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The Palace on the Higher Hill is both a novel about the West Bank and also a contemporary French novel in its structure and references. It is about the collapse of a monied, cosmopolitan, high-class Christian Palestinian family and what happens after such a family has collapsed.  Faysal returns to his homeland after the death of an aunt he barely remembers, only to be confronted by the ghosts of his family's past. The Palace on the Higher Hill is a novel about love, belonging, family, queerness, language, food, home, community, place, joy and hate. It is a powerful poetic read. Published before the events of 7 October, The Palace on the Higher Hill offers a completely different vision of Palestine. Everyone has a story and there are so many dimensions that lie beyond the usual narratives, with lots of nuance, when writing about Palestine. The BookBlast® Translation Book Club meets in person on the second Monday of each month, hosted by Georgia de Chamberet, at Hatchards, Piccadilly, to discuss recently published works of fiction in English translation. Hear special guest, Richard Village, linguist, translator and founder of Foundry Editions, give insights into The Palace on the Higher Hill by Karim Kattan translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman. Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | Edited by Gemma Jackson | A BookBlast® Production

A surreal, subversive, richly allegorical work that explores political anxiety, complacency and desire through a magical realist lens, Owlish was widely praised by critics in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The New Yorker. Professor Q falls in love with a music-box ballerina Aliss, as she mysteriously comes to life. Encouraged by his strange friend Owlish, Q is swept into an obsessive, fantastical love affair with Aliss, as the 2020 student protests in Hong Kong escalate and the National Security Law is implemented. Hear book club members discuss Owlish and why it left such a lasting impression. Recorded by BookBlast® CIC | Edited by Gemma Jackson #Podcast #BookDiscussion #travel #chineseliterature

What inspires a reader to choose one book and not another? Do readers' groups stick to safe books only? Are marketing segmentation and persona-creation such a good idea? To what extent, in reality, are readers influenced by celebrity book clubs? In this episode of the BookBlast® Podcast, we explore the comfort zones of modern reading culture and the value of reading experience over academic value judgments as we sit down with Rachel Van Riel, the visionary innovator behind Opening the Book and reader-centric site, whichbook.net Tune in to find out how to break free from the algorithms and publishing industry hype holding your bookshelf hostage. Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | A BookBlast® Production | 00:48:28

Book Club Lovers of Franz K. Burhan Sönmez with Kirsty Gunn, novelist Lovers of Franz K. by Burhan Sönmez appears to be focused on the fate of Ferdy Kaplan who is arrested in 1968 West Berlin for killing a twenty-year-old student at a bus stop, and seriously injuring an elderly man who turns out to be Max Brod, literary executor of Franz Kafka. Kommissar Müller’s interrogation of Kaplan about his motives evolves as a series of mind games as interrogator and suspect spar in a mental representation of conflict. Ultimately, however, Lovers of Franz K is an interrogation about whether Max Brod was right or wrong for not burning Kafka’s manuscripts.    Recorded live at the Bookblast Book Club in March 2026, this wide-ranging discussion at Hatchards Piccadilly includes insights from Kirsty Gunn, novelist and professor of creative writing. The conversation covers the impact of storytelling on our perception of reality, the responsibilities of a literary executor, the ‘living momentum' of a work of literature once it enters the public sphere, and more. Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | Edited by Gemma Jackson | A BookBlast® Production

The Winter Warriors by Olivier Norek, beautifully translated by Nick Caistor, out with Open Borders Press, is based on the forgotten conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union known as the Winter War. Norek draws on genuine battles and hardships which he researched in person by spending time on the ground, visiting the sites of key battles to get a very real feel of the distances, the extreme icy cold, the psychological stakes, the fear, and what the steely underdog resistance of the Finns was up against. Former cop Olivier Norek has proved himself to be one of France’s master thriller writers, with several works adapted for Netflix. Now turning to historical fiction, he proves that his range is as formidable as his skill. The Winter Warriors has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in France, won three major awards as well as being shortlisted for five others.  Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | Edited by Zoe Milton | A BookBlast® Production

Byron and the Beauty: A Turkish Tale by Muharem Bazdulj, translated by John Cox (2016), is an atmospheric, fictional reimagining of Lord Byron’s 1809 travels through the Balkans. Set over two weeks in October, the novel blends history, romance, and myth as Byron becomes captivated by the elusive Zulejha whom he barely encounters, yet he becomes obsessed. The lyricism and evocative atmosphere of the wild mountains and nature surrounding the travellers evokes the spirit of Byron’s Eastern-inspired works like The Giaour. Themes of East-West cultural exchange and sevdah — a deep, melancholic longing — run throughout creating a haunting Ottoman-era romantic fantasy rooted in Balkan life. Perfect for listeners drawn to historical fiction, poetic storytelling and romantic myth. Hear publisher Susan Curtis from Istros Books in conversation with Georgia de Chamberet and book club members, discussing Byron and the Beauty at Hatchards Piccadilly (April 2025). Recorded by BookBlast® CIC  Edited by Gemma Jackson

Shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker and read on BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime, Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix is a stark, tragic, beautifully written novel which confronts the moral bankruptcy and paralysis of Western humanism and liberalism in the face of one of the humanitarian crises of our time. Set against the backdrop of desperate migrants attempting to cross the English Channel from France, the novel challenges the indifference and collective responsibility of France and the United Kingdom squabbling over who is responsible while lives continue to be lost. Hear Helen Stevenson in conversation with Georgia de Chamberet and book club members discussing Small Boat at Hatchards Piccadilly (February 2026). Recorded by BookBlast® CIC  Edited by Gemma Jackson

