In the fourth episode of Season 5 of Books, Baby!, Ian, Bev & Alo are joined by returning guest host Simone (⁠⁠@sims_solace) discuss Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, the winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize. This marks the first time a short story collection has taken home the award, and we dive into what makes it so powerful. We explore Mushtaq’s unforgettable characters and how her spoken-style prose builds such disconcerting emotional heights.

Books mentioned in this episode:

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• ​Reservoir Bitches - Dahlia de la Cerda
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• ​Under the Eye of the Big Bird - Hiromi Kawakami
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• ​Perfection - Vicenzo Latronico
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• ​Hunchback - Saou Ichikawa
• ​On the Calculation of Volume 1 - Solvej Balle
• ​We do not part - Han Kang
• ​A Tail for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki
• ​All the Violent Tiaras: Queering the Greek Myths - Jean Manzies
• ​The Hours - Michael Cunningham
• ​Before Night Falls - Reinaldo Arenas

Connect with us via email (⁠booksbabypod@gmail.com⁠) and on Instagram!

Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosts:Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠

Guest Host:Simone – ⁠⁠⁠@sims_solace