Introducing The Portobello Bookshop Podcast

Today is a special publication day episode featuring Ríoghnach Robinson discussing her brand new novel Bad Words with booksellers Elise and Zoë. Many of us in the shop have read (and loved!) this book, and we're so excited that it's out now for you all to discover! Bad Words follows author Parker Navarro after his book is brutally reviewed by critic Selina Chan. He confronts her and they begin a very public feud, but privately they strike up a correspondence with a different tone... The premise was enough to lure us in, but we were hooked by the insightful and witty commentary on the publishing industry, the role of criticism in art, and the vulnerability of making your work public. It was a real joy to talk to Robinson, and we hope you'll all enjoy the conversation. Bad Words is out now, you can order from the link below! _________________________________________________ Books Mentioned in this Episode: Bad Words by Ríoghnach Robinson Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen Persuasion by Jane Austen A Good Person by Kirsten King Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee (Not currently available in the UK)

For this episode, we are sharing a fantastic conversation with Elle McNicoll on her debut adult novel, Unapologetic Love Story. This event took place in the bookshop earlier this year. McNicoll is the bestselling author of books for children and young adults, and her debut children’s book, Like a Spark, was adapted into a wildly successful TV series. Elliot Fletcher is the Edinburgh based author of romance novels set in the Scottish Highlands including her debut, Whiskey Business. Elle and Elliot discuss authentic representation of neurodivergent and disabled people, the importance of romance, and queer and autistic coded characters in everything from Heated Rivalry to Pride & Prejudice. We unapologetically loved this event, and we hope you will too!

In today’s episode, our Events Coordinator Elise is sitting down to chat with author Sarah Wang about her debut novel New Skin. We love this book and it was great to get into some of the fascinating and difficult topics that it covers including black market botox, class and immigration issues in America, reality TV, and mother/daughter relationships. Sarah Wang is an author and Creative Writing professor at Barnard College. She was in town for the Edinburgh International Book Festival and stuck around to sign books and have a chat with us in the shop. We were so happy to get to know more about Sarah and her work, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. _______________________________________________

Join us for a hilarious, engaging, informative discussion with Brandon Taylor for his latest novel, Minor Black Figures. Taylor was in conversation with the wonderful Niamh Ní Mhoileon for a bookshop event earlier this year. We loved hearing them chat about sweaty NYC summers, hot priests, and art restoration. Brandon Taylor is the celebrated author of three novels including this one, Real Life, and The Real Americans and a short story collection, Filthy Animals. Niamh Ní Mhoileon is the Edinburgh based author of Ordinary Saints. This was a truly special event and we are so happy to be able to share it with you all now! We hope you enjoy the conversation.

At the Portobello Bookshop, we're always excited to hear debut authors talking to dedicated booksellers, so you can imagine how much we loved the conversation featured in this episode! Jem Calder visited the shop to celebrate the launch of his debut novel, I Want You to Be Happy, earlier this year. Our very own bookseller Amos O'Connor led a fantastic discussion on the novel, the craft of writing, and much more. The audience was hanging on every word and we loved hearing more about Calder's process, and hints at a new book in the future! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.