Episodes
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Maggie Gee's 17th novel, The Red Children, is out this week and Curtis and Hajar will be chatting about it when we kick off our review episodes again! In this guest special, Maggie speaks to Hajar all about the craft of writing, fitting in at Oxford, and why it's so important to have the freedom to figure out what you actually think. The Orange Prize shortlisted author also treats us to readings from The Red Children, a fable about migration and global warming that will restore your belief in the power of human kindness. Listen to the interview and read along with us!
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Losing motivation to get that first novel done? This is the episode for you. Hajar talks to the brilliant Lorraine Brown, debut author of The Paris Connection, all about her journey to authordom! We talked about her previous jobs, the struggle artists with day jobs have to call themselves professionals, and why cities are so great to write about. We also can't help but bring up Emily in Paris and the disappointing Sex and the City reboot!
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Missing episodes?
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We're back!! Hajar finally read a book! We chat about Women's Prize-winning Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, and enjoy ourselves as we read the countless 'Emperor's New Clothes!!!' one-star reviews. Read the novel? Tweet us what you think... @dabblersbooks
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Hajar's still not in the reading swing of things and only managed half of Crome Yellow, so she and Curtis decided to get on with an episode for the hell of it, and talk a bit about the last few months - what they've read, what they haven't read, and why Crome Yellow was a no-go for both of them! This is an apology episode for being SO behind, but we promise we'll be back reading and chatting again!!
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Colin Lancaster is a Wall Street professional who's run two of the highest profile global macro businesses for the top-performing hedge funds in the world.... it's an alien world to Haj but Colin's managed to make it that bit more accessible by turning his experiences into a novel.
Fed Up! is a fictional take on Colin's life as a macro trader and offers an inside view of the 2020 market crash. He joined Haj to talk about writing the book, wealth inequality and moral dilemmas in a money-driven world.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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Hajar met AJ Pearce in 2015 on a writing retreat in North Wales, where they were both tutored by the brilliant Rowan Coleman and Julie Cohen. In the six years since, AJ didn't just pick up agent, get published, and find herself shortlisted for a British Book Award, she's also about to release her second novel, Yours Cheerfully. Picking up where her debut Dear Mrs Bird left off, Yours Cheerfully follows Emmeline Lake as she manages career, family and friendship in wartime London. Hajar loved Dear Mrs Bird and recommends you load up on cake and tea before devouring the first two books in the Emmeline Lake chronicles.
They finally catch up to talk about writing, the pressure of the second book, and AJ shares a brilliant tip for writers needing a little extra inspiration.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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Hajar had a whale of a time talking with the brilliant poet Joelle Taylor. Joelle's latest collection C+nto is an exploration of gender and sexuality through the private lives of women from the butch counterculture, telling the inside story of the protests they led in the '90s to reclaim their bodies as their own - their difficult balance between survival and self-expression. We didn't intend this interview to coincide with Pride Month but it's as good a time as any to celebrate Joelle and her work! Enjoy!
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Haj dislocated her knee (update - she actually tore her ACL!) and Curtis has been reading all sorts of horrifying things. This episode is just a quick hello to say sorry for the delay and that we haven't forgotten about books altogether! Curtis talks a bit about Marquis de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom and we look at a couple of 1-star reviews. REMINDER: please leave your book reviews on the website - head to dabblersbookclub.com/submit-a-guest-post to submit your quick book review or guest post!
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Describing himself as 'working-class by Radio 4 standards', comedian and BBC Sounds podcaster Jacob Hawley shares some fascinating and funny insights into class, culture and life as a comedian and new father in a pandemic.
Bucking the 'books that changed my life' trend, Jacob opts to talk about one of the trashiest novels he's ever read, The Trench (part of The Meg series), as well as giving a nod to a more traditional choice in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Listen to the podcast, then check out his standup special on Radio 4.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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We were joined by the brilliant Vicki Kellaway to talk about this 2021 Women's Prize shortlisted novel. Vicki is a writer, editor, translator and university teacher amongst many, many things! She lives in Bogota, Colombia and you can find her brilliant books on Amazon. She makes a very strong case for this rather divisive novel that touches on online culture, Twitter conversations and grief. Enjoy!
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Join us for our overdue fourth episode where we talk about the utterly charming Japanese bestseller, 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold'. This is a short and sweet time-travel novel set in a Tokyo cafe, and while it didn't leave us with a huge amount to delve into, it did spark conversation about who we'd travel back in time for, and our position on spoilers. Haj describes this novel as an 'ice cream sundae' of books, so if you want a little light relief, it'll take you two hours to get through before you join us for this latest episode. Enjoy!
Swear-warning - the C- and F-bombs come out quite quickly in this episode, so plug those earphones in if little ones are around, and don't offend yourself!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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The wonderful, warm and wise Douglas Stuart joined Hajar for a very special guest episode and she's still buzzing from the chat! You don't have to have read the Booker Prize winner Shuggie Bain to soak up Douglas's fascinating insights into class, identity and familial love, but we definitely recommend you get yourself the paperback - it's out now! You can thank us later.
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When Haj's first introduction to Kafka was through the Bridget Jones movie where Bridget introduces 'Kafka's Motorbike' as one of the 'top thirty books of our time... at least', it's no surprise that she doesn't quite get on with The Trial. Curtis did a little better and seemed to have paid more attention to Kafka's words about Joseph K., the protagonist who's on trial for what, no one seems to know. Philosophical, absurdist, dystopian, whatever you call it this book is not an easy holiday read, but the one-star reviews were absolutely topnotch and well worth tuning in for!
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Hajar's mother joins us for this episode! A former teacher with a degree in English and American Literature, we remembered why Trudi Miles is 'quite good to talk about books with'.
We discuss what we all agreed was the stunning 2003 debut from Khaled Hosseini and gave a little airtime to a few Amazon reviews. Expect Trudi and Hajar's memories of Iran, deep dives into morality and parenting, and Curtis barely saying two words without getting interrupted. If you haven't read this book yet, we definitely recommend you do.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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We're really racking up the guest specials now and our fifth one is with Tawseef Khan. He's an immigration lawyer and human rights activist and has just released his book “The Muslim Problem: Why we’re wrong about Islam and why it matters”.
We talk about female authors, planning your holidays around reading and why shouldn't be apologetic about wanting change. Also, check out his brilliant podcast "Muslim, Actually" for open, honest and surprising chat about the Muslim experience.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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Well this book really affected us! Douglas Stuart's Booker-winning debut about a young Shuggie Bain growing up in working-class Glasgow with an alcoholic mother is not the most uplifting of reads but it had a huge impact on us. We talk parents, council estates and Curtis's 55-day drinking bender. Expect more swearing than usual and some cracking one-star reviews from angry people.
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If you only listen to one DBC episode, make it this one! You'll get serious wisdom and insight into life, society and thoughts on writing. Hashi Mohamed came to the UK age 9 as a Kenyan-born Somali refugee. He grappled with poor housing, schooling and prospects to find his way to a career as barrister - one of the UK's most elite professions. He talks to Hajar about his memoir People Like Us: What it Takes to Make it in Modern Britain and two of his favourite novels: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig and Disgrace by JM Coetzee. For more on Hashi, head to his website hashimohamed.com
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We caught up with founder and editor of Strong Words magazine, Ed Needham, to find out all about his literary loves and why, in a digital age, he started a paper magazine all about books. Strong Words "takes the guesswork out of your next purchase, introduces you to books, authors and genres that were previously off your radar..."
To find out more and to subscribe, head to strong-words.co.ukSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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Before we kick off Series 3, we're treating you to another super special guest episode! We spoke to Jess Impiazzi about the books that changed her life and how writing her memoir Silver Linings helped her to heal after trauma. From dropping out of stage school to care for her blind mother to the mirky world of reality TV, her book's an honest reflection on her life and its lessons. Recording this episode was a BRILLIANT reminder of why we should always seek out stories from unfamiliar worlds. We found Silver Linings - and our interview with Jess - both uplifting and heartwarming. Enjoy!
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-dabblers-book-club.
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We're saying goodbye to a miserable year and welcoming in what will probably be an even shitter one, but who cares? At least we still have books! At the end of our second series, we have a little chat about our reading highlights both on and off our book list, and make our New Year's Book Resolutions for 2021.
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