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PODCAST

The Bibliofilles

Hosted by Sophie and Chaya

The Bibliofilles began, as all great modern love stories do, on Facebook during Lockdown. Sophie asked for a recommendation. Chaya prescribed The Song of Achilles. A DM became a dialogue; a dialogue became @thebibiliofilles; and now, finally, a podcast. Chaya is a barrister, Sophie a former editor. We read across all genres and trends, from classics and non fiction, to contemporary fiction, romantasy and everything in between. The Bibliofilles: The Podcast is life through books, where we get

arts books

All Episodes

42:03

The Truth About East of Eden

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/10/05

Is Netflix’s East of Eden getting Cathy Ames completely wrong?Sophie and Chaya discuss John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, the new Netflix series starring Florence Pugh, and the huge controversy surrounding its interpretation of Cathy Ames. Is Netflix’s East of Eden faithful to the book? Why has Cathy Ames been rewritten as a more sympathetic character? And what does Steinbeck actually say about good, evil, free will and the power of choice? In this episode of The Bibliofilles, we compare the

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43:17

Undercover With The Far Right

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/09/28

What happens when you go undercover inside the far right and discover how easily dangerous ideas can become normalised?In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Sophie and Chaya dive into Harry Shukman’s The Year of the Rat, a gripping work of investigative nonfiction that follows Shukman as he spends more than a year undercover inside far-right groups using a hidden camera and the alias “Chris.” From secret pub meetings and Holocaust denial to loneliness, online radicalisation and the communities

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48:53

You Won’t Believe These Are Real Books

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/09/21

Is fiction getting weirder?This week on Bibliofilles, Chaya and Sophie dive into the wonderfully strange world of weird books, exploring some of the most bizarre, surreal and completely unexpected stories they’ve come across. From women falling in love with bears, planes and even a front door, to characters transforming into insects, dogs and other creatures, there are some books where the premise alone makes you stop and think: how did someone even come up with this? Chaya and Sophie unpack

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52:38

You Know the Book. You Don't Know Its Real Name.

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/09/14

Why are some of the most famous books in history called what they are? And what if they had kept their original titles? In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Sophie and Chaya dive into the fascinating world of book titles, literary titles and the stories behind them including famous novels that were almost given completely different names. From The Secret History originally being considered as The God of Illusions, to Pride and Prejudice almost becoming First Impressions, 1984 being considered

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42:48

The Syllabus Exposed: Who’s Really Behind It?

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/09/07

In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Sophie and Chaya are back from their summer holidays with their September Book Club picks — The Year of the Rat by Harry Shukman and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde — before diving into a much bigger question: who actually decides what we read?Inspired by new developments in Texas, where a mandatory school reading list includes more than 200 texts alongside Bible passages, Sophie and Chaya explore the politics of education, literary syllabuses and the

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31:40

Luke Kennard: His Big Chance To Do Absolutely Nothing

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/08/31

We sat down with Professor Luke Kennard to talk about Black Bag, our July Book Club pick, and honestly we're still thinking about it. 🖤📚Luke is a poet, novelist and critic. His collection Cane was shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize, Notes on the Sonnets won the Forward Prize for Best Collection in 2021, and his debut novel The Transition was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime pick. He's now a professor of literature and creative writing at the University of Birmingham, and somehow

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38:39

Adaptations: The Ones We Loved, The Ones We Hated

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/08/24

What makes a great book adaptation and what happens when Hollywood gets it completely wrong? 📚🎬In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Sophie and Chaya dive into the biggest book-to-film and book-to-TV adaptations, from the adaptations they absolutely loved to the ones that completely missed the point. Plus, they get into the hugely anticipated The Odyssey adaptation, discussing Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic, what was changed from the original poem, the missing intimacy and sexuality,

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52:15

The Best Books of 2026 So Far (WE CRIED!)

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/08/17

In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Sophie and Chaya round up the best books of the year so far and it's not just their own picks. They've spent hours combing through every major "best of" list from Goodreads, The New York Times and NPR, then added their own favourites, submissions from Bibliofilles Insiders, and an exclusive segment from senior editors across Spotify Audiobooks worldwide.From the most talked-about book of the year to a lit RPG series flying completely under the radar, a

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47:41

Inside Publishings AI Panic

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/08/10

We've spoken to authors, journalists, teachers, data privacy lawyers, and sources inside publishing who've asked to remain anonymous and we're bringing you the inside scoop on what's actually being discussed behind closed doors. In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Sophie and Chaya step away from book recommendations to tackle something bigger: what AI is actually doing to books, authors, and the publishing industry right now. From a warehouse guillotine slicing book spines for AI training data

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42:29

Your Summer Reading List Needs This

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/08/03

In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Sophie and Chaya challenge the idea of the traditional summer read and explore whether the best books for summer are really the ones topping every bestseller list. From literary fiction, Greek mythology retellings, and dystopian classics to romance, thrillers, BookTok favourites, and underrated novels, we share the books we genuinely believe deserve a place on your summer reading list—whether you're relaxing on the beach, by the pool, or curled up at

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44:28

Claire Daverley: Why Her Second Novel Nearly Broke Her

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/07/27

Do you have a Bren? 💔📖This month's Bibliofilles Book Club pick is Claire Daverley's hugely anticipated second novel, People in Love the follow-up to the word-of-mouth phenomenon Talking at Night. Chaya and Sophie sit down with Claire to talk about writing a love triangle with no villain, why the ending had to be both "inevitable and surprising," and the pressure of following up a debut that outgrew every expectation. They get into grief and secondary grief, writing a mother's mental illness

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58:27

What The Movie Didn't Tell You... | The Odyssey

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/07/20

Why has The Odyssey survived for over 3,000 years? ⚔️📚This week, Chaya and Sophie dive into Homer's The Odyssey to explore why it's considered one of the greatest stories ever told. From the hero's journey and Greek mythology to translation debates, feminism, trauma, hospitality, and the enduring question of what makes someone a hero, they unpack the epic that shaped Western literature. They debate one of literature's most divisive protagonists, explore the women at the heart of the story -

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44:50

What Really Happens Inside Cults?

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/07/13

What's the difference between a community and a cult? According to researchers and survivors not as much as you'd think. In this episode of The Bibliofilles, we're going deep on one of the most fascinating, disturbing and frankly addictive topics out there: cults. We cover the psychology of why ordinary, intelligent people join them, the language that keeps them in, and why the world we live in now has made all of us more vulnerable than ever. We discuss: •⁠ ⁠Hannah Murray's (Skins, Game of

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37:45

Jodie Harsh: The Story I Couldn't Keep Inside

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/07/06

She's been sober for 16 years. Before that, she was deep in London's club scene, doing d*ugs with celebrities, DJing alongside Alexander McQueen, and watching people around her not make it out alive. In this episode, DJ, producer and author Jodie joins us to talk about her debut memoir "You Had to Be There: An Odyssey Through Noughties London, One Night at a Time" and she does not hold back. We talk about: •⁠ ⁠Sneaking into the London Astoria at 15 with a fake ID and finding her "tribe" •⁠

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44:20

Why Are We All Obsessed With Unhinged Women

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/06/29

We sat down with the incredible Imani Thompson to talk about her debut novel Honey and wow, did it deliver! 🍯📚 We talked about how she crafted Yrsa as a loveable, relatable, yet terrifying protagonist (think Villanelle from Killing Eve), why she leaned so heavily into humour to explore such dark themes, and how she wove critical race theory and Afropessimism naturally into a propulsive, page-turning plot. We also get into the real world inspirations behind the book from incel culture and the

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41:05

Looksmaxxing | Has Wellness Gone Too Far?

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/06/22

When does wellness become a problem? This week on The Bibliofilles, we're diving into one of the most urgent cultural conversations of the moment looks maxing and optimisation culture and exploring it through the lens of literature. From viral influencers using extreme methods to "engineer" attractiveness, to the Fitbit-ification of reading via Goodreads targets, we unpack how the obsession with maximising every aspect of life is quietly making us miserable and why fiction saw it all

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77:30

Sarah A Parker: I Risked Everything

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/06/15

Chaya sits down with the author of the moment New York Times, Sunday Times, Australian and New Zealand bestseller Sarah A. Parker for the most emotional, raw and revelatory interview The Bibliofilles has ever recorded.We're diving into When the Moon Hatched and the newly released sequel The Ballad of Falling Dragons in a completely spoiler-free deep dive that will leave you absolutely wrecked (in the best way). In this episode, Sarah opens up about: - The real man who inspired Kahn yes, he

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27:48

The Truth About the Off Campus Obsession

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/06/08

Off Campus has become one of the biggest TV sensations of 2026, taking over streaming charts, BookTok and social media feeds around the world.In this episode we discuss the hit adaptation of Elle Kennedy's bestselling romance series and why audiences have become completely obsessed with Garrett, Hannah, Dean and the Briar University crew. We explore the show's addictive storytelling, its portrayal of consent and healthy relationships, the representation of sexual assault and trauma, and why so

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28:46

How Do You Follow a Global Phenomenon Like Hamnet? |...

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/06/05

Maggie O'Farrell joins The Bibliofilles to discuss her extraordinary new novel, Land.In this wide-ranging conversation, Maggie explores the Irish history, mythology and landscape that inspired the book, the lasting legacy of the Great Hunger, and why the land itself becomes a living character in her fiction. We also discuss historical research, writing authentic historical novels, family, memory, grief, parenthood, and the stories of ordinary people caught inside major historical

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43:06

Governments Don’t Want You Reading These Books

The Bibliofilles ·

2026/06/02

What happens when society decides certain books are too dangerous to read? In this episode of the Bibliofilles Podcast, we explore the shocking history of banned books, censorship, moral panic, and the stories that powerful institutions have tried to silence. From 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, we discuss the novels that sparked outrage, political fear, religious backlash, and cultural

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