In this solo episode of the Indie Book Club podcast, sponsored by Inkspot Publishing, Cathy shares a warm and personal journey through the books she never tires of rereading. From the Roman intrigues of Robert Graves’s I, Claudius to the class tensions of L. P. Hartley’s The Go-Between, she explores how unforgettable characters, dazzling prose, and sharp dialogue keep certain novels endlessly fresh. Along the way, Cathy reflects on childhood memories in Malawi and rainy Wales, VHS marathons of the BBC adaptation of I, Claudius, and how these books continue to shape her reading life.
Her list spans continents and genres: Nabokov’s unsettling yet dazzling Lolita, McMurtry’s epic Lonesome Dove, Geraldine Brooks’s People of the Book, Lionel Davidson’s high-stakes Kolymsky Heights, Jerome K. Jerome’s comic Three Men in a Boat, Paton’s humane Cry, the Beloved Country, Cronin’s tragic The Judas Tree, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and Eliot’s sweeping Middlemarch. She also celebrates the joy of returning to P. G. Wodehouse, Anthony Trollope, and Jane Austen, whose characters and wit never fade with time. Warm, funny, and deeply bookish, this episode is a celebration of rereading as comfort, discovery, and delight.
Books mentioned in this episode:I, Claudius: https://amzn.to/45Fy9gKThe Go Between: https://amzn.to/4lTjh35Lolita: https://amzn.to/3Vo9eZ0Lonesome Dove: https://amzn.to/4n7YGZOPeople of the Book: https://amzn.to/3HWlVagKolymsky Heights: https://amzn.to/4g7BBo4Three Men in a Boat: https://amzn.to/45YMyDoCry, the Beloved Country: https://amzn.to/4lU5hGeThe Judas Tree: https://amzn.to/3JLzQk5Things FallApart: https://amzn.to/4oWyVxzMiddlemarch: https://amzn.to/4oWAc7LPG Wodehouse: https://amzn.to/45KGMXu
Inkspot Publishing receives a commission for any Amazon sales made through the above affiliate links.
The Indie Books Club is a podcast dedicated to discussing books of all kinds, usually from Indie presses. We'll talk about books that make us think, chat with guests from the publishing world, and more. Hosted by Cathy Evans and brought to you by Inkspot Publishing, we aim to enrich your day with interesting arguments, unfiltered thoughts, and a few jokes!
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Produced and edited by Taryn de Meillon
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