The Bibliotherapists

Welcome to the finale episode of The Bibliotherapists! We couldn’t have asked for a better guest to close out Series 3.
This week we’re joined by writer, Anna Wharton. A Sunday Times bestselling author and long-time ghostwriter, Anna has spent decades working with words in all their glorious forms: journalism, memoir, fiction, and an award-winning Substack, White Ink, where writing craft meets feminism. Her own memoir is being published next year.
(She’s also an old friend of Toni’s from their ‘Fleet Street’ days).
Anna writes about (and for) strong women. She’s also raising one, as a single parent to a teenage daughter, and this conversation explores the delights and challenges of choosing writing as a career.
In this conversation Anna reflects on her journey from meeting crazy deadlines in tabloid newsrooms to learning to write solo, and slowly enough to uncover “the story beneath the story.”
We move into her current work; a memoir shaped by the discovery of her grandmother’s time in an asylum, and the wider conversation around autofiction and what we owe the reader when we tell our own stories.

“What I've enjoyed is this slow reveal and the redrafting of this memoir, finding the story beneath the story.”
* Anna Wharton

✨ IN THIS CONVERSATION
* Anna’s love of Deborah Levy, Annie Ernaux, and the books (plural) she loves to gift
* The case for “real life” magazine stories as excellent training material for writers
* Autofiction: where memoir ends and story begins, and why the line is blurrier than we think
* Modelling creativity to your kids (even if they absolutely hate books because of it)
* What Anna learned about the treatment of women in a 1970s psychiatric textbook that left us all speechless
📖 Anna’s Reading List
(and you can see ALL of our guests book picks so far at our Bookshop.org shop)
Written by Anna Wharton:
* The Imposter
* Somebody I Used to Know by Wendy Mitchell (ghostwritten by Anna Wharton)
Mentioned in our conversation
* Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
* Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
* Things I Don’t Want to Know (part of a trilogy by Deborah Levy)
* The Years by Annie Ernaux
* Ghost Stories by Siri Hustvedt
* The Renovation by Kanan Orhan
About The Bibliotherapists
The Bibliotherapists is hosted by Tanya Lynch therapeutic journalling coach and founder of Ease Retreats and Toni Jones founder of The Shelf Help Club.
Each week, we speak to a writer or creative about:
* The books that shaped them
* How reading supports their wellbeing
* Their writing practice and reading habits
* How they use Substack as part of their creative ecosystem
We believe words heal. And we love asking other word nerds questions that get beneath the surface (as well as taking a tour through their book shelves).
This is the last episode of Series 3. But there’s a whole archive to explore at The Bibliotherapists home page.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com

It’s the penultimate episode of The Bibliotherapists Series #3, and we’re not sorry that your reading list is about to get a lot longer.
This week we’re joined by Natasha Poliszczuk, a writer and journalist, Editor-in-Chief of industry bible, BookBrunch, and the voice behind the brilliantly bookish Substack, Book(ish).
Natasha has spent her career shaping conversations across the media landscape, with roles at Condé Nast, Time Inc., and Associated Newspapers as former books editor at You Magazine.
These days, she sits right at the heart of the publishing world, bringing insight, taste and a sharp editorial eye to what and how we read.
Always with a side of excellent style.
In this conversation we explore her journey from glossy magazines to the world of books and what it means to build a life and identity around reading. We speak about career pivots, reading rituals, writing habits for real life, and why returning to stories again and again can be one of the most powerful forms of self-support.
And, as always, there are plenty of recommendations along the way…

“Books make me feel less alone… and remind us that we are more alike than we are unalike.”
* Natasha Poliszczuk

✨ IN THIS CONVERSATION
✨ “Books are the soother of my soul”
Natasha shares how reading has been her lifelong form of therapy, a daily practice that helps her feel grounded, comforted and connected.
✨ Reading makes us feel less alone
Books offer both connection and perspective, even across completely different lives.
✨ A career pivot can be a return, not a reinvention
Natasha describes her move into books as a kind of homecomin, proof that sometimes the thing you loved first is the thing you come back to.
✨ Rereading is not a failure, it’s a tool
In times of stress or uncertainty, Natasha turns to familiar books for comfort, stability and emotional safety.
✨ You don’t find time to read, you choose it
From reading while cooking to carrying multiple books at once, Natasha shows that a rich reading life is built intentionally, not accidentally.
📖 Natasha’s Reading List
(and you can see ALL of our guests book picks so far at our Bookshop.org shop)
Childhood & formative books
* Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
* Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Comfort reads & favourites
* Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
* Persuasion by Jane Austen
* A is for Arsenic by Agatha Christie
Recent & upcoming reads mentioned
* Strangers by Belle Burden
* The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (published 21st May)
* The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (published 7th May)
* The Given World by Melissa Harrison (published 14th May)
* The Golden Hours (the new Cazalet novel) by Louisa Young (published 3rd Sept)
* Sophie Standing There by Meg Mason (published 27th Aug)
* My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy
* Mrs Dickens by Emily Howes (published 11th Jun)
* Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps
* An Ocean in a Day by Hannah Richell
ABOUT THE BIBLIOTHERAPISTS
The Bibliotherapists is hosted by Tanya Lynch therapeutic journalling coach and founder of Ease Retreats and Toni Jones founder of The Shelf Help Club.
Each week, we speak to a writer or creative about:
* The books that shaped them
* How reading supports their wellbeing
* Their writing practice and reading habits
* How they use Substack as part of their creative ecosystem
We believe words heal. And we love asking other word nerds questions that get beneath the surface (as well as taking a tour through their book shelves).
New episodes recorded live on Substack every week.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com

This week we’re talking to Sarah Knight, 47, a bestselling self-help author, editor, and professional truth-teller who’s made a career out of saying the things most of us are thinking but are far too polite to admit out loud (especially us Brits).
Sarah is the author of the No F*cks Given Guides series, known for helping millions of readers care less about what doesn’t matter and focus on what does.
But behind the bold titles and boundary-setting philosophy is something much calmer and nerdier, a lifelong relationship with books and words.
Sarah joined us from her home in the tropical Dominican Republic to tell us about her marital book club, her social media diet, her love of a murderous twist as therapy, and her love of sam baker full stop (anyone else want in on our fan club?!), as well as the realities of writing - and reading - for a living.
One of my very favourite things is for it to be time to go to bed so I can start reading my book.
* Sarah Knight
In this conversation, we explore how reading has shaped Sarah’s life from childhood through to her career as an editor and author, and how she had to consciously reclaim reading for pleasure after years of doing it as a job.
We also went deep into her writing process… from building books around outrageous titles, to writing at speed, to the messy, humbling reality of trying something new when also grappling with a new chapter of life (hello, fiction. hello, perimenopause. 👀).
If you’ve ever struggled to focus on reading, lost the joy in it, or wondered how writers actually write when life is life’ing… this one’s for you.
(and you can read all about Sarah’s latest life adventures, black eyes and moving dramas in her recent newsletter HERE).
🎧 Listen Now
(also available wherever you get your podcasts).
✨ IN THIS CONVERSATION
✨ Reading as therapy, not productivity: Sarah reads every single night, not to learn or self-help herself, but to quiet her mind and switch off from the noise of the world.
✨ Why she protects her reading time fiercely: From setting app limits on her phone to quitting platforms that drain her, Sarah practices her own boundary-setting advice to make space for books.
✨ The downside of reading for a living: After years of editing hundreds of manuscripts, she lost the ability to read for pleasure… and had to consciously find her way back.
✨ How her bestselling book idea came to her: Inspired by The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, Sarah realised she’d been “decluttering her mind” and turned that insight into a global bestseller.
✨ The reality of writing books (it’s not romantic): From writing entire books in weeks to wrestling with a 385-page novel that isn’t working, Sarah shares the full spectrum of the writing experience.
📖 Sarah’s Reading List
(and you can see ALL of our guests book picks so far at our Bookshop.org shop)
Written by Sarah Knight:
* The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k
* Calm the F**k Down Journal
* Grow the F*ck Up
Books that shaped her:
* The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo (the spark behind her first bestseller)
* A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Currently reading:
* The Hunter by Tana French
* Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Recent reads & recommendations:
* Good People by Patmeena Sabit
* Adult Braces by Lindy West
* It’s Not Her by Mary Kubika
* Whidbey by T Kira Madden
* Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
* Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
* A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M K Oliver
* Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino
More from Sarah
🖥️ Join Sarah’s brilliant newsletter here on Substack: The No F*cks Given® Newsletter.
📺 Sarah Knight Instagram
About The Bibliotherapists
The Bibliotherapists is hosted by Tanya Lynch therapeutic journalling coach and founder of Ease Retreats and Toni Jones founder of The Shelf Help Club.
Each week, we speak to a writer or creative about:
* The books that shaped them
* How reading supports their wellbeing
* Their writing practice and reading habits
* How they use Substack as part of their creative ecosystem
We believe words heal. And we love asking other word nerds questions that get beneath the surface (as well as taking a tour through their book shelves).
New episodes will be recorded live on Substack every week.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com

Welcome to a new episode of The Bibliotherapists.
This week we’re in conversation with Caroline Donahue, a writer, coach, and book witch joining us from her home in Berlin.
Caroline has spent years helping writers move through fear and into their creative work, and in this conversation she offers something grounding AND magical; a way of thinking about books not just as stories, but as spells cast across time.
“Writing a book is like casting a spell for what you want to see in the world.”
* Caroline Donahue
For Caroline, Bibliotherapy is the idea that books allow us to connect across time, culture, and experience. That somewhere, someone has felt what we’re feeling, and has found a way to put it into words.
And that connection, she suggests, is where the healing begins.
From there, the conversation moves into writing. Not as a tortured, solitary act, but as something that can be meaningful, even - dare we say it - joyful!
Caroline speaks about the work she does helping writers unlearn the idea that suffering produces better art, and instead learn to trust their instincts and create with a sense of possibility.
Fear, of course, is part of the process.
Whether that’s a fear of being seen, of not being read, or of being read too much.
And in this conversation we explore how when we can name our fears, we can begin to move through them.
There is also so much here about reading as a wellbeing practice. The idea of “slow reading” as a way to let a book take up delicious space in your life. The quiet ritual of building a monthly reading stack. The freedom of following instinct rather than obligation. And the deep pleasure of matching the right book to the right moment.
“Favourite books are the ones you meet in the exact moment you most needed them.”
* Caroline Donahue
Running through this conversation is the idea that books are not passive objects. They are active forces, and that writing a book is a way of sending a message forward, while reading one is a way of receiving it.
Pure magic.
📖 Caroline’s Reading List
(and you can see ALL of our guests book picks so far at our Bookshop.org shop)
Written by Caroline Donahue:
* The Author’s Journey
* Writing Through Fear
Mentioned in conversation:
* Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
* The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
* Possession by A.S. Byatt
* Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
* War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
* A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
* Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
* The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
* The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
* The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard
* City of Thieves by David Benioff
* Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit
* Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell
* Serious Concerns by Wendy Cope
* No Time to Spare by Ursula K. Le Guin
Currently reading:
* Essays by Zadie Smith
* Real Estate by Deborah Levy
* Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
* The Art of Repair by Molly Martin
More from Caroline
Join Caroline’s latest course Your Writing Year Intensive which starts on Monday 6th April 2026
🖥️ Caroline Donahue Website
📺 Caro Donahue Instagram
About The Bibliotherapists
The Bibliotherapists is hosted by Tanya Lynch therapeutic journalling coach and founder of Ease Retreats and Toni Jones founder of The Shelf Help Club.
Each week, we speak to a writer or creative about:
* The books that shaped them
* How reading supports their wellbeing
* Their writing practice and reading habits
* How they use Substack as part of their creative ecosystem
We believe words heal. And we love asking other word nerds questions that get beneath the surface (as well as taking a tour through their book shelves).
New episodes recorded live on Substack every week so you can join the conversation as it happens.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com

Welcome to a new episode of The Bibliotherapists.
This week Toni and I were joined by Katie Clapham, bookseller, writer, and the voice behind the popular Substack, Receipt from the Bookshop.
Receipt from the Bookshop is a brilliantly wry weekly column observing life at Storytellers Inc., the small bookshop that Katie runs with her mum, Carolyn, in St. Annes on Sea, Lancashire,
And in this interview we find out how what began as a last-minute Substack post last summer turned into a book (out in June) charting this bookseller’s year, and all the comings, goings and eavesdroppings that make up the particular world of indie bookshops.
“Reading is like brushing my teeth or eating food. It’s just a non-negotiable.”
* Katie Clapham
In this conversation we spoke about:
* Why reading isn’t “therapy” for everyone
* The surprise bookshop and how it became both a dream and a distraction
* How running a bookshop shaped her identity as a writer (and also paused it for five years)
* The reality of building a Substack from zero with consistency
* How Receipt from the Bookshop began as a last-minute post and became a book deal
* A refreshing take on book clubs: choosing books you haven’t read and letting readers disagree
* Why the best books don’t reflect your life but transport you somewhere completely different
“I like to read a book about someone that I am not and will never be, but can be for the duration of that book.”
* Katie Clapham
🎧 Listen Now
(also available wherever you get your podcasts).
📖 Katie’s Reading List
* Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham (out 4 June 2026)
* Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan
* On the Calculation of Volume (Vol. 1) by Solvej Balle
* The Lion’s Run by Sara Pennypacker
* The Wreck by Lizzie Stewart (out 9 April 2026)
* Dad Had a Bad Day by Ashton Politanov (out 2nd July 2026)
More from Katie
🖥️ Receipt From The Bookshop
📺 @katieclaphamwriting
About The Bibliotherapists
The Bibliotherapists is hosted by Toni Jones, founder of The Shelf Help Club, and Tanya Lynch, therapeutic journalling coach and founder of Ease Retreats.
Each week, we speak to a writer or creative about:
* The books that shaped them
* How reading supports their wellbeing
* Their writing practice and reading habits
* How they use Substack as part of their creative ecosystem
We believe words heal. And we love asking other word nerds questions that get beneath the surface (as well as taking a tour through their book shelves).
New episodes will be recorded live here on Substack every week.
Next up Caroline Donahue is joining us live on Wednesday April 1st at 11am.
Thank you Renee V-L, Tam, Adele Robertson, and many others for tuning into our live video.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com