December 2025: Madeline Martin’s The Secret Book Society

Episode 109

Today, we’re stepping into the candlelit, corseted world of Victorian England with New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin—a master of emotionally rich, meticulously researched historical fiction. Madeline’s novels (The Last Bookshop in London, The Librarian Spy, The Keeper of Hidden Books) have introduced millions of readers to hidden corners of history where ordinary people wield books as lifelines, rebellion, and hope. Her latest work and our December JHBC pick, The Secret Book Society, is no exception.

Set in an era when women were warned that reading could “inflame the imagination,” The Secret Book Society follows Lady Duxbury—a thrice-widowed countess trailed by scandalous whispers—who covertly gathers a small circle of women for tea…and contraband literature. What begins as shared curiosity blooms into a daring underground society where women read the stories they’ve been forbidden, claim a power they’ve been denied, and build the kind of sisterhood that can spark a quiet revolution.

In this conversation, we pull back the velvet curtain on:

• how real Victorian restrictions inspired her fictional rebellion
• the archival rabbit holes that uncovered surprising truths about women, reading, and resistance
• the power of “found family” in times of surveillance, judgment, and constraint
• why stories become sanctuaries when the world demands silence

It’s a rich, rousing discussion about agency, courage, community—and the way a single book can change the trajectory of a life. If you love historical fiction, hidden histories, or the irresistible thrill of women defying the rules together, you’re going to adore this episode.