Nikki’s been stretching out her birthday celebrations with dinners in Shoreditch, new plants and plans to rejig her bookshelves. Hannah, on the other hand, started “reorganising” her cottage… then abandoned ship halfway through and headed to IKEA instead.

Book Talk

Spoiler Warning: This week we dive into The Lamb by Lucy Rose.

FULL spoilers ahead: plot, themes, and the ending are all on the table.

Trigger warning: We discuss difficult themes including child abuse, cannibalism, bullying, murder and toxic relationships.

In this episode, we’re talking about The Lamb by Lucy Rose; a novel neither of us can stop thinking about (or talking about).

Which raises the big question: does the fact that it lingers like that mean the book is actually successful? Along the way, we get into the tension between sensational moments and deeper meaning and whether the shock factor sometimes threatens to overwhelm what the novel is trying to do.

We spend some time appreciating the writing itself - especially the lush descriptions of the natural world outside the cottage - while also questioning how the book has been framed. Is it really a “folk tale” or an “enchantment,” as the blurb describes? That leads us into a conversation about the narration through Margot’s perspective, and how the author’s own experiences might shape the voice telling the story.

While we both admire the quality of the prose, we talk about how the plot doesn’t always live up to it and how certain ideas and bits of language start to repeat. We also unpack the expectations created by the promise of something folkloric and whether the story actually delivers on that, especially when it’s grounded so firmly in the real world, with all the logistical questions that brings.

We also tackle some of the novel’s darker elements: its depiction of child abuse, the striking (and slightly troublesome) brilliance of the opening line and the unsettling thread that links desire, sex and cannibalism. Then there’s Eden: what we expect from her as a character, what she might symbolise, whether she works as a counterpoint to Ruth and how she’s used to push the story and relationships forward.

In this episode we wonder whether our own lack of horror-reading experience affects how we respond to the book. And of course, we talk about that ending: the tension between reality and metaphor, the choice to kill off so many characters and whether the novel leaves us with any sense of hope…or just a lot of unanswered questions.

Other questions we consider:

• What themes or elements might cause readers to put the book down and what this says about our own limits and boundaries as readers.
• Whether the novel ultimately feels meaningful.
• Whether taking the reader into such a dark psychological place provides a satisfying payoff.
• Ruth as a character: why she might be the way she is, whether she has a sense of right or wrong and the question of nature versus nurture.
• Whether themes such as alienation, parental obsession, adolescence, independence and loneliness are explored in enough depth.
• How we might have changed the novel if we had written it ourselves.
• The publishing “war” over the novel and why it generated so much competition.

Books we reference in our discussion:

Fairy Tales – Angela Carter

Grimms Tales – Philip Pullman

Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold

Tender is the Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica

Upcoming Buddy Read Genre: Autobiography. Title to be confirmed in the next episode! Read along with us!

Please leave a comment about anything we’ve discussed as we’d love to hear from you, and if we can ask you to rate and review the pod (as it helps us to be seen and found), we’ll love you forever.

With Love,

Hannah & Nikki

Website: www.boundbybooks.co.uk

Email: hello@boundbybooks.co.uk

It’s been a busy week! Nikki celebrated her birthday in true nerdy, history-loving style with a trip to see dinosaurs followed by a visit to Shakespeare’s Globe. A pretty brilliant combination, if you ask us. She’s also managed to pick up a very respectable haul of birthday gifts along the way. Lucky thing!

Meanwhile, Hannah has been swept up in birthday celebrations of a slightly different kind while also deep in preparations for the Eisteddfod. If you’re wondering what an Eisteddfod is, don’t worry - we cover that in the episode!

Book Talk

In this week’s episode we dive into the world of buddy reading, exploring both the joys and the occasional downsides of sharing a book with someone else.

We chat about:

• The differences between buddy reading and reading solo

• What it’s like reading alongside others in a book group, and how discussion can completely change your perspective on a story

• Why having strong opinions about a book - and sharing them - can sometimes feel a little vulnerable

• Whether there’s such a thing as the perfect buddy read book

• The satisfaction of correctly predicting a plot twist before your reading partner does

• How a reading buddy can bring fresh insights into themes, characters and plot

• Why buddy reading can enhance and deepen the overall reading experience

• The pure joy of watching a carefully planted mystery unfold and finally click into place

Books we reference in our discussion about buddy reading:

• Homecoming – Kate Morton

• Murder at the White Hart – Chris Chibnall

• Room 706 – Ellie Levenson

• The Warm Hands of Ghosts – Katherine Arden

Hannah is reading

The Swell – Kat Gordon

Hannah is completely absorbed in this one and admits she can barely put it down. She draws comparisons with the style and atmosphere of Kate Morton’s novels and thinks it would make an excellent buddy read thanks to the layers of mystery and intrigue running through the story. Expect plenty to ponder, including: bodies discovered in the ice, themes of sisterhood and unconditional love and threads of Icelandic myth and legend.

