episode-header-image

Aug 30

33m 25s

Flesh by David Szalay

ANNA BAILLIE-KARAS, ANNIE WATERS AND AMANDA HAYES

About this episode

Anna and Geoff discuss Sally Rooney pledging royalties to Palestine Action and the Library of South Australia being second on the list of the world’s most beautiful libraries.

Our book of the week is FLESH, the new novel by David Szalay which has been long-listed for the 2025 Booker Prize. It tells the story of Istvan, a Hungarian British man, in an episodic structure using key points in his life, moving from a poor upbringing in Hungary to the riches of London, charting his rise and fall. We both read this quickly and found much to discuss.

Coming up: ENDLING by Maria Reva.

Follow us!

Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com

Instagram: @abailliekaras

Substack: Books On The Go

Credits

Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Up next

I Make Envy On Your Disco with Eric Schnall

A special episode: Anna chats with author and Tony-award winning Broadway producer Eric Schnall about his debut novel I MAKE ENVY ON YOUR DISCO. Sam Singer flies to Berlin for an art gallery opening, needing a break from his partner in New York. He meets enigmatic hotel reception ... Show More

Endling by Maria Reva

Anna and Annie discuss the settlement offer by Anthropic to pay $1.5bn to settle a book piracy lawsuit and the 2025 National Book Awards fiction longlist. Our book of the week is ENDLING by Maria Reva. Yeva is a snail conservationist in Ukraine who becomes caught up in Nastia and ... Show More

A Woman Talks to Her Tongue with Alison Gorman

A special episode: Anna chats with award-winning poet Alison Gorman about her debut poetry collection A WOMAN TALKS TO HER TONGUE. These poems examine family secrets, silences and women’s voices. Beautiful and assured, we loved this book. Alison joins us fresh from her sold-out l ... Show More

Recommended Episodes

Kym Marsh on Abigail's Party, Severance creator Dan Erickson, film franchises in flux

Kym Marsh on stepping into the iconic role of Beverly in theatre classic Abigail's Party as the play opens at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.Film critic Hannah Strong and George Pundek, co-host of the Pulp Kitchen film podcast, on why so many of the big film franchises ... Show More

The Fall Books We're Looking Forward To

This weekend marks the official start of autumn, so what better time to take a peek at the fall books we’re most excited to read? On this week’s episode, Gilbert Cruz chats with Joumana Khatib and Anna Dubenko about the upcoming season of reading and the books on the horizon that ... Show More

Book Club: 'My Brilliant Friend,' by Elena Ferrante

This July, The New York Times Book Review published a list of The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. The top choice was “My Brilliant Friend,” by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein.The book is the first novel in Ferrante’s so-called Neapolitan quartet, which tracks the ... Show More

Ep. 201: Lidija Hilje (Author of Slanting Towards the Sea) + Book Recommendations

In Episode 201, author Lidija Hilje talks with Sarah about her debut novel, Slanting Towards the Sea. Spanning two decades and one transformative summer in Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea is a love story that also delves into the profound journey of coming of age in a nation yo ... Show More

Review: art - Monet; book: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney; Joe Lycett's art book

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Charlotte Mullins and Ryan Gilbey to review Sally Rooney's novel Intermezzo about two grieving brothers and the people they love. The first UK exhibition dedicated to Monet's impressionist paintings of London at The Courtauld Gallery and Francis Ford Co ... Show More

Widow Basquiat: Jennifer Clement on Love, Art & 1980s New York

Welcome to the very first episode of the Service95 Book Club with Dua Lipa, a new podcast dedicated to the books that stay with us – and the brilliant minds behind them. To launch the series, Dua is joined by Jennifer Clement, whose unique book Widow Basquiat lifts the curtain on ... Show More

Book Club: Let’s Talk About Adam Ross’s ‘Playworld’

Set in New York in the 1980s, Adam Ross’s new novel, “Playworld,” tells the story of a young actor named Griffin as he navigates the chaos of the city, of his family and of being a teenager, and the dangers that swirl around each. Although “Playworld” grapples with bleak material ... Show More

Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Pride and Prejudice'

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”So opens Jane Austen’s Regency-era romantic comedy “Pride and Prejudice,” which for centuries has delighted readers with its story of the five Bennet sisters and ... Show More

Book Club: Let's Talk About 'The Catch,' by Yrsa Daley-Ward

In this month’s installment of the Book Review Book Club, we’re discussing “The Catch,” the debut novel by the poet and memoirist Yrsa Daley-Ward. The book is a psychological thriller that follows semi-estranged twin sisters, Clara and Dempsey, who were babies when their mother w ... Show More

Our Book Critics On Their Year in Reading

Dwight Garner, Jennifer Szalai and Alexandra Jacobs — staff critics for The New York Times Book Review — join host Gilbert Cruz to look back on highlights from their year in books.Books discussed:"Intermezzo," by Sally Rooney"All Fours," by Miranda July"You Dreamed of Empires," b ... Show More

Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami