Books On The Go

Anna and Geoff react to the 2026 Booker Prize Shortlist. Our book of the week is THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY by Elizabeth Strout. The latest novel by the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize winning author centres on Artie Dam, a history teacher who has a full life but is upended by feelings of isolation and a secret that is revealed. This has been shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. Is this a political book? Will there be a spin-off novel about Flossie? Where do we rank it in the Booker shortlist? Coming up: THE RENOVATION by Kenan Ohran Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the Singapore government paying people to read books, and the 2026 National Book Awards longlist for fiction. Our book of the week is SWITZY by Emma Cline. Switzy is Cline's latest novel after her best-sellers The Girls and The Guest. David, a retired executive suffering from Alzheimers, is travelling to Zurich to end his life. We follow David's point of view as he visits his daughter and an old school friend, while pretending he is fine. Switzy is a national best-seller, a Most Anticipated Book of Fall and has been longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. Read-alikes: WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH by Sigrid Nunez MAYFLIES by Andrew O'Hagan Podcast: Better Off Dead We also give our (wrong) predictions for the Booker Prize shortlist! Coming up: THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY by Elizabeth Strout and THE RENOVATION by Kenan Orhan. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the challenges facing our local bookstores: rising taxes in the UK and a cyber-hacking event affecting a major distributor in Australia. We also take a look at the current front-runners for the Booker Prize. Our book of the week is debut novel ALL THEM DOGS by Djamel White. A gritty neo-noir story about Tony Ward who returns to Dublin and starts working for an enforcer in a local gang, it has been long listed for the 2026 Booker Prize. We talk about: What makes a good underworld crime thriller and what are some of the pitfalls for literary authors venturing into this area. Why this is not a gangland Heated Rivalry. When a book leaves you wanting more. Coming up: TELL ME EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Strout Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss THE PALM HOUSE by Gwendoline Riley. Set in London, it centres on friends Laura and Putnam, both journalists facing a changing work landscape. It is longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. We enjoyed this book, especially the spare writing. It got us talking: How important is plot? Is this a comic novel? Geoff's alternative title for the book. We also pick our next reads from the Booker Prize Longlist. Other books mentioned: The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey Capture by Amanda Lohrey The Gate at The Stairs by Lorrie Moore Birds of America by Lorrie Moore Foster by Claire Keegan The Friend by Sigrid Nunez Coming up: All Them Dogs by Djamel White Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna and Geoff are joined by Kate Slotover of the Book Club Review Podcast, on location in London. We discuss our top holiday reading recommendations. Our picks: FAMESICK by Lena Dunham THE PALACE PAPERS by Tina Brown ENOUGH SAID by Alan Bennett SLOUGH HOUSE by Mick Herron WAITING ON A FRIEND by Natalie Adler LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION by Ben Lerner PARADISO by Michele Masneri translated by Richard Village RECEIPTS FROM THE BOOKSHOP by Katie Clapham THE LINE OF BEAUTY by Alan Hollinghurst Also discussed: TRANSCRIPTION by Ben Lerner VILLA COCO by Andrew Sean Greer THE SILVER BOOK by Olivia Laing SUNSTRUCK by William Hunter THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller EUROTRASH by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles EARTH 7 by Deb Olin Unferth Pressing questions: What makes a good holiday read? How many ghosts are too many? Is running a bookshop the dream job? Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras (Anna) / @bookclubreviewpodcast (Kate) Substack:…

