Show Notes
Send us Fan Mail Educated by Tara Westover is one of those books which has really stayed with me since I first read it back in 2018. It's also a book that I just assumed when I started this podcast that somebody would approach me and want to talk about. It feels astonishing that we've got as far as season 11 before anybody has asked to come on and discuss it. I'm glad I waited, though, because I've thoroughly loved my conversation with Syba Sunny today about the book and about some of the th...
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Send us Fan Mail What happens when a failed bank robbery becomes an accidental hostage situation, trapping a group of strangers in an apartment viewing over the festive period? In this episode, I'm joined by GP Dr Sophie Gerring to discuss Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, a novel that combines humour, mystery and humanity in equal measure. Together we explore why this deceptively light-hearted story has become such a favourite amongst readers and why its themes resonate so strongly with lif...
Send us Fan Mail What do we reach for when our heart is broken, and reading an entire novel feels completely beyond us? In this episode, I welcome back poetry anthologist Ana Sampson to talk about her wonderful new collection, You Can Do It With a Broken Heart, a book of poems for anyone weathering the end of a relationship. Ana and I talk about why poetry can be particularly powerful when we’re distressed: short enough for a depleted attention span, but capable of delivering an emotional gut...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bedside Reading, I’m joined by Emily Tammam to talk about Virginia Evans' The Correspondent, a novel told through the letters and emails of 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp. What begins as a conversation about a wonderfully prickly older woman and the lost art of letter-writing takes us into much deeper territory. Emily is a writer, painter and speaker. She has a background in lactation support and now works across research, mental health support a...
Send us Fan Mail This week Tara is joined by fellow GP Francesca to discuss Lisa Ridzén’s beautiful and heartbreaking novel When the Cranes Fly South. Bo is an elderly man determined to remain in his own home, surrounded by his memories and, most importantly, his beloved dog Sixten. But as he becomes increasingly frail, his son and carers have different ideas about what is best for him. Tara and Francesca talk about ageing, family relationships, continuity of care and the difficult balance be...
Send us Fan Mail I think Michelle Hills' book The Wrong Order of Things is a contender for my non-fiction read of the year in 2026. It is so readable. It is so engaging. It is funny. It is moving. It is kind. Michelle is an absolute inspiration. I have absolutely loved my conversation with her today and I can't tell you how much I loved The Wrong Order of Things. It is, ostensibly, a book about children's palliative care. But it is that. and so much more. It's about living well. It's about hu...