Name: Julia Reading: The Dud Avocado, Elaine Dundy Why did you want to read this? Throughout the book, I enjoyed the frivolity and openness of the protagonist. I have an affinity with Sally Jay in the way she strives to feel things and live her life, even though at some points her naïvety and impatience bring nothing but a series of misfortunes. This is a story to be read with flush on your cheeks, every time. Also, it evokes some Parisian longings. How did you record yourself? I was sitting on my bed in polka dot tights to feel more exalted and recorded myself on my laptop, set on a red-brown chair near the bedside. Left alone in my communal apartment, I relished in reading out loud and taking sips of coffee when my lips went dry.

Name: Anusuya Reading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin Why did you want to read this? I first read The Dispossessed during a family vacation when I was in my mid-teens. By that point, I was an avid Sci-Fi reader, and the vaguely alien-looking spaceship on the cover convinced me that it would be decent for the week. However, it took hold of me in a way no book had before, made me consider things I had never before, or consider further in-depth, and then later, unearth new considerations. I have returned to this book a few more times, and each time it leaves me with my head full, but buzzing with an undercurrent of hope. How did you record yourself? On my bed with my laptop, with a blanket wrapped around my legs since it's been getting rather chilly this week. I recorded it during the night since I was unexpectedly busy the whole day.

Name: Jaya Reading: The Temple of My Familiar, Alice Walker Why did you want to read this? I partly wanted to connect with my 21-year-old self—just finishing college, already into meditation, and amazed by how this book transmitted a shamanic, transformative atmosphere. I bought copies for many friends, and even the mother of a friend, although I had very little money—and these gifts were hardcover copies because the paperback hadn’t come out yet. Even now, after decades of meditation, I find it more important than ever to share art that directly supports insight and awakening, rather than trying to address the mystery of life through the intellect. How did you record yourself? I sat on the floor of my son’s bedroom with a Rode podmic on a short stand, and an ill-fitted pop filter teetering on the neck of the mic. The mic was plugged into my laptop USB port, where Audacity was taking it all in.

Name: Rosa Reading: Tell Them I Said No, Martin Herbert Why did you want to read this? When you invited me to contribute, my first instinct was to say no. Gathering myself, I turned to one of my favourite books about artists refusing. We can learn so much from artists and how they approach work and the world. How did you record yourself? Using my boyfriend's setup in our old house in Nottingham. We were mid-packing to move back to London and I wanted an excuse to have a break. 

Name: Caitlin Reading: Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown Why did you want to read this? I was a bit hesitant to read this actually. It’s definitely a product of its time, and in some ways hasn’t aged well. But it is also hilarious and heartbreaking and hard to put down. It's about staying true to yourself and your dreams from the first page to the last, even in the face of hate and judgement. How did you record yourself? I recorded myself on my laptop, in my son’s “book nook” which is just a closet with pillows and books, sweating profusely because it’s 95 degrees here.

Name: Jesse Reading: Middlemarch, George Eliot Why did you want to read this? When I was invited my first thought was, "Well, I can't read Middlemarch because the podcast is probably already 30 women reading the first chapter of Middlemarch." But then it turned out, no one had read Middlemarch! So obviously I had to read Middlemarch. How did you record yourself? On my laptop at the table by the window.

Name: Eleanor Reading: Small: On Motherhoods, Claire Lynch Why did you want to read this? It’s a really beautifully written book about queer motherhood, something that rarely gets talked about. I’ve found myself wanting to read a lot about motherhood recently, and it’s been so refreshing and reassuring to be able to read about it from a queer perspective. How did you record yourself? I recorded myself on my laptop, sitting propped up on my favourite end of the sofa. The curtains were closed, daffodils on the table beside me, and a pizza in the oven.

Name: Jamie Reading: Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid Why did you want to read this? I loved this book - Jamaica Kincaid is deft and smart and her wryness made so many passages worth smirking at. She's unapologetic about how messy relationships can be, which I appreciate not being tidied into something that makes people feel like relationships exist for happy endings. And she's never afraid to question the idea of place as its own unique relationship in our lives - what it means to be who we are based on where we're at and where we've come from. How did you record yourself? I recorded from a big pile on the couch: me (wearing one sock?), a hot water bottle, two blankets, my cat, pillows piled up with my computer on them, and Lucy all in front of the big window in my living room while it rained outside. A few bossy Stellar's jays were fighting for birdseed nearby.

Name: Flora Reading: Looking to Sea, Lily Le Brun Why did you want to read this? I chose to read Looking to Sea because it is a thoughtful, insightful reflection on 100 years of modern art in Britain, written by the brilliant Lily Le Brun. As the daughter of an artist and a painter myself, the work of many of the artists in this book is intrinsic to the fabric of who I am. Le Brun's exploration of the practices and pieces of Vanessa Bell to Bridget Riley provides an insight into more than just the why or how of their art; Le Brun captures the very essences of the artists themselves. How did you record yourself? On my laptop in bed/on the sofa with my cat curled up beside me.

Name: Freya Reading: Long Live the Post Horn!, Vigdis Hjorth translated by Charlotte Barslund Why did you want to read this? I couldn’t stop laughing hysterically when I first read this, and immediately wanted to share it and talk about it with other people. I think I was originally drawn to it as the premise of finding an old diary + defending the postal service made it seem made for me (a bad-diary obsessive and snail mail fan), but really it’s the deadpan, looping inner monologue of the main character clawing to grasp her life, life, meaning, that is such a joy to read. How did you record yourself? With my laptop at home. You’d think I’d be better at this by now, but I had to redo the opening as I forgot to take off my loudly ticking watch : /