Tag Archives: Lucy Wood

Ep 56; Merry Christmas and Our Books of 2012

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This week on The Readers we have pre-recorded a little mini show for you to go live on Christmas Day. We know this is meant to be a time of family and you might not want us ruining your Christmas Day, but if you want to escape the family (like Simon always does) for a bit of a breather from the festive madness then you can hide away for 20 minutes with us as we give you a little festive cheer and our favourite books of the year…

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

Merry Christmas () Firstly, hooray the world didn’t end. Secondly MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all. Gavin and Simon try and bring you a little festive hello, before lots and lots of slushy, mushy seasonal thanks at the end of the show.

Our Books of 2012 () We thought for a little mini show what would be better than us dashing through the snow, no sorry, us dashing through our top five books of the year each. Actually some of Gavin’s would make Simon’s top ten, if they had done one, and vice versa. So should you have a new e-reader (don’t tell Simon) or some book vouchers to spend then you might like to try these ten books if you haven’t already…

  

Gavin: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Simon: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

  

Gavin: The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
Simon: Hawthorn and Child by Keith Ridgway

   

Gavin: The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
Simon: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

  

Gavin: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Simon: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

  

Gavin: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Simon: Diving Belles by Lucy Wood

Next Week on The Readers () So that is it for the Readers for Christmas and indeed for 2012 and we would like to thank you all for listening, chatting on Facebook, Twitter and GoodReads, coming on the show and just being lovely. We will be back next week on the 1st of January 2013 with a list of books we are really excited about in the first half of 2013… Lots and lots and lots and lots of recommendations are coming your way. In the meantime once again Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Gavin and Simon.

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Repost: The Readers Book Club #2; Diving Belles by Lucy Wood

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PLEASE NOTE: The original version of this podcast had a weird whooshing noise. Gavin has fixed it and if you’d like to enjoy us discussing Diving Belles whoosh-free please download this version. Apologies. 

Yippee and hooray as Gavin is back from his holidays for the second episode of the all new monthly Readers Book Club, brought to you on the first Friday of every month. If you regularily tune in to The Readers podcast you will have heard Simon going on (and on and on and on and on) about Lucy Wood’s debut collection of magical stories ‘Diving Belles’, well now she is on the show to discuss it. Simon and Gavin chat to her about the book, then amongst themselves before being joined by Ellie also known as Patchwork Bunny who writes the blog Curiosity Killed the Bookworm.

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

An Interview with the Author () We are joined from Devon by the lovely Lucy Wood this month as to discuss with Gavin and Simon her debut collection of stories based on Cornish folklore ‘Diving Belles’. They discuss how the book evolved from something she was writing for her MA to publication, the stories that they were originally based on or inspired by, the complexities of writing short stories and what she is working on next (which Simon is already simply gasping to read).

 

Simon & Gavin’s Thoughts () We all know that Simon loved this book as he wouldn’t shut up about it, but what about Gavin. He has admitted in the past that when Simon raves about a book too much it almost gives it too much hype. Hear what they both have to say, spoiler free.

The Readers Panel Discusses… () This section is brimming with spoilers, (you have been warned) as Simon and Gavin are joined by book blogger Ellie who writes Curiosity Killed the Bookworm to get another set of eyes cast of the collection. With spoilers being allowed this is where they can properly talk about the stories and which ones became firm favourites and why.

Next month on The Readers Book Club () We are delighted to announce, and slightly nervous, that next months Book Group author is Susan Hill. No, really… the Susan Hill. We will be announcing the book chosen on our birthday episode next week.  If you fancy joining in the discussion on the show email bookbasedbanter@gmail.com we will be back with that show on the 2nd of November, until then keep enjoying the weekly podcasts each Tuesday…

The Readers Episode 42; Some News, Book Covers Covered (Quotes on Books & Blurbs) & What We Have Read, Are Reading & Want to Read Next…

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This week on The Readers is a bumper show indeed. We start with the news that Gavin is having a bit of time away, but fear not you’ll still be getting some shows as we explain, we also have a random chat about the Madeline Miller special then the show starts properly with two discussions about book covers. Plus, before Gavin has a break, they give you the low down on what they have read, are reading and would like 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.

News & Natter () This week Simon and Gavin announce that Gavin is having a holiday from The Readers for a few weeks as his book burn out has taken over. Do not fear though because, as they explain, Simon will still be coming to you every week with a special guest co-host so do keep listening in. Simon and Gavin also have a little chat about Madeline Miller and the Book Group.

Quotes on Books () Kristin asked us on our GoodReads page the following question “Can you explain to me why they put reviews for another book by the same author on the back of a novel? For example, I just started “What I Talk About What I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami. It’s a non-fiction book that is sort of a memoir on his running hobby. On the back cover it says “Acclaim for Murakami’s “After Dark”", another book written by Murakami, but totally unlike “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”. For one thing, “After Dark” is Fiction and “What I Talk About” is Non-Fiction. By reading the reviews for “After Dark” on the back cover, a reader could be mislead as to what the book they are holding is about. I have seen this done many times before, but this time it stuck out because Murakami’s writing style of a novel is very different from him writing about himself. It’s like the editor/publisher has no idea what the book is about… any opinions on this?” Well Simon and Gavin decided this was the perfect time to discuss quotes on books (and then stickers) as the first of two book cover discussions. The second of which is…

Book Blurbs () Simon admits in this episode that, just like his favourite person Marieke Hardy, he doesn’t read the blurbs of books. In this section The Readers discuss the pros and cons of book blurbs, why sometimes they don’t tell the truth, why they can sometimes give too much away and what happens if a book doesn’t have one?

What We Have Read, Are Reading and Want to Read Next… () In their randomly regular section, before he goes off on holiday, Gavin and Simon talk about the latest books on their reading horizons, or peripheries…

  

Gavin has read and was a little unsure of: Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovich
He is getting his reading mojo back with: A Place of Execution by Val McDermid
Simon is finally forcing him, for book group, to read: Diving Belles by Lucy Wood

  

Simon has read and loved: Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
He has just started and a little bit unsure of: Communion Town by Sam Thompson
He is going to be reading: The last of the Green Carnation submissions and then will be trying Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Next Week on the Readers () Simon will be back with the first of his special co hosts, and finally you will get that Carlos Ruiz Zafon interview. Honestly.

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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 18; All About Us, Getting To Know The Readers Better…

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As we suddenly realised we have never formerly introduced ourselves we thought that eighteen shows in it was about time we did. So here it is the ‘about us’ episode, from how we met to if we like cats and dogs, from the technical side to why we love reading (and answering lots of your questions from goodreads, so thank you for those), we hope you don’t think it’s too self indulgent.

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

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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