A Good Read

Latest Episodes:

Niamh Cusack & Elly Griffiths Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Niamh Cusack chooses Lila by Marilynne Robinson part of a group of novels set around the fictional Iowa town of Gilead and centres on the gentle relationship between a poor young woman who has grown up drifting around the midwest and an elderly man of God, the Reverend John Ames. For Niamh the novel speaks to the loneliness of life but she also finds its humanity uplifting and inspiring. Crime writer Elly Griffiths' choice is Something In Disguise by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Ostensibly a semi comic family drama, Elly finds something more sinister in the book which she terms 'domestic noir'. Harriett has chosen Naples '44 - travel writer Norman Lewis' account of wartime Naples and the allied liberation of Southern Italy. There are differing opinions as to whether the book is a touching tribute to the warmth and resilience of the Neapolitan people at a desperate time or a rather patronising outdated view of Italy. What do you think? You can join in the discussion on our Instagram page @agoodreadbbc

Producer: Maggie Ayre

Susanna Hoffs and Nina Wadia Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Nina Wadia is a well known face on British TV and film. She was part of the smash hit comedy Goodness Gracious Me and was a regular in EastEnders. Most recently she has been in The Outlaws. She's chosen a dark thriller set in Pakistan set in the world of courtesans and pimps. The Return of Faraz Ali by Aamina Ahmad. It's a disturbing read she says but a brilliant insight into a hidden world. Susanna Hoffs wrote songs and was lead singer with The Bangles. She is still recording and playing music but has recently published her first novel This Bird Has Flown. Her choice of book on A Good Read is an English novel set in the 1950s - Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers - a strange tale of a mysterious apparent immaculate conception being investigated by a female journalist. Harriett's choice is Blue Horses - a collection of poems by the late Mary Oliver. The verdict from all three - wonderful and life affirming.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

Photo by Sam Irons

Andi Osho and Nikita Gill Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

The actor-comedian and the poet advocate for their favourite books. Andi chooses The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, Nikita loves Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden and Harriett goes for The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Producer Sally Heaven

Merlin Sheldrake and Jo Marchant Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

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 century. In this historical book. Holmes explores the scientific ferment that swept across Britain, and how it became an age of great discovery.

Jo's choice, 'You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto', is by computer scientist and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier. In this prescient book from 2010, Jaron delves into the digital world, examining what went wrong in its development, and how we might fix these problems.

And Harriett recommends the classic, magical children's novel, 'The Sword In The Stone' by T. H. White, which she argues merits re-reading as an adult.

Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio, Bristol. Comment on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Hal Cruttenden and Daisy Buchanan Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

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 a Train, a travel memoir by someone who is not too keen on travel.

Producer Sally Heaven

Zing Tsjeng and Yomi Ṣode Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

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 new lover, Katrina. Yomi recommends Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut book, Open Water, a lyrical romance story set in South East London. And Harriett's choice is Intimacies, a novel by Katie Kitamura, where the main character is an interpreter at the International Court in The Hague, where unease bubbles below the surface of the novel's cool narration.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc Produced by Eliza Lomas

Gill Hornby and Paul Burston Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

The two writers talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Gill Hornby has chosen Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, which traces the lives of six step-siblings over a span of fifty years. Paul Burston loves Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, which helped him come out to his parents as a young man. Harriett's choice is Tin Man by Sarah Winman which describes the friendship of two men and a woman. While Tales of the City takes place before the advent of AIDS, in Tin Man the disease looms large.

Producer Sally Heaven Join the conversation on Instagram: @agoodreadbbc

Donna Leon and Margaret Heffernan Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

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 tries to track down a missing child, whilst a mysterious fire rages through the hills of Southern California. Margaret loves Butcher's Crossing, the lesser-known book by John Williams, the author of Stoner. Set in 1871, this is about a young Harvard drop-out who heads out into the American West to discover a new way of living and which Margaret describes as an 'anti-Western' novel. Meanwhile Harriett's choice is A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam, which follows a mother's struggle to protect her children as Bangladesh fights for independence.

Produced by Eliza Lomas. Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc

Katherine May and Liz Berry Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Author Katherine May and poet Liz Berry talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Liz loves A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa, a powerful blend of memoir and literary investigation where the past bleeds into the present. Katherine is inspired by These Wilds Beyond Our Fences by Bayo Akomolafe, framed as letters from the author to his young daughter as he tries to make sense of the world that she has been born into. And Harriett chooses Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, a triumphant feminist fable and sweet revenge comedy which celebrates the life and times of protagonist Elizabeth Zott.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc Produced by Becky Ripley

Sophie Raworth and Patrick Ness Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

The newsreader and the writer chat about books with Harriett. Sophie and Harriett's choices take on early colonialism on two different continents, in West by Cary Davies and Remembering Babylon by David Malouf respectively, and Patrick's choice of Howard's End by EM Forster brings us back to Blighty.

Producer Sally Heaven

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