A Pair of Bookends

Hannah MacDonald
  • 1.0 (1)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

A weekly bookish podcast hosted by Hannah MacDonald. Join us for monthly Book Club episodes - read the book at your own pace and then listen to us deep dive with the author! Our Debut Spotlight series is to put the freshest authors and their work firmly on your radar and in our new series we bring you a monthly culture round up of all the recommendations we've collected over the previous month of consuming. Follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and TIk Tok.

  1. 4h ago

    September Book Club with Meg Mason: Bookshops, Literary Festivals & Jane Austen

    For our September Book Club episode, we are delighted to be bringing you this episode with the author of one of Hannah's all time favourite books Sorrow and Bliss, that author is of course Meg Mason and for this episode Meg joins Hannah to discuss her latest novel Sophie, Standing There which you can buy here: UK, US & AUS. In this episode they discuss the new novel (spoiler free!), how literary festivals became the backdrop for this book, what it was like featuring the familiar faces we meet throughout the novel, some of Meg's favourite bookshops & how they influenced the bookshop in this book, growing up in a sect and how that informed her protagonist's childhood plus much more! If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Meg & her work via megmason.com Books & other mentions in this episode: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido M. John Harrison & Julia Armfield - In Conversation at the LRB What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan Emma by Jane Austen Persuasion by Jane Austen The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford Daunt Books - Marylebone John Sandoe Hill of Content Roaring Stories The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen The Country Girls Trilogy by Edna O'Brien Middlemarch by George Eliot Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    September Book Club with Meg Mason: Bookshops, Literary Festivals & Jane Austen

  2. 5d ago

    Laurie Petrou, author of 'The Rayburn Affair' on Writer Friends, Generative AI & Complicated Women

    For today's episode Hannah was joined by award-winning author Laurie Petrou to discuss her new novel The Rayburn Affair which you can buy here: (CA), (US), (UK) & (AUS) In this episode they discuss the differences between Laurie's creative and academic life and how each of those worlds respond differently to generative AI, they talk about the messy women in this book, marriage imbalances, exploring the choice to be childfree, the price of fame, book cover designs, ambition, Simone de Beauvoir & much more! If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Laurie via Instagram Buy Laurie's other books: Stargazer, Sister of Mine, The Rehearsal Club, Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou Books & other mentions in this episode: Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Verve Books Simone de Beauvoir Jean-Paul Sartre Søren Aabye Kierkegaard Writers in The Dark - Podcast Marissa Stapley The Godfather - Baptism Scene The Children by Melissa Albert Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    Laurie Petrou, author of 'The Rayburn Affair' on Writer Friends, Generative AI & Complicated Women

  3. Sep 9

    S8 Debut Spotlight- 5. Delphine Seddon (The Music Industry, Misogyny & Duty of Care)

    For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Hannah was joined by Delphine Seddon to discuss her debut novel Darkening Song which you can buy here: US, Canada & UK Listen to the accompanying playlist here. In this episode they discuss Delphine's experience of working in the music business, she worked for Warner Brothers records and has worked with artists like Dua Lipa, Muse, Biffy Clyro etc. They also talk about her reasons for featuring parts of the novel in Manchester and Texas, they get into fame and celebrity culture, unexpected experiences of performers, creating a playlist for the book, what would be in the soundtrack of her own life and much, much more.  If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Delphine via Instagram, Substack & delphineseddon.com Books & other mentions in this episode: Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Ellie Mason (Music Producer) S. Michaud (Artist/Singer) A Year of Nothing by Emma Gannon Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast Olive by Emma Gannon Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    S8 Debut Spotlight- 5. Delphine Seddon (The Music Industry, Misogyny & Duty of Care)

  4. Sep 4

    S8 Debut Spotlight- 4. Lorna Elcock (Birth Order, Cèilidhs & Her Favourite Scottish Novel)

    For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series, Hannah was joined by debut author Lorna Elcock to discuss her debut novel The Windhover which you can buy here. In this episode they discuss Lorna's experience of being shortlisted for the Women's Prize discoveries award, sibling dynamics and how birth order affects them, ceilidhs & creating the build up to THAT scene (no spoilers!), two excellent novel recommendations & much more! If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Lorna via Instagram Books & other mentions in this episode:  Women's Prize Discoveries A Sense of Occasion by Brodie Crellin The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    S8 Debut Spotlight- 4. Lorna Elcock (Birth Order, Cèilidhs & Her Favourite Scottish Novel)

  5. Sep 2

    Chloe Benjamin, author of 'Under Story' on Parallel Worlds, Chronic Pain & Experiential Research

