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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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.

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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You can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

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.

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…

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

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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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)!

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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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 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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When Should We Give Up On A Book? (00.56) If you pick up a book any aren’t enjoying it, when should you give up? Should you read on and on, possibly feeling like you are wading through treacle, in order that you hope to be rewarding by a brilliant ending or a compelling and ground breaking last sentence? Simon and Gavin discuss this and let you know when they give up on a book and why they aren’t readers who have to read every book they start to the end.

Justin Torres & We The Animals (22.10) Gavin and Simon are thrilled to have been joined by Justin Torres in his first UK interview to discuss ‘We The Animals’ his debut novel, which became a huge word of mouth and cult hit in America within months of its release (we heard about it thanks to Books on the Nightstand), the week of its UK release. They discuss the success of the novel, its inspiration and much more…

Next week on The Readers (46.17) its back to just Simon and Gavin, and we can promise you lots and lots of book based banter.

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Interview with Eowyn Ivey (00.48) Gavin and Simon are joined by debut author Eowyn Ivey to discuss her novel ‘The Snow Child’. They discuss where the story came from, what inspired Eowyn and how she used her life in Alaska to create such a magical tale.

Fairytales with Ali Shaw (28.01) What makes a great fairytale and why as adults do we still love these stories? Ali Shaw, author of ‘The Girl With Glass Feet’ and ‘The Man Who Rained’, joins Gavin and Simon to discuss this, along with it being a genre, the real dark unedited classics and which fairytales for adults and children we might have missed out on. Ali also recommends his top five fairytales.

Next week on The Readers (59.46) we will be joined by Justin Torres to talk about his debut novel ‘We The Animals’ and when you should give up on a book.

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Famous Authors and Celebrity Writers (02.53) In the first topic of their 21^st episode Simon and Gavin talk about famous authors. What makes an author become famous in modern times? Do people write to be famous? Can authors use their fame for good? What do we think about celebrities who become authors? Do they really write their own books? It’s all up for debate before Simon goes and meets an celebrity author himself…

Interview with Stephanie Beacham (15.48) Simon catches up with Stephanie Beacham to discuss her autobiography ‘Many Lives’. The talk about how it is to address your past, being on a book tour, starring in adaptations, the possibility of writing novels and just why she loves ‘lashings of ginger beer and pink lemonade’.

Bored of Books? (24.35) Earlier in the week Simon received a small bombshell text from Gavin announcing he was ‘bored of books’, he decided the best way to deal with Gav’s problem was to talk about it rather like therapy. We ponder if a book lover can ever become bored of books and how they might deal with it. Listen to hear how it goes; will Gav give up on books?

Simon T of Stuck in a Book’s Top 5 Books (35.38) We have the lovely blogger Simon T (he was the only Simon then our very Simon came along so they became Simon S and Simon T) who blogs at Stuck in a Book popping in to give us his top 5 books and what a lovely early 1900’s collection it is. Fancy some forgotten classics, then you’ll love his selection.

Next week on The Readers (41.50) we will be joined by a debut novelist everyone is talking about, Eowyn Ivey, and her book ‘The Snow Child’ (one of Simon and Gavins favourite books of the year so far) and also talking fairytales for adults. Until then…

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What The Dickens Should Children Be Reading? () In the first segment of this week’s episode Gavin and Simon talk about an article in the Independent where the UK’s schools minister, Nick Gibb, has said ‘all children under 11 should read Dickens’ Claire Tomalin doesn’t agree and neither do Simon and Gavin. Instead they ponder what kids should read, what they read and what some of you suggested too.

Young Adult Books () Simon has been testing the waters with young adult books on and off in the last month. What are his findings and what do Gavin and Simon think of adults reading YA books? As the discussion goes on they realise slowly but surely that they might be out of their depth with this topic…

Three Books The Readers Recommend for Young Readers () instead of their regular ‘what we’ve read, what we are reading and what we want to read next’ Gavin and Simon share three books each they would recommend.

Gav recommends:

‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R. Tolkien, ‘The Twits’ by Roald Dahl and ‘The Wee Free Men’ by Terry Pratchett

Simon recommends:

‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ by Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl and any of the Ladybird Editions of well known Fairytales.

Until next week…

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

Essie Fox and The Somnambulist (0:0:42) we are joined by author Essie Fox for this weeks show as we discuss her debut novel ‘The Somnambulist’ which has been chosen as one of the UK’s TV Book Club Choices. From inspiration to cover changes, the writing process and the research required Gav and Simon discuss another of their joint reads with the author.

