clare.stephenssFollow Jessie Stephens @jessiestephens90The He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah unpack Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  They discuss the novel’s huge popularity and how it reinvigorated the crime genre, prompting a wave of ‘girl’ books to be published.They talk about its enduring qualities and whether Flynn will ever write another novel.JP and Sarah also share a book recommendation.He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers. Follow us on Instagram @heread_sheread to join in our book chat and to enter some great giveaways.The He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah are joined by ABC journalist Maddison Connaughton to dive into Ben Lerner’s novel, Transcription.They talk about the key themes in the book, Ben Lerner’s body of work, his writing style and the unique story structure of this novel.Maddison also shares a reading recommendation.He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers. Follow Maddison @soyfw4eva and sign up to her newsletter One Good Thing hereFollow us on Instagram @heread_sheread to join in our book chat and to enter some great giveaways.The He Read She Read® team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.