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We’re starting 2023 with an Australin classic (our first!) - Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. First published in 1967, this novel has an intriguing premise: The year is 1900 and a group of students from an all girls boarding ventures to Hanging Rock for a cosy afternoon picnic. But the outing takes a dark turn when three students and a teacher vanish into thin air… We chat about the novel’s themes, its mystery/scifi elements, character dynamics, and try to get to the bottom of the myserious disappearance. Tune in and follow us @throughthepagespod on Instagram and TikTok for behind the scenes content!

In this pre-Holidays episode, we disucss The Queen of Crime, the creator of the modern Murder Mystery and the woman who mastered the Whodunnit. We each read the other's favourite Christie novel and discussed why we love them, our favourite adaptations and if we're team Poirot or Marple. Tune in, and let us know which cosy crime story is your favourite?

We read the classic of classics and feature our first author repetition. We are talking "Animal Farm"! 🐽 How to sum up a novella that is packed with political messaging, the psychology of humans, and heavy themes? We've given it our best shot and were able to feature some listener questions! Thank you for submitting them. If you want to chat about the books we disucss here, follow us on @throughthepagespod on Instagram.

🎃 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 👻 - It's Halloween, which is why today's special episode is a spine chilling horror novella straight out of Germany. E.T.A. Hoffmann's The Sandman was published in 1816 but is as creepy as ever! The figure of the Sandman has accompanied us throughout history and Hoffmann surely had a big influence on the dark side of this mythical character of European folklore. This short story is packed full of intrigue, love, machines, and insanity! Tune in and read along. 

We couldn't start a podcast about classics and never read a Sherlock Holmes story! For this installment, we read the third of Conan Doyle's four novels and arguably the most loved and most famous one: The Hound of the Baskervilles. And don't worry, there were no spoilers about the ending! Originally serialised in "The Strand Magazine" from 1901 to 1902, this tale has got it all. A supernatural whodunnit, featuring the world's favourite detective duo. We talk about our diabolical-hound-expectations, how creepy the characters were and the importance of the Dartmoor setting. Tune in and read along. 

We're back with a creepy classic for the Spooky Season! Frankenstein by Mary Shelley came out January 1st 1818 and was written when Mary was only 18 years old! We dissect this horror story, partially set in our home country and find ourselves empathising with an unexpected character! Listen and read along. 

We all know it, we might have all had to read it at some point: Pride and Prejudice! The 1813 novel, written by Jane Austen threw both of us into the world of English literature and may or may not have had an influence of what we thought England was like for quite some time. We discuss characters, screen adaptations (!) and Keira Knightley in our first 2022 episode of Through the Pages. Welcome back :)

A book that is a first for the podcast! In this episode we discuss a science fiction novel for the very first time: Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany, published in 1966.  We chat about galaxies, spaceships, strong lead characters, and the topic at the heart of the novel: language and how it influences our thinking and understanding of the world.  Let us know what you thought about the book and connect with us via Instagram @throughthepagespod.

We're back with season 3! We're kicking it off with a recap of where we've been and what we've been up to and then dive straight into "The Yellow Wallpaper", a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, published 1892 in The New England Magazine. It is an important piece of early US feminist literature and deals with women's position in society and their "treatment" of mental health. Another season, another female protagonist with no name. Let us know what you thought about this short story. In the meantime you can connect with us @throughthepagespod.

The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James that first appeared in serial format. This week we discuss how slightly underwhelmed we were by the character development and how it was another case of premise > execution. We also delve into The Haunting of Bly Manor that just came out last weekend and how easily scared we are by today's horror genre! Have you read it or watched the show? Let us know @throughthepagespod

Part 1 of our Spooky October Classics series is here! We start off with the classic English ghost story, The Woman in Black.  This is a textbook gothic ghost story – think old, haunted house, poltergeist-y moving objects and a ghost with an agenda.  Do we have opinions? Yes. Were we deeply traumatised by the film that was inspired by the book? Yes.  Did we have way too much fun adding creepy sound effects into this episode? Most certainly.  Join us on our Halloween reads journey this month and connect with us on Instagram via @throughthepagespod.

Needless to say, Octavia Butler is one of the most renowned Science Fiction writers we read today. With multiple Nebula and Hugo award, she was the first ever Science Ficiton writer to be awarded the MacArthur Fellowship. Kindred is the first novel of hers we both have read and whilst we loved the premise, the actual plot didn't quite sit right with us. Join us in our discussion of Kindred and we'd love to hear your thoughts on it, since we felt like we were missing something! Connect with us on Instagram @throughthepagespod and let us know your thoughts.

This week we read The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, first published in 1897 – all about one man's scientific experiment of becoming invisible. Often described as an early sci-fi/horror story – but let's just say we have mixed feelings. We also chat about the 2020 film inspired by the book, starring Elizabeth Moss which definitely succeeded in giving us the creeps (in a good way). Connect with us via Instagram @throughthepagespod!

This 1982 epistolary novel by Alice Walker is an integral part of US American literature and one that was on our radar for a long time. We now finally got to reading it and it was one of our more intense reading experiences. Told through letters to God by 14 year old Celie, we get a glimpse of what her life was like in the South of the early 1900s. Walker raises the issues of racism, sexism, classism and the strong relationships formed by women in one of the most interesting narratives we have read so far. What are your thoughts on The Color Purple? Let us know and connect with us @throughthepagespod on Instagram!

This week we chat about H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu, written in 1926 and published in a pulp magazine in 1928. Lovecraft is considered to be one of the pioneers of horror and sci-fi writing and has influenced countless other writing and story-telling of the same genres. But is The Call of Cthulhu an entertaining monster/horror story or a highly problematic piece detailing the author’s harmful views? And should it even still be read and counted as a classic? This and more in this week’s episode. Connect with us on Instagram @throughthepagespod!

CW: Talk about suicide, self harm, rape This was a heavy and dark read where the conversation afterwards was needed. The Bell Jar is the depiction of a period in Esther Greenwood's life as she struggles with her mental health, life and societal norms. It is a sad tale, considering also the author's own history with mental illness and is definitely one that we wouldn't recommend to just anyone. If you have read it and would like to share your thoughts, please contact us via DM @throughthepagespod on Instagram. 

This week we talk about Toni Morrison’s prize winning novel Beloved, published in 1987. Book discussion starts at: 10:30 This was an extremely tough, yet hauntingly beautiful read. Join the conversation as we touch on the theme of trauma, the novel’s ghost story elements, attempt an interpretation, and swoon over Morrison’s evocative writing. As always, let us know your thoughts & impressions if you’ve read the book or would like to read it – we’re @throughthepagespod on Instagram.

...aaand we're back! We're kicking off the new season with a big one - 100 Years of Solitude has been a wild ride of magical realism and is definitely one that we'll carry with us for a while.  We have also made some changes to our format and will be launching an episode every Wednesday! Book discussion starts at 10:10

A Bonus Episode before we depart on a 2 week summer break! We teamed up with The Blank Was Better Podcast (@thepodcastwasbetter on Instagram) talking about the book and movie adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. We couldn't be more excited to share this with you as we all had a blast recording it; talking book vs. movie, a dreamy Jude Law, plot changes and the burning question: Which was better?

This summer looks a lot different than planned, but let’s talk summer reads anyway to get in that summery holiday spirit!  We chat about the perfect beach reads (even if there's no beach in sight, these can be enjoyed from a sofa or balcony!), recommend holiday books we’ve read in the past, mention books that are perfect for a bit of escapism, and talk about the books we’ll delve into this summer! Let us know what your favourite summer reads are over on Instagram @throughthepagespod! Books mentioned: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso Park Avenue Summer by Renée Rosen Circe by Madeline Miller Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty Sorry I’m Late... I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan Night Film by Marisha Pressel Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo