Brit Lit Book Club

Vanessa

Welcome to The Brit Lit Book Club, where we explore the stories behind the stories. Host Vanessa, founder of The Book Club Tour, takes you on literary adventures through Britain's greatest works—from Shakespeare and Austen to Dickens and the Brontës. What to Expect: Each episode dives deep into a classic British author or work, going far beyond the plot summaries you learned in school. We'll uncover how these authors challenged their societies, examine the historical forces that shaped their writing, and discover why these centuries-old books still speak to our modern world—from family expectations and social pressure to gender roles and class conflict. Explore the real Shakespeare beyond the myths. Understand why Romeo and Juliet is more about social control than romance. Discover how Jane Austen revolutionized the novel while navigating life as a single woman. Learn what Dickens revealed about Victorian poverty and why the Brontës' heroines were so scandalous. You'll Discover: Historical context that brings classic literature to lifeSurprising connections between Regency ballrooms and modern dating cultureWhy Victorian social issues mirror today's challengesThe real lives of authors who defied conventionHow to read between the lines of England's most beloved booksBook recommendations for deeper explorationTravel tips for experiencing literary England firsthand Who this podcast is for: Perfect for book club members, literature enthusiasts, Anglophiles, students, travelers planning literary pilgrimages, and anyone who suspects there's more to these classics than they were taught in school. Whether you're revisiting old favorites or discovering British literature for the first time, each episode offers fresh perspectives, thoughtful analysis, and plenty of tea.  New episodes weekly. Grab your tea and join the conversation!

  1. 3H AGO

    Walking in Agatha's Christie's Footsteps: A Literary Tour of the English Riviera - An Interview our Tour Guides

    She sold two billion books. She's been translated into over a hundred languages. She has a Russian rock band named after her. And yet — she always said that within ten years of her death, no one would remember her at all.  In this episode, I sit down with Graham Kerr and Maria ("Miss Lemon") of English Riviera Walking Tours and English Riviera Custom Tours in Torquay, Devon — two of the most passionate, knowledgeable, and downright delightful Agatha Christie guides on the planet.  Graham and Maria bring Christie's story to life along the English Riviera coastline, Our group had the privilege of touring with them in October, and this conversation was every bit as magical as that day. We talk about Christie's extraordinary life. We dig into each location associated with Christie and chat about what it means to walk in the footsteps of the world's greatest mystery writer.  What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why Agatha's mother's impulsive decision to buy a house in Devon changed literary history foreverThe truth about the 1926 disappearance How Agatha became the first European woman to stand up on a surfboard in Hawaii.Why she used poison more than any other writer and where she learned about itThe love story behind her second marriage to archaeologist Max Mallowan, and how a daughter was won over with toffee lollipopsThe Christie renaissance happening right now📚 Books Mentioned in This Episode The Christie Novels — start here: And Then There Were None — Agatha Christie (read before visiting Burgh Island — trust us)Dead Man's Folly — Agatha Christie (read before visiting Greenway House — Maria's top pick)The Murder of Roger Ackroyd — Agatha Christie (the book that made Christie the best in the world)The ABC Murders — Agatha Christie (Graham's personal favorite — you won't guess the ending)Evil Under the Sun — Agatha Christie (set on Burgh Island / "Smuggler's Island")Murder on the Orient Express — Agatha Christie (inspired by her Middle East travels with Max)Death on the Nile — Agatha Christie (and stay tuned — I have an announcement about Egypt...)Murder in Mesopotamia — Agatha Christie (born from her digs in the Middle East with Max)The Man in the Brown Suit — Agatha Christie (linked to the archaeological digs at Kent's Cavern in Torquay)The Mystery of the Blue Train — Agatha Christie (one of the two books written in the shadow of her 1926 disappearance)The Christie Plays: The Mousetrap — Agatha Christie (74 years. 30,000 performances. Still running.)Witness for the Prosecution — Agatha Christie (Christie's own favorite — go see it in London before you see The Mousetrap)Towards Zero — Agatha Christie (posters just went up in Torquay as we recorded this!)Christie's Own Words: An Autobiography — Agatha Christie (600 pages — notably missing any mention of 1926)The Best Place to Start If You're New to Christie: Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman — Lucy Worsley (the biography that Graham, Maria, and your host all recommend without hesitation)🗺️ Ready to Walk in Agatha's Footsteps? Graham and Maria are two of the most extraordinary guides you will ever have the pleasure of following down a coastal path. Whether you book a walking tour with Graham, a bespoke chapter tour with Maria, or — as our Book Club Tour group did — both, you are in for an unforgettable day. Find Graham at englishrivierawalkingtours.co.uk and Maria at englishrivieracustomtours.co.uk. And if you're dreaming of your own literary tour — from the English Riviera to the Scottish Highlands to the fields of Provence to the streets of Jane Austen's Bath — come find us at thebookclubtour.com. A very exciting Egypt announcement is coming soon. 👀 Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    1h 35m
  2. MAY 21

    So you want to start reading the classics?

    Do you have a classic sitting on your shelf that's been there for two years? Maybe someone gifted you Jane Austen, or you picked up a Brontë at a charity shop with the best intentions. And every time you walk past it, there's a little whisper that says: I should really read that. This episode is for you. In this week's episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, I'm making the case for why British classics still matter — and more importantly, giving you everything you need to actually get into them. No English degree, no prior reading experience, no guilt required. IN THIS EPISODEThe case for classics: why every modern story you love is already in conversation with themMyth-busting: slow, boring, too hard, missed your chance — we address every excuseYour personality-based guide: which classic is right for YOUPractical strategies: annotated editions, audiobooks, reading companions, and when to quitThe re-read phenomenon: why classics reward you differently at different life stagesThe Brit Lit Starter Pack: five books, in order of accessibilityBOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE*Disclosure: Links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — which helps keep The Brit Lit Book Club running. Thank you! The Starter Pack — My Five Recommended Entry Points 1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens The perfect warm-up. Short, emotional, funny, and full of Dickens at his most generous and human. Read it in an afternoon. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback, with other Christmas writings) → ➜ Penguin Christmas Classics (Hardcover gift edition) → 2. Persuasion by Jane Austen Her shortest, quietest, most moving novel — and my personal favourite. A love story about second chances with one of the most beautiful letters in all of literature. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → 3. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins A proper Victorian thriller — multiple narrators, a sinister count, and a mystery that keeps you guessing. Highly readable and genuinely gripping. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → 4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë One of the great feminist novels — a heroine who refuses to compromise herself for anyone. Still radical more than 175 years later. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → 5. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy Hardy's most accessible and most beautiful novel. The Dorset countryside practically breathes on the page. Start here and you'll want to read everything he wrote. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → Also Mentioned in This Episode Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — Amazon → Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë — Amazon → The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë — Amazon → The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins — Amazon → Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott — Amazon → Waverley by Sir Walter Scott — Amazon → A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens — Amazon → A Christmas Carol (also mentioned above) — Amazon → Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    15 min
  3. MAY 7

    Agatha Christie - The Queen of Crime

    She sold over two billion books. Her play The Mousetrap has run in London's West End for more than seventy years without a single break. And she once vanished for eleven days in a mystery that has never been solved. Dame Agatha Christie wasn't just writing cozy puzzles — she was a brilliant psychologist, a sharp social observer, and quite possibly the most commercially successful novelist who ever lived. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're diving deep into the life and legacy of the undisputed Queen of Crime. Host Vanessa Hunt takes you behind the stories — from Christie's childhood in the elegant seaside town of Torquay to the heartbreak of 1926 (the year her mother died, her husband confessed to an affair, and she mysteriously disappeared), to her unexpectedly happy second act with archaeologist husband Max Mallowan in the deserts of Iraq and Syria. We visit Greenway House, Christie's beloved Georgian manor on the River Dart. We ride the sea tractor to Burgh Island — the Art Deco island that inspired And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun. We swim in the cove. We eat the lobster. We also explore what makes her two great detectives — the methodical Hercule Poirot and the deceptively sharp Miss Marple — so enduringly brilliant, and why Christie's "genre fiction" has outlasted nearly every literary prize winner of her era. Whether you're a lifelong Christie devotee or you've never cracked a mystery novel in your life, this episode will send you straight to your bookshelf. In this episode: The girl who taught herself to read at four (against her mother's wishes)What working as a WWI nurse taught her about poison — and fictionThe 1926 disappearance: fugue state, breakdown, or something more calculated?The Golden Age of Detective Fiction and why Christie broke every ruleBurgh Island, the sea tractor, and Christie's most audacious novelWhy two billion readers can't put her down — and why you won't either📚 Books Mentioned in This Episode Start here if you're new to Christie: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie — Ten strangers. A sinister nursery rhyme. No way off the island. Her most Gothic, most audacious, most chilling novel.Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie — A snowbound train, a dead man, and every passenger a suspect. One of the most shocking endings in all of detective fiction.Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie — Set directly on Burgh Island. You can trace the action across the actual landscape.More Christie classics: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie — The plot twist that shocked the literary world in 1926 and still lands nearly a century later.Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie — Set at a house just like Greenway, with a boathouse murder that will feel very familiar if you've visited.Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie — Inspired by real people Christie mLove this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    20 min
  4. APR 30

    J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan: The Boy Who Never Grew Up

    What if the most beloved children's story in the English language was actually about grief? In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're exploring the extraordinary life of Scottish author J.M. Barrie — the man behind Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Neverland, and Captain Hook — and the devastating true story that inspired one of literature's most enduring characters. We cover it all: the childhood tragedy that shaped Barrie's imagination, the real-life family of five brothers who became the Lost Boys, the dark fate of the Llewelyn Davies boys, and why Peter Pan — for all its magic and adventure — is really a story about the cost of never growing up. Plus my kids are currently in a production of the musical, which means this episode has been living in my house for weeks. And that, as always, is exactly how the best rabbit holes begin. In this episode: Who was J.M. Barrie and why did he spend his childhood trying to become his dead brotherThe five real boys who inspired the Lost Boys — and what became of themWhy Peter Pan is one of the saddest characters in British literatureThe Kensington Gardens statue that still has flowers left at its baseThe Scottish literary tradition that shaped Barrie's imagination — and why it mattersWhy Barrie left the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for ChildrenThis week's tea pairing: Fairy Dust tea from Bird and Blend  📚 Reading List & Resources: Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie (the 1911 novel — not the play, not the Disney version, the real one) →  J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys: The Real Story Behind Peter Pan by Andrew Birkin — the definitive biography, written with access to letters, diaries, and recorded interviews with the family. If this episode moves you, read this next.  Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    19 min
  5. APR 23

    Interview with Alex Dold, Dr. of Outlander

    What does it mean to fall through time and land in history class? If you've ever stayed up until 2am turning pages of Outlander, convinced you could practically smell the heather and hear the clash of broadswords at Culloden, today's guest has a very official explanation for why that happened — and a doctorate to back it up. Dr. Alex Dold is a public historian, literary scholar, tour guide, and "Doctor of Outlander." Based in Scotland, Alex completed her PhD at the University of the Highlands and Islands with a thesis arguing that Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels function as a genuine form of public history — shaping how millions of readers around the world understand 18th-century Scotland, the Jacobite rising of 1745, and Highland culture. She also contributed two chapters to the newly released academic collection Outlander and Scotland: Touchstones and Signposts (Luath Press, 2025), leads literary walking tours in Glasgow, and speaks at fan conventions and universities alike. In this episode, Vanessa and Alex talk about: How a reader in Germany became Scotland's foremost Outlander scholarWhat "public history" means — and why it matters that Outlander qualifiesThe real-world impact Outlander tourism has had on Scottish heritage sitesWhat Alex told Diana Gabaldon when she finally met her in personAnd why you should never, ever be embarrassed that a romance novel sent you down a Scottish history rabbit holeWhether you've read all nine books, just finished the series, or you're a Scotland-dreamer planning your own literary pilgrimage, this episode will make you love the Highlands even more. 📚 Books mentioned in this episode: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Outlander and Scotland: Touchstones and Signposts  — Alex's own book! The academic collection she contributed two chapters to. A must-have for any serious Outlander fan. ⚔️ Damn Rebel Bitches: The Women of '45  by Maggie Craig — The real women of the Jacobite rising of 1745. If Claire Fraser makes you want more, this is your book. ✉️ Burt's Letters from the North of Scotland by Edward Burt — A fascinating firsthand account of 18th-century Highland life from an English officer stationed in Scotland. Primary source gold for Outlander readers. ⏳ Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor — If you love the idea of time-traveling historians getting into trouble, this series is your next obsession. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ready to walk in Jamie and Claire's footsteps? Join us on the Scottish Book Club Tour, June 22–29, 2027 — a small-group literary journey through the Highlands with your fellow book lovers. Visit thebookclubtour.com to learn more and reserve your spot. Connect with Alex: 🌐 alexdold.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.dold.historian Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    1h 49m
  6. APR 16

