Books and Authors

May 11/2020

Sunjeev Sahota talks to Alex Clark about his new novel, The Spoiled Heart
Sinéad Gleeson is a writer, broadcaster and editor of three anthologies of Irish writing. Her collection of essays, Constellations: Reflections from Life won Non Fiction Book of the Year at the 2019 Irish Book Awards, and now publishes her debut novel, Hagstone.Hagstone is set on a remote island of the coast of Ireland, it tells[...]
US author Percival Everett talks about his new novel, James - a retelling of Huckleberry Finn, told from the point of view of runaway slave, Jim.Plus, writing openly about the challenges of motherhood, and doing so with humour. Shahidha talks to two authors who have done just that, in the short story form: Naomi Wood,[...]
Alex Clark talks to Andrew O’Hagan about his new book Caledonian Road. Told over the course of a year, Caledonian Road follows art historian and public intellectual Campbell Flynn as a friendship with a young student calls into question the complacency of his much-cherished liberal credentials. With an epic Dickensian cast from drill artists to[...]
THE RED PARTS by Maggie Nelson (Vintage), chosen by Carol Morley INVISIBLE CITIES by Italo Calvino (Vintage), chosen by Will Hislop ORDINARY PEOPLE by Diana Evans (Vintage), chosen by Harriett Gilbert Film director Carol Morley chooses a memoir called The Red Parts, in which author Maggie Nelson tries to make sense of the horror, grief[...]
Carys Davies on her new novel, Clear. Plus Annie Ernaux and photography
Alex Clark talks to novelist Jonathan Buckley about his novel, Tell. The story is told as a monologue by an unnamed narrator, the gardener of self-made businessman and would-be art collector, Curtis Doyle. Doyle has gone missing from his Scottish estate and many stories about his rags to riches life are being constructed. Tell is[...]
JUST KIDS by Patti Smith, chosen by Lindsey Hilsum MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor E. Frankl (trans. Ilse Lasch), chosen by Christopher Eccleston TOWARDS THE END OF THE MORNING by Michael Frayn, chosen by Harriett GilbertThe television journalist and actor share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor of Channel 4 News, loves[...]
CHESS by Stefan Zweig (Faber), chosen by Katy Hessel MAUD MARTHA by Gwendolyn Brooks (Penguin), chosen by Amy Blakemore THE PIER FALLS by Mark Haddon (Vintage), chosen by Harriett Gilbert Art historian Katy Hessel chooses a book that she read in one sitting because she couldn't put it down: Chess by Stefan Zweig. A novella[...]
"Last night I dreamt of Manderley again..." begins Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier one of the most well-loved novels of the 20th century. As part of the Daphne du Maurier: Double Exposure season on Radio 4, Open Book looks again at her hugely popular novels to reveal the enduring qualities and appeal of her writing.From[...]
ON WRITING by Stephen King, chosen by Kathryn Williams THE BITCH by Pilar Quintana (translated by Lisa Dillman), chosen by Harriett Gilbert ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute, chosen by Andrew McMillanThe singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams loves books about the craft of writing and her choice of a good read is 'On Writing: A Memoir of[...]
More books worth reading chosen by well known guests
Kate Davies talks to Chris Power about her new novel, Nuclear Family.
An actor and singer and a computer scientist and author pick their favourite books.
Sheila Heti on her new experimental book, Alphabetical Diaries.
The frontman of Idles and the artistic director of Bristol Old Vic share book choices.
Madeleine Gray on her witty, heartbreaking novel, Green Dot, about a young woman's affair
a former professional footballer and a film critic pick their favourite books.
The crime writer and the singer aka Mull Historical Society choose favourite books
Michael Cunningham speaks to Johny Pitts about his new novel, Day.
Gerald Murnane talks to Chris Power about his writing life.
Pulitzer Prize winning author, Hisham Matar, discusses his new novel My Friends.
Chris Power is joined by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Aminatta Forna & Lucy Caldwell
Chris Power shares some of the highlights of the year on Open Book.
Johny Pitts speaks to Janice Hallett about her new book, The Christmas Appeal.
Ron Rash on his new book, The Caretaker.
The artist Chantal Joffe picks I Capture The Castle, the English classic by Dodie Smith. Set in 1930s rural England, it relates the adventures of an eccentric family over the course of about a year. It's a book Chantal has come back to again and again, ever since she was a teenager. Séamas O'Reilly champions[...]
Award winning novelist Alexis Wright talks to Chris Power.
The presenter and the sociologist share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Crime writer Femi Kayode on his new novel, Gaslight.
The journalist and the writer talk to Harriett about favourite books.
Chris Power talks to Teju Cole about his wide-ranging and powerful new novel, Tremor.
Good books chosen by well known guests as reading recommendations
Books worth reading chosen by Harriett Gilbert and guests
Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts discuss AI and the novel.
The TV presenter and the writer share favourite books with Harriett.
Chris Power speaks to Karl Ove Knausgård about his new book, The Wolves of Eternity
Artist Cornelia Parker is with the chef Jeremy Lee and presenter Harriett Gilbert, to pick their all-time favourite books.Cornelia chooses South by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the story of his extraordinary journey to Antarctica. Jeremy is a fan of the food writer Elizabeth David, and recommends her book of essays, Omelette and a Glass of Wine.[...]
The US author and psychiatrist on his new novel, North Woods
The children's TV presenter and stand up comedian advocate for favourite books.
Lydia Davis on the writing of Our Strangers.
Two guests choose their favourite books
Ben Lerner and Anne Enright on poetry and fiction
Elizabeth Day talks to the novelist Zadie Smith about her new novel, The Fraud.
George Orwell Now
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen speaks to Johny Pitts about her new book, The Wolf Hunt
Octavia Bright talks to Ann Patchett about her captivating new novel. Tom Lake is the story of a young actor Lara under the spell of a future Hollywood star, but it is also about how she retells that story in later life to her adult daughters, and the power of storytelling itself.Two masters of historical[...]
Johny Pitts explores Birmingham's literary heritage and contemporary writing scene.
Author and cultural critic Olivia Laing, whose books include The Lonely City, Funny Weather and Everybody, is joined by fashion writer and curator Charlie Porter, of What Artists Wear and Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and the Philosophy of Fashion, and presenter Harriett Gilbert, to talk about the books they love.Olivia recommends Bad Blood by literary[...]
Elizabeth Day celebrates the centenary year of the writer Elizabeth Jane Howard
More book recommendations from actor Niamh Cusack and author Elly Griffiths
Susanna Hoffs and Nina Wadia choose their good reads
Johny Pitts speaks to Megan Nolan about her new novel, Ordinary Human Failings. The book explores the demonization of an Irish family and tabloid journalism in nineties London following a shocking tragedy.Plus what is the best crime fiction out there this summer? Vaseem Khan, incoming chair of the Crime Writers Association, and critic Laura Wilson[...]
Richard Ford talks to Alex Clark about his latest novel, Be Mine.
The actor-comedian and the poet advocate for their favourite books
Biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake (of 'Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures') is joined by the science journalist Jo Marchant (of 'Human Cosmos' and 'Cure') and presenter Harriett Gilbert.Merlin picks 'The Age of Wonder' by Richard Holmes, a biographical portrait of scientific innovators in the late 18th[...]
Jenny Erpenbeck talks to Octavia Bright about her novel Kairos
The comedian and the writer talk to Harriett about favourite books, including one of Orwell's less well known novels, Coming Up for Air, chosen by Hal after he played the central character in a one man show. Daisy has gone for Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin, and Harriett loves Jenny Diski's Stranger on[...]
Tragicomic Writing with Paul Murray plus guests Josie Long, Katherine Heiny & Jen Beagin
Journalist, broadcaster and author Zing Tsjeng and poet Yomi Ṣode join presenter Harriett Gilbert to talk about the books they love.Zing chooses a book set in the heart of New York City's queer community. Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters is centred on the lives of Reece, a trans woman, her ex Ames, and her ex's[...]
Leila Slimani, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Kalaf Epalanga
The two writers talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Johny Pitts talks to Guy Gunaratne about their new novel Mister, Mister
Linda Grant, Xiaolu Guo and Alice Vincent
Deborah Levy, Miranda France and Kate Morton
Johny Pitts talks to the debut novelist about The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa
Booker winning writer Marlon James talks to Elizabeth Day
Octavia Bright discusses Granta's once in a decade list of new writing talent
Contemporary Indian Writing in the spotlight
The author of the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series, Donna Leon, is joined by writer-entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan and the presenter Harriett Gilbert.Donna has chosen a book by an author she greatly admires, Ross MacDonald, who she read before she became a writer herself. His 1971 noir novel, The Underground Man, follows a detective as he[...]
Chris Power discusses the last novel from the late Spanish writer Javier Marías.
Author Katherine May and poet Liz Berry talk about their favourite books with Harriett.
Eleanor Catton talks to Chris Power about her new eco-thriller, Birnam Wood
The newsreader and the writer chat about books with Harriett.
Johny Pitts explores the work of two writers who have combined comedy with tragedy
The broadcaster and comedian discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Psychotherapist writer Philippa Perry and Professor of Neuroscience Anil Seth join Harriett Gilbert to talk about books they love.Anil Seth, who explores consciousness and the self in his book Being You, recommends Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, where our near-future world is seen through the eyes of an Artificial Friend. Philippa Perry's choice[...]
Tom Bullough on writing about the climate crisis, and Richard Wright's lost novel
Columnist at The Times James Marriott and arts journalist for The Guardian Jude Rogers discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.James picks The Past by Tessa Hadley, a contemporary novel about family, place and the modern world encroaching upon the old; Jude recommends Border Country by Raymond Williams, a semi-autobiographical story of a man returning home[...]
Chris Power talks to Aleksandar Hemon about his new novel The World and All That It Holds
Art historian Kate Bryan and comedian Mark Steel talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Kate loves Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing, an inspiring collection of essays which make a case for why art matters. Mark is a big fan of Stalin Ate My Homework by Alexei Sayle, a comedic[...]
Bret Easton Ellis
Favourite books chosen by well known guests and presenter Harriett Gilbert
Guest choose favourite books to discuss with Harriett Gilbert
Chris Power discusses one of the most talked about trends in publishing
Monica Heisey talks to Johny Pitts about her debut novel about divorce in your twenties
Jane Smiley, and writing gay lives from the past with Tom Crewe and Nell Stevens
Chris Power explores the writing of Katherine Mansfield on the centenary of her death.
Johny Pitts explores the Queen of Crime's connection to the festive season
Chris Power talks to the author of The Golden Mole and Other Living Treasures.
Chris Power discusses a year in books with Ellah Wakatama and Kate Mosse.
Books about tidying, music and addiction, and a desire to write are this week's choices.
Mariana Enríquez
A disgraced university tutor, a dysfunctional family, and a love-letter to literature.
Cormac McCarthy, The Writers, Derek Owusu
Two very-different memoirs and a tale of two women on an adventure feature this week.
Barbara Kingsolver, plus the "Social Novel" with John Lanchester and Ayisha Malik
Comedians Heidi Regan and Neil Delamere discuss their favourite all-time books with Harriett Gilbert. Heidi chooses a non-fiction book on the cult of positive thinking by the late Barbara Ehrenreich, called Smile or Die. Neil suggests a novel by Ronan Hession about two unambitious friends in their thirties; Leonard and Hungry Paul, and Harriett picks[...]
The comedian Ria Lina - who's appeared on the BBC’s Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News for You and Mock the Week - joins Otegha Uwagba - author of Little Black Book, Whites and We Need to Talk About Money - to talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.Ria chooses Moll[...]
Chris Power talks to Colm Tóibín about his essays on illness, religion and literature
The poet and the writer choose their favourite books.
Writing Nature
The writers choose the books they love to read.
William Boyd discusses his new novel, The Romantics.
The broadcaster and the comedian choose books they love
Celeste Ng and Grief and modern masculinity with Bobby Palmer and Michael Pedersen
Two writers who cover crime, football and music share their favourite books with Harriett
Orhan Pamuk, Patterson Joseph and Torrey Peters.
Maggie O'Farrell, Graphic Novels with Lizzy Stewart and Posy Simmonds, plus Anuradha Roy
Chris Power talks to Ian McEwan about his new book, Lessons.
Alex Clark on novels - past, present and future - about summer and change
Mary Renault's Greek Myths
Octavia Bright talks to Ross Raisin about his new book, A Hunger.
The Ethics of Writing Crime
Writer Salena Godden chooses Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys, a book she's re-read many times and returns to now – older, wiser and with even greater empathy for its protagonist.Author-illustrator Rob Biddulph recommends When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle, named Children’s Fiction Book of the Year at the 2022 British Book Awards, which[...]
Tess Gunty on The Rabbit Hutch; Jackie Kay on the writing of Jamaica Kincaid
Columnist Melanie Reid adores This is Not About Me by Janice Galloway, a tragicomic account of her turbulent childhood in mid-century Scotland. Presenter Harriett Gilbert thinks John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a true masterpiece, and sports broadcaster (and famous dog owner) Andrew Cotter recommends The Wild Places by fellow mountain-lover Robert Macfarlane.Produced[...]
Summer Reading and Benjamin Wood
Sophie Hannah and Viv Groskop join Harriett Gilbert to talk about books they love.Sophie, an Agatha Christie expert and superfan, recommends The Rose and the Yew Tree, a book – misleadingly billed as a romance, she says – that Christie wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. She claims it can rival any detective novel for[...]
Johny Pitts returns to his home city to explore Sheffield's literary landscapes
The broadcaster Petroc Trelawny, host of the Radio 3 Breakfast show, and the crime writer Stuart MacBride, author of the bestselling Logan McRae and Ash Henderson crime thrillers, talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they love.Petroc's choice is dystopian J. B. Ballard novel The Drought, Stuart's is the Hollywood memoir by David Niven, The Moon's[...]
Dr Alex George and Ella Al Shamahi choose books they love
Revisiting the 1990s
The comedian and the writer discuss favourite books
Johny Pitts discusses time with three writers who have explored it in very different ways
The novelist and the podcaster propose favourite books for discussion
Johny Pitts talks to author of Either/Or, sequel to the 2017 bestseller The Idiot
Omid Djalili and Nikita Lalwani choose books they love
Johny Pitts talks to Benjamin Myers about his new book, The Perfect Golden Circle.
Chris Power talks to Atticus Lish about his new novel, The War for Gloria.
Neurodiversity
Elizabeth Day talks to David Whitehouse about his new creative nonfiction
Julian Barnes; How Words Get Good; Bangkok Postcard
Forbidden love with Douglas Stuart; Oxford’s influence on interwar writers
Belfast in the Blitz
Two actors choose their favourite books
The two actors choose books they love
Here Again Now, Readers Guide to Gogol, Lessons in Chemistry
The actor and the thriller writer chat about books with Harriett Gilbert.
Karen Joy Fowler on the infamous Booth family, Michel the Giant and Lisa Taddeo
The comedian and the writer talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
A life in books with Marlon James
The actor and the writer debate books with Harriett Gilbert
Katie Thistleton and Suzannah Lipscomb bring their favourite books to the table.
Elizabeth Day talks to Audrey Magee about her latest novel The Colony
CHVRCHES frontwoman Lauren Mayberry and comedian Rob Deering share their favourite books.
Johny Pitts talks to Trinidadian author Ayanna Lloyd Banwo about her debut novel When We Were Birds. It is a carefully crafted story set in the backstreets of Trinidad, where a young man called Darwin has newly arrived in the city of Port Angeles looking for a fresh start and his lost father. He’s forced[...]
