We planned this as a short Backlisted to fill the gap before we release the Hallowe’en episode next week and as part of our episode 200 celebrations. As you will discover, it turned out a little longer than planned!

In it, we each select a book we’ve particularly enjoyed over the past year. Andy returns to The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan (Tyrant Books) and reads a different extract sparking a different kind of discussion; Nicky talks about Wifedom by Anna Funder (Granta), an genre-busting account of the life Eileen Maud Blair, the first wife of George Orwell, linking it back to the themes of The True History of the First Mrs Meredith episode; and John praises Cuddy by Benjamin Myers (Bloomsbury), a rich and formally audacious novel based on the life and legends of St Cuthbert, the patron saint of North East England. The discussion leads us in all kinds of unexpected directions in classic Backlisted fashion.

Books Mentioned
Scott McClanahan - The Sarah Book
Anna Funder - Wifedom, Stasiland
Benjamin Myers - Cuddy
Rebecca Solnit - Orwell’s Roses
Sylvia Topp - Eileen: The Making of George Orwell

Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)

00:00 Intro
04:22 The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan
19:32 Wifedom by Anna Funder
38:26 Cuddy by Benjamin Myers

The traditional Backlisted 'what have you been reading this week?' slot which used to appear at the start of each episode, has now been moved to our Patreon only show (for those subscribers on the Locklisted level). Subscribers can hear fortnightly programmes with John, Andy and Nicky talking about books they have been reading as well as films, music and TV they've enjoyed.