TGE's Current Read

• Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

  On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, your host Sam Herbst chats with Holly Brickley, one of this year’s HOTTEST new authors, whose debut novel Deep Cuts has already made Hollywood inroads. Silver screen stars Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler have already been named as the leads in A24’s film adaptation, with the progressive film company set to start production on the movie soon (if not already!) having snatched up rights long before the novel’s official publication date.However, behind MANY a great movie is – of course – an even greater book. We are so privileged to have Holly join us on the pod to chat about her writing journey, what inspired her novel, and why she set it against the very unique backdrop of the early 2000s music industry.With an accompanying Spotify playlist (of course), Deep Cuts is SO Millennials-coded, tapping into 90s and noughties nostalgia that’ll have you going back to the CD burns of your carefree high school days. Even so, this novel does so well to bridge the generational gap, appealing to Ben Xers and Gen Zers all the same, with infuriatingly relatable and lovable characters that stay with you long after the final chapter. Tune in for more from the author and a BTS look into the makings of our generation’s next pop culture phenomenon. If you loved Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow and David Nicholls’ One Day, this debut novel is right up your alley, and this hot new author is ONE. TO. WATCH.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBEAnd tell us what you think of the episode 🫶🏽__#booktube #bookrecs #bookstagram #debutnovel #deepcuts #2000s #earlyaughts #popculture #musicindustry #A24 #hollybrickley #lovestory #romcom #firstlove @A24@jonathanballpublishers2050

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• Parent Yourself First by Bryana Kappadakunnel

  Joining hosts Sam and Charlene on this episode of TGE's Current Read is licensed marriage and family therapist – and founder of the popular Conscious Mommy community on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok – Bryana Kappadakunnel.Bryana’s book, Parent Yourself First, gives readers a look into how your upbringing is probably impacting your parenting style in ways you don't even fully recognise: from how you manage your own emotions to how you connect with your kids in their vulnerable moments. According to Bryana, the secret to successful parenting is to unlearn the wounded patterns you grew up with and create new ways to connect with your child. As the book acknowledges, many of us did not have a perfect childhood. BUT, through intentionality and mindfulness, this powerhouse therapist and conscious parenting expert has helped many parents transform into the parent they were always meant to be.With rich insight and expert parenting support, Bryana Kappadakunnal, AKA Conscious Mommy, has condensed more than a decade's worth of knowledge into a reference book jam-packed with personal parenting stories, relatable anecdotes, and a user-friendly toolkit to mindful parenting.Join us on a wild ride of self discovery and inner child healing, which was much more emotional (in a good way!) than we anticipated.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBEAnd tell us what you think of the episode 🫶🏽__#consciousparenting #consciousparent #parentingpodcast #innerchild #innerchildhealing #innerchildwounds #shadowwork #motherhood #parentingpodcast #booktube #parentingbooks  ⁨@consciousmommy⁩   ⁨@jonathanballpublishers2050⁩  

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• The Death of Us by Abigail Dean

  On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, Sam speaks to New York Times bestselling author Abigail Dean about her latest novel, The Death of Us.  Best known for her first novel Girl A, which was a runaway success and an instant bestseller, Abigail’s writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, the Times and the New York Times. The former lawyer is also the author of Day On, with The Death of Us soon to grace the nightstands of reader the world over.  A captivating portrait of a marriage and its implosion, The Death of Us digs into the stories we tell ourselves about love — and everything love can bear.It is possibly one of the most hauntingly accurate love stories in popular fiction today, with the page-turning qualities of Stephen King, and the devastating depth of a Sally Rooney. This is an examination of the human condition at its finest, and an exploration of life, living and relationships after trauma. Please join us for this fascinating discussion with one of the most astute authors we’ve interviewed to date. __🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBEAnd tell us what you think of the episode 📚 __For more on The Death of Us, here’s the blurb:It’s the night we never talk about. It’s the story the world wants to hear.But this isn’t the story of that night. This is the story of us.Together, Edward and Isabel move to London. They are young and in love, occupied by friends, work and fun. But late on a spring evening when they are thirty years old, their home is invaded by a serial killer. In the wake of this violation, each tries to come to terms with a night that changed everything — and their marriage begins to crumble. Twenty-five years later, their tormentor is caught, and Edward and Isabel reunite for his sentencing. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be brought to justice. Edward has tried to think about anything else. As they prepare to deliver impact statements in the public eye, it is time to revisit their love story. Will they finally be able to confront the secrets, longings and lies that tore them apart? Or will the horror of that night be the death of them?

