A Good Read

Latest Episodes:

Maryam Moshiri and Doug Naylor Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

Newsreader Maryam Moshiri and Red Dwarf creator Doug Naylor discuss their chosen books, including Bridget Jones's Diary, with Harriett Gilbert.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding, chosen by Maryam Moshiri

Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell, chosen by Doug Naylor

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven

Victoria Pile and Julian Baggini Mar 16, 2026

Show notes

THE LIVES AND LOVES OF A SHE DEVIL by Fay Weldon, chosen by Victoria Pile THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway, chosen by Julian Baggini CLEAR by Carys Davies, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Comedy writer and director Victoria Pile joins philosopher and author Julian Baggini to talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. On the menu is a feminist revenge novel that is as dark as it is funny, a classic Hemingway novella that casts us out to sea, and an evocative short story set on a remote island off Scotland.

Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Becky Ripley

Lolita Chakrabarti and Dr Guy Leschziner Mar 09, 2026

Show notes

This week's books are: How to Measure a Cow by Margaret Forster (chosen by Lolita Chakrabarti) The House of God by Samuel Shem (chosen by Guy Leschziner) A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir (chosen by Harriett Gilbert)

The producer is Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Jung Chang Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

The children's author Frank Cottrell-Boyce and the author of Wild Swans and Big Sister Little Sister Red Sister Jung Chang choose their good reads.

Where Should We Run To by Alan Garner chosen by Frank Cottrell-Boyce Death of A Naturalist by Seamus Heaney chosen by Harriett Gilbert Hans Christian Andersen's Fairytales chosen by Jung Chang

Produced in Bristol by Maggie Ayre

Martin Edwards and Tom Shakespeare Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

This week's books are:

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie, chosen by crime writer Martin Edwards At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien, chosen by sociologist, bioethicist and comedian Tom Shakespeare Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Pineiro, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven

Photo credit: Belinda Mason

Maria Balshaw and Léa Ypi Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

This week's books are: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler chosen by Maria Balshaw. The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol (translated by Isabel Hapgood) chosen by Léa Ypi. Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans chosen by Harriett Gilbert.

The producer is Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol. Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Photo credit: Erdem Moralioglu

Robin Ince and Philip Hensher Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

This week's books are:

Water Shall Refuse Them by Lucie McKnight Hardy, chosen by comedian Robin Ince Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Esther Waters by George Moore, chosen by writer Philip Hensher

Producer Sally Heaven, BBC Audio Bristol

Gwyneth Lewis and Annabel Abbs Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

This week's books are: Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner chosen by the Welsh poet and writer Gwyneth Lewis The LIving Mountain by Nan Shepherd picked by author Annabel Abbs Emma by Jane Austen chosen by Harriett Gilbert ahead of the writer's 250th birthday in December 2025

Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie Ayre

Photo credit: Edward Brown

Michelle Ogundehin and Lisa St Aubin de Terán Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

Michelle Ogundehin is a broadcaster, magazine editor and author also known as a presenter on TV's Interior Design Masters. She and author Lisa St Aubin de Terán give their book recommendations. Michelle's is 4000 Weeks: Time Management For Mortals by Oliver Burkeman which she says has helped her simplify her life. Lisa chooses Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix the powerful retelling of the 2021 incident in which 27 people drowned in the English Channel attempting to make the crossing from France. It's a fictionalised account of a real event told from the perspective of the French Coastguard blamed for not taking adequate action. Harriett's choice is The Party by Tessa Hadley set in post war Bristol.

Have your say on any of these books on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Producer: Maggie Ayre

Roma Agrawal and Kate Lister Nov 24, 2025

Show notes

WEDLOCK: HOW GEORGIAN BRITAIN'S WORST HUSBAND MET HIS MATCH by Wendy Moore, chosen by Kate Lister GRAYSON PERRY: PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG GIRL by Wendy Jones, chosen by Harriett Gilbert PLASTIC EMOTIONS by Shiromi Pinto, chosen by Roma Agrawal

Structural engineer Roma Agrawal, known for her work on buildings such as the Shard in London, and historian Kate Lister, who specialises in the history of sex, join Harriett Gilbert to share their favourite books. Kate's choice is Wedlock: How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match by Wendy Moore, a gripping biography that tells the true story of Mary Eleanor Bowes's distrastrous marriage to Andrew Robinson Stoney, one of the wealthiest women in 18th-century Britain. Roma’s pick is Plastic Emotions by Shiromi Pinto, a novel inspired by the life of Minnette de Silva, Sri Lanka’s pioneering modernist architect, exploring love, politics and creativity in a time of upheaval. And Harriett brings Grayson Perry: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl by Wendy Jones, a candid and colourful account of the artist’s early life and identity.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Eliza Lomas Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc

Photo credit: Steve Ullathorne

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