The natural world, leadership styles aboard a submarine and sibling rivalry in Scotland.
The ‘new boom’ of feminist Spanish-language literature.
Writers Katherine Rundell and Nathan Filer bring their favourite books to the table.
The gardener and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh and the Yorkshire shepherdess choose books
Gary Shteyngart's tragic comedy set in lockdown, Richard Beard on Time, East Side Voices
Tessa Hadley, Richard Beard on Time and two pioneering female book sellers.
Open Book explores the enduring legacy of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
Hanya Yanagihara speaks to Chris Power about her new book, To Paradise.
Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts look back at highlights of their first year at Open Book.
Laura Barnett, Moscow Postcard, Non- Fiction 2021
Claire Keegan talks to Chris Power about her new book, Small Things Like These.
Comedian and writer Liam Williams and musician Kate Stables pick their favourite books.
Elizabeth Strout discusses her new novel, Oh William!
The artist Kaffe Fassett and musician Andy Summers ex The Police choose books they love
JJ Bola, David Damrosch and Rob Doyle plus Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Taskeen Ahmed
Friends, sisters and serial killers all feature in the book choices for this week. Writer and stand-up comedian Athena Kugblenu picks 'My Sister the Serial Killer' by Oyinkan Braithwaite, a darkly comic tale which is as much about sibling rivalry as it is about murder. Nell Dunn's memoir about love and friendship, 'The Muse', is[...]
The ghost stories of Edith Wharton and Lustre by Raven Leilani are the guests' choices
Patricia Highsmith, Robin McLean, Courttia Newland
The NHS palliative care doctor and author Rachel Clarke (Breathtaking, Dear Life) and the barrister and author Mohsin Zaidi (A Dutiful Boy) share the books that inspire them with presenter Harriett Gilbert.Rachel chooses The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, a memoir about locked-in syndrome by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Mohsin picks a collection of essays, speeches, and[...]
Friendship in Fiction: a special programme from London Literature Festival
Friendship in Fiction: a special programme from London Literature Festival
Writers Musa Okwonga (One of Them, Striking Out) and Sophie Heawood (The Hungover Games) share their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Musa chooses The Bone Readers by Jacob Ross, a crime novel set in the Caribbean. Sophie picks Lunch Poems, a collection by Frank O'Hara written on the streets of New York and Harriett introduces[...]
Elizabeth Day talks to Sarah Hall about her latest novel, Burntcoat
Two poets and writers choose books that they love.
Johny Pitts talks to Lauren Groff about her novel Matrix.
Two guests discuss books they love this week on a science theme
Jonathan Franzen, Amitav Ghosh, Nina Mingya Powles
Pianist and broadcaster Neil Brand actor/comedian Tiff Stevenson choose books they love
Rabih Alameddine, English PEN at 100 with Philippe Sands and Elif Shafak, Editors' Pick
Malorie Blackman talks to Johny Pitts about Endgame
Elizabeth Day talks to Colson Whitehead in a special feature length interview.
Johny Pitts explores the 20s with Alison MacLeod, Bill Goldstein, James Clammer & Jo Hamya
David Grossman, Richard Beard, The Sea Library
Chris Power talks to author of The Country of Others. Plus nonfiction books on motherhood
Chris Power talks to author behind TV hit The Undoing about her latest book, The Plot
Cats, a wrestling princess and grief.
Elizabeth Day talks to Anuk Arudpragasam about his new novel, A Passage North
Two acting greats advocate for their favourite books.
Chris Power speaks to Miranda Cowley Heller about her debut The Paper Palace
Japanese fiction; Vendela Vida
The two musicians choose favourite books
The Greek politician chooses a good read along with novelist Patrick McGrath
Elizabeth Day speaks to Damon Galgut about his new novel, The Promise.
Harriett Gilbert talks to Janey Godley and Mel Hudson about books they love.
Elizabeth Day talks to Zakiya Dalila Harris about her debut novel, The Other Black Girl
The actor and the journalist share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Chris Power speaks to Jonathan Lee about his new novel, The Great Mistake
Tears, hope and identity. The comedian, the Radio 1 presenter, and their favourite books.
Tech startups in fiction; Editor's tip; Sensitivity reading
New Irish Writing, Book Dedications, Mary Gaitskill on Madame Bovary
Hollie McNish, Modern American Short Stories, Twins
Elizabeth Day talks to the writer Jhumpa Lahiri, whose latest novel, Whereabouts, was originally written in Italian, a language she learned in her 40s. Whereabouts tells the story of an unnamed middle-aged woman who meanders through a Northern Italian city, sharing her observations on everything from having a manicure to walking a friend’s dog. Lahiri[...]
Johny Pitts talks to Jon McGregor about his latest novel Lean Fall Stand, inspired by a trip to Antarctica. Opening with sparse, barely describable landscape in the midst of a storm, it follows Robert "Doc" Wright's recovery in the aftermath and sensitively examines heroism, modern masculinity and the failure of words.Chester Himes is an often[...]
Elizabeth Day talks to Chris Power, writer of the short story collection Mothers, about his debut novel A Lonely Man. Robert Prowe is a struggling writer living in Berlin with his wife and two young daughters. One night he meets Patrick, a stranger with a story to tell, who is a ghostwriter for a Russian[...]
Johny Pitts visits his local bookshop, Review in Peckham, as it prepares to reopen and talks to manager Ben Pope about missing bookseller recommendationsNaomi Ishiguro discusses her debut novel Common Ground, about a friendship across a cultural divide and the importance of open space for everyone.And we reflect on making room in our homes for[...]
Chess, drugs and dentistry- the two writers chat to Harriett about their favourite books
Johny Pitts discusses working-class rural life with Claire Fuller and Karla Neblett
Actor Adjoa Andoh, Bridgerton's Lady Danbury, and CBeebies presenter Andy Day share books
Elizabeth Day talks to Fiona Mozley about her second novel, Hot Stew.
Husband & wife team - the Radio 1 Breakfast host and the writer talk up their top reads.
Elizabeth Day talks to Pulitzer Prize winning writer Viet Thanh Nguyen about The Committed
The news presenter and the author both talk about the books they've chosen
The comedian and the books blogger talk to Harriett about their favourite books
Elizabeth Day talks to Mary Lawson
The writer/drag performer and the television executive talk books with Harriett
Johny Pitts talks to Caleb Azumah Nelson about Open Water, his hotly anticipated debut
Does a Tiger Come to Tea? Harriett Gilbert finds out
Elizabeth Day talks to actor Ethan Hawke about his new novel.
The actress and the environmentalist talk about much loved books with Harriett Gilbert.
The poet and the comedian talk climbing, science fiction, and love with Harriett Gilbert.
Richard Flanagan; How To Read Well; Editor's Tip
Kate Mosse, Books on TV, Writing in prisons
Elizabeth Day talks to debut writer Raven Leilani.
Bryan Washington, Natalie Haynes, Trauma in fiction with Rebecca Watson & Peter Ho Davies
Reading in 2020
Johny Pitts and guests explore the dazzling brilliance of Charles Dickens
Jonathan Lethem; Sylvia Townsend Warner; Edna O'Brien
The journalist and the critic nominate favourite books
Jenny Erpenbeck, Margaret Atwood on a classic dystopia, Paintings in fiction
Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, & Professor Lucie Green, presenter on The Sky At Night, discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Johny Pits asks writers Carys Bray and Diana McCaulay how stories offer hope and motivate action to address environmental crisis
Poet Vanessa Kisuule and environmental writer Jonathon Porritt talk books with Harriett.
Chris Power talks to Jonathan Coe about bringing Billy Wilder to life in his new novel.
Travel and food writer Yasmin Khan and novelist David Mitchell talk books.
Rumaan Alam, Words and Photography, Bookshop.org
The comedian and novelist choose favourites including The Sellout by Paul Beatty.
Daliso can't believe Jonathan's never read a fantasy novel before his choice, Seventh Son
Sara Collins talks to Hilary Mantel about her essay collection
Toni Morrison's Beloved and Elizabeth Strout's Olive Again are the books on the table
Armando Iannucci and John Mullan on Dickens; John Lanchester; new Black British writing
Romance in Marseilles, Butterfly Politics & This is Pleasure.Harriett Gilbert talks books
Jennifer Makumbi, New Dutch Writing, Barbara Kingsolver and Wild Swimming in literature
Ruth Jones and Dominic Cooke share their favourite reads with Harriett Gilbert.
Martin Amis
Rose Tremain; Science in Fiction
Donal Ryan, Libraries in Fiction, Campus Novels
Alex Clark talks to Richard Powers about his new novel, The Overstory.
Sara Collins speaks to Sarah Moss about history, holidays and her new novel Summerwater
Johny Pitts looks at the life and work of crime novelist P D James
Chris Power talks to Carys Davies about her new book, The Mission House
Journalist and author Nicholas Lezard and former Radio 4 controller Gwyneth Williams introduce their favourite reads to Harriett Gilbert. Nicholas chooses Watt by Samuel Beckett, a comic novel unlike any other. Gwyneth's favourite is The Leopard, Lampedusa's classic tale of Sicilian aristocracy, and Harriett champions The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, a story of grief, writing[...]
Kate Grenville, Beryl Bainbridge, Narrative Voices
Comedian Sarah Keyworth and author Lissa Evans talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert. Sarah chooses Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, Lissa picks Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks and Harriett shines a light on Lady into Fox by David Garnett. Producer:[...]
Elizabeth Day talks to Eley Williams about her new book, The Liar's Dictionary.
Fiona Shaw and Nicola Coughlan join Harriett Gilbert to talk books
Charlotte Wood, Travel Writing, Narrative Voice
Nina Sosanya and David Nicholls bring their favourite books to the table
American avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson and radio DJ Stuart Maconie talk books.
Elizabeth Wetmore, Sebastian Barry and a re-working of Mary McCarthy's The Group
Val McDermid and Martha Lane Fox talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they really love.
Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Orlando King, Authors and Critics
Actresses Pippa Haywood and Felicity Montagu talk books with Harriett Gilbert.
Andrés Neuman, William Boyd on WW2 Novels, Singlit with Elaine Chiew
Natalie Carter & Melissa Cummings-Quarry (Black Girls Book Club) talk books with Harriett
Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens
Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens
Daniel Mason discusses new short story collection, A Registry Of My Passage On Earth.
Curtis Sittenfeld, Ian Rankin and Katherine Rundell
Award winning autor Tayari Jones discusses her novel Silver Sparrow.
Garth Greenwell talks to Mariella Frostrup about his new book Cleanness.
Ingrid Persaud, Short Fiction, Patricia Grace
Mariella Frostrup talks to Evie Wyld about new novel The Bass Rock
Books worth reading chosen by Nazir Afzal and Maggie Gee.
Maggie O'Farrell Sophie Hannah and Reading in Isolation
Helen Lederer and Angela Barnes nominate books they consider to be a good read.
Petina Gappah. Plus Henry Porter on adventure writing and the joys of fictional journeys.
Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and actor Hugh Dennis choose favourite books.
Christos Tsiolkas, Mothers and Daughters in fiction, Nairobi books
Harriett Gilbert talks to Henry Normal and Bobby Seagull about their favourite books.
Kiley Reid, Lucy Foley and Abir Mukherjee, Peter Swanson
Books worth reading chosen by Neil Oliver and Neil Forsyth.
Books worth reading chosen by actor Richard Harrington and comedian Njambi McGrath
Colum McCann, George Orwell, new fiction set in Windrush-era London
Authors Gail Honeyman and Mavis Cheek talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.
Isabel Allende, Magic Realism, The Foundling
Sarah Phelps and Dane Baptiste talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they love.
100 Novels; Love and Romance with Marian Keyes, David Nicholls, Sara Collins
Harriett Gilbert talks to Syima Aslam and Stig Abell about books they love - all classics
Nick Hornby and Carlo Rovelli tell Harriett Gilbert about the books they love the most.
Jeanine Cummins on American Dirt, and forgotten classic The Street with Tayari Jones
Deepa Anappara and Rob Doyle on their new novels; Helen Fielding's book she'd never lend
100 Novels That Shaped Our World: Identity
Graham Greene special
Highlights of 2019
Benjamin Markovits, PG Wodehouse, Family rows in novels and child prodigies
2019 books, André Aciman and David Bowie
Comedian Russell Kane and novelist Sarah Perry talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert
Lee Child and Pat Barker explore the heroic protagonist. Hanne Orstavik's novel, Love
Nemone Metaxas and Raymond Antrobus talk favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert.
Ben Lerner, Women's auto fiction and Ian Rankin
The Romany writer and broadcaster Damian Le Bas and author Amy Liptrot choose a good read
Kathy O'Shaughnessy talks to Mariella about her novel charting the life of George Eliot.
Comedian Stewart Lee and DJ author Dave Haslam choose their good reads
Lisa Jewell and Aditya Chakrabortty talk all about books with Harriett Gilbert.
Books worth reading chosen by actor John Gordon Sinclair and singer Kerry Ellis
Andrew Michael Hurley talks to Mariella Frostrup about new folk horror novel Starve Acre
The University of East Anglia's Creative Writing MA turns 50.
Poorna Bell and Tony Law join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.
Emma Donoghue discusses her new novel Akin, plus a discussion of the best fiction spies.
Edith Bowman and Harry Baker discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Radiohead's bassist Colin Greenwood and comedian Joanne McNally recommend great books.
Dana Czapnik discusses her debut The Falconer and two writers talk about the Black Death.
Ann Patchett, Jia Tolentino and USA book picks with Jonathan Lee and Zack Graham.
Robert Harris discusses his new novel and reflects on 30 years of writing fiction.
Deborah Levy on her bestselling new novel, The Man Who Saw Everything.
A special edition of Open Book from the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Benjamin Myers on his latest The Offing, and Proust's In Search of Lost Time discussed.
Colm Tóibín reflects on the fathers of Irish greats and US bestseller Mary Beth Keane
David Nicholls on his new novel Sweet Sorrow and a reader's guide to Elizabeth Hardwick
Pam Hogg and Mark Billingham choose their books worth reading.
Award-winning poet Ocean Vuong discusses his debut novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Dolly Alderton and Clare Mackintosh talk about books they love to Harriett Gilbert.
On the centenary of her birth Open Book celebrates the novels of Iris Murdoch
Harriett Gilbert talks to Dom Joly and Kate Hamer about their favourite books.
Mathew Baynton and Aasmah Mir choose favourite books to recommend to Harriett Gilbert.
Will Eaves discusses Murmur, his award-winning novel about Alan Turing
Nicci Gerrard and Gary Younge join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.
Irish author Kevin Barry, winner of the Impac Award and the Goldsmiths Prize, discusses his new novel Night Boat to Tangier, a dark comedy billed as Waiting For Godot meets In Bruges.Novelist and journalist Molly Flatt, who writes about culture and technology for the Bookseller, discusses a growing trend for book versions of successful podcasts.25[...]
Cathy Newman and Jeffery Deaver discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Carolina Setterwall and the pleasures of re-reading. With Mariella Frostrup.
Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Hannah Peel share the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Pajtim Statovci on his novel Crossing and we explore the work of Gerald Murnane
Stephen Morris and Pippa Evans tell presenter Harriett Gilbert about books they love.
Mia Couto and Wayétu Moore discuss two new African novels exploring colonialism and myth
Ben Smith and Julia Blackburn on Doggerland; Ghana's literary scene; Rosie Price
Bernardine Evaristo discusses her polyphonic new novel Girl, Woman, Other.
