On this episode of TGE’s Current Read we welcome back international bestselling author Cecelia Ahern, who is currently promoting her latest novel, Paper Heart.Paper Heart is a story about dreams, having the courage to turn them into a reality, and being brave enough to open your heart to the possibility of love and truly living.We meet Pip – a passenger in her own story – whose life has been grounded and largely uneventful since she had her daughter, Bella, at 16. Having shamed her parents by being a pregnant teen, Pip hands over the reins to her controlling mother, becoming trapped in a life empty of the hopes and dreams she once aspired to.Much like the origami poems Pip so diligently writes and folds away, Pip is made smaller by circumstance, but begins to unfold over the course of the novel, opening herself up to realise that the world is bigger than her small-town setting, that life has so much more to offer her. Cecelia chats with Sam about what inspired Pip’s character, what made the author weave in the golden thread of origami art, and what motivated her to write a novel about the many ways we dig – ‘physically into the earth, mentally and spiritually into the sky and universe, and emotionally into our own hearts’.We’re also treated to a reading by the author and get a sneak peek into what Cecelia is currently reading and, of course, what she’s working on next.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBE#CeceliaAhern #PaperHeart #AuthorInterview #BookPodcast #BookTube #FictionBooks #ContemporaryFiction #CurrentReadPodcast #BookDiscussion #ReadersLifThis episode of TGE’s Current Read was brought to you in part by Jonathan Ball Publishers.
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Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, Sam Herbst welcomes award-winning Indian-British author Gurnaik Johal for an in-depth author interview. No stranger to fiction, Gurnaik won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2022 for his short story collection, We Move, among other accolades.Now venturing into the realm of longform fiction, Gurnaik’s debut novel Saraswati has been listed among Observer’s Best Debut Novels for 2025 and was a finalist for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize.Described as “an ambitious panoramic portrait” (The Guardian) and a “roaring deluge of a novel” (Jon McGregor), Saraswati connects the lives of seven distant relatives whose ancestors were all named after different tributaries of Northern India’s holy Saraswati river.In this conversation, Gurnaik shares the genesis of Saraswati – the seed that sprouted this sprawling story. He also reflects on his passion for folktales in fiction, his place within the Indian diaspora literature tradition, the sociopolitical themes his work explores, and how the dystopian elements in Saraswati became a self-fulfilling prophecy.As with every Current Read episode, we enjoy a live author reading and chat about Gurnaik’s latest inspirations and creative process.Join us for this literary podcast discussion, and let us know what you think of the episode.__🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBE#GurnaikJohal #SaraswatiNovel #AuthorInterview #ContemporaryFiction #CurrentRead #DebutNovels2025 #IndianDiasporaLiteratureThis episode of TGE’s Current Read was brought to you in part by Jonathan Ball Publishers.
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The Tradwife's Secret by Liane Child
On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, we chat with author Liane Child, whose addictive new thriller, The Tradwife’s Secret, will have you turning the pages well into the wee hours, with a twist you probably won’t see coming.This is a novel that, according to one reviewer, reads like an episode right out of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Aside from being a good old-fashioned domestic romp, it scratches a very particular itch for anyone familiar (read: obsessed) with the explosive – and divisive – trad wife phenomenon. If this is you, you’ve probably had one too many Nara Smith midnight scrolls, or ventured into the Hannah Neeleman Ballerina Farm rabbit hole and come back to tell the tale.Sound familiar? Then this book is the one for you.Against the backdrop of a fun and fast-paced thriller, Liane Child unpacks some major overarching themes – right-wing conservatism, pro-family/anti-feminist values, and the pitfalls of living your life online (or taking life advice from people who do). It’s a book that lightens the mood around particularly divisive topics while using fiction to shed light on the problematic nature of the trad wife trend, and why it’s so enticing.Sam and Charlene touch base with the author about her personal obsession with the trad wife trend and why she decided to write a book about it. Avoiding spoilers, we chat about characters, plot, and setting, as well as why 'domestic thriller' was the perfect genre for this tale.Join us as we deep-dive into the wild world of Montana-based influencer Ms Madison March and – as always – let us know what you think of this episode.__ 🖤 LISTEN 💛 LIKE 🖤 SHARE 💛 SUBSCRIBE__#DomesticThriller #ThrillerBooks #PsychologicalThriller #NewBookRelease #TradWife #TradWifeTrend #TraditionalWife #FemininityMovement #CurrentRead #MotherhoodUnpluggedThis episode of TGE’s Current Read was brought to you in part by Jonathan Ball Publishers.NB links:Tune into a previous discussion on The Great Equalizer about Tradwives and professional girlfriends (the #nojudgies deep dive): https://youtu.be/lpj5w230RS0?si=CGtFtD35YAoGWZWR
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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
Sam Herbst (co-host of The Great Equalizer) catches up with authors to chat about their books. TGE's Current Read offers word nerds, bibliophiles and literature buffs a glimpse into the mind of an author and showcases the latest books that the world's biggest publishing houses have on offer. Subscribe and join the conversation with TGE and authors from around the globe.
South Africa