by Mal Bernhardt
The Out of Order Book Club podcast is aimed at avid readers and aspiring writers everywhere who are interested in books from all sorts of genres. Every fortnight, Mal takes you through a random book from a crime, fantasy or sci-fi series and asks whether this book in the series can be read out of order. Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
8/16/2025
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
June 22, 2026
<p>This was intended to be a bitesize episode, half the size of our usual episode, but it hasn't turned out that way. In bitesize episodes, I take a look at one area of a book, a prequel or anything else that breaks the normal structure of an Out of Order Book Club episode.</p><p>This (surprisingly long!) Bitesize episode just asks one question about 'The Wild Island' by (Lady) Antonia Fraser. The novel 'The Wild Island' is part of the Jemima Shore series, she is a fictional investigative journalist, who has her own TV show called 'Jemima Shore, Investigator'. My copy of the novel has 'A Jemima Shore Investigation' at the top. So, after reading this novel, I had just one question about this series - Is Jemima Shore really an investigator?</p><p>I thought this would be a quick episode, I was wrong. If you listen to this episode, you'll hear me talk about being bamboozled, befuddled and I'll call a character a 'tit'. I definitely ramble a bit, but my bitesize episodes are a bit more self-indulgent, so please excuse me.</p><p>Content warning: Contains swearing, mentions suicide.</p><p>Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com</p><p>New website: outoforderbookclub.com - This is where you can read my blog and listen to my podcast.</p><p>Useful Sources and Helpful links:</p><p><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4019896?origin=crossref" target="_blank">Maureen T. Reddy's 'She done it' article:</a> This 1986 article is worth reading if, as I say in the episode, you're a fan of crime fictions and/or female detectives. It's a whistle-stop tour no doubt, and you may disagree with her point of view in some cases, but I'd strongly recommend it.</p><p><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4021220" target="_blank">Erika Munk's 'Deadly Delights' article:</a> This 1992 article may be about a particular short story collection, but it has the same historical perspective as Reddy's article. Once again, you may not agree with her review, especially if you have read these short stories, but it is worth engaging with it. It has certainly introduced me to a lot of authors that I didn't know about, and they are going on 'the list'.</p><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article-abstract/81/10/736/891736?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false" target="_blank">Larry Horton's 'The Enduring Animal Issue': </a>OK, so this one is used because it illustrates my argument rather than connects to fiction. However, it is a fascinating late 80s argument that animal activism is doing irreparable harm to the biomedical community.</p>
June 8, 2026
<p>In this week's episode, Mal takes a journey into hell with 'The Archive of the Forgotten' by A. J. Hackwith; it's a fantasy tale about the so-called Library of the Unwritten in Hell. Yes, that Hell.</p><p>It's a challenging episode as I'm working out that fantasy novels, in particular, are quite challenging to read out of order. It's all about the world building, so join me as I tell you about my reading experience of this novel (the second in a trilogy) .</p><p>In this episode, I may ramble on a bit too much about whether the four key characters are in hell or purgatory, while being a lot more concise when taking a look at how libraries are a fantastic places to put a fantasy or mystery novel. In addition, we'll take the usual look at the author and series while also considering how to improve my creative writing by being braver with using multiple viewpoints when telling a story.</p><p>Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com</p><p>Content: A bit of swearing</p><p><strong>Helpful links and useful sources</strong></p><p><a href="https://ajhackwith.com/" target="_blank">A. J. Hackwith's website</a>: You can explore many of the author's previous work here. It hasn't been updated recently, but it is worth visiting if you are intrigued by the 'Hell's Library' trilogy.</p><p><a href="https://thenerddaily.com/aj-hackwith-author-interview/" target="_blank">Interview with A. J. Hackwith (by Sarah Campsall) in The Daily Nerd</a>: This 2020 interview was really useful in getting background information on the trilogy, since it happened when 'The Archive of the Forgotten' had been released, and Hackwith was working on the upcoming final part of the trilogy. To be honest, it is also just a nice interview to read as an aspiring writer.</p><p><a href="https://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2020/10/aj-hackwith-interview-archive-of.html" target="_blank">Interview with A. J. Hackwith in Jean Book Nerd</a>: This is another 2020 interview that I used in the episode, this one focuses more on what Hackwith was doing at that moment and future projects. I'm always curious about the lives of authors!</p><p><a href="https://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2020/10/aj-hackwith-interview-archive-of.html" target="_blank">Interview with A. J. Hackwith (by Robert Lee Brewer) in Writer's Digest</a>: This interview from 2024 focuses on Hackwith's novel 'Toto' which is the story of 'The Wizard of Oz' from the dog's perspective. It's an interesting article about how you develop original ideas and put them into practice.</p><p><a href="https://emmadarwin.substack.com/p/ten-tips-for-reading-like-a-writer" target="_blank">Emma Darwin's 10 Tips for Reading like a Writer</a>: This Substack article was written in 2024, and I had no idea about it until it was shared on Bluesky. I used it in this episode and I'll certainly use ideas from this article in future episodes. Darwin provides a writers' 'toolkit' on their Substack, so it's definitely worth exploring.</p><p><a href="https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol42/iss2/7/" target="_blank">Camilo Peralta's Timeless Moments: Russell Kirk, Charles Williams and Stephen King on the Afterlife (2024)</a>: This article explores the works of three authors and the depictions of heaven and hell (plus, purgatory) in their works. It's a fascinating article that looks at them and how they hold very different religious views but seem to have a similar perspective on the afterlife, and it was one that certainly reflected some of the ideas I had about 'The Archive of the Forgotten' while I was reading it.</p><p><a href="Karen Attar and Andrew Nash's Introduction to Books, Reading and Libraries in Fiction" target="_blank">Karen Attar and Andrew Nash's Introduction to Books, Reading and Libraries in Fiction (2025)</a>: I'll admit I haven't read this whole study of reading, books and libraires but it is on my long term to-do list, however, even the introduction really gives you an insight into how reading is perceived in books not necessarily as a polite activity, but sometimes as a dangerous one especially for women if they weren't reading 'the right kind of books' whatever they are! The initial description of books as a source of freedom and intellectual activity for Jane Eyre vs. other characters considering libraries a sign of social standing is fascinating.</p>
May 25, 2026
<p>In this week's epsiode, we take a look at 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators - The Mystery of the Fiery Eye' by Robert Arthur Jnr..</p><p>This was an interesting one for Mal if only because she'd never heard of this series before and the book cover didn't have an author on it, so Mal only discovered the author was Robert Arthur Jnr. after she had finished it and started planning this episode. What she discovered were a lot of fansites and by extension a lot of fans - she's looking at you Germany!</p><p>In this week's episode, we'll take a look at deception and work ethic as two stand out themes as an 'out of order' reader. We'll look at what you could learn from series novels like the 'Three Investigators' and ask whether 'The Fiery Eye' can standalone or if the practicalities of the three investigators' business and contacts issues throws up more questions than answers. We'll also suggest that Jupiter Jones has a real smugness issue.</p><p><strong>Email</strong>: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com</p><p><strong>Note</strong>: I am sorry to the creators of the fan sites below, as I gave the url names rather the website names in some cases during the episode. These sites were tremendously useful in showing me how well-loved and committed fans of the Three Investigators are, so for anybody interested in the Three Investigators I would recommend exploring these sites. I mention four websites in the episode, but I have included those and a couple more that I discovered after I completed recording.</p><p><strong>Useful links and sources:</strong></p><p>Here are five sites that seem to have been created by US fans and appear to be solo efforts, but the amount of detail and enthusiasm in the sites speak to their devotion to Robert Arthur Jnr's creation:</p><p><a href="https://www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com/originalseries.html" target="_blank">The Original Three Investigators Series</a></p><p><a href="http://www.3investigators.com/" target="_blank">The Three Investigators Readers' website</a></p><p><a href="https://www.threeinvestigators.net/" target="_blank">The Three Investigators</a></p><p><a href="https://www.tunneltwo.com/ghost/forums.html" target="_blank">TunnelTwo.com</a></p><p><a href="http://www.3investigators.com/files/t3ihome.htm" target="_blank">3Investigators.com</a></p><p><a href="https://www.rocky-beach.com/php/wordpress/" target="_blank">Rocky-Beach.com</a>: This is the German site that I speak about in the episode. The black background and multicoloured lettering may not be the easiest format to deal with but it is definitely worth exploring. </p><p><a href="https://crimereads.com/a-brief-history-of-the-juvenile-mysteries-you-checked-out-of-the-library-eight-at-a-time/" target="_blank">A Brief History of the Juvenile Mysteries you check out of the library eight at a time by Keith Roysdon</a>: I really enjoyed this 2020 article, and not just because I struggled to find people writing about this series outside of fansites! I think it puts into context how important young adult series are in building future adult mystery fans, plus it doesn't just focus on novels from the mid-20th century but brings the topic up to the present day.</p>
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
The Out of Order Book Club podcast is aimed at avid readers and aspiring writers everywhere who are interested in books from all sorts of genres. Every fortnight, Mal takes you through a random book from a crime, fantasy or sci-fi series and asks whether this book in the series can be read out of order.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
This podcast updates daily.
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.