Join us for this 'bookshelf' episode as we discuss the books we've been reading outside of book club. In this episode Kate gets tied up in existential knots over House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas and we consider the parallels between this 800-page fantasy bonkbuster and War and Peace. We explore the idea of ‘reading offsetting’ whereby we balance our guilty pleasures with books more worthy of our time. We rediscover the Queen of Fantasy Ursula Le Guin and remember why we think her books are so amazing. Kate pronounces ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ by Emma Dabiri her new favourite book of the year. And we end with an excursion into Arctic landscapes and consider moving to Svaallbad where apparently you don’t need a visa!  Books mentioned: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas A Fall from Grace and Philippa Holds Court by Jennie Goutet The Western Shore trilogy by Ursula L. Guin Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri Americanah by Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler Want to keep up with us between episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, or follow us for daily book reviews and recommendations on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email [email protected]. Don't miss our website thebookclubreview.co.uk for our episode archive and library of book reviews and articles. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and never miss an episode. If you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review the show, which help other listeners find us.