The Brit Lit Podcast

Our guest on episode 78 is poet Blake Auden, who has almost 300,000 Instagram followers and is known for speaking openly about mental health. He also has four collections of poems out in the world, and the most recent is Murmuration, which came out in October. He and I talked about what therapy and writing have in common, how he approaches social media so that it helps rather than hinders his mental health, and lots more. ***** Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned in this episode: Murmuration, by Blake Auden On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong Weather, by Jenny Offill  Dept of Speculation, by Jenny Offill Girl, Unstrung, by Claire Handscombe This Time Next Year, by Sophie Cousens Just Haven't Met You Yet, by Sophie Cousens The Twelve Dates of Christmas, by Jenny Bayliss The Winter of Second Chances (UK)/The Season of Second Chances (US), by Jenny Bayliss On a Night Like This, by Lindsey Kelk Gifts, by Laura Barnett Black British Lives Matter, ed. Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe ***** Register for Claire's online book launch for Girl, Unstrung on 5th December here. In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Help fund the podcast through this PayPal link! Buy Claire's novels, Unscripted and Girl, Unstrung. Sign up for Claire's mailing list. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Blake Auden Website / Instagram  Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel / TikTok  

My guest in this special bonus episode is Robinne Lee, the author of my favourite read of 2021, The Idea Of You. She's not British, but I loved this book so much that I wanted to bring you this interview anyway! Robinne and I talked about her origin story as a fanfic writer, why she chose to make her main character French, why love stories that don't end happily can have such a big impact on us both in fiction and in real life, and a whole lot more.   ***** Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned in this episode: The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee Bringing Up Bébé (US)/French Children Don't Throw Food (UK), by Pamela Druckerman Bonjour Tristesse, by Françoise Sagan (French version) Bonjour Tristesse, by Françoise Sagan (in English) My Oxford Year, by Julia Whelan Girl, Unstrung, by Claire Handscombe Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe ***** In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Help fund the podcast through this PayPal link! Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Pre-order Claire's YA novel, Girl, Unstrung. Sign up for Claire's mailing list. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Robinne Lee Website / Instagram / Twitter Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel / TikTok        

I'm so excited to bring you an interview with none other than Sophie Kinsella, who's known to many as the queen of British chick lit and the author of the mega-bestselling Shopaholic series.  We talked about her new book The Party Crasher, how being a musician and being a writer are interconnected, what it's been like to be a comedy writer over the last year and a half, what her favourite biscuit is, and a whole lot more! ***** Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned in this episode: The Party Crasher, by Sophie Kinsella Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella The Tennis Party, by Madeline Wickham An Island Wedding, by Jenny Colgan The Beloved Girls, by Harriet Evans Sorrow and Bliss, by Meg Mason Transcendent Kingdom, by Yaa Gyasi Murmuration, by Blake Auden The Christmas Bookshop, by Jenny Colgan Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe Girl, Unstrung, by Claire Handscombe ***** In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Help fund the podcast through this PayPal link! Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Pre-order Claire's YA novel, Girl, Unstrung. Sign up for Claire's mailing list. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Sophie Kinsella Website / Instagram / Twitter Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel / TikTok

This month's guest is Kirsty Capes, author of the novel Careless. We talked about why she wanted to write about female friendship, what it was like to study with Bernadine Evaristo, why it's especially important for kids in the foster care system to see themselves reflected in books, and a whole lot more. ***** Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive? Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned in this episode: Careless, by Kirsty Capes The Tracey Beaker series, by Jacqueline Wilson No One Is Talking About This, by Patricia Lockwood All the Fun of the Fair, by Caroline Hulse The Adults, by Caroline Hulse Complicit, by Winnie M Li Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke The Bookshop of Second Chances, by Jackie Fraser The Hidden Child, by Louise Fein Endgame, by Malorie Blackman The Literary Almanac, by Francesca Beauman Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe Girl, Unstrung, by Claire Handscombe ***** In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Help fund the podcast through this PayPal link! Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Pre-order Claire's YA novel, Girl, Unstrung. Sign up for Claire's mailing list. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Kirsty Capes Instagram / Twitter Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel / TikTok    

This month's guest is Mary Pauline Lowry, who wrote The Roxy Letters. Mary is married to a Brit, and she had lots of fascinating insights about the cultural differences between the countries, and I loved talking to her back about Bridget Jones and Jane Austen too. The Roxy Letters was one of my favourite reads of 2020. It was really fun and just what I needed. It's out now in paperback.   Mary and I talked about why we love epistolary novels, took a bit of an accidental deep dive into books about Hollywood, chatted about the difference between British humour and American humour, and lots more!  *****  Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways.  *****  Books Mentioned on the Podcast:  The Roxy Letters, by Mary Pauline Lowry  Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding  Where D'you Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple  Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher  A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy O'Toole  The Color Purple, by Alice Walker  Emma, by Jane Austen  Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen  Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen  Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen  Persuasion, by Jane Austen  The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler  Eligible, by Curtis Sittenfeld  Men Are From Mars, Woman Are From Venus, by John Gray  Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe  Girl, Unstrung, by Claire Handscombe  Damnation Spring, by Ash Davidson  Grown Ups, by Emma Jane Unsworth  Breast and Eggs, by Mieko Kawakami, transl. Sam Bett and David Boyd   He Will Be Mine, by Kristy Greenwood  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid  The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee  Mona at Sea, by Elizabeth Gonzalez James  Rosaline Palmer Take the Cake, by Alexis Hall  Boyfriend Material, by Alexis Hall  Perfect Timing, by Owen Nicholls  Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins  A Slow Fire Burning (signed edition!), by Paula Hawkins  They: What Muslims and Non-Muslims Get Wrong About Each Other, by Sarfraz Manzoo  *****  In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops!  In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates.  Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm.  Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted.  Pre-order Claire's YA novel, Girl, Unstrung.  Sign up for Claire's mailing list.  Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected]  *****  The Brit Lit Podcast  Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website  Mary Pauline Lowry  Instagram / Twitter / Website  Claire  Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel / TikTok    

