Curious Readers

In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda launch into Atmosphere with an in-depth discussion of the queer-coded astronaut love story by Taylor Jenkins Reid. They also take a look at the recently announced fiction and non-fiction longlists from the National Book Award, plus share what they’ve been reading lately and the titles they’re looking forward to picking up next.  Book NewsThe Book Club Review podcastA Pair Of Bookends podcast National Book AwardsMargate BookieCheltenham Literary FestivalCurrent ReadsFarewell Fountain Street by Selçuk Altun, translated by Mel Kenne and Nilgün DunganMaggie; or, a Man and A Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie YeeDying for Sex, HBOMaurice and Maralyn by Sophie ElmhirstDeep Dive Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReidForever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins ReidAfter I Do by Taylor Jenkins ReidMaybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins ReidOne True Love by Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins ReidDaisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidMalibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins ReidCarrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins ReidWhat We’re Reading NextPriest Daddy by Patricia LockwoodNo One Is Talking About This by Patricia LockwoodWill There Ever Be Another You by Patricia LockwoodNightcrawler by Leila MottleyThe Girls That Grew Big by Leila Mottley Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes

In the latest episode Joseph and Amanda step into the world of sci-fi and speculative fiction and chart a course through some of their favourite fictional forays into evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, deep space exploration, and the perils of the Oort Cloud. They also discuss the latest news from the Hugo Awards, talk about what they’ve been reading recently, and as always, run through the titles they’re looking forward to picking up next. Book News(2:18) The Hugo Awards(3:32) The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Best Novel 2025)(4:20) The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Best Novella 2025)(5:30) Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll (Best Related Work 2025)Current Reads(6:56) The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny by Laura Bates(9:50) Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen(10:02) Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates(12:04) Annie Bot by Sierra Greer(12:19) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab(14:02) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. SchwabSpeculative Fiction & Sci-Fi Recommendations(19:14) Amanda’s Sci-Fi story(21:25) Sexism in Sci-Fi(21:51) The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley(23:56) Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. Le Guin(24:53) Speculative vs Science Fiction(25:48) In Other Worlds: Science Fiction and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood(25:59) The Handmaid’s Tale / The MaddAddam Triology by Margaret Atwood(26:25) The Water Cure / Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh(27:23) In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (Amanda’s Pick #1)(30:33) Voyager Golden Record(30:40) Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield(31:14) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang(31:45) Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler (Joseph’s Pick #1)(34:26) The Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley by Robert Sheckley (Joseph’s Pick #1)(35:48) Ten Planets by Yuri Herrera (Joseph’s Pick #1)(37:02) The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (Amanda’s Pick #2)(41:20) To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (Joseph’s Pick #2)(44:10) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Amanda’s Pick #3)(47:56) Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Joseph’s Pick #3) What We’re Reading Next(51:34) Fair Play by Louise Hegarty(51:51) Bone Horn by Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain(52:04) Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller(52:19) House of Day, House of Night by Olga TokarczukCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes

In this week’s episode, we respond to our listeners with all our deepest, darkest DNF secrets: why we do it, when we do it, and how we feel when it happens. We also talk about the books we’ve read recently as well as the backlist titles and new releases we hope to explore in the coming weeks. Book News(2:31) The Sealey Challenge(4:25) The Wild Iris by Louise Glück(4:48) Midden Witch by Fiona Benson(5:16) Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems by William Carlos Williams(6:02) That Broke Into Shining Crystals by Richard Scott / What The Earth Seemed To Say by Marie Howe / Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith(6:44) So I Got To Thinking podcastCurrent Reads(11:11) Child Of My Heart by Alice McDermot(14:19) The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai(18:15) Anastasia Krupnik by Lois LowryDNFs (23:43) Middlemarch by George Eliot(26:43) Let The Great World Spin by Column McCann(27:17) Apeirogon by Column McCann(27:48) Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar(30:28) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami(30:58) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold(35:39) Twist by Colum McCann(39:23) Neuromancer by William Gibson(40:06) Butter by Asako Yuzuki(43:25) Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart(44:48) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt(46:38) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara(54:06) This Other Eden by Paul Hardy(55:02) Rouge / All’s Well / Bunny by Mona Awad(56:17) The Ishiguro Effect(59:06) Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee(59:28) I Gave You Eyes And You Looked Towards Darkness by Irène Sola What We’re Reading Next(1:01:03) We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad(1:01:37) Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Rie Qudan (1:02:11) Maggie; Or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar: A Novel by Katie YeesCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes

On this week’s bumper episode we cover the Booker Prize longlist before exploring some of our favourite fiction and non-fiction about art. We ask why books featuring artists seem to be so perennially popular and what is it about the artist’s life that keeps us coming back for more.Book NewsThe Booker Prize Long List Love Forms by Claire Adam The South by Tash AwUniversality by Natasha BrownOne Boat by Jonathan BuckleyFlashlight by Susan ChoiThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran DesaiAudition by Katie KitamuraThe Rest of Our Lives by Ben MarkovitsThe Land in Winter by Andrew MillerEndling by Maria RevaFlesh by David SzalaySeascraper by Benjamin WoodMisinterpretation by Ledia XhogaOrbital by Samantha HarveyCurrent ReadsMargo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi ThorpeThe Night Always Comes by Willy VlautinBooks About Art The Original by Nell StevensThe Artist by Lucy Steeds A Little Life by Hanya YanagiharaNightbitch by Rachel YoderWhat I Loved by Siri HustvedtBlue Ruin by Hari KunzruBiography of X by Catherine LaceyA Month in Siena by Hisham MatarMy Friends by Hisham MatarThe Return by Hisham MatarAlison by Lizzy StewartDaybook: The Journal of an Artist by Anne TruittTurn by Anne TruittProspect by Anne TruittWet Paint by Chloe AshbyThe Goldfinch by Donna TarttGirl With A Pearl Earring by Tracey ChevalierThe Art Forger by Barbara ShapiroMy Struggle by Karl Ove KnausgårdWild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue PrideauxNinth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art by Mary Gaskill‘Olympia’ and ‘A Bar at the Folies-Bergère’ by Edouard Manetannetruitt.orgThe Whitney Museum of American ArtThe Courtauld Institute of Art Jon Harvey, artist What We’re Reading NextThe Compound by Aisling RawleNeuromancer by William GibsonModeration by Elaine CastilloAmerica Is Not The Heart by Elaine CastilloFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes

Book NewsThe Hugo AwardsGalle Literary Festival, 22-25 January 2026Edinburgh International Book Festival, 9-24 August 2025 Current readsFree Play: Improvisation in Life & Art by Stephen NachmanovitchOn Elizabeth Bishop by Colm TóibinThe Names by Florence KnappAtmosphere by Taylor Jenkins-ReidDeep Dive into Kristin Hannah Firefly Lane The NightingaleThe Winter GardenThe Four WindsThe Women  The Things They Carried by Tim O’BrienWhat We’re Reading NextThe Sunflower Boys by Sam WachmanKatabasis by R.F. KuangLonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes

Join us this week as we delve into our favourite memoirs and recommend some bizarre stories of fame, feuds, cults, and figure skating. Of course, we also share the latest book news, current reads and what we plan to read next.Book NewsClose to Home by Michael MageeSay Nothing by Patrick Radden KeefeCurrent readsA Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon by Mizuki TsujimuraLonely Castle In The Mirror by Mizuki TsujimuraMemoirs I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdyIn The Dream House by Carmen Maria MachadoCrying In H Mart by Michelle ZaunerAftermath by Rachel CuskDying of Politeness by Geena DavisBossy Pants by Tina FeyHomesick: A Memoir by Jennifer Croft The Extinction Of Irena Rey by Jennifer CroftFlights by Olga TolkaczukThe Books Of Jacob by Olga TolkaczukInto The Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley KeoughThe Woman In Me by Britney SpearsDaisy Jones And The Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Salt Path by Raynor WinnA Million Little Pieces by James FreyThe Museum Of Lost And Fragile Things by Suzanne JoinsonThe Sound Of Gravel by Ruth WarinerEducated by Tara WestoverStay True by Hua HsuFierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick Knife by Salman RushdieThe Best Minds by Jonathan RosenQuietly Hostile by Samantha IrbyThis Is The Place To Be by Lara PawsonWhat we’re reading nextThe Coin by Yasmin ZaherThe Echoes by Evie Wyld Days Of Light by Megan HunterTheory & Practice by Michelle de KretserOrlanda by Jacqueline HarpmanI Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline HarpmanAlso mentioned The Harrison Chambers Of DistinctionCool People Reading PodcastFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes

Who says queer lit is just for June? In our latest episode we talk about some queer titles and authors that we'd recommend reading all year round. Plus, we walk through some queer literary milestones and of course chat about what we've been reading recently and what we're looking forward to picking up next.Book NewsThe Hypocrite by Jo HamyaWinter Animals by Ashani LewisRevolutionary Acts: Love & Brotherhood In Black Gay Britain by Jason OkundayeFood For The Dead by Charlotte Shevchenko KnightCurrent readsThe Coin by Yasmin ZaherThe Story Of A Heart by Dr. Rachel ClarkQueer literatureGiovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Joseph And His Friend by Bayard Taylor The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde The Well Of Loneliness by Radclyffe HallDeath In Venice by Thomas Mann The City And The Pillar by Gore Vidal The Price Of Salt by Patricia Highsmith ‘Carol’ by Todd Haynes Sister Outsider by Audre LordeLoving Her by Ann Shockley Detransition, Baby by Torrey PetersStag Dance by Torrey PetersTell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt Song Of Achilles by Madeline MillerA Little Life by Hanya YanagiharaWho’s Afraid Of Gender? by Judith ButlerGreta & Valdin by Rebecca K. ReillyA Boy's Own Story by Edmund White Love Me Tender / PlayBoy by Constance Debré The End Of Eddy by Edouard Louis Love In Exile by Shon FayeGirlhood / Abandon Me: Memoirs by Melissa FebosA Short History Of Trans Misogyny by Jules Gill-PetersonThe Best Of Me by David SedarisThis Book Is Gay by Juno DawsonNothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Histories by Diarmuid HesterOur Pride picksThe Lost Past Of Billy McQueen by Neil AlexanderValencia by Michelle TeaOur Wives Under The Sea by Julia ArmfieldTiepolo Blue by James CahillAnd The Band Played On by Randy ShiltsNevada by Imogen BinnieWhat We’re Reading NextThe Wax Child by Olga RavnThe Employees by Olga RavnHelm by Sarah Hall Close To Home by Michael MageeThe Names by Florence Knapp Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodesCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James at Fish Island Studio (@fishislandstudio)Register as an organ donor at organdonation.nhs.uk (UK) and donatelife.net (US)

This week’s episode is about the perennial conundrum that faces every reader at this time of year - what to read at the beach? We talk about which genres are best suited for reading al fresco and give you our favourite holiday read recommendations. Of course, we also share our latest book news, current reads and what we plan to read next.Book NewsThe Mars Room by Rachel KushnerQuestion 7 by Richard Flanagan Albion by Anna HopeFair Play by Louise HegartyPetals Of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong’o Current readsThe Husbands by Holly GramazioWild Boar by Hannah LutzBeach readsThe Bee Sting by Paul MurrayAriadne by Jennifer SaintElektra by Jennifer SaintStone Blind by Natalie HaynesCirce by Madeline MillerSong Of Achilles by Madeline MillerWhere The Crawdads Sing by Delia OwensThe Trio by Johanna Hedman The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller The Overstory by Richard PowersThe Guest by Emma ClineThe Girls by Emma Cline The Swimmer by John CheeverWalking On The Ceiling by Ayşegül Savaş Summer by Edith WhartonLast Resort by Andrew LipsteinMy Brilliant Friend by Elena FerranteBrutes by Dizz TateSpent by Alison Bechdel  Fun Home by Alison BechdelDykes to Watch Out For by Alison BechdelYou Killed Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi Sunset by Jessie Cave Girlfriends by Holly Bourne What we’re reading nextA Marriage At Sea by Sophie ElmhurstNecessary Fictions by Eloghosa OsundeLonely Crowds by Stephanie WambuguAlso mentioned@BeesBookShareThe Garden Gate Project MargateLouisiana Channel by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek in DenmarkThe Hay PlayerHay FestivalsOpen Water by Chris KentisFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodesCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James at Fish Island Studio (@fishislandstudio)

This week’s episode is one of deep dives, this time into Audition by Katie Kitamura, an ambiguous and destablising read that packs a lot into very few pages. We also share some recent book and literary prize news and talk about what’s on our TBRs.Books:Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (translated by Deepa Bhasthi)  The Book Of Sand by Geetanjali ShreeKairos by Jenny ErpenbeckThe Vegetarian by Han KangSmall Boat by Vicent Delacroix (translated by Helen Stevenson)Clear by Carys Davies (Winner of the Ondaatje Prize 2025)The Adversary by Michael Crummey (Winner of the Dublin Literary Award 2025)Red Milk by SjónCareless People by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsAudition / Gone To The Forest / The Longshot / A Separation / Intimacies by Katie Kitamura My Tender Matador by Pedro LemebelThe Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe Also mentioned: Teatime Book Club, @Teatime.picturesRosemary’s Baby by Roman PolanskiSuspiria by Dario Agento (with a 2013 remake by Luca Guadagnino)Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast for more recommendations in between episodes