Books and Authors

A Good Read: Naomi Alderman and Abi Dare Nov 18, 2024

The Power author Naomi Alderman, and Nigerian writer Abi Dare discuss favourite books. Naomi chooses Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher, a series of hilarious letters written by a beleaguered academic. Abi champions A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini's tale of two women in Taliban governed Afghanistan and Harriett recommends James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, two immensely powerful essays.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven Follow us on Instagram: agoodreadbbc

Photo credit: Annabel Moeller

A Good Read: Jenny Kleeman and Sam Knight Nov 11, 2024

EDUCATED by Tara Westover, chosen by Jenny Kleeman THE WREN, THE WREN by Anne Enright, chosen by Harriett Gilbert GIVING UP THE GHOST by Hilary Mantel, chosen by Sam Knight

Journalist and broadcaster Jenny Kleeman (of Radio 4's The Gift and author of The Price of Life) chooses Tara Westover's memoir Educated, which caused a sensation when it was first published. It's about her childhood growing up in an isolated Mormon family in rural Idaho, who were preparing for the end of the world, and didn't believe in school, doctors or medicine. It's about how she studied her way out of a difficult upbringing, eventually earning a PhD at Cambridge University.

Sam Knight (staff writer at the New Yorker and author of The Premonitions Bureau) also picks a memoir, but of a very different kind. He goes for Hilary Mantel's beguiling Giving Up The Ghost. In it, she explores the real, and imaginary, ghosts of her life - the illnesses that have haunted her body, the family she would never have, and the art of writing.

Harriett Gilbert brings a work of fiction by a writer she loves, the Irish writer Anne Enright. They discuss her latest novel The Wren, The Wren, a story which speaks about the inheritance of trauma and the price of love.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio in Bristol Join the conversation @agoodreadbbc Instagram

A Good Read: Nihal Arthanayake and Elif Shafak Nov 04, 2024

Nihal has chosen Amma, the debut novel by Sri Lankan writer Saraid de Silva, which he compares to meeting someone on a train and having a long, intense conversation. Elif Shafak's choice, however, You're Embarrassing Yourself by Desiree Akhavan, he describes as more like a hilarious night in a pub. Harriett has gone for The Second Murderer by Denise Mina, a Philip Marlowe novel. But is there a need to add to Raymond Chandler's canon?

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc

A Good Read: Tim Spector and Tatty Macleod Oct 28, 2024

THE COUNTRY OF OTHERS by Leïla Slimani, chosen by Tatty Macleod THE MAN WHO ATE EVERYTHING by Jeffrey Steingarten, chosen by Tim Spector ORBITAL by Samantha Harvey, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Comedian Tatty Macleod chooses a novel by French-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani, the first volume of a new trilogy telling the saga of a French-Moroccan family between 1946 and 2016.

Scientist and food writer Professor Tim Spector chooses an award-winning collection of essays by food writer and critic Jeffrey Steingarten. His impassioned, funny, and mouth-watering anecdotes are all bound by a gluttonous curiosity that too often tips into obsession.

And Harriett Gilbert chooses a novella by Samantha Harvey called Orbital. Set on the International Space Station, it follows six astronauts as they reflect on life back down on Earth, in all its fury and glory.

Producer: Becky Ripley

Books to Read and Re-Read Oct 27, 2024

In this final edition of Open Book, Johny Pitts and Chris Power celebrate some of the outstanding novels from the last twenty six years.

They are joined by Kamila Shamsie, winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2018 for her novel Home Fire. Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton, and one of this year's Booker Prize judges. Ted Hodgkinson, Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre, and previous chair of the International Booker.

Kamila, Sara and Ted pick out some of the books, including Wolf Hall, Lincoln in the Bardo and On Beauty, which have stood out for them: books they'd recommend to others, and re-read again and again.

Producer: Kirsten Locke

Books List:

Best of Friends – Kamila Shamsie Burnt Shadows – Kamila Shamsie Home Fire – Kamila Shamsie The Confessions of Frannie Langton – Sara Collins In the City by the Sea – Kamila Shamsie Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel Lincoln in the Bardo – George Saunders Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro Seasonal Quartet – Ali Smith The Bee Sting – Paul Murray Maps for Lost Lovers – Nadeem Aslam In Memoriam – Alice Winn On Beauty – Zadie Smith

A Good Read: Fee Mak and Ali Woods Oct 21, 2024

REASONS TO STAY ALIVE by Matt Haig, chosen by Ali Woods ELENA KNOWS by Claudia Piñeiro, chosen by Fee Mak THE DETAILS by Ia Genberg, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Comedian Ali Woods chooses a memoir by Matt Haig based on his experiences of living with depression and anxiety disorder. Moving, funny and incredibly honest, Reasons to Stay Alive is a book which blasts open the way in which we talk about depression.

Presenter and DJ Fee Mak chooses a novel by Claudia Piñeiro called Elena Knows, following a day in the life of Elena, a 63-year-old woman struggling to come to terms with both her own illness and the death of her daughter.

And Harriett Gilbert chooses a short Swedish novel by Ia Genberg called The Details, exploring the relationships that define us, and the small but profound details that stay with us.

Producer: Becky Ripley

AI and the novel Oct 20, 2024

Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts discuss AI and the novel.

A Good Read Karl Ove Knausgaard and Amy Liptrot Oct 14, 2024

The two writers choose favourite books. Recorded at the Edinburgh Book Festival

Katherine Mansfield Oct 13, 2024

Chris Power explores the writing of Katherine Mansfield on the centenary of her death.

A Good Read Irvine Welsh & Andrew O' Hagan Oct 07, 2024

At the Edinburgh International Book Festival the two authors discuss favourite books

Alan Hollinghurst Sep 29, 2024

Alan Hollinghurst speaks to Chris Power about his new novel, Our Evenings.

Rachel Kushner Sep 22, 2024

Rachel Kushner on her Booker Prize shortlisted novel, Creation Lake and Sarah Moss.

Matt Haig Sep 15, 2024

Matt Haig discusses his new novel, The Life Impossible and Lord of the Flies at 70.

Graham Norton Sep 08, 2024

Graham Norton speaks to Johny Pitts about his new novel, Frankie.

Elif Shafak Aug 25, 2024

Elif Shafak discusses her new novel. Hanna Pylväinen on writing about the Arctic Circle.

Evie Wyld talks to Johny Pitts about her new novel, The Echoes. Aug 18, 2024

Evie Wyld, Jessie Cave and Camille Bordas

Lauren Elkin Aug 11, 2024

Lauren Elkin, Michèle Roberts and Maria Balshaw

A Good Read: Rachel Parris and Sonali Shah Jul 29, 2024

DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver, chosen by Rachel Parris DID YE HEAR MAMMY DIED? by Séamas O'Reilly, chosen by Harriett Gilbert BOTH NOT HALF by Jassa Ahluwalia, chosen by Sonali Shah

Comedian and musician Rachel Parris and broadcaster and presenter Sonali Shah join Harriett Gilbert to read each other's favourite books.

Rachel Parris (Late Night Mash, Austentatious) chooses Barbara Kingsolver's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Demon Copperhead, which is based on David Copperfield and boldly takes on America's opioid crisis.

Sonali Shah (Escape to the Country, Pilgrimage, Magic FM) picks Both Not Half: A Radical New Approach to Mixed Heritage Identity by the actor Jassa Ahluwalia, who had always described himself as 'half Indian, half English'. So he decided to come up with a new way of thinking about all kinds of individuality.

Harriett brings a wonderfully funny and loving memoir by the Irish writer Séamas O'Reilly: Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?

Producer: Beth O'Dea for BBC Audio in Bristol Join the conversation @agoodreadbbc Instagram

Benjamin Myers Jul 28, 2024

Benjamin Myers, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Claire Kohda

A Good Read: Sarah Phelps and Irenosen Okojie Jul 22, 2024

RADIO ROMANCE by Garrison Keillor, chosen by Sarah Phelps PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi, chosen by Irenosen Okojie ABSOLUTELY AND FOREVER by Rose Tremain, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Two authors pick books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Screenwriter, playwright and television producer Sarah Phelps (The Sixth Commandment, A Very British Scandal, EastEnders) brings us the trials and tribulations of a small-town radio station in the Midwest. Told with humour and irony, but also packs a punch.

Novelist and short story writer Irenosen Okojie (Hag, Butterfly Fish, Speak Gigantular) chooses Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, an autobiographical graphic novel charting the writer's childhood in Iran, set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, before her move to Austria.

Harriett Gilbert brings Absolutely and Forever by Rose Tremain, a story about the all-consuming power of first love, set 1960s London.

Produced by Sally Heaven for BBC Audio Bristol Join the conversation on Instagram @bbcagoodread

Irenosen Okojie Jul 21, 2024

Irenosen Okojie talks to Johny Pitts about her new book, Curandera.

A Good Read: Helen Lederer and Ilaria Bernardini Jul 15, 2024

BOOKS:

WISHFUL DRINKING by CARRIE FISHER FORBIDDEN NOTEBOOK by ALBA DE CESPEDES YELLOWFACE by REBECCA F KUANG

Harriett's guests today are comedian and writer Helen Lederer known for so many roles including as Catrionia in Absolutely Fabulous. Recently she has published her memoir Not That I'm Bitter and set up the Comedy Writing In Print Prize. She has opted for the hugely witty and knowing memoir Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher detailing her tumultuous life as the child of two Hollywood stars who often couldn't separate fantasy from reality. Ilaria Bernardini is an Italian novelist and screenwriter. She is currently working on Bernardo Bertolucci’s final script which Ilaria co-wrote with hi -The Echo Chamber. Her choice is the seminal feminist Italian novel Forbidden Notebook by the Italian-Cuban writer Alba de Cespedes about the inner life of an Italian housewife and Mama of the family. Harriett's choice is Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang - a cautionary tale for our times of plagiarism, cultural appropriation, social media storms and more.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

Garth Risk Hallberg Jul 14, 2024

Johny Pitts speaks to Garth Risk Hallberg about his new novel, The Second Coming.

A Good Read: Gyles Brandreth and Hannah Critchlow Jul 08, 2024

Writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has chosen EF Benson's entertaining tale of competitive snobbery in the 1920s, Mapp and Lucia. In a contrasting choice, neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow advocates for Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, a story of a Ghanaian family transplanted to Alabama which takes in neuroscience and opiate addiction. Harriett has gone for a real crowd-pleaser in E. Nesbit's The Railway Children and all three enjoy a bit of nostalgia for the times when children could run free having adventures around the railway. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven.

A Good Read: Sebastian Faulks and Tessa Hadley Jul 01, 2024

VOICES IN THE EVENING by Natalia Ginzburg (trans. DM Low), chosen by Tessa Hadley THE ZONE OF INTEREST by Martin Amis (trans. Jessica Moore), chosen by Sebastian Faulks EASTBOUND by Maylis de Kerangal, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Two authors pick books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Tessa Hadley (Late In The Day, Free Love, After The Funeral) takes us to post-war Italy with Voices In The Evening by Natalia Ginzburg. The drama, suffering and fascism are in the past, but traumas surface in the day-to-day, with first loves and lost chances.

Sebastian Faulks (Birdsong, Human Traces, The Seventh Son) chooses The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis, after watching the hit film by Jonathan Glazer and wanting to read the book it was inspired by. The haunting novel follows a Nazi officer who has become enamoured with the Auschwitz camp commandant's wife, and goes inside the minds of the commandant, who lives with his family right next to the concentration camp.

Harriett Gilbert brings Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal, a gripping novella set on the Trans-Siberian Railway, with a chance encounter between a desperate Russian conscript and a French woman.

Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol Join the conversation on Instagram @bbcagoodread

Rita Bullwinkel Jun 30, 2024

Rita Bullwinkel, Mohsin Hamid and Téa Obreht

A Good Read: Doon Mackichan and Bruce Robinson Jun 25, 2024

Recorded at the Hay Festival

SHUGGIE BAIN by Douglas Stewart ON THE BLACK HILL by Bruce Chatwin AGAINST NATURE by Joris-Karl Huysmans

Harriett Gilbert takes to the stage in the BBC Marquee at the Hay Festival for a special edition of the programme recorded in front of an audience. Actor and writer Doon Mackichan known for her outrageous character Cathy in the sitcom Two Doors Down chooses Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart as her good read. It's a touching but heartbreaking tale of a young Glaswegian boy's desperate efforts to save his mother Agnes from the alcoholism that ruins and degrades her. It won the Booker Prize in 2020. As we're in Wales Harriett's fitting choice is Bruce Chatwin's On The Black Hill an account of rural Welsh life in the mid 20th century. It's the story of two brothers' lives over 80 years and their connection to land and community. Bruce Robinson actor, director and writer of the hit film Withnail and I which has been adapted for stage chooses a book that features in the final scene of the film. The I character places two books in a suitcase at the end of the film, one of which is A Rebours - Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans. Bruce confesses that he's not the book's biggest fan but the ensuing discussion provides an entertaining insight into books we might read when we're younger and how differently we feel about them in later life. It's the story of an eccentric recluse Jean des Esseintes in 19th century France who loathes people and creates a fantasy world for himself but ultimately suffers from his self-inflicted pretentious ennui. "I wish I hadn't chosen this book" proclaims Bruce Robinson as he introduces it. "I wish you hadn't chosen it" agrees Doon Mackichan. They then elicit a lot of audience laughter from their deconstruction of this seminal French novel that all three find pretentious.

This is a longer version of the broadcast programme.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

A Passage to India Jun 23, 2024

Shahidha Bari discusses EM Forster's A Passage to India with Neel Mukherjee, Elizabeth Lowry and Dr Chris Mourant.

A Good Read: Denise Mina and Simon Brett Jun 17, 2024

ABSENT IN THE SPRING by Agatha Christie (writing as Mary Westmacott) (HarperCollins), chosen by Simon Brett IN THE GARDEN OF THE FUGITIVES by Ceridwen Dovey (Penguin), chosen by Denise Mina HIDE MY EYES by Margery Allingham (Penguin), chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Crime writers Denise Mina and Simon Brett join Harriett Gilbert to read each other's favourite books.

Simon chooses Agatha Christie under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, with Absent In The Spring. It’s a story without any detective and one that, perhaps, reveals a more personal side to Christie's writing.

Denise picks the novel In the Garden of the Fugitives by South African-Australian author Ceridwen Dovey, an epistolary novel which begins with a letter that breaks seventeen years of silence between a rich, elderly man with a broken heart and his former protegee, a young South African filmmaker.

And for the occasion of having two crime authors, Harriett Gilbert picks a golden age crime book, Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham, where private detective Albert Campion finds himself hunting down a serial killer.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio in Bristol Join the conversation @agoodreadbbc Instagram

Open Book - Kevin Barry Jun 16, 2024

Johny Pitts talks to Kevin Barry about his new novel, The Heart in Winter

Claire Messud Jun 10, 2024

Claire Messud, Kafka and Jiaming Tang

A Good Read: Samantha Harvey and Darran Anderson Jun 10, 2024

QUARTET IN AUTUMN by Barbara Pym, chosen by Samantha Harvey MRS CALIBAN by Rachel Ingalls, chosen by Harriett Gilbert PHARMACOPOEIA: A DUNGENESS NOTEBOOK by Derek Jarman, chosen by Darran Anderson

Two award-winning writers share books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio

A Good Read: Dan Schreiber and Kathryn Hughes Jun 07, 2024

Historian and author Kathryn Hughes and No Such Thing As a Fish presenter Dan Schreiber recommend favourite books to Harriett Gilbert. Kathryn chooses Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes, an exploration of the French writer's life in the form of a novel. Dan's choice is very different - John Higgs taking on the conceptual artists and chart toppers The KLF. Harriett has gone for Michael Ondaatje's novel Warlight, set in a murky and mysterious post-war London.

Presenter: Harriett Gilbert

Producer for BBC Audio Bristol: Sally Heaven

Open Book - Maggie Nelson May 26, 2024

Octavia Bright talks to Maggie Nelson about Like Love, an anthology of essays which explore art and friendship and criticism. And a new prize for climate fiction.

Presenter: Octavia Bright Producer: Nicola Holloway

Open Book - Sarah Perry May 19, 2024

Sarah Perry talks to Shahidha Bari about her new novel, Enlightenment

Open Book - Hari Kunzru May 12, 2024

Hari Kunzru talks to Shahidha Bari about his new novel, Blue Ruin

Open Book - Sunjeev Sahota Apr 28, 2024

Sunjeev Sahota talks to Alex Clark about his new novel, The Spoiled Heart

Open Book - Sinéad Gleeson Apr 21, 2024

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 the story of Nell an artist whose work takes inspiration from the landscape and folklore. When she receives an invitation to create a piece of art from the Inions, a reclusive commune of women living sustainably on the island, things begin to unravel. Sinead discusses the precarity of living as an artist, the folklore which infuses Hagstone and dedicating the book to the late activist and artist Sinead O' Connor.

The Book Makers by Adam Smyth is a celebration of five hundred and fifty years of the printed book, told through the lives of eighteen extraordinary people. The printers and binders, publishers and artists, paper-makers and library founders - who took the book in radical new directions. We hear about the binder who created Shakespeare's First Folio, a 16th century Dutch printer who created bestsellers on Fleet Street and the Cut and Paste Bible sisters who made art from the gospels.

And Kick the Latch author Kathryn Scanlan discusses her love of Moyra Davey’s Long Life: Cool White, Photographs and Essays.

Book List – Sunday 21 March

Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers by Sinéad Gleeson The Glass Shore edited by Sinéad Gleeson Constellations: Reflections from Life by Sinéad Gleeson Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan Long Life Cool White: Photographs by Moyra Davey The Book Makers by Adam Smyth

Open Book - Percival Everett Apr 14, 2024

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, winner of the BBC Short Story Award, and author of a new collection, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, and to Helen Simpson who has written stories about motherhood in books such as Motherhood, and Hey Yeah Right Get A Life over 20 years previously.

Presenter: Shahidha Bari Producer: Emma Wallace

Open Book - Andrew O'Hagan and Helen Garner Apr 03, 2024

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 wealthy Russian oligarchs in bed with British politicians, the book spools out to encompass a wide canvas of contemporary British life.

Alex also talks to the Australian writer Helen Garner as three books from her back catalogue have been reissued: The Monkey Grip, chronicling a young mother’s life in bohemian Melbourne in the 1970s; This House of Grief, a true crime story of a murderous father; and her most widely renowned novel, The Children’s Bach, which takes us into the lives of a family turned upside down by the forces of sexual desire and the impulse toward freedom.

