Show Notes
This week’s episode is a BIG one. Or at least, one in which we talk about big things, namely big books and why – or why not – we find them intimidating. And as always, we discuss recent reads and what’s next on our TBRs.
Recent reads
On The Calculation Of Volume (Volume I) by Solvej Balle
Confessions by Catherine Airey
Big Book Fear
The Book of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Middlemarch by George Eliot – narrated by Juliet Stevenson
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Lost Illusions and Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvilli
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain In A Digital World by Maryanne Wolf
11.22.63 by Stephen King
Angle Of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Secondhand Time: The Last Of The Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Goldfinch / The Secret History / The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
Cherry by Nico Walker
The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Future Reads
Days Of Light by Megan Hunter
The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
Wild Ground by Emily Usher
Also mentioned
The Ondaatje Prize 2025 shortlist
Chatsworth House
The Storygraph
The Book Club Review Podcast Patreon
Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Curious Readers
As the nights draw in, Joseph and Amanda look forward to all the autumn releases they hope to get through before December. Along the way, they meander through prize news, current reads and discover circular themes about the Epic of Gilgamesh, pianos and Dickens – and that’s all before they get to the mimmoths.
Joseph and Amanda are back from summer break with a bumper episode deep diving into Ann Patchett’s latest novel, Whistler. They also take some time to cogitate over the Booker Prize long list, as well as catch up on what they've been reading recently and the titles they hope to pick up next.
As we bid farewell to Summer Break, we take questions from our listeners in a special post bag episode - and of course, we can’t help but make some recommendations along the way. And don’t worry, normal service will be resumed on 11 September when return to the mics for a deep dive into Ann Patchett's latest novel, Whistler.
How many times have Amanda and Joseph joined the ‘Just One Book’ Deception Society? Too many to count. This week they are talking about the joy of browsing and the bookshops they love visiting across the UK. Plus, as always they’ll be chatting about what they’ve been reading recently and the titles they're hoping to pick up next.
Join Amanda and Joseph as they set out to excavate Land, Maggie O’Farrell’s latest historical novel and family drama which is set in 1860s Ireland, a decade after the Great Famine. Plus, as always they chat about what they've been reading recently and what they hope to pick up next.