Victorian Literature, Then and Now (0:46:40) Why do we still love reading the Victorian classics from Dickens to Wilkie Collins? What is the appeal of Jack the Ripper? Why are authors still so keen to write set in that period? Simon and Gavin, joined by Essie Fox who hosts her own Victorian website http://virtualvictorian.blogspot.com discuss just this. Gav brings Steampunk into the equation and Simon and Essie discuss their favourite modern authors works set at the time. Its all part of this Victorian special.

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Getting To Know You, Well Us, Better (01.10) So just who are The Readers? What do Gavin and Simon do when they aren’t in your ears? How did they meet? Why did they decide to make this podcast? How do they choose the authors they have on the show? Do they like dogs or cats? You have asked us lots of questions on goodreads and Gav and Simon do their best to answer them.

The Readers and Their Reading (20.07) What made us read? Which books were the ones that influenced Gav and Simon in childhood and what about as adults? What attracts Gav to genre? Why did Simon go from being an SFF reader as a kid to a lover of literary fiction as an adult? What put them both off books? Basically what makes The Readers the readers that they are,a nd why they are so excited about The Readers Summer Book Club and the books that meet in the middle.

What The Readers Have Read, Are Reading and Want To Read Next (36.36) Six books we think you should be looking out for…

Gav has read (and listened to): The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry
He is currently buried in: Absorption by John Meaney
Up next for Gav (and Simon might read this too) is: The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier

The last book Simon read was: Bereft by Chris Womersley
He is currently very much enjoying: The Diving Belles by Lucy Wood
He is quite desperate to read the gory: The Autobiography of Jack The Ripper by James Carnac

Next Week on The Readers (53.00) We have a ‘Victoriana Special’ as we are joined by Essie Fox to discuss her debut novel ‘The Somnambulist’  and why in these modern times we love to look back at the past and the ‘sensational’.

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You can hear how Simon got on with it last year, will be be able to convince Gavin to sign up?

You can sign up here on the World Book Night website. We hope you join in!

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Waterstones 11 for 2012  Last week saw the second year of the ‘Waterstones 11’ which the chain of UK bookstores impliments to highlight the best debut novels coming in 2012. Gavin and Simon take a look at the list and chat about them all. You can find more details here.

Where to Start with an Author Taking an idea from listener Dan of Dog Ear Discs which he emailed us and merging it with several goodreads friends asking Simon which Daphne Du Maurier novel is the best to begin with we decided to hold a segment on ‘where to start with authors’ in general. Just what is Gavin and Simon’s advice?

Colin Bateman Interview Simon catches up with author Colin Batemen, or just Bateman, to discuss his latest book Nine Inches featuring the return of Dan Starkey, plus Mystery Man and the fickle world of TV.

Are You A Multi-Reader?  in the last few weeks Simon has noticed he has started to pick up a habit he thinks is rather dirty… multi-reading. He and Gavin decide to look at his ailment and see if it is a good thing or a bad thing and if it is in fact much more common than Simon thought it might be?

Simon's Bedside Table

Until next week…

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The Readers Projects (00:55) Gavin and Simon catch up with you, and each other about their new projects First up is the extension of the International Readers Award. Secondly we talk in more detail about The Readers Summer Book Club, and guess what… We want you to help choose them and join in, so please do!

Books, Authors and Social Networking (05:52) how has the world of blogging, Facebook and Twitter changed relationships between readers and authors? How has this changed authors self-promotion? Which authors do it well and what happens when it all goes wrong? Which authors do we wish tweeted who don’t?

Interview with Jane Harris (25:25) Simon catches up with author or ‘The Observations’ Jane Harris about her latest novel ‘Gillespie and I’ one of his favourites of 2011 now in paperback, there is lots of laughing involved.

What we have read, are reading and want to read next (40:53) it is the last ‘weekly’ (it’s going to be alternated) edition of what Gavin and Simon have on their book horizons past, present and future…

Gav has read: The House That Groaned by Karrie Fransman
He is broke his book buying ban for: Stop What You Are Doing And Read This by Various
He wants to give his attention to: The Ridge by Michael Koryta

Simon has read: The Boy Who Taught The Beekeeper To Read by Susan Hill
He has just started: Girl Reading by Katie Ward
He is very excited about: Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Until next week…

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The Official Bestsellers of 2011 (01.37) the Guardian have shared the list of the offical best selling books sold in the UK in 2011. Gavin and Simon take a look at the list, look for any of their favourite books and discuss what the top sellers were and why they think they did so well. Can you guess what was number one?