And, DJ turned novelist, Annie Macmanus shares the Book She'd Never Lend

A Good Read - Carol Morley and Will Hislop Mar 26, 2024

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 and scepticism of her own aunt's murder trial. A book that blurs the boundaries between personal memoir, psychoanalysis and true crime.

Comedian Will Hislop chooses Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, which transports us to 55 different fictional reincarnations of Venice through a series of beautifully detailed and occasionally absurd vignettes. Calvino's prose poems are ordered by theme and, as a reader, you can choose how you want to navigate his matrix of the chapters.

Harriett's choice takes us to London with a novel by Diana Evans called Ordinary People, in which two couples find themselves at a moment of reckoning, an intimate study of identity, parenthood and the fragility of love.

Presenter: Harriett Gilbert Producer: Becky Ripley

Open Book: Carys Davies, Annie Ernaux Mar 24, 2024

Carys Davies on her new novel, Clear. Plus Annie Ernaux and photography

Open Book - Jonathan Buckley, Lit Crit and David Baddiel Mar 21, 2024

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 a novel concerned with the nature of storytelling, narrative form and the inherent unreliability of memory.

Critic and writer Lauren Oyler and fiction editor of the TLS, Toby Lichtig, discuss the impact of online reviewing on professional literary criticism. Plus David Baddiel on his ten years of writing books for children.

A Good Read: Christopher Eccleston and Lindsey Hilsum Mar 19, 2024

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 Gilbert

The television journalist and actor share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor of Channel 4 News, loves Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids, her account of coming to New York as a young woman and of her relationship with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. It's a coming-of-age story set against the heady backdrop of 1970s counterculture; it's a story of becoming an artist; and it's a love story that turns into an elegy.

The actor Christopher Eccleston chooses Man's Search for Meaning, the psychotherapist Viktor Frankl's account of his time in Nazi concentration camps and how those experiences informed his belief that man's deepest need is to search for meaning and purpose. It's a powerful book about retaining one's humanity in the face of unimaginable suffering and degradation.

And Harriett Gilbert chooses Towards the End of the Morning, Michael Frayn's 1967 satire about journalists working on a newspaper during the heyday of Fleet Street.

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio

A Good Read - Katy Hessel and Amy Blakemore Mar 12, 2024

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 about the limitless possibilities of the game, and of the human mind.

Author Amy Blakemore chooses Maud Martha by the American poet Gwendolyn Brookes, a story of a life told with such a brevity and beauty of prose that it is almost poetry.

Harriett's choice is a collection of short stories called The Pier Falls by the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon, who is not afraid to disturb.

Presenter: Harriett Gilbert Producer: Becky Ripley

Open Book - Daphne du Maurier Mar 10, 2024

"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 the pirates, smugglers and bewitching Cornish wilds of Jamaica Inn and Frenchman’s Creek, to the gender politics and class commentary of Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel, du Maurier’s reputation as a romance novelist misrepresented the true breadth of her work. Octavia Bright is joined by Olivia Laing, author of The Lonely City, Funny Weather and Crudo; novelist, short story writer and Cornish resident Wyl Menmuir and Dr Laura Varnam of Oxford University, an expert on du Maurier’s life and work, to strip away some of the undermining labels she struggled to shake in her lifetime.

A Good Read: Andrew McMillan and Kathryn Williams Mar 05, 2024

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 McMillan

The singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams loves books about the craft of writing and her choice of a good read is 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft', by the master of horror, Stephen King. The book gave her practical tools and advice which helped her to write her debut novel, The Ormering Tide. She also loves what we learn about King's life - from his flatulent childhood nanny to the devastating 1999 accident which almost ended his life.

Harriett's choice this week is The Bitch by Colombian author Pilar Quintana, translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman. In a village on the Pacific coast of Colombia, between wild jungle and wild seas, a childless woman develops a complicated relationship with an orphaned puppy.

And the poet and novelist Andrew McMillan chooses On the Beach by Nevil Shute. In Australia, a group of people try to come to terms with the end of the world. A nuclear war has wiped out all life in the northern hemisphere and the radiation is drifting steadily south. What would you do if you knew that you, and everyone you know, had only months to live?

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio

A Good Read Paterson Joseph and Richard Coles Feb 28, 2024

More books worth reading chosen by well known guests

Kate Davies Feb 25, 2024

Kate Davies talks to Chris Power about her new novel, Nuclear Family.

A Good Read: Anjana Vasan and Anne-Marie Imafidon Feb 20, 2024

An actor and singer and a computer scientist and author pick their favourite books.

Sheila Heti Feb 18, 2024

Sheila Heti on her new experimental book, Alphabetical Diaries.

A Good Read: Joe Talbot and Nancy Medina Feb 13, 2024

The frontman of Idles and the artistic director of Bristol Old Vic share book choices.

Madeleine Gray Feb 11, 2024

Madeleine Gray on her witty, heartbreaking novel, Green Dot, about a young woman's affair

A Good Read: Rachel Brown-Finnis and Anna Bogutskaya Feb 06, 2024

a former professional footballer and a film critic pick their favourite books.

A Good Read: Ian Rankin & Colin MacIntyre Jan 30, 2024

The crime writer and the singer aka Mull Historical Society choose favourite books

Michael Cunningham Jan 28, 2024

Michael Cunningham speaks to Johny Pitts about his new novel, Day.

Gerald Murnane Jan 21, 2024

Gerald Murnane talks to Chris Power about his writing life.

Hisham Matar Jan 14, 2024

Pulitzer Prize winning author, Hisham Matar, discusses his new novel My Friends.

Endings and New Beginnings Dec 31, 2023

Chris Power is joined by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Aminatta Forna & Lucy Caldwell

The Year in Fiction Dec 25, 2023

Chris Power shares some of the highlights of the year on Open Book.

Janice Hallett Dec 17, 2023

Johny Pitts speaks to Janice Hallett about her new book, The Christmas Appeal.

Ron Rash Dec 14, 2023

Ron Rash on his new book, The Caretaker.

A Good Read: Chantal Joffe and Séamas O'Reilly Nov 28, 2023

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 the Irish novel, A Goat's Song by Dermot Healy, which he argues deserves to be more widely known. And Harriett Gilbert recommends a graphic memoir by the cartoonist Alison Bechdel, called The Secret to Superhuman Strength.

Chantal Joffe is an artist known for her often larger-than-life-sized paintings, of women and children in particular, which have been shown in solo exhibitions around the world. Séamas O'Reilly is a columnist for the Observer whose memoir is Did Ye Hear Mammy Die.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio

Alexis Wright Nov 26, 2023

Award winning novelist Alexis Wright talks to Chris Power.

A Good Read: Janet Ellis & Jason Arday Nov 21, 2023

The presenter and the sociologist share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Femi Kayode Nov 19, 2023

Crime writer Femi Kayode on his new novel, Gaslight.

A Good Read: India Knight and Emma Dabiri Nov 14, 2023

The journalist and the writer talk to Harriett about favourite books.

Teju Cole Nov 12, 2023

Chris Power talks to Teju Cole about his wide-ranging and powerful new novel, Tremor.

A Good Read Nigel Kennedy and Clare Perkins Nov 07, 2023

Good books chosen by well known guests as reading recommendations

A Good Read Cressida Cowell & Romy Gill Oct 31, 2023

Books worth reading chosen by Harriett Gilbert and guests

AI and the Novel Oct 29, 2023

Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts discuss AI and the novel.

A Good Read: Anneka Rice and Maureen Freely Oct 24, 2023

The TV presenter and the writer share favourite books with Harriett.

Karl Ove Knausgård Oct 22, 2023

Chris Power speaks to Karl Ove Knausgård about his new book, The Wolves of Eternity

A Good Read: Cornelia Parker and Jeremy Lee Oct 17, 2023

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. Finally Harriett Gilbert suggests the novel Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie, centred on two American academics' escapades in London.

Cornelia has recently had solo shows at the Tate Britain and the Metropolitan Museum of New York; Jeremy is chef-proprietor of Quo Vadis restaurant in Soho and author of Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio

Daniel Mason Oct 15, 2023

The US author and psychiatrist on his new novel, North Woods

A Good Read: Rhys Stephenson and Esther Manito Oct 10, 2023

The children's TV presenter and stand up comedian advocate for favourite books.

Lydia Davis Oct 08, 2023

Lydia Davis on the writing of Our Strangers.

A Good Read Vaseem Khan and Lucy Winkett Oct 03, 2023

Two guests choose their favourite books

Ben Lerner and Anne Enright on poetry and fiction Sep 17, 2023

Ben Lerner and Anne Enright on poetry and fiction

Zadie Smith Sep 10, 2023

Elizabeth Day talks to the novelist Zadie Smith about her new novel, The Fraud.

George Orwell Now Aug 27, 2023

George Orwell Now

Ayelet Gundar-Goshen speaks to Johny Pitts about her new book, The Wolf Hunt Aug 20, 2023

Ayelet Gundar-Goshen speaks to Johny Pitts about her new book, The Wolf Hunt

Ann Patchett, plus Magical Historical Fiction with S. J. Parris and Laura Shepherd-Robinson Aug 13, 2023

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 fiction, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and S. J. Parris (aka Stephanie Merritt) discuss the allure of magic and mysticism in their latest books set either side of the Enlightenment.

Plus Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah recalls the enchanting tale behind the book he'd never lend.

Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

Johny Pitts explores Birmingham's literary heritage and contemporary writing scene. Jul 30, 2023

Johny Pitts explores Birmingham's literary heritage and contemporary writing scene.

A Good Read: Olivia Laing and Charlie Porter Jul 25, 2023

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 critic Lorna Sage - a memoir of her eccentric childhood and adolescence in 1940s rural Wales. Charlie loves Honey From A Weed by Patience Gray, a cookbook which exalts local knowledge and seasonal cooking, taking readers to a time and place far removed from modern life. And Harriett brings The English Understand Wool, a 2022 novella by American author Helen DeWitt, which takes unexpected twists and turns and which Harriett argues, merits reading more than once.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio

Elizabeth Day celebrates the centenary year of the writer Elizabeth Jane Howard Jul 23, 2023

Elizabeth Day celebrates the centenary year of the writer Elizabeth Jane Howard

A Good Read Jul 18, 2023

More book recommendations from actor Niamh Cusack and author Elly Griffiths

A Good Read Jul 18, 2023

Susanna Hoffs and Nina Wadia choose their good reads

Megan Nolan, plus crime summer reading recommendations from Vaseem Khan, Laura Wilson and Val McDermid Jul 16, 2023

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 give their tips, from hot new psychological thrillers to reissued classics.

And Val McDermid chooses a very modern-feeling 1940s whodunit for her Book I'd Never Lend.

Book List – Sunday 16 July and Thursday 20 July

Ordinary Human Failing by Megan Nolan Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan Grave Expectations by Alice Bell The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh The Wheel of Doll by Jonathan Ames Alchemy by SJ Parris The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin The Drowning Pool by Ross Macdonald Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

Richard Ford talks to Alex Clark about his latest novel, Be Mine - a father and son road trip across America. Jul 09, 2023

Richard Ford talks to Alex Clark about his latest novel, Be Mine.

A Good Read: Andi Osho and Nikita Gill Jul 04, 2023

The actor-comedian and the poet advocate for their favourite books

A Good Read: Merlin Sheldrake and Jo Marchant Jun 27, 2023

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

Jenny Erpenbeck talks about her novel Kairos and discuses Siblings by Brigitte Reimann with translator Lucy Jones. Jun 25, 2023

Jenny Erpenbeck talks to Octavia Bright about her novel Kairos

A Good Read: Hal Cruttenden and Daisy Buchanan Jun 20, 2023

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

Tragicomic Writing - Paul Murray talks to Alex Clark about his latest tragicomedy novel, The Bee Sting Jun 18, 2023

Tragicomic Writing with Paul Murray plus guests Josie Long, Katherine Heiny & Jen Beagin

A Good Read: Zing Tsjeng and Yomi Ṣode Jun 13, 2023

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

Leila Slimani, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Kalaf Epalanga Jun 11, 2023

Leila Slimani, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Kalaf Epalanga

A Good Read: Gill Hornby and Paul Burston Jun 06, 2023

The two writers talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Guy Gunaratne, plus Literary Thefts with Rebecca Kuang and Andrew Lipstein May 28, 2023

Johny Pitts talks to Guy Gunaratne about their new novel Mister, Mister

Linda Grant talks to Alex Clark about her novel The Story of the Forest May 21, 2023

Linda Grant, Xiaolu Guo and Alice Vincent

Deborah Levy, Miranda France and Kate Morton May 15, 2023

Deborah Levy, Miranda France and Kate Morton

Stephen Buoro Apr 30, 2023

Johny Pitts talks to the debut novelist about The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa

Marlon James Apr 23, 2023

Booker winning writer Marlon James talks to Elizabeth Day

Best of Young British Novelists 2023 Apr 16, 2023

Octavia Bright discusses Granta's once in a decade list of new writing talent

Contemporary Indian Writing in the spotlight Apr 09, 2023

Contemporary Indian Writing in the spotlight

A Good Read: Donna Leon and Margaret Heffernan Mar 28, 2023

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

Javier Marías Mar 26, 2023

Chris Power discusses the last novel from the late Spanish writer Javier Marías.

A Good Read: Katherine May and Liz Berry Mar 21, 2023

Author Katherine May and poet Liz Berry talk about their favourite books with Harriett.

Eleanor Catton Mar 19, 2023

Eleanor Catton talks to Chris Power about her new eco-thriller, Birnam Wood

A Good Read: Sophie Raworth and Patrick Ness Mar 14, 2023

The newsreader and the writer chat about books with Harriett.

Margaret Atwood and Sam Selvon Mar 12, 2023

Johny Pitts explores the work of two writers who have combined comedy with tragedy

A Good Read: Janet Street-Porter and Felicity Ward Mar 07, 2023

The broadcaster and comedian discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read: Philippa Perry and Anil Seth Feb 28, 2023

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 is A Stranger City by Linda Grant, a novel with a mystery at its heart and is about how lives interweave in the city. And Harriett Gilbert loves the non-fiction book Being Mortal by American surgeon Atul Gawande, which asks what medicine is for in the face of death.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio in Bristol

Tom Bullough on writing about the climate crisis, and Richard Wright's lost novel Feb 26, 2023

Tom Bullough on writing about the climate crisis, and Richard Wright's lost novel

A Good Read: James Marriott and Jude Rogers Feb 21, 2023

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 to his small village on the Welsh borders, and how it's changed over a century; and Harriett loves A Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt, about a woman re-examining her life in after her husband's rejection.

Do you agree with their assessments? Join us on Instagram @agoodreadbbc Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Aleksandar Hemon, Roddy Doyle on Soul, and Dorothy Tse on Hong Kong Feb 19, 2023

Chris Power talks to Aleksandar Hemon about his new novel The World and All That It Holds

A Good Read: Kate Bryan and Mark Steel Feb 17, 2023

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 memoir about growing up in a Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool. And Harriett puts forward Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss, in which a present-day story converges with ancient rituals to provoke a discussion about how far we have come from the “primitive minds” of our ancestors.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc Produced by Becky Ripley

Bret Easton Ellis Feb 12, 2023

Bret Easton Ellis

A Good Read Feb 07, 2023

Favourite books chosen by well known guests and presenter Harriett Gilbert

A Good Read Jan 31, 2023

Guest choose favourite books to discuss with Harriett Gilbert

Dark Academia with Katy Hays, RF Kuang and Kate Weinberg. Plus Saba Sams' Book I'd Never Lend Jan 29, 2023

Chris Power discusses one of the most talked about trends in publishing

Really Good, Actually Jan 22, 2023

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 Jan 15, 2023

Jane Smiley, and writing gay lives from the past with Tom Crewe and Nell Stevens

Katherine Mansfield Jan 08, 2023

Chris Power explores the writing of Katherine Mansfield on the centenary of her death.

Agatha Christie at Christmas Dec 26, 2022

Johny Pitts explores the Queen of Crime's connection to the festive season

Katherine Rundell Dec 18, 2022

Chris Power talks to the author of The Golden Mole and Other Living Treasures.

Looking back at 2022 and (re)discovering Bruno Schulz Open Book Dec 12, 2022

Chris Power discusses a year in books with Ellah Wakatama and Kate Mosse.

A Good Read: Frank Turner and Ellie Gibson Nov 29, 2022

Books about tidying, music and addiction, and a desire to write are this week's choices.

Mariana Enríquez Nov 27, 2022

Mariana Enríquez

A Good Read: Shaparak Khorsandi and Anne Hegerty Nov 22, 2022

A disgraced university tutor, a dysfunctional family, and a love-letter to literature.

Cormac McCarthy, The Writers, Derek Owusu Nov 20, 2022

Cormac McCarthy, The Writers, Derek Owusu

A Good Read: Philippa Forrester and Dwayne Fields Nov 15, 2022

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 Nov 13, 2022

Barbara Kingsolver, plus the "Social Novel" with John Lanchester and Ayisha Malik

A Good Read: Heidi Regan & Neil Delamere Nov 08, 2022

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 novella Foster by Irish writer Claire Keegan, who has recently been nominated for the 2022 Booker Prize. Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio, Bristol Join the conversation on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

A Good Read: Ria Lina & Otegha Uwagba Nov 01, 2022

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 Flanders, the 18th-century classic by Daniel Defoe. Otegha picks the popular romance story Like Water for Chocolate by Mexican author Laura Esquivel and Harriett Gilbert brings a book about motherhood; Making Babies by Anne Enright.

Produced by Eliza Lomas Comment on Instagram at @agoodreadbbc

Colm Tóibín essays, Revisiting Shirley Hazzard Oct 30, 2022

Chris Power talks to Colm Tóibín about his essays on illness, religion and literature

A Good Read: Patience Agbabi and Andy Miller Oct 25, 2022

The poet and the writer choose their favourite books.

Writing Nature Oct 23, 2022

Writing Nature

A Good Read: Damian Barr and Ben Fergusson Oct 18, 2022

The writers choose the books they love to read.

William Boyd Oct 16, 2022

William Boyd discusses his new novel, The Romantics.

A Good Read: John Wilson and Chloe Petts Oct 11, 2022

The broadcaster and the comedian choose books they love

Celeste Ng Oct 09, 2022

Celeste Ng and Grief and modern masculinity with Bobby Palmer and Michael Pedersen

A Good Read: Duncan Campbell and Mark Hokinson Oct 04, 2022

Two writers who cover crime, football and music share their favourite books with Harriett

Orhan Pamuk Sep 29, 2022

Orhan Pamuk, Patterson Joseph and Torrey Peters.

