A Novel Review Book Podcast

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb | Fitz and the cost of identity, duty and honour

 To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com
In this episode, I dive into Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb, exploring who FitzChivalry Farseer really is and whether he ever truly knows himself. From isolation and duty to identity and belonging, it is clear that Fitz uncertainty of himself allows others to take advantage and shape him as they see fit.
Painting: Today I painted a deer on a shield
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
 
Substack: https://substack.com/@alexanderwoolven
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, #BookTube, #BookLovers, #ReadingCommunity, #LiteraryPodcast, #BooksAndSociety, #ReadingForChange, #LiteratureLovers, #ReadersOfYouTube, #PodcastEpisode, #SeasonalContent, #ThoughtfulReading, #BookDiscussion, #CulturalConversation

East of Eden by John Steinbeck and the identity of our choices | Book review

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Some stories don’t just trace characters arcs - they wrestle with human nature itself. In East of Eden, John Steinbeck explores the nature of good and evil, and the choices that define who we become. Set against the backdrop of the biblical story of Cain and Abel across generations, asking one powerful question: are we bound by our past, or do we have the freedom to choose our own path?
 
Painting: Today I painted a globe coming out of a book
 
Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include:
 
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQzE_T2r6qPR_jbZNgZC1Q
Substack: https://substack.com/@alexanderwoolven
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
 IG: https://www.instagram.com/anovelreviewpod/
 
Email: anovelreviewpodcast@gmail.com

Travelling the world through books | A book world tour review

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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

Christmas Novels | Four stories for the festive season

 
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

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin | Female Agency & Coming of Age

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

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins | Propaganda, Power and the Dark Side of Rebellion

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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/

Wake in Fright By Kenneth Cook - The paradox of living free from judgement

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

Midnight Blue by Simone van der Vlugt | Book Review & Literary Analysis | A Novel Review

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

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: Return, Rebellion and the Rise of the Mockingjay | Book Review

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

The Assault by Harry Mulisch: Consequence, Memory, and the Shadows of War | Book Discussion

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