This week’s episode begins with a mystery worthy of its own novel: Hannah tells the tale of a traffic-calming mannequin installed outside her cottage… only for him to be stolen within six hours.

Meanwhile, Nikki has been out and about, enjoying a packed week that included a visit to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, a humanist wedding and the Ramses exhibition in Battersea. There was also plenty of excellent food involved, which is always a bonus.

A quick note: you may hear Hannah’s dog Bertie making his feelings known in the background. He was simply determined to join the conversation!

This episode’s buddy read is The Measure by Nikki Erlick.

Spoilers ahead!

We discuss the novel’s irresistible premise and why it makes for such a compelling thought experiment.

• Would you open the box if it arrived on your doorstep?

• How much would you want to know about your future?

• What would you do with that knowledge?

We also compare The Measure with Stories of Your Life by Ted Chiang, the novella that inspired the film Arrival (and was recommended by a listener - thank you!), and discuss why one felt more firmly rooted in science fiction than the other.

Our conversation wanders through questions of fate, free will, prejudice, and what really makes a science fiction novel. We compare The Measure to several other books that tackle big ideas in very different ways, and debate whether the novel delivers on the possibilities of its central concept.

Join us to hear what worked for us, what didn’t quite land and where we ultimately placed The Measure on our ever-growing list of buddy reads.

Books We Reference

• The Martian — Andy Weir

• Culture novels — Iain M. Banks

• The Immortalists — Chloe Benjamin

• Stories of Your Life — Ted Chiang

Next buddy read: Essays! We've settled on Feel Free by Zadie Smith. We'll be talking about our thoughts on that book in the next episode in two weeks time, so plenty of time to join us!

Hannah’s back from a cruise around Spain and France, where she got to practise her languages…and somehow managed to completely destroy her cabin in the process.

Nikki’s just returned from Florida after visiting Disneyworld and Universal Studios. Ride photos were taken, dignity was lost, and yes, they’re going on our socials. We also discovered Nikki had no idea How to Train Your Dragon was originally a book (!)

This episode dives into recurring themes across our recent reads and TBRs: fate, missed opportunities, sliding doors moments, class, privilege, and the appeal of a little bit of grime.

Our next buddy read is the sci-fi novel The Measure by Nikki Erlick.

The Book Blurb “It seems like just another morning. Around the world, people wake up, check the news, open the front door. On every doorstep is a box. Inside that box is the exact number of years that person has left to live. Whether they open it or hide it under their bed, each person must learn to live in this new world…”

Holiday Reading

Nikki's reads

Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo: Galaxy 'Alex' Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime, Alex was hoping for a fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world's most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch.

Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale's secret societies - well-known haunts of the rich and powerful. Now there's a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won't accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.

We also chat about The Secret History, The Goldfinch, Tell Me Lies, and themes of privilege and class.

The Great When – Alan Moore

The year 1949, the city London.

Hapless second-hand bookseller Dennis stumbles through a city still shaking off the war. While out procuring inventory, Dennis's life changes forever when he chances upon a novel that shouldn't exist; an entirely fictional book from inside another novel.

A layered, mind-bending read with multiple versions of London. Nikki loved Moore’s rich, playful writing style and discusses the twists, including one she saw coming. The next book in the series, I Hear a New World, is out now.

How to Lose a Goblin in Seven Days – Jess Silver Lovely but slightly overlong romantasy following halfling Pansy and goblin Wren. Nikki enjoyed it overall but felt the plot was a little thin.

Nikki’s TBR

• The Names – Florence Knapp

• Our Infinite Fates – Laura Steven

• Impossible Monsters – Michael Taylor

• Queen James – Gareth Russell

Hannah's reads

The Art of a Lie – Laura Shepherd-Robinson A twist-filled mystery set in 1749 around St James’s and Piccadilly involving murder, confectionery, ice cream and plenty more besides. This somehow leads us into a discussion about tea and biscuits from Fortnum & Mason.

The Impossible Thing – Belinda Bauer 1926. On the towering cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. But when small and hungry Celie Sheppard finds an 'impossible' red egg, it will forever alter the course of her life - and the lives of others.

100 years later in a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort discovers his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up and robbed. The only thing missing: a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg. Doggedly attempting to retrieve it, Patrick and Nick discover the cruel world of egg trafficking, and soon find themselves on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now.

Hannah’s loving the natural history elements and the bird facts, which sparks a side conversation about ospreys.

Hannah’s TBR

• All Fours – Miranda July

• Hooked – Asako Yuzuki

This week we’re discussing our autobiography buddy read, H is for Hawk.

Hannah has been for a getaway to Pembrokeshire after the dramas of the haunted cottage (see ep 3) and enjoyed a much-needed reset, complete with dolphins and seals.

Nikki, meanwhile, is off to Florida - Disney awaits! She’s been preparing by cleaning her flat to within an inch of its life, including a long-overdue rejigging of her bookcase.

Spoiler Warning: Full spoilers for plot, themes, and ending.

Trigger Warning: Discussion includes grief and depression.

H is for Hawk (Costa Book of the Year winner) follows Helen Macdonald after the sudden death of her father. In her grief, she buys and trains a goshawk, Mabel, and the book traces that process alongside her experience of mourning and emotional recovery.

We both came into this slightly hesitant about autobiography as a genre. Nikki reflects on being more drawn to other people’s personal stories outside of her own experience, while Hannah talks about expecting autobiography to be a full-life narrative, which this challenged. She was also initially drawn in by her interest in birds rather than memoir.

Key questions we kept circling:

• How authentic can an autobiography be when memory and narrative inevitably shape events?

• Does writing your life story change how you live it?

• Do we expect “truth,” and does it matter if a memoir is more constructed than we assume?

• Is this primarily Helen’s autobiography, or also a biography of Mabel?

We also reference Eat Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert), Wild (Cheryl Strayed) and The Salt Path (Raynor Winn) in relation to wider questions about memoir, authenticity, and reader expectations.

Structure and response

The book’s structure is non-linear and at times meandering, without a conventional narrative arc. That said, the writing is consistently lyrical, with a strong sense of rhythm and quality.

Our reactions shifted while reading; from strong engagement to moments of feeling quite detached.

We both also wanted more context around Helen herself, particularly her relationship with her father. Without that, it was harder to fully grasp the depth of her grief and what came before it.

The T.H. White thread

We discuss the parallel narrative involving T.H. White, which blends biography and fictionalisation. This element divided us:

• What purpose does it serve—parallel, counterpoint, or distraction?

• Does it enhance or dilute the main narrative?

• Why might it be absent from the film adaptation?

We also reflect on the importance of having good people around you and the role relationships play in shaping emotional resilience.

Next episode

We’ll be sharing our current reads and TBR piles. Our next buddy read will be science fiction (much to Hannah’s horror), so stay tuned and do read along with us.

We’d love to hear your thoughts, and if you can rate and review the podcast, it really helps us be found - thank you!

With love, Hannah & Nikki

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