TBR:

Seed to Dust – Marc Hamer

This mindful, seasonal piece of non-fiction follows a year in the life of a garden. Hannah will be reading it with her book group and is hoping it offers something a little deeper and more reflective than the now familiar “nature heals everything” narrative.

Nikki is reading

The Familiar – Leigh Bardugo

Nikki has just finished this historical fantasy and shares her thoughts on its setting in Spain during the Inquisition. She reflects on the rich historical backdrop as well as the carefully constructed magical system within the novel.

We also touch on how important it is for fantasy stories to stick to the rules of their own magic systems so the narrative feels satisfying and believable rather than falling apart by the end.

TBR:

She Speaks: What Shakespeare’s Women Might Have Said – Harriet Walter

This imaginative book offers a fresh take on Shakespeare’s female characters. Harriet Walter creates thirty new speeches written in Shakespearean-style verse and prose, exploring what these women might have been thinking in the moments between the lines of the original plays; sometimes playful, sometimes deeply thoughtful.

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days – Jessie Silver

A cosy fantasy featuring a halfling and a goblin forced into close proximity, where cultural misunderstandings and reluctant companionship slowly turn into something more. Nikki is very excited to pick this one up.

Next Buddy Read:

The Lamb – Lucy Rose

Read along with us!

Please leave a comment about anything we’ve discussed as we’d love to hear from you, and if we can ask you to rate and review the pod (as it helps us to be seen and found), we’ll love you forever.

You can also drop us a line by emailing: hello@boundbybooks.co.uk

Visit and poke around on our website by going to: www.boundbybooks.co.uk

Hannah shares her experience of staying in a haunted cottage in Snowdonia and what made her and her family pack up and leave a day early. Expect strange happenings and a bizarre Charles Dickens coincidence that no one can quite explain.

Meanwhile, Nikki firmly establishes herself as an absolute wuss when it comes to anything remotely paranormal and questions Hannah’s life choices in even booking the cottage in the first place…

Book Talk

This week we dive into a Jill Mansell classic: A Walk in the Park, which turns out not to be her most recent novel (as we confidently, and incorrectly, believed!).

We discuss:

• The enduring allure of romantic fiction and how it fits into our reading lives
• Romantic fiction as comfort and escapism during difficult times
• The universal pursuit of love in all its guises
• Strong female leads and the importance of a rich supporting cast
• Whether romantic fiction can (or should) tackle deeper issues beneath the froth
• How certain themes can date over time
• What makes a truly swoon-worthy leading man and the lines authors give them to seal the deal
• The importance of trusting the writer and surrendering to the story

Current Reads

Hannah is Reading

Room 706 – Ellie LevensonHaving just finished this, Hannah reflects on how the novel explores the realities of being a working mother and wife: the invisible mental load, the complexity of identity and the truth that we’re rarely just “good” or “bad,” but capable of both. She shares her thoughts on the ending (don’t worry - nospoilers).

The Swell – Kat GordonAn atmospheric mystery set in Iceland, unfolding across dual timelines in 1911 and 1975. Hannah touches on the real-life Women’s Day Off movement in Iceland in 1975, a pivotal moment in advancing women’s rights and equality. Alongside the political landscape of the 1970s, she delights in discovering the depth of Iceland’s history, myth and folklore woven into the story.

Nikki is Reading

The Warm Hands of Ghosts – Katherine ArdenIn 1917, Freddie Iven wakes after an explosion to find himself trapped with a wounded German soldier. Against all odds, they form a bond and fight to escape. In 1918, Canadian nurse Laura Iven receives devastating news about her brother that doesn’t quite add up.

Nikki explores the novel’s supernatural and folkloric threads — spectres, trauma, memory — alongside its powerful themes of friendship, shared experience and the price one might pay to forget unbearable events. She reflects on the question: what is the most formative thing that happens to you…and is that necessarily a good thing?