An exploration of the rich heritage and bright future of working class writing.
Ali Smith on her new novel, Spring, Easter Eggs in fiction and books to live by
Damian Barr, Candice Carty Williams, Beckett's novels and Julián Fuks literary postcard.
Taylor Jenkins Reid talks about her novel Daisy Jones & The Six. Also we discuss the best older characters in fiction and Reading Clinic suggests books for someone on death row.
Nicola Walker and Sarah Ann Kennedy discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Siri Hustvedt discusses her new novel Memories of the Future.
Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with the comedian and broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika and the cartoonist-author Martin Rowson. Ayesha chooses a novel from Italy: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Martin picks Let's Kill Uncle by Rohan O'Grady, and Harriett's choice is In The Skin of A Lion by Michael Ondaatje.Producer: Eliza Lomas
Max Porter discusses his new novel Lanny.
The actors Sarah Hadland (Miranda, That Mitchell and Webb Look) and Russell Tovey (Being Human, The History Boys) recommend favourite books to presenter Harriett Gilbert. Sarah's choice is French hit The Elegance of The Hedgehog. Russell's is Close Range: Brokeback Mountain, made into a film with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and Harriett's is The[...]
What Makes a Jewish Book; Colm Tóibín on Natalia Ginzburg; Censorship in Kuwait
Harriett Gilbert talks about books with poet Lemn Sissay and novelist Mick Herron.
Rev. Kate Bottley and Ken Cheng talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Whitney Scharer discusses her novel about the love affair between Lee Miller and Man Ray.
Harriet Gilbert invites singer Tracy Thorne and writer Maggie O'Farrell to choose a book.
Barristers turned crime writers, Mohammed Hanif on Catch 22, Emma Darwin
Comedian Lucy Porter and writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.Lucy Porter's voice will be well-known to Radio 4 listeners as a regular on the News Quiz, the Now Show and The Unbelievable Truth. On TV she has appeared on Live at the Apollo, QI, Mock the Week, Have I Got[...]
Kristen Roupenian on her new short story collection
Naturalist Brett Westwood and author Kamal Ahmed talk books with Harriett Gilbert.
Writer Scarlett Curtis and comedian Catherine Bohart talk books with Harriett Gilbert.
Chloe Aridjis, Adam Foulds and Leo Benedictus, Gay's the Word Bookshop at 40
A special programme celebrating the breadth and power of writing from the Caribbean
Oyinkan Braithwaite, Books as clutter, Kafka's legacy, True crime in fiction
Open Book explores the legacy of the American writer John Steinbeck
Festive short stories, Hangovers in fiction, Christmas novels, Book choices for 2019
Joyce Carol Oates, Wind in the Willows, October Books and orphans in literature
Donald S Murray, Lyrics and poetry, publishing in Iceland and Greenland
Comedian Gráinne Maguire and alternative history author John Higgs talk to presenter Harriett Gilbert about books they really love. Gráinne chooses Elaine Dundy’s first novel The Dud Avocado, the delightfully funny adventures of a young woman in 1950s Paris. John picks The Patterning Instinct by Jeremy Lent, a history of the world in cultural ideas[...]
Lee Child, Southall-set thrillers, crime picks for teenagers
SAS thriller writer Andy McNab and spoken word artist George the Poet choose a good read
Barbara Kingsolver, Northern Irish writing, India’s gay fiction
Barbara Kingsolver discusses her new novel Unsheltered with Mariella Frostrup.
Harriett Gilbert is joined by authors Kamila Shamsie and Jeffrey Archer
Exploring literary responses to the Great War in the immediate aftermath of the Armistice. The University of Leicester's Victoria Stewart, and biographer Jean Moorcroft Wilson, discuss the ways that fiction reflected the horror of war in the decade after 1918.Novelist Richard T. Kelly considers the pitfalls of including real people in works of fiction.Bestselling novelist[...]
Katie Derham and Matt Haig talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with guests, comedians Sindhu Vee and Phil Wang.
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on his short story debut, Friday Black and Minette Walters
Actor and comedian Liz Carr and Kate Williams select a favourite read
Liane Moriarty, best-selling author of Big Little Lies, discusses her latest novel.
Comedian and actor Ben Miller and writer Danny Wallace choose their favourite books.
Colombian novelist Hector Abad joins Mariella Frostrup to discuss ideas of inheritance and escape in his new family saga The Farm. And Laura Purcell reflects on what soaring horror fiction sales can tell us about contemporary anxieties.
Grace Dent and Sian Harries talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.
Harriett Gilbert discusses favourite books with the writers Nikesh Shukla and Leone Ross. Nikesh's choice is Amateur; a real-life account of testing one’s masculinity in the boxing ring by Thomas Page McBee. Leone's is Cane, the largely forgotten African-American classic by Jean Toomer and Harriett's is a divisive modern classic, The God of Small Things[...]
Open Book celebrates 20 years with Mariella Frostrup in front of a live audience.
Gail Jones, revisiting iconic literary detectives and crime fiction of the 1930's.
Australian author Gail Jones discusses her new book The Death of Noah Glass
Lavinia Greenlaw on her new book In the City of Love's Dreams and Venezuelan literature.
John Boyne on his new novel, and ode to Mrs Gaskell and six of the best Sci Fi novels.
Open Book on the majesty of trees with Richard Powers, Melissa Harrison and Jessica J Lee
A special edition exploring book criticism and asking whether using critical tools can make us better readers. Mariella Frostrup is joined on stage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival by critic Alan Taylor, book podcast host Books&Rhymes, novelists Kaite Welsh and Sarah Moss, and Sarah Dillon from Cambridge University to explore the current state of[...]
Claire Fuller discusses her new novel, Bitter Orange and Neil Gaiman on Hope Mirrlees
Daisy Johnson, The literary appeal of the Fens, Book festival etiquette
Mariella Frostrup and guests consider what makes them such popular fictional locations.
Actor Anne-Marie Duff and author Louise O'Neill join Harriett Gilbert for a discussion about favourite books. Anne-Marie Duff has starred in films including On Chesil Beach, Sufragette and Elizabeth I, and on TV in Shameless and From Darkness. Louise O'Neill's prize-winning novels include Only Ever Yours and Asking for It, and her latest book is[...]
Daisy Johnson and Stella Tillyard on the inspiration of the Fens and literary festivals.
Harriett Gilbert and guests talk favourite books, including Arnold Bennett's The Card, Dylan Thomas' Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog and Daniyal Mueenuddin's In Other Rooms, Other Wonders. Her guests are journalist, broadcaster and documentary-maker Samira Ahmed, presenter of BBC1's Newswatch and Radio 4's Front Row. And comedian Elis James, known for starring[...]
Michael Donker on his debut novel and Jackie Kay on how poet Audrey Lorde inspired her.
Harriett Gilbert and guests talk favourite books in an all-female line-up, including Meg Wolitzer's The Wife, Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen and Carol Ann Duffy's collection Meantime. Her guests are comedy actress and writer Isy Suttie, series regular on Peep Show and Shameless and author of a memoir called The Actual One. And comedian Lolly Adefope, the[...]
Plus the Wellcome Collection's Kirty Topiwala on how fiction has approached the NHS
Loyd Grossman and Skin from rock band Skunk Anansie talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Chosen books include Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham and The Underground Railroad by Colston Whitehead. Producer: Sally Heaven.
Loyd Grossman and Skin from rock band Skunk Anansie talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Chosen books include Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham and The Underground Railroad by Colston Whitehead. Producer Sally Heaven.
Hanan Al-Shaykh and Nada Awar Jarrar on writing about Beirut close up and from a distance
Harriett Gilbert and guests talk favourite books, including Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn (the first in his Patrick Melrose series) & The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Her guests are the journalist and broadcaster Tony Parsons, who started his career at the NME and went on to write[...]
Michael Ondaatje, Nell Dunn on her book, Talking to Women and a postcard from Croatia.
Two former doctors join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books. Adam Kay is a writer and comedian whose first book, This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, was published to great acclaim in 2017. Farrah Jarral is a writer and broadcaster who was, until recently, a London GP.The good[...]
Cressida Connolly, posthumous short stories and a literary postcard from Iraq.
Comic actor and writer Robert Webb and award-winning journalist Hugo Rifkind talk about favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert. Robert's choice is East Anglican based fictional tale Waterland by Graham Swift. Hugo picks the Douglas Adams classic Life, The Universe and Everything, and Harriett brings Sam Miller's Fathers to the table. Producer Beth O'Dea.
Fiona Kidman discusses her new book, All Day at the Movies.
Anthony Horowitz on his second James Bond adventure and a universal library in Seville
John Harvey and favourite characters in fiction
Carys Davies on her new book, West and unfaithful women in fiction.
Jennifer Clement and we discuss the increasing influence of book bloggers.
Diana Evans discusses her new novel, Ordinary People and how to stage literary classics.
Comedians Phill Jupitus and Robin Ince talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they love. Phill's is Dada: Art and Anti-Art by Hans Richter, the founder of the punk art movement. Robin's is Soviet-era science fiction: Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, the book on which Andrei Tarkovsky's film Stalker was based. Lastly, Harriett introduces[...]
Crime writers Abir Mukherjee Val McDermid and Graeme Macrae Burnet on a tour of Kolkata.
Harriett Gilbert's guests are writer Bernardine Evaristo and comedian Jolyon Rubinstein. Bernardine's choice is Come Let Us Sing Anyway by Leone Ross and Jolyon's favourite is Any Human Heart by William Boyd, and Harriett introduces her guests to An English Murder by Cyril Hare.
Joseph Knox's new book The Smiling Man and the archives of Gabriel Garzia Marquz
Writers Nina Stibbe and Kit de Waal share their recommendations for good reads
James Wood discusses his new book, Upstate and we discuss the joys of being a bookworm.
Harriett Gilbert, Joanna Trollope and Sabrina Mahfouz talk about their favourite books.Joanna chooses The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald. Sabrina's choice is Omar Robert Hamilton's The City Always Wins, and Harriett's is Terms and Conditions by Ysenda Maxtone Graham.
Materials engineer and presenter Mark Miodownik and Diana Henry, the food writer for the Sunday Telegraph, tell Harriett Gilbert about the books they love. Books tossed into the discussion are: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton and The Soul of Kindness[...]
Jessie Greengrass and Jeremy Gavron on creating a new novel from classic texts.
Hadley Freeman (Guardian columnist and author of Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies and Be Awesome: Modern Life for Modern Ladies) and Sathnam Sanghera (Times columnist and author of Marriage Material and The Boy With The Topknot) talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Choices include Spring by David Szalay, The[...]
Jane Harper discusses her latest book, Force of Nature and Penelope Lively on E Nesbit
Broadcaster Steph McGovern and comedian Jayde Adams talk about books with Harriett Gilbert. Their choices are, Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed, Ann Cleeves' The Seagull, from the Vera series, and Postcards from the Edge by the late actress Carrie Fisher.Producer Sally Heaven.
Julian Barnes on his new, The Only Story.
Harriett Gilbert talks to comedian Jake Yapp, whose condensed satires include Radio 4 in 4 Minutes, and Ruby Tandoh, runner-up in The Great British Bake Off and cookery writer, about their favourite books. Jake's is Nicholas Again by René Goscinny (author of Asterix) and Jean-Jacques Sempé, translated by Anthea Bell. Ruby loves Nora Ephron's essays[...]
Stephen Fry and Alan Davies reunite in the studio to debate their all-time favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert. Expect philosophical musings and a fair bit of silliness from these comedy polymaths and former QI partners in crime. Fears for the future are discussed through Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel A Brave New World, reflections on[...]
Dirk Kurbjuweit on his book, The Fear, Nicola Sturgeon discusses her love of reading.
Leila Slimane discusses her new novel and the iimportance of translating foreign fiction
William Boyd and Alan Taylor discuss the work of Muriel Spark.
Mariella Frostrup and guests ask if we are entering a golden age of dystopian fiction.
In a special programme David Walliams talks about his life as a children’s writer.
A selection of Christmas literary gifts, Hunter Davies and crowd funding for books.
Lionel Shriver on her new book and a celebration of Nordic writing.
Comedians Nish Kumar and Katy Brand tell Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.
Stephanie Merrit and Benjamin Markovits discuss the idea of the Great American Novel.
Comedian Alexei Sayle and novelist Meg Rosoff trade favourite books with Harriett Gilbert
Jennifer Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel A Visit From The Goon Squad. Her new book Manhattan Beach is set largely during the Second World war, her heroine is the first ever female diver employed to mend warships. She talks to Mariella Frostrup about turning her hand to historical fiction, and her literary[...]
Writers Jon McGregor and Cathy Rentzenbrink talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to celebrated American novelist Celeste Ng, whose new book Little Fires Everywhere explores what happens when a calm and ordinary suburb is disrupted by the arrival of a new residents - a teenage girl and her artistic mother. Ian Rankin shares his passion for Thomas Pynchon's 1973 novel Gravity's Rainbow and we[...]
Presenters Rick Edwards and George Lamb join Harriett Gilbert to talk favourite books.
Jenny Colgan & Steven Camden (Polarbear) talk about brilliant books with Harriett Gilbert
Graeme Macrae Burnet joins Alex Clark to discuss his novel The Accident on the A35, a new literary crime thriller. He describes the book as 'a fiction within a fiction', claiming to be not the author but the translator. Also on the programme, the life and work of South African writer Olive Schreiner, literary news[...]
Alice Lowe and Andrew Hunter Murray talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup celebrates the 40th anniversary of the classic travel book In Patagonia. She's joined by the Observer theatre critic Susannah Clapp, who edited the book, and travel writer William Dalrymple who both admire its ground breaking mix of memoir, history and reportage. Also on the programme, Nathan Englander talks about his new novel Dinner[...]
Owen Jones and Georgia LA discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Omar El Akkad's debut novel American War has won rave reviews in the states. In it he imagines a future America where the country has been ravaged by climate change and a second Civil War breaks out over fossil fuels. He talks to Mariella Frostrup about his dystopian vision.Also on the programme, Icelandic writer Sjon,[...]
Sally Lindsay and Jonathan Harvey talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Alan Hollinghurst on his new novel and Denise Mina and Max Porter discuss ghost stories.
Toby Young and Sarah Vine talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Clare Messud on her latest novels and theatrical memoirs.
Helen Sedgwick discusses her new novel The Growing Season; Australian writers to watch.
Daryl Gregory discusses his latest novel Spoonbenders and a manual on being a writer
Kamila Shamsie and David Vann discuss their own interpretations of classic Greek myths.
Partition, Peter Stamm on his new novel and libraries in fiction
Fredrik Backman is an internationally bestselling author whose A Man Called Ove has sold more than 3 million copies. His new novel, The Scandal, is set in an isolated Swedish town where the future is looking bright, until one brutal act threatens that future prosperity. Fredrik Backman talks to Mariella Frostrup.
Tom Holland, Tracy Borman and Olivette Otele talk about who is writing history today.
Author John Niven and journalist Sali Hughes talk books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Fiona Melrose discusses her new book, Johannesburg and Kaite Welsh on transgender fiction
Elizabeth Day discusses her new book, The Party and Patrick Ness's Queer Icon.
Harriett Gilbert talks to Stacey Dooley and Gaia Vince about their favourite books.
Matt Haig on time travel and Val McDermid discusses Virginia Woolf's Orlando.