    Sir Walter Scott - The Man Who Invented Scotland

    Sir Walter Scott - The Man Who Invented Scotland If you've ever lost yourself in the Highland landscapes of Outlander, stood misty-eyed at a ruined Scottish castle, or felt your heart catch at the sight of a man in a kilt, you have Walter Scott to thank for that. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're exploring one of the most influential authors in literary history: Sir Walter Scott, the Edinburgh-born lawyer who essentially invented the historical novel, manufactured the Highland Revival, and handed the entire world the romantic Scotland we know and love today. We're talking about his extraordinary life, from childhood on the Scottish Borders absorbing ballads and folk tales, to becoming the most famous author on the planet. We're unpacking Waverley, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian, and Ivanhoe, and I'm giving you a clear on-ramp for where to start reading. And we're digging into the fascinating, complicated question of what it means when a writer's fiction becomes more powerful than historical reality. Because Scott's did, and we are still living in the world he imagined. This episode is also the perfect literary prelude to next week, when I sit down with historian Alex Dold to explore the real history behind the romance. 🍵 Tea Pairing: Scottish Breakfast, Taylors of Harrogate Scottish Blend 📚 Books Mentioned: Waverley by Sir Walter ScottRob Roy by Sir Walter ScottThe Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter ScottIvanhoe by Sir Walter Scott🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Dreaming of Scotland? Join us on the Scottish Book Club Tour, June 22–29, 2027 → thebookclubtour.com Perfect for fans of: Outlander, Diana Gabaldon, Scottish historical fiction, British literature, literary travel, Highland history, Jacobite history, Jane Austen era fiction Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    13 min
  7. APR 7

    James Herriot - Yorkshire's Beloved Vet

    What if the most profound literature isn't found in dark Gothic mansions or dramatic tragedy, but in the everyday work of a country veterinarian making rounds through the Yorkshire Dales? In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're heading north to meet James Herriot, the pen name of Alf Wight, whose warm and witty memoirs have comforted millions of readers around the world for over fifty years. We explore how a working vet from Thirsk became one of the 20th century's most beloved authors, why the Yorkshire Dales are so much more than a pretty backdrop in his stories, and what Herriot's celebration of ordinary life, meaningful work, and rural community has to say to modern readers. We also talk about the gorgeous new BBC remake of All Creatures Great and Small — and yes, I share how you can visit Grassington, the village where it was filmed, and hike through the Dales yourself on the British Book Club Tour. Whether you're a lifelong Herriot fan or discovering him for the first time, this episode will send you straight to your bookshelf. 📚 Books Mentioned in This Episode: James Herriot: All Creatures Great and Small ← Start hereAll Things Bright and BeautifulAll Things Wise and WonderfulThe Lord God Made Them AllFor Deeper Context: The Real James Herriot by Jim WightNotes from a Small Island by Bill BrysonIf You Love Herriot, Try These: Cider with Rosie by Laurie LeeLark Rise to Candleford by Flora ThompsonLove this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    22 min
  8. MAR 26

