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Curious Readers

Curious Readers

A bi-weekly bookchat podcast by Joseph Dance and Amanda Moulson, two time-poor curious readers with eclectic TBRs. Every two weeks we meet to talk all things books and deliver some recommendations for new, classic, and contemporary titles you might want to read next. We cover everything from backlist to frontlist, prize winners to debuts, and we are generally spoiler free. 


Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderpodcast


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • 26 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 1 hr 2 min
  • English

Episodes 26

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  • January 16 · 54 min

    Ep 26: Our Reading Plans for 2026

    Happy New Year! Start the year with Amanda and Joseph as they talk about their reading intentions for 2026. (2:09) Bookish News (2:36) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (directed by Emerald Fennell) (2:46) Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (directed by Chloe Zhao) (2:59) Die My Love by Ariana Harwicz (directed by Lynne Ramsey) (3:34) Train Dreams by Dennis Johnson (directed by Clint Bentley) (3:51) A Pair of Bookends podcast (7:15) What We’ve Been Reading (7:19) Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (8:22) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (13:51) Reading Resolutions (23:28) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt (24:39) Independent People by Halldór Laxness (25:05) Death’s End by Cixin Liu (26:29) Farewell Fountain Street by Selçuk Altun (26:42) Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü (26:54) Journey To The Edge of Life by Tezer Özlü (27:00) Snow by Orhan Pamuk (28:17) My Clavicle and Other Major Misalignments by Marta Sanz (31:12) Steering the Craft by Ursula K Le Guinn (31:21) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (31:45) Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk (33:51) Katabasis by RF Kuang (34:06) The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami (34:14) The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (35:14) On The Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle (37:05) Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (45:17) Rougon-Macquart Cycle by Emile Zola (46:26) The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji (50:31) What We’re Reading Next (50:44) Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (52:27) Money by Emile Zola (53:20) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus Also Mentioned Whitstable Silent Book Club @silentbookclubwhitstable Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Dec 19, 2025 · 1 hr 17 min

    Ep 25: Top 10 Books of 2025 (& Our Biggest Disappointments)

    Join Amanda and Joseph for an end-of-year bibliofest as they talk about their top 10 books of the year, plus they dish the dirt on the titles that sadly didn’t live up to their expectations over the last twelve months. (1:20) Bookish News (1:24) The Warwick Prize For Women In Translation (1:44) And The Walls Became The World All Around by Johanna Ekström and Sigrid Rausing, translated by Sigrid Rausing (3:33) The New Yorker at 100 (Netflix) (5:22) Our Top 10 Books of 2025 (#10 to #6) (6:55) New York Times Best Books of 2025 (8:32) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (8:55) Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (9:52) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus (10:41) The Director by Andrew Kehlmann (11:15) You Should Have Left by Andrew Kehlmann (11:53) The Sisters by Jonas Hassan Khemiri (12:55) Wild Thing: A Life Of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux (13:01) A Marriage At Sea / Maurice & Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst (15:34) We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt's Lessons in Love and Disobedience by Lyndsey Stonebridge (18:16) The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley (20:06) Objects Of Desire by Neil Blackmore (#10) (21:47) Playworld by Adam Ross (#9) (23:08) A Person Is A Prayer by Ammar Kalia (#8) (24:58) Good Girl by Aria Aber @aria.arber (#7) (27:16) Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno translated by Natasha Lehrer (#6) (31:13) Christmas Cracker Questions Speed Round (32:11) The Story of a Heart by Dr Rachel Clarke (34:10) Nevada by Imogen Binnie (36:21) A Big Storm Knocked it Over by Laurie Colwin (38:37) Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe (39:17) The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (41:15) I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol (41:42) Close to Home by Michael Magee (42:31) Heart the Lover by Lily King (42:37) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (43:25) Flashlight by Susan Choi (44:38) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (44:55) The Names by Florence Knapp (48:29) In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (48:51) A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell (49:26) On the Calculation of Volume, volumes I, II and III by Solvej Balle (49:54) A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah K Maas (50:26) Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson (50:51) Our Top 10 Books of 2025 (#5 to #1) (51:02)The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (#5) (53:24) The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (#4) (56:26) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (#3) (1:02:16) My Clavicle and Other Major Misalignments by Marta Sanz and translated from the Spanish by Katie King (#2) (1:02:44) Unwell Woman by Elinor Cleghorn (1:04:48) One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (#1) (1:07:37) Spent by Alison Bechdel (#1) (1:10:24) All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert (1:11:56) Twist by Column McCann (1:12:32) Moderation by Elaine Castillo (1:14:11) What We’re Reading Next (1:14:28) Angel Down by Daniel Kraus (1:14:40) Whale Fall by Daniel Kraus (1:16:24) A Dance to the Music of Time by Antony Powell Also mentioned Gordon Burn Prize For New Writing Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Dec 5, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min

    Ep 24: Graphic Novels That Break The Mould & National Book Award Winners

    Join Amanda and Joseph as they get graphic – about the best graphic novels they’ve read and the ones they are keen to add to their TBRs. Along the way, they talk about their recent reads and discuss the books they hope will close out their reading year. (0:47) Bookish News (5:41) National Book Award (6:00) The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine (6:45) One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (7:46) The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith (8:25) The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri (8:48) We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (9:52) Recent Reads (9:56) 11.22.63 by Stephen King (15:20) Ultraluminous by Katherine Faw (21:12) Graphic Novels (25:35) Alison by Lizzy Stewart (26:19) Ducks by Kate Beaton (30:11) Sabrina by Nick Drnaso (30:17) Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls (30:57) The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings (36:59) Goodnight Pun Pun by Inio Asano (37:22) Sheets by Brenna Thummler (38:02) Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson (38:13) Blankets by Craig Thompson (45:05) Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez (49:15) Walk Me To the Corner by Anneli Furmark (53:34) Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast (54:13) Florrie: A Football Love Story by Anna Trench (54:46) Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto (55:53) Firefly by Robert Macfarlane and Luke Adam Hawker (56:34) Walking Distance by Lizzy Stewart (57:12) The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco (58:02) This Beautiful, Ridiculous City by Kay Sohini (59:04) What We’re Reading Next (59:29) On The Calculation of Volume: Volumes II and III by Solvej Balle (1:00:28) The Silver Book by Olivia Laing (1:00:43) Books: A Manifesto, Or, How To Build A Library by Ian Patterson (1:01:11) The Riders in the Chariot by Patrick White Also mentioned The Liverpool Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum @harbourbooks Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Nov 21, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min

