BONUS EPISODE: We recommend books to get you out of a reading slump

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah tackle Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction epic, Dune. They discuss the bestselling series, why science fiction is so enduring and the recent popularly of fantasy and romantasy. As always, they wrap up with some new book recommendations.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah are joined by investigative journalist, Louise Milligan, to unpack Helen Garner’s controversial 1995 book, The First Stone. They discuss the issue at the centre of the book, the approach Garner took, her distinctive writing style and whether it would have been published today.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah are blasting off into outer space and deep-diving Taylor Jenkin-Reid’s latest novel Atmosphere. They discuss what they like and dislike about the commercial blockbuster and how they would rewrite the ending.

This week on He Read She Read® JP and Sarah dive into one of the most talked about books of the year, Lily King’s Heart the Lover. They discuss why it has captured so many hearts around the world and why it is so loved. JP explains his pet peeve of literary references in novels and Sarah explains her allergic reaction to the protagonist’s love interest at the beginning of the novel. They risk cancellation by unpacking whether the tear-inducing ending was earned or emotionally manipulative.

For the first episode of He Read She Read®, JP and Sarah deep dive the 2025 Booker Prize winning novel Flesh by David Szalay. They talk about how the Booker Prize is determined and the controversial 2025 judge, how they feel about Flesh and whether they believe it’s a worthy Booker Prize winner. Recommendations: JP recommended Dove by Georgia Harper. Sarah recommended Don’t Let Him In by crime fiction author, Lisa Jewell. He Read She Read® is proudly presented by Specsavers. The He Read She Read ®team would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast was recorded.