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The Brit Lit Podcast


Jul 11, 2019

Abbi Waxman’s latest novel The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is out this week on both sides of the Atlantic. Nina Hill loves trivia and her cat, and works in a delightful but struggling bookshop. She’s an introvert who’s got her life and social calendar under control – until she finds out about a whole big family she never knew she had. And just as she’s struggling to get her head around that, the trivia competition world throws an attractive guy into her path, too. What I loved best about this book – and there’s a lot to love -- was the charming, witty tone of the writing, which addresses the reader directly in places.

Abbi Waxman talked to the podcast about the booksellers that inspired the book, the neighbourhood of LA in which it’s set, how her degree in anthropology informs her writing, the joys and challenges of being a Brit living in the US, and more.

You can listen to the episode here,

or Spotify, or iTunes,

or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast:

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, by Abbi Waxman

Other People's Houses, by Abbi Waxman

The Garden of Small Beginnings, by Abbi Waxman

Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast, by Charlie Connelly

Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson

The Body: A Guide for Occupants, by Bill Bryson

At Home: A Short History of Private Life, by Bill Bryson

Sweet Sorrow, by David Nicholls

Expectation, by Anna Day

A Half Baked Idea, by Olivia Potts

Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe

(A note on my book links: they usually take you to Amazon, and I get a few pence per sale at no extra cost to you if you click them and buy from there, which will help me make this podcast viable long-term. But better than Amazon, who are, let’s be honest, not the greatest, is Blackwells or Waterstones, or, even better, your local independent bookshop. If you live in the US or elsewhere further afield, you can find UK books at Book Depository (also owned by Amazon) at a good price and with no postage cost, or sometimes at Wordery.com, or you can buy them from Amazon US, or, even better, an independent bookshop.)

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Questions? Comments? Need a book recommendation? Email Claire at britlitpodcast@gmail.com

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The Brit Lit Podcast

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