Reading Challenges (08.28) we all like a challenge don’t we? While Simon has sworn of starting any challenges or read-a-longs this year (something that by the end of this episode he has broken but as it’s in the name of the Readers so its allowed) but he has started one by joining in with Kim of Reading Matters ‘Australian Literature Month’. This leads to a discussion of reading challenges in general, why do we love joining them, what are the best ones and what are the pit falls? We would love to hear from you all about any challenges you are taking part in and any we might like that can match our ‘whim reading’, suggestions please.

Gavin and Simon also discuss the idea of a ‘Readers Challenge’ in 2013, any ideas?

Richard and Judy vs. The TV Book Club (18.15) in the UK we have two book club powerhouses in the form of Richard and Judy’s Book Club and the TV Book Club, both their lists were announced last week. You can see them here and here. Gavin and Simon go through the lists and look at which books they will be picking up and why these book clubs have proven so popular.

What We Have Read, Are Reading and Want to Read (31.45)  Gavin and Simon share what books they have had on their bedside tables and which ones are fighting to join them.

Gavin has read: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Gavin is reading: Hilldiggers by Neal Asher
Gavin wants to read: Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod

Simon has read: Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Simon is reading: The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Angels Anglada
Simon wants to read: War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Next Week and News (47.55) We have left a forum open on Good Reads for what you would like us to talk about over the next few weeks. We also have re-opened The Readers International Book Awards 2011 and we have a teaser page for The Readers Summer Book Club. Until next week…

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New Year, New Reading Resolutions (03.07) a new year always brings new starts and this can count for reading. Both Gavin and Simon are already plotting and planning their resolutions, aims and idea’s of the way that they might like their reading years to go, but what are they? What are yours?

Note: Simon mentions the Australian Literature Month in January which Kimbofo is hosting (09.29), The Readers will be talking about this further next week so if you have any suggestions for Australian novels Gavin and Simon simply must read let them know.

Books for the first half of 2012… (23.05) Gavin and Simon give you the lowdown on the titles that are tantalising them for spring and some of summer 2012. They thought they had thirty titles (honest they are quick, they have learnt to be succinct in 2012) as Simon ignored the list of titles Gav sent him in advance and they actually have two that they both desperately want to read. What books are you most looking forward to in 2012?

Note: Simon will upload a full list in document format on this post with covers and blurbs of all the books in the next 48 hours, he has started 2012 a little tardily. Sorry.

Next week on The Readers (46.38) Simon and Gavin aren’t sure yet, but we can promise you they will be discussing much bookish and with much banter!

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Festive Reads (02.21) Stuffed with turkey (or goose in Simon’s case) and surrounded by unwrapped presents The Readers catch up with each other hidden away from the family mayhem to talk books. Which books are Gavin and Simon reading over Christmas, why have they chosen them and why is Christmas such a perfect time to read?

The Readers Books of 2011 (08.32) As soon as Christmas is over thoughts turn to the New Year and Gavin and Simon decided it was time to announce their top five books of 2011… only they both cheated and had a list of six. You can also hear the sherry go to Simon’s head as he gets the impromptu giggles at one of Gavin’s choices… oops, could this reignite the Lit vs SFF war at a time of peace and goodwill to all men? The books they mention are (but you have to listen to them to find out more and in what order)…

Simon’s Top Six

Gavin’s Top Six

Both of them may well do posts on their separate blogs to talk about these further and a few extra titles, we will give you links to their posts when they appear in due course.

What have your favourite books of 2011 been? Do let us know in the comments below!

Next week on The Readers (44.56) it will be 2012 and a whole New Year will have started. Gavin and Simon will be talking about and making some reading resolutions and also the books they are most excited about in the first half of 2012. What books are you looking forward to?

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White Heat, Frozen Planets and the Arctic with MJ McGrath (01.16) Special guest Melanie McGrath joins us to talk about her debut novel ‘White Heat’ a murder set in the Inuit communities of the arctic. She discusses writing the book and living in the very place it was set and all the hazards and funny tales (one about a polar bear hunter who gets his comeuppance is a favourite of Simon’s) of living in such a wilderness.

Christmas Books (31.00) taking a break from all things snowy and murderous (though Simon and Melanie are both agreed Christmas brings out the darkness in their natures) we look at books with a festive twist, be they additions to famous series such as ‘Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm’ or special stand alone novels set at Christmas, Gavin, Simon and Melanie discuss if any tempt them and if you can only read Christmas books during this very time of year.

