The Shameless Book Club

Latest Episodes:

Sally Hepworth on dysfunctional families Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

G’day, book clubbers!

Today, we are bringing you an interview with domestic thriller novelist, Sally Hepworth. Sally is a NYT bestselling author who has sold over one million books worldwide. She’s written eight novels including The Good Sister, The Younger Wife, and The Mother-In-Law - the latter has very excitingly been optioned for a TV show by Amy Poehler. Sally’s latest novel, Darling Girls, comes out today, and it follows three women who are drawn back to their past - and the foster mother they ran away from decades ago - after bones are discovered under the farmhouse from their childhood. In this chat, Sally speaks about deciding to transition from HR to writing a book during maternity leave, what inspires Sally to include such a wide spectrum of neurodiverse characters in her books, and what she makes sure to end every chapter with.

To grab yourself of copy of Darling Girls, head here.

Your host today was Sohani Goonetillake and this episode was audio produced by Annabelle Lee.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Download the Audible app to browse and listen to their audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals.

Join us for all the book chat over on our Insta, @theshamelessbookclub, and our TikTok, @theshamelessbookclub. Or, if you’re after some variety, here’s a link to record a voice message via our website, too.

You can browse the eBook and audiobook versions of past book club picks in our room on Apple Books! Have a look-see right here. (You might spot our little baby, The Space Between, in the mix there, too.)

Want to support our show? We are sending air kisses, air tea, and air hugs (too far?) to anyone who clicks ‘subscribe’ on Apple (bonus hugs for anyone who leaves a five-star review, too) or ‘follow’ on Spotify.

Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else.

Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod

Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS’ newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT

Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/

Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

The author who was fact-checked live on air Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

Hello, everyone!

Today on Stranger Than Fiction, Eilish Gilligan and Shameless Media co-founder Michelle Andrews are talking about Naomi Wolf, author of ‘The Beauty Myth’ and feminist icon turned… anti-vaxxer.

Join us in the all the book chat over on our Insta, @theshamelessbookclub, and our TikTok, @theshamelessbookclub. Or, if you’re after some variety, here’s a link to record a voice message via our website, too.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Download the app to browse their audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals and start listening today.

This episode was audio produced by Eilish Gilligan.

Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else.

Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod

Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS’ newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT

Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/

Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

Review: The Rachel Incident Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

Happy first of the month, book clubbers!

This month, we read ‘The Rachel Incident’ by Caroline O’Donoghue. Rachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes their lives forever. When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterward. But Fred has other desires.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. If you want to listen to ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a Hunger Games ’ novel or want to check out more audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible originals, download the Audible app and start listening today.

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

R.F. Kuang on appropriation Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Hello, book clubbers!

Today, we are bringing you an interview with New York Times bestselling author R.F. Kuang. At the very beginning of this month, we dropped a review episode of Rebecca’s latest and arguably buzziest book Yellowface, so this interview couldn’t have come at a better time. In this conversation, Rebecca talks about the ways the book is reflective of her own experience in the publishing industry, why writing from the perspective of June was actually kind of cathartic, and of course, she updates us on her exciting upcoming projects.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Download the Audible app to browse and listen to their audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals.

Your host today was Sohani Goonetillake and this episode was audio produced by Annabelle Lee.

Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else.

Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod

Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS’ newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT

Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/

Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

The writer who faked her own death Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

Hello, everyone!

Today on Stranger Than Fiction, we’re talking about Susan Meachen, a self-published romance author who has caused quite a stir within the romance community recently.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Download the app to browse their audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals, and start listening today.

This episode was audio produced by Eilish Gilligan.

Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else.

Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod

Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS’ newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT

Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/

Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

Review: Yellowface Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

Hello, book clubbers!

Welcome to our first book review episode in The Shameless Book Club’s cosy new nook. This month, we read ‘Yellowface’ by New York Times bestselling author, R.F Kuang. Yellowface is told through the lens of our unreliable narrator - a white author named June Hayward. At the very beginning of the book, she steals the book manuscript of her friend in the industry, Chinese-American author Athena Liu, moments after Athena suddenly passes away. June’s act of unthinkable deceit kicks off a series of events that see June desperately trying to dodge the truth being exposed.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Check out memoirs, fictional audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals via their app.

This episode was audio produced by Eilish Gilligan.

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

The man who fooled Oprah Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

Hello! Welcome to the first episode of our new monthly series, Stranger Than Fiction.

On the 15th of every month, host Eilish Gilligan will recap the most bizarre stories to rock the lit world. Today, we’re going to be talking about an author named James Frey and his interesting little book, A Million Little Pieces.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Download the app to browse audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals, and start listening today.

This episode was audio produced by Eilish Gilligan.

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

Gabrielle Zevin on success Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

Welcome, book clubbers! To The Shameless Book Club’s very own nook.

We are so excited to kick off our re-launch by bringing you a special chat between New York Times bestselling author Gabrielle Zevin and book clubber Sohani Goonetillake. We actually reviewed Gabrielle’s 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' in our January episode of The Shameless Book Club, so we were incredibly stoked to be able to make this interview happen. We hope you enjoy this wide-ranging chat between Gabrielle and Sohani.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Download the Audible app to browse and listen to their audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals.

Your host today was Sohani Goonetillake and this episode was audio produced by Annabelle Lee.

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

Review: Really Good, Actually Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

Hello, book clubbers!

This month, we read Monica Heisey’s debut novel: Really Good, Actually. The book is told through the eyes of Maggie - a 29-year-old whose marriage ended just 608 days after it started. Sure, she’s alone for the first time in her life, can’t afford her rent and her obscure PhD is going nowhere, but she’s reaaaally good. As Maggie throws herself headlong into the chaos of her first year of divorce, she finds herself questioning absolutely everything.

Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else.

Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod

Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS’ newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT

Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/

Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

Review: Pineapple Street Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

G’day, book clubbers!

This month, we read Jenny Jackson’s debut novel, Pineapple Street. Pineapple Street follows three women in an old money Brooklyn Heights family: one was born with money, one who married into it, and one who wants to give it all away. Over the course of the novel we learn about the intricacies of the Stockton family’s dynamic, how they each feel about their relationship with wealth, and whether or not you can ever really break out of a mold your parents created for you.

Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else.

Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod

Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS’ newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT

Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/

Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.