Share

cover art for Birth Year Books

It's a Charlie Thing

Birth Year Books

•

It's 1981 vs 1992 in this week's episode as Charlie and Charlie chat about the book releases from their respective birth years. Charlie H rants about a book he didn't enjoy and Charlie B is exploring the Wainwright Prize.


Books Mentioned:


What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson

Roman Mornings by Matson Taylor

An Inconvenience of Penguins by Jamie Lafferty

Love is a Toad by Lucy Lapwing

The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver

George's Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

Tar Baby by Toni Morrison

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by MC Beaton

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson

Goosebumps by RL Stine

All that Remains by Patricia Cornwell

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Too Tired to Boycott the Booker Prize

    43:02|
    In which one Charlie spends this episode wittering because he is utterly sleep deprived.
  • What We Really Think About the Booker Prize Longlist

    48:01|
    Charlie Science is back as we rate the Booker longlist, aiming to predict the shortlist.
  • Chatting to Angharad Hampshire, Author of The Mare

    59:17|
    The Mare, one of Charlie B's favourite books, has been re-released. Today, we interview the author. We learn what inspired her to write Hermine Brausteiner's story, the journey to publication, and what books inspire her.Buy yourself a copy of The Mare by Angharad Hampshire here:https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Mare-by-Angharad-Hampshire/9781405989541
  • Ranking the Booker Prize Longlist

    55:52|
    In which Charlie chats about the books she bought on holiday, and we rank the books from the Booker Prize longlist.
  • Autumn Reading Recommendations

    41:18|
    This week we're talking about the books we think are the best to read in autumn, from gothic masterpieces to coastal tales, we have some picks for you.Books mentioned:The Thirteenth Tale by Diane SetterfieldThe Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie LumsdenShadowplay by Joseph O'Connor
  • Which Zodiac Sign Produces the Best Authors?

    52:45|
    Waterstones created a list, so naturally we had to respond to it.
  • What is the Best First Line from the Booker Longlist?

    25:35|
    The Booker Prize Longlist for 2026 has been announced. The Charlies read the first line from each title to determine which is best.Books Mentioned:The Shadow of the ObjectSwitzyHelen of NowhereThe End of EverythingThe DisappearersBlack BagThe RenovationMay We Feed the KingThe Palm HouseThe Things We Never SayJohn of JohnAll Them DogsThe Vivisectors
  • Where the Hell is my Ostrich?!

    57:58|
    In which we recommend books for Women in Translation month and Charlie is missing an ostrich.Books Mentioned:What You Are Looking For is in this Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison WattsDeath at Sunset Grove by Mina Lindgren, translated by Lola RogersSimple Passions by Annie Ernaux, translated by Tanya LeslieElena Knows by Claudia Piniero, translated by Frances RiddleWhen the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen, translated by Alice MenziesDrive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-JonesBoulder by Eva Baltazar, translated by Julia SanchezInkheart by Cornelia Funke, translated by Anthea BellThe Eighth Life by Nino Haratschwili, translated by Ruth Martin and Charlotte CollinsRoman Mornings by Matson TaylorIt’s Not What You Think by Clare MackintoshMuckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen