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Off the Shelf

Off the Shelf

By Pause Books

Have you ever wondered what everyone is reading? Well here is the place to find out as my guests tell me their must reads!
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21. Lia Middleton, Barrister and Author

Off the ShelfMay 10, 2021

00:00
32:51
86. Rachel Wolf, Author
Feb 19, 202416:32
85, Dani Atkins, Author

85, Dani Atkins, Author

My guest this week is Dani Atkins.

You can find more information about her here:
Dani Atkins — Blake Friedmann
Dani's book can be pre-ordered here: The Memory of Us by Dani Atkins
The book we discussed: The Night in Question (penguin.co.uk)
The bookshop we discussed: David's Bookshop, Letchworth

Feb 12, 202421:38
84. David Slattery-Christy, Author and Playwright
Nov 20, 202324:22
83. Nicholas Hutchinson, Author and Podcast Host

83. Nicholas Hutchinson, Author and Podcast Host

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!
You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My guest this week is Nicholas Hutchinson of BookThinkers
You can listen to his podcast here: Life Changing Books

Oct 30, 202325:25
82. Nigar Alam, Author

82. Nigar Alam, Author

My guest this week is Nigar Alam. You can find her website here: Nigar Alam (nigaralamwrites.com) Nigar's book can be preordered here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/720000/under-the-tamarind-tree-by-nigar-alam/  The literary programmes we discuss:

The books we discuss:

The bookshop we discuss:

Oct 23, 202325:38
81. Laurie Barkman, Author and Podcast Host
Oct 09, 202323:34
80. Johnnie Lowery, Author

80. Johnnie Lowery, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


My guest this week is Johnnie Lowery and you can find his website here: Johnnie Lowery


His Book choices were:

  • Best Non-Fiction Book; Yuval Noah Harari – Sapiens
  • The best book you received as a gift; Harry Pearson – The Far Corner
  • A book by your favourite author; Michael Calvin – State of Play
  • The book that makes you cry ;Abigail Dean – Girl A
  • The book that everyone should read; Aldous Huxley – Brave New World


Oct 02, 202330:13
79. Spencer Quinn, Author
Sep 25, 202328:33
78. Amanda Prowse, Author

78. Amanda Prowse, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


My guest this week is Amanda Prowse.

You can find out more about her work here: Amanda Prowse

Amanda's book choices were:

1. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

2. Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

3. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

4. Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing by Tiffany Yates Martin

5. The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, Stories & 100 Essential Recipes for Midwinter by Nigel Slater


Amanda's favourite independent bookshops are:

1. Chepstow Books & Gifts

2. Ilfracombe Bookshop Bookshop UK

Sep 11, 202331:41
77. James MacManus, Author and MD of the Times Literary Supplement
Sep 04, 202318:53
76. Victoria Gosling, Author

76. Victoria Gosling, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!
You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My guest this week is Victoria Gosling.
You can find out more about her here: Victoria Gosling | The Reader Berlin

Her picks were:
1. Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier
2. The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
3. The Assault by Harry Mulisch
4. The regeneration trilogy by Pat Baker
5. Life and faith by Vasily Grossman
6. There's a War Going On But No One Can See It by Huib Modderkolk
Aug 28, 202324:11
75. Diana Janney, Author

75. Diana Janney, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf! You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ My guest this week is Diana Janney. You can find out more about her here: Diana Janney Diana's choices are: 1. An Imaginary Life by David Malouf

2. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 3. The old man and the sea - Hemingway 4. Siddhartha - Herman Hesse 5. Small Miracle by Paul Gallico


Aug 21, 202339:12
74. Freya Bromley, Author

74. Freya Bromley, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


My guest this week is Freya Bromley.

You can find out more about her here: Freya Bromley


Freya's book choices were: 1. The Last Act of Love by Cathy Rentzenbrink

2. The Narnia Chronicles by C S Lewis

3. Expectation by Anna Hope

4. You’ll Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld 

5. Turning by Jessica J. Lee 

Freya's bookshop pick is Rye Books: Rye Books, Books & Coffee

Jul 24, 202328:37
73. Fiona Valpy, Author

73. Fiona Valpy, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠


My guest this week is Fiona Valpy:

You can find out more about her here: Fiona Valpy, Author Her latest book THE CYPRESS MAZE is released tomorrow.