    Anne Brontë - The Forgotten Sister

    Anne Brontë – The Forgotten Sister  She's been called the forgotten Brontë — overshadowed by Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights, dismissed as the quietest and least talented of the three sisters. But Anne Brontë may have been the most radical Victorian novelist of her generation. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're finally giving Anne the spotlight she deserves — exploring how the youngest Brontë sister wrote unflinchingly about domestic abuse, alcoholism, and a woman's right to leave a dangerous marriage at a time when doing so was nearly illegal. From her gritty governess realism in Agnes Grey to the groundbreaking feminist fury of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë tackled subjects so controversial that even her own sister Charlotte suppressed her work after her death. If you've ever loved the Brontës, this episode will change the way you think about all three of them. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why Anne Brontë is considered "the forgotten Brontë" — and why that reputation is completely undeservedHow Anne's years working as a governess shaped the unflinching realism of her fictionWhat makes Agnes Grey a quietly radical feminist novel — and how it differs from Jane Eyre despite sharing a governess heroineThe shocking plot of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and why Victorian critics called it "utterly unfit" for young womenHow Anne's firsthand experience watching her brother Branwell's alcoholism shaped her groundbreaking portrayal of addiction — decades ahead of modern understandingWhy The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was a bestseller that then virtually disappeared from literary historyWhy Charlotte Brontë made the controversial decision to suppress her sister's most important novelAnne's theological independence and how her belief in universal salvation challenged established church doctrineHow The Tenant of Wildfell Hall speaks directly to modern conversations about domestic abuse, economic dependence, and women leaving dangerous relationshipsWhy Anne Brontë deserves to stand alongside — and perhaps above — her more famous sistersBooks Mentioned & Recommended: Anne Brontë's Novels: Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë (Penguin Classics edition)The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë (Penguin Classics edition)Biographies: Take Courage: Anne Brontë and the Art of Life by Samantha EllisIn Search of Anne Brontë by Nick HollandCritical & Scholarly Reading: The Brontës by Juliet BarkerThe Brontës and Religion by Marianne ThormählenAnne Brontë: The Other One by Elizabeth LanglandCompanion Reading: Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell (read alongside The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to see how Victorian women writers approached social transgression differently)Walk the Moors That Inspired the Brontës If this episode has you longing to stand on the windswept moors of Haworth, visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum, and experience the world that shaped Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, I'd love to take you there. The Book Club Tour offers small-group literary travel to Britain's most beloved literary destinations — including the Yorkshire moors and Brontë Parsonage. Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour

    20 min
5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Brit Lit Book Club, where we explore the stories behind the stories. Host Vanessa, founder of The Book Club Tour, takes you on literary adventures through Britain's greatest works—from Shakespeare and Austen to Dickens and the Brontës. What to Expect: Each episode dives deep into a classic British author or work, going far beyond the plot summaries you learned in school. We'll uncover how these authors challenged their societies, examine the historical forces that shaped their writing, and discover why these centuries-old books still speak to our modern world—from family expectations and social pressure to gender roles and class conflict. Explore the real Shakespeare beyond the myths. Understand why Romeo and Juliet is more about social control than romance. Discover how Jane Austen revolutionized the novel while navigating life as a single woman. Learn what Dickens revealed about Victorian poverty and why the Brontës' heroines were so scandalous. You'll Discover: Historical context that brings classic literature to lifeSurprising connections between Regency ballrooms and modern dating cultureWhy Victorian social issues mirror today's challengesThe real lives of authors who defied conventionHow to read between the lines of England's most beloved booksBook recommendations for deeper explorationTravel tips for experiencing literary England firsthand Who this podcast is for: Perfect for book club members, literature enthusiasts, Anglophiles, students, travelers planning literary pilgrimages, and anyone who suspects there's more to these classics than they were taught in school. Whether you're revisiting old favorites or discovering British literature for the first time, each episode offers fresh perspectives, thoughtful analysis, and plenty of tea.  New episodes weekly. Grab your tea and join the conversation!

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