Anna and Geoff discuss the Dublin Literary Award winner, Gliff by Ali Smith. Our book of the week is HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser. Lispector was the Ukrainian-Brazilian novelist writing from the 1940s to 1970s who is widely referenced and is having a moment on BookTube and BookTok. She was compared with Virginia Woolf and Cubist artists. A short book (80 pages) but not a quick read as we discovered. Geoff has an intriguing theory about the first section (spoiler alert). Anna found it too abstract and meta but maybe it all makes sense? Apologies for the audio quality, Anna's microphone was not working (we realised belatedly)! Coming up: our top holiday reads. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff react to the 2026 Women's Prize winners: Virginia Evans' THE CORRESPONDENT for Fiction, which prompts Geoff to recommend 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, and Lyse Doucet's THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL for Non-Fiction. Our book of the week is JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart, the Booker Prize-winning author of SHUGGIE BAIN. Set in the remote Scottish Hebrides among a weaving community, this story of John and his son Cal was an Oprah Book Club pick, a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and picked by many as a Most Anticipated Book of 2026. Is it more Brokeback Mountain or Greek tragedy, or something else? Coming up: HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 Stella Prize winner, CANNON by Lee Lai and the 2026 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction shortlist. We also react to the Guardian list of 100 best books of all time. Is there a difference between your 10 favourite novels and your top 10 best books of all time? Our book of the week is LONDON FALLING by Patrick Radden Keefe. This is Keefe's latest book, after his widely acclaimed EMPIRE OF PAIN. It explores the death of 19 year old Zac Brettler, who had been posing as a Russian oligarch's son and became entangled with the London underworld. LONDON FALLING was a Most Anticipated book of 2026 and is a New York Times Best Book of the Year So Far. There are twists and turns aplenty and much to discuss: Were the Met police incompetent or was there more to it? If your teenager has £850,000 in their bank account, is this a red flag? What did we think of the ending? Coming up: JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras…

Anna and Geoff react to the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, ANGEL DOWN by Daniel Kraus, a World War 1 novel written in one sentence. We also discuss Dwight Garner's New York Times article about the lack of book critics and our views on book influencers and reviews that make news, such as the Harper's review of To Paradise by Hana Yanagihara. Our book of the week is TRANSCRIPTION by Ben Lerner. This novel about a writer who writes an article about his mentor from his memory of their interview after dropping his phone in a sink tackles issues such as phone addiction, parenting and eating disorders. It was a Telegraph 'most anticipated book of 2026' and a New York Times 'book everyone will be talking about'. Recommended for book clubs. We had to ask: Why did he not put his phone in a bowl of rice? Is this a book about tech addiction? How does it differ from an Ian McEwan novel? How many unreliable narrators do we have here? Read-alikes: AUDITION by Katie Kitamura LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION by Ben Lerner…

Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist. Is it more commercial than usual? Our book of the week is LÁZÁR by Nelio Biedermann translated by Jamie Bulloch. This sweeping historical novel about the aristocratic von Lázár family during the 20th century from the Austro Hungarian empire through to Russian occupation is a buzzy debut which has received much praise. Patti Smith, Dua Lipa and Christian Kracht are fans. It prompted some questions: Is One Hundred years of Solitude a good comparison? What is the meaning of the translucent skin and gothic forest? Can you spot the modern literature references (Anna missed most of them!) Here are some read-alikes if you enjoyed Lázár: Held by Anne Michaels Beddebrooks by Thomas Mann The Director by Daniel Kehlmann translated by Ross Benjamin The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth translated by Michael Hofmann Coming up: TRANSCRIPTION by Ben Lerner Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go…

Anna and Geoff discuss the news that Helen deWitt has turned down the Windham Campbell prize. Are authors expected to do too much publicity? Our book of the week is PEDRO PÁRAMO by Juan Rulfo translated by Douglas J. Weatherford. 'Wuthering Heights located in Mexico written by Kafka' gives a hint - this book is a trip. It broke Anna's brain but Geoff found it richly rewarding once you get into it. Pedro Páramo inspired a generation of Hispanic writers including Gabriel Garcia Márquez and is considered a classic. It's now a Netflix film - but is it too faithful to the book? We needed the Wikipedia plot summary for this one. Read-alikes THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez A SUNNY PLACE FOR SHADY PEOPLE by Mariana Enriquez translated by Megan McDowell HURRICANE SEASON by Fernanda Melchor translated by Sophie Hughes Coming up: LÁZÁR by Nelio Biedermann translated by Jamie Bulloch Follow us! Email:…

