Rachel and I will be recording episode 150 of ‘Tea or Books?’ soon, and we are following a tradition of doing a Q&A episode every 50 episodes. So, please, give us your questions!
Whether it’s about the podcast, our favourite writers, our least favourite writers – or even something totally unconnected with books – we’d love to hear from you. Pop your questions in the comments, and they’re more or less guaranteed to appear in the episode…
What is something surprising that each of you learned about yourselves–either as readers or as makers of a podcast–since you started Tea or Books?
In what ways have your reading interests changed since you started the podcast?
What has been your most surprising reading discovery over the ‘podcast’ years?
Which one book would you take to a desert island?
What have you learned from each other – reading-wise?
Do you dust all your books regularly?
Would love to hear from both of you your reactions to Rachel’s Night Shift play and why she decided to start her own theater company (congrats on that).
My question for your 150th episode is:
What was the last book you gave someone as a gift and why did you choose it?
I always enjoy your podcast- keep up the good work!
Deb Wroe currently babysitting for my son Chris (Simon knew him at Oxford) who now has two young children.
You have the complete works of a favourite author. But you must give one of the books away. Which author and which book?
(You may choose whether you are shedding a book you are happy to lose, or sharing your favourite with a close friend!)
Who are your ‘go to’ contemporary writers?
Questions for your 150th episode:
Do you remember a teacher who encouraged your love of reading?
Who was a new-to-you writer that someone encouraged you to read whom you grew to love?
Is there a book that you used to love that you now dislike or know you will never reread?
What is a book you admire that has never been filmed but should be adapted into a film?
New York Times Book Review question: Which three writers would you invite to a dinner party?
What is a book you think should be in every child’s library?
P.S. I went a bit overboard but would love to hear your responses to any one of these. I have listened to all of your almost 150 episodes and have loved them all. Many thanks (and please make many more episodes).
Does each of you have a book or books that you really want to read someday but are somewhat intimidated by – or failing that, have just been planning to read for a long time and haven’t actually gotten to yet? I’d love a whole list because I just love other people’s reading plans (and my own!)
What is the most disappointing book you’ve ever read?
What is one book you read for school and didn’t appreciate that you have since returned to and loved, or at least liked? (If there is one!)
Looking forward to the episode and continuing to be so grateful for my favorite podcast :)
How many unread books do you think you have on your shelves? I have way too many and it causes me stress some days. Do you worry about getting them all read?
I love your podcast- you have both introduced me to some of my favourite writers. If there was one writer you could read again for the first time, who would that be?
A couple of questions: “What book challenged one of your strongly held beliefs?”
“Which book do you find yourself recommending over and over, and why?”
Travel questions:
What’s your best travel experience?
What’s your worst travel experience?
What’s your bucket list destination?
Long time listener
Emily in Portland, Oreg
How do you keep your reading life fresh? I own hundreds of books and recently I don’t really feel like reading any of them. The same with book shopping (the only kind of shopping I can tolerate) where nothing seems to appeal.
I’m sure your shelves are as full as mine – but once you’ve read a book, what makes it a keeper for you?
Congratulations on 150 episodes!! Fairly new listener here,very very late to the party but enjoying all the past episodes while walking my Dachshund Mila in the Dutch countryside :) I would love to know how you both avoid buying books you already own while out bookshopping? I almost always buy from charity shops but since I’m owning several thousand books I find myself buying books with a different cover that I already own (I can never remember what the books I have read were about,only if I liked them,or not). I tried jotting down lists of books I’m looking for by certain (1900-1950 female)authors and then find myself standing in front of the charity shop shelf going through my much too long list of pages and pages,get frustrated, buy the book and come home to a different edition of that same book already on my shelf. It’s annoying to say the least😑
Sorry,that was a bit long winded! Love your podcast,and can’t wait for my yearly trip to England in August to stock up on yet more books. (I only read books in English;watch me pack 200+ charity shop books in the back of my car and drive back to Holland in pure bliss!! ) xo Anne
I don’t know if this will help you, but I use an app called LibraryThing to catalogue my books – initially I used their website, but now I’ve also downloaded the app to my phone and find it is quite quick to search for book/author to see if I’ve already got it.
To what extent does your faith inform which books you choose to read (or not read!)?
Who are your favourite Christian authors?
Do you prefer to read original / early editions or brand new reprints?
Which book(s) would you love to own as a first edition, if money was no object?
Do you prefer to read about characters who knit or sew?
Which fictional character is most like you?
Hello – do you ever buy more than one copy
(different edition) of a favourite book?
So very much enjoy your podcasts and congratulations on the 150th episode!!!
Can Simon speak about the current status of the BLWW series? I love this series and have read almost every book they have published, but they now seem to be focussing more on short story collections (2 this year) and less on novels (the first one in over a year will be published in June). Are you still involved and to what extent? Are there any more forthcoming novels and, if so, can you share (or hint) what they might be? What titles have they rejected?
Simon, I expect that you and Rachel are like most readers in being unable to decide on your very favourite writer, though I’m betting you’d both be able to narrow the field to three or four. And so, this question: What is your least favourite book by a writer you think of as a favourite?
How many book marks do you have? Which is your favourite? What does it tell us about you?
I had an interesting conversation with a family member regarding the ethics of buying used books and I would love to hear yours and Rachel’s perspective. His point was that authors are only compensated once per book so after the initial purchase all future sales benefit someone that didn’t do the work of writing or publishing . Also, If a reader is looking for a particular book and a used version is available at a lower price, most readers will choose the used book and the author will lose that profit. To be honest I had never considered this point of view. I love used books and see buying them as one of the very best ways to re-use, recycle and spread the joy of a well-loved book. I’m interested in your thoughts.
Instead of the perspective of tea or books, what about looking at tea and books? Which types of teas go well with your favorite books? With Miss Hargreaves? With Emma? With a recent favourite book?
I have trouble getting rid of books that I bought but that no longer sound interesting but just maybe will be good, and books that I read decades ago and liked but probably won’t ever reread. Should I bring in a friend to ruthlessly go through my shelves with me, or is this just too risky and scary to even contemplate?