It’s official — Flesh by David Szalay (Jonathan Cape) has won the Booker Prize 2025, and the Bookies are here to react!

Aaron, Colin, Lucy & Hannah unpack the result — with Aaron diving deeper into the novel after his re-read and celebrating becoming the first host to successfully predict the Booker winner (from the two shortlists we’ve covered so far!).

We also hear from Bob the Bookerer, who shares his reaction to the win and thoughts on the Booker’s choice this year.

🎧 Missed our full in-depth review of Flesh?
👉 Listen here

📚 What’s Next for the Bookies

The team discuss what’s coming up next — including more literary prize lists, shortlisted reads, and award-winning novels. We want to know what you want us to cover next, so send us your suggestions!

📩 Get in touch via Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub) or email bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com

🌊 Returning Soon: Eden’s Shore Read-Along

Lucy & Aaron will soon be wrapping up their chapter-by-chapter read-along of Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan, including the final chapters and a special interview with the author himself!

🏅 Introducing… The Bookies’ Favourites!

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our very own award show, The Bookies’ Favourites — celebrating our picks for the best books we’ve read this year. More details coming soon!

**This episode was recorded before Flesh was announced as the Booker Prize 2025 winner***

We’re onto book five of the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist with Flesh by David Szalay — a look at how others can influence our lives and define the relationships we form.

📅 Coming Up Next

Next week: our final shortlisted title, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (Hamish Hamilton). 🌙

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

It’s time for our Booker Prize 2025 finale predictions! The Bookies sit down to rank all six shortlisted books, share their personal winner picks, and look at the bookies’ odds to see who the experts think will take home this year’s prize.

We’re also joined (in spirit!) by some returning friends of the podcast:
📚 @bobthebookerer
📖 @dymphnaflynn
📘 @afewofchifavoritethings
💡 Plus, Maddi from @bookswithmaddi shares her Audition theory!

📚 The 2025 Booker Prize Shortlist

Here’s the full shortlist, in the order we covered them on the podcast:

1️⃣ Audition by Katie Kitamura — Fern Press
 🎧 Listen to our episode on Audition
 💬 Featured Bookie: @bobthebookerer

2️⃣ The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller — Sceptre
 🎧 Listen to our episode on The Land in Winter

3️⃣ Flashlight by Susan Choi — Jonathan Cape
 🎧 Listen to our episode on Flashlight
 📱 Aaron hasn’t read this one yet, but will be posting his reaction on social media before the winner is announced.

4️⃣ The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits — Faber
 🎧 Listen to our episode on The Rest of Our Lives
 💬 Featured Bookie: @dymphnaflynn

5️⃣ Flesh by David Szalay — Jonathan Cape
 🎧 Listen to our episode on Flesh

6️⃣ The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny by Kiran Desai — Hamish Hamilton
 🎧 Listen to our episode on The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny
 📖 Colin hasn’t yet read this one.

🗣️ Share Your Reaction!

The winner is announced on Monday, and we want to hear your thoughts!
📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

We’ve reached the final book on the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist! This week, Aaron, Hannah, and Lucy discuss The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny by Kiran Desai — a tender, multi-layered story exploring how the two titular characters navigate love, family, and belonging, both in India and beyond.

The team dive into Desai’s luminous prose, the emotional depth of her characters, and how this novel fits within the broader themes of this year’s shortlist.

We also give a special shout-out to our friends at @bookfarepod — go give them a listen for more great bookish chats! 🎧

📅 Coming Up Next

📊 Tomorrow: our Final Rankings & Predictions episode — including the Bookies’ odds ahead of Monday’s Booker Prize 2025 winner announcement.
🏆 Then: our Winner Reaction episode, dropping after the announcement!

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

Which book do you think will take home the prize?

This week, the team hit the road with The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits — a story of midlife crisis, family tensions, and health struggles, all unfolding across a cross-country road trip through the US. Opinions are divided on this one, but there’s plenty to discuss!

Our Bookie of the Week is @dymphnaflynn — book reviewer, Costa Book Awards Judge 2021, and former BBC Arts producer — sharing her thoughts on this Booker-shortlisted novel.

We also hear from listeners in the book club who’ve been reading along, and of course, Aaron brings back Read It & Eat It, cooking up a batch of pancakes inspired by the book. 🥞

Judging the Book by Its Cover

Next up: Flesh by David Szalay (Jonathan Cape). We take a first look at the cover and share our early expectations.

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

Share your thoughts on The Rest of Our Lives and join the discussion for Flesh!

This week, Lucy, Hannah, and Colin discuss Flashlight by Susan Choi — a sharp, layered story that shines a beam on identity, family, and the fragments that make up a life. The three of them unpack Choi’s lengthy tale.

📅 Coming Up Next

Next week: The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits (Faber) 📘

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

Share your thoughts on Flashlight or your first impressions of The Rest of Our Lives!

This week, Colin, Lucy, and Hannah brave the chill as they discuss The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller — a historical novel set against a fierce blizzard and the frozen backdrop of political and personal turmoil.

Do they have a frosty opinion on this Booker-shortlisted story, or does it warm their hearts? Hannah also dives into another of her trademark “odd chapters”—you’ll have to listen to find out which one!

📅 Coming Up Next

Next week: Flashlight by Susan Choi (Jonathan Cape) 🔦

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com
📖 Read our written reviews on Goodreads

Share your thoughts or theories to be featured in a future episode!

This week we dive into the first book on the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist: Audition by Katie Kitamura (Fern Press). The novel is split into two distinct parts, exploring the life of an aging Broadway actress and her shifting relationships with those around her.

Our Bookie of the Week is @bobthebookerer on Instagram—make sure to also check out his YouTube channel for more bookish content!

📚 In This Episode

✨ Breaking down the dual structure of Audition
✨ Our classic “Rename the Novel” segment
🥐 Read It & Eat It: Aaron snacks on a croissant straight from the pages—see the pic on our Instagram!
✨ Listener reactions and book club thoughts

📅 Coming Up Next

Have you read other books by Katie Kitamura? We’d love to hear what you thought of them.

Next week: The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller (Sceptre) ❄️

💬 Get Involved

📸 Instagram (@bookiesfavouritebookclub)
📩 bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com
📖 Check out our written reviews on Goodreads

Share your thoughts to be featured in an upcoming episode!