    Ep 23: Heart The Lover by Lily King (Deep Dive)

    Join Amanda and Joseph for another deep dive, this time into Heart the Lover, Lily King’s tale of first loves and lost opportunities. Plus, as always, they talk about their recent reads and discuss the titles they’re keen to pick up next. (1:23) Book News (1:23) The Booker Prize 2025 (1:34) Flesh by David Szalay (2:09) The Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction (2:12) How to End a Story: Collected Diaries by Helen Garner (2:45) The Goldsmith’s Prize (3:26) We Live Here Now by CD Rose (4:11) What We’re Reading Next (4:16) Big Kiss, Bye Bye by Claire Louise Bennett (7:46) Checkout 19 by Claire Lousie Bennett (8:28) Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (14:26) Deep Dive into Heart the Lover (15:44) The Pleasing Hour (15:49) The English Teacher (15:53) Father of the Rain (15:57) Euphoria (16:30) Writers & Lovers (18:04) Heart The Lover synopsis (25:17) Book Reporter Talks to: Lily King, Heart the Lover (29:07) The Aeneid by Virgil (29:12) “Some day we will remember even these our hardships” (Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit) (31:34) Ulysses by James Joyce (31:41) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (32:14) Literary references in Heart The Lover (32:47) ‘The Dead’ by James Joyce (1:06:41) We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman (1:07:21) What we’re reading next (1:07:45) Independent People by Halldor Laxness (1:08:05) Ambrose Through The Tall Grass by Nathan Korn (1:09:01) The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez (1:09:43) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Nov 7, 2025 · 1 hr

    Ep 22: Booker Prize Shortlist - Hot Takes, Out-Takes & Mistakes

    Join Amanda and Joseph on this week’s episode as they discuss the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist and talk in depth about what worked and what didn’t work for them with each of the six nominated books. They also chat book news and have a look at some of the upcoming titles they’re looking forward to reading next. (0:32) Book News (1:12) Lone Wolf by Adam Weymouth (4:50) Gresham College Lecture Series 2025-2026 (5:24) Booker Prize shortlist (5:56) The Booker Prize 2025 (9:33) The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller (20:00) The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (27:26) The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits (28:09) All Fours by Miranda July (35:05) Endling by Maria Reva (35:22) Amanda’s Sarah Jessica Parker impression (36:25) Audition by Katie Kitamura (42:20) Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (43:03) Flashlight by Susan Choi (43:07) Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (49:35) Flesh by David Szalay (57:05) What We’re Reading Next (57:15) 11.22.63 by Stephen King (57:30) Antidote by Karen Russell (58:40) Taipei by Tao Lin (59:23) Heart the Lover by Lily King Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Oct 24, 2025 · 57 min

    Ep 21: Reading for Spooky Season

    Creeps, chills, and carefully crafted dread - join Joseph and Amanda for this week’s episode as they recommend a stack of mood-heavy reads for spooky season. Plus, Team CR talks László Krasznahorkai - this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature - and as always they discuss what they’ve been reading lately and what they’re looking forward to picking up next. (0:44) Book News (0:51) Nobel Prize for Literature (1:46) Louisiana Channel (2:52) Sátántangó by Lászlo Krasznahorkai (5:41) Rivals by Jilly Cooper (7:00) Current Reads (7:04) Objects of Desire by Neil Blackmore (10:43) Fair Play by Louise Hegarty (13:48) Spooky Season Reading (15:06) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (17:55) Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfeld (19:01) The Echoes by Evie Wyld (19:28) Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda (19:51) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (20:27) Our Share of the Night by Mariana Enriquez (21:36) Pet Sematary by Stephen King (22:55) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (24:04) Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn (25:04) The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston (27:22) Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (27:36) Beloved by Toni Morrison (28:25) Ghost stories by MR James, Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allen Poe and HP Lovecraft (29:44) Come Closer by Sara Gran (Joseph’s Pick #1) (34:23) Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (Amanda’s Pick #1) (39:04) The Houseguest and Other Stories by Amparo Dávila, tr. by Audrey Harris and Matthew Gleeson (Joseph Pick #2) (44:21) Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (Amanda’s Pick #2) (46:24) Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (49:32) Spooky Books Recommended to Amanda (49:44) Sinead Hanna @sineadhannacraic (50:14) The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (50:29) Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker (51:06) Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison (51:42) Spooky Books Recommended to Joseph (51:52) A Game In Yellow by Hailey Piper (52:42) Ashley @coffeeandcuentos (52:59) Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, ed. Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (52:32) Talking Scared Podcast with Neil McRobert (53:47) Rekt by Alex Gonzalez (54:33) What We’re Reading Next (55:03) Greyhound by Joanna Pocock (55:41) Big Kiss, Bye-Bye by Claire-Louise Bennett (55:57) What A Time To Be Alive by Jenny Mustard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Showing 21–26 of 26 episodes