The Readers Episode 33; Entrenched in Books, Sam Mills and The Quiddity of Will Self

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In the second to last show before ‘The Readers Summer Book Club 2012’ starts we have a fabulously filled show for you. Gavin and Simon discuss becoming entrenched in authors or genre, Sam Mills, author of ‘The Quiddity of Will Self’ joins us for a fascinating chat (honestly its brilliant, do listen) about Will Self and literature in general and gives us her guide to her top five Will Self books to get entrenched in.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

Entrenched in Books Last week Gavin and Simon mentioned getting ‘entrenched’ in books and Gavin said he wanted to talk about it in a section of its own, so here it is. The duo discuss the pro’s and con’s of only reading a single author or genre, why they both stopped doing it but how they also feel slightly envious of readers who simply stick to what they love. Could they challenge themselves this summer and entrench themselves in an author, series or genre, for a few weeks and see how it works?

Sam Mills & The Quiddity of Will Self Author Sam Mills joins us to talk about her novel ‘The Quiddity of Will Self’. She discusses why she didn’t think the book would ever be published, the pro’s and con’s of writing about someone well known and living (and why people would want to) and the trio end up chatting about secret societies and their thoughts on the literary world in general.

Sam Mills Top Five Will Self Books As Gavin and Simon discussed the idea of entrenchment in the first section of the show, they asked Sam to give her top five books that you should entrench yourself in if you chose to with Will Self, Simon is a fan and was thrilled she recommended ‘Cock and Bull’ first as he did to Gavin last week. Listen on for the full list.

Next Week on The Readers It’s the last show before the Summer Book Club 2012 starts for eight weeks, Simon and Gavin will be discussing out of print books, subjects they avoid in books and they will tell you what they have read, are reading and might just read next. Oh and watch out for a goose which cuts in on the act… Honestly!

Until then…

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Episode 32; Meeting People Through Books and Authors We Should Have Read

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This week Simon and Gavin have a bit of a catch-up before launching into how you can meet people through books before talking authors we feel should have read.

Show notes are a little short as Gavin is doing them and lacks Simon’s flare! 

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

The Readers Episode 31; Catching Up, Books You Hate But Have to Finish & Audiobooks

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This week on The Readers Gavin and Simon fill you in on some bookish ventures, they discuss books you don’t like but simply have to finish, the pros and cons of audiobooks and its back… what they have read, are reading and want to read next.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

Catching Up () Last week Simon read from Rebecca in front of an audience for World Book Night and Gavin sorted out his shelves as he may be moving, they have a natter and catch up on events so grab a cuppa and join them.

Books You Hate But Have To Finish () Simon has started a new book group in Manchester, being a book group he feels he has to finish the book or else… but he is loathing it (It’s Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell) sadly. He discusses why he dislikes it so much and yet why he has to finish it. He also tells Gavin why this is not an unfamiliar feeling. Gavin discusses why he won’t finish a book he loathes.

Audiobooks () Simon never used to be a fan of podcasts before, however thanks to the aforementioned ‘Mary Barton’ he felt he needed help and turned to audiobooks for a helping hand. Gavin is a fan of audiobooks and listens to them regularly. Our reading duo discuss why narrators are so important and how great audiobooks can be, but also how sometimes you keep having to listen to the same chapter over and over again. You can also get a free audio short written by William Boyd and read by Olivia Coleman here thanks to Bookslam.

What We’ve Read, Are Reading & Want To Read Next () It’s back, six books that you might want to add to your ever growing TBR piles.

  

Simon has read: Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn
Simon is reading: Home by Toni Morrison
Simon wants to read: The Forrests by Emily Perkins

  

Gavin has read: A Death in Valencia by Jason Webster
Gavin is reading: House of Rumour by Jake Arnott
Gavin wants to read: The Blind Giant by Nick Harkaway

Until next week…

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Episode 30; World Book Night and Essentials on the Shelves

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This week Simon and Gavin celebrate World Book Night with a bit of a special episode. Simon is out sharing Rebecca and Gavin if he’d been prepared would have been giving The Time Traveller’s Wife. They are joined by Victoria from Eve’s Alexandria who shares the book she’s giving away before moving on to Gavin sharing some books that are essential on his shelves.

Note show notes are a little short as Gavin is doing them and lacks Simon’s flare! 

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

 

The Readers Episode 29; The Readers Summer Book Club More Details, Bookish News & Guilty Pleasures

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This weeks episode is possibly the most bonkers in The Readers history as Gavin is poorly and Simon is hyper on life and a bit speedy and rambling. We have the Summer Book Club dates, bookish news such as no Pulitzer Prize for fiction and David Eggers refusing to be at an award yet taking the cash. Also up for discussion… guilty pleasure reads.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

The Readers Summer Book Club 2012; The Dates (01.00) In the first section of the show we discuss the Readers Summer Book Club list again (briefly) to explain how it works further and with a change to the order of titles and their discussion dates which are…

28th May – The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
4th June – Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
11th June – Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
18th June – Bleakley Hall by Elaine di Rollo
25th June – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
2nd July – Now You See Me by S.J Bolton
9th July – Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
16th July – Pure by Andrew Miller

Bookish News (06.03) No Pulitzer Prize for fiction this year. For the first time in 35 years there has been no novel chosen for the Pulitzer Prize this year. Gavin and Simon ponder why? Where the books just not good enough? Was there not a great American novel in 2011? Gavin and Simon also discuss David Eggers decision to accept The Gunter Grass Foundation Prize but has shunned the ceremony. Why? Should he have turned down the prize too? Why do authors and judges sometimes pull out of awards?

Guilty Pleasure Reads (21.26) Why do people label some of their books as ‘guilty pleasures’? Should we have any books we feel guilty about reading? Gavin and Simon look at their reading habits and wonder if they actually have books they read they might not talk about and why.

Next Week on The Readers (38.11) We will be doing a World Book Night special. If you are a giver, like Simon, we would love to know what you are giving away and why you are giving it and how. So let us know. Until next week…

The Readers Episode 28; The Readers Summer Book Club Titles & Should We Only Read Amazing Books?

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It’s the big reveal this week of the eight titles for The Readers Summer Book Club which Gavin and Simon are really excited about, and we mean REALLY excited about. Gavin and Simon also debate the question ‘should we only read amazing books?’

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

The Readers Summer Book Club Eight Titles (00.48) They are here; the eight books which we hope you will be joining in reading with us, sending your thoughts and even joining us on Skype to discuss over the summer. The way it will work is that Simon and Gavin will interview the authors then they will be joined by three guests (some of whom could be you) for shows from mid-May to mid-July. Here are the titles in order we will be reading them (dates to follow);

Pure by Andrew Miller
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
Packing For Mars by Mary Roach
Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton
Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
Bleakly Hall by Elaine di Rollo
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan

If you would like to be a part of these special shows then you can email us via bookbasedbanter@gmail.com We will be announcing the dates of these shows in the next few episodes.

Should We Only Read Amazing Books? (29.29) Book clubs always bring up titles which we might not always read. You don’t know if they will be amazing or not… which begs the question ‘should we only be reading amazing books?’ Do we need to read the books that we don’t love so much to gage why we love the ones we do? Should our favourite authors be those who only write amazing books, or can they have a duff book every so often? Simon and Gavin discuss this and a fight, followed by giggles, almost ensues.

Next week on The Readers more book based banter, we will speak to you then.

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The Readers Episode 27; We’re Six Months Old, Authors Tantrums & Prize Listings and Three Books From The Last Six Months You Must Read

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Get ready for a giggly episode of The Readers this week as they celebrate being six months old. They discuss how the show has changed and is changing their reading. They discuss authors behaving badly and prize listings. Plus they recommend three books each (with lots of laughing) they’ve loved in the last six months and think you MUST read!

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We Are Six Months Old () No, we can’t quite believe it either but today marks six month since the Readers. Gavin and Simon give thanks, chat about the last six months, how the shows changed, how it’s going to change and how it’s changed them as readers.

When Authors Whinge & Prize Listings () Two forms of conversation in one for this weeks discussion topic inspired by Christopher Priests strop over the Arthur C Clarke Award. How do we respond when we don’t like long lists? Does an authors ranting and raving endear them to us or put us off?

Three Books We’ve Loved in the Last Six Months & You MUST Read () reading recommendations with added giggling.

Gavin recommends;

Or The Bull Kills You by Jason Webster
The House of Silk by Anthony Horrowitz
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Simon recommends:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Diving Belles by Lucy Wood

Next Week on The Readers () We will be announcing The Readers Summer Book Club eight titles… And they are brilliant (if we say so ourselves)!

The Readers Episode 26; Three Generations of Readers

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This week on The Readers we don’t have Gavin but we do have something rather special to make up for it. How often do we get to hear from three generations of readers and hear how the love of a book is passed through the family? Not very do we? However here on The Readers we do as Simon has interviewed his Gran, Mum and little sister (all who love to read) to talk about that in a ‘Savidge Readers Special.’ Apologies for a small silence in between two of the interview, this will be fixed.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

Three Generations of Readers; Simon’s Gran () First in our trio of interviews we have Simon’s Gran, or Dorothy as you might want to call her, a self starting reader who left her studies in order to work. How did she get hooked on reading by herself? How important was it to read to her children? Why does she read about the countries she visits before she goes? What are her thoughts on a Kindle? What books would she recommend? Who does she re-read in her seventies and why?

Three Generations of Readers; Simon’s Mum () Secondly, after a random silent pause, we have Simon’s Mum, Louise, an avid book worm as a child and now a teacher of English Literature to secondary school children from 11-16 year olds. Was the influence of her mother part of her love of reading? What is great about exciting children into reading? Why don’t children read a whole book at school and does it matter? What are her thoughts on the Kindle and the future of the book? Which authors does she love and recommend in her forties?

Three Generations of Readers; Simon’s Sister () Third and finally we have Simon’s sister, Miriam, who at 13 is in the middle of that young adult to adult transition of reading. Which books did she love as a child? What books and authors is she testing in the adult fiction market? Is reading cool at school?  Who does she turn to for her recommendations?

We hope you enjoyed this little special episode? We will both be back next week for our a show celebrating the fact we have lasted six months… Hoorah!

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You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

The Readers Episode 25; Age Appropriate Books and Books That Make You Feel Grubby

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This week on The Readers Gavin and (a slightly addled post surgery) Simon discuss books and the age you read them, we have listener Dom Agius’ top five books and Gavin and Simon discuss the books that make you feel ‘grubby’.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

Age Appropriate Books () Are there some books you should have read by the time you are a certain age? Do books only work for us at the right age or at the right point in our lives? Is it best to read Anne Frank when you are her age? Can you only get the most out of books like ‘The Sense of An Ending’ by Julian Barnes or ‘The Finkler Question’ by Harold Jacobson when you have reached a certain age? Simon and Gavin also look at books they feel they should have read earlier or books they should have left until later in life?

Dom Agius’ Top Five Books () The photographer, The Readers listener and good friend of Simon’s gives us his top five books. You can find out more about him here.

The Orton Diaries by Joe Orton
In Tearing Haste; The Letters Between Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Leigh Fermor edited by Charlotte Mosley
Pet Shop Boys Annually by Chris Heath
Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene in New York City by Chantal Regnault
Love in a Cold Climate & The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

Dirty Books, Grubby Books () Can books go too far? Simon read ‘First Love, Last Rights’ by Ian McEwan and finished it feeling grubby and shocked at himself for reading on because of the subject matter. In the same vein he also read Penny Hancock’s ‘Tideline’ and while it had some incredibly grubby moments he didn’t mind them so much because of the story. He and Gavin talk about the fine line between shocking to prove a point and shocking for the sake of it. When does it cross the line?

Next week on The Readers () We are six months old… we are plotting something special.

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The Readers Episode 24; Independent Foreign Fiction & Orange Prize Longlists2012 & When Does Hype Get Too Much?

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This week on The Readers it’s just Simon and Gavin and they have a lot to discuss. First up are the announcements of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and Orange Prize Longlists and the books that appear on them. Then they discuss ‘hype’ and then it is back; what they have been reading, have read and are going to read next.

Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook now as well as subscribing to us on iTunes here.

The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize & Orange Prize Longlists 2012 () Announced last Thursday, just before Gavin and Simon recorded the show, the bookish duo have a look at the books that made the cut in the lists this year and the ones that didn’t. Which ones are they thrilled made the lists and which ones will they be giving a whirl?

When Does Hype Get Too Much? () Simon has been getting a little bored by the bombardment of mentions and ecstatic reviews of ‘Capital’ by Jon Lancaster. He has nothing against the book, he is just bored of seeing it and hearing about it everywhere. This opens up the discussion on hype, why is buzz ok and yet hype isn’t? When does hype become too much and can it actually hinder the chances of a book being read? Where is the line and what makes just the right balance?

What We Have Read, Are Reading & Want To Read Next () The books on Simon and Gavin’s reading brains are…

Simon has recently read: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
He has not long opened: Alice by Judith Hermann
He is very eager to read: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

  

Gavin has finally finished: Absorption by John Meaney
He’s just started: The City’s Sun by Tom Pollock
He’s keen to get into the icy: Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason

  

Next week on The Readers () it’s just Simon and Gavin for more book based banter, until then…

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You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.