Anna and Annie discuss the 2026 Booker International Shortlist. Our book of the week is HEART THE LOVER by Lily King. This buzzy novel follows three friends at university and into adulthood. A follow up from King's best-seller WRITERS AND LOVERS, it is an instant New York Times best-seller and is long-listed for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction (shortlist to be announced on 22 April). It's also Zadie Smith's pick for 'the book that made me weep uncontrollably.' More literary romances: THE EVENING OF THE HOLIDAY by Shirley Hazzard SEEING OTHER PEOPLE by Diana Reid Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the news that Hachette has pulled the book SHY GIRL by Mia Ballard from publication after concerns it was written by AI. Our book of the week is A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF by Megha Majumdar. This follow-up to her novel A Burning is set in near-future, dystopian Kolkata. A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF is full of ethical dilemmas, flawed characters and memorable food scenes - a good book club pick. It has been long listed for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction. Read-alikes: THE DIRECTOR by Daniel Kehlmann translated by Ross Benjamin (iykyk) LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam Coming up: HEART THE LOVER by Lily King Follow us! Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 International Booker Prize longlist. We're intrigued by Women Without Men: A novel of Modern Iran by Shahrnush Parsipur translated by Faridoun Farrokh and The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar translated by Ruth Martin. Our book of the week is SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood. This short novel about a man who works as a shanker on a foggy beach and a film-maker who wants to set a movie there was long listed for the 2025 Booker Prize. There is much to discuss: Are we now shrimping experts? How do we feel about dreams in novels? Do we like bleak, isolated settings? Annas suggests two read-alikes if you enjoyed Seascraper: The Horse by Willy Vlautin Clear by Carys Davies Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction longlist, including Flashlight, The Correspondent and Audition. Some of the other long-listed books feature writers as characters, which gets us talking about turn-offs in novels. Our book of the week is DEPARTURE(S) by Julian Barnes. This is the final book by the Booker Prize-winning author. It is a novel about a couple who reunite later in life, with authobiographical elements from Barnes' own life, or it could be a memoir containing a short story. There is also Proust, philosophy and some observations on memory. Described as 'elegant' (The Times) and 'unmistakably Barnes' (Observer), it got us thinking: Where is the line between memoir and novel? Is DEPARTURE(S) a love story? Are the memory bits too Oliver Sacksy? Coming up: SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood. Follow us: Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the cancellation of Adelaide Writers' Week 2026 amid the controversy after the Adelaide Festival Board disinvited Palestinian-Australian writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fatteh. Among the authors who withdrew from Writers' Week was Richard Flanagan, who wrote this article (sorry for the paywall). Director Louise Adler resigned with this letter to the Guardian. Since we recorded this episode, the new Board has retracted the decision and apologised to Dr Abdel-Fatteh. In other book news, Random House has dropped David Walliams, as discussed on this episode of The Rest is Entertainment podcast. Our book of the week is THE SAFEKEEP by Yael van der Wouden, a debut novel set in 1960s Netherlands which was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and won the 2025 Women's Prize. Coming up: SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

