What Pandora Sykes reads

Before her Substack, there were book stacks

I’ve been an avid fan of Pandora Sykes’ book recommendations since 2018, when I first discovered her (now dearly departed) podcast The High Low via an offhand mention on YouTube. Hugely popular in the UK, the show—a weekly current affairs and pop culture podcast helmed by Sykes and Dolly Alderton. I adored the show, particularly for the reading recommendations both women regularly dispensed.

Once I found The High Low, I also, naturally, found my way to both Sykes and Alderton’s Instagram accounts. Sykes regularly posted stacks of books she’d recently read, and I read a lot of them. Since it’s been six years now, I figured it was high time to talk through some of my thoughts, on her picks. (And if you like these recs, you’ll love her Substack,

Books + Bits

, where she regularly reviews books, including a French YA novel called Piglettes, last week, which I’m going to get my hands on as soon as I’m back home).

I’ve sorted the stacks chronologically, and only listed the books I’ve read within each one. Let’s get into it.

image via @pandorasykes on Instagram

And yes, this is behind a paywall, because it contains 27 mini book reviews. My book reviews usually aren’t, but 27 takes time! (Plus, there are 110 books recommended-ISH in total).

If you’d prefer to keep reading for free, I wrote about Nell Diamond’s book stacks last week. If you can’t afford a subscription but want one, message me and I’ll send you a free one.