Do book prizes actually matter? Plus A Little Life Sections 6 & 7: what he died believing
If you've ever argued with a friend about whether a book prize actually reflects what real people read — or felt personally attacked when someone sacrifices your favourite Emily Henry — this episode is for you.
Books Discussed
Show Notes
If you’ve ever argued with a friend about whether a book prize actually reflects what real people read — or felt personally attacked when someone sacrifices your favourite Emily Henry — this episode is for you.
We discuss: whether the Booker Prize is for readers or for people who want to be seen reading; the International Booker vs the Women’s Prize and which one actually has the best track record; the Hay Festival’s 2026 pleasure reading list and why it’s everything the Guardian’s “best novels” list isn’t; and what it means when a book wins an award but nobody enjoys reading it.
Plus: The Offering. Sophie sacrifices Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky) — bleak, monotonous, and full of Russians called the same name. Sallie attempts to sacrifice Happy Place (Emily Henry) and Sarah absolutely will not have it. Sarah venerates Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer — the book that’ll give you a framework for JK Rowling, Michael Jackson, and every other artist you love and shouldn’t.
Then we reach the end of A Little Life. Sections 6 and 7: Dear \Comrade and Lispenard Street. Full spoilers for these sections only.
Content warnings for the readalong segment: suicide, self-harm, death, sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, eating disorders.
Books discussed: Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) · Happy Place (Emily Henry) · Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma (Claire Dederer) · Orbital (Samantha Harvey) · Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders) · Hamnet (Maggie O’Farrell) · Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) · Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) · A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara)