Show Notes
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: [email protected] Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
More from Books On The Go
Anna and Geoff react to the 2026 Booker Prize Shortlist.
Anna and Geoff discuss the Singapore government paying people to read books, and the 2026 National Book Awards longlist for fiction.
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.
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.
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.