Tea or Books?

Simon and Rachel

Latest episode

#150: A Q&A special! (part 1)
25/05/2026
Thank you so much for all your questions for episode 150 of ‘Tea or Books?’! Because we had so many questions, we’re doing it over two episodes – so today’s is the first half. Watch out for part 2, next
#149: Do We Like Campus Novels? and Two Books By Muriel Spark
16/04/2026
Muriel Spark and campus novels – welcome to episode 149! In the first half of this episode, we answer Lisa’s question: do we like campus novels? In the second half, we compare two novels by Muriel Spark. Not necessarily the
#148: Is There A Right Time To Read A Book? and The Dutch House vs The Party
30/03/2026
Ann Patchett, Tessa Hadley, and finding the right time to read a book – welcome to episode 149! In the first half, we answer the question: is there a right time for each particular book? In the second half, we
#147: Quality vs Quantity and Two Books About Artists
28/02/2026
Douglas Bruton, Carolyn Trant, and quality vs quantity – welcome to episode 147 or Tea or Books?! In the first half, we discuss quality vs quantity in our reading goals (inspired by this Guardian article). In the second half, we
#146: Our Top 10 Books of 2025
17/01/2026
Our favourite reads of the year! Welcome to episode 146. We turn the whole episode over to our run-down of our ten favourite books from a year in reading. As has become a tradition, we will then choose one book