Our guest today is Lindsey Kelk, the best-selling author of the I Heart series, among other rom com novels. We talk about reading age-inappropriate books as child, discuss the relative merits of LA and New York, and gush about John Green. Books mentioned on the show: The&nbsp;I Heart&nbsp;series, by Lindsey Kelk  We Were On a Break, by Lindsey Kelk The&nbsp;Sweet Valley High&nbsp;series, by Francine Pascal  The Casteel Family Saga, by V C Andrews  Flowers in the Attic, by V C Andrew  The Magic Cottage, by James Herbert  Looking for Alaska, by John Green  An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green  Paper Towns, by John Green  The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green  I Heart Forever, by Lindsey Kelk  I Heart Christmas, by Lindsey Kelk  Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë  Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics), by Charlotte Brontë  Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding  American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis  Ham on Rye, by Charles Bukowski  Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green  The Book of Dust, by Philip Pullman  Faking Friends, by Jane Fallon  Some Kind of Wonderful, by Giovanna Fletcher  A Christmas Wedding, by Paige Toon  Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur  Wild Embers, by Nikita Gill  Christmas on Coronation Street, by Maggie Sullivan  Keep Smiling Through, by Dame Vera Lynn  We’re Asleep, Dad, by Simon Key  The Bacon Book, by Christopher Sjuve  The Best of A. A. Gill, by A A Gill  Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at London’s National Theatre, by Sir Nicholas Hytner ***** Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** SOCIAL MEDIA The Brit Lit Podcast Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / Lindsey Kelk Twitter / Facebook / Website Full Coverage Podcast Twitter / Instagram / Website &nbsp; &nbsp;

04: I Am a Bookcase Snob

The Brit Lit Podcast is coming soon! Have a listen to this short episode to learn more about the show.&nbsp;

00: Introducing the Brit Lit Podcast

Claire talks to Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest, about the British authors who inspire her, as well as her love of London and of the Great British Bake Off. She also highlights new books out this week and gives tips on finding British books if you’re not UK-based. Books mentioned in this episode:  The Nest, by Cynthia d'Aprix Sweeney  The Master Bedroom, by Tessa Hadley  The Past, by Tessa Hadley  The Photograph, by Tessa Hadley  The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words, by Paul Antony Jones  Of Women, by Shami Chakrabati   Seven Days of Us, by Francesca Hornak  The Vacationers, by Emma Straub  The Power, by Naomi Alderman   The Secret Life: Three True Stories, by Andrew O'Hagan ***** Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** SOCIAL MEDIA The Brit Lit Podcast Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney Twitter&nbsp;/ Facebook / Website &nbsp;

02: Drizzle on the Tent

Welcome to the Brit Lit podcast, where we talk about all things books from a British perspective. Claire’s first guest is Jennifer Ryan, author of  The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, an epistolary novel set in an English village in World War II. She also explains what Super Thursday is and gives a shout out to some interesting new books. Books mentioned:&nbsp;  Me. You. A Diary, by Dawn French  Thinking Out Loud: Love, Grief and Being Mum and Dad, by Rio Ferdinand  Finding My Virginity, by Richard Branson  Mary's Household Tips and Tricks: Your Guide to Happiness in the Home, by Mary Berry  Nadiya's Bake Me a Festive Story: Thirty festive recipes and stories for children, by Nadiya Hussain  Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen  Mrs Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf  The Stranger, by Albert Camus  Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh  Hamlet, by Shakespeare  The Diaries of Nella Last, by Nella Last  Year of Wonder, by Clemency Burton-Hill  When They Go Low, We Go High,&nbsp;by Philip Collins  The Little Library Cookbook,&nbsp;by Kate Young  The Sparsholt Affair, by Alan Hollinghurst  The Party, by Elizabeth Day ***** Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** SOCIAL MEDIA The Brit Lit Podcast Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / Jennifer Ryan Twitter&nbsp; &nbsp;

01: Knees Up, Mother Brown

Claire speaks to Elizabeth Day, author of the literary thriller&nbsp;The Party, about her time at Cambridge, how her journalism career trained her to be a novelist, and our picks for the Man Booker Prize. Books mentioned in this episode:  The Party, by Elizabeth Day  Middlemarch, by George Eliot  The Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe  The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen  Underworld, by Don DeLillo  The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P, by Adelle Waldman  Swing Time, by Zadie Smith  The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante  Gnomon, by Nick Harkaway  History of Wolves, by Emily Fridlund  Elmet, by Fiona Mozley  The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy  The Burning Girl, by Claire Messud  Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders  The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald  Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen  Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen  Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy  Invitation To The Waltz, by Rosamond Lehmann  The Weather In The Streets, by Rosamond Lehmann  Love &amp; Fame, by Susie Boyt  Autumn, by Ali Smith  Winter, by Ali Smith  Mythos, by Stephen Fry  An Almost Perfect Christmas, by Nina Stibbe  Love, Nina, by Nina Stibbe ***** Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** SOCIAL MEDIA The Brit Lit Podcast Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / Elizabeth Day Twitter&nbsp;/ Website &nbsp; &nbsp;

03: Dizzied by the Free-Flowing Drink

This week, we hear from Lucy Vine, author of the 2017 summer hit&nbsp;Hot Mess. She tells us why we need a new Bridget Jones-style heroine, talks about her favourite books of the year, and reflects on the challenges of the second novel.&nbsp; Books mentioned on the show:  Hot Mess, by Lucy Vine  Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding  What Fresh Hell, by Lucy Vine  Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen  Sweetpea, by C J Skuse  Unconventional, by Maggie Harcourt  Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton  Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body, by Sarah Pascoe  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman  How to Be a Grown-Up, by Daisy Buchanan  How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig  Trying, by Emily Phillips  Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, by Lindy West  World War Z, by Max Brooks  Catch-22, by Joseph Heller  The Essex Serpent, by Sarah Perry  The Boy From Aleppo Who Painted The War, by Sami Sukkar  Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro  The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver  The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion  Love in Small Letters/Love in Lowercase, by Francesc Miralles ***** Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** SOCIAL MEDIA The Brit Lit Podcast Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / Lucy Vine Twitter&nbsp;/ Website &nbsp;

05:  The Best and the Worst in People

Claire speaks to stand-up comedian Rosie Wilby, author of Is Monogamy Dead?, about literary friendships, the painfulness of breakups, and her favourite music memoirs. There’s also news of a giveaway and books recommendations for a listener’s mum and sister. Books mentioned in this episode:  Is Monogamy Dead? by Rosie Wilby  Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding  Tales Of The City, by Armistead Maupin  Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, by Carrie Brownstein  Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up and Tried to Be a Pop Star, by Tracey Thorn  She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music, by Lucy O’Brien  Trans: A Memoir, by Juliet Jacques  How To Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran  Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own, by Kate Bolick  Modern Romance, by Aziz Ansari  Out of Time, by Miranda Sawyer  Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly  Still Alice, by Lisa Genova  The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Wals  Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews  The Diplomat's Daughter, by Karin Tanabe  An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green  Astonish Me, by Maggie Shipstead  A Kind of Freedom, by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton  A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore  A Man Called Ove, by Frederik Backman  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon  The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, by Joanna Cannon  Love in Small Letters/Love in Lowercase, by Francesc Miralles  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman  The Terrible Privacy Of Maxwell Sim, by Jonathan Coe  Man at the Helm, by Nina Stibbe ***** Enter to win a Brit Lit Podcast mug by recreating the logo with your favourite book of the year, posting it on Instagram or Twitter, and mentioning @britlitpodcast. Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** SOCIAL MEDIA The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / Rosie Wilby Twitter&nbsp;/ Website /  Podcast &nbsp;

06: Catfights Behind the Gym

As we look to the New Year, we hear from Rosy Edwards and Amy Baker of The Riff Raff, a London-based community of writers. They spoke about their memoirs about dating and travel, recommended books they’ve recently loved, and gave tips to anyone whose Near Year’s Resolution is to finally write that book. Books mentioned on the show:  Confessions of a Tinderella, by Rosy Edwards  Miss-adventures: A Tale of Ignoring Life Advice While Backpacking Around South America, by Amy Baker  His Frozen Fingertips, by Charlotte Bowyer  Is Monogamy Dead?: Rethinking relationships in the 21st century, by Rosie Wilby  Rattle, by Fiona Cummins  Dark Pines, by Will Dean  What We Lose, by Zinzi Clemons  Girl in Snow, by Danya Kukafka  Fire Sermon, by Jamie Quatro  Little Deaths, by Emma Flint  Educated, by Tara Westover  The Party, by Elizabeth Day  Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman  The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, by Jennifer Ryan  Unconventional, by Maggie Harcourt  Freshers, by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison  Now Let's Dance, by Karine Lambert, translated by Anthea Bell  Piglettes, by Clémentine Beauvais &nbsp; &nbsp; ***** Enter to win a Brit Lit Podcast mug by recreating the logo with your favourite book of the year, posting it on Instagram or Twitter, and mentioning @britlitpodcast. Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** SOCIAL MEDIA The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / The Riff Raff Twitter&nbsp;/ Website / Podcast &nbsp;

07: Eat a Bacon Sandwich

In this bonus episode, hear an excerpt from Claire’s novel, Unscripted, forthcoming from Unbound. You can pre-order the novel and pledge for Kickstarter-style rewards at UnscriptedNovel.com ***** Support Claire on Patreon to get bonus content and personalised book recommendations. Buy Brit Lit Podcast merch to show your love for your podcast and help support it. Pre-order Claire’s novel, Unscripted, help make the book happen, and get rewards too. For daily news and views from British books and publishing, follow the Brit Lit Blog. Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com ***** The Brit Lit Podcast Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website Claire Twitter /  Facebook / Blog / Novel &nbsp;

BONUS: Preview of UNSCRIPTED, by Claire Handscombe

A fortnightly show covering news and views from British books and publishing

The Brit Lit Podcast

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