Novel Thoughts Novel Thoughts

This week we take a look at Small Hours, the highly-anticipated second novel from British writer Bobby Palmer whose debut Isaac and the Egg is already being touted as a contemporary classic.  
Also this week, Saph read Turbulence by David Szalay and Joseph read The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor. 
This week’s listener recommendation request comes from Rachel who really enjoyed The Watchers by A.M. Shine and is looking for more scary reads. Joseph recommended just about anything by Shirley Jackson and Blood Child And Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler, and Saph recommended The Troop by Nick Cutter and The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley. 
Also mentioned in this episode:
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
The Boy and the Dog by Hase Seishu
The Guest Cat by Takashe Hiraide
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Enchantment by Katherine May 
See the Novel Thoughts bookshop page for all books mentioned in this episode.

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This week we’re deep diving into the brilliant Maggie O’Farrell’s The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, a novel about Victorian asylums, family secrets, and the tragedy of being yourself. 
Also this week, Saph read 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell, Joseph read Day by Michael Cunningham, and Michelle read Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. 
This week’s listener recommendation request comes from Skye who loved Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews and is looking for something with a similarly lyrical first-person style. Joseph recommends Second Self by Chloe Ashby, Saph recommends Tangerine by Christine Mangan, and Michelle recommends Normal People by Sally Rooney. 
Also mentioned in this episode:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
See the Novel Thoughts bookshop page for all books mentioned in this episode.

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In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2024 on this week’s episode we talk about active female representation in contemporary fiction and recommend some of our favourite books that absolutely smash the Bechdel Test
Boulder by Eva Baltasar
Jungle House by Julianne Pachico
Matrix by Lauren Groff
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Also this week, Joseph read On Reading, Writing, and Living with Books by Pushkin Press/The London Library, and Saph read The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
This week’s listener recommendation request comes from Mollie who reads a lot of contemporary fiction set in the present day and would like to read more books set in different time periods. Joseph recommends The Dutch House by Anne Patchett, and Saph recommends Hurdy Gurdy by Christopher Wilson and The Glutton by A K Blakemore. 
Also mentioned in this episode:
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
Nevada by Imogen Binnie
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

See the Novel Thoughts bookshop page for all books mentioned in this episode.

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Join us this week as we chat about a glut of great new fiction and non-fiction releases for March, plus we reveal our top picks from the new Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction long list. 

March 2024 New Releases
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
Mona of the Manor by Armistead Maupin
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
Clear by Carys Davies
Who Owns the Moon? by A.C. Grayling
The Rising Down: Lives in a Sussex Landscape by Alexandra Harris

Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Long List - Our Picks
Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in the Philippines by Lisa Evangelista
Intervals by Marianne Brooker
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
How To Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder
This week’s listener recommendation request comes from Mike who normally enjoys cosy crime, but is looking for something a bit more heartfelt. Joseph recommends Things Can Only Get Better by David M. Barnett, and Saph recommends Skippy Dies by Paul Murray and just about anything by Fredrik Backman.
Also mentioned in this episode:
Shadowlands: A Journey Through Lost Britain by Matthew Green
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
Eileen: The Making of George Orwell by Sylvia Topp
Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles 
A Good Read Podcast (BBC Radio 4)
See the Novel Thoughts bookshop page for all books mentioned in this episode.

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Join us this week as we give our empathy muscles a workout and chat about six of the best contemporary memoirs we’ve read recently. 
Saph recommends This Is Not A Pity Memoir by Abbi Morgan, Taking Sides: A Memoir About Love, War, and Changing the World by Sherine Tadros, and The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions by Jonathan Rosen. Joseph recommends Stay True by Hua Hsu, In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, and Also A Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me by Ada Calhoun. 
Also this week, Joseph read The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine and Saph read The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin 
This week’s listener recommendation request comes from Sara who loved The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Daré and is looking for similar books. Joseph recommends Half A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Saph recommends The Seven Moons of Mali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. 
Also mentioned in this episode:
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
War Stories by Jeremy Bowen
Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen
Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day 
Platonic: How Understanding Your Attachment Style Can Help You Make and Keep Friends by Marisa G Franco
See the Novel Thoughts bookshop page for all books mentioned in this episode.

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Ahoy! Join us for our first ever author spotlight in which we dive into the award-winning novels of American author Rebecca Makkai. Makkai’s work tackles subjects as diverse as the trauma of the 1980’s AIDS crisis and the enduring legacy of the #MeToo movement, to the secrets and scandals of a mysterious artists’ colony and the modern-day politics of conversion therapy. 
I Have Some Questions For You 
The Great Believers 
The Hundred Year House
The Borrower 
Also this week Joseph read The End We Start From by Megan Hunter and Saph read Society of Snow by Pablo Vierci. The Novel Thoughts team also talk about Charlie Kaufman’s forthcoming adaptation of Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police.
This week’s listener recommendation request comes from Kelly who likes a good crime novel and is looking for recommendation for her next five-star read. Joseph recommends The It Girl by Ruth Ware and Saph recommends Night Boat To Tangier by Kevin Barry. 
Also mentioned in this episode:
The Harpy by Megan Hunter
Stillicide by Cynan Jones
They by Kay Dick
To The Friend Who Did Not Save My Life by Hervé Guibert
The Farewell Symphony by Edmund White 
See the Novel Thoughts bookshop page for all books mentioned in this episode.

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