***This episode contains discussion around death and bereavement - we advise listening with caution or skipping this episode if those topics wouldn’t be right for you right now***

It’s a New Year and our first STACK of the year is here. We’re a firm believer in the power of books to change lives, but which ones specifically? We’re also virtual this episode, hot off the back of seeing Hamnet and desperate to talk about it, and we’re sharing life hacks including how to afford a New Year book haul. Plus: bao buns, surprising stats and discussing whether Stephen Sondheim is a household name.

Plus - we run through the best upcoming 2026 books to add to your TBR.

The books featured in this week’s STACK:

11.57 Solve For Happy - Mo Gawdat

14.50 Open Up - Alex Holder

18.28 East - Meera Sodha

21.06 A Heart That Works - Rob Delaney

23.56 Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman

28.49 How Sondheim Can Change Your Life - Richard Schoch

Also featured:

Hamnet - Maggie O’Farrell

Land - Maggie O’Farrell

Hooked - Asako Yusuki

What Am I, A Deer? - Polly Barton

Vigil - George Saunders

The Things We Never Say - Elizabeth Strout

People In Love - Claire Daverley

STACK with Jake and Ella is a books podcast helping you cut through the noise to fall in love - and stay in love - with reading. Each fortnight, we’ll be sharing curated lists on a theme of the books that are worth your time.

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Please get in touch if you read any of the books from this week’s episode, or have a bookish problem for our Shelf Help section - you can literally ask us anything

STACK with Jake and Ella is an independent podcast production.

It is produced by Jake Williams and Ella Horne.

Our theme music was created by Thomas Clarke.