Maggie O'Farrell, Graphic Novels with Lizzy Stewart and Posy Simmonds, plus Anuradha Roy Sep 18, 2022

Maggie O'Farrell, Graphic Novels with Lizzy Stewart and Posy Simmonds, plus Anuradha Roy

Ian McEwan Sep 11, 2022

Chris Power talks to Ian McEwan about his new book, Lessons.

Alex Clark on novels - past, present and future - about summer and change Aug 28, 2022

Alex Clark on novels - past, present and future - about summer and change

Mary Renault's Greek Myths Aug 21, 2022

Mary Renault's Greek Myths

Ross Raisin Aug 14, 2022

Octavia Bright talks to Ross Raisin about his new book, A Hunger.

The Ethics of Writing Crime Jul 31, 2022

The Ethics of Writing Crime

A Good Read: Salena Godden & Rob Biddulph Jul 26, 2022

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 brought him to tears and conjures London in the Blitz so vividly.

Presenter Harriett Gilbert picks Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal, translated by Jessica Moore, the story of a heart transplanted from one life to another.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sarah Goodman.

Tess Gunty on The Rabbit Hutch; Jackie Kay on the writing of Jamaica Kincaid Jul 24, 2022

Tess Gunty on The Rabbit Hutch; Jackie Kay on the writing of Jamaica Kincaid

A Good Read: Melanie Reid & Andrew Cotter Jul 19, 2022

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 for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sarah Goodman.

Summer Reading and Benjamin Wood Jul 17, 2022

Summer Reading and Benjamin Wood

A Good Read: Sophie Hannah & Viv Groskop Jul 12, 2022

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 suspense and intrigue. Will Harriett and Viv agree?

Harriett champions Dame Eileen Atkin’s recent memoir Will She Do? which charts the first 30 years of the actor's life, including her time as a child soubrette, performing in working men’s clubs as ‘Baby Eileen’.

Writer, podcaster and stand-up Viv Groskop recalls her time living in Russia in the 1990s and explains why she thinks The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, a 1920s satire about science gone very wrong, will become increasingly relevant in the months and years ahead.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sarah Goodman.

Johny Pitts returns to his home city to explore Sheffield's literary landscapes Jul 10, 2022

Johny Pitts returns to his home city to explore Sheffield's literary landscapes

A Good Read: Petroc Trelawny & Stuart MacBride Jul 05, 2022

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 A Balloon, and Harriett's is Borges and Me by Jay Parini.

Produced by Eliza Lomas. Comment on instagram at @agoodreadbbc

A Good Read Jun 29, 2022

Dr Alex George and Ella Al Shamahi choose books they love

Revisiting the 1990s Jun 26, 2022

Revisiting the 1990s

A Good Read: Rob Newman & Sarfraz Manzoor Jun 21, 2022

The comedian and the writer discuss favourite books

Time and Time Travel with Emily St. John Mandel, Carlo Rovelli and Audrey Niffenegger Jun 19, 2022

Johny Pitts discusses time with three writers who have explored it in very different ways

A Good Read: Dreda Say Mitchell & Emma Gannon Jun 14, 2022

The novelist and the podcaster propose favourite books for discussion

Elif Batuman and Book Influencers Jun 12, 2022

Johny Pitts talks to author of Either/Or, sequel to the 2017 bestseller The Idiot

A Good Read Jun 07, 2022

Omid Djalili and Nikita Lalwani choose books they love

Johny Pitts talks to Benjamin Myers about his new book, The Perfect Golden Circle. May 29, 2022

Johny Pitts talks to Benjamin Myers about his new book, The Perfect Golden Circle.

Atticus Lish, Jean Rhys, Maggie Shipstead May 22, 2022

Chris Power talks to Atticus Lish about his new novel, The War for Gloria.

Neurodiversity May 15, 2022

Neurodiversity

About A Son; Book Banning; The Water Statues May 08, 2022

Elizabeth Day talks to David Whitehouse about his new creative nonfiction

Julian Barnes; How Words Get Good; Bangkok Postcard Apr 24, 2022

Julian Barnes; How Words Get Good; Bangkok Postcard

Forbidden love with Douglas Stuart; Oxford’s influence on interwar writers Apr 17, 2022

Forbidden love with Douglas Stuart; Oxford’s influence on interwar writers

Belfast in the Blitz Apr 11, 2022

Belfast in the Blitz

A Good Read Julie Hesmondalgh and Elaine C Smith Mar 30, 2022

Two actors choose their favourite books

A Good Read Julie Hesmondalgh and Elaine C Smith Mar 30, 2022

The two actors choose books they love

Here Again Now, Readers Guide to Gogol, Lessons in Chemistry Mar 27, 2022

Here Again Now, Readers Guide to Gogol, Lessons in Chemistry

A Good Read: Joanna Scanlan and Sabine Durrant Mar 22, 2022

The actor and the thriller writer chat about books with Harriett Gilbert.

Karen Joy Fowler on the infamous Booth family, Michel the Giant, Lisa Taddeo on Fever Dream Mar 20, 2022

Karen Joy Fowler on the infamous Booth family, Michel the Giant and Lisa Taddeo

A Good Read: Jessica Fostekew and Molly Naylor Mar 15, 2022

The comedian and the writer talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Marlon James Mar 13, 2022

A life in books with Marlon James

A Good Read: Alistair Petrie and Alex Wheatle Mar 08, 2022

The actor and the writer debate books with Harriett Gilbert

A Good Read: Katie Thistleton and Suzannah Lipscomb Mar 01, 2022

Katie Thistleton and Suzannah Lipscomb bring their favourite books to the table.

Open Book Feb 27, 2022

Elizabeth Day talks to Audrey Magee about her latest novel The Colony

A Good Read: Lauren Mayberry and Rob Deering Feb 22, 2022

CHVRCHES frontwoman Lauren Mayberry and comedian Rob Deering share their favourite books.

When We Were Birds and Tayari Jones on Toni Morrison's only short story, Recitatif. Feb 20, 2022

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 to shed his Rastafarian faith in order to pick up the only work going, as a gravedigger in a sprawling cemetery full of secrets. In a parallel story, Yejide lives with her dying mother in an old house on a hill and is about to inherit a super-natural ancestral power passed on down through the women of the family. The novel blends myth, magic, and indigenous wisdom with everyday struggle and is, ultimately, a passionate love story between two lost souls.

Alex Preston's latest novel Winchelsea is set in the 18th century as a young woman enters into the cut throat world of smugglers in a quest to avenge her father’s death. And today he takes us through the stormy relationship some of our literary smugglers have had with the truth and the real smugglers that inspired them…

We’ll be exploring the exquisite racial riddle at the heart of Toni Morrison’s first and only short story, Recitatif, with the author of An American Marriage and Silver Sparrow, Tayari Jones as it's published in hardback for the first time.

A Good Read - Gillian Burke and Dee Caffari Feb 15, 2022

The natural world, leadership styles aboard a submarine and sibling rivalry in Scotland.

The ‘new boom’ of feminist Spanish-language literature. Feb 13, 2022

The ‘new boom’ of feminist Spanish-language literature.

A Good Read: Katherine Rundell and Nathan Filer Feb 08, 2022

Writers Katherine Rundell and Nathan Filer bring their favourite books to the table.

A Good Read: Alan Titchmarsh and Amanda Owen Feb 01, 2022

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 Jan 30, 2022

Gary Shteyngart's tragic comedy set in lockdown, Richard Beard on Time, East Side Voices

Tessa Hadley Jan 23, 2022

Tessa Hadley, Richard Beard on Time and two pioneering female book sellers.

Chris Power and guests explore the enduring legacy of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Jan 16, 2022

Open Book explores the enduring legacy of James Joyce’s Ulysses.

Hanya Yanagihara Jan 09, 2022

Hanya Yanagihara speaks to Chris Power about her new book, To Paradise.

Highlights 2021 Dec 26, 2021

Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts look back at highlights of their first year at Open Book.

Laura Barnett, Moscow Postcard, Non- Fiction 2021 Dec 19, 2021

Laura Barnett, Moscow Postcard, Non- Fiction 2021

Chris Power enjoys a rare new book from Irish author Claire Keegan Dec 12, 2021

Claire Keegan talks to Chris Power about her new book, Small Things Like These.

A Good Read: Liam Williams and Kate Stables Nov 30, 2021

Comedian and writer Liam Williams and musician Kate Stables pick their favourite books.

Elizabeth Strout discusses her new novel, Oh William! which revisits the characters of her Lucy Barton series. Nov 28, 2021

Elizabeth Strout discusses her new novel, Oh William!

A Good Read Kaffe Fassett and Andy Summers Nov 23, 2021

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 Nov 21, 2021

JJ Bola, David Damrosch and Rob Doyle plus Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Taskeen Ahmed

A Good Read: Athena Kugblenu and Pope Lonergan Nov 16, 2021

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 Harriett Gilbert's pick. And Pope Lonergan selects 'African Psycho' by Alain Mabanckou for its challenging portrayal of a frustrated and violent protagonist.

Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Toby Field Follow our instagram book group @agoodreadbbc

A Good Read Muriel Gray and Leah Davies Nov 15, 2021

The ghost stories of Edith Wharton and Lustre by Raven Leilani are the guests' choices

Patricia Highsmith, Robin McLean, Courttia Newland Nov 14, 2021

Patricia Highsmith, Robin McLean, Courttia Newland

A Good Read: Dr Rachel Clarke and Mohsin Zaidi Nov 02, 2021

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 poems by African-American author and poet Audre Lorde, Your Silence Will Not Protect You. And Harriett shares with them a crime novel, Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell.

Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol, Eliza Lomas. Follow our instagram book group @agoodreadbbc

Friendship in Fiction: a special programme from London Literature Festival Oct 31, 2021

Friendship in Fiction: a special programme from London Literature Festival

Friendship in Fiction: a special programme from London Literature Festival Oct 31, 2021

Friendship in Fiction: a special programme from London Literature Festival

A Good Read: Musa Okwonga & Sophie Heawood Oct 26, 2021

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 them to An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel, written before her Booker-winning Wolf Hall trilogy.

Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol, Eliza Lomas. comment on instagram at @agoodreadbbc

Elizabeth Day talks to Sarah Hall about her latest novel, Burntcoat Oct 24, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to Sarah Hall about her latest novel, Burntcoat

A Good Read Mona Arshi and Malaika Kegode Oct 19, 2021

Two poets and writers choose books that they love.

Lauren Groff Oct 17, 2021

Johny Pitts talks to Lauren Groff about her novel Matrix.

A Good Read Oct 12, 2021

Two guests discuss books they love this week on a science theme

Jonathan Franzen, Amitav Ghosh, Nina Mingya Powles Oct 10, 2021

Jonathan Franzen, Amitav Ghosh, Nina Mingya Powles

A Good Read Neil Brand and Tiff Stevenson Oct 05, 2021

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 Sep 26, 2021

Rabih Alameddine, English PEN at 100 with Philippe Sands and Elif Shafak, Editors' Pick

Malorie Blackman talks to Johny Pitts about Endgame Sep 19, 2021

Malorie Blackman talks to Johny Pitts about Endgame

Elizabeth Day talks to Colson Whitehead Sep 12, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to Colson Whitehead in a special feature length interview.

Making it new? Literature of the Twenties Special Aug 29, 2021

Johny Pitts explores the 20s with Alison MacLeod, Bill Goldstein, James Clammer & Jo Hamya

David Grossman, Richard Beard, The Sea Library Aug 22, 2021

David Grossman, Richard Beard, The Sea Library

Leïla Slimani, Rachel Cusk's A Life's Work 20 years on with Kate Mosse and Laura Dockrill, Richard Beard Aug 15, 2021

Chris Power talks to author of The Country of Others. Plus nonfiction books on motherhood

Jean Hanff Korelitz, Georgette Heyer, Marilynne Robinson Aug 08, 2021

Chris Power talks to author behind TV hit The Undoing about her latest book, The Plot

A Good Read: Poppy Jay and Catherine Johnson Aug 03, 2021

Cats, a wrestling princess and grief.

Elizabeth Day talks to Anuk Arudpragasam about his new novel, A Passage North Jul 25, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to Anuk Arudpragasam about his new novel, A Passage North

A Good Read: Vanessa Redgrave & Eileen Atkins Jul 20, 2021

Two acting greats advocate for their favourite books.

Miranda Cowley Heller and Summer reading round up Jul 18, 2021

Chris Power speaks to Miranda Cowley Heller about her debut The Paper Palace

Japanese fiction; Vendela Vida Jul 11, 2021

Japanese fiction; Vendela Vida

A Good Read Lloyd Cole and Francis Macdonald Jul 07, 2021

The two musicians choose favourite books

A Good Read Yanis Varoufakis and Patrick McGrath Jun 29, 2021

The Greek politician chooses a good read along with novelist Patrick McGrath

Elizabeth Day speaks to Damon Galgut about his new novel, The Promise. Jun 27, 2021

Elizabeth Day speaks to Damon Galgut about his new novel, The Promise.

A Good Read: Janey Godley and Mel Hudson Jun 24, 2021

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 Jun 20, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to Zakiya Dalila Harris about her debut novel, The Other Black Girl

Jason Watkins & Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Jun 15, 2021

The actor and the journalist share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Chris Power speaks to Jonathan Lee about his new novel, The Great Mistake Jun 13, 2021

Chris Power speaks to Jonathan Lee about his new novel, The Great Mistake

A Good Read: Vick Hope & Isy Suttie Jun 08, 2021

Tears, hope and identity. The comedian, the Radio 1 presenter, and their favourite books.

Tech startups in fiction; Editor's tip; Sensitivity reading May 30, 2021

Tech startups in fiction; Editor's tip; Sensitivity reading

New Irish Writing, Book Dedications, Mary Gaitskill on Madame Bovary May 23, 2021

New Irish Writing, Book Dedications, Mary Gaitskill on Madame Bovary

Hollie McNish, Modern American Short Stories, Twins May 16, 2021

Hollie McNish, Modern American Short Stories, Twins

Jhumpa Lahiri May 09, 2021

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 builds up a mosaic of such moments, interspersing them with deeper glimpses into the woman’s relationship with her parents and the sudden death of her father when she was 15. Jhumpa Lahiri has long been interested in themes of dislocation and belonging, the daughter of Bengali immigrants who moved to New York, her first book, The Interpreter of Maladies, was a short story collection which won a Pulitzer Prize.

The programme also explores the life and writing of the English mid century writer Barbara Pym. Best known for her novels, Excellent Women, Jane and Prudence, and A Glass of Blessings, Pym created sharp observational comedies in which little happens, but a great deal is conveyed. Paula Byrne has written an illuminating new biography, The Adventures of Miss Pym, and talks to Elizabeth about the connections between her tumultuous life and her writing, and they are joined by the writer and lifelong Pym fan, Philip Hensher.

Jon McGregor; Chester Himes; Editors Tip Apr 25, 2021

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 overlooked favour of his Black American contemporaries Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright and James Baldwin, despite also attempting to carve out a literary career in Paris. With his better-known Harlem detective series being reissued, his biographer Lawrence P. Jackson and crime writer Dreda Say Mitchell discuss his prescient legacy.

And looking ahead to next month, Francesca Main of Phoenix Books chooses a multi-generational story of love, family and Indian history as her Editor's Tip.

BOOK LIST: Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes Cotton Comes to Harlem by Chester Himes Lonely Crusade by Chester Himes Cast the First Stone by Chester Himes If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes Chester B Himes: A Biography by Lawrence P Jackson Shelter by Lawrence P Jackson China Room by Sunjeev Sahota

Chris Power; Online Dating in Fiction; Postcard from Delhi Apr 18, 2021

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 oligarch who is now being followed. Robert finds himself seduced by Patrick's dramatic story, wondering if it might provide the inspiration he needs for his own novel, and becomes caught up in a paranoid world of threats that may or, may not, be real.

Swipe Right is Radio 4's series of short stories written by young writers under 30; Caleb Nelson, Bryan Washington, Naoise Dolan, Rebecca Watson, and Beth O'Leary. The series explores relationships and sex in the modern world, characters searching for love in a myriad of ways. Novelists Beth O'Leary, Flatshare, The Switch, and Okechukwu Nzelu, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, share their thoughts of the joys and challenges of writing love stories in an online world.

And Trisha Sakhlecha whose novel Can You See Me Now is a pacey, psychological thriller exploring female friendship against a backdrop of Indian politics, sends a literary postcard from Delhi.

Book List

A Lonely Man by Chris Power The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary The Switch by Beth O’Leary The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney by Okechukwu Nzelu The Fourth Hand by John Irving Less by Andrew Sean Greer The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang Can you see me now by Trisha Sackhlecha We That Are Young by Preti Taneja Society by Mahesh Rao The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

Spring Special: Bookshops Reopen, Naomi Ishiguro, Clearing out books Apr 11, 2021

Johny Pitts visits his local bookshop, Review in Peckham, as it prepares to reopen and talks to manager Ben Pope about missing bookseller recommendations

Naomi 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 Spring. Do books count as clutter? Eleanor Ray and Jess Kidd, two authors who have written about hoarding, discuss.

A Good Read: Bryony Gordon & Hollie McNish Mar 30, 2021

Chess, drugs and dentistry- the two writers chat to Harriett about their favourite books

Claire Fuller & Karla Neblett; Elizabeth Bowen; Katherine Heiny Mar 28, 2021

Johny Pitts discusses working-class rural life with Claire Fuller and Karla Neblett

A Good Read: Adjoa Andoh & Andy Day Mar 23, 2021

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. Mar 21, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to Fiona Mozley about her second novel, Hot Stew.

A Good Read: Greg James & Bella Mackie Mar 17, 2021

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 Mar 14, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to Pulitzer Prize winning writer Viet Thanh Nguyen about The Committed

A Good Read: Jane Hill & Derek Owusu Mar 09, 2021

The news presenter and the author both talk about the books they've chosen

A Good Read: Twayna Mayne & Simon Savidge Mar 02, 2021

The comedian and the books blogger talk to Harriett about their favourite books

Elizabeth Day talks to Mary Lawson Feb 28, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to Mary Lawson

A Good Read:Amrou AL-Kadhi & Peter Bazalgette Feb 23, 2021

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 Feb 21, 2021

Johny Pitts talks to Caleb Azumah Nelson about Open Water, his hotly anticipated debut

A Good Read: Tobias Menzies & Gytha Lodge Feb 16, 2021

Does a Tiger Come to Tea? Harriett Gilbert finds out

Elizabeth Day talks to actor Ethan Hawke about his new novel. Feb 14, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to actor Ethan Hawke about his new novel.

A Good Read: Tuppence Middleton & Matthew Shribman Feb 09, 2021

The actress and the environmentalist talk about much loved books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read: Helen Mort & Mo Omar Feb 02, 2021

The poet and the comedian talk climbing, science fiction, and love with Harriett Gilbert.

