A Novel Review Book Podcast
Hello and welcome to A Novel Review podcast series.
Through this podcast Seamus will tackle the endless world of literature, one book at a time!
New Episodes Weekly
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Episodes
7 days ago
7 days ago
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Substack link: Reflections on a world book tour https://alexanderwoolven.substack.com/p/reflections-on-a-world-book-tour
In 2025 for the podcast, I wanted to try something different to bring meaning to the podcast. Having grown up in a typical Anglo household, my upbringing was surrounded by the normality of Western books. This is in no way a criticism of something that couldn’t be helped, especially because those books are colourful, wonderful and the reason I fell in love with literature.
Painting: Today I painted a globe coming out of a book
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Italy
The Moon and the Bonfires by Ceasare Pavese
A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietratntonio
Germany
I Was There by Hans Peter Richter
A Girl in Berlin by Anonymous
Chile
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Space Invaders by Nona Fernandez
Japan
Days at the Morasaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagasawa
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Nigeria
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
Afghanistan
The Kite Runner by Khaleed Hosseini
The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi
United States of America
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
China
Chronicle of a Blood Merchant by Yu Hua
Naked Earth by Eileen Chang
India
The White Tiger by Avind Adiga
The God of the Small Things by Arundhati Roy
England
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
The Netherlands
The Assault by Harry Mulisch
Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlugt
Australia
Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#BookPodcast, #ChristmasPodcast, #HolidayPodcast, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BookishChristmas, #HolidayReading, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation, #EndOfYearReflection, #ChristmasSpecial
Monday Dec 22, 2025
Monday Dec 22, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Curl up with a warm drink for a very Christmassy episode of the podcast! This festive season its books stories that spark reflection, and how reading can inspire us to show up more thoughtfully in society. As the year comes to a close, this time of year encourages empathy, responsibility, and active participation in our communities. From small everyday actions to bigger conversations that matter, because being part of society isn’t just about observing; it’s about engaging, questioning, and caring.
Painting: Today I painted a candle
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Advent by Gunar Gunnarsson
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson
The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#BookPodcast, #ChristmasPodcast, #HolidayPodcast, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BookishChristmas, #HolidayReading, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation, #EndOfYearReflection, #ChristmasSpecial
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday Dec 15, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Some seek isolation for its freedom, but for Sybylla Melvyn, the open space of the Australian Outback only serves to drown her. Miles Franklin’s first novel, My Brilliant Career captures the lack of agency young girls and women growing up in rural Australia would have felt towards the turn of the 20th century. A country on the cusp of its own independence still saw half the population oppressed. Dreaming of a brilliant career, Sybylla’s frank attitude, and quick wit often gets her into trouble in a world where submission is a norm.
Painting: Today I painted a gum tree in the outback
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#WakeInFright #KennethCook #Duality #Indulgence #LackOfJudgment #Outback #AustralianGothic #LiteraryAnalysis #PsychologicalThriller #BookAnalysis #feminsim
Tuesday Dec 09, 2025
Tuesday Dec 09, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Support Indie fiction and booksellers: https://radiantpress.ca/?srsltid=AfmBOopCrOHhz5NfAY5DMu-m3Urp8COR7JSSirFvEiRk26RRq1MXmad9
Mockingjay is the final instalment of Suzanne Collins Hunger Games trilogy. A story that delves deeper into the political issues of a rebellion and the true cost of the face of war. Where propaganda is rife and for Katniss Everdeen, it becomes clearer as time passes that children are a political currency both sides are happy to spend.
Painting: Today I painted a Mockingjay pin
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Into the D/ark by David Elias
Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb
I Was There by Hans Peter Richter
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
Monday Dec 01, 2025
Monday Dec 01, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Is the isolated outback town of Bundanyabba a paradise of absolute freedom or a living nightmare? This week, Kenneth Cook's novel, Wake in Fright, explores the disturbing duality at the heart of the story and how the lack of judgment in The Yabba can make hell of heaven in a life of excess and indulgence - a dangerous freedom that strips away social constraints. For the locals, this is heaven; a life free from moral scrutiny, for John Grant it is a nightmare he spirals into until the thing he wants to escape is the fabric of a town he is now intimately part of.
Painting: Today I painted a beer
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
The Moustache by Emanuel Carrier
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#WakeInFright #KennethCook #Duality #Indulgence #LackOfJudgment #Outback #AustralianGothic #LiteraryAnalysis #PsychologicalThriller #BookAnalysis
Monday Nov 24, 2025
Monday Nov 24, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlught unfolds with a swift and unflinching frankness. The story of a widowed woman trying to understand and find her place in this new found world, while also trying to distance herself from her past. Difficult to outrun who you were when it is the path that lead you to where you are.