It's our best books of the year episode! Anna, Amanda and Annie reveal our favourite reads of 2025: Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden The Time of the Child by Niall Williams The Granddaughter by Bernhard Schlink translated by Charlotte Collins A Guardian and a Thief by Megan Majhumdar Eurotrash by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie (and audio book) Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor (and substack Sweater Weather) Heart the Lover by Lily King Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss their reaction to the 2025 Booker Prize winner, FLESH by David Szalay, and the winner of the Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction, Australian author Helen Garner for her collection of diaries HOW TO END A STORY. Our book of the week is CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner. Her follow-up novel after the Booker-shortlisted Mars Room, this centres on Sadie Smith, an undercover agent who infiltrates a commune in rural France. It was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. This raised questions we weren't expecting from a literary novel, such as: Is it a spy thriller? Is Sadie enough of a slob to be compared with Jackson Lamb? Which Sesame Street character does Bruno remind us of? Coming up: NESTING by Roisin O'Donnell Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss their Booker Prize winner predictions. We haven't read enough of the shortlist to know who will win, but Geoff is tipping THE LAND IN WINTER (a DNF for Anna). Our book of the week is FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi. This is Choi's follow-up novel after winning the National Book Award for TRUST EXERCISE. It is a sweeping family saga set in America, Japan and Korea. Shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, we could not say we loved this one but it got us talking. How much cat litter detail is too much? Would Tobias really have gone to Japan or would he be trekking around Nepal? Could we read a whole novel of Serk? How many unlikeable characters in a novel is too many? And we revisit 'that year' when Margaret Atwood and Bernadine Evaristo won jointly. Coming up: CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner. Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Annie was lucky enough to catch Bri Lee on her book tour for her second novel, Seed. Set in Antarctica, Seed follows two scientists, Mitch and Frances, as they spend a month at the seed vault that they have been creating and protecting. But as strange things keep happening to the facility, culminating in their helicopter failing to pick them up, they both have to grapple with their life choices and the secrets they have been keeping from each other and themselves. We chat about Bri's research trip to McMurdo Sound, interrogating the Antarctic literary tradition, visions of utopia and Bri's ongoing project News & Reviews. Bri's latest book crush is Plain Life by Antonia Pont - an essay collection she describes as life changing. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @mr_annie / @brilee Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna chats with author and Tony-award winning Broadway producer Eric Schnall about his debut novel I MAKE ENVY ON YOUR DISCO. Sam Singer flies to Berlin for an art gallery opening, needing a break from his partner in New York. He meets enigmatic hotel receptionist Magda and ex-pat Jeremy, goes clubbing, and discovers the 2000s nostalgia for East and West Berlin. Named a GQ Editor's Pick and winner of the Barbara DiBernard Prize in Fiction, we loved this novel and recommend the audiobook read by Charlie Carver. Eric tells us some of the surprising reactions to Disco, a great game for book clubs, why Jennifer Egan is his literary hero, how to receive writing advice from Joan Didion, and his recommendations for books set in Berlin. Eric recommends the podcast Tracks of Our Queers and the TV show Somebody Somewhere. Coming up: SEED with author Bri Lee. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras / @ericschnall Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha…

Anna and Annie discuss the settlement offer by Anthropic to pay $1.5bn to settle a book piracy lawsuit and the 2025 National Book Awards fiction longlist. Our book of the week is ENDLING by Maria Reva. Yeva is a snail conservationist in Ukraine who becomes caught up in Nastia and Sol's scheme to disrupt the romance tour industry. A heist ensues but everything changes when Russia invades Ukraine. Longlisted for the Booker Prize and one of the New Yorker's Best Books Of The Year So Far, this is Reva's debut novel. We can't wait to see what she does next. Coming up: I MAKE ENVY ON YOUR DISCO by Erica Schnall Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna chats with award-winning poet Alison Gorman about her debut poetry collection A WOMAN TALKS TO HER TONGUE. These poems examine family secrets, silences and women's voices. Beautiful and assured, we loved this book. Alison joins us fresh from her sold-out launch in Sydney to discuss the moving themes from the collection and other favourite poets, including Judith Beveridge, Eileen Chong, Sarah Holland-Batt, Audrey Molloy, Ada Limón and Sharon Olds. Alison recommends podcasts Poetry Off The Shelf, Poetry Unbound, Close Readings and The Literary Life. Coming up: ENDLING by Maria Reva Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @alisongorman Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss Sally Rooney pledging royalties to Palestine Action and the Library of South Australia being second on the list of the world's most beautiful libraries. Our book of the week is FLESH, the new novel by David Szalay which has been long-listed for the 2025 Booker Prize. It tells the story of Istvan, a Hungarian British man, in an episodic structure using key points in his life, moving from a poor upbringing in Hungary to the riches of London, charting his rise and fall. We both read this quickly and found much to discuss. Coming up: ENDLING by Maria Reva. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the 2025 Booker Prize Longlist. We have many comfort reading recommendations! Here are some of the books discussed: DEAD GIRL GONE by Gareth and Louise Ward THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB series and WE SOLVE MURDERS by Richard Osman IN SPITE OF YOU by Patrick Lenton CONSIDER YOURSELF KISSED by Jessica Stanley THE WEDDING FORECAST by Nina Kenwood FINE WEATHER, JEEVES by P. G. Wodehouse DIARY OF A PROVINCIAL LADY by E. M. Delafield LESS by Andrew Sean Greer THE UNCOMMON READER by Alan Bennett THE NEVERMOOR SERIES by Jessica Townsend PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren FINN FAMILY MOOMINTROLL by Tove Jansson THE SUMMER BOOK by Tove Jansson translated by Thomas Teal RAINCLOWD PALACE by Phillipa Rice TELL ME EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Strout TASTE – MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD by Stanley Tucci Coming up: our Booker Longlist reading updates. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss PERFECTION by Vincent Latronico translated by Sophie Hughes. PERFECTION is a short novel about Tom and Anna, digital nomads living in Berlin. A re-telling of the cult classic 1960s novel The Things by Georges Perec, it examines a couple who have built a stylish life but find themselves disilusioned. Perfection was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker International Prize. Slight spoiler alert as we discuss the ending. Coming up: Comfort reading recommendations Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss THE DIRECTOR by best-selling author of MEASURING THE WORLD and TYLL Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin. THE DIRECTOR tells the story of cinema director G. W. Pabst, who in the 1930s fled Nazi Germany for Hollywood and then returned to make films for the German Reich. This novel explores Pabst's moral dilemma and the place of art in a dictatorship. Described as 'his best novel yet' (The Guardian) and 'nothing short of brilliant' (Wall Street Journal), it mixes comedy, tragedy and horror in Kehlmann's ironic style. Coming up: PERFECTION by Vincnezo Latronico translated by Sophie Hughes. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss our 10 best books of 2025 so far. Books mentioned: A LITTLE TRICKERIE by Rosanna Pike THE NAMES by Florence Knapp THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio DREAM COUNT by Chimananda Ngoze Adiche SMALL RAIN by Garth Greenwell STINKBUG by Sinéad Stubbins PATRIOT by Alexei Navalny translated by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel I MAKE ENVY ON YOUR DISCO by Eric Schnall MY FRIENDS by Hisham Matar NESTING by Roisin O'Donnell EUROTRASH by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the 2025 Women's Prize winners and the new Data Bill regulating (or not) AI and creative work. Our book of the week is THE EMPUSIUM: A HEALTH RESORT HORROR STORY by Olga Tokarczuk translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Tokarczuk is the Nobel Prize lauereate author of FLIGHTS and DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD. Her latest novel is inspired by Thomas Mann's THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN and set in a sanatorium in west Poland in 1913. An instant national bestseller and New York Times book of the year, it satirises misogyny and has gothic horror elements. We differed on this one! Coming up: our best books of the year so far. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the 2025 Women's Prize and try to predict the winner. Since we recorded this the winner has been announced: The Safe Keep by Yael Van Der Wouden. (Annie was right!) And Annie wraps up recent Australian book award news including the Stella Prize winner Theory and Practice by Michelle de Kretser and the Miles Franklin Literary Award longlist. Our book of the week is THE NAMES by Florence Knapp. Cora goes with her daughter Maia to register the birth of her son. According to family tradition, he will be called Gordon, after her husband. Cora prefers the name Julian and Maia suggests Bear. The story breaks into three as we see the ripple effects of each decision. Described as 'the best debut novel in years' (The Sunday Times), this buzzy book has been an instant bestseller and on many 'best of 2025' lists. Coming up: THE EMPUSIUM by Olga Tokarczuk translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The…

Anna and Annie discuss the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, JAMES by Percival Everett. Our book of the week is SMALL RAIN by Garth Greenwell. A poet is admitted to hospital with severe pain. Bedridden, he reflects on his relationships, music and poetry and the small details of life. Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. We loved this one. Coming up: THE EMPUSIUM by Olga Tokarczuk translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the cookbook controversy between Nagi Maehashi of RecipeTin Eats and Brooke Bellamy of Bake with Brooki and ask whether it is possible to copyright a recipe. Our book of the week is FUNDAMENTALLY by Nussaibah Younis. Shortlisted for the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction, this debut novel centres on Nadia, a UN worker who travels to Iraq to rescue ISIS brides. A serious topic treated with authenticity and humour, Younis describes it as 'Fleabag goes to Iraq'. Other books discussed: TOO SOON by Betty Shamieh UNFINISHED BUSINESS by Shankari Chandran Coming up: SMALL RAIN by Garth Greenwell Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the 2025 Women's Prize Shortlist. Our book of the week is MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of HORSE. This is a moving and honest memoir of Brooks' time grieving her late husband Tony Horwitz and also a portrait of their marriage. Partly set on a remote island off the coast of Tasmania, it is our final Australian book for #AussieApril. Coming up: FUNDAMENTALLY by Nussaibah Younis. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode! Anna is joined by Emily Hart and Margot Lloyd, founders of Pink Shorts Press. We discuss the exciting launch of this new publisher and the 2025 Stella Prize shortlist. Our book of the week is SEA GREEN by Barbara Hanrahan, re-issued by Pink Shorts Press this year with an introduction by Laura Elizabeth Woollett. This semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of Virginia, a school-teacher and artist who travels from Adelaide to London in the 1960s. An Australian feminist classic, it explores the clash between a conservative upbringing with an artistic life. Other books mentioned - perfect for a bad feminist Aussie April! MY BEAUTIFUL FRIEND by Elena Ferrante translated by Anne Goldstein THE TRANSIT OF VENUS by Shirley Hazzard MONKEY GRIP by Helen Garner THEORY AND PRACTICE by Michelle de Kretser WEST GIRLS by Laura Elizabeth Woollett Coming up: MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The…