Richard Flanagan; How To Read Well; Editor's Tip Jan 31, 2021

Richard Flanagan; How To Read Well; Editor's Tip

Kate Mosse, Books on TV, Writing in prisons Jan 24, 2021

Kate Mosse, Books on TV, Writing in prisons

Elizabeth Day talks to debut writer Raven Leilani. Jan 17, 2021

Elizabeth Day talks to debut writer Raven Leilani.

Bryan Washington Jan 10, 2021

Bryan Washington, Natalie Haynes, Trauma in fiction with Rebecca Watson & Peter Ho Davies

Reading in 2020 Dec 27, 2020

Reading in 2020

The Joy of Dickens Dec 20, 2020

Johny Pitts and guests explore the dazzling brilliance of Charles Dickens

Jonathan Lethem; Sylvia Townsend Warner; Edna O'Brien Dec 13, 2020

Jonathan Lethem; Sylvia Townsend Warner; Edna O'Brien

A Good Read: Clive Myrie & Boyd Tonkin Dec 01, 2020

The journalist and the critic nominate favourite books

Jenny Erpenbeck, Margaret Atwood on a classic dystopia, Paintings in fiction Nov 29, 2020

Jenny Erpenbeck, Margaret Atwood on a classic dystopia, Paintings in fiction

A Good Read: Alexander McCall Smith & Prof Lucie Green Nov 24, 2020

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.

Climate Change Special Nov 22, 2020

Johny Pits asks writers Carys Bray and Diana McCaulay how stories offer hope and motivate action to address environmental crisis

A Good Read:Vanessa Kisuule & Jonathon Porritt Nov 16, 2020

Poet Vanessa Kisuule and environmental writer Jonathon Porritt talk books with Harriett.

Jonathan Coe, Radical Fairy Tales, Alex Wheatle Nov 15, 2020

Chris Power talks to Jonathan Coe about bringing Billy Wilder to life in his new novel.

Yasmin Khan & David Mitchell Nov 10, 2020

Travel and food writer Yasmin Khan and novelist David Mitchell talk books.

Rumaan Alam, Words and Photography, Bookshop.org Nov 08, 2020

Rumaan Alam, Words and Photography, Bookshop.org

Arabella Weir & Deborah Levy Nov 03, 2020

The comedian and novelist choose favourites including The Sellout by Paul Beatty.

Jonathan Safran Foer & Daliso Chaponda Oct 27, 2020

Daliso can't believe Jonathan's never read a fantasy novel before his choice, Seventh Son

Hilary Mantel, Lee Child and Andrew Grant, Editors Pick Oct 25, 2020

Sara Collins talks to Hilary Mantel about her essay collection

Mark Radcliffe & Patricia Cumper Oct 20, 2020

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 Oct 18, 2020

Armando Iannucci and John Mullan on Dickens; John Lanchester; new Black British writing

Johny Pitts & Charlotte Proudman Oct 13, 2020

Romance in Marseilles, Butterfly Politics & This is Pleasure.Harriett Gilbert talks books

Jennifer Makumbi, New Dutch Writing, Barbara Kingsolver and Wild Swimming in literature Oct 11, 2020

Jennifer Makumbi, New Dutch Writing, Barbara Kingsolver and Wild Swimming in literature

Ruth Jones & Dominic Cooke Oct 06, 2020

Ruth Jones and Dominic Cooke share their favourite reads with Harriett Gilbert.

Martin Amis Sep 27, 2020

Martin Amis

Rose Tremain; Science in Fiction Sep 20, 2020

Rose Tremain; Science in Fiction

Donal Ryan, Libraries in Fiction, Campus Novels Sep 13, 2020

Donal Ryan, Libraries in Fiction, Campus Novels

Richard Powers and Nature Writing Aug 30, 2020

Alex Clark talks to Richard Powers about his new novel, The Overstory.

Sara Collins speaks to author and academic Sarah Moss Aug 23, 2020

Sara Collins speaks to Sarah Moss about history, holidays and her new novel Summerwater

The novels of PD James; Akwaeke Emezi Aug 16, 2020

Johny Pitts looks at the life and work of crime novelist P D James

Carys Davies Aug 09, 2020

Chris Power talks to Carys Davies about her new book, The Mission House

A Good Read: Nicholas Lezard & Gwyneth Williams Jul 28, 2020

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 and dogs. Producer Sally Heaven. Join our instagram book club: @agoodreadbbc

Kate Grenville, Beryl Bainbridge, Narrative Voices Jul 26, 2020

Kate Grenville, Beryl Bainbridge, Narrative Voices

A Good Read: Lissa Evans & Sarah Keyworth Jul 21, 2020

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: Becky Ripley. Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc

Elizabeth Day talks to Eley Williams about her new book, The Liar's Dictionary. Jul 19, 2020

Elizabeth Day talks to Eley Williams about her new book, The Liar's Dictionary.

A Good Read: Fiona Shaw & Nichola Coughlan Jul 14, 2020

Fiona Shaw and Nicola Coughlan join Harriett Gilbert to talk books

Charlotte Wood, Travel Writing, Narrative Voice Jul 12, 2020

Charlotte Wood, Travel Writing, Narrative Voice

A Good Read: Nina Sosanya & David Nicholls Jul 07, 2020

Nina Sosanya and David Nicholls bring their favourite books to the table

A Good Read: Laurie Anderson and Stuart Maconie talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert Jun 30, 2020

American avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson and radio DJ Stuart Maconie talk books.

Alex Clark speaks to Elizabeth Wetmore about her book Valentine Jun 28, 2020

Elizabeth Wetmore, Sebastian Barry and a re-working of Mary McCarthy's The Group

A Good Read: Val McDermid and Martha Lane Fox talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert Jun 23, 2020

Val McDermid and Martha Lane Fox talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they really love.

Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Orlando King, Authors and Critics Jun 21, 2020

Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Orlando King, Authors and Critics

A Good Read: Pippa Haywood & Felicity Montagu Jun 16, 2020

Actresses Pippa Haywood and Felicity Montagu talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

Andrés Neuman, William Boyd on WW2 Novels, Singlit with Elaine Chiew Jun 14, 2020

Andrés Neuman, William Boyd on WW2 Novels, Singlit with Elaine Chiew

A Good Read: Melissa Cummings-Quarry and Natalie Carter Jun 09, 2020

Natalie Carter & Melissa Cummings-Quarry (Black Girls Book Club) talk books with Harriett

Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens May 31, 2020

Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens

Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens May 31, 2020

Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens

Daniel Mason, Pride and Prejudice, Bob Geldof May 24, 2020

Daniel Mason discusses new short story collection, A Registry Of My Passage On Earth.

Curtis Sittenfeld on her new book, Rodham May 17, 2020

Curtis Sittenfeld, Ian Rankin and Katherine Rundell

Tayari Jones, Jane Eyre, John Freeman May 10, 2020

Award winning autor Tayari Jones discusses her novel Silver Sparrow.

Garth Greenwell Apr 26, 2020

Garth Greenwell talks to Mariella Frostrup about his new book Cleanness.

Ingrid Persaud, Short Fiction, Patricia Grace Apr 19, 2020

Ingrid Persaud, Short Fiction, Patricia Grace

Evie Wyld, Louise Doughty on Ghostly Narrators, Polly Samson and Leonard Cohen's Hydra Apr 12, 2020

Mariella Frostrup talks to Evie Wyld about new novel The Bass Rock

A Good Read: Nazir Afzal and Maggie Gee Apr 03, 2020

Books worth reading chosen by Nazir Afzal and Maggie Gee.

Maggie O'Farrell on her new novel, Hamnet Mar 29, 2020

Maggie O'Farrell Sophie Hannah and Reading in Isolation

A Good Read: Helen Lederer & Angela Barnes Mar 24, 2020

Helen Lederer and Angela Barnes nominate books they consider to be a good read.

Petina Gappah on her new book, Out of Darkness, Shining Light Mar 22, 2020

Petina Gappah. Plus Henry Porter on adventure writing and the joys of fictional journeys.

A Good Read:Sharleen Spiteri & Hugh Dennis Mar 17, 2020

Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and actor Hugh Dennis choose favourite books.

Christos Tsiolkas, Mothers and Daughters in fiction, Nairobi books Mar 15, 2020

Christos Tsiolkas, Mothers and Daughters in fiction, Nairobi books

Henry Normal & Bobby Seagull Mar 10, 2020

Harriett Gilbert talks to Henry Normal and Bobby Seagull about their favourite books.

Kiley Reid on her debut novel, Such a Fun Age Mar 08, 2020

Kiley Reid, Lucy Foley and Abir Mukherjee, Peter Swanson

Neil Forsyth & Neil Oliver Mar 03, 2020

Books worth reading chosen by Neil Oliver and Neil Forsyth.

Richard Harrington & Njambi McGrath Feb 25, 2020

Books worth reading chosen by actor Richard Harrington and comedian Njambi McGrath

Colum McCann Feb 23, 2020

Colum McCann, George Orwell, new fiction set in Windrush-era London

Gail Honeyman & Mavis Cheek Feb 18, 2020

Authors Gail Honeyman and Mavis Cheek talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.

Isabel Allende Feb 16, 2020

Isabel Allende, Magic Realism, The Foundling

Sarah Phelps & Dane Baptiste Feb 11, 2020

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 Feb 09, 2020

100 Novels; Love and Romance with Marian Keyes, David Nicholls, Sara Collins

A Good Read: Syima Aslam & Stig Abell Feb 04, 2020

Harriett Gilbert talks to Syima Aslam and Stig Abell about books they love - all classics

A Good Read: Nick Hornby & Carlo Rovelli Jan 28, 2020

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 Jan 26, 2020

Jeanine Cummins on American Dirt, and forgotten classic The Street with Tayari Jones

Deepa Anappara on her debut novel Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line Jan 19, 2020

Deepa Anappara and Rob Doyle on their new novels; Helen Fielding's book she'd never lend

100 Novels That Shaped Our World: Identity Jan 12, 2020

100 Novels That Shaped Our World: Identity

Graham Greene special Dec 29, 2019

Graham Greene special

Highlights of 2019 Dec 22, 2019

Highlights of 2019

Benjamin Markovits, PG Wodehouse, Family rows in novels and child prodigies Dec 15, 2019

Benjamin Markovits, PG Wodehouse, Family rows in novels and child prodigies

2019 books, André Aciman and David Bowie Dec 08, 2019

2019 books, André Aciman and David Bowie

Russell Kane & Sarah Perry Nov 26, 2019

Comedian Russell Kane and novelist Sarah Perry talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert

Lee Child on his first book of non-fiction, The Hero Nov 24, 2019

Lee Child and Pat Barker explore the heroic protagonist. Hanne Orstavik's novel, Love

Nemone Metaxas and Raymond Antrobus Nov 19, 2019

Nemone Metaxas and Raymond Antrobus talk favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert.

Ben Lerner, Women's auto fiction and Ian Rankin Nov 17, 2019

Ben Lerner, Women's auto fiction and Ian Rankin

Damian Le Bas & Amy Liptrott Nov 13, 2019

The Romany writer and broadcaster Damian Le Bas and author Amy Liptrot choose a good read

Kathy O'Shaughnessy, George Eliot, Literary Magazines and Jason Reynolds Nov 10, 2019

Kathy O'Shaughnessy talks to Mariella about her novel charting the life of George Eliot.

Stewart Lee & Dave Haslam Nov 05, 2019

Comedian Stewart Lee and DJ author Dave Haslam choose their good reads

Lisa Jewell & Aditya Chakrabortty Oct 30, 2019

Lisa Jewell and Aditya Chakrabortty talk all about books with Harriett Gilbert.

John Gordon Sinclair and Kerry Ellis Oct 29, 2019

Books worth reading chosen by actor John Gordon Sinclair and singer Kerry Ellis

Andrew Michael Hurley, best novels of 1995, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan Oct 27, 2019

Andrew Michael Hurley talks to Mariella Frostrup about new folk horror novel Starve Acre

Literary Norwich Special Oct 20, 2019

The University of East Anglia's Creative Writing MA turns 50.

Poorna Bell and Tony Law Oct 15, 2019

Poorna Bell and Tony Law join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.

Emma Donoghue, Spy Fiction, Harper Lee's Unpublished True Crime Novel Oct 13, 2019

Emma Donoghue discusses her new novel Akin, plus a discussion of the best fiction spies.

Edith Bowman and Harry Baker Oct 08, 2019

Edith Bowman and Harry Baker discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Colin Greenwood and Joanne McNally Oct 01, 2019

Radiohead's bassist Colin Greenwood and comedian Joanne McNally recommend great books.

Dana Czapnik, Black Death novels, Imani Perry on Corregidora by Gayl Jones. Sep 29, 2019

Dana Czapnik discusses her debut The Falconer and two writers talk about the Black Death.

A special American-themed edition with Ann Patchett and rising star Jia Tolentino. Sep 22, 2019

Ann Patchett, Jia Tolentino and USA book picks with Jonathan Lee and Zack Graham.

Robert Harris Sep 15, 2019

Robert Harris discusses his new novel and reflects on 30 years of writing fiction.

Deborah Levy, therapists in fiction, India's richest literary prize, Lorca's symbolism Sep 08, 2019

Deborah Levy on her bestselling new novel, The Man Who Saw Everything.

What are young people writing and reading? Aug 25, 2019

A special edition of Open Book from the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Benjamin Myers, Proust's In Search of Lost Time, Valeria Luiselli Aug 18, 2019

Benjamin Myers on his latest The Offing, and Proust's In Search of Lost Time discussed.

Colm Tóibín on Wilde, Yeats and Joyce, Mary Beth Keane, the best novels of 1979 Aug 11, 2019

Colm Tóibín reflects on the fathers of Irish greats and US bestseller Mary Beth Keane

David Nicholls discusses his latest novel Sweet Sorrow Jul 28, 2019

David Nicholls on his new novel Sweet Sorrow and a reader's guide to Elizabeth Hardwick

A Good Read: Pam Hogg and Mark Billingham talk favourite books Jul 23, 2019

Pam Hogg and Mark Billingham choose their books worth reading.

Open Book: Ocean Vuong; Bauhaus novels; Sudan literary postcard Jul 21, 2019

Award-winning poet Ocean Vuong discusses his debut novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

A Good Read: Dolly Alderton and Clare Mackintosh talk favourite books Jul 16, 2019

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 Jul 14, 2019

On the centenary of her birth Open Book celebrates the novels of Iris Murdoch

A Good Read: Dom Joly and Kate Hamer talk favourite books Jul 09, 2019

Harriett Gilbert talks to Dom Joly and Kate Hamer about their favourite books.

A Good Read: Mathew Baynton and Aasmah Mir talk favourite books Jul 02, 2019

Mathew Baynton and Aasmah Mir choose favourite books to recommend to Harriett Gilbert.

Will Eaves on Alan Turing; The Moon in Fiction and Poetry; Afrofuturism Jun 30, 2019

Will Eaves discusses Murmur, his award-winning novel about Alan Turing

A Good Read: Nicci Gerrard and Gary Younge talk favourite books Jun 25, 2019

Nicci Gerrard and Gary Younge join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.

Open Book: Kevin Barry, queer nature writing, turning podcasts into books Jun 23, 2019

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 years since the death of Derek Jarman, Mariella is joined by writers Philip Hoare and Mike Parker to explore queer nature writing, a genre concerned with the push and pull of the natural world, from a queer perspective.

A Good Read: Cathy Newman and Jeffery Deaver talk favourite books Jun 18, 2019

Cathy Newman and Jeffery Deaver discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book: Carolina Setterwall, Re-reading and what it offers, Shadowplay reviewed, Ahmad Danny Ramadan Jun 16, 2019

Carolina Setterwall and the pleasures of re-reading. With Mariella Frostrup.

A Good Read: Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Hannah Peel talk favourite books Jun 12, 2019

Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Hannah Peel share the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Pajtim Statovci, Gerald Murnane discussed, Roxane Gay's favourite book, Benjamin Dreyer Jun 09, 2019

Pajtim Statovci on his novel Crossing and we explore the work of Gerald Murnane

A Good Read: Stephen Morris and Pippa Evans talk favourite books Jun 04, 2019

Stephen Morris and Pippa Evans tell presenter Harriett Gilbert about books they love.

Mia Couto and Wayétu Moore, Mr B's Bookshop, Claire Alexander May 26, 2019

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 May 19, 2019

Ben Smith and Julia Blackburn on Doggerland; Ghana's literary scene; Rosie Price

Open Book: Bernardine Evaristo, Victorian showmen in fiction, Graeme Simsion, Faber at 90 May 12, 2019

Bernardine Evaristo discusses her polyphonic new novel Girl, Woman, Other.

Open Book considers the rich heritage and bright future of working class writing Apr 28, 2019

An exploration of the rich heritage and bright future of working class writing.

Ali Smith, Easter Eggs in fiction and Cate Blanchett's books to live by Apr 21, 2019

Ali Smith on her new novel, Spring, Easter Eggs in fiction and books to live by

Damian Barr on his novel, You Will Be Safe Here and Candice Carty Williams' debut, Queenie Apr 14, 2019

Damian Barr, Candice Carty Williams, Beckett's novels and Julián Fuks literary postcard.

Open Book: Taylor Jenkins Reid, Older Characters in Fiction, Baseball books Mar 31, 2019

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.

A Good Read: Nicola Walker and Sarah Ann Kennedy talk favourite books Mar 26, 2019

Nicola Walker and Sarah Ann Kennedy discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Siri Hustvedt, Witches in Fiction, British Library's Erotica Collection Mar 24, 2019

Siri Hustvedt discusses her new novel Memories of the Future.

A Good Read: Martin Rowson and Ayesha Hazarika talk favourite books Mar 19, 2019

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, Folk resurgence in literature, Angie Thomas on Hip Hop Mar 17, 2019

Max Porter discusses his new novel Lanny.

A Good Read: Russell Tovey and Sarah Hadland talk favourite books Mar 12, 2019

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 Naked Civil Servant.

Producer: Eliza Lomas

What Makes a Jewish Book; Colm Tóibín on Natalia Ginzburg; Censorship in Kuwait Mar 10, 2019

What Makes a Jewish Book; Colm Tóibín on Natalia Ginzburg; Censorship in Kuwait

A Good Read: Lemn Sissay and Mick Herron talk favourite books Mar 05, 2019

Harriett Gilbert talks about books with poet Lemn Sissay and novelist Mick Herron.

