The Speed Read
Fridays at 6 pm on The Wrap
Conor Lennon discusses new English-language books with literary experts from some of Switzerland’s leading bookshops.
Speed Read podcast feed
Speed Read: Ancient historyFriday, 12 March, 2010Juan Canales from Geneva’s from Payot bookshop at Chantepoulet brings us books with great stories from times long past:
- Travelling Heroes by Robin Lane Fox
- The Ides: Caesar’s Murder and the War for Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins
- Barbarians: An Alternative Roman History by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira
Speed Read: Philosophically good readsFriday, 26 February, 2010Helen Stubbs from the OffTheShelf English Bookshop brings us three great books that’ll make you think:
Speed Read: Cliques and outsidersFriday, 19 February, 2010Diccon Bewes from the Stauffacher English Bookshop in Bern brings us three stories that center around people who desperately want to be part of something:
- The Hidden by Tobias Hill
- The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Speed Read: Tarantino-worthy thrillersFriday, 12 February, 2010Daniel Nufer from A Pile of Books in Zurich brings us three great fast-paced thrillers:
- Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd
- This Wicked World by Richard Lange
- The Anniversary Man by R.J. Ellory
Speed Read: Travel tales of discoveryFriday, 5 February, 2010Diccon Bewes from Stauffacher bookshop in Bern is back with three inspired travel writing books:
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elisabeth Gilbert
- Where Underpants Come From by Joe Bennett
- The Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux
Speed Read: Contemporary women writersFriday, 29 January, 2010Juan Canales from Geneva’s from Payot bookshop at Chantepoulet brings us three great picks by women writers:
- Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing by Lydia Peelle
- A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates
- An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah
Speed Read: Different walks of lifeFriday, 22 January, 2010Matthew Wake from Books Books Books in Lausanne brings us this weeks picks:
- A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary by Alain de Botton
- The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs
- Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by John Carlin
Speed Read: Modern cultureFriday, 15 January, 2010Helen Stubbs from OffTheShelf English bookshop in Geneva joins us this week with these picks:
- The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
- The Best Camera Is the One That’s with You by Chase Jarvis
- Filthy English: The How, Why, When and What of Everyday Swearing by Peter Silverton
Speed Read: New authors for the New YearFriday, 8 January, 2010Diccon Bewes from Stauffacher’s English bookshiop in Bern brings us novels from three first-time authors to kick off the decade:
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
- The Good Thief by Hanna Tinti
Speed Read: Must-read books for kidsFriday, 18 December, 2009Children’s book afficianado Anna Sawyer at Books Books Books Lausanne is here this week with three books your children shouldn’t miss:
- The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Gris Grimly
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- A Barbecue for Charlotte by Marc Tetro