The Familiar – Leigh BardugoNikki has only just begun this one and shares her struggle with starting a new book while still nursing a serious book hangover from her last read.

This Episode Explores

• The blurred line between the supernatural and the stories we tell ourselves, from haunted cottages to haunted memories
• Why romantic fiction continues to comfort and captivate, even in uncertain times
• Whether love stories can explore deeper truths beneath their glossy surfaces
• Courage (and cowardice!) in the face of the unknown
• The power of shared experience and friendship through challenging circumstances
• Complexity of identity and the ways we navigate being both “good” and “bad”
• How ghosts, past trauma, and great love interests linger long after the final page
• The act of reading itself: trusting writers, finding solace in fiction, and letting stories shape us

Next Joint Read

(To be discussed in Episode 5)

The Lamb – Lucy Rose

This week, we’re catching up on the chaos of the past few days, from the never-ending rain to Nikki’s lingering cold (plus a couple of perfectly timed feline interruptions)

Book Talk

We tackle our ever-growing TBR towers, debate how to actually define fantasy subgenres, and confess to Hannah’s less-than-stellar book-group track record.

Plus, Hannah makes it her personal mission to convince Nikki to download fewer books and actually buy physical copies, and we introduce our new “book jar” idea — a hopeful attempt to push our reading habits beyond the usual comfort zones.

Current Reads

Nikki is reading

Writers & Lovers - Lily King

The Knight and the Butcherbird - Alix E. Harrow

From Nikki’s TBR:

The Warm Hands of Ghosts – Katherine Arden

Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo

Hellbent – Leigh Bardugo

The Familiar – Leigh Bardugo

My Sister the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite

Hannah is reading:

Room 706 - Ellie Levenson

From Hannah's TBR:

The Swell – Kat Gordon

My Husband Simon - Mollie Panter-Downes

Episode Takeaways:

• Exploring class divides through the lens of an alternative universe
• The power and precision of world-building in fantasy fiction
• Why a writer might choose short fiction over long-form (and vice versa)
• Extramarital affairs and how they unfold within the realities of motherhood and marriage
• Living with the fallout when lies start to unravel
• Building empathy for characters who make morally messy choices
• The power (and frustration) of an unresolved ending
• Crafting a compelling character within a historical setting
• The influence of time and history on a writer’s work

Next episode:

A Walk in the Park – Jill Mansell

There's still time to join us and read along! If you enjoyed this episode, please do leave us a review and recommend us to your friends!

It’s our very first episode! We’re Hannah and Nikki and we love books, but we have very different tastes. We’re here to share our recent reads and dig deep into big bookish topics.

Book Talk

This week we discuss Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, both interms of the novel itself and the more recent film adaptation.

We discuss:

• The way the adaptation differs to the book and how it impacts the experience of reading the book, does it enhance or influence our view?
• What we think of the casting and the changes the film made to the story
• Why was Agnes painted in the particular way Maggie O’Farrell writes her
• Who is the main character?
• What Hamnet is really about, if not aShakespeare biography?
• Do the themes have any modern day relevance?
• How does motherhood impact your experience of the book?
• How authentic is it in terms of historical fact?

Current Reads

Hannah is Reading

Room 706 – Ellie Levenson
Having just finished this, Hannah reflects on how the novel explores the realities of being a working mother and wife: the invisible mental load, the complexity of identity and the truth that we’re rarely just “good” or “bad,” but capable of both. She shares her thoughts on the ending (don’t worry - no spoilers).

Nikki is Reading

House of Beckham – Tom Bower
Bower breaks down the lives of the Beckhams’ – from late 1990s Girl Power to 21st century knighthoods.

Nikki talks about how the recent family feud sparked her interest. She discusses her morbid fascination in families who live their lives so publicly and air their dirty laundry so readily.

This Episode Explores

• We explore a work of historical fiction and how that sits inhistorical fact
• How a movie affects our experience of a novel and vice versa
• What do we get from reading biographies
• Our fascination with celebrity gossip
• Families who live their lives in the public eye and howtheir values differ from Joe Bloggs
• Open endings to novels and the need for happy endings

Next Joint Read

(To be discussed in Episode 3)

A Walk in the Park – Jill Mansell

Join us - we'd love to hear your thoughts on the book!

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a review.

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