A Good Read: Kate Bottley and Ken Cheng talk favourite books Feb 26, 2019

Rev. Kate Bottley and Ken Cheng talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Whitney Scharer, Fashion in fiction, Novels by Iraq War veterans Feb 24, 2019

Whitney Scharer discusses her novel about the love affair between Lee Miller and Man Ray.

A Good Read: Tracey Thorn and Maggie O' Farrell talk favourite books Feb 19, 2019

Harriet Gilbert invites singer Tracy Thorne and writer Maggie O'Farrell to choose a book.

Niklas Natt Och Dag on his debut novel, The Wolf and the Watchman Feb 17, 2019

Barristers turned crime writers, Mohammed Hanif on Catch 22, Emma Darwin

A Good Read: Lucy Porter and Frank Cottrell-Boyce talk favourite books Feb 12, 2019

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 News For You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. She is also a successful comedy writer. Frank Cottrell-Boyce's credits as screenwriter include Welcome to Sarajevo, Hilary and Jackie and 24 Hour Party People. He is also an award-winning author of novels for children, including Millions, Framed and Cosmic.

Their good reads are Letters from a Lost Uncle by Mervyn Peake, Truckers by Terry Pratchett and Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett.

Producer: Mair Bosworth.

Kristen Roupenian, Javier Cercas, Quakers in fiction Feb 12, 2019

Kristen Roupenian on her new short story collection

A Good Read: Brett Westwood and Kamal Ahmed talk favourite books Feb 05, 2019

Naturalist Brett Westwood and author Kamal Ahmed talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read: Scarlett Curtis and Catherine Bohart talk favourite books Jan 29, 2019

Writer Scarlett Curtis and comedian Catherine Bohart talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

Chloe Aridjis, Adam Foulds and Leo Benedictus on fictional stalkers, Gay's the Word Bookshop at 40 Jan 27, 2019

Chloe Aridjis, Adam Foulds and Leo Benedictus, Gay's the Word Bookshop at 40

Caribbean Writing with Claire Adam, Jamaica Kincaid and Jacob Ross Jan 20, 2019

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 Jan 13, 2019

Oyinkan Braithwaite, Books as clutter, Kafka's legacy, True crime in fiction

John Steinbeck Jan 02, 2019

Open Book explores the legacy of the American writer John Steinbeck

Festive short stories, Hangovers in fiction, Christmas novels, Book choices for 2019 Dec 23, 2018

Festive short stories, Hangovers in fiction, Christmas novels, Book choices for 2019

Joyce Carol Oates, Wind in the Willows and Orphans in literature Dec 19, 2018

Joyce Carol Oates, Wind in the Willows, October Books and orphans in literature

Donald S Murray, Lyrics and poetry, publishing in Iceland and Greenland Dec 09, 2018

Donald S Murray, Lyrics and poetry, publishing in Iceland and Greenland

A Good Read: Gráinne Maguire and John Higgs talk favourite books Nov 27, 2018

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 which offers a brand new way of understanding civilisation and the future. Harriett’s choice is dark wartime novel The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge.

Producer: Beth O'Dea

Lee Child on his latest book, Past Tense Nov 25, 2018

Lee Child, Southall-set thrillers, crime picks for teenagers

A Good Read: George the Poet and Andy McNab talk favourite books Nov 20, 2018

SAS thriller writer Andy McNab and spoken word artist George the Poet choose a good read

Barbara Kingsolver on her new novel, Unsheltered. Nov 19, 2018

Barbara Kingsolver, Northern Irish writing, India’s gay fiction

Open Book: Barbara Kingsolver, Northern Irish writing, India’s gay fiction Nov 18, 2018

Barbara Kingsolver discusses her new novel Unsheltered with Mariella Frostrup.

A Good Read: Kamila Shamsie and Jeffrey Archer talk favourite books Nov 13, 2018

Harriett Gilbert is joined by authors Kamila Shamsie and Jeffrey Archer

Open Book: Fiction following the Armistice; Beowulf reimagined; James Daunt Nov 11, 2018

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 Maria Dahvana Headley explains why Beowulf felt like the appropriate framework through which to explore race, class and violence in contemporary America.

And Managing Director of Waterstones James Daunt helps Open Book to launch a new series looking at the challenges of making bookselling pay.

A Good Read: Katie Derham and Matt Haig talk favourite books Nov 06, 2018

Katie Derham and Matt Haig talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read: Sindhu Vee and Phil Wang talk favourite books Oct 30, 2018

Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with guests, comedians Sindhu Vee and Phil Wang.

Open Book: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Minette Walters Oct 28, 2018

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on his short story debut, Friday Black and Minette Walters

A Good Read: Liz Carr and Kate Williams talk favourite books Oct 23, 2018

Actor and comedian Liz Carr and Kate Williams select a favourite read

Open Book: Liane Moriarty Oct 21, 2018

Liane Moriarty, best-selling author of Big Little Lies, discusses her latest novel.

A Good Read: Ben Miller and Danny Wallace talk favourite books Oct 16, 2018

Comedian and actor Ben Miller and writer Danny Wallace choose their favourite books.

Open Book: Hector Abad, Horror fiction Oct 14, 2018

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.

A Good Read: Grace Dent and Sian Harries talk favourite books Oct 09, 2018

Grace Dent and Sian Harries talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.

A Good Read: Nikesh Shukla and Leone Ross talk favourite books Oct 02, 2018

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 by Arundhati Roy.

Producer: Eliza Lomas

Mariella and guests Sebastian Faulks, Lisa McInerney, Chibundu Onuzo and Kamila Shamsie celebrate 20 years of Open Book Sep 30, 2018

Open Book celebrates 20 years with Mariella Frostrup in front of a live audience.

Open Book: Gail Jones, 1930's crime stories and the Tower of London's Ravens Sep 25, 2018

Gail Jones, revisiting iconic literary detectives and crime fiction of the 1930's.

Open Book: Gail Jones, 1930s' crime fiction, Marlowe and Holmes revisited Sep 23, 2018

Australian author Gail Jones discusses her new book The Death of Noah Glass

Open Book: Lavinia Greenlaw, Venezuelan literature, audio books and graphic novels Sep 16, 2018

Lavinia Greenlaw on her new book In the City of Love's Dreams and Venezuelan literature.

Open Book: John Boyne discusses his new novel, A Ladder to the Sky Sep 09, 2018

John Boyne on his new novel, and ode to Mrs Gaskell and six of the best Sci Fi novels.

Open Book: Richard Powers and nature writing Aug 28, 2018

Open Book on the majesty of trees with Richard Powers, Melissa Harrison and Jessica J Lee

Open Book: Literary Criticism Aug 19, 2018

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 book reviewing, the explosion of conversations about books online and on social media, the role of the professional reviewer and whether we can all learn useful critical tools to help us read well, and enrich our reading experience.

Open Book: Claire Fuller, Neil Gaiman and literature in Iran Aug 13, 2018

Claire Fuller discusses her new novel, Bitter Orange and Neil Gaiman on Hope Mirrlees

Open Book: Daisy Johnson on her debut novel, Everything Under Aug 02, 2018

Daisy Johnson, The literary appeal of the Fens, Book festival etiquette

Open Book: Islands in fiction Aug 02, 2018

Mariella Frostrup and guests consider what makes them such popular fictional locations.

A Good Read: Anne-Marie Duff and Louise O'Neill Jul 24, 2018

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 a feminist take on The Little Mermaid called The Surface Breaks.

Anne-Marie chooses Nights At The Circus, the classic feminist novel by Angela Carter (Vintage), Louise puts forward a memoir about seventeen brushes with death by Irish author Maggie O'Farrell; I Am I Am I Am (Tinder Press), and Harriett recommends Conversations With Friends (Faber), a critically-acclaimed debut novel by another Irish author, Sally Rooney.

Producer: Eliza Lomas

Open Book: Daisy Johnson on her debut novel, Everything Under Jul 22, 2018

Daisy Johnson and Stella Tillyard on the inspiration of the Fens and literary festivals.

A Good Read: Samira Ahmed and Elis James Jul 17, 2018

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 in the BBC3 sitcoms Crims and Josh and a familiar face on panel-shows such as Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 Cats.

Producer: Becky Ripley.

Open Book: Michael Donker on his novel, Hold and poet Jackie Kay on the work of Audre Lorde Jul 15, 2018

Michael Donker on his debut novel and Jackie Kay on how poet Audrey Lorde inspired her.

A Good Read: Isy Suttie and Lolly Adefope talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert Jul 10, 2018

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 Observer's "rising star of comedy" whose TV work includes Loaded, Taskmaster and, along with Isy, Channel 4's sitcom Damned.

Producer: Becky Ripley.

Open Book: A M Homes on her new short story collection Days of Awe Jul 09, 2018

Plus the Wellcome Collection's Kirty Topiwala on how fiction has approached the NHS

A Good Read: Loyd Grossman & Skin Jul 03, 2018

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.

A Good Read: Juno Dawson & Pandora Sykes Jun 26, 2018

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.

Exploring the lives of Beiruti women and Ceridwen Dovey Jun 24, 2018

Hanan Al-Shaykh and Nada Awar Jarrar on writing about Beirut close up and from a distance

A Good Read: Tony Parsons and Olly Mann talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert Jun 19, 2018

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 Man and Boy and later the bestselling DC Max Wolfe thriller series. And Olly Mann, presenter of award-winning podcasts and radio programmes including Answer Me This!, The Modern Mann and BBC Radio 4's The Male Room and Four Thought.

Producer: Mair Bosworth

Michael Ondaatje on his new novel, Warlight. Jun 17, 2018

Michael Ondaatje, Nell Dunn on her book, Talking to Women and a postcard from Croatia.

A Good Read: Adam Kay and Farrah Jarral talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert Jun 12, 2018

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 reads up for discussion are Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris and I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson.

Producer: Mair Bosworth.

Cressida Connolly on her new book After the Party Jun 10, 2018

Cressida Connolly, posthumous short stories and a literary postcard from Iraq.

A Good Read: Robert Webb and Hugo Rifkind Jun 05, 2018

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, children's non fiction and celebrating 30 years of the Lambda Literary Award May 27, 2018

Fiona Kidman discusses her new book, All Day at the Movies.

Anthony Horowitz on his new James Bond novel May 20, 2018

Anthony Horowitz on his second James Bond adventure and a universal library in Seville

Crime writer John Harvey on his new book Body and Soul Apr 29, 2018

John Harvey and favourite characters in fiction

Carys Davies on her new novel, West and the work of Octavia Butler Apr 22, 2018

Carys Davies on her new book, West and unfaithful women in fiction.

Jennifer Clement on her latest novel, the London Book fair and Tony Parsons on the book he'd never lend. Apr 15, 2018

Jennifer Clement and we discuss the increasing influence of book bloggers.

Diana Evans, the fictional lives of painters and bringing books to life on stage Apr 08, 2018

Diana Evans discusses her new novel, Ordinary People and how to stage literary classics.

A Good Read: Phill Jupitus and Robin Ince Mar 27, 2018

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 them to a dark and compelling new crime novel in which the protagonists are children: Dodgers by Bill Beverly. Producer Beth O'Dea.

Uzodinma Iweala on his new book 'Speak No Evil' Mar 27, 2018

Crime writers Abir Mukherjee Val McDermid and Graeme Macrae Burnet on a tour of Kolkata.

A Good Read: Bernardine Evaristo and Jolyon Rubinstein share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert Mar 20, 2018

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 and Stella Duffy on Ngaio Marsh Mar 18, 2018

Joseph Knox's new book The Smiling Man and the archives of Gabriel Garzia Marquz

A Good Read: Nina Stibbe and Kit de Waal talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert Mar 13, 2018

Writers Nina Stibbe and Kit de Waal share their recommendations for good reads

James Wood, childhood reading and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein Mar 11, 2018

James Wood discusses his new book, Upstate and we discuss the joys of being a bookworm.

A Good Read: Joanna Trollope and Sabrina Mahfouz Mar 06, 2018

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.

A Good Read: Diana Henry and Mark Miodownik on their favourite books Feb 27, 2018

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 by Elizabeth Taylor.

Producer Beth O'Dea.

Jessie Greengrass on her new novel, Sight and what the suffragettes read in prison Feb 25, 2018

Jessie Greengrass and Jeremy Gavron on creating a new novel from classic texts.

A Good Read: Sathnam Sanghera and Hadley Freeman talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert Feb 20, 2018

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 Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank and A Cat, a Man, and Two Women by Junichiro Tanizaki. Produced by Mair Bosworth

Jane Harper on her new book Force of Nature Feb 18, 2018

Jane Harper discusses her latest book, Force of Nature and Penelope Lively on E Nesbit

A Good Read: Steph McGovern and Jayde Adams on being publicly shamed, getting back into reading and the late Carrie Fisher. Feb 13, 2018

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 and other literary love stories Feb 11, 2018

Julian Barnes on his new, The Only Story.

A Good Read: Ruby Tandoh and Jake Yapp on favourite books by René Goscinny, Nora Ephron and Ian McEwan Feb 06, 2018

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 I Remember Nothing: and other reflections, written at the end of her life. And Harriett introduces them to On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, which reminds Jake for some reason of the TV series Lost...

Producer Beth O'Dea.

A Good Read: Stephen Fry and Alan Davies discuss dystopian visions, childhood traumas and tips for writers. Jan 30, 2018

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 the past come with J.M Coetzee's memoir Boyhood, and for some light relief, Muriel Spark's centenary is celebrated in a humorous take on the publishing world, in A Far Cry From Kensington. But who picks what?

Producer: Eliza Lomas.

Dirk Kurbjuweit discusses his new book, The Fear and Nicola Sturgeon's favourite reads Jan 28, 2018

Dirk Kurbjuweit on his book, The Fear, Nicola Sturgeon discusses her love of reading.

Leila Slimane on her book Lullaby and translating Turkish and Russian literature Jan 21, 2018

Leila Slimane discusses her new novel and the iimportance of translating foreign fiction

Celebrating Muriel Spark and writing about post traumatic stress Jan 14, 2018

William Boyd and Alan Taylor discuss the work of Muriel Spark.

Dystopian Fiction Dec 31, 2017

Mariella Frostrup and guests ask if we are entering a golden age of dystopian fiction.

David Walliams talks to Mariella Frostrup Dec 28, 2017

In a special programme David Walliams talks about his life as a children’s writer.

Christmas literary gifts and Hunter Davies on his late wife, Margaret Forster and her diaries. Dec 17, 2017

A selection of Christmas literary gifts, Hunter Davies and crowd funding for books.

Lionel Shriver and celebrating the 100th birthday of Finland Dec 10, 2017

Lionel Shriver on her new book and a celebration of Nordic writing.

A Good Read 28 November 2017: Nish Kumar and Katy Brand Nov 28, 2017

Comedians Nish Kumar and Katy Brand tell Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.

The Great American Novel and the merits of reading aloud Nov 26, 2017

Stephanie Merrit and Benjamin Markovits discuss the idea of the Great American Novel.

A Good Read 21 November 2017: Alexei Sayle and Meg Rosoff Nov 21, 2017

Comedian Alexei Sayle and novelist Meg Rosoff trade favourite books with Harriett Gilbert

Jennifer Egan Nov 19, 2017

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 interest in twins. Also on the programme, Jen Campbell calls for better depiction of people with disabilities in fiction; biographer Helen Smith talks about Edward Garnett - man of letters and supportive editor to DH Lawrence and Joseph Conrad among others and Adam Haslett reveals the book he'd never lend.

A Good Read 14 November 2017: Jon McGregor and Cathy Rentzenbrink Nov 14, 2017

Writers Jon McGregor and Cathy Rentzenbrink talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Celeste Ng Nov 12, 2017

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 hear from the Sharjah Book Fair which has just closed its doors in the UEA. While the Icelandic crime writer novelist Lilja Sigurdardottir explains why the financial crash of 2008 inspired many authors to explore the society's underbelly.

A Good Read 7 November 2017: Rick Edwards & George Lamb Nov 07, 2017

Presenters Rick Edwards and George Lamb join Harriett Gilbert to talk favourite books.

A Good Read 31 October 2017: Jenny Colgan & Steven Camden (Polarbear) Oct 31, 2017

Jenny Colgan & Steven Camden (Polarbear) talk about brilliant books with Harriett Gilbert

Graeme Macrae Burnet on his 'fiction within a fiction', The Accident on the A35 Oct 29, 2017

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 from Chile and Lucy Hughes-Hallett, one of this year's judges, discusses the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer Award of the Year Award.

A Good Read 24 October 2017: Alice Lowe and Andrew Hunter Murray Oct 24, 2017

Alice Lowe and Andrew Hunter Murray talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

40 years In Patagonia, Nathan Englander and Sandi Toksvig's new children's novel Oct 22, 2017

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 at the Centre of the Earth. Best known for his short story collections this is a spy thriller and a love story based around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sandi Toksvig discusses her tale for children set in the American Midwest in the mid nineteenth century, and Dennis Glover on the difficulties of fictionalizing George Orwell, a larger than life character who seems to have been misrepresented in fiction.

A Good Read 17 October 2017: Owen Jones & Georgia LA Oct 17, 2017

Owen Jones and Georgia LA discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Omar El Akkad's new novel American War and Nordic short stories Oct 15, 2017

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, and Ted Hodgkinson discuss their new anthology of short stories from the Nordic region, and best selling writer novelist Elizabeth Kostova reveals the book she'd never lend.

A Good Read 10 October 2017: Jonathan Harvey & Sally Lindsay Oct 10, 2017

Sally Lindsay and Jonathan Harvey talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Alan Hollinghurst on his new novel, The Sparsholt Affair. Oct 08, 2017

Alan Hollinghurst on his new novel and Denise Mina and Max Porter discuss ghost stories.

A Good Read 3 October 2017: Toby Young & Sarah Vine Oct 05, 2017

Toby Young and Sarah Vine talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Clare Messud on The Burning Girl and theatrical memoirs Sep 24, 2017

Clare Messud on her latest novels and theatrical memoirs.

Helen Sedgwick, the York Writer's Festival and up and coming writers from Australia Sep 17, 2017

Helen Sedgwick discusses her new novel The Growing Season; Australian writers to watch.

Daryl Gregory and the importance of John Donne's love poems Sep 10, 2017

Daryl Gregory discusses his latest novel Spoonbenders and a manual on being a writer

Revisiting Greek myths with Kamila Shamsie and David Vann Aug 27, 2017

Kamila Shamsie and David Vann discuss their own interpretations of classic Greek myths.

Preti Taneja and Mohammed Hanif discuss the 70th anniversary of Partition and Peter Stamm's new novel, To the Back of Beyond Aug 20, 2017

Partition, Peter Stamm on his new novel and libraries in fiction

Fredrick Backman, Outriders and writing to music Aug 13, 2017

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.

The Chalke Valley History Festival Jul 30, 2017

Tom Holland, Tracy Borman and Olivette Otele talk about who is writing history today.

A Good Read 25 July 2017: John Niven & Sali Hughes Jul 25, 2017

Author John Niven and journalist Sali Hughes talk books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Fiona Melrose, transgender characters in fiction and the book Susan Hill would never end Jul 23, 2017

Fiona Melrose discusses her new book, Johannesburg and Kaite Welsh on transgender fiction

Elizabeth Day, Patrick Ness and the Bradford Literary Festival Jul 16, 2017

Elizabeth Day discusses her new book, The Party and Patrick Ness's Queer Icon.

A Good Read 11 July 2017: Stacey Dooley & Gaia Vince Jul 11, 2017

Harriett Gilbert talks to Stacey Dooley and Gaia Vince about their favourite books.

Matt Haig, Val McDermid and a postcard from Argentina Jul 09, 2017

Matt Haig on time travel and Val McDermid discusses Virginia Woolf's Orlando.

A Good Read 4 July 2017: Kathy Burke & Tom Allen Jul 04, 2017

Kathy Burke and comedian Tom Allen talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert

A Good Read 27 June 2017: Bill Paterson & Tom Chatfield Jun 27, 2017

Actor Bill Paterson and writer Tom Chatfield talk about beloved books to Harriett Gilbert

Mark Haddon on Virginia Woolf and Ruth Ware discusses her new novel, The Lying Game Jun 25, 2017

Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press and Misha Glenny on The Master and Margarita

A Good Read 20 June 2017: Verity Sharp & Matthew Syed Jun 20, 2017

Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with Verity Sharp and Matthew Syed.

Thomas Keneally, Meike Ziervogel and pet peeves in books Jun 18, 2017

Thomas Keneally discusses his latest novel, Crimes of the Father

A Good Read 13 June 2017: Nathan Caton & Adam Rutherford Jun 13, 2017

Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with Nathan Caton and Adam Rutherford.

A Good Read 6 June 2017 Ed Byrne & Hardeep Singh Kohli Jun 09, 2017

Harriett Gilbert talks to Ed Byrne and Hardeep Singh Kohli about their favourite books.

Tim Winton May 28, 2017

Tim Winton on his new book The Boy Behind The Curtain – Notes from an Australian Life

Gail Honeyman and Nell Stevens May 21, 2017

Gail Honeyman, Nell Stevens and Angie Thomas on the Book She'd Never Lend

Writers' memoirs, the libraries of Timbuktu and George Eliot May 14, 2017

Richard Beard and Bella Pollen discuss their memoirs and a discussion on George Eliot.

Paula Hawkins and F. Scott Fitzgerald Apr 30, 2017

The Girl on the Train writer Paula Hawkins talks about her new novel Into The Water

Lisa McInerney, regional writing and a postcard from Cuba Apr 23, 2017

Lisa McInerney on her new novel, Blood Miracles and a discussion on regional writing

Luiza Sauma and Easter reading Apr 16, 2017

Luiza Sauma on her book Flesh and Bone and Water and books for Easter.

Open Book:Jon McGregor Apr 10, 2017

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 in Scotland. Mariella is also joined by another devotee of Auden, writer Alexander McCall Smith, to discuss the poet's timeless appeal. We discusses the novel behind the film 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' which is being re-released. And Wendy Holden tells us about the Book She'd Never Lend.

A Good Read 28 March 2017: Will Self & Rachel Johnson Mar 28, 2017

Will Self and Rachel Johnson talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Balli Kaur Jaswal, Alison Macleod and Ra Page Mar 26, 2017

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows and Elan Mastai on literary soothsaying.

A Good Read 21 March 2017: Chris & Xand Van Tulleken Mar 21, 2017

Doctor twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken talk to Harriett Gilbert about favourite books.

George Saunders discusses his new book Lincoln in the Bardo Mar 19, 2017

George Saunders, Nina Lorez Collins, Harper Collins archives and favourite books

A Good Read 14 March 2017: Harriet Harman & Pete Paphides Mar 14, 2017

Harriet Harman and Pete Paphides champion their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Helen Dunmore and Fiona Kidman on the Book I'd Never Lend Mar 12, 2017

Helen Dunmore discusses her new book, Birdcage Walk.

A Good Read 7 March 2017: Tony Robinson & Andi Oliver Mar 07, 2017

Tony Robinson and Andi Oliver recommend great books to presenter Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 28 February 2017: Craig Brown & Pippa Evans Feb 28, 2017

Harriett Gilbert talks great books with Craig Brown and Pippa Evans.

Mohsin Hamid, North Korean literature and Editor's Pick Feb 26, 2017

Mohsin Hamid discusses his new book, Exit West and North Korean short stories

A Good Read 21 February: Murray Lachlan Young & Deborah Frances-Wood Feb 21, 2017

Harriett Gilbert talks to Murray Lachlan Young & Deborah Frances-White about good reads.

Dorthe Nors, Nadiya Hussain, age gap relationships and vampires Feb 19, 2017

Nadiya Hussain discusses the book she'd never lend.

A Good Read: Lionel Shriver & Mae Martin Feb 14, 2017

Lionel Shriver, author, and Mae Martin, comedian, talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

Joanna Trollope, literature from the Mid West and African romance fiction. Feb 12, 2017

Joanna Trollope discusses her new novel, City of Friends.

A Good Read 7 February 2017: Victor Adebowale & Rachel Unthank Feb 07, 2017

Lord Victor Adebowale and musician Rachel Unthank join Harriett Gilbert to talk books.

A Good Read 31 January 2017: Alan Carr & Melanie Sykes Jan 31, 2017

Alan Carr and Melanie Sykes talk with Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.

Yaa Gyasi Jan 29, 2017

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 doors to our Reading Clinic with the writer of King Arthur Kevin Crossley-Holland, who chooses his favourite books on the legendary figure of Merlin.

Award winning novelist AL Kennedy talks about her first book for children, Uncle Shawn and Bill and the Almost Entirely Unplanned Adventure and we have our monthly recommendation from inside the publishing industry.

Tessa Hadley, Female Friendships and the Russian Revolution Jan 22, 2017

Tessa Hadley on her new book and Esther Freud and Kitty Aldridge on literary friendships

James Lasdun, Crime Fiction for 2017 and book bestsellers Jan 15, 2017

James Lasdun discusses his new book The Fall Guy and crime fiction for 2017

Literary Postcards Jan 11, 2017

Literary postcards from around the world.

Nadeem Aslam, book translating and unhappy books which make us happy Jan 08, 2017

Nadeem Aslam discusses his new book The Golden Legend

Shirley Jackson and a literary round-up for 2016 Dec 18, 2016

The dark world of Shirley Jackson and a look at this year's best reads

Henrietta Rose-Innes and Terry Waite Dec 11, 2016

Literary heroes and the book I'd never lend.

Jay McInerney Dec 04, 2016

Jay McInerney talks about his novel Bright Lights, Big City.

A Good Read 29 November 2016: John Bird & John Timpson Nov 29, 2016

Businessman John Timpson & Big Issue founder John Bird talk favourite books.

Writers Helen Garner and Charlotte Wood and the history of audio books Nov 27, 2016

An original Jane Eyre manuscript published in a new edition and a story from Chris Cleave

A Good Read 22 November 2016: Charles Moore & Nadifa Mohamed Nov 22, 2016

Charles Moore and Nadifa Mohamed discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

David Grossman and Steve McCurry Nov 20, 2016

David Grossman on his new novel and photographer Steve McCurry's portraits of readers.

A Good Read 15 November 2016: Michael Grade & Gia Milinovich Nov 15, 2016

Michael Grade and Gia Milinovich talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.

Margaret Drabble Louis de Bernieres and a passion for islands Nov 13, 2016

Margaret Drabble on her new book The Dark Flood Rises and the books on her bedside table.

A Good Read 8 November 2016: Sally Phillips & Julia Donaldson Nov 08, 2016

Sally Phillips and Julia Donaldson talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson Nov 06, 2016

In Classic Book Club, author Louise Walsh discusses Kidnapped with James Naughtie

A Good Read 1 November: Terry Christian & Dr Kevin Fong Nov 01, 2016

Harriett Gilbert invites Terry Christian and Dr Kevin Fong to talk favourite books.

Quentin Blake, Emma Chichester Clark and Brit Bennett Oct 30, 2016

Quentin Blake, Emma Chichester Clark and Brit Bennett

A Good Read 25 October 2016: Cariad Lloyd & Mike Bullen Oct 25, 2016

Harriett Gilbert talks to Cariad Lloyd and Mike Bullen about books they love, and why.

Sebastian Barry, Naomi Alderman and Margaret Atwood Oct 23, 2016

Sebastian Barry, Naomi Alderman and Margaret Atwood

A Good Read 18 October 2016: Sebastian Faulks & Sarfraz Manzoor Oct 18, 2016

Sebastian Faulks, Sarfraz Manzoor and Harriett Gilbert talk about their favourite books.

Graham Norton; Close Reading Henry James; Michelle Paver on the Himalayas. Oct 16, 2016

Graham Norton, Michelle Paver and Robert Twigger. Close reading Henry James.

A Good Read 11 October 2016: Bidisha & Gillian Reynolds Oct 11, 2016

Bidisha and Gillian Reynolds choose favourite books to discuss with Harriett Gilbert.

Tommy Wieringa, Flemish and Dutch literature, Fashion in fiction, Stewart Lee on Ithell Colquhoun Oct 09, 2016

Mariella talks to Tommy Wieringa about his book A Beautiful Young Wife

A Good Read 4 October 2016: Ann Widdecombe & Vince Cable Oct 04, 2016

Harriett Gilbert talks books with Ann Widdecombe and Vince Cable.

Open Book - Sarah Hall and Peter Hobbs on Sex and Death Sep 25, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Sarah Hall and Peter Hobbs about stories of Sex and Death

Open Book with Donal Ryan Sep 18, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Donal Ryan about All We Shall Know

Open Book on Jonathan Safran Foer Sep 12, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to author Jonathan Safran Foer

Open Book in Edinburgh - Crime Writing with Val McDermid, Abir Mukherjee and Lucy Ribchester Aug 28, 2016

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, who publishes her thirtieth novel Out of Bounds this month. Her cold case investigator DCI Karen Pirie returns with gusto to discover the truth behind complex questions of family and identity. Also on stage are two relative newcomers in the field. Lucy Ribchester whose novel The Amber Shadows is a thrilling, mystery adventure set in the secret world of Bletchley Park and Abir Mukherjee's A Rising Man takes us to steamy Calcutta at the time of the British Raj.

Open Book at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Aug 21, 2016

Mariella Frostrup with Raja Alem, Richard T Kelly and Benjamin Markovits and Nick Barley

Open Book with Colin Thubron Aug 14, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Colin Thubron

Open Book - Reading Europe Jul 31, 2016

Mariella Frostrup explores contemporary literature from Italy

Open Book - Evelyn Waugh, DBC Pierre, a literary postcard from Sweden Jul 28, 2016

Open Book - Evelyn Waugh, DBC Pierre, a literary postcard from Sweden

A Good Read 26 July 2016: Christopher Biggins & Jenny Eclair Jul 26, 2016

Christopher Biggins and Jenny Eclair chat about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 19 July 2016: Lloyd Langford & Francesca Simon Jul 19, 2016

Francesca Simon and Lloyd Langford talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert

Open Book - Awesome Authors: Children's Literature with Frank Cottrell Boyce and Bali Rai Jul 17, 2016

Mariella Frostrup on Children's Literature with Frank Cottrell Boyce and Bali Rai

A Good Read 12 July 2016: Joann Fletcher & Damian Barr Jul 12, 2016

Joann Fletcher and Damian Barr join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.

Writing From Wales, a special programme recorded at Cardiff Library Jul 10, 2016

Open Book with Mariella Frostrup, recorded at Cardiff Central Library

A Good Read 5 July 2016: Alex Jones & Victoria Hislop Jul 05, 2016

Alex Jones and Victoria Hislop talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 28 June 2016: Martin Lewis & Tanita Tikaram Jun 28, 2016

Martin Lewis and Tanita Tikaram join Harriett Gilbert to talk about books they love.

Open Book - Ruth Gilligan, Vietnam novels, Kenneth Baker Jun 26, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Ruth Gilligan about Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan

A Good Read 21 June 2016: David Nutt and Philippa Perry Jun 21, 2016

Professor David Nutt and Philippa Perry join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.

Annie Proulx on her new novel Barkskins; Close Reading of Toni Morrison's Beloved Jun 19, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Annie Proulx about her new novel Barkskins

A Good Read 14 June 2016: Robert "Judge" Rinder & Stella Duffy Jun 14, 2016

Robert "Judge" Rinder and Stella Duffy talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Historical Fiction, Icelandic writer Sjon Jun 12, 2016

Mariella Frostrup discusses historical fiction and talks to Icelandic writer Sjon

A Good Read 7th June 2016: Trevor McDonald & Jon Snow Jun 07, 2016

Trevor McDonald and Jon Snow talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Colombian literary superstar Juan Gabriel Vasquez, new stories by Radclyffe Hall, creative non-fiction from African writers May 29, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Juan Gabriel Vasquez about his novel Reputations

Open Book with Kit de Waal May 22, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Kit de Waal, Researching novels, Counter-factual fiction.

Open Book with Alan Cartwright on Iron Towns May 15, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Alan Cartwright about Iron Towns

Open Book with Alan Cartwright on Iron Towns May 15, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Alan Cartwright about Iron Towns

Open Book with Allan Ahlberg May 08, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to children's author Allan Ahlberg

Open Book with Allan Ahlberg May 08, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to children's author Allan Ahlberg

David Szalay on All That Man Is Apr 24, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to David Szalay and Ted Hodgkinson about being a man

Open Book - Barney Norris on Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain Apr 17, 2016

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 about his first novel Five Rivers Met On A Wooded Plain . Set in Salisbury, it's about five characters whose lives are united - and transformed - by a car accident. He talks about the importance of the cathedral city to his life and work.

Also on the programme, Mariella investigates new ways of getting a book published with self publishing star Rachel Abbott and Angus Phillips from the Oxford Centre for Publishing, and novelist Francesca Haig rails against the critical term 'literary'.

Open Book - Kate Tempest on The Bricks that Built the Houses Apr 10, 2016

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 the new big fear in dystopian fiction and writer Callan Wink tells us why he finds writing hard, hard work.

A Good Read 29 March 2016 Mar 29, 2016

Peter Lord and Russell Kane talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Reader, I Married Him - Stories inspired by Jane Eyre Mar 27, 2016

Mariella Frostrup explores an anthology of short stories inspired by Jane Eyre

A Good Read 22 March 2016 Mar 22, 2016

Marian Keyes and Nikki Bedi talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Ayelet Gundar-Goshen on Waking Lions Mar 20, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Ayelet Gundar-Goshen about Waking Lions

A Good Read 15 March 2016 Mar 15, 2016

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 University of East Anglia. She recommends Henry James' classic 'The Ambassadors'. A darkly comic story about the seductive charms of Europe and learning to 'live all you can', it's one of James' best-loved novels.

Harriett's choice is 'Curious' by the comic actress Rebecca Front. It's a collection of beautifully-observed stories about life's absurdities, funny, thoughtful and touching.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.

Open Book - Javier Marias on Thus Bad Begins Mar 13, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Javier Marias on Thus Bad Begins

A Good Read 8 March 2016 Mar 08, 2016

Writers John O'Farrell and Joe Dunthorne recommend great books to Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 1 March 2016 Mar 01, 2016

Harriett Gilbert asks Deborah Bull and Sam Leith about the books they've always loved.

Open Book - Graham Swift on Mothering Sunday Feb 28, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Graham Swift about Mothering Sunday

A Good Read 23 February 2016 Feb 23, 2016

Natalie Haynes and David Greig join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.

Open Book - Meg Rosoff on Jonathan Unleashed Feb 21, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Meg Rosoff about Jonathan Unleashed

A Good Read 16 February 2016 Feb 16, 2016

Samantha Bond and Jason Cowley join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.

A Good Read 16 February 2016 Feb 16, 2016

Samantha Bond and Jason Cowley join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.

Open Book - Elizabeth Strout on My Name is Lucy Barton Feb 14, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Elizabeth Strout about My Name is Lucy Barton

A Good Read 9 February 2016 Feb 09, 2016

Jake Arnott and Rebecca Root nominate their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 2 February 2016 Feb 02, 2016

Vanessa Feltz and David Hepworth debate their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Patrick Flanery on I Am No One Jan 31, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Patrick Flanery about I Am No One

Open Book - Gail Jones on A Guide to Berlin Jan 24, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Gail Jones about A Guide to Berlin

Open Book - Janice Y K Lee on The Expatriates Jan 17, 2016

Mariella Frostrup talks to Janice Y K Lee about The Expatriates

Open Book - Francesca Kay on The Long Room; Twins in Literature Jan 10, 2016

Alex Clark talks to Francesca Kay about The Long Room

Open Book - Look Back at the Year in Books Dec 27, 2015

Mariella Frostrup and guests discuss the literary trends of the last twelve months

Open Book - Samuel Bjork Dec 20, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Samuel Bjork about I'm Travelling Alone.

Open Book - Tom Drury Dec 13, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to American novelist Tom Drury about The Driftless Area

A Good Read 8 December 2015 Dec 01, 2015

Dr Christian Jessen and James Wong nominate their favourite books, with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 24 November 2015 Nov 24, 2015

Harriett Gilbert debates favourite books with Shirley Williams and Margaret Drabble.

Open Book - William Boyd on Sweet Caress Nov 22, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to William Boyd about his novel Sweet Caress

A Good Read 17 November 2015 Nov 17, 2015

Niall Ferguson and Tracy Chevalier talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Edna O'Brien on The Little Red Chairs Nov 15, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Edna O'Brien about The Little Red Chairs

A Good Read 10 November 2015 Nov 10, 2015

Short Jonathan Coe and Gemma Cairney join Harriett Gilbert to recommend favourite books.

Open Book - Jeremy Gavron, Kate Grenville and Eugene Vodolazkin Nov 08, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Jeremy Gavron, Kate Grenville and Eugene Vodolazkin

A Good Read 3 November 2015 Nov 03, 2015

Krishnan Guru-Murthy and crime writer Ann Cleeves talk about books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 20 October 2015 Oct 28, 2015

Spectator editor Fraser Nelson & critic Adam Mars-Jones talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read 27 October 2015 Oct 27, 2015

Philip Pullman & Caroline Criado-Perez talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Adam Sisman on his biography of John Le Carre Oct 25, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Adam Sisman about his biography of John Le Carre

Open Book - Jonathan Lee on High Dive Oct 18, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Jonathan Lee about his new novel High Dive

A Good Read 13 October 2015 Oct 14, 2015

David Morrissey and Julia Blackburn join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.

Open Book - Andrew Michael Hurley and British Gothic Oct 11, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Andrew Hurley about The Loney

A Good Read 6 October 2015 Oct 06, 2015

Green MP Caroline Lucas and columnist Rod Liddle debate books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Orhan Pamuk on A Strangeness in my Mind Sep 27, 2015

Open Book - Mariella Frostrup talks to Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk

A Good Read 27 July 2015 Sep 23, 2015

Miriam Margolyes and Mark Haddon talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Bill Clegg on Did You Ever Have a Family? Sep 20, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to literary agent turned author Bill Clegg

Open Book - John Banville on The Blue Guitar Sep 13, 2015

Open Book with Mariella Frostrup - John Banville on The Blue Guitar

Bookclub: David Nicholls talks about his novel One Day Sep 06, 2015

David Nicholls talks about his novel One Day

Open Book Special - Pat Barker Aug 30, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Pat Barker about her life, work and her new novel Noonday.

Open Book - a literary expedition to the coast Aug 23, 2015

Open Book

Open Book - Leila Aboulela Aug 16, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Leila Aboulela about her new novel The Kindness of Enemies.

Open Book Special: Why We Read Aug 10, 2015

Mariella Frostrop and guests discuss why we love to read

Open Book - Petina Gappah Aug 09, 2015

Open Book - Mariella Frostrup talks to Petina Gappah about The Book of Memory

Open Book - Virginia Baily and Jacqueline Wilson Jul 26, 2015

Open Book - Virginia Baily on Early One Morning; Jacqueline Wilson on Katy

A Good Read 21 July 2015 Jul 21, 2015

Sue Blackmore and Adam Hart-Davis join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books.

Open Book - Judy Blume Jul 19, 2015

Judy Blume talks about her new book for adults, In The Unlikely Event.

Open Book - Sean Michaels; Rachel Johnson and Michelle Miller Jul 12, 2015

Novelist Sean Michaels on Us Conductors, the story of the inventor of the theremin.

A Good Read 7 July 2015 Jul 08, 2015

Comedian Julian Clary and former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis talk favourite books

A Good Read 30 June 2015 Jun 30, 2015

Jon Richardson and Emma Kennedy recommend favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book - Benjamin Markovits; Milan Kundera; Mario Vargas Llosa; Harper Lee Jun 28, 2015

Mariella Frostrup talks to Benjamin Markovits; reading Milan Kundera and Harper Lee.

A Good Read 23 June 2015 Jun 23, 2015

Harriett Gilbert talks to Stephen K Amos and Anneka Rice about their favourite books.

Open Book - Sunjeev Sahota Jun 21, 2015

Sunjeev Sahota on his new novel A Year of the Runaways

A Good Read Miranda Sawyer & Tom Robinson 9 June Jun 18, 2015

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.

A Good Read Helen Baxendale & Helen Cross 16 June 2015 Jun 16, 2015

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' by Julia Blackburn.

Laura Barnett on Open Book with Mariella Frostrup Jun 14, 2015

Laura Barnett on her debut novel The Versions of Us

Ryan Gattis on his new novel All Involved May 24, 2015

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.

Open Book: Julian Barnes on Keeping An Eye Open May 17, 2015

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.

Open Book: Anne Enright on The Green Road May 10, 2015

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.

Open Book: Caryl Phillips on The Lost Child Apr 26, 2015

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.

Open Book: Mexican Literature Apr 19, 2015

Mexican writers Valeria Luiselli and Jorge Volpi talk about their country's literary heritage and how new voices are re-inventing magical realism.

Open Book: Christopher Bollen on Orient Apr 12, 2015

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.

A Good Read Ian Rankin & Joe Boyd Mar 31, 2015

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.

Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor Mar 29, 2015

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 they, and others, have re-imagined Bible stories in their fiction. And Dr Sarah Dillon continues her series of Close Readings by examining a short extract from Katherine Mansfield's The Garden Party.

A Good Read Chris Frayling & Abi Morgan Mar 24, 2015

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, including the first one, Don't Point that Thing at Me, by Kyril Bonfiglioli.

Chigozie Obioma Mar 22, 2015

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 re-issue of their only novels, Lives of Girls and Women and The End of the Story. Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature at the University of East Anglia joins Mariella to discuss the merits of their longer form fiction. We visit Paris in the springtime with a literary postcard from the writer and publisher Paul Fournel. Open Book asked astronomer turned writer Pippa Goldschmidt to gather together the writers who have found inspiration in the extraordinary celestial event of the solar eclipse.

A Good Read Claire Skinner & Louise Welsh Mar 17, 2015

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.

Children's Literature Mar 15, 2015

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.

A Good Read Rebecca Front & Laura Dockrill Mar 10, 2015

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.

Robert Macfarlane Mar 08, 2015

In Landmarks travel writer Robert Macfarlane celebrates the language of our landscape.

A Good Read Anita Rani & Katharine Whitehorn Mar 03, 2015

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.

A Good Read Josie Long & Romesh Ranganathan Feb 24, 2015

Harriett Gilbert discusses favourite books, including Yann Martel's Booker Prize winner Life of Pi, with Josie Long and Romesh Ranganathan

Open Book: Rabih Alameddine on An Unnecessary Woman Feb 22, 2015

Rabih Alameddine on his new novel An Unnecessary Woman which was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction.

A Good Read John Sergeant & Helen Lewis Feb 17, 2015

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 on her new novel A Spool of Blue Thread Feb 15, 2015

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 Spool of Blue Thread. The Australian novelist Elizabeth Harrower reveals why she gave up a passionate relationship with her writing, while literary admirer Eimear McBride describes why she finds Harrowers' novels an acutely observed portrait of our most intimate relationships. And Dr Sarah Dillon is back with another undercover investigation into the workings of our classic prose, this time with Dame Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

A Good Read Susie Dent & Janice Langley Feb 10, 2015

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.

Open Book: SJ Watson, Elif Shafak, and literary love Feb 08, 2015

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 with Valentine's Day approaching writer Rebecca Stott considers some literary declarations of love - from women.

A Good Read Maureen Lipman & Frankie Boyle Feb 03, 2015

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.

Open Book: Quite a Good Time to be Born - David Lodge Jan 25, 2015

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.

Open Book: Emma Hooper - Etta + Otto + Russell + James Jan 18, 2015

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.

Open Book: Ben Lerner on 10:04 Jan 11, 2015

Acclaimed American novelist Ben Lerner on his playful second novel 10:04 which tackles questions of time, identity and story writing.

Open Book: Sir Richard Eyre - 5 of the Best Dec 28, 2014

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 favourite books, and how they shaped his life.

Open Book: Christmas Writings Dec 21, 2014

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 Young Man via Patrick Hamilton's bleak 1940's boarding house Christmas Eve in The Slaves of Solitude, to Bridget Jones, in the 1990s, having to return home to her family yet again - still single. And Jonathan Franzen discusses his prize winning book The Corrections which is all about a mother, Enid Lambert, trying to persuade her grown up children to come home for one last Christmas.

Open Book: BJ Novak - The Book With No Pictures Dec 14, 2014

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 on the cover. Peter Walker from New Zealand and Australian writer Evie Wyld have each written about the legacy of the Vietnam war in their fiction. They talk to Mariella about the impact of that war on Antipodean fiction, a war some feel has been partly written out of their countries' history. Ben Elton, novelist, stand-up, writer of musicals, co-creator of Blackadder, shares the Book He'd Never Lend, a comic masterpiece which he loves for its refreshing lack of cynicism.

A Good Read Sean Lock & Roisin Conaty Dec 02, 2014

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 on the Titanic, Every Man for Himself.

Open Book: Mal Peet on The Murdstone Trilogy Nov 30, 2014

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 novelist Tomas Gonzalas, author of In The Beginning Was The Sea, delivers his literary postcard from the foothills of Colombia.

A Good Read Dawn O'Porter & Graham Fellows Nov 25, 2014

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.

Open Book: Mirza Waheed on The Book of Golden Leaves Nov 23, 2014

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 reveals the book she'd never lend and a new series: Close Readings - examining how great writing works.

A Good Read Doon Mackichan & Jack Monroe Nov 18, 2014

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

Open Book: Marilynne Robinson on Lila Nov 16, 2014

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.

A Good Read Roy Foster & Andrew Roberts Nov 11, 2014

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 William Maxwell's The Chateau. Producer Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Jane Smiley; Africa 39 Nov 09, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Eliza Manningham-Buller and Elif Shafak Nov 04, 2014

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 breakdown.

A Good Read Janet Street Porter & Martina Cole Oct 28, 2014

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 Muriel Spark's classic novel The Ballad of Peckham Rye

Open Book: Sports Writing Oct 26, 2014

In a special edition of Open Book Mariella Frostrup stands on the touchline to celebrate the very best writing about sport.

A Good Read: Adam Hills & Steven Pinker Oct 21, 2014

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 is a good read.

Open Book: Amanda Coe and Catalan Literature Oct 19, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Sheila Hancock & Cosmo Landesman Oct 14, 2014

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.

Open Book: Colm Toibin Oct 12, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Jeremy Paxman & Mary Beard Oct 07, 2014

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 is classicist Mary Beard's recommendation. It's a depiction of French peasant life that's been described as even greater than the film of the same story. Travels with my Aunt, a genuinely funny novel by Graham Greene, is Harriett Gilbert's contribution.

Open Book: The Brethren and Steven Pinker Sep 28, 2014

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.

Open Book: Esther Freud on Mr Mac and Me Sep 21, 2014

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 inspired publicists to think of new ways to draw attention to new books.

Open Book: Ali Smith on How to Be Both Sep 14, 2014

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.

Open Book: Ian McEwan and Amy Bloom Aug 31, 2014

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.

Open Book: London Literary Scene Aug 24, 2014

Writers Damian Barr, Evie Wyld and Joe Dunthorne discuss the rise of live literary events.

Open Book: Ross Raisin on the Yorkshire Moors Aug 17, 2014

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.

Open Book: John Banville on the Dublin of the 1950s Aug 10, 2014

John Banville takes Mariella on a tour of the foggy streets, smoke-filled bars and genteel hotel tea rooms of 1950s Dublin.

A Good Read: Ade Adepitan & Dominic Holland Jul 29, 2014

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.

Open Book: Jessie Burton on The Miniaturist Jul 28, 2014

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.

Open Book: Tom Campbell and Nikesh Shukla Jul 24, 2014

Tom Campbell and Nikesh Shukla on writing about this generation's alienated young men.

A Good Read: Monica Ali and Shami Chakrabarti Jul 21, 2014

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, Charlotte's Web.

15 07 14: A Good Read: Julian Rhind-Tutt & Steve Oram Jul 15, 2014

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 schools. Harriett chooses Martin Amis' memoir, Experience.

Open Book: Richard Flanagan on his new novel Jul 13, 2014

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.

A Good Read:Al Murray & Tarek Osman Jul 08, 2014

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.

Open Book: Children's Literature and Oxford Jul 03, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Edwina Currie and Nicholas Le Prevost Jul 01, 2014

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. This soap-opera- like story of a crumbling manor house and its eccentric inhabitants, struggling with the fallout of the depression, was written under the looming shadow of World War II. Harriett Gilbert takes us to Iran for her choice of A Good Read: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. A memoir which melds the politics of post-revolution Iran with unusual perspectives on western literary classics Presenter: Harriett Gilbert Producer: Melvin Rickarby

A Good Read: India Knight and Alvin Hall Jun 24, 2014

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 Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Harriett Gilbert's pick has been a phenomenon in Russia in recent times: The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin. Producer: Melvin Rickarby

Open Book: Sandra Newman on her new novel Jun 22, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Fay Weldon & Hans Ulrich Obrist Jun 17, 2014

Harriett Gilbert is joined by author Fay Weldon and Serpentine Galleries curator Hans Ulrich Obrist to discuss favourite books.

Open Book: Javier Cercas on Outlaws Jun 15, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Roger Michell and Aminatta Forna Jun 10, 2014

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

Open Book: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Jun 08, 2014

Authors Salman Rushdie and Elif Shafak pay tribute to writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A Good Read: Aasmah Mir & Pete Brown Jun 03, 2014

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 Lanchester, a dark comedy which references Brillat-Savarin... The third book is Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid, the first novel by the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Open Book: Nick Harkaway and Ned Beauman May 25, 2014

Ned Beauman and Nick Harkaway talk to Mariella Frostrup about the appeal of writing a conspiracy thriller in today's post cold war world.

Open Book: Joseph O'Connor on The Thrill of it All May 18, 2014

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.

Open Book: Tony Parsons on why he's turned to crime May 11, 2014

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.

Open Book: Sadie Jones; Peter Buwalda; Will Self Apr 27, 2014

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.

Open Book: Kamila Shamsie; young feminist writing Apr 20, 2014

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.

Open Book: Niall Williams and Armistead Maupin Apr 13, 2014

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.

Open Book: Damon Galgut on Arctic Summer Mar 30, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Kathy Lette and Annie Mac Mar 25, 2014

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, Rebecca Mead, Middlemarch Mar 23, 2014

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

A Good Read: Julie Burchill and Fred MacAulay Mar 18, 2014

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

Open Book: Mary Lawson on her new novel Road Ends Mar 16, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Lorraine Kelly and Romesh Gunesekera Mar 11, 2014

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 by the Irish novelist Molly Keane. Producer Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Tobias Hill on his new book What Was Promised Mar 09, 2014

Tobias Hill on his latest novel What was Promised and Tibor Fischer on Stefan Zweig.

A Good Read: Dame Penelope Lively and Will Smith Mar 04, 2014

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

A Good Read: Andrew Maxwell and Kamila Shamsie Feb 25, 2014

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

Open Book: Sally Beauman on her new novel The Visitors Feb 23, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Richard Herring and Tracy Ann Oberman Feb 18, 2014

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

Open Book: Ben Watt and Mike Nicol Feb 16, 2014

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'.

A Good Read: Daniel Finkelstein & Jill Paton Walsh Feb 11, 2014

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 Doyle. Produced by Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Adam Foulds on his latest novel In the Wolf's Mouth Feb 09, 2014

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.

A Good Read: Mervyn King and Arabella Weir Feb 04, 2014

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

Open Book: Deborah Levy and Bulgarian fiction Jan 30, 2014

Deborah Levy revisits her early work; Kapka Kassabova and Miroslav Penkov discuss Bulgarian literature; and the literary pick of publisher Jamie Byng.

Open Book: Horatio Clare and Christopher Nicholson Jan 19, 2014

Novelists Horatio Clare and Christopher Nicholson discuss the influence of the season of winter in literature.

Open Book: Carlos Acosta and Victoria Hislop Jan 12, 2014

Carlos Acosta shares his Five of the Best Books and Victoria Hislop on where she writes.

Children's Laureate Special Dec 29, 2013

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.

Year of the Women Writers Dec 22, 2013

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.

Open Book: Jill Paton Walsh; John Freeman; Kate Mosse Dec 15, 2013

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.

Open Book: Norse Myths; Penelope Lively; Suzanne Berne Dec 08, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Fern Britton and Katherine Grainger Dec 03, 2013

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

A Good Read: Mark Ravenhill and Nihal Arthanayake Nov 26, 2013

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

Open Book: Bernard MacLaverty on a literary life Nov 24, 2013

Bernard MacLaverty on a literary life.

Open Book: Scott Turow on new novel Identical Nov 21, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Michael Dobbs and Katie Puckrik Nov 19, 2013

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 Marquez. Produced by Beth O'Dea.

A Good Read: Kate Silverton and Johnnie Walker Nov 12, 2013

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 Women by Barbara Pym is the recommendation of presenter Harriett Gilbert. Produced Beth O'Dea

Margaret Drabble and Sebastian Faulks Nov 10, 2013

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.

A Good Read: John Inverdale and Rachel Cook Nov 05, 2013

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

A Good Read: Eve Pollard and Julie Bindel Oct 29, 2013

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.

Open Book: Justin Cartwright on his novel Lion Heart Oct 27, 2013

Justin Cartwright on his novel Lion Heart; Joe Sacco on his graphic novel of The Great War

A Good Read: Brendan O'Neill and Gabriel Gbadamosi Oct 22, 2013

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 O'Dea.

Open Book: Conn Iggulden, Autumn in Literature Oct 20, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Arlene Phillips and Jocelyn Jee Esien Oct 15, 2013

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 Tomorrow by William Maxwell. Produced Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Philip Pullman and Jung Chang Oct 13, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Alex Polizzi and Peter Robinson Oct 08, 2013

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. Carr. And Harriett flies the flag for I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Produced Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Sathnam Sanghera - Marriage Material Sep 29, 2013

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.

Open Book: Victoria Hislop on editing The Story Sep 22, 2013

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.

Open Book: Jo Nesbo on his thriller Police Sep 15, 2013

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.

Open Book: Jhumpa Lahiri on The Lowland Sep 13, 2013

Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer prize winning novelist on her latest book The Lowland, mountaineering literature and revamping the classics pulp fiction style.

Open Book: Glenn Patterson on Belfast Aug 25, 2013

Glenn Patterson takes Mariella Frostrup around Belfast - the city that has inspired and informed his novels.

Cornwall with Patrick Gale Aug 18, 2013

Patrick Gales takes Mariella Frostrup around the Cornish landscape that has inspired and informed his novels.

Open Book: The Lake District with Sarah Hall Aug 11, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Lynne Truss and Diran Adebayo Jul 30, 2013

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.

Open Book: Grace McCleen on The Professor of Poetry Jul 28, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Meera Syal and Stephen Grosz Jul 23, 2013

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

A Good Read: Ricky Ross and Tom Heap Jul 22, 2013

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

Open Book: Rilla Askew on Kind of Kin Jul 21, 2013

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.

Open Book: Denise Mina on The Red Road Jul 19, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Dame Jacqueline Wilson and Richard Osman Jul 09, 2013

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 Rickarby.

A Good Read: Owen Jones and Sarah Hall Jul 02, 2013

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.

Open Book: Evie Wyld on All the Birds, Singing Jun 30, 2013

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

A Good Read: Colin Murray and Bob Mills Jun 25, 2013

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 by Kazuo Ishiguro. Produced by Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Neil Gaiman Jun 23, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Kerry Shale and Antonia Quirke Jun 18, 2013

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 Short Poems, edited by Simon Armitage. Produced by Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Louise Doughty on Apple Tree Yard Jun 16, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Vanessa Feltz and Elvis McGonagall Jun 11, 2013

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 novel, A Heart So White by Javier Marias, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Producer Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Mark Billingham on The Dying Hours Jun 09, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Terry Deary and Shappi Khorsandi 4th June Jun 04, 2013

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, Amongst Women. Produced by Beth O'Dea.

