Brit Lit Book Club

So you want to start reading the classics?

Do you have a classic sitting on your shelf that's been there for two years? Maybe someone gifted you Jane Austen, or you picked up a Brontë at a charity shop with the best intentions. And every time you walk past it, there's a little whisper that says: I should really read that. This episode is for you. In this week's episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, I'm making the case for why British classics still matter — and more importantly, giving you everything you need to actually get into them. No English degree, no prior reading experience, no guilt required. IN THIS EPISODE * The case for classics: why every modern story you love is already in conversation with them * Myth-busting: slow, boring, too hard, missed your chance — we address every excuse * Your personality-based guide: which classic is right for YOU * Practical strategies: annotated editions, audiobooks, reading companions, and when to quit * The re-read phenomenon: why classics reward you differently at different life stages * The Brit Lit Starter Pack: five books, in order of accessibility BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE *Disclosure: Links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — which helps keep The Brit Lit Book Club running. Thank you! The Starter Pack — My Five Recommended Entry Points 1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens The perfect warm-up. Short, emotional, funny, and full of Dickens at his most generous and human. Read it in an afternoon. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback, with other Christmas writings) → [https://amzn.to/4djrP2i] ➜ Penguin Christmas Classics (Hardcover gift edition) → [https://amzn.to/4nOI4rF] 2. Persuasion by Jane Austen Her shortest, quietest, most moving novel — and my personal favourite. A love story about second chances with one of the most beautiful letters in all of literature. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → [https://amzn.to/4nFe2ql] 3. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins A proper Victorian thriller — multiple narrators, a sinister count, and a mystery that keeps you guessing. Highly readable and genuinely gripping. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → [https://amzn.to/4dkUILx] 4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë One of the great feminist novels — a heroine who refuses to compromise herself for anyone. Still radical more than 175 years later. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → [https://amzn.to/4dwVxQa] 5. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy Hardy's most accessible and most beautiful novel. The Dorset countryside practically breathes on the page. Start here and you'll want to read everything he wrote. ➜ Penguin Classics (Paperback) → [https://amzn.to/4fvF9BV] Also Mentioned in This Episode Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/4tQaT8D] Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/4nY7wv7] The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/3PyzFMb] The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/42LMp5d] Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/4uYVrIi] Waverley by Sir Walter Scott — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/4tK1L5a] A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/42JLx1a] A Christmas Carol (also mentioned above) — Amazon → [https://amzn.to/3RzKcaB] Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com [https://thebookclubtour.com/] 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour [https://www.instagram.com/thebookclubtour] 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550498828175]

Agatha Christie - The Queen of Crime

She sold over two billion books. Her play The Mousetrap has run in London's West End for more than seventy years without a single break. And she once vanished for eleven days in a mystery that has never been solved. Dame Agatha Christie wasn't just writing cozy puzzles — she was a brilliant psychologist, a sharp social observer, and quite possibly the most commercially successful novelist who ever lived. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're diving deep into the life and legacy of the undisputed Queen of Crime. Host Vanessa Hunt takes you behind the stories — from Christie's childhood in the elegant seaside town of Torquay to the heartbreak of 1926 (the year her mother died, her husband confessed to an affair, and she mysteriously disappeared), to her unexpectedly happy second act with archaeologist husband Max Mallowan in the deserts of Iraq and Syria. We visit Greenway House, Christie's beloved Georgian manor on the River Dart. We ride the sea tractor to Burgh Island — the Art Deco island that inspired And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun. We swim in the cove. We eat the lobster. We also explore what makes her two great detectives — the methodical Hercule Poirot and the deceptively sharp Miss Marple — so enduringly brilliant, and why Christie's "genre fiction" has outlasted nearly every literary prize winner of her era. Whether you're a lifelong Christie devotee or you've never cracked a mystery novel in your life, this episode will send you straight to your bookshelf. In this episode: * The girl who taught herself to read at four (against her mother's wishes) * What working as a WWI nurse taught her about poison — and fiction * The 1926 disappearance: fugue state, breakdown, or something more calculated? * The Golden Age of Detective Fiction and why Christie broke every rule * Burgh Island, the sea tractor, and Christie's most audacious novel * Why two billion readers can't put her down — and why you won't either 📚 Books Mentioned in This Episode Start here if you're new to Christie: * And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie [https://amzn.to/4w5GSEc] — Ten strangers. A sinister nursery rhyme. No way off the island. Her most Gothic, most audacious, most chilling novel. * Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie [https://amzn.to/48yeroh] — A snowbound train, a dead man, and every passenger a suspect. One of the most shocking endings in all of detective fiction. * Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie [https://amzn.to/3OXcbjz] — Set directly on Burgh Island. You can trace the action across the actual landscape. More Christie classics: * The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie [https://amzn.to/4ejRnNz] — The plot twist that shocked the literary world in 1926 and still lands nearly a century later. * Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie [https://amzn.to/4cIYXAk] — Set at a house just like Greenway, with a boathouse murder that will feel very familiar if you've visited. * Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie [https://amzn.to/4df9nrp] — Inspired by real people Christie m Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com [https://thebookclubtour.com/] 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour [https://www.instagram.com/thebookclubtour] 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550498828175]

