The Reading Cafe

Peter Kelly

5.0 (1)
Books

WINNER of Scotland’s Emerging Talent at the 2026 Scottish Podcast Awards. WINNER of Best Children and Young Adults’ podcast in the 2024 Independent Podcast Awards. CURRENTLY SHORTLISTED in both the Interview and Specialist categories at the 2026 British Podcast Awards. Please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any episodes!

Jul 10

Radiya Hafiza interview (The Silver Kingdom)

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+ Welcome back to The Reading Cafe, the award-winning podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading! This superb season finale episode features Radiya Hafiza, author of The Silver Kingdom. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: Why the enemies-to-lovers plot continues to grip romantasy readers How Radiya approaches planning her stories, especially when writing a dual-narrative The opportunities fantasy offers to address difficult real-world topics To learn more: Radiya Hafiza - https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/authors/Radiya-Hafiza/232707659 Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Please do subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading! Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod
Jun 22

The Reading Cafe LIVE Jr: Ross MacKenzie (The Uninvited)

APPROX AGE RATING: 12+ Welcome back to The Reading Cafe, the award-winning podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading! This special episode is the first ever Reading Cafe LIVE Jr, which features award-winning fantasy writer, Ross MacKenzie, who speaks with Nora and Orla about his latest thrilling novel, The Uninvited. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: How (or even if...) Ross plans his stories, and how he visualises the exciting events of his books Ross's approach to addressing real world issues through junior fiction The influence of Scotland on his unique brand of fantasy writing This episode was recorded in the Banqueting Hall at South Lanarkshire Council HQ before an audience of South Lanarkshire P7 pupils on the cusp of beginning in S1 at Holy Cross High School. Thank to the following schools for coming along to enjoy the show: St Bride's, St Elizabeth's, St John's (Blackwood), St John the Baptist, Our Lady and St Anne's, St Mary's (Hamilton), St Mary's (Larkhall) and St Paul's. To learn more: Ross MacKenzie - https://www.andersenpress.co.uk/contributors/ross-mackenzie/ Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Please do subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading! Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod
Mar 19

SpotLit: Aoife Anson-O'Connell (Westside Cowboy)

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+ Welcome to a new chapter of The Reading Cafe. This is SpotLit, our brand-new strand where we speak to interesting people from arts and culture about their relationship with literature. In this SpotLit episode, Gemma and Victoria were joined by Aoife Anson-O'Connell of the thrilling 'Britainicana' band, Westside Cowboy. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: The soundtrack Aoife would choose to accompany her favourite book Which character would sing in her fantasy literary supergroup! Why she loves escaping into magical realism …AND SO MUCH MORE! To learn more: Westside Cowboy https://www.westsidecowboy.com/ https://chuffmedia.com/artists/westside-cowboy Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and join us for future SpotLit episodes and as always… keep reading.
Feb 18

The Reading Cafe LIVE: Stuart Murdoch (Belle and Sebastian)

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+ Welcome back to The Reading Cafe, the award-winning podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading! This special Reading Cafe LIVE episode features singer, song-writer, novelist and film-maker Stuart Murdoch of the legendary Scottish band, Belle and Sebastian. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: How Stuart approaches imagining things into reality, whether in song, for the page or on the screen. The links Stuart finds between creativity and spirituality How punk influenced his writing, alongside his favourite book... This episode features three exclusive solo performances of classic Belle and Sebastian songs: Fox in the Snow, Dog on Wheels and very excitingly, The Boy With The Arab Strap, which Stuart has never previously played without the band. To learn more: Belle and Sebastian - https://www.belleandsebastian.com/ Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Please do subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading! Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod
Jan 5

Alice Loxton interview (Eleanor)

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+ Welcome back to The Reading Cafe, the award-winning podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading! We’re making history with this episode featuring Alice Loxton, author of recent #3 Times Book Chart bestseller, Eleanor. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: The emotional connection Alice builds with figures from the past and how she is engaging modern readers with history How she compensates for gaps in historical records to bring stories to life with authenticity and vitality The inspiration for her unique blend of historical research, personal reflection and travel journalism To learn more: Alice Loxton - https://aliceloxton.com/ Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Please do subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading! Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod
12/18/2025

Benjamin Dean interview (Bury Your Friends)

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+ Welcome back to The Reading Cafe, the award-winning podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading! This thrilling episode features Benjamin Dean, author of YA survival horror novel, Bury Your Friends. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: How Ben maintains tension between characters to create atmosphere The influences from music and the movies that found their way into Bury Your Friends Why the “terrible people” who populate the novel are Ben’s favourites of his characters! To learn more: Benjamin Dean - https://www.madeleinemilburn.co.uk/mm-authors/benjamin-dean/ Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Please do subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading! Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod
11/07/2025

SpotLit: Alaska Reid (Witch Post)

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+ Welcome to a brand new chapter of The Reading Cafe. This is SpotLit, our brand-new strand where we speak to figures from music, sport, entertainment and culture about their relationship with literature. In this SpotLit episode, Libby and Emma were joined by singer-songwriter and musician Alaska Reid, one half of the band Witch Post. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: The influence of literature on Alaska’s songwriting, both on her solo records and in Witch Post How fantasy-interviewing friends and peers Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek and Ellie Rowsell (Wolf Alice) led to her writing her own fantasy novel The story of the supernatural experience that led to the naming of Witch Post… …AND SO MUCH MORE! A ten-minute section of this conversation appeared on the last episode of The Reading Cafe with writer of The Wycherleys, Annaliese Avery. We enjoyed such a brilliant conversation with Alaska about her career and creative life, and you are certain to love hearing it in full in this SpotLit episode. To learn more: Alaska Reid https://www.alaskareid.com/ https://partisanrecords.com/artists/witch-post Annaliese Avery https://www.annalieseavery.com/home-1 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and join us for future SpotLit episodes and as always… keep reading.
10/31/2025

Annaliese Avery (The Wycherleys) and Alaska Reid (Witch Post)

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+ Welcome back to The Reading Cafe, the award-winning podcast named Best Children and Young Adults' Show by the Independent Podcast Awards, as well as Kids finalist in the 2025 British Podcast Awards and Books finalist in the 2025 Independent Podcast Awards! This magical new Halloween episode features Annaliese Avery, author of The Wycherleys, in conversation with Cara and Molly. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: How Annaliese’s characters shape their own stories when she is writing The importance of strong female relationships explored in The Wycherleys Why we need fantasy and romantasy now more than ever PLUS: Libby and Emma present a SpotLit featurette with Alaska Reid - acclaimed songwriter, musician, and member of Witch Post. This abridged version is brilliant but don’t miss the full Alaska Reid interview next week when it drops as a SpotLit episode - it’s a must-listen for anyone who’s ever found magic in music and words alike… To learn more: Annaliese Avery – https://annalieseavery.com Alaska Reid – https://www.alaskareid.com Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Please do subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading! Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod

WINNER of Scotland’s Emerging Talent at the 2026 Scottish Podcast Awards. WINNER of Best Children and Young Adults’ podcast in the 2024 Independent Podcast Awards. CURRENTLY SHORTLISTED in both the Interview and Specialist categories at the 2026 British Podcast Awards. Please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any episodes!

Creator

Peter Kelly
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

27
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
Show Website

The Reading Cafe