What We’ve Read, Are Reading & Want to Read Next (40.30) have ten titles to tempt you with as Melanie stays with Gavin and Simon to share what books they have on their bedside tables over the festive period.

Melanie has read (and cheated with two, hee hee): Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Is curently reading a book Simon loved: Purge by Sofi Oksanen
And has a slightly festive novel by the bedside: Snow Angels by James Thompson

Simon just read and utterly loved: The Hunger Trace by Edward Hogan
Is presently reading: Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
He is looking forward to a very murderous book set at Christmas: The Sweetness of Life by Paulus Hochgatterer

Gavin has read a short story from: A Book of Horrors anthology by Stephen Jones
He has just started reading: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
He wants to dust off a book he bought ages ago: Sea of Ghosts by Alan Campbell

Next week on The Readers: Simon and Gavin will be catching up on Boxing Day after eating too much turkey/goose and one too many mince pies and chatting about their reading over Xmas and their best books of 2011. Until then…

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Crime in a Cold Climate (01.27) what is it with Nordic crime and it’s worldwide success? Gavin and Simon discuss the genre of cold crime and ponder is rise from nowhere. Which of the famous authors have they read? Which ones should you be looking out for? Why is this such a phenomenon and will it last?

Yrsa Siguardardottir (30.03) Simon interviews one of his and Gavs favourite cold crime writers to discuss her series, how she has used Iceland to make a criminal atmosphere, what she thinks of other writers or the genre and how it feels to be compared to Steig Larsson

Tomorrow on the Readers (40.04) we will carry on talking all things frosty and murderous with MJ McGrath, we look at Christmas books and what we have read, are reading and want to read next.

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As a thank you for voting all entrants will be eligable to win a signed first edition hardback of Jennifer Egan’s ‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’. Simply pop to the voting page to find out more and download the form.

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Before we go any further don’t forget you can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here.

We would also like to remind you that you have only got until this Friday to vote on The International Readers Awards 2011, so please do get voting and remember you could win a signed first edition of Jennifer Egan’s ‘A Visit From The Good Squad’

Funny Books (00.50) Gavin and Simon look at ‘funny books’ as with the ‘season to be jolly’ being in everyone’s head they want to know what genuinely funny books are out there and why novelty books dominate the book charts and shops at this time of year? Do you have any recommendations of hilarious novels?

Emma Jane Unsworth’s Top 5 Funny Books (13.34) the lovely, and very funny, Emma Jane Unsworth debut author of ‘Hungry, The Stars and Everything’ gives us her guide to five books that should have you smiling wryly or chuckling darkly.

Catherine Hall, The Green Carnation Prize, LGBT Writing (16.36) Gavin and Simon are joined by the author Catherine Hall whose second novel ‘The Proof of Love’ was declared winner of the Green Carnation Prize 2011 last week. They discuss the importance of nice prizes and The Green Carnation in particular, why you can’t get the book in America (though do get it through Book Depository if you’re an international listener, Simon says its amazing) and LGBT writing and why it causes some controversy still.

What We Have Read, Are Reading and Want to Read (36.19) We have nine titles to tempt you with as Catherine Hall stays with Gavin and Simon to share what books they have on their bedside tables.

Gav has just finished: The House of Silk by Anthony Horrowitz
He has just started: The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
And wants to read: Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Catherine has just read: Ghosts By Daylight by Janine di Giovanni
Is reading: The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Can’t wait to get into: Mary Ann In Autumn by Armistead Maupin

Simon has re-read: Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
Is currently enjoying: The Hunger Trace by Edward Hogan
Is musing reading: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

Next week on The Readers (50.53) it’s getting frosty and arctic as we look as crimes in cold climates and snow filled Christmas books with a special guest, plus an interview with Yrsa Siguardardottir.

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It’s episode ten but will Gavin and Simon be Speaking by end of it? They discuss Margaret Atwood’s new book ‘In Other Worlds’ which leads to the, possibly rather heated debate, over ‘Speculative Fiction’ as well as more discussion over the author and her other works.

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Margaret Attwood & Other Worlds (01.07)

Gavin and Simon Discuss Margaret Atwood’s latest book ‘In Other Worlds’ their first official joint ‘Readers Read’ and soon the debate over…

It’s War… Speculative vs Sc-Fi vs Literary Fiction (11.00)

…raises its hard. Gavin and Simon debate the whole she-bang, is there really a divide and if so why and who started it? Will they come to an understanding or really fall out?

The International Readers Book Awards 2011 (30:47)

Gavin and Simon have decided to open a new award voted and judgerd by all of you. Listen and then find out more on its very own page on the website.

