Advertise on podcast: The 15 Minute Book Club

Leander Sharlockens joins us to discuss his new book about the US Men's National Team, The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, and we trace the uneven history of the U.S. men’s national team, from its early struggles and the 1950 win over England through the long period when the programme was underfunded and disorganised to today's hopes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780593653876 UK Amazon Link: https://amzn.eu/d/0el47ixp Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub 0:00 Introduction to U.S. Soccer 3:17 Title IX’s Soccer Boom 6:19 From Glory to Collapse 7:34 Team America Disaster 10:28 Youth Soccer and Dropout 11:51 A Country, Not a Nation 13:53 Europe Beckons American Players 16:33 Adu’s Rise and Fall 17:56 Choosing the Book’s Profiles 19:45 The Berhalter Debate 21:24 World Cup Expectations Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After much pestering, we have the author of Alex's favourite recent read joining us! Gareth L. Powell's latest is Jitterbug, in which a crew of bounty hunters find themselves ensnared in a conspiracy on the very fringes of the devastated solar system, in a ship that acts like a parrot. Alex was very happy. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy Jittberbug by Gareth L. Powell at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781835414514 US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781835414514 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Fifth Crusade was unlike any other. It was the first to invade Egypt, a story filled with adventure and intrigue, yet it often gets overshadowed by its predecessors. Dr. Thomas Smith joins us to tell the untold tale of this epic campaign, where the Crusaders faced more than just battles; they encountered a land filled with ancient history and the remnants of powerful empires. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt by Thomas Smith at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780300283952 US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780300283952 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the 15-Minute Book Club, Adrian Goldsworthy joins us to delve into the rivalry between Athens and Sparta in the 5th century BC and their continued influence on us today. Plus, we ask just how much of ancient history is just made up. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781800245426 US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781541619982 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub You can find all of Adrian's books below, including the fab Ferox series! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=adrian+goldsworthy US Link: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Adrian+Goldsworthy Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no room to swing a cat this week as we are wall to wall cats! Author Alex Howard joins us to tell us about Archie the streetwise cat's odyssey in his new book, The Ship's Cat, and he has just 15 minutes to convince you to buy it. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Preorder The Ship's Cat by Alex Howard at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781785307706 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Holland joins us to convince you to buy his upcoming book, The Visionaries: The Making of the Post World War II Order in the West in just 15 minutes! James' new book looks at the politics and economics of WW2 in a change of gear from his usual campaign focus. Let us know if he convinced you in the comments!  Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy The Visionaries: The Making of the Post World War II Order in the West by James Holland at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link (7 May): https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780857509710 US Link (26 May): https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780802168078 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The sale of Chelsea FC in 2022 saw politics play a vital role in the sale of football. Nick Purewal, the then AP correspondent assigned to Chelsea had a ringside seat to the remarkable £2 billion pound sale. Nick joins us to discuss interviewing everyone from Roman Abramovich down with Chelsea fan Alex and Matt, who couldn't care less... Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781785909894 There is no US Bookshop link, so here is the link for that other bookstore place we don't really like, but hey, what can you do... https://a.co/d/06OJiXPK Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 17th March 2026, author Len Deighton passed away at the age of 97. To remember this wonderful author, Boney is in the hot seat as he tries to convince Alex that Bomber is a must read from the extensive cateloge of Deighton's books. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy Len Deighton's Bomber at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780241493700 US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780802161611 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the beginning of the Great Depression, three groups of Germans moved to Floreana Island in the Galápagos to create their own utopia. Over the coming years, paradise crumbled into sex, acrimony, and eventually murder. Author Abbott Kahler joins Alex and Boney to ask what the hell happened and to convince you to buy Abbott's book, in just 15 minutes. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II by Abbott Kahler at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780008729721 US Link - https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780451498663 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our old buddy Kit Chapman joins us to tell us all about his new book, which looks at the global quest to achieve immortality, cure all disease and transmute lead into gold as he reveals the illuminating stories of how the alchemists first broke new ground and shaped the scientific method. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Pre-order The Age of Alchemy: The Secret History of Chemistry from Ancient Magic to Modern Science by Kit Chapman at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link - Out on 30 Apr 2026: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781805221159 US Link - Out on 20 OCT 2026: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781778404177 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In August 1940, a man walked into Leon Trotsky's study in Mexico City and drove an ice pick into his skull. While the death of Trotsky is well known, the paths taken to that fateful day in Mexico City are not, and Josh Ireland had an incredible story tell, but can he convince you to buy his book in just 15 minutes? Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy The Death of Trotsky by Josh Ireland at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781399827294 US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780593187104 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub 0:00 Welcome to the 15 Minute Book Club 1:27 Introducing Our Guest: Josh Ireland 2:20 The Life of Leon Trotsky 6:02 Trotsky's Rivalry with Stalin 12:09 The Plot to Kill Trotsky 13:53 The Assassin: Ramon Mercader 16:37 The Relevance of Trotsky Today Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr. led a political career spanning from1951 to 1980. He was the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till's killers, worked behind the scenes with Martin Luther King Jr., and founded the Congressional Black Caucus. Brown University's Prof. Marion Orr, author of a new biography of Diggs, House of Diggs, has just 15 minutes to convince you to learn more and buy his book. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs, Jr at the links below: UK Link: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/House-of-Diggs-by-Marion-Orr/9781469689326 US Link: https://uncpress.org/9781469689326/house-of-diggs/ Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1970s, extremists like Leila Khaled, Carlos the Jackal, and the Baader-Meinhof Gang captured the world's attention with their hijackings and murders. In The Revolutionists, Jason Burke takes on an incredible journey from how various groups of leftist radicals took on Israel and the West and then morphed into something entirely more dangerous. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781847926067 US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780525659433 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From mockery to global mourning, the last 30 years of David Bowie's life were a creative whirlwind of hits, misses, films and side projects that culminated in two remarkable albums in the years before his death in 2016. Alexander Larman joins us to convince you buy his new Bowie biography, Lazarus: The Second Coming of David Bowie, and he only has 15 minutes to do it. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Buy Lazarus: The Second Coming of David Bowie at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781917923446 US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9798897100804 Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is always great to welcome back old History Hack friends and Vaseem Khan returns with a corcker! Q has been kicked out of MI:6, and when Q's old school chum ends up dead, it's time for him to find out what happened. Vaseem has 15 minutes to convince you to join Q on his new adventure outside of the hallowed walls of The River House. Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Grab your copy of Quantum of Menace at the 15-Minute Book Club Bookshop.org. 10% of every sale supports the show while also ensuring authors and independent bookshops get their fair share too: UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781804188651 No US release just yet. Watch this space! Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us! UK Link:  US Link:  Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below: (UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub (US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.