You can pre-order her book here: The Cypress Maze

Jul 17, 202329:41
72. Robert Welbourn, Author

72. Robert Welbourn, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠⁠⁠

You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠


My guest this week is Robert Welbourn:

You can find out more about him here: Home | Robert Welbourn

You can pre-order his book here: Belonging | Robert Welbourn


His choices were:

  • The best fiction book: The Grapes of Wrath
  • The book I remember reading first: The Catcher in the Rye
  • The book with my fave character: Glamorama
  • The book that makes me cry: 11.22.63
  • The book that everyone should read: American Psycho
Jul 03, 202336:50
71. Louisa Reid, Author
Jun 26, 202331:17
70. Pim Wangtechawat, Author

70. Pim Wangtechawat, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: ⁠Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) ⁠

You can follow me on Twitter here: ⁠Twitter⁠


My guest this week is Pim Wangtechawat:

You can find her website here: Pim Wangtechawat

You can pre-order her book here: The Moon Represents My Heart by Pim Wangtechawat | Waterstones Pim's selected books are: 

  • Best Non-Fiction Book: Conversations on Love (Natasha Lunn)
  • A book by your favourite author: Everything I Never Told You (Celeste Ng)
  • The book that makes you cry: Circe (Madeline Miller) 
  • The book that makes me happy: Small Joys (Elvin James Mensah)
  • The book with your favourite character in: Emma (Jane Austen) 

May 29, 202328:19
69. Caro Giles, Author
Dec 06, 202225:35
68. Phoebe Walker, Poet and Author

68. Phoebe Walker, Poet and Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) 

You can follow me on Twitter here: Twitter


My guest this week is Phoebe Walker:

You can follow her on Twitter here: Phoebe Walker (@PhoebeLPWalker) 


Phoebe's choices were:

Best Non-Fiction Book; Miriam’s Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich

Favourite book as a child; The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

The best book you received as a gift; Ulverton by Adam Thorpe

The book with your favourite character in; Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel

The book that makes me happy; Trick or Treat by Lesley Glaister

Nov 07, 202228:00
67. Megan Warrington, Owner of Denny's Books
Oct 24, 202229:57
66. Lia Louis, Author

66. Lia Louis, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) 

You can follow me on Twitter here: Twitter


My guest this week is Lia Louis:

You can follow her on Instagram here: Lia Louis (@lialouisauthor) 

You can follow her on Twitter here: Lia Louis (@LisforLia) 

Oct 17, 202231:34
65. Scott Shields, bookstagrammer and podcast host

65. Scott Shields, bookstagrammer and podcast host

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) • Instagram photos and videos

You can follow me on Twitter here: Profile / Twitter


My guest this week is Scott Shields:

You can follow him on Instagram here: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣Scott.You.Reading (@scott.you.reading) • Instagram photos and videos

You can listen to the Wee Scottish Bookclub here: The Wee Scottish Book Club 


Scott's choices were:

1. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

2. Fairy Rock by Stephen Watt

3. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

4. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

5.  A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe

Oct 03, 202234:22
64. Cara Hunter, Author

64. Cara Hunter, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) • Instagram photos and videos
You can follow me on Twitter here: Profile / Twitter

My guest this week is Cara Hunter:
You can learn more about her work here: Cara Hunter (penguin.co.uk)
Her picks were:

Best Non-Fiction Book - Landscape and Memory, by Simon Schama
Favourite book as a child - The Lord of the Rings
The book you always remember the first time you read - The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
The best book you received as a gift - A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar
The book that makes you cry - Still LIfe, by AS Byatt
Aug 29, 202226:36
63. Liam Bell, Author

63. Liam Bell, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) • Instagram photos and videos

You can follow me on Twitter here: Profile / Twitter


My guest this week is Liam Bell:

You can learn more about his work at his website here: Home | liammurraybell 

You can follow him on Twitter here:  Liam Bell (@liammurraybell) / Twitter

You can buy his books here: Amazon.co.uk

Jul 11, 202231:17
62. Chloe Timms, author

62. Chloe Timms, author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) • Instagram photos and videos

You can follow me on Twitter here: Profile / Twitter


My guest this week is Chloe Timms

You can learn more about her work at her website here: Chloe Timms

You can find her podcast here: Podcast 

Jul 04, 202242:38
61. Abbigail Rosewood, Author

61. Abbigail Rosewood, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here:

You can follow me on Twitter here:


My guest this week is Abbigail Rosewood!

You can learn more about her work at her website here: Abbigail N. Rosewood (abbigailrosewood.com)


Abbigail's choices are:

1. Lanark by Alasdair Gray

2. The Notebook Trilogy by Agota Kristof

3. The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli

4. IQ84 - Haruki Murakami


The Book I was referring to is Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk.


May 09, 202229:56
60. Rebecca Ryan, Author

60. Rebecca Ryan, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf! You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)  My guest this week is Rebecca Ryan! You can follow her on Instagram here: Rebecca Ryan (@becsryanauthor)  You can read more about her debut novel here: Simon & Schuster to publish My (Extra)Ordinary Life, the debut novel by Rebecca Ryan  The books she chose are: 1. Book that got me through a difficult time - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet 2. A book by your favourite author - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 3. Best non fiction book - Being Mortal by Atul Gawande 4. The book that changed your life - Anthology of World War One poetry 5. The book that makes me happy - Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey Mquinston
May 03, 202235:36
59. Sarah Clarke, Author

59. Sarah Clarke, Author

Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) 


My guest this week is Sarah Clarke!

Her website is here: https://www.sarahclarkeauthor.com 

You can preorder her new book Every Little Secret here: Every Little Secret a book by Sarah Clarke. (bookshop.org)


Her choices are:

Favourite book as a child - Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

Book everyone should read - Invisible Women, Caroline Criado-Perez

Book that made me cry - A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khalid Hosseini

Book by a favourite author (in my genre, and one of!) - Beneath the Skin, Nicci French

Book that has stayed with me - Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls

Apr 25, 202228:57
58. Simon Alexander Ong, Speaker and Author

58. Simon Alexander Ong, Speaker and Author

HAPPY EASTER and Welcome to this week's episode of Off the Shelf! You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)  My guest this week is Simon Alexander Ong: His website is here: Simon Alexander Ong - Life Coach & Business Strategist His book is released on 21st April! You can preorder his book here: Energize (penguin.co.uk)
Apr 18, 202233:44
57. Laura Price, Journalist and Author
Apr 11, 202224:04
56. Phoebe Wynne, Author

56. Phoebe Wynne, Author

Welcome to Off the Shelf!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)
You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks)

My guest this week is Phoebe Wynne:
You can find her website here: Phoebe Wynne (phoebewynnewrites.com)
Apr 04, 202249:59
55. Jessica Moor, Author

55. Jessica Moor, Author

Welcome to Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) 

You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks) 

My guest this week is Jessica Moor:

You can follow her on Twitter here: Twitter

You can follow her on Instagram here: Jessica Moor (@ms_jessica_moor) 

You can find her website here: Jessica Moor

Mar 28, 202256:30
54. Laura Pearson, Author

54. Laura Pearson, Author

Welcome to Off the Shelf!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)
You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks)

My guest this week is Laura Pearson:
You can follow her on Twitter here: Twitter
You can find her website here: Laura Pearson
Mar 21, 202238:12
53. Bhavika Govil, winner of the 2021 Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize

53. Bhavika Govil, winner of the 2021 Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize

WELCOME BACK! Season 2 of Off the Shelf is well underway! You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)  You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks)  My guest this week is Bhavika Govil You can follow her on Instagram here: Bhavika Govil (@bhavikagovil)  You can find her website here: Bhavika Govil Her choices are: The book that everyone should read: Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo The book you always remember the first time you read: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie The book you relate to the most: Writers & Lovers by Lily King The book you always give as a gift: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde The best fiction book: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Mar 14, 202223:56
52. Tom Hindle, Author

52. Tom Hindle, Author

WELCOME BACK! Season 2 of Off the Shelf is well underway!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)
You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks)
My guest this week is Tom Hindle:
You can follow him on Instagram here: Tom Hindle (@tom.hindle)
You can find his book here: A Fatal Crossing (penguin.co.uk)
Mar 07, 202235:44
51. Dannie from @blottedinkbooks, Host of a Novel Evening
Dec 06, 202142:07
50. Phoebe Whitlock, Podcast Host
Nov 29, 202155:46
49. Antonia Caraveteanu, Podcast Host

49. Antonia Caraveteanu, Podcast Host

Welcome to Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) 

You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks) 


My guest this week is Antonia Caraveteanu:

You can follow her on Instagram here: Got Books? (@gotbookspodcast) 

You can find her podcast here: Got Books? Conversations with Booksellers & Bookmakers 


Antonia's book choices are:

1. Adam and Eve, by Liviu Rebreanu

2. Lab Girl, by Hope Jahren

3. It Runs in the Family: On being raised by radicals and growing into rebellious motherhood, by Frida Berrigan

4. The Spy and the Traitor, by Ben Macintyre

5. City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Nov 22, 202136:05
48. Grace Grossmann, Author
Nov 15, 202128:04
47. Helen Naylor, Author
Nov 08, 202130:03
46. Halloween Special

46. Halloween Special

Welcome to the Off the Shelf Halloween Special!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) 

You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks) 


My first guest this week is Drew:

You can follow him on Instagram here: Drew (@drewreadsintherain) 


My second guest this week is Jimmy:

You can follow him on Instagram here: Jimbeaux (@jimmy_eat_book) 

Oct 31, 202121:57
45. Emma Grae, Author and Journalist

45. Emma Grae, Author and Journalist

Welcome to Off the Shelf!

You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks) 

You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks) 


My guest this week is Emma Grae:

You can follow her on Instagram here: Emma Grae (Guinness) (@emmapaintsthings) 

You can find her website here: Emma Grae Author 

You can find her on Twitter here: Emma Grae (@emmagraeauthor) 


You can also find out more about Unbounders here: Unbound | Liberating ideas

Oct 25, 202143:22
44. Jyoti Patel, Winner of the Merky Books New Writers’ Prize 2021

44. Jyoti Patel, Winner of the Merky Books New Writers’ Prize 2021

Welcome to Off the Shelf! You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)  You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks)  My guest this week is Jyoti Patel: You can follow her on Instagram here: Jyoti Patel (@jyotisbooks)  You can follow her on Twitter here: Jyoti Patel (@Jyoti__Patel)  You can read her short story with We Present here: https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/story/literally-jyoti-patel/ If you want to know more about her writing then you can read a Q&A here: https://www.thebookseller.com/insight/jyoti-patel-1274276 Her book choices are: Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi  Natives by Akala  In The Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni  On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan The Penguin podcast with Avni Doshi that we discuss can be heard here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/avni-doshi-with-nihal-arthanayake/id89411073?i=1000526562160
Oct 18, 202101:04:38
43. Naomi George, winner of the 2021 Grazia x Women's Prize Fiction First Chapter Competition

43. Naomi George, winner of the 2021 Grazia x Women's Prize Fiction First Chapter Competition

Welcome to Off the Shelf!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)
You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks)
My guest this week is Naomi George the winner of the 2021 Grazia x Women's Prize Fiction First Chapter Competition.
You can follow her on Instagram here: Naomi George (@naomi.is.a.george)
You can read her winning entry here: Women's Prize for Fiction
Oct 11, 202144:30
42. London Marathon Special
Oct 04, 202118:22
41. Marianne Rosen, Writer
Sep 27, 202147:51
40. T. C. Emerys, Editor and Writer
Sep 20, 202141:37
39. Natalie McMath, @scottiesandbooks

39. Natalie McMath, @scottiesandbooks

Welcome to Off the Shelf!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@pausebooks)
You can follow me on Twitter: Phoebe @ Pause Books HQ (@PauseBooks)
My guest this week is Natalie McMath!
You can follow her on Instagram here: Natalie (@scottiesandbooks)
Sep 13, 202146:21
38. Amy Lavelle, Freelance Journalist and Debut Author
Sep 06, 202135:28
37. Lynette Cresswell, Author
Aug 30, 202144:19