Painting: Today I painted some blur florals
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlught
The Assault by Harry Mulisch
The Evenings by Gerard Reve
Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#ANovelReview #bookpodcast #podcast #book #novel #stories #shortstories #poetry #literature #books #novels #booktok #bookstagram #bookwitter #books #novels #literaryfacts #podbean #LiteraryLovers #whatareyoureading #BookLaunch #Literature #PodcastAndChill #BookBoost #BookLover #Art #Watercolour #WatercolourArt #TinyArt #WW2 #WorldWarTwo #NaziGermany #Education #Fantasy #Gormenghast
Monday Nov 17, 2025
Monday Nov 17, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Catching Fire, the burning sequel to Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, ignites the spark of rebellion in this near perfect sequel. We are back in Panem and Katniss has survived the Hunger Games. But, in that survival, the seeds of rebellion have been sown as Katniss understands that the real game has only just begun.
Painting: Today I painted Katniss rising to be the Mockingjay
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#ANovelReview #bookpodcast #podcast #book #novel #stories #shortstories #poetry #literature #books #novels #booktok #bookstagram #bookwitter #books #novels #literaryfacts #podbean #LiteraryLovers #whatareyoureading #BookLaunch #Literature #PodcastAndChill #BookBoost #BookLover #Art #Watercolour #WatercolourArt #TinyArt #WW2 #WorldWarTwo #NaziGermany #Education #Fantasy #Gormenghast
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Harry Mulisch’s The Assault is our first Dutch novel for the book world tour that explores guilt, memory, and moral ambiguity in post-World War II Netherlands. Following Anton Steenwijk’s haunting past, the story unravels the devastating consequences of war and silence. Perfect for literature lovers, this summary delves into Mulisch’s masterful storytelling, and psychological depth as Anton learns that trauma ripples out from the initial assault to touch more than just him.
Painting: Today I painted some Dutch buildings
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
The Assault by Harry Mulisch
Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlugt
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#ANovelReview #bookpodcast #podcast #book #novel #stories #shortstories #poetry #literature #books #novels #booktok #bookstagram #bookwitter #books #novels #literaryfacts #podbean #LiteraryLovers #whatareyoureading #BookLaunch #Literature #PodcastAndChill #BookBoost #BookLover #Art #Watercolour #WatercolourArt #TinyArt #WW2 #WorldWarTwo #NaziGermany #Education #Fantasy #Gormenghast
Monday Nov 03, 2025
Monday Nov 03, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Non-fiction November rolls around and with it, a fresh stack of non-fiction books. No dragons to slay, no murders to solve and detectives to help us. Nothing but truth and fact to guide us as we turn from the usual fiction. From wandering the streets of Italy to the making of the western mind, campaigns through the Middle East and the history of books themselves, this non-fiction November is stacked with hard truths.
Painting: Today I painted a vase in honour of Vincent
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind by Tom Holland
Papyrus by Irene Vallejo
Notre Dame: The Soul of France by Agnes Poirier
In Italy by Cynthia Zarin
Journey to the End of the Earth by Norman F. Cantor
Vincent Van Gogh: A Life in Letters
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#ANovelReview #bookpodcast #podcast #book #novel #stories #shortstories #poetry #literature #books #novels #booktok #bookstagram #bookwitter #books #novels #literaryfacts #podbean #LiteraryLovers #whatareyoureading #BookLaunch #Literature #PodcastAndChill #BookBoost #BookLover #Art #Watercolour #WatercolourArt #TinyArt #WW2 #WorldWarTwo #NaziGermany #Education #Fantasy #Gormenghast
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
Predating Dracula by 25 years, Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla is the dark Sapphic vampire novel that kickstarted the blood sucking villain of horror in fiction. The perfect book to sink your teeth into, this bite sized chunk of a novella is ethereal as it is indulged. Laura is a young girl, isolated with her father in the Styrian mountains when the enigmatic Carmilla ends up staying with them. Laura and Carmilla’s friendship develops quickly and descends into something more sinister with every page
Painting: Today I drew and painted Carmilla and a castle
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
The Burial of the Rats by Bram Stoker
Hop-Frog by Edgar Allen Poe
The Stalls of Barchester Cathederal by M.R. James
Additional segments throughout the podcast include:
Mantle Piece Moments
What are you reading?
On that Quote
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-novel-review-podcast/id1681724908
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uCgZyBj9T5uPQsfbqTUW5
Podbean: https://anovelreviewpodcast.podbean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelreviewpod
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
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#ANovelReview #bookpodcast #podcast #book #novel #stories #shortstories #poetry #literature #books #novels #booktok #bookstagram #bookwitter #books #novels #literaryfacts #podbean #LiteraryLovers #whatareyoureading #BookLaunch #Literature #PodcastAndChill #BookBoost #BookLover #Art #Watercolour #WatercolourArt #TinyArt #WW2 #WorldWarTwo #NaziGermany #Education #Fantasy #Gormenghast