What are we reading this month? Which books have surprised us, disappointed us and completely taken over our lives? In this episode, we're chatting current reads, theatre trips, summer holidays, and looking back at the highs and lows of our buddy reads.

Before we get to the books, we catch up on life. Hannah shares the juggle of working through the school summer holidays while trying to create memorable experiences for her daughter, while Nikki is looking forward to seeing My Neighbour Totoro on stage. We discuss whether it's better to watch the Studio Ghibli film before the theatre production and Nikki also gives her thoughts on The Odyssey, including some of the criticism surrounding the film.

⚠️ Spoiler warning: We discuss plot twists and endings throughout this episode.

Hannah reviews Emily Henry's latest novel, discussing why she feels the author's writing continues to mature, with richer characters and more layered storytelling. If you enjoy emotional contemporary romance, dual timelines and books such as The Summer I Turned Pretty or Every Summer After, this one's worth a look.

Nikki also recommends The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid for readers wanting another compelling character-driven novel.

A compulsive page-turner that Hannah devoured in just two sittings. We discuss the novel's emotional love story, courtroom drama and thriller elements, while also debating whether withholding information from readers makes for great storytelling, or simply feels manipulative. Perfect for book clubs and holiday reading.

One of the most talked-about books of the year so far. We discuss why twist endings are such a risky business, what makes a satisfying reveal and whether every novel really needs a huge final twist.

After seeing Operation Mincemeat in the West End, Nikki picked up Finding Hester, the remarkable true story behind one of the Second World War's most fascinating intelligence operations. We explore the real woman behind the famous forged love letters and why this forgotten piece of history continues to captivate readers.

A fantasy romance spanning multiple lifetimes, in which Evelyn remembers every past life—and every murder. Nikki shares her thoughts on whether the ending delivered, prompting a wider discussion about plot reveals, pacing and when authors should reveal their biggest secrets.

A quick update on our upcoming buddy read...

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce has been postponed until September because of something very exciting happening behind the scenes (more on that soon!).

Our next buddy read is now:

A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland.

We're revisiting all of our previous buddy reads to date and handing out some very unofficial awards.

Books featured include:

• Hamnet – Maggie O'Farrell

• A Walk in the Park – Jill Mansell

• The Lamb – Lucy Rose

• H is for Hawk – Helen Macdonald

• The Measure – Nikki Erlick

• Feel Free – Zadie Smith

• Land – Simon Winchester

Categories include:

• Best female character

• Best male character

• Most infuriating plot point

• Which book needed an edit?

• Saddest moment

• Happiest moment

• Most uplifting moment

Whether you're looking for your next great read, love hearing honest book discussions, or simply enjoy chatting all things books, we'd love you to join us.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and let us know what you're reading this month!

Our Current ReadsGreat Big Beautiful Life – Emily HenryBroken Country – Claire Leslie HallYesteryear – Caro Claire BurkeFinding Hester (multiple authors)Our Infinite Fates – Laura StevenBuddy Read Update Buddy Read Awards

This week we're discussing Maggie O'Farrell's Land. Spoiler warning – we delve into the novel in detail, so save this episode until you've finished reading if you'd rather avoid spoilers!

Before we get stuck in, Hannah shares the highlight of her holiday in Cornwall, where she was lucky enough to spot a basking shark off Lizard Point, while Nikki recounts another of her epic Canterbury Tales pilgrim walks – a 14-mile trek on one of the hottest days of the year – before heading off to see The Odyssey this weekend.

In this episode we discuss:

• Our first impressions of Land and why it felt like a departure from Maggie O'Farrell's previous novels.

• Why Hannah considers it a modern masterpiece, despite finding it slow to get into and why Nikki struggled to connect emotionally with the story.

• The emotional impact of the novel, family sagas versus single-character narratives and how different readers experience the same book in completely different ways.

• The history of the 19th-century Ordnance Survey of Ireland, its significance within the novel and the connections to Maggie O'Farrell's own family history.

• Themes of land, ownership, power, suppression, violence and whether we ever truly own the places we inhabit.

• Why we think the book's blurb doesn't quite capture what the novel is really about.

• Literary comparisons with Brian Friel's Translations and Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude.

• Magical realism, folklore, mythology, symbolism and the rich recurring motifs woven throughout the novel.

• Migration, belonging, loss, legacy, reclamation and what it really means to call somewhere home.

• O'Farrell's portrayal of a neurodivergent character and whether we felt it rang true.

• How our own life experiences shape the way we read and respond to literature.

• The novel's dense, lyrical prose, its minimal dialogue, pacing and whether slower books reward patient readers.

We'll also reveal our next Buddy Read: The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce.

Next episode, we'll be catching up on everything we've been reading recently and sharing the books currently sitting on our ever-growing TBR piles.

In this episode of our book podcast, we dive into our recent reads and a lively discussion on romance fiction tropes, male leads, and what makes us swoon - or cringe - in contemporary romance novels.

We catch up on life lately, from school-related mental load and the UK heatwave, to Nikki recovering from a busy work event (and an attempted game of The Traitors that quickly got too complicated over white wine spritzers).

Our upcoming buddy read is Land by Maggie O’Farrell, and we share first impressions of its lyrical, folkloric, atmospheric writing style.

Recent reads include The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce (set in Lake Orta, Italy), which Hannah describes as a standout book of the year following her recent author interview. We also discuss Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry and its familiar romance tropes.

Nikki has been reading The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang, sparking two major conversations: modern romance fiction and issues of authorship, plagiarism, race, and cultural appropriation in publishing.

Our romance fiction discussion explores:

• Romance tropes and the “male lead” archetype

• Height difference tropes and why they appear so often

• What gives us the “ick” in romantic fiction

• Consent, tension, and emotional safety in romance narratives

• Character development, jealousy, intimidation, and believable relationships

• What makes a compelling romantic hero beyond clichés

• Love languages in fiction (Gary Chapman)

• Whether romance novels need a future beyond “Happily Ever After”

We also discuss when to DNF (do not finish) a book and how readers decide when to put a book down.

A funny, honest, and thoughtful conversation for readers who love romance fiction, book discussions, and contemporary literary debates.

This week, Nikki and Hannah discuss Feel Free by Zadie Smith, a collection of essays exploring culture, politics, art, identity and what it means to be free in an increasingly divided world.

Before diving into the book, there's a long-overdue real-life catch-up, Hannah shares details of her trip to London to celebrate her dad's 80th birthday (and an unexpected crush), and Nikki recounts a work event involving fire alarms and some questionable emergency priorities.

In This Episode

• What makes a collection of essays work – and whether Feel Free works as a cohesive book

• The challenges and pleasures of reading essays compared to reading novels

• Whether "freedom" is a sufficiently strong theme to unite the collection

• Zadie Smith's unique perspective, shaped by experiences across class, culture and academia

• Whether these essays belong in a book or are better suited to newspapers and magazines

Essays Discussed

North West London Blues

• The demolition of Willesden Green Library and the loss of communal spaces

• Libraries, local identity and civic responsibility

• Public funding, austerity and community engagement

Fences: A Brexit Diary

• Smith's immediate response to the 2016 Brexit referendum

• The fence as a metaphor for division, isolation and polarisation

• Echo chambers, privilege, responsibility and the consequences of democratic choice

The Bathroom

• Class, culture and family life through the lens of a childhood bathroom

• Social mobility, nostalgia and identity

• Parenting, expectations and the "retrospective swirl"

Joy

• The distinction between pleasure and joy

• Whether joy requires vulnerability, risk and uncertainty

• How we cultivate joy in our own lives

• The relationship between joy, privilege and freedom

Next Time

We'll be discussing our current reads and revealing our next buddy read.

In this episode, we’re diving into our recent and current reads, plus the inevitable pile of books building up on our TBRs. Alongside the reading chat, there are chickens, knitting projects, a very sweaty pilgrim walk and plenty of literary detours.

Life UpdatesHannah has added real-life chickens to her garden, including one very confidently named George Michael. There’s ongoing excitement (and vigilance) on egg watch as the flock settles in.

Nikki has been busy with knitting projects, including more socks (as ever) and a rainbow crocheted cardigan. She’s also started walking the Canterbury Pilgrims’ Way with Tom, beginning with the stretch taking in Deptford and Shooter’s Hill. It involved unexpected hills, a heatwave and some mildly questionable optimism about pacing.

Buddy Read Update

The Wheel of Reading Fortune landed on Essays, so our next buddy read is Feel Free by Zadie Smith.

We’ll be focusing on four essays in Episode 11: North West Blues, Fences: A Brexit Diary, The Bathroom, and Joy. Since neither of us reads essays often, we talk through how we might approach it - whether to read it straight through or dip in and out. Either way, we’re both curious to see how we get on.

Hannah’s ReadsAll Fours by Miranda July follows a semi-famous artist who sets off on a cross-country road trip, only to abandon it almost immediately for a very different kind of journey. We talk about the title, the polarising reactions it’s provoked in book group and the challenge of sitting with such an unlikable but compelling protagonist. Themes of midlife reinvention, menopause, impermanence and self-discovery come up throughout.

In Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, Hannah reflects on struggling with the corporate setting often found in contemporary Japanese fiction and wonders whether there’s cultural context she’s missing. It’s a slower, more atmospheric opening that hasn’t fully clicked yet.

On the TBR is Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, which has us slightly hesitant due to mixed online reactions, but still interested in its focus on messy, imperfect female lives in midlife.

Nikki’s Reads

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo continues Alex Stern’s story as she tries to rescue Darlington from hell while darker forces gather around Yale and Lethe. Nikki talks about her preference for urban fantasy over high fantasy and enjoys the blend of supernatural elements with a recognisable university setting. The discussion also veers into journalling and collecting ideas for learning.

She’s also recently attended a webinar with Alan Moore, who discussed his Long London series, his evolving writing career and his belief that he doesn’t experience writer’s block.

Finally, The Names by Florence Knapp is discussed as a bit of shared read as Hannah’s read it too. It follows three possible lives shaped by a single naming decision. We both found it deeply moving and heartbreaking, particularly in its handling of domestic abuse. The structure is beautifully balanced, though Nikki wished for slightly more time with the characters.

On the TBR: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.

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

www.boundbybooks.co.uk

hello@boundbybooks.co.uk

Instagram: @boundbybooks2026