App Store

Google Play

Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Step into an infinite world of stories

Listen and read

Plosive

Join comedians and authors Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd in their Weirdos Book Club - a space for the lonely outsider to feel accepted and appreciated.

 

Assisted by their comedian and writer friends, each week they’ll discuss a book that is special, stimulating and y’know – weird. Welcome to your new book club! 

 

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

 

 

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to pre-order here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Twitter @weirdosbookclub and Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub

 

Produced by Plosive. 

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sara & Cariad's Weirdos Book Club

Welcome to the 2024 Weirdos Book Club round up and Christmas gift guide!

In this episode Sara and Cariad discuss the books from this series that have stuck with them, easy Christmas gift wins, honourable book mentions from this year, to read piles, listener suggestions and what they're looking forward to coming out in 2025!

 

Thank you for reading with us this year. We like reading with you!

You can find a list of all the books we've discussed on the series so far here.

Trigger warning: In this episode we mention sexual abuse.

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas Round Up 2024

This week's book guest is Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.

Sara and Cariad are joined by BAFTA nominee and Hullraisers star, actor Taj Atwal - to discuss Percy the Park Keeper, boxing, childbirth, addiction, posh English people and the Spice Girls.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Trigger warning: In this episode we discuss grief, death and addiction. 

Blue Sisters is available to buy here.

You can find Taj on Instagram @tajatwal1

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Aniya Das for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors with Taj Atwal

This week's book guest is Intermezzo by Sally Rooney.

Sadly James Joyce and Michael Fassbender were not available to chat so Sara and Cariad are joined by Ireland's premier Bono impersonator, writer and star of This Way Up, Living With Yourself and Get Away - it's Aisling Bea!

In this episode they discuss sex scenes, James Joyce, Dublin, Maeve Binchy and life's winners.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Intermezzo is available to buy here.

You can find Aisling on Instagram @weemissbea

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney with Aisling Bea

This week's book guest is this year's Booker Prize winner - Orbital by Samantha Harvey.

In this episode Sara and Cariad discuss prizes, Barnet, authenticity, and Rob Brydon.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Orbital is available to buy here.

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

This week's book guest is Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding.

Sara and Cariad are aptly joined by 30 somethings 'Single Ladies In Your Area' and award winning comedians Amy Gledhill and Harriet Kemsley.

In this episode they discuss dating, ADHD, Harriet's foot in a bowl, red flags, Hugh Grant, Pride and Prejudice and Off Menu.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Trigger warning: In this episode we discuss disordered eating.

Listen to Harriet and Amy's podcast Single Ladies In Your Area wherever you get your podcasts and find them on Instagram @singleladiespod 

Get tickets to Amy's Edinburgh Comedy Award Winning show Make Me Look Fit On The Poster at Soho Theatre from 27 Jan - 8 Feb 2025

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding with Amy Gledhill & Harriet Kemsley

This week's book guest is She Speaks!: What Shakespeare's Women Might Have Said by Harriet Walter.

In a truly special episode live from Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the London Literature Festival 2024 Sara and Cariad are joined by the one and only Dame Harriet Walter to talk about her new collection of speeches for thirty of Shakespeare’s women.

Harriet is one of Britain's most esteemed Shakespearean actors, a stalwart of the RSC she has won an Olivier Award, been nominated for both Tony and Emmy Awards and has starred in the likes of Killing Eve, Ted Lasso and Succession.

Her new book re-imagines what some of Shakespeare's women might have been secretly thinking and lets them speak their minds. In this episode they discuss Shakespeare for Breakfast, acting, croissants, the Edinburgh Festival and Patrick Stewart's wig.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Trigger warning: In this episode we discuss suicide and death.

Harriet's book She Speaks!: What Shakespeare's Women Might Have Said is available to buy here.

 

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded live at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the London Literature Festival 2024 and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She Speaks!: What Shakespeare's Women Might Have Said by Harriet Walter (Live at the London Literature Festival)

This week's book guest is There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak.

Sara and Cariad are joined by the award winning Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak. Elif has published 21 books and is best known for her novels, which include The Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love, Three Daughters of Eve and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. Her works have been translated into 57 languages and she has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Costa Book Awards, the British Book Awards and the Women's Prize For Fiction.

In this episode they discuss the British Museum, archaeology, buried rivers, Samuel Beckett, literature festivals and Hemingway's writing schedule.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Trigger warning: In this episode we discuss genocide, sexual slavery and trafficking.

There are Rivers in the Sky is available to buy here.

You can find Elif on Instagram @shafakelif

Her website is www.elifsafak.com

Her Substack is called Unmapped Storylands

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak with Elif Shafak

This week's book guest is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

Sara and Cariad are joined by the award winning comedian, actor and writer Jessica Fostekew to discuss platonic friendships, collaboration, book clubs and nuggets!

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Trigger warning: In this episode we discuss coercive relationships.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is available to buy here.

You can find Jess on Instagram @jessicafostekew

You can listen to her podcast Contender Ready: An Unofficial Gladiators Podcast here.

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin with Jessica Fostekew

This week's book guest is Rosewater by Liv Little.

Sara and Cariad are joined by writer, journalist and founder of gal-dem - Liv Little.

In this episode they discuss strap-ons, friendship, rollerblading, debt, friendship, camming and John Legend.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Rosewater by Liv Little with Liv Little is available to buy here.

You can find Liv on Instagram @livslittle

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosewater by Liv Little with Liv Little

This week's book guest is Nuclear Family by Kate Davies.

Sara and Cariad are joined by novelist, screenwriter and children’s author Kate Davies. Her novel In at the Deep End won the Polari Prize and she was shortlisted for the Bollinger Wodehouse Everyman Prize for Comic Fiction.

In this episode they discuss fiction and truth, brothers, sports analogies, improv and Frankenstein

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Trigger warning: In this episode we discuss fertility, IVF, egg donation and coercion.

Nuclear Family by Kate Davies is available to buy here.

You can find Kate on Instagram @kateyemdavies

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nuclear Family by Kate Davies with Kate Davies

This week's book guest is Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart.

Sara and Cariad are joined by the incredible Kadiff Kirwan - star of Slow Horses and This Way Up - to discuss class, fishing, parents, vernacular and David Beckham's sarong.

Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!

Trigger warning: In this episode we discuss violence, sexual assault, neglect and childhood sexual abuse.

Young Mungo is available to buy here.

You can find Kadiff on Instagram @kadiffkirwan 

Cariad’s children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.

Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.

Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.

Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.uk

Follow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub

 

Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.

Artwork by Welcome Studio. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart with Kadiff Kirwan

Listen and read

Other podcasts you might like ...