J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan: The Boy Who Never Grew Up

What if the most beloved children's story in the English language was actually about grief? In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're exploring the extraordinary life of Scottish author J.M. Barrie — the man behind Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Neverland, and Captain Hook — and the devastating true story that inspired one of literature's most enduring characters. We cover it all: the childhood tragedy that shaped Barrie's imagination, the real-life family of five brothers who became the Lost Boys, the dark fate of the Llewelyn Davies boys, and why Peter Pan — for all its magic and adventure — is really a story about the cost of never growing up. Plus my kids are currently in a production of the musical, which means this episode has been living in my house for weeks. And that, as always, is exactly how the best rabbit holes begin. In this episode: * Who was J.M. Barrie and why did he spend his childhood trying to become his dead brother * The five real boys who inspired the Lost Boys — and what became of them * Why Peter Pan is one of the saddest characters in British literature * The Kensington Gardens statue that still has flowers left at its base * The Scottish literary tradition that shaped Barrie's imagination — and why it matters * Why Barrie left the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children This week's tea pairing: Fairy Dust tea from Bird and Blend  [https://www.birdandblendtea.us/blogs/recipes/blogs-recipes-sprinkle-fairy-dust-cocktail-recipe?_pos=1&_sid=f0dd6126e&_ss=r] 📚 Reading List & Resources: Peter and Wendy  [https://amzlink.to/az0wxHDGNx9CT]by J.M. Barrie (the 1911 novel — not the play, not the Disney version, the real one) →  J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys: The Real Story Behind Peter Pan [https://amzlink.to/az0wxHDGNx9CT] by Andrew Birkin — the definitive biography, written with access to letters, diaries, and recorded interviews with the family. If this episode moves you, read this next.  Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com [https://thebookclubtour.com/] 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour [https://www.instagram.com/thebookclubtour] 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550498828175]

