It's a Charlie Thing

Charlie and Charlie catch up with each other and chat about the books they've hauled. Hear about all the celebrations for Mrs Heathcote's birthday, and how Charlie B saved a bird at a car boot sale.Books Mentioned:Like a Cat Loves a Bird by James BaileyThe Gabriel Hounds by Mary StewartThe Echoing Grove by Rosamund LehmannGraveyard Shift by M.L. RioNo Future by Paul CornellThe English Way of Death by Gareth RobertsI'll Never be Young Again by Daphne du MaurierMary-Anne by Daphne du MaurierFruit Fly by Josh SilverMy Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein by Deborah LevyGlyph by Ali SmithThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Charlies react to AITA posts all about books. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Charlies tested themselves to see what colour readers they are. However, they might not have agreed with the findings.Books Mentioned:My Father's House by Joseph O'ConnorThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonTipping the Velvet by Sarah WatersCreation Lake by Rachel KushnerLong Island by Colm ToibinThe Whisperwicks: The Vanished Key by Jordan LeesTo Be Young, Gifted and Black by Kadiatu Kanneh-MasonThe Two Towers by JRR TolkienThe Guardian and the Thief by Megha MajumdarKingfisher by Rozie KellyGreen Dot by Madeleine GrayChosen Family by Madeleine Gray Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we talk about expectations in books, and how blurbs can be deceptive.Books Mentioned:The Raven Scholar by Antonia HodgsonThe Little Friend by Donna TarttBlaming by Elizabeth TaylorWe Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill BrownA Stroke of the Pen by Terry PratchettSomeday, Maybe by Onyi NwabineliLimberlost by Robbie ArnottThe Mercy Step by Marcia HutchinsonThe Whisperwicks: The Vanished Key by Jordan LeesLublin by Manya WilkinsonThe House on the Strand by Daphne DuMaurierA Patchwork Planet by Anne TylerThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThis House of Burning Bones by Stuart MacBride Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we give recommendations of the poetical kind.Books Mentioned:Stag's Leap by Sharon OldsThe Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie MorrisStolen Rowan Berries by Joy WinklerThe Orange by Wendy CopeDeath of a Naturalist by Seamus HeaneyPostcolonial Banter by Suhaiymah Manzoor-KhanThe Half-God of Rainfall by Inua EllamsThe Perserverance by Raymond AntrobusThe Fellowship of the Ring by JRR TolkienEverything is Energy by Emma TalbotThe Correspondent by Virginia EvansThe Whisperwicks: The Vanished Key by Jordan LeesEmotionally Weird by Kate AtkinsonWar of the Daleks by John PeelThe Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline WilsonPity by Andrew McMillan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which Charlie really doesn't like a book.Books Mentioned:Buckeye by Patrick RyanThe Correspondent by Virginia EvansThe Other Valley by Scott Alexander HowardThe Fellowship of the Ring by JRR TolkienDominion by Addie E. CitchensArtists Siblings Visionaries by Judith MackrellTo Be Young, Gifted and Black by Kadiatu Kanneh-MasonForeign Fruit by Katie Goh Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our quarterly check-in.Books Mentioned:1Q84 by Haruki MurakamiThe Secret Commonwealth by Philip PullmanLoss by Donna AshworthA View of the Harbour by Elizabeth TaylorThe Mare by Angharad HampshireMurder in a Mill Town by Helen CoxThe Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie has an interesting rant about baked goods. We also recommend five Irish novels and share a couple we want to try.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsacharliethingig/Discord: https://discord.gg/jAuYvvxwBooks Mentioned:Dracula by Bram StokerShadowplay by Joseph O'ConnorThe works of Molly KeaneTrespasses by Louise KennedySmall Things Like These by Clare KeeganFamily Matters by Clare LynchThe Fellowship of the Ring by JRR TolkienConfusion by Elizabeth Jane HowardExit West by Mohsin HamidThe Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we highlight some of our favourite female authors, and both of us are quite stressed.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsacharliethingig/Discord: https://discord.gg/jAuYvvxwBooks Mentioned:Beyond Black by Hilary MantelWildfire at Midnight by Mary StewartThe Girls of Slender Means by Muriel SparkPlaying Games by Huma QureshiThe Weekend by Charlotte WoodMaame by Jessica GeorgeThe Eyre Affair by Jasper FfordeThe Other Valley by Scott Alexander HowardThe Fellowship of the Ring by JRR TolkienA Body by the Lighthouse by Helen CoxDeath and the Conjuror by Tom Mead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we talk book awards with Eric. However, the bigger question remains: will we ever give him chance to drink his brew?https://lonesomereader.com/Books Mentioned:Jurassic Park by Michael CrichtonThe Luminaries by Eleanor CattonThe Benefactors by Wendy Erskine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have new releases and some very hefty currently