Cabin Fever Fables

October 16th, 2020 marks the 173rd birthday of what is surely one of the most loved, studied and debated books in the English Language: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. In honour of this, the authors of Saraband’s 'A View From the 21st Century' Brontë biographies, Dr Sophie Franklin, Dr Claire O'Callaghan and Adelle Hay, have taken over the Cabin Fever Fables podcast. Join them as they compare notes on their most loved, most hated, most creepy and most underrated Brontë moments and characters. All three Brontë biographies are available to buy now direct from the Brontë Parsonage Museum shop: Charlotte Brontë Revisited by Sophie Franklin - https://bit.ly/2IsJB73 Emily Brontë Reappraised by Claire O’Callaghan - https://bit.ly/34TkMZu Anne Brontë Reimagined by Adelle Hay - https://bit.ly/374OZYt

Elaine Nelson, owner of Grasmere's long-standing bookshop Sam Read Bookseller, joins us to discuss bookselling in Cumbria, emerging from lockdown and how the popular Lake District village has been resilient during the pandemic and other recent crises. Grasmere is the home of Wordsworth and has long been a must-visit destination for those who want to see for themselves the gorgeous scenery that inspired the Lake Poets and other Romantic writers. But you can also visit Sam Read's online. Go on – buy a book there today!

David Howe takes us on a virtual visit to the beautiful Langdale Valley in the heart of the Lake District, and describes how the Borrowdale Fells were formed millions of years ago. We're still in near-lockdown, and the national parks don't want us visiting just yet. But we can put all this in perspective thinking of a completely different time scale: geological eras, deep time. Until it's safe to visit without endangering others... David draws on the words of the ever-captivating Nan Shepherd, from The Living Mountain, as well as cosmologist Brian Greene, renowned author of To the End of Time.

Keen cyclist Alan Brown, and author of the bikepacking book Overlander, reads a glorious forest passage from his book and tells us why he loves cycling – both off-road in the Highlands and in the city as a townie and commuter. He's joined by fellow long-distance cyclists and writers Helen Moat (author of A Time of Birds) and Chris Dolan, both of whom are returning to the podcast. Together they look at why we need to improve our cycling infrastructure and what would be the most important steps to take, and how to get back in the saddle if you haven't ridden for a long time. And they all describe the joys of being on a bike!

Thriller writer Iain Maitland joins us for this episode as he launches his latest novel, The Scribbler ("Exciting" – Sunday Times Crime Club). Iain's books are pitch dark, tense and have a mental health theme running through them. Here he introduces a police duo tasked with investigating cold cases of LGBTQ+ murders from the 80s that were left unsolved. The action starts in a care home where an elderly man with dementia has just met with an unlikely fatal accident – or was it murder? And could this be linked to older cases? As ever, Iain turns his focus on marginalised and damaged people, and as it turns out, he highlights issues that resonate during this lockdown.