Kathy Burke and comedian Tom Allen talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert
Actor Bill Paterson and writer Tom Chatfield talk about beloved books to Harriett Gilbert
Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press and Misha Glenny on The Master and Margarita
Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with Verity Sharp and Matthew Syed.
Thomas Keneally discusses his latest novel, Crimes of the Father
Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with Nathan Caton and Adam Rutherford.
Harriett Gilbert talks to Ed Byrne and Hardeep Singh Kohli about their favourite books.
Tim Winton on his new book The Boy Behind The Curtain – Notes from an Australian Life
Gail Honeyman, Nell Stevens and Angie Thomas on the Book She'd Never Lend
Richard Beard and Bella Pollen discuss their memoirs and a discussion on George Eliot.
The Girl on the Train writer Paula Hawkins talks about her new novel Into The Water
Lisa McInerney on her new novel, Blood Miracles and a discussion on regional writing
Luiza Sauma on her book Flesh and Bone and Water and books for Easter.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Jon McGregor about his new novel Reservoir 13, a haunting exploration of the impact of a missing child on a Derbyshire community. Polly Clark explains why she decided to fictionalize a less well known period in W H Auden's life when, as a young man, he worked as a school master[...]
Will Self and Rachel Johnson talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows and Elan Mastai on literary soothsaying.
Doctor twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken talk to Harriett Gilbert about favourite books.
George Saunders, Nina Lorez Collins, Harper Collins archives and favourite books
Harriet Harman and Pete Paphides champion their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Helen Dunmore discusses her new book, Birdcage Walk.
Tony Robinson and Andi Oliver recommend great books to presenter Harriett Gilbert.
Harriett Gilbert talks great books with Craig Brown and Pippa Evans.
Mohsin Hamid discusses his new book, Exit West and North Korean short stories
Harriett Gilbert talks to Murray Lachlan Young & Deborah Frances-White about good reads.
Nadiya Hussain discusses the book she'd never lend.
Lionel Shriver, author, and Mae Martin, comedian, talk books with Harriett Gilbert.
Joanna Trollope discusses her new novel, City of Friends.
Lord Victor Adebowale and musician Rachel Unthank join Harriett Gilbert to talk books.
Alan Carr and Melanie Sykes talk with Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.
Yaa Gyasi's debut novel Homegoing is already one of the most talked about debuts of 2017. She joins Mariella Frostrup to talk about this tale of two sisters with strikingly different destinies - one sold into slavery, the other a slave trader's wife - and the way their lives reverberate through the generations.We open the[...]
Tessa Hadley on her new book and Esther Freud and Kitty Aldridge on literary friendships
James Lasdun discusses his new book The Fall Guy and crime fiction for 2017
Literary postcards from around the world.
Nadeem Aslam discusses his new book The Golden Legend
The dark world of Shirley Jackson and a look at this year's best reads
Literary heroes and the book I'd never lend.
Jay McInerney talks about his novel Bright Lights, Big City.
Businessman John Timpson & Big Issue founder John Bird talk favourite books.
An original Jane Eyre manuscript published in a new edition and a story from Chris Cleave
Charles Moore and Nadifa Mohamed discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
David Grossman on his new novel and photographer Steve McCurry's portraits of readers.
Michael Grade and Gia Milinovich talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.
Margaret Drabble on her new book The Dark Flood Rises and the books on her bedside table.
Sally Phillips and Julia Donaldson talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
In Classic Book Club, author Louise Walsh discusses Kidnapped with James Naughtie
Harriett Gilbert invites Terry Christian and Dr Kevin Fong to talk favourite books.
Quentin Blake, Emma Chichester Clark and Brit Bennett
Harriett Gilbert talks to Cariad Lloyd and Mike Bullen about books they love, and why.
Sebastian Barry, Naomi Alderman and Margaret Atwood
Sebastian Faulks, Sarfraz Manzoor and Harriett Gilbert talk about their favourite books.
Graham Norton, Michelle Paver and Robert Twigger. Close reading Henry James.
Bidisha and Gillian Reynolds choose favourite books to discuss with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella talks to Tommy Wieringa about his book A Beautiful Young Wife
Harriett Gilbert talks books with Ann Widdecombe and Vince Cable.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Sarah Hall and Peter Hobbs about stories of Sex and Death
Mariella Frostrup talks to Donal Ryan about All We Shall Know
Mariella Frostrup talks to author Jonathan Safran Foer
Mariella Frostrup investigates crime writing from the heart of the Edinburgh Festival. Crime today ranges from psychological thrillers to so-called Cosy Crime whodunnits. With more choice than ever before, why are writers still drawn to expanding and re-inventing the genre and what’s its appeal for readers?Mariella is joined by doyenne of the genre, Val McDermid,[...]
Mariella Frostrup with Raja Alem, Richard T Kelly and Benjamin Markovits and Nick Barley
Mariella Frostrup talks to Colin Thubron
Mariella Frostrup explores contemporary literature from Italy
Open Book - Evelyn Waugh, DBC Pierre, a literary postcard from Sweden
Christopher Biggins and Jenny Eclair chat about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Francesca Simon and Lloyd Langford talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert
Mariella Frostrup on Children's Literature with Frank Cottrell Boyce and Bali Rai
Joann Fletcher and Damian Barr join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.
Open Book with Mariella Frostrup, recorded at Cardiff Central Library
Alex Jones and Victoria Hislop talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Martin Lewis and Tanita Tikaram join Harriett Gilbert to talk about books they love.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Ruth Gilligan about Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan
Professor David Nutt and Philippa Perry join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Annie Proulx about her new novel Barkskins
Robert "Judge" Rinder and Stella Duffy talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup discusses historical fiction and talks to Icelandic writer Sjon
Trevor McDonald and Jon Snow talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Juan Gabriel Vasquez about his novel Reputations
Mariella Frostrup talks to Kit de Waal, Researching novels, Counter-factual fiction.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Alan Cartwright about Iron Towns
Mariella Frostrup talks to Alan Cartwright about Iron Towns
Mariella Frostrup talks to children's author Allan Ahlberg
Mariella Frostrup talks to children's author Allan Ahlberg
Mariella Frostrup talks to David Szalay and Ted Hodgkinson about being a man
On the 400th anniversary of his death, Mariella Frostrup discusses the work and legacy of Miguel de Cervantes with authors Daniel Hahn and Deborah Levy. Cervantes is often credited with inventing the modern novel and the playful wit and digressive plotting of Don Quixote have influenced generations of writers. Playwright Barney Norris talks to Mariella[...]
Kate Tempest is an acclaimed rapper, poet and playwright and now she's added novelist to her CV. She talks to Mariella Frostrup about her debut, The Bricks That Built The Houses, the story of three young Londoners trying to escape their complicated lives. Also on the programme two authors discuss why the environmental changing is[...]
Peter Lord and Russell Kane talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup explores an anthology of short stories inspired by Jane Eyre
Marian Keyes and Nikki Bedi talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Ayelet Gundar-Goshen about Waking Lions
Internationally renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie's rather surprising choice of a good read is Napoleon Hill's best-selling self-improvement book 'Think and Grow Rich' . First published in 1937, it's a classic of the genre and still has wide appeal to the book-buying public.Sarah Churchwell is a journalist and academic, Professor of American Literature at the[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to Javier Marias on Thus Bad Begins
Writers John O'Farrell and Joe Dunthorne recommend great books to Harriett Gilbert.
Harriett Gilbert asks Deborah Bull and Sam Leith about the books they've always loved.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Graham Swift about Mothering Sunday
Natalie Haynes and David Greig join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Meg Rosoff about Jonathan Unleashed
Samantha Bond and Jason Cowley join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.
Samantha Bond and Jason Cowley join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Elizabeth Strout about My Name is Lucy Barton
Jake Arnott and Rebecca Root nominate their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Vanessa Feltz and David Hepworth debate their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Patrick Flanery about I Am No One
Mariella Frostrup talks to Gail Jones about A Guide to Berlin
Mariella Frostrup talks to Janice Y K Lee about The Expatriates
Alex Clark talks to Francesca Kay about The Long Room
Mariella Frostrup and guests discuss the literary trends of the last twelve months
Mariella Frostrup talks to Samuel Bjork about I'm Travelling Alone.
Mariella Frostrup talks to American novelist Tom Drury about The Driftless Area
Dr Christian Jessen and James Wong nominate their favourite books, with Harriett Gilbert.
Harriett Gilbert debates favourite books with Shirley Williams and Margaret Drabble.
Mariella Frostrup talks to William Boyd about his novel Sweet Caress
Niall Ferguson and Tracy Chevalier talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Edna O'Brien about The Little Red Chairs
Short Jonathan Coe and Gemma Cairney join Harriett Gilbert to recommend favourite books.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Jeremy Gavron, Kate Grenville and Eugene Vodolazkin
Krishnan Guru-Murthy and crime writer Ann Cleeves talk about books with Harriett Gilbert.
Spectator editor Fraser Nelson & critic Adam Mars-Jones talk books with Harriett Gilbert.
Philip Pullman & Caroline Criado-Perez talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Adam Sisman about his biography of John Le Carre
Mariella Frostrup talks to Jonathan Lee about his new novel High Dive
David Morrissey and Julia Blackburn join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Andrew Hurley about The Loney
Green MP Caroline Lucas and columnist Rod Liddle debate books with Harriett Gilbert.
Open Book - Mariella Frostrup talks to Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk
Miriam Margolyes and Mark Haddon talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to literary agent turned author Bill Clegg
Open Book with Mariella Frostrup - John Banville on The Blue Guitar
David Nicholls talks about his novel One Day
Mariella Frostrup talks to Pat Barker about her life, work and her new novel Noonday.
Open Book
Mariella Frostrup talks to Leila Aboulela about her new novel The Kindness of Enemies.
Mariella Frostrop and guests discuss why we love to read
Open Book - Mariella Frostrup talks to Petina Gappah about The Book of Memory
Open Book - Virginia Baily on Early One Morning; Jacqueline Wilson on Katy
Sue Blackmore and Adam Hart-Davis join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.
Judy Blume talks about her new book for adults, In The Unlikely Event.
Novelist Sean Michaels on Us Conductors, the story of the inventor of the theremin.
Comedian Julian Clary and former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis talk favourite books
Jon Richardson and Emma Kennedy recommend favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Benjamin Markovits; reading Milan Kundera and Harper Lee.
Harriett Gilbert talks to Stephen K Amos and Anneka Rice about their favourite books.
Sunjeev Sahota on his new novel A Year of the Runaways
Journalist Miranda Sawyer and songwriter and broadcaster Tom Robinson talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert. They are The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch.
Actress Helen Baxendale and writer Helen Cross join Harriett Gilbert to recommend favourite books. This week's selection includes a treatise on re-wilding Britain by George Monbiot ('Feral'), a novel about the culture clash between two women from very different backgrounds, 'The God of Chance' by Kirsten Thorup, and an award-winning memoir, 'The Three of Us'[...]
Laura Barnett on her debut novel The Versions of Us
Ryan Gattis talks to Mariella Frostrup about his new novel All Involved, a fictional account of the 1992 Los Angeles riots told from the perspective of several different gang members involved in the violence.
Man Booker prize winner Julian Barnes discusses his new book, Keeping An Eye Open: Essays on Art, Attica Locke on an inspirational book and a tour of Improbable Libraries.
Anne Enright talks about her novel The Green Road, her new role as the Irish fiction laureate, and the latest exciting generation of Irish writers including Sara Baume.
Mariella Frostrup talks to award winning novelist Caryl Phillips whose new novel recalls Wuthering Heights and Mark Ravenhill and Richard T Kelly on a Reader's Guide to Kafka.
Mexican writers Valeria Luiselli and Jorge Volpi talk about their country's literary heritage and how new voices are re-inventing magical realism.
American novelist Christopher Bollen talks about his novel Orient, a literary murder mystery set in a remote town on the very tip of Long Island.
Crime writer Ian Rankin and record producer Joe Boyd talk to Harriett Gilbert about some of the great books they've read, including The Wilder Shores of Love by Lesley Blanch, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid and The Islanders by Pascal Garnier.
Mariella is joined by author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, who discusses her acclaimed debut novel Dust, about a splintered family in her native Kenya. Richard Beard, whose new book Acts of the Assassins, combines the story of the Crucifixion with a modern day detective novel, and Naomi Alderman, author of The Liars' Gospel, discuss the ways[...]
Harriett Gilbert talks about favourite books, including A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, with award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan and cultural historian Christopher Frayling. His choice is The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, a collection of short stories in which he actually features.. And Harriett has recently discovered the darkly comic Mortdecai novels,[...]
The young Nigerian novelist Chigozie Obioma talks about his debut novel The Fishermen. Set in a small town in western Nigeria, it combines the traditions of African storytelling with a contemporary narrative of family, politics and history. Alice Munro and Lydia Davis are two formidable masters of the short story, but this month sees the[...]
Actress Claire Skinner, who plays the mum in BBC One's Outnumbered, and Glaswegian author Louise Welsh, talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. They include A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgaard, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and Strong Poison by Dorothy L Sayers.
Daniel Hahn talks about updating The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature, while two children of novelists - Renny Taylor and Deborah Moggach - celebrate the reissue of their parents' children's books and share memories of growing up with a writer.
Actress Rebecca Front and poet and writer Laura Dockrill talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. All three guests choose books with a strong female protagonist, but settings range from wartime England to Seattle in the digital age.
In Landmarks travel writer Robert Macfarlane celebrates the language of our landscape.
Anita Rani and Katharine Whitehorn talk books, including Terry Pratchett's first Discworld novel and F Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby, with Harriett Gilbert.
Harriett Gilbert discusses favourite books, including Yann Martel's Booker Prize winner Life of Pi, with Josie Long and Romesh Ranganathan
Rabih Alameddine on his new novel An Unnecessary Woman which was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction.
Political editor turned Strictly contestant John Sergeant and Helen Lewis, Deputy Editor of the New Statesman, tell Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. They include Sebastian Faulks' new Jeeves and Wooster novel, and children's classic The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.
Anne Tyler's writing career spans fifty years and twenty novels, including Breathing Lessons, The Accidental Tourist and A Patchwork Planet. She's a bestselling author who has won many awards including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critic Circle Award. In a rare interview she talks to Mariella Frostrup about her new novel, her twentieth, A[...]
Countdown dictionary buff Susie Dent and WI Chair Janice Langley talk good reads with Harriett Gilbert. Book choices include An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by the late PD James, Red Love - The Story of an East German Family by Maxim Leo, and A Walk Across The Sun by Corban Addison.
S J Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep which was adapted into a Hollywood movie, talks to Mariella about his new thriller Second Life. Ann Morgan discusses her quest to read a book from every country in the world in one year. Turkish novelist Elif Shafak reveals the book she'd never lend. And[...]
Maureen Lipman and Frankie Boyle talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Under discussion: Michael Blakemore's recollections of testing times under Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre in Stage Blood, Barbara Trapido's first novel, Brother of the More Famous Jack, and Something Happened, Joseph Heller's follow up to Catch 22.
David Lodge is a novelist, critic and academic and now he's written a memoir. He talks to Mariella Frostrup about a lifetime in literature.
Canadian writer Emma Hooper on her first book, Etta and Otto and Russell and James - which created a publishers' bidding war last year. And the mystery surrounding Elena Ferrante.
Acclaimed American novelist Ben Lerner on his playful second novel 10:04 which tackles questions of time, identity and story writing.
Sir Richard Eyre's distinguished career as a director encompasses both theatre and film. He ran the National Theatre in London for ten years and also created acclaimed productions of Guys and Dolls and Mary Poppins. For the big screen he's directed Notes on a Scandal and Iris. He talks to Mariella Frostrup about his five[...]
Christmas, with all its tradition and rituals and emotion, has always provided a rich source of material for writers. In this programme Mariella Frostrup and her guests John Mullan and Jessie Burton explore what it offers twentieth century novelists; from James Joyce and his argumentative Christmas lunch in A Portrait of the Artist as a[...]
The actor and comedian BJ Novak has written his first children's book. The Book With No Pictures is, as its title suggests, text-only. Despite this it must be doing something right because it's topped the New York Times bestseller list. BJ Novak talks to Mariella about why he chose to omit the illustrations - even[...]
Comedians Sean Lock and Roisin Conaty discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. One of the novels on the agenda is Margaret Atwood's dystopian classic The Handmaid's Tale, which changed a young Roisin's whole world view. Sean's choice is the Getaway by Jim Thompson with its weird ending, and Harriett chooses Beryl Bainbridge's novel set[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to Mal Peet about his latest book The Murdstone Trilogy, his first novel for adults. Beta Life is an experiment which sets out to discover what happens when you mix writers and scientists in a creative laboratory, the result is a diverse collection of short story stories all set in 2070. And[...]
Dawn O'Porter and Graham Fellows, AKA John Shuttleworth, talk with Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books, including two tales of alienation, Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse and Green Girl by Kate Zambreno, and Nancy Mitford's gossipy tale of adultery and a scheming child in post war France and England.
Mirza Waheed is a Kashmiri novelist whose new book, The Book of Gold Leaves, is a Romeo and Juliet style love story set in wartorn 1990s Srinagar. He talks to Mariella about whether he feels a responsibility to write about his home country and the conflict there. Also on the programme, vampire chronicler Anne Rice[...]
Harriett Gilbert is joined by food blogger Jack Monroe and comic actor Doon MacKichan to talk about the books they love, including Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay and The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez. Producer Beth O'Dea
Pulitzer prize winning author Marilynne Robinson on her new book Lila, the third novel from her bestselling series set in the fictional town of Gilead. Novelist Tim Parks discusses how, and why, we read. And we visit a haven for lovers of literature in Liverpool to hear about about the joys of shared reading.
Harriett Gilbert discusses great books with historians Roy Foster and Andrew Roberts, including Harriett's choice The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi. Twenty years on, how does it read now? Andrew Roberts introduces them to Covenant with Death by John Harris, a little-known but powerful novel of WW1, and Roy Foster shares his passion for[...]
The Pulitzer prize winning novelist Jane Smiley talks to Mariella Frostrup about her new novel, Some Luck, the first in a planned trilogy. Also on the programme, Mariella discusses the best new writing from sub-Saharan Africa with Ellah Allfrey, the editor of a new collection and Lynne Truss reveals the book she'd never part with.
Former M15 head Eliza Manningham-Buller and Turkish author and commentator Elif Shafak discuss favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert. Choices of a good read are: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's latest, Americanah; Michael Chabon's ripping yarn set a thousand years ago, Gentlemen of the Road; and The War Between the Tates, Alison Lurie's dissection of a marriage[...]
Janet Street Porter and crime writer Martina Cole discuss their good reads with Harriett Gilbert. The guests talk - and vociferously disagree - over American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld's fictionalised biography of Laura Bush, The Iron King, the first novel of Maurice Druon's 1950s series which has been hailed as 'the original Game of Thrones', and[...]
In a special edition of Open Book Mariella Frostrup stands on the touchline to celebrate the very best writing about sport.
Adam Hills and Steven Pinker talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. The Last Leg presenter and comedian Hills picks Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and Harriett's choice is another tale of non conformists, Albert Camus' The Outsider. Psychologist and popular science author Steven Pinker claims 1930s style guide Elements of Style by Strunk & White[...]
Amanda Coe talks to Mariella Frostrup about her double writing life as both a novelist and a screenwriter, and Kathy Reichs reveals the book she'd never lend.
Actor Sheila Hancock and columnist Cosmo Landesman talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert, including How To Lose Friends & Alienate People by Toby Young, Stoner by John Williams and Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner.
Mariella Frostrup is joined by award-winning Irish writer, Colm Toibin, to discuss his new novel, Nora Webster, and to look back over a career that spans a quarter of a century.
Jeremy Paxman and Mary Beard argue heatedly and entertainingly about the books they love, with presenter Harriett Gilbert acting as referee. Jeremy's choice is Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain: a rollercoaster of a novel that's been called the Catch-22 of the Iraq War. The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis[...]
Mariella Frostrup discusses Robert Merle's iconic French series The Brethren, now in English. And behind the genius of Ian Curtis and the socio-linguist Steven Pinker on style.
Novelist Esther Freud talks about her latest, Mr Mac and Me, inspired by the time architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh spent in Suffolk. Howard Jacobson talks about the book that he would never lend, not least because he can't find it at the moment and the changing face of book launches: how the crowded market has[...]
Ali Smith has been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize for the third time this year for her novel How To Be Both. She talks to Mariella Frostrup.
As we head for a September publishing bonanza, Mariella Frostrup is joined by acclaimed writers Ian McEwan and Amy Bloom, as well as Books Editor of the Guardian Claire Armitstead.
Writers Damian Barr, Evie Wyld and Joe Dunthorne discuss the rise of live literary events.
A literary ramble through the Yorkshire moors and the work they have inspired, from the Brontes to Sylvia Plath. With authors Ross Raisin, Will Atkins and Professor John Bowen.
John Banville takes Mariella on a tour of the foggy streets, smoke-filled bars and genteel hotel tea rooms of 1950s Dublin.
Ade Adepitan and Dominic Holland talk Adrian Mole, Roddy Doyle's the Snapper and Truman Capote's true crime classic In Cold Blood with presenter Harriett Gilbert.
Jessie Burton takes Mariella Frostrup back to Golden Age Amsterdam with her acclaimed debut, The Miniaturist, plus Viv Groskop and Matt Haig on this summer's best beach reads.
Tom Campbell and Nikesh Shukla on writing about this generation's alienated young men.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty, and Monica Ali, author of Brick Lane, talk about their favourite reads with Harriett Gilbert. Books under discussion are Evelyn Waugh's satire on the Anglo-American relationship staged in and around an LA funeral business, The Loved One, Rachel Holmes' biography of Eleanor Marx, and the children's classic,[...]
Actors Julian Rhind-Tutt (Green Wing, The Hour) and Steve Oram (Sightseers) talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Julian's choice is a collection of Annie Proulx's short stories including Brokeback Mountain. Steve's is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, which has been the subject of fierce debate as to whether it should be taught in[...]
Richard Flanagan on why he had to write about the Thai-Burmese Death Railway. A celebration of the cult author Robert Aickman, a tip from Peter Straus and all about Self-Help.
Comedian Al Murray, aka The Pub Landlord, and Egyptian political economist Tarek Osman discuss their favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert. Al's choice is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Tarek's is the controversial Egyptian novel Children of the Alley by Naguib Mahfouz, and Harriett picks Everyman by Philip Roth. Producer Beth O'Dea.
A special edition from Oxford, explores why the city is often called the home of children's literature, with Philip Pullman, Katherine Rundell and publisher David Fickling.
Author and former MP Edwina Currie and actor Nicholas Le Prevost talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert. Edwina Currie's choice is An Awfully Big Adventure, by Beryl Bainbridge, a tale of backstage intrigue and loss of innocence in a Liverpool theatre in 1950. The Priory by Dorothy Whipple is Nicholas Le Prevost's pick.[...]
Journalist and author India Knight and financial adviser Alvin Hall talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert. India Knight selects Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym, a novel which contrasts the lives of two women in 1950s England. A medical miracle is at the heart of the book chosen by Alvin Hall: The Immortal[...]
Sandra Newman discusses her new novel In the Country of Ice Cream Star with Mariella Frostrup, plus acclaimed Irish writer John Banville on the book he'd never lend.
Harriett Gilbert is joined by author Fay Weldon and Serpentine Galleries curator Hans Ulrich Obrist to discuss favourite books.
Mariella Frostrup talks to award winning Spanish writer Javier Cercas about his new novel Outlaws and discusses Virginia Woolf in fiction with Maggie Gee and Alison MacLeod.
Notting Hill film director Roger Michell and writer Aminatta Forna talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert - including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, WWI classic Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves and The Rabbit House by Laura Alcoba, a compelling Argentinian memoir. Producer Beth O'Dea
Authors Salman Rushdie and Elif Shafak pay tribute to writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Broadcaster Aasmah Mir & beer writer Pete Brown talk about some great food books with Harriett Gilbert in front of an audience at Bristol Food Connections Festival. The Physiology of Taste by Brillat-Savarin may be a seminal work but is it still a genuinely good read? And what of The Debt to Pleasure, by John[...]
Ned Beauman and Nick Harkaway talk to Mariella Frostrup about the appeal of writing a conspiracy thriller in today's post cold war world.
Joseph O'Connor tells Mariella Frostrup about his new novel about a fictional band: The Thrill of it All and Louise Welsh and Andrew Wilson on the elusive Ms Patricia Highsmith.
Tony Parsons on his first crime novel, The Murder Bag, and why he and Henry Sutton find crime appeals. Alice Greenway goes ornithological and why literature matters in Kurdistan.
Sadie Jones on her new novel Fallout, the story of four young friends in 1970s London theatreland. Peter Buwalda on his best-selling Bonita Avenue and Will Self on his garret.
Kamila Shamsie discusses her latest novel A God in Every Stone; Laura Bates and Emer O'Toole discuss books aimed at young feminists; and John Crace on the art of the Digested Read.
Niall Williams talks about his latest novel History of the Rain, Armistead Maupin on the book he'd never lend and Mariella Frostrup discusses contemporary Chinese literature.
Medium Acclaimed South African writer Damon Galgut on his novel Arctic Summer, plus Kate Colquhoun and Judith Flanders on Victorian true crime, and AL Kennedy roadtests new writing apps.
DJ Annie Mac and author Kathy Lette discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Annie's choice is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. Kathy nominates Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. Harriett picks Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald, which is her Booker Prize-winning novel. Producer Beth O'Dea
Anita Shreve discusses her latest novel The Lives of Stella Bain and we take a look at the enduring appeal of George Eliot's Middlemarch with writers Rebecca Mead and Rebecca Stott
Writer Julie Burchill and broadcaster Fred MacAulay argue about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Their choices are, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger; Alys, Always by Harriet Lane, and Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard. Produced by Beth O'Dea
Mary Lawson on her latest novel Road Ends, Amir Cheheltan and Ali May discuss modern Iranian literature and 50 years on - the correspondence between A.S Byatt and Cecil Day Lewis.
TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and writer Romesh Gunesekera tell Harriett Gilbert about the books they love, that have meant most to them throughout their lives. Lorraine's deep love of Orkney is reflected in her choice of Greenvoe by George Mackay Brown. Romesh's choice, On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Harriett's own recommendation is Good Behaviour[...]
Tobias Hill on his latest novel What was Promised and Tibor Fischer on Stefan Zweig.
Novelist Dame Penelope Lively and comedy writer and performer Will Smith talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love, which include A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis and Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez. Producer Beth O'Dea
Stand-up comedian Andrew Maxwell and writer Kamila Shamsie share their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Andrew is a John Steinbeck fan, and chooses Tortilla Flat. Kamila picks Clear Light Of Day by Anita Desai. Harriett's choice is the little-known but compelling memoir In Pursuit of the English by Doris Lessing. Produced by Beth O'Dea
Ellah Allfrey talks to Sally Beauman about her latest novel The Visitors and Darragh McKeon and Hamid Ismailov discuss the environmental legacy of the Cold War on their novels.
Comedian Richard Herring and actor Tracy-Ann Oberman discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Richard chooses Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. Tracy-Ann's choice is another dystopian novel: Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack. And Harriett makes them both laugh with Vanished Years, the second volume of Rupert Everett's memoirs. Produced by Beth O'Dea
Literary reviews - do women get a fair deal? Musician Ben Watt on his memoir about his parents and South African Crime Writer Mike Nicol on his latest book 'Of Cops and Robbers'.
Journalist Daniel Finkelstein, and writer Jill Paton Walsh, reveal their favourite books to presenter Harriett Gilbert. Daniel Finkelstein, recommends Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B Cialdini. Jill Paton Walsh's choice is What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets by Michael J. Sandel. And Harriett Gilbert's pick is The Van by Roddy[...]
Adam Foulds on his latest novel In the Wolf's Mouth; David Park and Naomi Wood discuss the experiences of the wives of great writers; and Lindsey Davis on Quick Reads.
Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of England, and Arabella Weir, comic actor and writer, reveal their favourite books to presenter Harriett Gilbert. Mervyn's choice is The Prince by Machiavelli. Arabella's is A Short Gentleman by Jon Canter, and Harriett chooses Love and War in the Apennines by Eric Newby. Produced by Beth O'Dea
Deborah Levy revisits her early work; Kapka Kassabova and Miroslav Penkov discuss Bulgarian literature; and the literary pick of publisher Jamie Byng.
Novelists Horatio Clare and Christopher Nicholson discuss the influence of the season of winter in literature.
Carlos Acosta shares his Five of the Best Books and Victoria Hislop on where she writes.
Malorie Blackman, Dame Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Rosen discuss the role of the Children's Laureate, how they put their own stamp on it and its on-going legacy.
In a special programme Ellah Allfrey, Sally Gardner, Sarah Hall, Lennie Goodings and James Runcie discuss with Mariella Frostrup why 2013 has been the Year of the Women Writers.
Jill Paton Walsh and Sarah Crown on the enduring appeal Lord Peter Wimsey; John Freeman on a career in books and author Kate Mosse on the book she would never lend.
David Vann and Stuart Kelly on Norse myths, Penelope Lively on where she writes and Suzanne Berne talks about her latest novel The Dogs of Littlefield.
TV presenter Fern Britton and Olympic gold medalist rower Katherine Grainger talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love. They include The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill, The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Produced by Beth O'Dea
Harriett Gilbert talks to playwright Mark Ravenhill and DJ Nihal Arthanayake about the books they love, including American Tabloid by James Ellroy, July's People by Nadine Gordimer and Elective Affinities by JW Goethe. Produced Beth O'Dea
Bernard MacLaverty on a literary life.
Scott Turow talks to Mariella Frostrup about his new thriller Identical; Paul Bailey and Manda Scott on gay literature; and Charlie Hill on fiction that's bad for your health.
Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards, and broadcaster Katie Puckrik talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. They include the highly-praised A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, the devastating Watching the Door - Cheating Death in 1970s Belfast by Kevin Myers and Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia[...]
R2 presenter Johnnie Walker and BBC newsreader Kate Silverton talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Johnnie discusses Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintentance by Robert M. Pirsig. Kate chooses the biography of her heroine. It's Daughter of the Desert - the Remarkable Life of Gertrude Bell by Georgina Howell. And Excellent[...]
Margaret Drabble on her novel The Pure Gold Baby; Sebastian Faulks and Helen Dunmore on WWI novels; and Dedicated to..the wonderful things people write in books to their loved one.
From Everest's peak to a 1930s London bedsit, and a painfully funny portrait of a literary marriage in decline. Harriett Gilbert talks books with John Inverdale and Rachel Cooke. Produced by Melvin Rickarby
Harriett Gilbert talks to guests about their favourite books. Eve Pollard chooses Canada by Richard Ford and Julie Bindel picks Chinua Achebe's classic African novel Things Fall Apart. Harriett's choice is the hilarious Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris. Produced by Melvin Rickarby.
