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

Email us ⁠bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com⁠" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com

📣 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!

We reach the end of Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan with Part III, Chapter 5: World — the final chapter of our read-along series.

Aaron & Lucy discuss the closing moments of the novel, the meaning and placement of the letters threaded between each chapter, and share their overall reflections on the book as a whole now that the journey is complete.

📚 What’s Next

Our next episode will be a special finale conversation with:

• Oisín Fagan (author)

• Tom Alexander (audiobook narrator)

• Anna Bu Kliewer (cover illustrator)

• Sofia Hericson (cover designer)

Send us your thoughts on Eden’s Shore and any questions you’d like us to ask our guests — we’d love to include them.

After that, we’ll be launching our next literary award series, coming very soon.

📩 Get in Touch

📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bookiesfavouritebookclub/
(@bookiesfavouritebookclub)

📧 Email: bookiesfavouritebookclub@gmail.com

Thanks for reading along with us — and we’ll see you for the finale conversation

Check out Aaron's The Novel Series book club podcast!