Some years ago, we were told about the great work Kate Slotover and Laura Potter were doing in opening up literature to readers everywhere. Laura and Kate founded The Book Club Review Podcast – an energetic discussion about what to read and how different readers may respond. In their words:
“We founded The Book Club Review Podcast to turn the solitary act of reading into a shared experience.
Loved the book? Loathed it? So much the better. We’re all about big opinions. We live for the great debate, the heated discussion, the ‘I see what you’re saying, but here’s why you’re wrong’ rant. With good humour. With respect. But with commitment too. Because the world has forgotten that disagreement is good for us. That it’s the friction of debate that sparks off new ideas, new perspectives – just like a good book. Bring the two together and there’s really nothing better.”
We are great admirers of their work which, as you can see, dovetails beautifully with the energy of exploration we generate in the Salon, so I was happy to spend a delicious February evening discussing doorstoppers – and WHY read them – with Laura, Kate and Phil Chaffee in the latest episode of the podcast.
The result is recommended listening for anyone who is either enjoying or feeling daunted by the ‘big’ books featured in Salon studies. If you like what you hear, take a look at previous episodes (including their 2019 interview with me about what the London Literary Salon does) and subscribe to the podcast newsletter to be alerted to new ones.
