So that’s another 15 books dated and located. If you don’t know what the Curiously Specific Book Club podcast is about, where have you been?

We’ve been doing this for a while now and have racked up 75 episodes, covering 45 different books.

Our mission is – with tongues firmly in cheek – to pick up on all the dates and locations mentioned in works of fiction and explore whether these are all entirely accurate and/or plausible.

LOCATIONS

This mission leads us out into a different parts of the UK in every episode, tracking down places mentioned in books so we can all get a better idea about what authors are on about when they choose to use supposedly real places in their works of fiction. It’s also just a great way to get to know a place – even if you haven’t read the book.

In Series 3 we’ve been to some fabulous places. Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ took us to the source of the Thames (or was it?), and to Runnymede to look at a very ancient tree.

We think we found the house where Hercule Poirot grew his marrows in Agatha Christie’s ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’.

Angela Carter’s ‘Wise Children’ took us on a fabulous tour of the sites of old South London music halls and theatres. The poetry of Alice Oswald sent us on a spectacular journey down the River Dart. We also tracked down A.A. Milne’s golf club, Peter Ackroyd’s satanic church and the secret Dorset holloway described in Geoffrey Household’s ‘Rogue Male’.

DATES

Every episode we also do a load of research to work out precise dates in books, to see what was happening in the real world at the time.

It also allows us to call out writers who haven’t bothered to check such things as weather reports, train timetables, gig lists, news articles, tide tables, personal diaries, maps etc.  –  all the lovely stuff that’s now freely available on the web that can trip up a writer who hasn’t entirely done his or her or their homework.

Perhaps the biggest discovery date-wise in this series was that John Buchan – author of ‘The 39 Steps’ – doesn’t seem to know when WW1 started!

Perhaps less surprising  – but still a bit shocking – is the fact that Ruth Rendell has no idea when her first Wexford novel is actually set – is it 1963 or 1964? You need to listen to the podcast to find out.

TAKING A BREAK

As you might imagine, producing a podcast like this requires quite a lot of travel and a heap of research and edit time, so both Lloyd and I are in need a long rest. Also, we both have other projects that we’d like to pursue. You can follow what I’m up to on this blog, and you can find Lloyd at https://lloydshepherd.com/blog/

All info about the podcasts is available via curiouslyspecific.com – if there is to be a Series 4, you’ll find info about it there.

PATREON

A note for our wonderful Patreon supporters. First up – thank you! Your support has helped to fund our travels. Without you, we’d be struggling to range as far and as wide as we have.

We’re suspending payments on the Patreon site now. And of course you’ll be the first to know as and when we decide to embark on Series 4.