reading.Books Mentioned:Sisters in Yellow by Mieko KawakamiHooked by Asako YuzukiA Far Flung Life by ML StedmanStrange Pictures by UketsuTo Exist as I am by Grace Spence GreenA Hymn to Life by Gisèle PelicotFinding Albion by Zakia SewellDoctor Who: Genocide by Paul LeonardThe Examiner by Janice HallettDeath Awaits in Durham by Helen CoxA Witch Hunt in Whitby by Helen Cox Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we chat about all we've been reading and doing over the last week.Books mentioned:Murder by the Minster by Helen CoxA Body in the Bookshop by Helen CoxMurder on the Moorland by Helen CoxDeath Awaits in Durham by Helen CoxA Witch Hunt in Whitby by Helen CoxA Body by the Lighthouse by Helen CoxMurder in a Mill Town by Helen CoxA Body in the Borderlands by Helen CoxA Body at the Christmas Book Fair by Helen CoxDoctor Who: Genocide by Paul Leonard1Q84 by Haruki MurakamiAgent Zo by Clare MulleyThe Spy Who Loved by Clare Mulley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We invited Clare Mulley, author of Agent Zo, who was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction in 2025 to come and talk to us about her work, researching the life of Elzbieta Zawacka and her initial thoughts on this year's prize.Clare's Books:The Woman Who Saved the ChildrenThe Spy Who Loved The Women Who Flew for HitlerAgent ZoClare's author photo is used with permission. Photo credit: JP Masclet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Charlies are talking book to screen adaptations, recommending Cinderella retellings and books on class because of the new season of Bridgerton, and one Charlie might just be reaching a new stage of grumpiness.Books Mentioned:Throne of Glass by Sarah J. MaasCinderella is Dead by Kalynn BayronCinder by Marissa MeyerGreat Expectations by Charles DickensThe Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie LumsdenMarking Time by Elizabeth Jane HowardJane and Prudence by Barbara PymHow to be Champion by Sarah MillicanLyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman1Q84 by Haruki MurakamiMargo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi ThorpeAgent Zo by Clare MulleyMaudMartha by Gwendolyn BrooksWellness by Nathan HillMurder by the Minster by Helen CoxBuckeye by Patrick RyanBooktubers Mentioned:  @katiejlumsden  Katie reads the first chapter of The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeSRPQ2t4RE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we are rather rushed but somehow manage to talk about crocheting family members into blankets, new reading initiatives and David Bowie.Books Mentioned:Crux by Gabriel TallentHoly Boy by Lee HeejooLost Lambs by Madeline CashJean by Madeleine DunniganFloodlines by Saleem HaddadStrange Buildings by UketsuWomen and Power by Mary BeardCitizen by Claudia RankineThe Beginner's Goodbye by Anne TylerGo Tell it on the Mountain by James BaldwinCrocheted Squares by Kate EastwoodMade with Love by Tom DaleyBooktubers Mentioned:Paul Magrs: https://www.youtube.com/@paulmagrs-g8nThe Goblin King and Me: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002pfh8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we interview the Booktuber Keri Books about all things self-care. She has some brilliant book recommendations and great insight.Books Mentioned:(video version available on YouTube) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're chatting how to combat the January blues and sharing the comfort reads that help us through.Books Mentioned:10 Poems About HappinessSmall Joys by Elvin James MensahFar From the Madding Crowd by Thomas HardyEmotionally Weird by Kate AtkinsonHogfather by Terry PratchettThe Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.Instagram: itsacharliethingigDiscord: https://discord.gg/z9Cesauc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we're discussing reading goals. One Charlie is making goals they will never achieve, and the other is in complete denial. There's also chat about forthcoming book to movie adaptations, and the general Charlie chat we've come to expect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which the Charlies share some bookish news, haul books and reminisce about the festive season.Instagram:   / itsacharliethingig  Discord:   / discord  Books Mentioned:Great Expectations by Charles DickensHigh Rising by Angela ThirkellA Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan ThomasA Case of the ClawsThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas AdamsHogfather by Terry PratchettThe Raven Scholar by Antonia HodgsonThe Book of Dust Vol. 3: The Rose Field by Philip PullmanFrankenstein by Mary ShelleyStrange Pictures by UketziBibliomaniac by Robin InceThe Genius of Birds by Jennifer AckermanThe Story Keeper by Anna MazzolaUnschooled by Caro GilesBeloved by Toni MorrisonThe Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie SmithThe Starlight Barking by Dodie SmithThe Ruby’s Curse by Alex Kingston1001 Nights in Time and Space by Steve Cole and Paul Magrs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.