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. 3d ago

    October Book Club with Ríoghnach Robinson: Literary Criticism, Tim Brayton & Being a 'Genre Omnivore'

    For our October Book Club episode Hannah was joined by Ríoghnach Robinson to discuss her debut novel, our October Book Club pick Bad Words which you can buy here (UK) & here (US) In this episode they discuss the novel (spoiler free!), they get into the art of critism, how social media impacts the way criticism now operates, writing Asian American protagonists, the authors they would lose their mind over meeting, the New York literary scene, the books she's been enjoying & 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 Ríoghnach via Instagram & rioghnachrobinson.com Books & other mentions in this episode: In Every Future, It's Us by Katie Naymon Sally Rooney Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff Matrix by Lauren Groff Florida by Lauren Groff Sleep Has His House by Anna Kavan Asylum Piece by Anna Kavan Tim Brayton- Letterboxd https://www.alternateending.com/ A Good Person by Kirsten King Slow Horses- AppleTV The Babadook (2014) Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    October Book Club with Ríoghnach Robinson: Literary Criticism, Tim Brayton & Being a 'Genre Omnivore'

  2. Sep 30

    APOB Live @ Blackwell's MCR with Stacey Yu, discussing her debut novel 'Kitten'

    Today's episode brings you a live recording of an event at Blackwell's Manchester, Hannah interviewed author Stacey Yu about her debut novel 'Kitten'. Thank you to Red Newsom for making this episode possible.  In this episode they discuss 'Kitten' (spoiler free!), what the pre-publication hype was like, how the novel evolved from first draft to final copy, they also talk about the intersections of race, class and regionality, vulnerability & care, our relationship to pets, Mamma Mia! & 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 Stacey via Instagram & Tik Tok You can buy Kitten here (UK) & here (US) Books & other mentions in this episode: The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt The Idiot by Elif Batuman Either/Or by Elif Batuman Banana Yoshimoto Mamma Mia! (2008) Ottessa Moshfegh Halle Butler Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Hot Milk (2025) Jenny Zhang Normal People (BBC) Let us know your thoughts by emailing us apairofbookendspod@gmail.com or you can DM us @apairofbookendspod on Instagram. Until next time, happy reading!

    APOB Live @ Blackwell's MCR with Stacey Yu, discussing her debut novel 'Kitten'

  3. Sep 23

    S8 Debut Spotlight- 6. Ulrikka S. Gernes (Complicity, Poetry & Writing Lived Experience)

    For the latest instalment in our Debut Spotlight series Hannah was joined by Danish poet and writer Ulrikka S.Gernes to discuss her debut novel, the Danish bestseller A Girl Left The Room which you can buy here.  In this episode they discuss the response to the novel in Denmark, the power of poetry, complicity and manipulation, the autobiographical nature of the novel, the writers that have influenced her style and 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 Ulrikka via Instagram  Books & other mentions in this episode: griffinpoetryprize.com Wislawa Szymborska The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner Chekhov's Letters https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/poem-of-the-day The Lover by Marguerite Duras Consent by Vanessa Springora Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Elizabeth Strout The Museum of Innocence - Netflix The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk https://www.masumiyetmuzesi.org/en 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- 6. Ulrikka S. Gernes (Complicity, Poetry & Writing Lived Experience)

  4. Sep 16

    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

  5. Sep 11

    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

  6. 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)

  7. 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)

  8. 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
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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
    229
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Hannah MacDonald
  • Show Website
    A Pair of Bookends

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