Out of Order Book Club

Podcast by Mal Bernhardt

Out of Order Book Club

Out of Order Book Club is aimed at avid readers and aspiring writers everywhere who are interested in books from all sorts of genres. It is also for anyone who is stuck in a reading rut or who might be looking for writing inspiration. It is not so much a review show, but more of journey through some new reading experiences. Every week, join Mal, who is also an avid reader and aspiring writer, reading a random book from a series. It will focus on whether the book can be read out of order, what you can learn from it as an aspiring writer, and whether you can continue reading the series out of order without affecting your reading pleasure. Mostly, it's just about the joy of reading. Blue Sky: @outoforderbookclub.bsky.social Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com

Listen onApple Podcasts

Listen onSpotify

Latest episodes

20 September 2025

Out of Order Book Club: Full Dark House (2003)

In this episode, we'll be looking at 'Full Dark House' by Christopher Fowler from the Bryant and May series. "Why would you choose the first book in this series to focus on?" I hear you ask (or perhaps not.) Well, Christopher Fowler himself suggested that this was not the greatest place to start if you wanted to read or understand the later books and various characters. In this episode, Mal will dip into Christopher Fowler's blog for the reason why he believed this, and she'll take pleasure in the fact she has very few pronunciation issues.

You can find Mal on Blue Sky: @outoforderbookclub.bsky.social

Useful sources and helpful links:

Christopher Fowler website homepage

Fowler's blog post: Tips on Reading the Bryant and May Novels

Fowler's blog post: How the Bryant and May series works - 1: What am I doing?

Fowler's blog post: Interview with Tim Goodman - During the podcast I talk about the narrator of the Bryant and May novels and blanked on the narrator's name. It's Tim Goodman and his work on the novels is, for me, wonderful especially his voicework for the two central characters.

00:00

54:49

13 September 2025

Out of Order Book Club: I Only Killed Him Once (2018)

Welcome to the fourth episode of Out of Order Book Club. In this episode, Mal will be looking at 'I Only Killed Him Once' by New York Times bestselling author Adam Christopher. This is the third book in his LA Trilogy about Ray Electromatic. In this episode, Mal has a problem pronouncing 'tarmacadam', uses the phrase 'ruthlessly efficient' a bit too much, feels a strong connection as an 'out of order' reader with Ray and questions whether she is an 'aspiring writer' or just thinking about being one.

Podcast content: Some swearing

You can find Mal on Blue Sky: @outoforderbookclub.bsky.social

Useful Links and helpful sources:

Adam Christopher's website

Page One Podcast interview with Adam Christopher

Cereal at Midnight interview with Adam Christopher - Short and sweet reminder of a key skill for being a working writer. I need to learn this and I'm sure I'm not the only one!

OED definition of 'tarmacadam' - Error Correction: In the podcast I say the first usage of the word was in a Bradford publication, but the OED says the Time of London in 1910s. I have left the error in there out of pure stubbornness (and the rabbit hole I went down)!

00:00

52:13

06 September 2025

Out of Order Book Club: The Witch of Lagg (1985)

Welcome to the third episode of Out of Order Book Club. In this episode, we will focus on 'The Witch of Lagg' by Ann Pilling. This is the third book in the four book 'Dark Powers' series. Join Mal as she decides not to insult anyone from Scotland by ignoring the phonetic spelling of the Scottish dialogue, goes down a bit of rabbit hole of left and right brain creativity, wonders why she had more stomach for horror as a child than as an adult and asks whether parenting in children's books has improved over time.

Note: Only after recording this, and digging out 'The Pit' (so to speak!), did I discover that rather than using the internet to find out that Ann Cheetham was a pseudonym, I could've just looked at the back of the book.

You can find Mal on Blue Sky: @outoforderbookclub.bsky.social

Helpful Links and useful sources:

Ann Pilling's website

Goodreads reviews of 'The Witch of Lagg'

OED defintions and pronunciation of 'Och'

00:00

55:32

30 August 2025

Out of Order Book Club: Alex (2013)

Welcome to the second episode of Out of Order Book Club. This week we take a look at 'Alex' written by Pierre LaMaitre and translated by Frank Wynne. In this episode, Mal will have her memory tested by the twists and turns in 'Alex', will apologise again (and again) for her poor pronunciation skills, and will constantly change her mind about the themes in the book.

Podcast content: Some swearing, mention (but no description) of violence against women

You can find Mal on Blue Sky: @outoforderbookclub.bsky.social

Useful links and sources for this episode:

Oregon State University's video about literary themes

The Strand Magazine 2015 interview with Pierre LeMaitre

Interview with Pierre LeMaitre and Frank Wynne for Audible

Doon Mackichan speaks out against crime porn - In the podcast, I said the critiques about violence against women in TV shows had been increasing for 'a year or so'. This was wrong. This comes from nearly a decade ago.

Interview with Pierre LeMaitre and Frank Wynne for WHSmiths - I found this after I had finished the podcast, and I think it is worth a look. There is a great bit at the end about the process of translation.

00:00

49:49

23 August 2025

Out of Order Book Club: Betrayals (2016)

Welcome to the first episode of Out of Order Book Club. This is our first season, and we're starting strong with Betrayals by the prolific Canadian author Kelley Armstrong. This is the 4th book in the Cainsville series. In this episode, Mal potentially offends many Welsh speakers with her pronunication, she faces down her problem with love triangles and she learns to be a little less anal about genres.

Podcast content: Some swearing, mention (but no description) of sex, mention (but no description) of violence against women

This is where you can find Mal on Blue Sky: @outoforderbookclub.bsky.social

Helpful links and sources for this episode:

Kelley Armstrong's website

Books That Make You Interview

Imagining Success Interview

00:00

53:28

16 August 2025

Out of Order Book Club: Trailer

Welcome to the Out of Order Book Club where we take on the pleasure or the challenge of reading book series out of order. Each week we'll choose a random book from a random series and see if it really matters where a story begins.

00:00

01:33