Anna and Annie discuss the 2025 Stella Prize longlist and some upcoming book-to-screen adaptations: THE LEOPARD, SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE, FOURTH WING and THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO. Our book of the week is SOMEBODY DOWN THERE LIKES ME by Robert Lukins. A dysfunctional family comes together in Connecticut when the parents announce they have lost everything. This will appeal to SUCCESSION fans – we're ready for the tv adaptation! Coming up: Aussie April continues with SEA GREEN by Barbara Hanrahan with Emily and Margot from Pink Shorts Press, and MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Shortlist for fiction, including WOO WOO by Ella Baxter and HIGHWAY 13 by Fiona McFarlane. Our book of the week is THE SEASON by Helen Garner. This is a memoir of a year Garner spent following her grandson's club football team. It explores masculinity, the sense of community at the local club and being a grandmother. As always with Garner's books, there is much to discuss. Coming up: SOMEBODY DOWN THERE LIKES ME by Robert Lukins. Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Geoff and Anna discuss THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD by Fyodor Dostoevsky translated by David McDuff. This is a fictionalised account of the four years Dostoevsky spent in a Siberian prison camp after he was arrested for taking part in a political conspiracy. Sold as a novel but with the feel of a documentary, it contains fascinating details and joins a collection of Russian prison memoirs. Other books discussed: PATRIOT by Alexei Navalny translated by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel THE LONG WALK TO FREEDOM by Nelson Mandela NO FRIEND BUT THE MOUNTAINS by Behrouz Boochani translated by Omid Tofighian A DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Coming up: THE SEASON by Helen Garner Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss WHITE NIGHTS by Fyodor Dostoevsky translated by Ronald Meyer. A man meets a woman on the street in St Petersburg and falls in love in this short story. It has become a Tik Tok sensation in recent months and Penguin has commissioned a new audiobook to be read by Bridgerton's Luke Thompson. Dostoevsky was in his romantic, millennial era when he wrote this (notably, before he spent four years in prison and escaped a death sentence). Other books mentioned: SUBTLY WORDED by Teffi translated by Anne Marie Jackson THE GAMBLER AND OTHER STORIES by Fyodor Dostoevsky CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky LETTER FROM AN UNKOWN WOMAN by Stefan Zweig translated by Anthea Bell Coming up: THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD by Dostoevsky Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna chats with Kate Slotover of the Book Club Review podcast. Our book of the week is THE UNSELECTED JOURNALS OF EMMA M. LION by Beth Brower. Recommended by our friend Shawn Mooney of Shawn Breathes Books, we enjoyed this novel set in Victorian London about a young woman returning to claim her inheritance. Light and witty, these books have been compared with Jane Austen and P. G. Wodehouse. Kate has become obsessed with the series and has now read all eight books. But will she convince Anna to do the same? Books mentioned: JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke DEATH IN THE STOCKS by Georgette Heyer ARABELLA by Georgette Heyer FREDERICA by Georgette Heyer THE GRAND SOPHY by Georgette Heyer THE SQUARE OF SEVENS by Laura Shepherd-Robinson Coming up: WHITE NIGHTS by Fyodor Dostoevsky Follow us! Kate: Instagram: @ bookclubreviewpodcast Web: https://www.thebookclubreview.co.uk/ Substack: Book Club Review Anna: Instagram: @ abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Email:…

A special episode: Anna is joined by author and U-Go founder John Wood. We discuss our reactions to the 2025 Women's Prize Longlist. Our book of the week is PATRIOT by Alexei Navalny translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel. This is Navalny's autobiography detailing his rise to be a Russian opposition leader, but is also a prison diary following his arrest in January 2021. He died in prison in February 2024. A New York Times bestseller, best book of the year (New Yorker, Atlantic, NPR) and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. We highly recommend it - essential reading. Books mentioned SO BIG by Edna Ferber DAYS IN THE CAUCASUS by Banine translated by Anne Thompson-Ahmadova RED NOTICE by Bill Browder THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE by Masha Gessen SECOND-HAND TIME by Svetlana Alexievich translated by Bela Shayevich THE TRIAL OF VALDIMIR PUTIN by Geoffrey Robertson KC TRAVELS IN SIBERIA by Ian Frazier DISAPPEARING EARTH by Julia Phillips A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN by George Saunders Films Navalny…

Anna and Geoff react to the 2025 Booker International Longlist. Our book of the week is EUROTRASH by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles. A middle-aged man goes on a dubious road trip through Switzerland with his 80-year old mother, recently discharged from a mental institution. Blackly comic and written as autofiction, this was the Financial Times Best Translated Book of 2024 and a Time best book of 2024 and has been longlisted for the 2025 Booker International Prize. Other books discussed: THE QUANTITY THEORY OF INSANITY by Will Self (the story THE NORTH LONDON BOOK OF THE DEAD) DR FISCHER OF GENEVA by Graham Greene FRENCH EXIT by Patrick deWitt Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna chats with author Holly Gramazio about her debut novel THE HUSBANDS. When Lauren returns to her flat in London one night, she finds a husband called Michael: the only problem is, she isn't married. It turns out that her attic is producing an endless supply of husbands. An instant New York Times best-seller, we loved this genre-bending comedy. Holly talks about her inspiration for THE HUSBANDS, why she loves attics and the unusual setting for her next novel. Books discussed: LOLLY WILLOWES by Sylvia Townsend Warner THE SLEEPWATCHER by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan HEARTBURN by Nora Ephron BLACK WATER SISTER by Zen Cho THE STORY GIRL by Ellen Montgomery VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER by C S Lewis I WONDER AS I WANDER by Langston Hughes Follow us! Holly: Website: hollygramazio.net Bluesky: @hollygramazio.bsky.social Instagram: @holly_gramazio Anna: Substack: Books On The Go Instagram: @abailliekaras Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com

Anna and Geoff review OUR EVENINGS the new novel by Booker Prize-winning author Alan Hollinghurst. Dave Win is a Burmese-British actor reminiscing about his life, growing up as a gay man in the 1960s through to 2019. We loved the exact and beautiful prose but found it slow. The blurb also suggests a tension between Dave and bully Giles whereas the story is more of a (fictional) memoir of Dave and his mother. The Sunday Times called it 'the best novel that's been written about contemporary Britain in the past ten years.' An interesting read and much to discuss! If you enjoyed this book, we recommend: Garth Greenwell (his latest SMALL RAIN is on our TBR) Alan Hollinghurst's earlier work (Geoff's favourite: THE FOLDING STAR) Coming up: THE HUSBANDS with Holly Gramazio Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credit Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna speaks with author Vaseem Khan about his new crime novel CITY OF DESTRUCTION. This is the fifth in the Malabar House series set in 1950s Bombay after Partition. Persis Wadia is India's first female police detective and is sent to work in Malabar House. In CITY OF DESTRUCTION, a gunman attempts to assassinate the Defence Minister at a political rally and Persis shoots him dead. The Minister wants war with Pakistan, MI6 agents are involved and Persis is sent to investigate another case. An intriguing mystery set against the backdrop of India's history and written with warmth and wit. We loved it! Vaseem recommends these crime series: The Wyndham and Banerjee series by Abir Mukherjee The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr Vaseem's upcoming books are GIRL IN CELL A and QUANTUM OF MENACE, the first in a new series featuring Q from the James Bond franchise. Coming up: OUR EVENINGS by Alan Hollinghurst Follow us! Vaseem: vaseemkhan.com and podcast Murder Junction Email:…

