All Episodes

February 9, 2025 49 mins

Olga Tokarczuk's haunting 'health resort horror story' may have wow-ed the critics, but how did it fare with Laura's book club? Phil, Sarah and Laura join Kate to discuss it. You'll also find out the books we've been reading lately, and our suggestions for follow-on reads if The Empusium leaves you hankering for more.

Books mentioned

The Sewing Girl’s Tale by John Wood Sweet

Two Step Devil by Jamie Quattro

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Strange Beach by Oluwaseum Olayiwola

The Fizcarraldo poetry subscription

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk

Sanatorium by W. Somerset Maugham

The Wind Rises by Hayao Miyazaki

The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft

The Paper Hound bookshop

The Plague and I by Betty Macdonald

Backlisted episode #138

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Schwärmerai

NOTES

Support the show and get exclusive subscriber benefits

On Patreon: weekly-ish minisodes, chat groups, special feature episodes, War & Peace readalong, and at the higher tier join the monthly book club

Or via Substack: weekly-ish minsodes and special feature episodes

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.