Ahead of the winner announcement Aaron & Lucy spoke with the director of the award and one of this year's judges.

The insight helps us understand the prize and what is considered when deciding between the books.

We'll be jumping into another shortlist next week; the International Booker Prize 2026.

Before then we've got our interviews with the team who brought you Eden's Shore.

Check out our previous episodes on some of the shortlisted & longlisted books from this year's Queen Mary Prize, our chapter-by-chapter read along of Eden's Shore & last year's International Booker Prize shortlist.

In this episode, Aaron & Lucy discuss Ghost Driver by Nell Osborne, published by Moist Books.

This is the final book we’re covering from the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 shortlist before the winner is announced — and we break down its themes, style, and where it sits among this year’s contenders.

🏆 The Winner Is Next

📅 The winner is announced tomorrow (Wednesday)
🎧 We’ll be back with a reaction episode as soon as the result drops

We’ll also be releasing a special episode featuring:

• Neil Griffiths — Director of the Prize
• Susanna Crossman — one of this year’s judges

🌊 Eden’s Shore Specials Incoming

We’ve got a packed week of episodes coming your way:

• An episode with Tom Alexander, Anna Bu Kliewer, and Sofia Hericson
• A second interview episode with Oisín Ó Fágáin himself

📚 Eden’s Shore is also featured on the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 list.

🌍 What’s Next

Next week, we jump into the International Booker Prize:
📅 Shortlist announced Tuesday
🎧 We’ll kick things off with a longlist reaction & shortlist prediction episode

📚 Stay tuned — it’s a huge week on the podcast as we wrap one prize and dive straight into another!

In this episode, Colin, Lucy & Aaron discuss Figures Crossing the Field Towards the Group by Rebecca Gransden, published by Tangerine Press.

This is the first book we’re covering from the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 shortlist, and we unpack the novel’s structure, atmosphere, themes, and how it stands out within this year’s field.

📖 What’s Coming Next

We’ll be continuing our shortlist coverage with two more books before the winner is announced:

• Spit by David Brennan — published by époque press

• Ghost Driver by Nell Osborne — published by Moist Books

📚 Read along with us as we work through the shortlist and discuss what might take home the prize.

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Instagram @bookiesfavouritebookclub

Aaron @AaronRiceMedia

Lucy @bookz2026

Colin @c_f_writes

Hannah @certifiedbookyapperhannah

All four of us are back together for this episode as we discuss On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis, translated by Katharine Halls, and published by Peirene Press.

This is our third longlist pick from the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026, and we talk through its structure, themes, translation, and how it’s stacking up against the other contenders we’ve read so far.

📖 What’s Next

• Next read: Spit by David Brennan (époque press)

• After that: Figures Crossing the Field Towards the Group by Rebecca Gransden (Tangerine Press)

📅 The Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 shortlist is announced this Wednesday (4th). Once revealed, we’ll be selecting our sixth and final read from the shortlist to complete our series — all before the winner is announced.

📚 Read along with us, share your thoughts, and join the book club as the prize race heats up.

In this episode, Lucy, Hannah & Colin discuss The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas, translated by Julia Sanches and Jennifer Shyue, published by Héloïse Press.

This is the second book we’ve selected from the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 longlist, and we dig into its themes, structure, voice, and why it feels like such a bold and challenging contender in this year’s field.

📖 What’s Coming Next

Our longlist journey continues in the following order:

• On the Greenwich Line

• Spit

• Figures Crossing the Field Towards the Group

Once the shortlist is announced, we’ll choose a sixth and final book to complete our reading — all before the winner is revealed.

📚 Read along with us, share your thoughts, and join the book club as we work our way through the longlist and beyond.

In this bonus episode, Aaron, Colin & Hannah revisit There’s a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, translated by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert, published by Bullaun Press.

The novel was the 2025 winner of the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Press (now the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize), and we take this opportunity to examine why it won.

We discuss the book’s style and use it as a lens to think about what the judges may be responding to as we continue our journey through the current Queen Mary longlist.

This episode is all about context, criteria, and clues — what makes a small press novel stand out at prize level?

📖 Next Episode

Up next in our longlist reading series:
The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas. Translated from the Spanish by Julia Sanches & Jennifer Shyue. Published by Héloïse Press

Read along with us and share your thoughts as we continue unpacking the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize longlist

We begin our Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 longlist series with Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson. Published by Small Axes / HopeRoad.

Our bookie this week is Jean-François Bodart @nathanael_archer

This is our second time discussing Small Boat, having previously covered it during our International Booker Prize 2025 episodes. Returning to the novel a year on, we reflect on how it holds up, which themes have stayed with us, and why this slim but devastating book continues to resonate.

We all loved it then — and many of its questions, images, and moral tensions are still very much with us now.

📖 Next Up

Our next read is The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas, translated by Julia Sanches and Jennifer Shyue, published by Héloïse Press.

📚 Read along with us, share your thoughts, and join the book club as we work our way through the longlist ahead of the prize announcement.

More Queen Mary longlist episodes coming soon.

🎙️ Hosts

• Aaron: @AaronRiceMedia

• Hannah: @certifiedbookyapperhannah

• Lucy: @bookz2026

• Colin: @c_f_writes

Bookies' Favourite: @bookiesfavouritebookclub

Email us bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com

We’re kicking off a brand new reading series focused on selected titles from the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 Longlist — formerly known as the Republic of Consciousness Prize.

We’ll be reading five longlisted books, before choosing a final sixth title from the shortlist once it’s announced. From there, we’ll follow the prize all the way to the winner.

📅 New episodes every Monday
🏆 Prize winner announced: 25th March
🎁 Bonus episodes every Friday

Check our social media for the full reading schedule, read along with us, and share your thoughts — everyone’s welcome to join the book club.

📖 Our Longlist Picks

Group pick:• Small Boat by Vincent DelecroixTranslated by Helen Stevenson

We’ll also be revisiting Small Axes / HopeRoad, which we previously discussed during our International Booker Prize 2025 shortlist coverage — with a brand new episode on it coming this Monday.

Hannah’s pick:
• The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas
Translated by Julia Sanches & Jennifer Shyue (Héloïse Press)

Colin’s pick:
• Spit by David Brennan (époque press)

Lucy’s pick:
• On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis
Translated by Katharine Halls (Peirene Press)

Aaron’s pick:
• Figures Crossing the Field Towards the Group by Rebecca Gransden (Tangerine Press)

🎙️ Hosts

• Aaron: @AaronRiceMedia

• Hannah: @certifiedbookyapperhannah

• Lucy: @bookz2026

• Colin: @c_f_writes

Follow us @bookiesfavouritebookclub

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📣 Read along with us, share your reactions on social media, and help us decide which shortlisted book becomes our final sixth read.

Welcome to the next chapter of Bookies’ Favourite!