We Are TEN!!!! (34.21)

we simply can’t believe we have reached episode ten already, double figure. WE look back at a crazy few weeks and also look to the future and what we might do next, and yes we want to hear even more from YOU… in all sorts of ways!!!!!

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Before we go any further don’t forget you can subscribe to our weekly podcast on iTunes here we also apologise if anyone couldnt download us last week, we had a mad surge of downloads and exceeded our bandwidth but now we have lots so do subscribe away.

We talk Book Blogging (00.58) with special guest Kim we discuss why we blog about books, what we love about the book blogosphere and if it has changed us as readers?

Polly of Novel Insights Top 5 Books (22.27) we asked book blogger Polly to give us her top five books and what a treat they are for you, she is also a prime example of a blogger who is inspired by other bloggers on what to read next!

How do you cull books and why? (29.51) Kim also kindly joins us for a debate on culling those ever growing TBR’s. Can you ever have too many books? How do people cope with the one book out one book in rule, and how on earth can Gavin already be culling his Kindle?

What we have read, are reading, and really want to read next (40.36) We have nine titles to tempt you with as Gavin and Simon are also joined by Kim to share what books they have had on their blogger brains.

Gav has just read and loved (shock, horror): Thud by Terry Pratchett
He has just started: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
And quite fancies: Starlight by Stella Gibbons

Kim has just read and adored: Leaving Ardglass by William King
Is twenty odd pages into: Shadowstory by Jennifer Johnston
Can’t wait to get into: Bloodland by Alan Glynn

Simon has been blown away by: My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier
Is currently enjoying: Hungry, The Stars and Everything by Emma Jane Unsworth
Is very excited about starting: The Man Who Rained by Ali Shaw

Next week on The Readers (56.00) the gloves are coming off as Simon and Gavin try to settle the debate on who owns Margaret Atwood, is she literary, is she sci-fi or speculative fiction? Should anyone even dare to pigeon hole her? What’s the fuss about? Well The Readers will be debating (quite heatedly we imagine) all of this next week after having read ‘In Other Worlds’ you have been warned!

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No Time for Novels (00.57) Gavin and Simon discuss an article in the Guardian that suggests as the world is going down the pan we should all stop reading fiction and be facing facts with non-fiction, economy books and biographies. Really? Gavin and Simon have a few things to say on the matter.

From Birthdays to Bunkers… Reading Challenges are in the air as Gavin has set himself a 33 Books for 33 Challenge (06.31) starting on his birthday this Thursday (send cards, books, etc) and Simon has decided he is Reading Like it’s the End of the World (11.06) starting on December the 21^st 2011 for a year. They discuss the possible pitfalls and delights of both these challenges. What do you think?

We are chuffed to bits to have the legendary podcast hosts Ann and Michael of Books on the Nightstand and Their Top Five Books (14.01) seriously you wouldn’t believe how excited this made us. We aren’t telling you what they are, you have to listen. You can hear us assessing their lists (24.08) afterwards and adding books to both our TBR piles.

What we’ve read, what we are reading and what we want to read (27.50) Gavin and Simon discuss the latest books on their radars…

Gav is reading: Reamde by Neal Stephenson
Gav is keen to read: Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again by Garth Nix

Simon has read: Crime – Ferdinand  Von Schirach
Simon is reading: V for Vendetta – Alan Moore and David Lloyd
He’s exceptionally eager to read: You’ll Be Sorry When I’m Dead – Marieke Hardy (if you want to know what Marieke said that Gav wont let Simon repeat then go here)

Next week on The Readers (36.51) we will have the lovely Kim of Reading Matters joining us as a co-host, and we aren’t sure what we will be talking about but we know it will be fun; we have Polly of Novel Insights Top 5 Books and an interview with author Sarah Hall.

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Welcome to The Readers ‘Sherlock Special’ where in our seventh episode we discuss all things Holmesian (is that a word?) as the dark foggy nights draw in here in the UK.

Why do we love Sherlock Holmes so much? (00.50) We don’t just mean Gavin and Simon, who are massive fans, but readers in general. Gav and Simon talk all things Sherlock including his appeal, the films, the spin off books and their very favourites. It’s a mini Sherlock Fest!

Horowitz on Holmes (14.00) Simon meets Anthony Horowitz to discuss his new novel ‘The House of Silk’ which is an all new Sherlock Holmes novel and all that ensues with such a task and why it will be the only one.

Gav and Simon discuss ‘The House of Silk’ (27.14) as they have both been reading the same book again. Did we get on with it as we are both such fans; you’ll have to listen to find out!