    For today's episode Hannah was joined by NYT bestselling author Chloe Benjamin to discuss her lateest novel Under Story which you can buy here.  In this episode they discuss the ANITA experiment that inspired this book, her incredibly hands-on research process, how her chronic pain was worsened by the success of Chloe's previous novel, isolation & why we're drawn to those narratives in fiction, Wisconsin representation, finding a new appreciation for nature and of course a wonderful amount of recommendations for books & authors for you to turn to next! If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Chloe via Instagram & chloebenjaminbooks.com Books & other mentions in this episode:  The Disappearers by Marlon James His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman Exit West by Mohsin Hamid Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chang Arrival (2016) A S Byatt Virginia Woolf The OA Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    Chloe Benjamin, author of 'Under Story' on Parallel Worlds, Chronic Pain & Experiential Research

  6. Aug 28

    August Book Club with Amy Taylor: Athens, Desire & The Baby Dilemma

    For our August Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Australian author Amy Taylor to discuss her new novel Ruins which you can buy here. Let us know your thoughts here. In this episode they discuss Amy's recent foray into reading speculative fiction, why she chose Athens as the setting for this novel, her interest in Greek theatrical structures and the play Medea, we also get into ambition, desire and the choice to have or not have children. If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Amy via Instagram Books & other mentions in this episode: Every Version of You by Grace Chan Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh Medea by Euripides The Loneliest Planet (2011) The Worst Person in the World (2021) Widow's Bay (2026) Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    August Book Club with Amy Taylor: Athens, Desire & The Baby Dilemma

  7. Aug 26

    Claire Powell, author of 'All In' on IVF, Holidays & Ayşegül Savaş

    For today's episode Hannah was joined by Claire Powell, author of 'All In' and 'At The Table' to discuss her latest novel which you can buy here. In this episode topics include writing a male dominated family dynamic, exploring wealth differences in families, setting a novel at an all inclusive resort, why Claire wanted to write about IVF and her own experiences surrounding that and much more. Claire also does not disappoint by bringing us both the high and the low in culture recs which we love! From Ayşegül Savaş' work and Emma Cline's Switzy to the juicy drama of Summer House, there's lots for you to sink your teeth into. If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Claire via Instagram Books & other mentions in this episode:  Switzy by Emma Cline https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2026 The Girls by Emma Cline The Guest by Emma Cline https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/emma-cline Flesh by David Szalay Black Bag by Luke Kennard The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savaş Long Distance by Aysegül Savaş The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer Summer House (2017) At the Table by Claire Powell Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    Claire Powell, author of 'All In' on IVF, Holidays & Ayşegül Savaş

  8. Aug 19

    Books to Screen: Every Summer After/ Every Year After with Shahed Ezaydi

    For the latest instalment in our Books to Screen series, Hannah was joined by author & freelance writer Shahed Ezaydi to discuss the Amazon Prime adaptation of Carley Fortune's novel Every Summer After, Every Year After. In this episode they discuss the excellent soundtracks of Prime series, the changes the TV adaptation of Every Summer After made, what they loved about the novel, casting & more. They also discuss Off Campus, the upcoming adaptation of The Love Hypothesis, how down bad Tom Holland is for Zendaya and hopes for the future seasons of Every Year After!  If you enjoy this episode please do rate, review & subscribe, for more content you can find us over on Patreon. You can follow us via Instagram, X & Tik Tok.  You can follow Shahed via Instagram or via shahedezaydi.co.uk You can buy Shahed's book here: The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women Link to Shahed's Stylist articles https://www.stylist.co.uk/author/shahed-ezaydi Books & other mentions in this episode:  Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Every Year After (2026) The Deal by Elle Kennedy Off Campus (2026) Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe Margo's Got Money Troubles (2026) Normal People by Sally Rooney Normal People (2020) One Day by David Nicholls One Day (2024) The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood The Love Hypothesis (2026) This Summer Will Be Different Adaptation Sense and Sensibility (2026) Pride and Prejudice (2026) The Project by Annie Lord Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Rosewater by Liv Little Bitter Melon by Liv Little People We Meet on Vacation (2026) People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry Beach Read by Emily Henry Carley Fortune Interview for Stylist by Shahed Ezaydi Heated Rivalry (2025) Yellowjackets One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune The Girl Next Door (2024) Off Campus - Official Playlist Every Summer After - Official Playlist The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022) The Summer I Turned Pretty - Official Playlist The Summer I Turned Pretty - Cast Interview by Shahed Ezaydi Maxton Hall (2024) Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros Spider-Man: Brand New Day Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    Books to Screen: Every Summer After/ Every Year After with Shahed Ezaydi
See All (226)

About

A weekly bookish podcast hosted by Hannah MacDonald. Join us for monthly Book Club episodes - read the book at your own pace and then listen to us deep dive with the author! Our Debut Spotlight series is to put the freshest authors and their work firmly on your radar and in our new series we bring you a monthly culture round up of all the recommendations we've collected over the previous month of consuming. Follow us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram and @apairofbookends on Twitter and TIk Tok.

Information

  • Creator
    Hannah MacDonald
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    226
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Hannah MacDonald
  • Show Website
    A Pair of Bookends

You Might Also Like