Justin Cartwright on his novel Lion Heart; Joe Sacco on his graphic novel of The Great War
Harriett Gilbert talks to Brendan O'Neill and Gabriel Gbadamosi about their favourite books. Brendan O'Neill, editor of the online magazine Spiked, chooses Graham Greene - Monsignor Quixote. Writer Gabriel Gbadamosi recommends the Norwegian classic: The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas. And presenter Harriett Gilbert chooses The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin. Produced Beth[...]
Conn Iggulden on Stormbird, the first in his new series set during the Wars of the Roses; Horatio Clare and Susie Boyt discuss Autumn in literature; and the best of non-fiction.
Arlene Phillips, choreographer and Strictly Come Dancing judge, and Jocelyn Jee Esien, comedian and star of the BBC's Little Miss Jocelyn, talk to presenter Harriett Gilbert about the books they love. Arlene's recommendation is Heartbreak Hotel, by Deborah Moggach. Jocelyn chooses Prisoner to the Streets by Robyn Travis. And Harriett brings So Long, See You[...]
Philip Pullman discusses the great Soviet children's classics of the 1920s and 30s, Jung Chang on Empress Dowager Cixi and Alexander McCall Smith on the book he'd never lend.
In the first of a new series, Alex Polizzi, presenter of TV's The Hotel Inspector and The Fixer, and Peter Robinson, author of the DCI Banks crime novels, talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love. Alex has chosen Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem. Peter's choice is A Month in the Country by J.L.[...]
Sathnam Sanghera on his novel Marriage Material and not just the land of football, Open Book explores Brazil's vast literary scene and the inaugural Harrogate History Festival.
Victoria Hislop has edited a new anthology of women's short stories called The Story. From Helen Simpson to Angela Carter, she explains how she chose her 100 favourites.
Jo Nesbo on his new Harry Hole thriller Police, we go in search of buried gems as Mariella Frostrup discusses pirate literature and Frank Tallis on the book he'd never lend.
Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer prize winning novelist on her latest book The Lowland, mountaineering literature and revamping the classics pulp fiction style.
Glenn Patterson takes Mariella Frostrup around Belfast - the city that has inspired and informed his novels.
Patrick Gales takes Mariella Frostrup around the Cornish landscape that has inspired and informed his novels.
Open Book’s summer series on Literary Landscapes begins at the Haweswater Dam. It’s a charged, vital, visceral landscape – immortalised by writers since Wordsworth first wrote about daffodils. Mariella's literary guide to the area this week is award winning writer Sarah Hall.
Writers Lynne Truss and Diran Adebayo discuss their book choices with Harriett Gilbert. A literary friendship, a piano-playing polecat in Sri Lanka and violent crime in London are the themes of books by Paul Theroux, Michael Ondaatje and Nick Barlay. Produced by Sue Fry.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Grace McCleen about her new novel The Professor of Poetry and on the centenary of her birth, James Runcie celebrates the life and works of Barbara Pym.
Writer, comedian and actor Meera Syal and psychoanalyst and author Stephen Grosz discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. A Russian romance, a very English murder, and the poverty of India are the themes in books by Chekhov, Agatha Christie and Katherine Boo. Produced by Melvin Rickarby
Deacon Blue frontman Ricky Ross and Countryfile reporter Tom Heap discuss their book choices with Harriett Gilbert, providing an eclectic mix of subject matter from crime thrillers set in Nazi Germany to spiritual life in Scotland and gentile ageing in West London. Produced by Maggie Ayre
Rilla Askew on her latest novel Kind of Kin; Horatio Clare and Justin Cartwright on literature inspired by Summer; and David Mitchell on the book he'd never lend.
Denise Mina talks to Mariella Frostrup about her latest crime novel The Red Road; writers using their jobs as the backdrop to their novels and the WWII heroine Agent Marie.
Children's author Dame Jacqueline Wilson and TV presenter and producer Richard Osman discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Jacqueline Wilson picks, The Orchard on Fire, by Shena MacKay. Richard Osman's choice is Michael Frayn's hilarious Towards the End of the Morning. And Harriett Gilbert selects, Out Stealing Horses, by Per Petterson. Produced by Melvin[...]
Journalist and writer Owen Jones and novelist Sarah Hall discuss their favourite books with Harriet Gilbert. Owen Jones picks Brother in the Land, by Robert Swindells. Sarah Hall's choice is American writer James Salter's memoir, Burning the Days. And presenter Harriet Gilbert chooses Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household. Produced by Melvin Rickarby.
Evie Wyld, one of Granta's 2013 best young British novelists, discusses her latest book All the Birds, Singing and we discuss the controversial emerging genre of New Adult
Sports presenter Colin Murray and comedian Bob Mills argue about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Colin Murray's choice is In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan. Bob Mills perhaps surprisingly turns out to be a devotee of Georgette Heyer, and nominates These Old Shades. And Harriett Gilbert enthuses over An Artist of the Floating World[...]
Neil Gaiman talks to Mariella Frostrup about his hugely popular novels for children and adults alike, from Coraline and Neverwhere to his latest The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Film critic Antonia Quirke and actor Kerry Shale talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Kerry Shale talks about Blankets, a graphic novel by Craig Thompson. Antonia's choice is A Reed Shaken by the Wind: Travels among the Marsh Arabs of Iraq by Gavin Maxwell. Harriett Gilbert's recommendation is Short and Sweet: 101 Very[...]
Louise Doughty talks to Mariella Frostrup about her thriller Apple Tree Yard, we explore the world of Balkan literature and the first Pan-African prize for debut novelists.
Presenter Vanessa Feltz and performance poet Elvis McGonagall argue passionately with presenter Harriett Gilbert about the much-loved books they've all brought along to recommend as Good Reads. Vanessa's choice is Two People by AA Milne. Elvis McGonagall recommends the Whitbread Prize winning Swing Hammer Swing! by Jeff Torrington. Presenter Harriett Gilbert brings along a Spanish[...]
Mark Billingham talks to Mariella Frostrup about his latest book The Dying Hours; we discuss reportage in book form; and Thomas Keneally on the book he would never lend.
Terry Deary, author of Horrible Histories, and Iranian-born British comedian Shappi Khorsandi talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Terry chooses a novel by G.K. Chesterton: The Napoleon of Notting Hill. Shappi's favourite is Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction, by Sue Townsend. And presenter Harriett Gilbert talks about John McGahern's masterpiece,[...]
Column McCann on his novel TransAtlantic, which explores the relationship between Ireland and the USA, mental health and fiction, and more weird things people say in bookshops
Mariella Frostrup talk to Native American writer Louise Erdrich about her National Book Award winning book The Round House and looks at the work -and life - of F Scott Fitzgerald.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Tessa Hadley about her latest novel Clever Girl, Cory Doctorow discusses literature and future technology and Ian Rankin on the book he will never lend. .
Mariella Frostrup presents a special programme from The Royal Opera House on the prolific and influential Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott, in the company of biographer Stuart Kelly, authors Denise Mina and Allan Massie and actor Emun Elliott.
Harlan Coben talks to Mariella Frostup about his new thriller novel Six Years. We report from the London Book Fair which this year has given prominence to Turkish publishing. And author Rodge Glass takes a wry literary look at the impact of cheap flights.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Taiye Selasi about her debut novel Ghana Must Go with. Gillian Cross discusses her new book After Tomorrow and dystopian futures for children. And Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk - writer and music broadcaster Stephen Johnson on the novel behind the famous opera.
Patrick Ness talks to Mariella Frostrup about his novel The Crane Wife. We look at the way in which the start of Spring inspires novelists with Horatio Clare and John Sutherland. And in the first in our series on precious books, novelist and critic Amanda Craig comes clean about the novel that won't be prised[...]
Writers Gervase Phinn and Moni Mohsin talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they love. Gervase Phinn chooses A Ragged Schooling by Robert Roberts. Moni Mohsin picks Kim by Rudyard Kipling. And Harriett Gilbert champions Wise Children by Angela Carter. The producer is Beth O'Dea.
Aminatta Forna discusses her latest novel The Hired Man. Mariella delves into the state of the Russian literary scene with Russian Booker winning author Mikhail Shishkin and publisher and editor Natasha Perova. And in the year of the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Water-Babies, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst describes the eccentric life of its author[...]
TV presenter, Konnie Huq's choice is Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton, a dark novel of seedy low-life set in 1930's Earls Court. Hue & Cry pop singer Pat Kane's is a treatise on work and the joy of simply making something, The Craftsman by Richard Sennett. Presenter Harriett Gilbert chooses a disturbing but compelling satire[...]
Kate Atkinson talks to Mariella Frostrup about her new book Life After Life. We discuss classic and modern Western novels with Michael Carlson and novelist Ace Atkins. And Graham Sharpe, Media Relations Director of William Hill, shows how betting on the winning author of a literary prize can be more difficult than picking a winning[...]
Robert Peston chooses, 'The Cruel Mother', written by his late wife, Sian Busby. Bernardine Evaristo chooses, 'The Boy Next Door' by Irene Sabatini and Harriett Gilbert's choice this week is 'Hons and Rebels' by Jessica Mitford.
Novelist A L Kennedy talks to Mariella Frostrup about her book On Writing which is based on her Guardian blog. Pankaj Mishra and Sri Lankan novelist Roma Tearne discuss how much literature can play a role in exposing human rights violations. And author Justin Cartwright provides a Readers' Guide to the Nobel Prize and twice[...]
Harriett Gilbert is joined by poet Daljit Nagra and journalist and radio critic Susan Jeffreys.This week's recommended books are by Edna O'Brien, Margery Allingham and the anonymous author of a controversial memoir, A Woman in Berlin.
TV presenter Alistair Appleton and psychologist Professor Simon Baron-discuss their favourite paperbacks with Harriett Gilbert: Notes From An Exhibition by Patrick Gale, Enduring Love by Ian McEwan and Operation Pax by Michael Innes.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Maggie O'Farrell about her new novel Instructions For A Heatwave, set during the drought of 1976 when it didn't rain in the UK for 16 weeks. With over a quarter of adults in the UK officially classed as obese, writers Jami Attenberg and Michael Kimball discuss the way in which fiction[...]
Harriett's guests this week are Sarah Moss and Francis Spufford. Sarah suggests The Grasmere Journals by Dorothy Wordsworth and Francis picks Mistress Masham's Repose by T. H. White. Harriet has been reading Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald.
Mariella Frostrup discusses what defines a Jewish novel with stand up comedian, tv presenter & novelist David Baddiel and writer & broadaster Naomi Alderman, as Jewish Book week begins in London. Jim Crace talks about his new novel Harvest, which will also be his last as he has announced he is retiring as a novelist.[...]
Harriett Gilbert is joined by writer Meg Rosoff and comedian Sara Pascoe to talk about the books they love - which in Sara's case is controversial: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Meg chooses the lyrically beautiful Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata. And Harriett recommends An Education by Lynn Barber, which was made into an acclaimed[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to Ali Smith about Sylvia Plath's ground breaking novel The Bell Jar, fifty years after it was first published. With the announcement of the Goldsmiths Prize for writers of boldly, original fiction - writer and broadcaster Alex Preston and author, poet and Profesor of Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, Blake Morrison,[...]
Comedian Miles Jupp and singer Barb Jungr talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love. Barb brings The Corrections: Jonathan Franzen's critically acclaimed blockbuster. Miles - who plays Nigel the lay reader in Rev - plumps for Spies by Michael Frayn and Harriett's choice is the dark and satirical Death And The Penguin by[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to novelist Thomas Keneally, publisher and writer Carmen Callil and critic Geordie Williamson about Australian classic novels asking if Australia has neglected its literary heritage. Robert Hudson tells us about his hilarious new novel The Dazzle - a fishy tale set in 1930's Scarborough. And the latest developments in literary neuroscience -[...]
Mariella Frostrup discusses Chinese literature and how we can view this emerging superpower through its novels, with author Mo Yan's translator Howard Goldblatt and novelist and film maker Xiaolu Guo. Eleanor Updale talks about how she tells a story in the space of one minute in her latest novel, The Last Minute. And literary critic[...]
To mark the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Mariella Frostrup travels to Austen's home in Chawton to discover why this novel has remained so universally popular, the story around its publication and what it has to say to modern readers.
Authors James Runcie and Naomi Alderman and the editor of The Bookseller Philip Jones join Mariella Frostrup to discuss the literary trends of 2012. Themes include EL James's 50 Shades of Grey and the rise of the bonkbusters, Hilary Mantel's historic second winning of the Man Booker Prize and what that means for historical fiction,[...]
Colin Firth shares his 5 of the best books with Mariella Frostrup. The Sound and the Fury, Coming Through Slaughter, The Leopold, The World as I Found it and The Power and the Glory.
Barbara Kingsolver talks about her latest novel Flight Behaviour, David Baddiel and D.T. Max discuss American writer David Foster Wallace and Victoria Glendinning on the founder of Singapore and subject of her latest biography, Sir Stamford Thomas Raffles.
Mariella Frostrup talks to India Knight about her hilarious new novel Mutton featuring 46 year old heroine Clara Hutt and her encounters with the opposite sex. M C Beaton proves age is no bar to high achievement for women: at 76, this year sees the publication of the 23rd novel in her Agatha Raisin Murder[...]
Frances O'Grady, General Secretary Designate of the TUC, brings 'the intellectual equivalent of a Hollywood weepie' as her choice of a good read. It's the powerful Booker prize-winning novel, 'The Gathering' by Irish novelist, Anne Enright. Meanwhile the medical historian Ruth Richardson chooses TS Eliot's landmark poem written in the shadow of the Second World[...]
Open Book is devoted to the joys of children's literature. Four Weddings and a Funeral screenwriter Richard Curtis explains why he's written his first children's book The Empty Stocking while Jeff Kinney explains the key to the success of runaway bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid. In the studio Mariella is joined by Lauren Child[...]
Strongly divergent opinions are aired on this week's edition of A Good Read as acclaimed children's author Michelle Paver brings Tove Jansson's 'Summer Book' to the table, a moving account of the relationship between an old woman and her granddaughter. We hear how she struggles with the choice of medical journalist Ben Goldacre, who discusses[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to Rachel Johnson about Winter Games, her book set across two time zones. She looks at the challenges of writing prequels and sequels with Ronald Frame who has written Havisham, a prequel of Dickens' famous jilted bride in Great Expectations, and Geraldine McCaughrean who wrote the authorised sequel to JM Barrie's Peter[...]
Being blind hasn't ever stopped the broadcaster Peter White from loving football, and that's reflected in his own choice of a good read when he argues in favour of Brian Clough - as captured by Duncan Hamilton who covered Notts Forest during their glory years for the local paper. By contrast the satirist and prankster[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to Jeremy Bowen about his book on the Arab Spring and we discuss how writers have responded to these uprisings in the Middle East. And the travel writer Michael Jacobs describes his journey down the Magdalena River in Columbia and his meeting with Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Actor Neil Pearson and Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, the self-described "Black Farmer", talk about the books they love. Neil Pearson's choice is Coming Up For Air, a little-known novel by George Orwell. Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones recommends The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. And Harriett's choice is Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. Producer: Beth O'Dea
Cabin Pressure star and writer John Finnemore, and Peter Hitchens, columnist and author, talk about the books they love to presenter Harriett Gilbert. Who did murder the Princes in the Tower? For Peter Hitchens Josephine Tey still has the answer, in The Daughter of Time. John Finnemore loves A Landing on the Sun by Michael[...]
