The And the Award for the Best Supporting Character Goes To.. episode

In this episode, as the Academy Awards have just announced their best supporting actors and actresses we found ourselves wondering who would win the Boundless Book Club trophy for best supporting character. Join Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle on a journey through some of their favourite supporting characters who definitely deserve more page time.

Stay tuned for a fascinating roaming conversation with Jasper Fforde coming in around the 28 minute mark.

Complete the survey for a chance to win fabulous books, perhaps even one signed by Jasper Fforde! https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/ahCNu5

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I think you might be able to guess which jilted spinster Ahlam was drawn to in this classic about the young Pip, his mysterious benefactor, and his love for the beautiful Estella.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The list of supporting characters in this beloved fantasy series is extensive, and mostly male, but the female characters of Middle Earth really hold their own. Can you guess which one Annabelle chose?

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This incredible book that has captivated readers all over the world stars two twin sisters whose paths in life diverge when they make very different choices that will affect the way they are perceived in a fiercely segregated time and place. But Andrea argues the bounty hunter on the sidelines needs his own show.

About Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde has been writing in the Comedy/Fantasy Genre since 2001 when his novel 'The Eyre Affair' debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. Since then he has published fourteen more books, several of them bestsellers, and counts his sales in millions. 'The Constant Rabbit' will be his 15th novel. He lives and works in Wales.

About us:

Ahlam Bolooki is the Festival Director for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the largest celebration of the written and spoken word in the Arab World. Ahlam finds it difficult to choose a favourite genre as it’s always changing and she’s still in the midst of discovering her literary self. She’s catching up on all the gems she missed as a child such as The Little Prince and The Giving Tree, but has also developed a new appetite for Crime Fiction so who knows what’s next?

Andrea Gissdal is the Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation. From a voracious and indiscriminate reader as a child, to a part time bookseller as a student, as an adult she has become a literary omnivore but with a preference for fiction. She also dabbles in creative writing, and has a penchant for Scrabble.

Annabelle Corton is part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk radio shows about various literary topics. She likes words like ‘equinox’ and ‘vespa’, and loves a good pun. She’ll read anything in reach, but has a fondness for witty tussles of good vs. evil on page and screen, especially vampire fiction where a great deal is at stake. Get it? Stake? ….She’s not sorry.