I can't believe I'm saying this, but today we are joined by two legends: Cillian Murphy and Max Porter. Cillian and Max have collaborated as co-curators of the Sounds From A Safe Harbour Festival in Cork, Ireland, as well as the theatre adaptation of Max’s book Grief Is The Thing With Feathers. The book is a hybrid of prose and poetry about a crow visiting a grieving family.
Now, they’re working together on the adaptation of Max's novella Shy, now a Netflix movie called Steve. The original book is a lyrical novella about a boarding school for troubled boys, documenting the chaos of one boy’s mind, whose name is Shy. Steve is actually very different from the novel, instead named after the head teacher at the school. In the film, he’s played expertly by Cillian Murphy. Cillian is an Irish actor, winner of a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and of course an Oscar.
I sat down with the two of them to discuss this experimental and exciting project, and their love for books in general. Thank you to Netflix for making this happen!!
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Fredrik Backman: My Friends
Recorded at Gothenburg Book Fair, I interviewed Swedish ICON Fredrik Backman about his newest book, My Friends -- a book that almost never was. Fredrik Backman is the author of EIGHT bestselling novels, including the Beartown trilogy, Anxious People, and A Man Called Ove.
Thumbnail photography image credit: Natalie Greppi
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Book Club: Yasmin Zaher - The Coin
The Coin marks the arrival of a striking new voice to the literary landscape. Yasmin Zaher’s irreverent debut is as shocking as it is stunning, as bonkers as it is beautiful. The Dylan Thomas Prize winning novel is full of big ideas, but without ever moralising, as our unnamed narrator navigates the squalor of New York City, after leaving Palestine.
Grimy city streets provide a backdrop for an evisceration of modern culture, from politicians and the media to religion and war. Our jeering narrator gets involved in a scheme buying and selling Bikrin Bags. It’s tongue-in-cheek, outrageous, and rude, but so much fun to read. She is unruly and unfiltered, resisting adherence to hegemony, and a total riot.
Join the book club on Fable: https://fable.sng.link/Ali7l/5kmb/rnxe
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Bridgerton's Luke Thompson on 'White Nights' by Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky's White Nights became the fourth biggest selling translated book in the UK last year, so I wanted to speak to someone very familiar with the text. Bridgerton's Luke Thompson happens to be a Dostoevsky superfan just like me, and narrated the new audiobook version, so is well acquainted with the story. We sat down at Penguin's offices in London to chat about the book and Luke's taste as a reader. Enjoy!
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Coco Mellors: Cleopatra & Frankenstein and Blue Sisters
Coco Mellors is the author of two novels, and her love of her craft is just infectious. Her debut, Cleopatra and Frankenstein exploded onto the literary scene in 2022, documenting one couple’s impulsive marriage in New York City and the ripple effect it has on their close circle of friends. Everyone is reading and loving this book, even Carrie Bradshaw who is spotted reading it one scene in And Just Like That. Truly, the highest literary honour. Coco’s second novel, Blue Sisters, was published in 2024. It’s about three sisters who reconnect in their childhood home after their fourth sister has sadly passed away. It takes place across London, New York, Paris, and LA, and tackles themes of grief, sisterhood, and addiction.
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The internet's resident librarian, Jack Edwards, presents... Inklings! The Inklings Book Club is a community for book lovers, championing storytellers from around the world. Subscribe for weekly author interviews and our spotlight monthly book club chat, where we'll be grilling authors on their writing process, inspiration, and future projects. To be involved with the group-read, search Inklings on the Fable app or join us on Instagram.
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