Dawn French talks about her latest novel Oh Dear Silvia. Authors CJ Sansom and Owen Sheers look at why the Second World War era appeals to the writer's imagination. And Ian Sansom discusses Paper: An Elegy, his book exploring our relationship with paper.
Justin Webb and Frances Fyfield tell Harriett Gilbert about the books they love, including Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, which is a great American novel you've probably never heard of. Stone's Fall by Iain Pears goes back from London in 1909 to Paris in 1809 to Venice in 1867, to solve the mystery of[...]
A.M. Homes discusses her poignant and funny new book May We Be Forgiven. Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles and Brigid Keenan, who have both written memoirs about diplomatic life, discuss the real story behind the embassy door. And award winning author Kim Scott talks about how his latest novel, That Deadman Dance, explores the fractious relationship between[...]
What do teen blockbuster 'The Hunger Games' and Marguerite Duras' erotic semi-memoir 'The Lover' have in common? Could it be heroines determined to survive? Sir Michael Darrington brought Greggs bakeries to every high street and is now leading a campaign against boardroom bonuses. His book choice is John Grisham's 'The Litigators', a comic story of[...]
Pulitzer prizewinning author Michael Chabon talks to Mariella about his latest novel Telegraph Avenue. Hunter Davies and Artemis Cooper discuss when the best time is to write a biography about someone - when the subject is alive or decreased? And on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, Professor John Bowen shows how[...]
Patricia Highsmith's classic thriller' The Talented Mr Ripley' would make a great expedition read, according to Harriett Gilbert's guests this week, multi-award-winning writers - mountaineers both - Ed Douglas and Andy Cave. Not unexpectedly their choices both feature mountains, but from markedly different perspectives. Ed's good read is Nan Shepherd's 'The Living Mountain', an undiscovered[...]
Harriett Gilbert is joined by the Scottish crime writer Val McDermid and comedian and neologist Alex Horne in the first of a new series of the paperback discussion show. Among the books under discussion are Andre Agassi's revealing autobiography of life lived centre stage at Centre Court, Jeanette Winterson's acclaimed memoir of her childhood, Why[...]
Edna O'Brien discusses her memoir Country Girl and Sid Smith and Naomi Alderman discuss the pain and pleasure involved in writing a novel.
A.N. Wilson talks about his novel based on the life of Josiah Wedgwood - The Potter's Hand, Mariella Frostrup discusses the best of European literature and takes a look at how our rivers and seascapes have been the source of inspiration for many of the great literary classics.
Will Self discusses his Booker shortlisted novel Umbrella. Fifty years after the publication of A Clockwork Orange we explore the life and works of his author Anthony Burgess. And Lawrence Norfolk explains why his latest novel is set around the turbulent period of the English Civil War and discusses the joys of writing about the[...]
In a special programme Zadie Smith talks to Mariella Frostrup about her much anticipated new novel NW. This novel returns to the self-same streets of her debut, White Teeth, and views the world through the eyes of the two main protagonists, school friends Leah and Natalie. Its title refers to the postcode which covers the[...]
Dreda Say Mitchell presents a special Open Book programme on Tartan Noir, exploring the appeal of the Scottish crime novel. Glasgow based author Denise Mina joins Edinburgh writer and publisher Allan Guthrie to discuss the importance of place in this increasingly popular genre, while Stuart MacBride, writer of the DS Logan McRae books, takes us[...]
Writer and broadcaster Aminatta Forna is in the presenter's chair this week talking to Pat Barker about Toby's Room, her latest novel set around the First World War. And authors DJ Taylor and Linda Grant discuss the topic: questions never to ask an author.
Comedian and author Russell Kane is in the presenter's chair this week talking to Enid Shomer about her novel which fictionalises a meeting between Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale. Russell also discusses Ian Fleming's James Bond novels with writer Tom Rob Smith and asks: is reading a book better than listening to it being read[...]
Christopher Buckley discusses his latest novel "They Eat Puppies, Don't They?" and Ann Cleeves and Zoe Ferraris discuss setting their crime novels in unusual places and Anthony Cheetham's latest publishing start-up, Head of Zeus
Harriett Gilbert is joined by the journalist Kevin Maguire and the columnist Lucy Mangan to discuss their favourite books: 'Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady' by Florence King, 'The Clerkenwell Tales' by Peter Ackroyd and 'The Smoking Diaries' by Simon Gray.
The American travel writer and author Paul Theroux discusses his latest novel The Lower River - how a man's longed for return to Malawi doesn't live up to his happy memories. Theroux also shares his controversial views on aid to Africa as Mariella discusses with him the continent that inspired his writing career and after[...]
Comedy producer Jon Plowman, publisher Tim Coates and presenter Harriett Gilbert discuss their favourite books. "Dear Miss Landau" by James Christie is the story of one man's quest to meet a television starlet; "The Sisters Brothers" is a powerful western noir, and Tobias Wolff's "Old School" is a tale of youthful literary ambition.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Ben Fountain about his satirical Iraq War novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Siri Hustvedt discusses her latest book, a collection of essays about her own life: Living, Thinking, Looking. Tom Tivnan, Features and Supplements Editor for The Bookseller, explains the world of internet book sales. And in conjunction with the[...]
A Henning Mankell thriller, a tragedy from Jonathan Coe and a Graham Greene satire are the choices of entrepreneur Sophi Tranchell, TV critic Alison Graham, and Harriett Gilbert.
Michael Palin talks about his second novel in seventeen years, called The Truth. Novelist Kitty Aldridge and Professor John Mullan discuss the wit and pathos in the depiction of funerals in literature. And as fans gather in Oxford to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alice Day, we assess the enduring appeal of Alice's Adventures in[...]
Favourite paperbacks discussed by historian Helen Castor and sustainability activist Rob Hopkins, in a programme chaired by Harriett Gilbert. Medieval and Tudor historian Helen Castor chooses an intricately beautiful historical novel by William Golding; Rob Hopkins, who campaigns for community solutions to global problems, opts for the 1940's diary of a city man whose war[...]
Harriett Gilbert and her guests discuss their three book recommendations: Constance Briscoe, writer and part-time judge, champions "Knowledge of Angels" by Jill Paton-Walsh; science writer Angela Seini chooses "Foundation" by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov; and Harriett's own choice is the autobiography of the late novelist Muriel Spark.
Jane Green and Adele Parks discuss why Chick Lit arouses such passion and how the genre, which is more often ignored than celebrated or reviewed in the press, has helped to expand the literary market. Belinda Jack joins us to explore the rich and chequered history of women’s reading, and the controversies it has inspired.[...]
Harriett Gilbert's guests are the actor Larry Lamb, best known for his recent roles in EastEnders and the comedy Gavin and Stacey, and the novelist, travel writer and broadcaster Ian Marchant.
Recorded in A Room for London, the creative / living space in the shape of a boat on top of the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank of the Thames, Open Book explores the impact the city has had on literature - from Chaucer and Dickens to Martin Amis and Peter Ackroyd; the themes[...]
Columnist and author Michele Hanson and Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group Roger Highfield discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Lionel Shriver discusses her controversial novel The New Republic which looks at the relationship between terrorism, the media and achieving political goals. We speak to the author of the classic novel Mrs Bridge - a tale of a woman trapped in her comfortable 1930s mid America world - and to Joshua Ferris about its enduring[...]
Space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock and music producer William Orbit discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.
Deadly 60 presenter Steve Backshall and Editor of Gransnet Geraldine Bedell discuss their favourite books with Harriet Gilbert.
David Hewson explains how he's transported the cult Danish TV series The Killing into novel form and why readers should expect a twist in the tale. The programme looks at the experiences of writers and the state of publishing across Commonwealth countries with Jeremy Poynting, managing editor of Peepal Tree Press, and Lucy Hannah who[...]
Historian Orlando Figes discusses his book Just Send Me Word, the story of a young Muscovite exiled to a Soviet Arctic gulag and his relationship, through over one thousand five hundred letters, with his wife to be. Authors Anthony Quinn and Shehan Karunatilaka discuss how the game of cricket has inspired their latest books and[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to awarding winning poet and novelist Jackie Kay about her new collection of short stories Reality, Reality. Crime writer Laura Wilson joins writer and broadcaster James Runcie Coronation to discuss why the 50s is the literary decade of the moment. And Tim Coates talks about his new website bilbary.com which aims to[...]
Ross Raisin discusses his debut novel God's Own Country with James Naughtie.
Mariella Frostrup talks to comedian Russell Kane who looks at the nature of humour in his first novel The Humorist. Senior curator Jamie Andrews talks about the British Library's new exhibition Writing Britain - Wastelands to Wonderlands. And Mariella discusses updating the classics with debut novelist Francesca Segal and Professor of Literature at York University[...]
Mariella talks to award-winning writer Timothy Mo about his new book Pure. Writers Anna Funder and Philip Sington tell how they were inspired by secret Stasi files in the old East Germany. And controversy at this year's 41st London Book Fair.
Mariella talks to novelist Elif Shafak about her latest book highlighting the issue of honour killings in the Kurdish Turkish community across two continents. The programme also looks at novels for children of eight to twelve years. Plus more of the funny things people say in bookshops. This time round, book buyers get their revenge.
Mariella Frostrup meets Ronald Harwood to talk about his five of the best books, while Janice Galloway and Jenny Colgan cater for those with a literary sweet tooth. Plus Michael Carlson on the enduring appeal of the baseball novel.
Comedian Isy Suttie and opera singer and broadcaster Beverley Humphreys share their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert: 'The Comfort of Strangers' by Ian McEwan, ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and ‘Flowers for Algernon’ by Daniel Keyes.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Marilynne Robinson about her new collection of essays, "When I Was A Child I Read Books", about faith, fiction and what it means to be a human being. Mature novelists Charlotte Rogan and Paul Torday discuss the pros and cons of debuting a first novel later in life. Writer and bookseller[...]
Writer Grace Dent and actress Frances Barber talk to presenter Harriett Gilbert about the books they most love, in an edition recorded in front of an audience at R4's More Than Words Listening Festival in Bristol: 'Love in a Cold Climate' by Nancy Mitford, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini and 'Cat's Eye' by[...]
Mariella Frostrup looks at the career and life of Dodie Smith, the author best known for her hugely popular children's story, The 101 Dalmatians, and I Capture the Castle. Sofka Zinovieff talks about her latest novel, The House on Paradise Street and Sam Mills and Rodge Glass discuss basing books around real living people.
Astronomer and Sky at Night presenter Chris Lintott and the Telegraph's Chief music critic Neil McCormick discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert: 'Last and First Men' by Olaf Stapledon, 'A Patchwork Planet' by Anne Tyler and 'White' by Marie Darrieussecq.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Marina Lewycka about her latest book, Various Pets Alive and Dead. We'll be discussing why the publishing industry has become so enamoured by the next big author and what is happening to the more established, but not so prominent career novelists with Matt Thorne, Alexandra Pringle and Charlie Williams. And Guy[...]
Harriett Gilbert invites Deborah Meaden from Dragons' Den, and folk-singer and songwriter Eliza Carthy to discuss their favourite books: 'Everything is Illuminated' by Jonathan Safran Foer, 'The Instance of the Fingerpost' by Iain Pears and 'The Emperor's Babe' by Bernardine Evaristo.
Art critic Brian Sewell and the poet Wendy Cope discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert: "Evening in the Palace of Reason" by James Gaines, "From the City, From The Plough" by Alexander Baron and "The Moving Toyshop" by Edmund Crispin.
Mariella Frostrup presents news and features from the world of books. John Lanchester discusses his latest book Capital.
Harriett Gilbert and her guests, the historian Gus Casely-Hayford and educationalist Martin Stephen, consider a clutch of favourite reads. 'The Memory of Love' by Aminatta Forna, 'Pavel and I' by Dan Vyleta and a selection of Thomas Hardy's verse.
Aminatta Forna explores the delights and challenges of the short story. Author and creative writing Tessa Hadley discusses the history and development of the short story, from Edgar Allan Poe, through Chekhov, Mansfield and Monroe, and short story writers Helen Simpson and Jon McGregor, along with Dept. Editor of Granta Magazine Ellah Allfrey discuss what[...]
Harriett Gilbert talks to children's writer Eleanor Updale and TV and radio presenter Andrea Oliver about the books they love: 'Love and Summer' by William Trevor, 'Like Water for Chocolate' by Laura Esquivel and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' by Mohsin Hamid.
William Boyd discusses his latest novel Waiting for Sunrise. With World War One looming, it embraces a sphere of sex, psychoanalysis, scandal and spies.
Harriett Gilbert is joined by guests Bonnie Greer and Simon Brett to discuss three favourite books, in the first of a new series of A Good Read: 'Blind Sunflowers' by Alberto Méndez, 'The Art of Coarse Acting' by Michael Green and 'The Shipping News' by E. Annie Proulx.
Mariella Frostrup speaks to Catherine Fletcher who discusses her non fiction book Our Man In Rome: Henry VIII and His Italian Ambassador; Horror fiction with Helen Dunmore who explains why she wanted to be part of this genre and the inspiration behind her novel The Greatcoat; depictions of students in literature - Ben Masters, author[...]
Mariella talks to Susan Hill about her bestselling Woman in Black; she hears how to write about places you've never been; Matt Thorne takes a look at debut novels to watch in 2012 and historian Kate Williams talks about her new work of fiction.
Mariella talks to Gillian Slovo about her new novel set between the deserts of North Africa, Ben Kane brings Spartacus the Gladiator to life and Philip Jones, Deputy Editor of the Bookseller, discusses the impact of Amazon’s expansion into the traditional publishing arena.
Mariella and John Mullan discuss listeners’ recommendations for funniest book, Sue Townsend responds to her balloon debate victory, an interview with online publishing sensation Amanda Hocking, and Samantha Harvey talks about her new novel All is Song.
With a scholar and an actor, Frances Fyfield visits London's Victoria and Albert Museum to explore the frantic manuscript of Dickens' historical thriller 'A Tale of Two Cities'.
Mariella Frostrup and her line up of comedians and authors debate their funniest book. Taking the stage in the Radio Theatre to convince an audience that their choice is the most chortle-worthy will be Jo Brand, Tony Parsons, A L Kennedy, Christopher Brookmyre and John Sessions.
Mariella continues her celebration of funny books and funny writers with award winning comic novelist Christopher Brookmyre discussing why Jeff Torrington's 1992 Whitbread Award winning novel "Swing Hammer Swing" is his choice for Open Book's Funniest Book. In the concluding part of Open Book's Mini History of Comic Writing resident expert John Mullan joins award[...]
Mariella continues Open Book's celebration of funny books with writer and comedian Jo Brand, whose choice for Open Book's Funniest Book is "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 and Three Quarters" by Sue Townsend which was first published in 1982. In Open Book's Mini History of Comic Writing Professor of Literature at UCL[...]
Chief Executive of Oxfam Barbara Stocking, and historian Lucy Worsley discuss their favourite paperbacks with Harriett Gilbert: 'Must You Go' by Antonia Fraser, 'Food in England' by Dorothy Hartley and 'Brighton Rock' by Graham Greene.
Tony Parsons opts for The Virgin Soldiers in the search for Open Book's Funniest Book and Mariella Frostrup talks to Jenny Uglow in the next in the series of Open Book's mini-history of comic writing. Suzy Feay and Elvie Wyld run through some of their choices for the most readable books of 2011.
