Books On The Go

Anna and Geoff discuss THE PALM HOUSE by Gwendoline Riley.  Set in London, it centres on friends Laura and Putnam, both journalists facing a changing work landscape. It is longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.
 
We enjoyed this book, especially the spare writing. It got us talking:
How important is plot?

Is this a comic novel?

Geoff's alternative title for the book.

We also pick our next reads from the Booker Prize Longlist.
 
Other books mentioned:
 
The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey
Capture by Amanda Lohrey
The Gate at The Stairs by Lorrie Moore
Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
Foster by Claire Keegan
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
 
Coming up: All Them Dogs by Djamel White
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Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @abailliekaras 
Substack: Books On The Go
Credits
Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: Anna and Geoff are joined by Kate Slotover of the Book Club Review Podcast, on location in London.  We discuss our top holiday reading recommendations.
 
Our picks:
 
FAMESICK by Lena Dunham
THE PALACE PAPERS by Tina Brown
ENOUGH SAID by Alan Bennett  
SLOUGH HOUSE by Mick Herron
WAITING ON A FRIEND by Natalie Adler
LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION by Ben Lerner
PARADISO by Michele Masneri translated by Richard Village
RECEIPTS FROM THE BOOKSHOP by Katie Clapham
THE LINE OF BEAUTY by Alan Hollinghurst
 
 
Also discussed:
TRANSCRIPTION by Ben Lerner
VILLA COCO by Andrew Sean Greer
THE SILVER BOOK by Olivia Laing
SUNSTRUCK by William Hunter
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller
EUROTRASH by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles
EARTH 7 by Deb Olin Unferth
 
Pressing questions: 
What makes a good holiday read?

How many ghosts are too many?

Is running a bookshop the dream job?

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Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @abailliekaras (Anna) / @bookclubreviewpodcast (Kate)
Substack: Books On The Go
Credits
Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the Dublin Literary Award winner, Gliff by Ali Smith.
 
Our book of the week is HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser. Lispector was the Ukrainian-Brazilian novelist writing from the 1940s to 1970s who is widely referenced and is having a moment on BookTube and BookTok.  She was compared with Virginia Woolf and Cubist artists. A short book (80 pages) but not a quick read as we discovered.  Geoff has an intriguing theory about the first section (spoiler alert).  Anna found it too abstract and meta but maybe it all makes sense? 
 
Apologies for the audio quality, Anna's microphone was not working (we realised belatedly)!
 
Coming up: our top holiday reads.
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Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @abailliekaras 
Substack: Books On The Go
Credits
Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff react to the 2026 Women's Prize winners:  Virginia Evans' THE CORRESPONDENT for Fiction, which prompts Geoff to recommend 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, and Lyse Doucet's THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL for Non-Fiction. 
 
Our book of the week is JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart, the Booker Prize-winning author of SHUGGIE BAIN. Set in the remote Scottish Hebrides among a weaving community, this story of John and his son Cal was an Oprah Book Club pick, a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and picked by many as a Most Anticipated Book of 2026. Is it more Brokeback Mountain or Greek tragedy, or something else?
 
Coming up: HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser.
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Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @abailliekaras 
Substack: Books On The Go
Credits
Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Geoff discuss the 2026 Stella Prize winner, CANNON by Lee Lai and the 2026 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction shortlist.  We also react to the Guardian list of 100 best books of all time. Is there a difference between your 10 favourite novels and your top 10 best books of all time?
 
Our book of the week is LONDON FALLING by Patrick Radden Keefe.  This is Keefe's latest book, after his widely acclaimed EMPIRE OF PAIN. It explores the death of 19 year old Zac Brettler, who had been posing as a Russian oligarch's son and became entangled with the London underworld.  LONDON FALLING was a Most Anticipated book of 2026 and is a New York Times Best Book of the Year So Far.
 
There are twists and turns aplenty and much to discuss:
Were the Met police incompetent or was there more to it?

If your teenager has £850,000 in their bank account, is this a red flag?

What did we think of the ending?

Coming up: JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart
Follow us!
Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @abailliekaras 
Substack: Books On The Go
Credits
Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz