Show Notes
Welcome to the Bound By Books Book Apothecary – our fortnightly mini podcast where we invite you into our literary dispensary: a place of clinking bottles, mysterious tinctures and soothing salves, all in search of the perfect book prescription for life’s modern-day ailments.
In this episode we are dispensing literary remedies for:
· Friendship Drift · A Rainy Day Mood · Imposter Syndrome · Needing to Find the Light at the End of the Tunnel · Cupboard Disorganisation · The Need for Old Fashioned Romance
This week, our literary prescriptions take us on a journey through lives at a crossroads, unexpected connections and the extraordinary power of love and second chances. We meet a protagonist staring down the barrel of 40, with one last opportunity to discover whether a life that feels broken can ever be repaired, and another who arrives at Harvard already overwhelmed by life, only to find themselves further challenged by a Hungarian called Ivan. We explore a novel in which mathematics becomes a way of noticing, caring and bringing a fragile world briefly into harmony, alongside a Booker Prize-winning triumph that blends romance and literary detective fiction into an unforgettable love story. Elsewhere, we follow a woman searching for the courage to confront the dark corners of her past that she has spent a lifetime avoiding. Finally, we travel back to January 1946 in an epistolary historical novel told entirely through letters, telegrams and exchanges between its characters, revealing how lives and relationships unfold through the written word. So, step into the apothecary, take your seat and allow us to prescribe this week’s literary remedies.
More from Bound by Books
Nikki has been soaking up the culture! She’s been to see My Neighbour Totoro at the theatre, which she absolutely loved, and Pressure at the cinema, starring Andrew Scott. Another highly recommended film! Meanwhile, Hannah is in full nesting mode as autumn approaches. After recovering from work deadlines, she’s looking forward to an exciting author interview next month, which means plenty of reading and research to get through! It’s spooky season, and this week we’re discussing our latest Buddy Read: You Did Nothing Wrong by CG Drews. As ever, spoilers lie ahead as we explore the plot, characters and that twist in detail.
Welcome to the Bound By Books Book Apothecary - our fortnightly mini podcast where we invite you into our literary dispensary, a place of clinking bottles, mysterious tinctures and soothing salves, all in search of the perfect book prescription for life’s modern-day ailments. In this episode, we’re dispensing literary remedies for: The Sunday Scaries
Hannah has been busy with the new term and her daughter starting secondary school. She’s also looking ahead to the Abergavenny Food Festival, where she’ll be chairing and interviewing at three events. Nikki has been to see the Midnight Matinee of As You Like It at the Globe Theatre. Cue an in-depth discussion about jigs! She’s also been to the Duxford Airshow and experienced the excitement of seeing a Spitfire in flight. Current Reads Hannah The Wedding People – Alison Espach Blurb: Phoebe Stone arrives at a luxurious Rhode Island hotel dressed for a wedding - but she isn’t part of one. As the bride’s carefully planned celebration begins to unravel, Phoebe unexpectedly becomes entangled in the chaos. Hilarious, heartfelt and deeply human, The Wedding People explores love, friendship, family dysfunction and the surprising ways life can lead us towards happiness. This was a DNF for Hannah. We discuss the idea of finding the right book at the right time, and vice versa, and how that influences our experience and enjoyment of stories. How do we successfully order and curate our TBR piles?
In this episode of Bound by Books, we catch up on our latest adventures. Hannah shares her experience of attending the Green Man Festival and losing her festival virginity, while Nikki looks ahead to her upcoming theatre trips, including As You Like It and My Neighbour Totoro, as well as a visit to the Duxford Airshow. Then it’s time for our buddy read: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Full spoilers ahead! Natalie seems to have the perfect traditional life: a beautiful farmhouse, a handsome cowboy husband, children and enviable homemade sourdough. But when she wakes up in a disturbing version of her reality, everything familiar feels wrong. As she searches for a way out, the novel explores tradition, fame, faith and the performance of womanhood. We discuss the book’s fascinating premise and its take on the trad wife movement, including the appeal of the aesthetic, the romanticising of traditional gender roles and the contradictions behind the polished social-media image. We also explore connections to influencers such as Hannah Neeleman’s Ballerina Farm and Nara Smith, as well as wider ideas around consent, submission and female liberation. Other topics include Natalie as an unlikeable female protagonist, whether readers judge unlikeable women more harshly than men, the lack of female friendship and community in the novel, Caleb’s role and motivations, and the mystery surrounding Shannon. And, of course, we get into the twist: whether it worked for us, whether it felt earned, and whether the characters’ motivations made the ending believable. What did you think of Yesteryear? Did the twist work for you? Let us know!
Welcome back to Current Reads! This week we’re talking music festivals, steamy romance, unsettling short stories, forbidden love, representation in publishing — and introducing our brand-new Book Prescriptions. A Little Catch-Up Hannah has been visiting her parents in Wiltshire, enjoying a lovely lunch and a shopping trip to Bath. She’s also preparing for The Green Man Festival — despite being a complete festival virgin! Nikki shares her festival experiences and tells us about a rather unusual BBQ prompted by the government’s wildfire warnings. We also reveal our next buddy read: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, and discuss whether all the hype surrounding it will affect our expectations. Hannah’s Reads Fever Dream — Elsie Silver Things get spicy, sassy and steamy as Hannah discusses Elsie Silver’s small-town romance. We chat about the comfort of predictable romance, the similarities between romance novels and Hallmark-style TV, third-act misunderstandings, two-dimensional characters and the male gaze. We also tackle first versus third person, writing sex scenes and the difference between erotica and a steamy romance. Odd Body — Rose Keating A collection of ten bold and unsettling short stories exploring desire, fear, shame and the human body. We focus on the wonderfully strange titular story about a woman living alongside a ghost, and discuss how Keating uses humour to explore depression and mental health. Nikki’s Reads My Policeman — Bethan Roberts Set in 1950s Brighton, this story of forbidden love, homosexuality and marriage follows Marion, Tom and Patrick as they navigate a complicated love triangle. We compare it with our previous buddy read, A Room Above a Shop, and discuss historical context, social class, unreliable narrators and why Tom — the policeman at the centre of the story — never gets a voice of his own. We also discuss the film adaptation and whether we think it can be successful from page to screen. The Beekeeper of Aleppo — Christy Lefteri Christy Lefteri’s powerful novel about love, loss and survival during the Syrian war leads us into a much bigger discussion about who gets to tell whose stories. We explore representation, marginalised voices, diversity in publishing and whether writers should tell stories from perspectives different from their own. And ultimately, does the quality of the writing change that debate? Book Prescriptions Our new feature is here! We’re prescribing books for life's literary ailments — including an antidote to hot weather, a cure for ennui and a book for anyone suffering from a fear of making bad decisions. Because sometimes the best medicine is a really good book. Listen to Episode 16 of Current Reads for book reviews, reading recommendations, romance, short stories, literary discussion and plenty of opinions along the way.