Nature writing and some favourite novels by prizewinning women – welcome to episode 98!
As mentioned in the podcast – we’d love to hear your questions as we gear up for our hundredth episode. Just email teaorbooks@gmail.com, or put your questions in the comments to this post.
In the first half of the episode, we decide whether or not we like nature writing. In the second half, we have postponed our discussion of The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby and Brook Evans by Susan Glaspell – instead, Rachel and I both pick three favourite books by women that have won prizes.
Do get in touch if you have any suggestions for topics we should do – and you can find us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Patreon etc etc. We’d love you to rate and review us, if you can.
The books and authors we mention in this episode are:
National Provincial by Lettice Cooper
South Riding by Winifred Holtby
National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Henry Longfellow
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
White Spines by Nicholas Royle
Quilt by Nicholas Royle
The Uncanny by Nicholas Royle
Love, Interrupted by Simon Thomas
The Warning Bell by Lynne Reid Banks
The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
The Farthest-Away Mountain by Lynne Reid Banks
The Millstone by Margaret Drabble
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
The Goshawk by T.H. White
The Pilgrim Hawk by Glenway Wescott
The Pebbles on the Beach by Clarence Ellis
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
The Electricity of Every Living Thing by Katherine May
Bleaker House by Nell Stevens
Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell
John Moore
Adrian Bell
The Village by Marghanita Laski
Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
The Village by Marghanita Laski
To Bed With Grand Music by Marghanita Laski
Tory Heaven by Marghanita Laski
Love on the Supertax by Marghanita Laski
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Jack by Marilynne Robinson
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Mother and Son by Ivy Compton-Burnett
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge
Another Part of the Woods by Beryl Bainbridge
Sweet William by Beryl Bainbridge
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Thanks for using my suggestion!
I enjoyed this episode very much.
I’m so glad you chose The Village as your favourite Marghanita Laski, Simon, as I love this book so much. I don’t think I could cope with Little Boy Lost, but I will (eventually…) try some of her others.
Re nature writing, I myself find some of the ‘nature saved me’ and general ‘find yourself in nature’ books quite irritating. I thought I’d enjoy Richard Mabey’s Nature Cure when it was on BBC Sounds, but I really didn’t.
If Rachel likes trees, I very much recommend Bob Gilbert’s Ghost Trees, which started as his quest to find the original Poplar tree after he and his family moved to his wife’s new parish there (she is an Anglican priest.) It encompasses so much about nature in the city, social history, the ways in which successive waves of immigrants have contributed to the flora and fauna of their chosen areas – the (true) stories he finds and the people he meets are just fascinating. Everything from James I to the Balfour Declaration and the first president of the modern state of Israel. (I actually reviewed it if you want any more information: https://sconesandchaiseslongues.blogspot.com/2020/06/ghost-trees-nature-and-people-in-london.html
I will have to look back and find what was said about The L-shaped Room in whatever episode it was; I loved that book, and it was, I think, one of the first ‘grown up’ books my elder daughter read. She took it into school when she had to do a book talk; her teacher was apparently ‘taken aback’. I’ve never censored my children’s reading (there’s another possible topic – is censorship ever right? – but maybe you’ve already done that one?)
Thanks so much for the topic, Rosemary! And the great suggestion of Ghost Trees, which I’m sure Rachel would enjoy. The L-Shaped Room was mentioned in passing I think, so I don’t think we said a lot – it might have been a ‘what are you reading’ for Rachel. And the idea of censorship is really interesting, yes…
Rachel’s audio was much poorer than normal in this podcast. I had trouble understanding her at some points. Otherwise, a great podcast as usual!
Thanks Laura – not sure why, as we didn’t do anything differently, but I will see if we can fix for next time!
I must admit I’m fond of nature writing to a certain extent – if it’s mainly landscape based, I suppose. Not so keen on writing concerning animals because there’s always the potential for harm to them, which is why I’ve steered clear of things like H for Hawk.
True, always an element of risk there – I can cope when it is natural death, though still very sad of course, but won’t read about cruelty.