If you still need any convincing that it’s time to read some Sherlock then Anthony Horowitz rejoins The Readers with his Top Five Holmes stories (36.25) and now you have no excuses what so ever.

What we have been reading, are reading and want to read (37.24) Gavin and Simon discuss the latest books on their radars all with a slight Holmesian twist…

Gav has been reading: Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (also discussed in Episode Four)
Gav is reading: The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
Gav is desperate to read: The Immorality Engine by George Mann

Simon has been reading: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Simon is reading: The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie R. King
Simon is gagging to read: The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Grann

Next week on The Readers (46.46) we will be getting down to some basic bookish banter that takes our fancy, we could end up discussing anything! Be warned.

Photograph by Ed Swinden.

Welcome to the Manchester Literature Festival (0.17) we discuss the joys of festivals in general, after reminding you all we are on iTunes, before Gav starts grilling Simon on where he went. His first port of call was the opening night and seeing Colm Toibin and Alan Hollinghurst in conversation (2.19) where they discussed homosexuality in literature and what inspired them to write. Simon managed to sneakily record part of the discussion.

Next up, Emma Jane Unsworth and Jon Niven (7.07) were in conversation and discussed comedy in books and how hard it is for them to be pigeon holed by publicity and marketing departments. Simon comes away reading one of the author’s books and desperate to get hold of the other authors, just what a festival should do. Gav has something to say on it all too and Emma will be joining us for another podcast on books with humour in the future.

Before she got on stage in the first of the two South Asian Literature events with Tahmima Anam with Claire Armistead hosting, Simon interviewed Dipika Rai (9.31) in the gothic wonder of Manchester’s town hall to talk about Indian Literature, the voice of women in Indian fiction, technology in publishing and how it can benefit authors and book groups as well as her debut novel ‘Someone Else’s Garden’.

Photograph by Ed Swinden.

Photograph by Ed Swinden.

The second of the South Asian Literature Events (25.45) saw two very different authors, Moni Mohsin and Kishwar Desai, look at the current concerns in their countries and their cultures and how they have used the genres of comedy and crime in order to address them. Simon then meets up to interview Kishwar Desai (26.59) in Manchester’s bustling Piccadilly Station the next day to talk about this and her award winning debut novel ‘Witness the Night’ in more detail its diverse nature with the subject of gendercide as well as her menopausal crime solver.

Something completely different next as Simon took Granny Savidge Reads to see and adaptation of Sarah Dunant’s ‘Sacred Hearts’ in Manchester Cathedral (50.20) with a full blown choir in the form of Musica Secreta. It proved a moving experience.

Photograph by Ed Swinden.

Crime in a Cold Climate (53.26) was a special night of Nordic Crime, well discussing it, with Thomas Enger, KO Dahl and Yrsa Sigardurdottir. Simon then caught up with Thomas and KO (or Shell) afterwards for a chat (55.04) about all things Nordic and why this crime wave has become so popular and so graphic. Oh and before you think we are being sexist, the lovely – and frankly hilarious – Yrsa will be in a ‘chilly and chilling’ episode of The Readers in the future.

Photograph by Jon Atkin

As a chair, co-founder and judge of a prize himself Simon went to the Prize Culture evening (1.04.55) on the eve of the Man Booker and got more than he bargained for when the panel started discussing all things prize based and then started talking about book bloggers, uh-oh…

Photograph by Jon Atkin.

Afternoon Tea With Patricia Duncker (1.08.09) was an event to celebrate Patricia Duncker’s special short story set in the Midland Hotel as part of the festival. Simon then had more afternoon tea with Patricia Duncker (1.09.10) to discuss the story and her latest novel ‘The Strange Case of the Composer and His Judge’ and the cult novel ‘Hallucinating Foucault’ as well as those books you think are written just for you.

It was an exciting final author meeting for Simon as he got to meet Catherine O’Flynn (1.18.58) who he thinks might be the next Kate Atkinson, to talk about her word of mouth debut success ‘What Was Lost’, its TV Book Club chosen follow up ‘The News Where You Are’ and how being a writer isn’t a be all and end all career.

Finally, Simon reveals how he and his team faired at the last event the Literary Quiz (1.27.10) how do you think he did?

And that is it… A rather MASSIVE thanks (1.28.20) to all at the Manchester Literature Festival who let Simon in to the events and behind the scenes, he had an amazing time! You can find out about all the events on their blog – which is also where we pilfered the pictures for this post.

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Books in the News (00.48) Publishers Weekly have announced their top ten novels of the year… already? (02.32) The Green Carnation Prize 2011 shortlist has been announced and Gav interrogates it’s Chair, who happens to be his co-host Simon (07.21) The Galaxy National Book Awards 2011; who won, who was a contender and what Simon and Gavin think about it all.

There is no specific discussion this week (23.39) as we have a Manchester Literature Festival special coming with Kishwar Desai, Catherine O’Flynn, Patricia Dunker, Colm Toibin, Alan Hollinghurst and many more.

What we have been reading, are reading and want to read (24.20) Gavin and Simon discuss the latest books on their radars…

Gav has been reading: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
Gav is reading: The Floating Admiral by Members of the Detection Club
Gav is desperate to read: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Simon has been reading: The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
Simon is reading: all the books by Joan Bakewell
Simon is gagging to read: I Am Half-Sick of the Shadows by Alan Bradley

Next week on The Readers (35.40) after a Manchester Literature Festival Special Gavin and Simon will be getting their deerstalkers out for a Sherlock special with none other than Anthony Horowitz, the game is afoot!

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We have both been haunted by the same book (00.52) randomly Gavin and Simon started reading (one of them finished it, one is halfway through so no spoilers) the same book Michelle Paver’s novel ‘Dark Matter’ and so decide to discuss it. Starting with the cover and discussing how scary it really is, this also includes a random shout out to Simon’s Mum (01.34) as she is in hospital having a big operation today… tangents hey? We will be doing another joint read for episode six in two weeks with Margaret Atwood’s collection of essays ‘In Other World’s’ so do feel free to join in.

Paul Magrs on The Readers (11.59) Gavin catches up with author Paul Magrs as his new novel ‘666 Charing Cross Road’ comes out, a suitably spooky, and rather bookish, tale that you could curl up with over Halloween, or just in these autumnal nights (well if you are in the UK).

Supernatural vs. Scary (29.03) Whilst we love the fact that all things supernatural have made the main street both with books like ‘Twilight’, or indeed with spooky funny shenanigans in books like Paul Magrs, police procedurals with magic like Ben Aaronovitch’s novels,  we wondered what on earth has happened to those utterly chilling or horrifying novels? Has horror just become hammy? Why aren’t those terrifying tales as popular as they once were? Has Halloween made the fearful a gimmick? Let us know your thoughts.

A trick or treat top ten spooky books from bloggers (38.42) the lovely Jared and Anne from the wonderful blog Pornokitsch (it is book based honestly) join us from the US of A to tell us their favourite spooky or supernatural reads for Halloween… and a very vocal cat called Agatha chips in too! Lots of books to add to the TBR piles.

What we will be reading, or already are, to creep ourselves out this week (52.00) so what are we planning on reading… Simon read ‘The English Ghost’ by Peter Ackroyd and didn’t get what he was expecting; he is halfway through ‘Florence and Giles’ by John Harding (which Gav loved). On his radar are ‘Visitation’ by Jenny Erpenbeck, a collection of ‘scary fairy tales’ by Ludmilla Petrishrushevskaya aptly called ‘There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbours Baby’ and two lit-fic books with supernatural elements ‘The Last Werewolf’ by Glen Duncan and ‘The Blue Book’ by A. L. Kennedy. Gavin is reading ‘Dark Matter’ as we mentioned earlier, next up he has ‘The Woman in Black’ by Susan Hill (trailer of the movie below – you might jump), an anthology called ‘The Weird’, ‘The Silent Land’ by Graham Joyce, the American gothic ‘Mr Shivers’ by Robert Jackson Bennett or possibly ‘15 Miles’ by Rob Scott.

The Woman in Black

And that’s quite enough spooky shenanigans for one episode. What would you recommend we pick up as a terrifying tale?

Next week… we haven’t organised a show yet, because we would like to know what you would like us to talk about? We do know Anthony Horowitz will be joining us though to discuss Sherlock Holmes and his new outing – maybe that will inspire something? So what topics would you like Gav and Simon to discuss next week, let us know.

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Welcome and Simon has an apology… We have the latest Bookish News (00.59) we discuss the Man Booker Winner (did anyone else notice it was the Man Booker last week) ‘A Sense of an Ending’ by Julian Barnes. We also discuss Terry Pratchett’s sales of ‘Snuff’ which leads us onto…

Meeting Authors (04.27) should people go and meet their favourite authors? Can meeting an author put your off for life? Which authors you wouldn’t normally read and then see read and want to tread everything? Gav and Simon discuss and would love to hear your experiences, so feel free to comment below.

Ian Rankin Interviewed (09:04) Simon catches up with Ian Rankin to discuss the future of books, his latest novel ‘The Impossible Dead’, the return of Rebus and how Ian ended up a suspect in a real life murder.

Short Stories (24:26) Gavin and Simon discuss short stories after Simon couldn’t shut up (though not on his blog yet)  about ‘The Woman Who Gave Birth To Rabbits’ by Emma Donoghue and how he has started to read short stories regularly. They discuss their favourites (Sherlock Holmes anyone?), how you can try out new authors but its is not just Simon and Gavin who have recommendations. We have Sam Jordison from The Guardian (38:06) discussing Daphne Du Maurier, you all tweeted (40:47) and the wonderful author Patricia Duncker gave us her Top 5 Short Stories (43:40) which we were thrilled with.

What have we been reading and what are we excited about? (45:16) We catch up with each other about what we have been reading, what we are reading next and what we are simply desperate to get our prose loving paws on.

What have you been reading and what should we be reading next? Oh, and please leave any comments on the show in below, we would love your constructive feedback.

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What is news in the book world? (00.29) The Nobel Prize, Amazon furthers its publishing field, the Orange Prize 2012 judges and ‘The Literature Prize’. The latter comes to haunt the hosts later.

Murakami Madness (09.54) Haruki Murakami ‘s long awaited ‘1Q84’ Books One and Two, in a single book, comes out this week. We discuss if this could be the biggest book of the year and why people, including Simon, think Murakami is such a masterful (if bonkers) storyteller. Gav is mulling over which Murakami to read next and which we should read as the first ‘The Readers Book Group Choice’. Thoughts please…

We take a trip to The Book Barge (17.58) Doesn’t the idea of travelling around the UK in a boat selling and bartering books for six months sound like bliss? Well Sarah is doing that on her Book Barge and Simon joins here on the Manchester canal (remember he doesn’t like boats) to find out what life is like at 4mph with nothing but books surrounding you!

Literature vs. Readability (28.57) This week, in the UK, ‘The Literature Prize’ got  the bookish world in a bit of spin, some thinking it was brilliant, some thinking it was pompous twaddle created by Booker bitter lemons. Simon and Gavin discuss the whole idea of this new prize and the debate between what is ‘literary’ and if it should have ‘readability’. We would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this in the show notes comments. Oh and get ready for Simon to have a really big rant.

What we have been reading and what we are looking forward to… (46.06) We catch up with each other about what we have been reading, what we are reading next and what we are simply desperate to get our prose loving paws on.

What have you been reading and what should we be reading next? Oh, and please leave any comments on the show in below, we would love your constructive feedback.

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So what have we for you in Episode One…

What is news in the book world?  (01.19) Gav and Simon discuss Gollancz 50^th Birthday and the New SFF Gateway which is looking at unleashing over 3,000 SFF e-books (and many more in the future). Gav gets very excited about this whilst Simon ponders the idea and wonders if it will bring any new fans, or ‘SFF timid’ readers like himself, to the genre and these soon to be released titles. Would it you? We also discuss the covers…

Grabbing, gorgeous or ghastly?

There is also Man Booker musings before the short list is announced (we are hoping this podcast goes up in time) this Tuesday evening, erm why haven’t we been invited?

We meet Carol Birch. (11.02) Speaking of shortlisted Man Booker novels, we have been very lucky as Simon grabbed Carol Birch for a grilling before the announcement to discuss ‘Jamrach’s Menagerie’ (which could be the Man Booker Winner 2011) that listing, the Richard and Judy Book Club and what she has coming for her readers next…

We discuss Book Awards. (29.34) What is all the furore and fuss about book awards? Are they good for the industry or do they breed competition and genre divides, or are we the readers the ones who do that? We would love your thoughts.

Gav is in a reading funk. (42.06) Book Dr Savidge tries to prescribe some advice on how to get out of it and get Gav turning those pages again, we also ask for your advice.

In a bid to recommend some possibilities to Gav, Simon suggests his ‘Top Five Favourite Reads’ (the first of a series on ‘The Readers’). Oh, and we let you know what’scoming up in next weeks episode.

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So before the podcast goes live around the world, we are wondering what sort of things you would like to here, as you will be as much a part of the show as the hosts themselves, and we are hoping The Readers will attract readers from around the world, so get your suggestions to us in the comments below.

But just who are The Readers? Well we want to keep you on the edge of your pages, so you’ll have to keep guessing (can you) for the next week or so, one thing is for sure though…

The Readers are coming… Hold onto your books!