Anton Chekhov’s short stories are staples of English literature degrees and creative writing courses alike, yet his earliest stories written between the ages of twenty and twenty-two are often overlooked. This volume of Chekov’s Earliest Stories: Stories, Novellas, Humoresques, 1880–1882, edited by Rosamund Bartlett and Elena Michajlowska, provides the first comprehensive English translation of the fifty-eight pieces Chekhov wrote as a medical student to earn some extra kopeks. It is the outcome of a remarkable international collaboration of eighty-three volunteer translators from nine countries over ten years. Brisk, brutal and mischievously observant, these early stories by the young Chekhov already reveal the psychological insight and humanity that would later define his work as a dramatist. Presented by Georgia de Chamberet A BookBlast® Production

“He wanted to forget not only what he’d done, but above all the person he was when he did it and the reasons he’d become so corrupt.” A man on the run breaks into an unoccupied flat in an isolated, half-abandoned Spanish housing development, left unfinished after the 2008 crash, where a small group of neighbours struggles to live normally. What happens when a man in hiding collides with a community already living on the edge? How far can you really run from yourself? The BookBlast® Translation Book Club meets in person on the second Monday of each month, hosted by Georgia de Chamberet, at Hatchards, Piccadilly, to discuss recently published works of fiction in English translation. Hear special guest, Richard Village, linguist, translator and founder of Foundry Editions, given insights into Far by Rosa Ribas translated by Charlotte Coombe. Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | Edited by Gemma Jackson | A BookBlast® Production

The BookBlast® Translation Book Club meets in person on the second Monday of each month, hosted by Georgia de Chamberet, at Hatchards, Piccadilly, to discuss works of fiction in English translation published in the last ten years. Hear special guest at our December translation book club, Frank Wynne, translator of The National Telepathy by Roque Larraquy (Charco Press, 2025). A heavyweight translator of contemporary French and Spanish literature, he has worked with  authors Michel Houellebecq, Patrick Modiano, Frédéric Beigbeder, Virginie Despentes, Pierre Lemaitre and Jean-Patrick Manchette among many others. He has received many translation prizes and is frequently been shortlisted. Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | Edited by Gemma Jackson | A BookBlast® Production | 00:28:22

Elena Knows, Claudia Piñeiro translated by Frances Riddle, out with Charco Press, discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly, London, in person with the author and her publisher. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022.  Elena Knows explores themes of illness, the influence of the Catholic Church, the mother-daughter relationship, and the oppressive social expectations placed on women. The narrative unfolds through Elena's internal monologue after her daughter is found hanging in the belfry of the church. She refuses to believe that her daughter committed suicide as she never went near the church. Her interactions with Father Juan, Inspector Avellaneda and Dr Benegas leave her feel unheard and frustrated, exacerbated as her Parkinson's disease progresses. The discussion also covers some of Piñeiro’s other novels and fiction in Argentina.   With simultaneous translation from the Spanish by Carolina Orloff from Charco Press. 35 minutes  #podcast #bookclub

Fathers and Fugitives by S. J. Naude translated by Michiel Heyns, out with Europa Editions, discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly, London.  Fathers and Fugitives follows Daniel, a gay journalist in London, who becomes involved with a Serbian couple after meeting them at the Tate Modern. What begins as a casual, sexually charged relationship evolves into a one-sided financial arrangement. The pair suddenly vanishes then reappears the trio embark on a strange trip across Europe, ending with a tragic event in Belgrade. The second part of the novel shifts to South Africa, where Daniel cares for his dying father. He will inherit his father’s estate under the condition that he spends time with his cousin, Theon, on his isolated farm in the Free state. The narrative closes on an unexpected twist. A beautifully written, bleak exploration of loneliness and loss, Fathers and Fugitives is an odd and illuminating read. 21 minutes  #podcast #bookclub

Record of a Night Too Brief by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Lucy North, published by Pushkin Press discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly, London.  Record of a Night Too Brief is a collection of three surreal novellas imbued with a particular kind of magical realism that veer at times into the absurd, creating a tapestry of strange poetic imagery, episodes of bizarre shape-shifting, time warps, and a resonant exploration of identity, love, loss. What is real? What is a dream? The boundaries are blurred. The discussion includes insights about the art of translation by Nicky Harman, translator from the Chinese, and Aneesa Higgins, translator from the French. In April 2025, Hiromi Kawakami's novel, Under the Eye of the Big Bird, translated by Asa Yoneda, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.

A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare translated by John Hodgson discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly Ismail Kadare, the renowned Albanian novelist and poet, navigated the oppressive environment of communist Albania under dictator Enver Hoxha. This unusual book is based around Stalin’s alleged three-minute telephone call to Boris Pasternak. The discussion examined the relationship between dictators and writers, the power of fear and the game of divide and rule and everyone playing off each other, Osip Mandelstam and the gulag, Stalin’s purges of the intelligentsia, whether Stalin favoured Pasternak the way Lenin favoured Gorky, Putin’s regime today, Anna Politkovskaya and censorship, methods of eliminating those who speak out against a dictator, and more. The discussion includes insights from publisher Christopher MacLehose.

Clara Reads Proust by Stephane Carlier translated by Polly Mackintosh discussed at the BookBlast Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly. Set in part in a hairdresser's salon in regional France this engaging novel about how Proust changes Clara's life answers many questions including: Why read Proust?; how can a book change your life?; the beauty of Proust's descriptions; Proust and Ernaux as observers of the zeitgeist; what lies behind the image; Proust suffering from the Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome and its impact; Proust's sexuality; Gallimard's publication in 2021 of never-before-published work by Proust; differences and parallels between the reading cultures of England and France; Proust: A Family Novel by Laure Murat, and more.