Anna and Annie discuss the success of Rebecca Yarros's new book ONYX STORM, the third in the Emperyean series. Annie gives her views about why they have been huge best-sellers and the popularity of romantasy. Our book of the week is DISAPPOINT ME by Nicola Dinan. This buzzy new novel by the author of BELLIES centres around Max, a 30 year-old trans woman who starts dating Vincent but is unsure whether she is cut out to be a trad wife. Chosen as a 'Best Book of 2025' by Stylist, Vogue, GQ, Elle and Cosmopolitan, this is funny, moving and original. We loved it. Coming up: THE SEASON by Helen Garner Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras / @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Storygraph: @mr_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode! Anna chats with USA Today best-selling author Kemper Donovan about his new novel LOOSE LIPS, the second in the Ghostwriter series after the best-selling THE BUSY BODY (see ep 265). Kemper hosts the All About Agatha podcast and his crime novels bring the Golden Age of murder mysteries into a contemporary setting. LOOSE LIPS finds our ghost-writer on a literary cruise hosted by publishing celebrity Payton Garrett. A mysterious death occurs and the cruise becomes a murder investigation. Described as KNIVES OUT meets high seas intrigue, this is a fun and clever mystery. We loved it! Kemper recommends: My Eight Deranged Days on the Gone Girl Cruise by Imogen West-Knights Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever by Gary Shteyngart DEATH ON THE NILE by Agatha Christie THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 by Ruth Ware THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER by Stuart Turton MURDER IN THE SUBMARINE ZONE by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr) In Our Time podcast Coming up: DISAPPOINT ME by Nicola Dinan Follow…

A special episode : Anna chats with author Anthony Nocera. We discuss Anthony's brilliant essay WEDNESDAY BANG in the current issue of SPLINTER and his upcoming plays: Log Boy, My Hair is Thinning and Someone Like You. Anthony's book recommendations: NOSTALGIA HAS RUINED MY LIFE by Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle THE GUEST by Emma Cline AN EXCITING AND VIVID INNER LIFE by Paul Dalla Rosa Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @anocera02 Anthony: https://anthonynocera.me/ Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna, Annie and Amanda reveal our favourite reads of 2024! Books discussed: MAGIC PILL by Johann Hari ALL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD by Patrick Bringley THE ALTERNATIVES by Caoilinn Hughes THIS STRANGE AND EVENTFUL HISTORY by Claire Messud RAPTURE by Emily Maguire WOO WOO by Ella Baxter THE GENTLEMAN FROM PERU by André Aciman JUICE by Tim Winton (Annie recommends the audiobook) INTERMEZZO by Sally Rooney QUESTION 7 by Richard Flanagan THE WYCH ELM by Tana French Children's Pick LANDOVEL by Emily Rodda Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras / @mr_annie / @vibrant_lives_podcast Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Coming up: Book recommendations with author Anthony Nocera

A special episode: we chat with Farrin Foster about new literary journal SPLINTER and emerging Australian authors. We talk about authors who are also musicians, autofiction and taking a book of poetry in your bag for waiting times. Farrin recommends the work of: Seamus Lonergan – KT Major Olivia De Zilva ROCK FLIGHT by Hasib Hourani Dom Guerrera Rapture by Emily Maguire Coming up: Our Best Books of 2024 Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @splinterjournal Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com

Anna and Annie discuss the 2024 Booker Prize winner ORBITAL by Samantha Harvey. Our comfort reading recommendations are: ARGYLLE by Elly Conway WE SOLVE MURDERS by Richard Osman LOOSE LIPS by Kemper Donovan THE SPY COAST by Tess Gerritsen THE ROM COMMERS by Katherine Center THE WEDDING FORECAST by Nina Kenwood WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY by Michiko Aoyama translated by Alison Watts HAPPY GO LUCKY by David Sedaris WINTERING by Katherine May THE GARDEN AGAINST TIME by Olivia Laing WHAT I ATE IN A YEAR by Stanley Tucci TRAVELS IN EUROPE by Charles Dickens Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com