Our guest on episode 74 of the Brit Lit Podcast, is Lizzy Dent, who wrote The Summer Job, and who's also a YA author -- as Rebecca Denton, she wrote This Beats Perfect, among other books. She and I talked about her favourite food writing, what it's like to have a novel come out during a pandemic, why we love the book Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, and more. ***** Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?   Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Buy all the books available in the UK from Bookshop UK here  Buy all the books available in the US from Bookshop US here ***** In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. The Brit Lit Podct has recently been named as one of the top 10 British literature podcasts! Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Lizzy Dent Instagram / Twitter / Website Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel / TikTok

Our guest on episode 73 of the Brit Lit Podcast is Danielle Wood who, as Minnie Darke, wrote one of Claire's very favourite books of recent years, called Star Crossed. Among other things, she discussed what makes One Day by David Nicholls such an amazing novel, and gave some recommendations for books by Tasmanian authors.  Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Buy all the books available in the UK from Bookshop UK here  Buy all the books available in the US from Bookshop US here ***** In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel / TikTok  

Our guest today is Sareeta Domingo, who's the author of both adult and young adult fiction, and most recently the editor of the collection called Who's Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour. She talks about romantic reads she loves, the process of putting together an anthology, why books by British authors of colour are important, and more. ***** Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Buy all the books from Bookshop UK here Buy all the books available in the US from Bookshop US here ***** In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel Sareeta Domingo Twitter/ Instagram  

Today, we hear from Naoise Dolan, who's an Irish author and the writer of the Women's Prize longlisted novel Exciting Times. She and I talked about cultural and literary differences between the UK, the US, and Ireland, what we both think about the idea of "likeable" characters, some great Irish authors, and more. ***** Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Buy all the books from Bookshop UK here Buy all the books available in the US from Bookshop US here Exciting Times, by Naoise Dolan Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling, by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen A Room Called Earth, by Madeline Ryan Aftershocks, by Nadia Owusu A Lonely Girl Is a Dangerous Thing, by Jessie Yu The Road Trip, by Beth O'Leary I Belong Here, by Anita Sethi The Adventure of Miss Barbara Pym, by Paul Byrne Last Night, by Mhairi McFarlane A Trip of One's Own, by Kate Wills The End of Men, by Christina Sweeney-Baird The Wife Who Got a Life, by Tracy Bloom Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe ***** In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel Naoise Dolan Twitter/ Instagram  

Happy Independent Bookstore Day! I work part-time in a lovely bookshop on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, and in this bonus episode, I interview my boss, Laurie Gillman, who founded the shop five years ago, to talk about what goes into starting and running a bookshop.  Laurie and I talked about what makes East City Bookshop special, some fun stories she has of hanging out with a few British authors, the challenges of the last year, her advice for anyone wanting to start a bookshop, and a whole lot more. ***** Want to help the Brit Lit Podcast survive and thrive?  Here are some painless ways. ***** Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Buy all the books available in the UK from Bookshop UK here Buy all the books from Bookshop US here  Tin Man, by Sarah Winman (US / UK & Worldwide) How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig (US / UK & Worldwide) Little, by Edward Carey (US / UK & Worldwide) A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, by Hanif Abdurraqib (US / UK & Worldwide) Mary Jane, by Jessica Anya Blau (US / UK & Worldwide) Creatures of Passage, by Morowa Yejidé (US / UK & Worldwide) Revival Season, by Monica West (US / UK & Worldwide) The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris (US / UK & Worldwide) Once There Were Wolves, by Charlotte McConaghy (US / UK & Worldwide) Migrations, by Charlotte McConaghy (US / UK & Worldwide) Children Under Fire: An American Crisis, by John Woodrow Cox (US) A Place Like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape, by W Ralph Eubanks (US / UK & Worldwide) Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe (US / UK & Worldwide) ***** Buy your books from East City Bookshop here! In the US and now the UK, buy your hardbacks and paperbacks from Bookshop.org to support the podcast, as well as independent bookshops! In other countries, you can support the podcast by using this link to buy from Blackwells.com, which ships internationally at inexpensive rates. Get your first two audiobooks for just $14.99 with the code BRITLIT on Libro.fm. Buy Claire's novel, Unscripted. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at [email protected] ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Novel East City Bookshop Twitter/ Instagram  / Website