Editor of The Lady, Rachel Johnson, and journalist and broadcaster Martin Kelner pick their favourite books to discuss with Harriett Gilbert: 'Still Missing' by Beth Gutcheon, 'London Belongs to Me' by Norman Collins and 'The Bottle Factory Outing' by Beryl Bainbridge.
Mariella Frostrup continues her celebration of funny books and funny writers with award winning writer A L Kennedy selecting Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One as her favourite funny book. The second installment of Open Book's mini-history of comic writing invites actress Fiona Shaw to join our resident expert John Mullan, Professor of Literature at UCL[...]
Award-winning singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot and the computer games industry pioneer Peter Molyneux join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books: The Sportswriter by Richard Ford; The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Penelope Lively about her new novel How it All Began. Ex-Python and Chaucer-enthusiast Terry Jones is joined by Professor John Mullan to discuss medieval bawdy humour. And kicking off the series, John Sessions defends his pick for Open Book's Funniest Book.
Harriett Gilbert is joined by actor David Morrissey and Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips to discuss some of their favourite books; The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M Cain, The War of the End of the World by Peruvian Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa and A Handful of Dust[...]
Harriett Gilbert is joined by the BBC's Economics Editor Stephanie Flanders and novelist and journalist Roisin McAuley to discuss favourite books; The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith, Peripheral Vision by Patricia Ferguson and Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Victoria Hislop about her latest novel, The Thread, a romantic saga set against the backdrop of turbulent Greek history. Kavita Bhanot and Pakistani novelist H.M Naqvi discuss issues currently surrounding young Asian writers. And Swedish crime-writing duo Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom talk about how they tackle contemporary issues… but not[...]
Christopher Frayling and Nikki Bedi talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.
Mariella Frostrup talks to the Canadian Booker prize winning author Margaret Atwood about her latest book "In Other Worlds. Award winning short story writer Helen Simpson joins Margaret Atwood to discuss the challenge of making issue based fiction readable.And as Haruki Murakami's epic trilogy 1Q84 is published in English simultaneously in America and the UK,[...]
Rick Stein and Michael Dobbs recommend favourite books to presenter Harriett Gilbert.
Ian Rankin talks to Mariella Frostrup about his latest crime thriller The Impossible Dead, and world famous photographer Don McCullin gives us his five of the best books
Classicist Mary Beard and writer Bidisha talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books, at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Robert Harris talks about his latest book The Fear Index with Mariella Frostrup and discusses why he wanted to base it around the money orientated world of Swiss Hedge Fund managers. We discover the unprecedented appeal of The Iliad. Two debut novels have been shortlisted for Man Booker prize - Suzi Feay discusses if this[...]
Former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo joins short story writer Sara Maitland and presenter Harriett Gilbert to talk about the books they love, and share their enthusiasm for their choices.
Open Book marks the 50th anniversary of Joseph Heller's bestseller, Catch 22, as soldier turned author Andy McNab and Professor Christopher Bigsby discuss why this 1961 novel remains so popular. We look at the role of writers in residence with Horatio Clare, writer-in-residence for Maersk lines and Naomi Alderman, soon to be writer-in-residence at the[...]
Charles Frazier, bestselling author of Cold Mountain, discusses his long awaited third novel Nightwoods which is once again located in the forests and mountains of North Carolina. Travel writers Sara Wheeler and Michael Jacobs look at the nature of travel writing and if the genre will survive in the age of the internet, cheap flights[...]
Meg Rosoff discusses her latest book There is no Dog. South African novelist Christopher Hope and Dr Andrew van der Vlies, senior lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London discuss why South Africa remains such a potent source of inspiration. And literary agent Carole Blake explains how the book world has responded to the technology[...]
DJ Taylor talks to Barry Unsworth, who shared the 1992 Booker Prize for his historical novel Sacred Hunger, about his sequel The Quality of Mercy. Indian-born novelist Anita Desai discusses her latest book The Artist of Disappearance, a trio of novellas. And literary critic Peter Kemp traces the history of the novella.
D J Taylor talks to Joe Dunthorne about his newly-published second novel Wild Abandon. Susie Harries, talks about the writing of The Buildings of England, and two architectural writers, Jonathan Glancey and Hugh Pearman, reflect on the quirks that make this magnum opus such a pleasure to read. And the novelist Adam Thirlwell explains his[...]
Crime writer Dreda Say Mitchell talks to Ruth Rendell about "Vault", her 23rd Inspector Wexford novel. They are joined by Newcastle born writer Martyn Waites to discuss how writers write the city in their books. And critic Michael Carlson profiles Ira Levin author of Rosemary's Baby,The Stepford Wives, A Kiss Before Dying and The Boys[...]
In the final part of her history of women's writing Mariella Frostup considers developments in female fiction since the publication of Bridge Jones's Diary in 1996. What is the state of writing by women a century after women achieved emancipation? Is the idea of women's writing outmoded now, where does `chick lit' fit in, and[...]
Harriett Gilbert talks to Alexander Waugh and Xanthe Clay about their favourite books.
In the third instalment of her history of women's twentieth-century writing, A Book of One's Own, Mariella investigates the era of sexual liberation in the 1960s & 70s and how it ignited feminist fiction. She also traces the explosion in feminist literary theory. And as this year's Harrogate Crime Writing Festival ends, Mariella asks if[...]
Harriett Gilbert talks to Raymond Tallis and Allegra Stratton about their favourite books.
Mariella presents the second part of her series examining the history of women's writing in the last hundred years. This week, she explores fiction of the 1930s and 40s - a time when the vote had been won but sexual inequality was still rife. Plus as the bicentenary of William Makepeace Thackeray's birth approaches, comedian[...]
Satirical writer John O'Farrell and historian Juliet Barker talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books - all of which use an unusual blend of fact and fiction. They evoke the lives of the Brontes, the worst civilian disaster of World War II and the British mandate in Palestine.
Mariella presents the first in a four part series examining the history of women's writing in the last hundred years. In A Book of One's Own: How Women Wrote The Twentieth Century, she speaks to leading novelists, critics and publishers to trace the evolution of women's emancipation in fiction. Part 1 explores the literature of[...]
Fay Weldon and Louise Welsh talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.
Broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli and comedian Simon Evans talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.
Harriett Gilbert discusses favourite paperbacks with writer Fleur Adcock and comedian Laura Solon. Their choices include a modern classic by Evelyn Waugh and two coming-of-age novels, one set in France and the other in the north of England.
John Banville, writing as Benjamin Black, discusses the fourth novel in his Dublin mystery series A Death In Summer. How publishers are responding to the growing demand for short form fiction with writers Kevin Barry and Laura Dockrill on the phenomenon of the low priced short story download. And novelists Mary Hoffman and Lucille Turner[...]
Margaret Drabble discusses the new collection of her 13 short stories, published between 1966 and 2000. John Crace (the man behind the Guardian newspaper's Digested Reads) recommends books to read while relaxing on a beach and stands up for the classics. And author Helen Oyeyemi talks about her new novel Mr Fox, a modern day[...]
Harriett Gilbert's guests, actor Bill Paterson and travel writer Dea Birkett, discuss with her their favourite paperback books. The choices include two novels, one set in post-war California and the other in post-war Germany, and a travelogue which is also a personal history.
Mariella talks to award-winning author Amitav Ghosh about River of Smoke - the second book in his Ibis Trilogy set in the waterways around Canton during the events leading up to the start of the First Opium War in 1839. In this week's Reading Clinic, author Joanna Kavenna recommends fiction in which women rise like[...]
Lord Chris Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, and novelist Mavis Cheek are Harriett Gilbert's guests in this edition of A Good Read. Each brings a very different recommended read to the studio: a series of essays celebrating the wild places in nature; an early novel by a poet; and a profound but disquieting debut[...]
Joining Harriett Gilbert to discuss some favourite books are historical novelist Lindsey Davis and writer and critic James Walton. Their choices are all novels: they feature the excitement of a Royal escape, the entertaining emotional journey of a poetry editor with writer's block, and some wonderful writing about childhood.
Mariella celebrates a renaissance in historical fiction writing with authors Philippa Gregory, Sarah Dunant and Adrian Goldsworthy. The programme also includes an interview with Hilary Mantel, author of Booker prize winning novel "Wolf Hall" about the Tudor politician Thomas Cromwell.
Mariella talks to Frederick Forsyth, forty years after he wrote his ground-breaking novel The Day of the Jackal, one of the first modern international conspiracy thrillers. Authors Louise Welsh and Francis Spufford pay homage to one of the giants of English literature, Robert Louis Stevenson. And how amateur writers across Afghanistan are critiquing each other's[...]
Mariella talks to novelists Eoin Colfer and John Boyne about their new books as they cross the divide between writing for children and adults. Jim Crace, author of Booker nominated novel Quarantine, talks about writing his last book in a career which has lasted 25 years. And hot new Irish writer Kevin Barry and critic[...]
Mariella talks to Booker winning author Anne Enright about her new novel, The Forgotten Waltz. Dickens fan Roy Hattersley and academic John Bowen examine the literary friendship between Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. And young adult author Patrick Ness talks about picking up the literary baton, after he completed a novel by fellow writer Siobhan[...]
This week Mariella Frostrup is in extended conversation with the novelist Edward St Aubyn. This programme does contain some disturbing content.
Two eras of journalism collide in Annalena McAfee's debut novel, 'The Spoiler'. Sir Max Hastings discusses how journalists have been portrayed in fiction and Emmy Award winning comedy writer Steve Hely talks about his first book 'How I Became a Famous Novelist'
Mariella Frostrup talks to Orange prize nominated novelist Jennifer Egan about her book, A Visit From The Goon Squad. Writers Hisham Matar and Mirza Waheed examine how the experience of living in a region with ongoing political conflict translates into fiction. Children's author Anthony Horowitz and his son offer literary advice to teenage boys.
Mariella Frostrup talks to author of Brick Lane, Monica Ali, about her new novel inspired by the life of Princess Diana. Seventy years after her death, novelist and critic James Runcie assesses the legacy of Virginia Woolf. And librarians, listeners and writers defend public libraries.
Mariella talks to writer Will Self about cuts to UK libraries. Novelists Joseph O'Connor and Maggie O'Farrell discuss why dead lovers haunt the pages of their books. And have young novelists forgotten how to be funny? Comedian Robin Ince offers guidance.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Justin Cartwright about his new book Other People's Money. Acclaimed actress Juliet Stevenson describes her unabridged reading of George Eliot's Middlemarch. Plus American writer Jessica Francis Kane discusses why she made a very British tragedy the subject of a fictional book.
A bonus download: Alan Bennett reads an extract from his diaries in Untold Stories.
A bonus download: an extract from Agent Zigzag, Ben Macintyre's biography of a WW2 double agent, read by Damien Lewis and abridged by Doreen Estall.
A bonus download: an extract from Rohinton Mistry's novel A Fine Balance, read by Lyndham Gregory.
A bonus download: the opening of Mark Haddon's novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, read by James Meunier and abridged by Sarah LeFanu.
Mariella Frostrup talks to the American author Kim Edwards about her new book The Lake of Dreams, follow up to her bestselling novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter, and looks back at the life and work of writer Sybille Bedford with This Life creator Amy Jenkins.
Mariella Frostrup talks to first time novelist Sarah Winman and investigates the rise of debut fiction this year. Authors Muriel Zagha and John Baxter discuss how the the art of writing about sensuality is poles apart in French and English literature. John Sutherland celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of Penguin's Modern Classics.
Mariella Frostrup talks to novelist Hanif Kureishi about his newly published collected essays, Kate Mosse gives an alternative list of heroines in fiction and novelists Barbara Erskine and John Lanchester discuss technology in print.
Mariella Frostrup talks to novelist Michael Arditti about his new book and to writer Sebastian Faulks about his new television series Faulks on Fiction, and Joanna Kavenna steps in for a reading clinic on Frontier Fiction.
Mariella talks to author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Paul Torday, about his new book. Sue Arnold reviews the latest crop of audio books from Faberge Eggs to Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. And novelist Jay Parini discusses the life and death of Herman Melville (author of Moby Dick and Billy Budd) which he has[...]
Alastair Campbell tells Mariella Frostrup his top five reads. And Booker prize winner A S Byatt and novelist Carol Birch discuss the merits of novels that have a Victorian backdrop.
Mariella Frostrup talks to American author Michael Cunningham, author of the The Hours, adapted into a film starring Nicole Kidman. Cunningham discusses his new novel, By Nightfall, which follows the story of a New York based couple. Two novelists discuss second novel syndrome as the follow-ups to their hugely successful debuts are published. And writer[...]
Barry Humphries talks to Mariella Frostrup about five of his favourite books.
Mariella picks her personal highlights from this year's programmes; novelist Rose Tremain discusses the literary and dramatic potential bound up in sibling rivalry; and new writer Sunjeev Sahota talks about his novel Ours Are The Streets.
Mariella Frostrup speaks to Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer about her collected short fiction; author Tom Holland discusses the legacy of I, Claudius; writers Ian McMillan, Tessa Hadley and Andrew Martin explain the enduring allure of railways in fiction.
Mariella Frostrup speaks to writers Peter Ackroyd and Kevin Crossley-Holland about the legend of King Arthur. Novelist Philip Kerr talks about his new book Field Grey. And writer Paul Bailey discusses the life, work and letters of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lamedusa, author of The Leopard
Mariella Frostrup presents a special edition examining the rise of Young Adult fiction, with the help of three leading YA novelists - Malorie Blackman, Marcus Sedgwick and Gemma Malley.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Barry Humphries about his five favourite books, novelist Mohsin Hamid discusses Antonio Tabucchi and Christopher Brookmyre on what makes a good title.
Historian Amanda Foreman talks about her new book, A World on Fire which examines Britain's role in the American Civil War. Two descendants of Boris Pasternak discuss his most famous novel, Dr Zhivago and novelist Laurence Norfolk examines the second part of the memoirs of Germany's most acclaimed living author, Gunter Grass.
Mariella Frostrup talks to American writer, Paul Auster, about his new book, Sunset Park. Open Book explores the wonderful world of weeds, prompted by a new book from Richard Mabey on weeds. And our reading clinic looks at stories that can be read out loud.
Mariella Frostrup talks to the bestselling novelist Ken Follett about his new book, Fall of Giants. It's the first in a trilogy of novels about twentieth century history, and takes in the outbreak of the First World War and the emanicpation of women. Also on the programme, Mariella is joined by the novelists Rebecca Hunt[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to Salman Rushdie, James Ellroy and in his 50th year of writing, Alan Garner.
Mariella Frostrup talks to acclaimed writer Susan Hill, best known for her spine-tingling novels including Woman In Black. She discusses her latest book, The Small Hand. Plus, the joys of reading aloud - novelist Joanna Trollope and editor Angela Macmillan explain the importance of literature shared through the voice and not just on the page.[...]
Mariella Frostrup talks to the award-winning crime novelist Val McDermid about her new book, and author Alexander McCall Smith on the art of writing prolifically. Plus two of Pakistan's new generation of novelists, Kamila Shamsie and Daniyal Mueenudeen, join Mariella to discuss, and to shed light on the renaissance that Pakistani writing is undergoing.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Mann Booker Prize winner, DBC Pierre about his latest book, discuss Graham Greene in Africa and the Reading Clinic explores contemporary novels inspired by the classics.

This podcast features Open Book and A Good Read. Open Book talks to authors about their work. In A Good Read Harriett Gilbert discusses favourite books.

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