Interview with Alex Dold, Dr. of Outlander

What does it mean to fall through time and land in history class? If you've ever stayed up until 2am turning pages of Outlander, convinced you could practically smell the heather and hear the clash of broadswords at Culloden, today's guest has a very official explanation for why that happened — and a doctorate to back it up. Dr. Alex Dold is a public historian, literary scholar, tour guide, and "Doctor of Outlander." Based in Scotland, Alex completed her PhD at the University of the Highlands and Islands with a thesis arguing that Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels function as a genuine form of public history — shaping how millions of readers around the world understand 18th-century Scotland, the Jacobite rising of 1745, and Highland culture. She also contributed two chapters to the newly released academic collection Outlander and Scotland: Touchstones and Signposts (Luath Press, 2025), leads literary walking tours in Glasgow, and speaks at fan conventions and universities alike. In this episode, Vanessa and Alex talk about: * How a reader in Germany became Scotland's foremost Outlander scholar * What "public history" means — and why it matters that Outlander qualifies * The real-world impact Outlander tourism has had on Scottish heritage sites * What Alex told Diana Gabaldon when she finally met her in person * And why you should never, ever be embarrassed that a romance novel sent you down a Scottish history rabbit hole Whether you've read all nine books, just finished the series, or you're a Scotland-dreamer planning your own literary pilgrimage, this episode will make you love the Highlands even more. 📚 Books mentioned in this episode: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Outlander and Scotland: Touchstones and Signposts  [https://amzn.to/4e6VYTi] — Alex's own book! The academic collection she contributed two chapters to. A must-have for any serious Outlander fan. ⚔️ Damn Rebel Bitches: The Women of '45  by Maggie Craig [https://amzn.to/4cId9It] — The real women of the Jacobite rising of 1745. If Claire Fraser makes you want more, this is your book. ✉️ Burt's Letters from the North of Scotland by Edward Burt [https://amzn.to/4eFtK27] — A fascinating firsthand account of 18th-century Highland life from an English officer stationed in Scotland. Primary source gold for Outlander readers. ⏳ Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor [https://amzn.to/4ua24qM] — If you love the idea of time-traveling historians getting into trouble, this series is your next obsession. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ready to walk in Jamie and Claire's footsteps? Join us on the Scottish Book Club Tour, June 22–29, 2027 — a small-group literary journey through the Highlands with your fellow book lovers. Visit thebookclubtour.com [https://thebookclubtour.com/] to learn more and reserve your spot. Connect with Alex: 🌐 alexdold.com [https://alexdold.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.dold.historian Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com [https://thebookclubtour.com/] 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour [https://www.instagram.com/thebookclubtour] 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550498828175]

Sir Walter Scott - The Man Who Invented Scotland

Sir Walter Scott - The Man Who Invented Scotland If you've ever lost yourself in the Highland landscapes of Outlander, stood misty-eyed at a ruined Scottish castle, or felt your heart catch at the sight of a man in a kilt, you have Walter Scott to thank for that. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we're exploring one of the most influential authors in literary history: Sir Walter Scott, the Edinburgh-born lawyer who essentially invented the historical novel, manufactured the Highland Revival, and handed the entire world the romantic Scotland we know and love today. We're talking about his extraordinary life, from childhood on the Scottish Borders absorbing ballads and folk tales, to becoming the most famous author on the planet. We're unpacking Waverley, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian, and Ivanhoe, and I'm giving you a clear on-ramp for where to start reading. And we're digging into the fascinating, complicated question of what it means when a writer's fiction becomes more powerful than historical reality. Because Scott's did, and we are still living in the world he imagined. This episode is also the perfect literary prelude to next week, when I sit down with historian Alex Dold to explore the real history behind the romance. 🍵 Tea Pairing: Scottish Breakfast, Taylors of Harrogate Scottish Blend [https://amzn.to/41EV1Kn] 📚 Books Mentioned: * Waverley [https://amzn.to/3QsYYiS] by Sir Walter Scott * Rob Roy [https://amzn.to/4mBvM5s] by Sir Walter Scott * The Heart of Midlothian [https://amzn.to/3QbShlm]by Sir Walter Scott * Ivanhoe [https://amzn.to/4dYpwT7] by Sir Walter Scott 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Dreaming of Scotland? Join us on the Scottish Book Club Tour, June 22–29, 2027 → thebookclubtour.com [https://thebookclubtour.com/] Perfect for fans of: Outlander, Diana Gabaldon, Scottish historical fiction, British literature, literary travel, Highland history, Jacobite history, Jane Austen era fiction Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour! Follow along with our adventures, or join us!  🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com [https://thebookclubtour.com/] 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour [https://www.instagram.com/thebookclubtour] 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550498828175]