APPROX AGE RATING: 14+

Welcome to Episode 1 of Season 6 of The Reading Cafe, winner of Emerging Talent at the 2026 Scottish Podcast Awards, 2026 Interview and Specialist British Podcast Awards FINALIST, and current Books FINALIST at the 2026 Independent Podcast Awards!

This is SpotLit, our arts and culture strand where we speak to creative people about their relationship with literature and its influence on their own work. In this episode, Amy and Lola were joined by Clari Freeman-Taylor of the spellbindingly unique London art-rock band, Mary in the Junkyard.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Clari’s favourite conflicts in literature,
• The Murakami character who made her way into a Mary in the Junkyard song
• How a Jacqueline Wilson character inspired her to do her own thing!

To learn more:

Mary in the Junkyard

https://linktr.ee/maryinthejunkyard

https://chuffmedia.com/artists/westside-cowboy

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and join us for future SpotLit episodes and as always… keep reading.

APPROX AGE RATING: 15+

Welcome to Episode 1 of Season 6 of The Reading Cafe, winner of Emerging Talent at the 2026 Scottish Podcast Awards, and current Interview and Specialist FINALIST at the 2026 British Podcast Awards, as well as Books FINALIST at the 2026 Independent Podcast Awards!

This special Reading Cafe LIVE audience episode was recorded at the Edinburgh International Book Festival where we were joined by multi-award winning novelist, screenwriter and journalist, Patrick Ness - author of the Chaos Walking series.

Our fabulous presenters, Molly and Daisy, had a remarkable conversation with Patrick about his amazing career and the new chapter in the Chaos Walking story, Piper at the Gates of Dusk.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How Patrick approached his return to New World, following the massive success of his original Chaos Walking series
• The themes that find their way into his writing, and how he balances them with his characters’ journeys
• Why he isn’t threatened by AI in the creation of literature

PLUS: Noah presents an Ed Book Fest featurette including mini-interviews with YA Book Prize shortlisted writers, Harry Trevaldwyn, Elgan Rhys, Mared Roberts, Anika Hussain and overall winner, Josh Silver who picked up the trophy for Traumaland.

To learn more:

Patrick Ness - https://patrickness.com/

Josh Silver - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e4k4zxwwlo

YA Book Prize - https://www.thebookseller.com/the-ya-book-prize/the-ya-book-prize-2026

Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading!

Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod

APPROX AGE RATING: 14+

Welcome back to The Reading Cafe, the award-winning podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading!

This superb season finale episode features Radiya Hafiza, author of The Silver Kingdom.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Why the enemies-to-lovers plot continues to grip romantasy readers
• How Radiya approaches planning her stories, especially when writing a dual-narrative
• The opportunities fantasy offers to address difficult real-world topics

To learn more:

Radiya Hafiza - https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/authors/Radiya-Hafiza/232707659

Don’t miss a single episode of The Reading Cafe! Please do subscribe, leave a rating or review wherever you listen, and most importantly… keep reading!

Follow us on Instagram: @readingcafepod