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• All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

  On this episode of TGE's Current Read, Sam and Charlene interview Sarah Harman, author of the most anticipated reads of 2025, so named by Readers Digest, Publishers Weekly, The Sunday Times Style, Time Magazine and Marie Claire. A satirical domestic thriller, All the Other Mothers Hate Me follows single mother and washed-up former girl-band singer Florence Grimes, who slums around London spending dwindling royalty checks on elaborate nail art. That is, until bully Alfie Risby, the 10-year-old heir to a frozen food empire, mysteriously vanishes on a class trip. The bigger problem? Florence’s son Dylan is high on the list of suspects and, on the day of Alfie’s disappearance, Florence finds the missing boy's backback – and a journal with some incriminating diary entries – under Dylan’s bed. A sardonic ode to modern motherhood, All the Other Mothers Hate Me won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2023 and generated significant buzz at the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair. This put the novel at the centre of a nine-way British auction (won by Fourth Estate), and an equally competitive North American auction (with rumours of a seven-figure deal). Naturally, it wasn’t long before the book was optioned for a television adaptation, with the rights secured by Christopher Storer, creator of award-winning dark comedy series The Bear. Sarah Harman is a recovering journalist living in London with over a decade of experience in breaking major news around the world. Most recently, Sarah was a foreign correspondent for NBC News, where she reported from five continents for Today, MSNBC and Nightly News. But, according to the author, Plan A imploded, leading to Plan B which, like any of the best menty bs, was an idea for the most anticipated novel of 2025. Sarah shares more about her writing journey, moments in her life where "all the other mothers" have hated her, and a moment of invisibility that made it into the book. We also chat about who we think might be a perfect on-screen fit for some of Harman's characters, and what we really think about mother-focused MLM schemes... Gang's all here! We're just waiting for you 😉😏 __ 🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBE And tell us what you think of the episode 🫶🏽 NB Links: https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/fourth-estate-triumphs-in-nine-way-auction-for-harmans-unputdownable-debut https://reelchicago.com/article/the-bear-creator-lands-rights-to-new-fx-series/ __ #authorinterviews #debutnovel #currentread #motherhood #parentingpodcast #booktube

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  48:49
• AUTHOR INSIGHT | Samantha Shannon

  Just before The Dark Mirror was finalised for early readers, TGE's Current Read host Sam Herbst caught up with epic fantasy author Samantha Shannon to pick her genius brain about the worlds her readers have come to adore. Best known for her epic fantasy tome Priory of the Orange Tree (a high-fantasy feminist retelling of St George and the Dragon), Samantha Shannon came to fame as a young writer for dystopian The Bone Season series. Interestingly, Shannon chose to rewrite The Bone Season series in celebration of her debut's tenth anniversary. She finished the author's preferred text just before the publication of the much-anticipated fifth instalment, The Dark Mirror. Shannon offloads on TGE's Current Read, filling us in about her decision to revisit The Bone Season books, what we can expect from The Dark Mirror, and what's next in the pipeline for the Roots of Chaos series. She also chats about her writing process, how she deals with chronic illness, and what she thinks about being touted as "the feminist JRR Tolkien". __ LISTEN. LIKE. SHARE. SUBSCRIBE, Let us know what you think of our interview (and which author you'd like for us to chat with next). __ #samanthashannon #dystopianfantasy #currentread #epicfantasybooks #thedarkmirror #fantasyfans #authorinterviews #authortube

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