Open Book: Colum McCann; Mental health and fiction May 26, 2013

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

Open Book: Louise Erdrich; F Scott Fitzgerald May 21, 2013

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.

Open Book: Tessa Hadley, Cory Doctorow and Ian Rankin May 12, 2013

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. .

Open Book: Sir Walter Scott special from The Royal Opera House Apr 28, 2013

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.

Open Book: Harlan Coben, Rodge Glass & London Book Fair Apr 21, 2013

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.

Open Book: Gillian Cross, Taiye Selasi and novels behind operas Apr 14, 2013

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.

Open Book: Patrick Ness, Literature and Spring Mar 31, 2013

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 off her book-shelf for love nor money.

A Good Read: Gervase Phinn and Moni Mohsin Mar 26, 2013

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.

Open Book: Aminatta Forna, the Russian literary scene and 150 years of The Water-Babies Mar 24, 2013

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 and why he feels it still remains a fantastic story for children.

A Good Read: Konnie Huq and Pat Kane Mar 19, 2013

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 on how far modern parents will go to protect their children, even after they have committed a terrible crime - The Dinner by Herman Koch.

Open Book: Kate Atkinson, classic and modern Western novels Mar 15, 2013

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 horse at the races.

A Good Read: Robert Peston and Bernardine Evaristo Mar 12, 2013

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.

Open Book: A L Kennedy, JM Coetzee Readers' Guide Mar 10, 2013

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 Man Booker winning writer J M Coetzee, as he publishes his new novel The Childhood of Jesus.

A Good Read: Daljit Nagra and Susan Jeffreys Mar 05, 2013

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.

A Good Read: Alistair Appleton and Simon Baron-Cohen Feb 26, 2013

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.

Open Book: Maggie O'Farrell, obesity in fiction & WH Smith Feb 24, 2013

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 is responding to a world of fast food, compulsive eating and morbid obesity. And journalist and ex-editor of The Bookseller Neill Denny looks at how one of the UK's most iconic retailers, WH Smiths - over a quarter of whose sales are books - is surviving the the recession.

A Good Read: Francis Spufford and Sarah Moss Feb 19, 2013

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.

Open Book: David Baddiel & Naomi Alderman and Jim Crace Feb 17, 2013

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. And Indian writer Amit Chaudhuri explains why, after setting three novels in his native Calcutta, he has turned to non-fiction in his new account of the city.

A Good Read: Meg Rosoff and Sara Pascoe. Feb 12, 2013

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 film starring Carey Mulligan. Producer Beth O'Dea

Open Book: The Bell Jar, Christopher Brookmyre & original fiction Feb 10, 2013

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, consider what being experimental and innovative means for 21st century novelists. And in his 17th novel, Bedlam, Scottish crime writer Christopher Brookmyre turns to science fiction for inspiration.

A Good Read: Miles Jupp & Barb Jungr Feb 05, 2013

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 the Ukrainian Andrey Kurkov - which features a penguin called Misha who almost steals the show. Producer Beth O'Dea.

Open Book: Australian classics, literary neuroscience, Robert Hudson Jan 27, 2013

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 - what exactly is the human brain doing when we are reading a good book?

Open Book: Chinese Literature, Eleanor Updale and debut novels Jan 20, 2013

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 Suzi Feay delves into the world of the debut novel examining the latest Waterstones' 11 list of new fiction writers, how well their past predictions have done and why she feels now is a good time to be a debut novelist.

Open Book: Pride and Prejudice - 200th Anniversary Special Jan 13, 2013

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.

Open Book: Literary trends of 2012 Dec 30, 2012

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, and how self-publishing is helping to change what and how people read.

Open Book: Colin Firth shares his 5 of the best books Dec 23, 2012

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.

Open Book: Barbara Kingsolver, David Foster Wallace, Raffles Dec 14, 2012

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.

Open Book: India Knight, M C Beaton & library reads Dec 09, 2012

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 Mystery series, Hiss and Hers. The second most borrowed adult crime author from libraries nationwide, she discusses the secret of her success and why she keeps on writing. But what else are library users reading and how does it vary across the country? Dorcas Taylor from East Riding Library Service and Annie Bell from Edinburgh Library Service reveal what their readers are enjoying locally and what the rest of us are missing out on.

A Good Read: Frances O'Grady and Ruth Richardson Nov 27, 2012

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 War, 'Four Quartets'. The presenter Harriett Gilbert nominates a children's classic, 'The Box of Delights' by John Masefield. Producer: Mark Smalley

Open Book: Children's literature special Nov 25, 2012

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 and Charlie Higson - who between them have brought us Ruby Redfort, the young James Bond, Charlie and Lola and zombies - and by children's book critic Amanda Craig. They discuss how literature remains vivid in this new digital world, the difficulties of buying books for different age groups, how The Hobbit remains a favourite and why children love to be scared by literature.

A Good Read: Michelle Paver and Ben Goldacre Nov 20, 2012

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 'Testing Treatments', an account of how drug trials are conducted. Presenter Harriett Gilbert likes both, but proposes an autobiographical novel, 'Jigsaw' by Sybille Bedford, which for Goldacre misses the mark by a million miles. Producer: Mark Smalley

Open Book: Rachel Johnson, prequels & sequels, Dashiell Hammett Nov 18, 2012

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 Pan. And a readers' guide to the famous detective fiction writer Dashiell Hammett.

A Good Read: Peter White and Heydon Prowse Nov 13, 2012

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 Heydon Prowse, fresh from his BBC3 series, 'The Revolution will be Televised', brings a description of tax havens and how they work to the table, in 'Treasure Islands' by Nicholas Shaxson. Harriett Gilbert meanwhile proposes 'Faro's Daughter', a romantic Regency thriller by Georgette Heyer. We'll see what Peter and Heydon make of that. Producer: Mark Smalley

Open Book: Jeremy Bowen & Arab writers, Michael Jacobs Nov 11, 2012

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.

A Good Read: Neil Pearson and Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones Nov 06, 2012

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

A Good Read: Peter Hitchens and John Finnemore Oct 30, 2012

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 Frayn, which provokes argument as to whether it is a happy book or a terribly sad one. And Harriett Gilbert chooses something that makes her laugh: What's My Motivation? by Michael Simkins, his self-deprecating memoir of the life of an actor who's never made it to the big time. Producer: Beth O'Dea

Open Book: Dawn French, bibliomania and Britain re-imagined Oct 28, 2012

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.

A Good Read: Justin Webb and Frances Fyfield Oct 23, 2012

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 rich man's suicide. And Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas (popular French crime novelist Frédérique Audoin-Rouzeau), creates a gently funny and oddly believable world of its own in the French Alps, a world in which wolves are eating the local sheep - or are they? Producer: Beth O'Dea

Open Book: A.M. Homes, and life behind the embassy door Oct 21, 2012

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 white and indigenous peoples in western Australia and its oppressive and emotional impact.

A Good Read: Sir Michael Darrington and Terri Duhon Oct 16, 2012

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 a hotshot lawyer who rejects the fast lane in favour of making a difference to ordinary lives. Terri Duhon has been described as a 'Harley Davidson-riding maths whiz from rural Louisiana'. Her choice is 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins, which explores a dog-eat-dog world of reality TV and power imbalance. Harriett, who confesses to being a Grisham virgin, is amazed to find connections between 'The Hunger Games' and her choice, Marguerite Duras' erotic autobiographical novel set in French colonial Vietnam in the late 1920s, 'The Lover'. Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery

Open Book: Michael Chabon, Biographies & Dickens' anniversary Oct 14, 2012

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 considering the ways Dickens didn't always make the grade can reveal the key to his genius.

A Good Read: Ed Douglas and Andy Cave Oct 09, 2012

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 lyrical masterpiece of mountain literature from a writer who made her name as a modernist novelist. Andy chooses a hair-raising account of the life and career of one of France's most colourful and energetic climbers, Lionel Terray, in 'Conquistadors of the Useless'. Harriett GIlbert admits she's not a natural mountaineer but she loves a (fictional) murderous psychopath, namely, Tom Ripley, Patricia Highsmith's famous anti-hero. Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery

A Good Read: Val McDermid and Alex Horne Oct 02, 2012

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 Be Happy When You Could Be Normal, and Remembering Babylon, David Malouf's prizewinning 1993 outsider novel set in Australia. Producer: Mark Smalley

Open Book: Edna O'Brien and the pain and pleasure of writing a novel Sep 30, 2012

Edna O'Brien discusses her memoir Country Girl and Sid Smith and Naomi Alderman discuss the pain and pleasure involved in writing a novel.

Open Book: A.N. Wilson, European literature and Writing Britain Sep 23, 2012

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.

Open Book: Will Self, A Clockwork Orange, Lawrence Norfolk Sep 16, 2012

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 sensual pleasures and power of food.

Open Book: Zadie Smith Sep 09, 2012

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 North West of London and where Smith herself was born and brought up.

Open Book: Tartan Noir Special Aug 26, 2012

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 on a tour of his inspirational Aberdeen setting.

Open Book: Pat Barker, questions never to ask an author Aug 19, 2012

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.

Open Book: Russell Kane on James Bond and audio books Aug 12, 2012

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 to you?

Christopher Buckley and Anthony Cheetham Jul 29, 2012

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

A Good Read: Kevin Maguire, Lucy Mangan Jul 24, 2012

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.

Open Book: Paul Theroux special Jul 20, 2012

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 a very public spat, his renewed relationship with the writer V.S. Naipaul.

A Good Read: Tim Coates, John Plowman Jul 17, 2012

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.

Open Book: Ben Fountain, Siri Hustvedt, internet book sales Jul 15, 2012

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 British Library's Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands exhibition, we continue our series exploring how writers have been inspired by the landscape.

A Good Read 10 July 12: Alison Graham, Sophi Tranchell Jul 10, 2012

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.

Open Book: Michael Palin, funerals in literature, Alice Day Jul 08, 2012

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 Wonderland and the on-going debates surrounding Lewis Carroll's relationship with the young girl.

A Good Read: Rob Hopkins, Helen Castor Jul 03, 2012

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 work takes him into agriculture for the first time. Harriett chooses a contemporary novel set in 1970's Argentina. Producer Christine Hall.

A Good Read: Constance Briscoe, Angela Saini Jun 26, 2012

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.

Open Book: Chick lit, The Woman Reader and Writing Britain Jun 24, 2012

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. And Jamie Andrews, the lead curator of the British Library’s Writing Britain exhibition, discusses Rural Dreams and the countryside.

A Good Read: Ian Marchant, Larry Lamb Jun 19, 2012

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.

Open Book: Literary London Special Jun 17, 2012

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 it evokes and why it creates such a diverse backdrop to novels. Mariella Frostrup is joined by novelists who've all been charmed by London - Will Self, Amanda Craig, Dreda Say Mitchell and Ben Aaronovitch.

A Good Read: Michele Hanson, Roger Highfield Jun 12, 2012

Columnist and author Michele Hanson and Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group Roger Highfield discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Open Book: Lionel Shriver, Mrs Bridge and Reading like a Writer Jun 10, 2012

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 appeal. And Francine Prose, who has lectured in literature for over twenty years, argues there is much to learn for writers and readers alike in the mining of the classic.

A Good Read: Maggie Aderin-Pocock, William Orbit Jun 05, 2012

Space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock and music producer William Orbit discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

A Good Read: Steve Backshall, Geraldine Bedell May 29, 2012

Deadly 60 presenter Steve Backshall and Editor of Gransnet Geraldine Bedell discuss their favourite books with Harriet Gilbert.

Open Book: David Hewson, Commonwealth Writers, Helen Simpson May 27, 2012

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 runs the culture programme at the Commonwealth Foundation. And short story writer Helen Simpson discusses her new collection of her much loved tales dating back over 25 years.

Orlando Figes - Just Send Me Word May 20, 2012

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 Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands is a new exhibition at the British Library, where they have one hundred and fifty original items exploring how writers view Britain.

Open Book May 13, 2012

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 increase the capacity of libraries to provide e-books for their customers.

Ross Raisin May 06, 2012

Ross Raisin discusses his debut novel God's Own Country with James Naughtie.

Open Book: Russell Kane, Writing Britain, Updating Classics Apr 29, 2012

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 John Bowen.

Open Book: Timothy Mo, Stasi files and the London Book Fair Apr 22, 2012

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.

Open Book: Elif Shafak, children's books Apr 15, 2012

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.

Open Book: Sir Ronald Harwood on the books that influenced him Apr 08, 2012

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.

A Good Read: Isy Suttie, Beverley Humphreys Mar 27, 2012

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.

Open Book Mar 27, 2012

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 Jen Campbell shares her humorous collection of customers' extraordinary requests - a unique and affectionate insight into the world of bookselling and bookshops.

A Good Read: Frances Barber, Grace Dent Mar 20, 2012

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 Margaret Atwood.

Mariella Frostrup looks at the career and life of Dodie Smith Mar 19, 2012

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.

A Good Read: Neil McCormick, Chris Lintott Mar 13, 2012

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.

Open Book Mar 11, 2012

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 Fraser Sampson talks to Mariella about Mapp and Lucia and his new novel Lucia on Holiday.

A Good Read: Deborah Meaden, Eliza Carthy Mar 06, 2012

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.

A Good Read: Brian Sewell, Wendy Cope Feb 28, 2012

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 talks to John Lanchester Feb 26, 2012

Mariella Frostrup presents news and features from the world of books. John Lanchester discusses his latest book Capital.

A Good Read: Martin Stephen, Augustus Casely-Hayford Feb 21, 2012

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.

Open Book: Short Stories Feb 19, 2012

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 makes a great short story.

A Good Read: Eleanor Updale, Andrea Oliver Feb 14, 2012

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.

Open Book: William Boyd Feb 12, 2012

William Boyd discusses his latest novel Waiting for Sunrise. With World War One looming, it embraces a sphere of sex, psychoanalysis, scandal and spies.

A Good Read: Bonnie Greer, Simon Brett Feb 07, 2012

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.

Horror fiction with Helen Dunmore; plus students in literature Jan 29, 2012

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 of new book Noughties and Prof John Bowen discuss whether we have we moved on from toffs, geeks, rebellion and beer.

Woman in Black, debut novels, Kate Williams Jan 22, 2012

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.

Gillian Slovo, Ben Kane, Amazon Publishing Jan 15, 2012

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.

Sue Townsend, online publishing, Samantha Harvey Jan 08, 2012

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.

The Tale of A Tale of Two Cities Dec 29, 2011

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'.

Funniest Book Dec 24, 2011

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.

Open Book: Mini History of Comic Writing - P G Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh Dec 18, 2011

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 winning screenwriter Sir Ronald Harwood to discuss the two comic writing giants of the 20th century - P G Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh. And Gaza through the eyes of a British Palestinian - Selma Dabbagh discusses her debut novel "Out Of It".

Open Book: Jo Brand on Open Book's funniest book, Roy Hattersley on Charles Dickens Dec 11, 2011

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 John Mullan is joined by former politician, writer and Dickens fan Roy Hattersley to discuss the genius of Charles Dickens' comedy. And novelists as critics - how carefully do writers have to proceed when reviewing the work of fellow writers? DJ Taylor, Booker-nominated for his novel Derby Day, and fellow writer and chief book reviewer for Time Magazine. Lev Grossman discuss.

A Good Read: Lucy Worsley, Barbara Stocking Nov 29, 2011

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 18th Century Satire and Readable Books Nov 27, 2011

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.

A Good Read: Rachel Johnson, Martin Kelner Nov 22, 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.

Open Book: Comic writing continued, Sarah Hall Nov 20, 2011

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 to explore the impact of Shakespearean and Restoration comedy on the development of the comic novel. And Sarah Hall, award winning writer of four novels, talks about her first collection of short stories The Beautiful Indifference.

A Good Read: Nerina Pallot and Peter Molyneux Nov 15, 2011

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.

Penelope Lively, Terry Jones, John Sessions Nov 13, 2011

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.

A Good Read: David Morrissey, Trevor Phillips Nov 08, 2011

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 by Evelyn Waugh.

A Good Read: Stephanie Flanders, Roisin McAuley Nov 01, 2011

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.

Victoria Hislop, Asian writers, Roslund and Hellstrom Oct 30, 2011

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 how they work together.

A Good Read: 25 Oct 11: Christopher Frayling, Nikki Bedi Oct 25, 2011

Christopher Frayling and Nikki Bedi talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.

Mariella Frostrup with Margaret Atwood, Helen Simpson and Hari Kunzru Oct 23, 2011

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, writer Hari Kunzru considers whether it lives up to the hype.

A Good Read: 18 Oct 11: Rick Stein, Michael Dobbs Oct 18, 2011

Rick Stein and Michael Dobbs recommend favourite books to presenter Harriett Gilbert.

Mariella Frostrup with Ian Rankin and Don McCullin Oct 16, 2011

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

A Good Read: 11 Oct 11: Mary Beard, Bidisha -Chelt Oct 11, 2011

Classicist Mary Beard and writer Bidisha talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books, at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Rober Harris talks to Mariella Frostrup Oct 09, 2011

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 is the place for new writing and how to find that great first novel.

A Good Read: 04 Oct 11: Michael Morpurgo, Sara Maitland Oct 04, 2011

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: Catch 22 50th anniversary and writers-in-residence Sep 25, 2011

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 Gladstone Library. And literary apps: responding to your feedback on them and looking at what the publishing industry has in store for us in the future.

Open Book: Charles Frazier, travel writing and magic realism Sep 18, 2011

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 and apps. And Lev Grossman and Erin Morgenstern discuss why they felt compelled to write magic literature for adults and how their books differ from traditional children's fantasy novels.

Open Book: Meg Rosoff and Christopher Hope Sep 11, 2011

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 boom in applications for smart phones and what types of literary apps are available.

Open Book: Barry Unsworth and Anita Desai talk to DJ Taylor Aug 28, 2011

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 presents Open Book Aug 21, 2011

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 passion for Petersburg, a strange and wonderful book by the Russian writer Andrei Bely, set in the city of the same name.

Dreda Say Mitchell talks to Ruth Rendall, Martyn Waites and Michael Carlson Aug 14, 2011

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 From Brazil.

Open Book: Final part of the history of women's writing Jul 31, 2011

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 is feminism a concept which young female novelists consider central to their work? The programme also asks whether the literary establishment itself is suffering from gender bias.

A Good Read: 26 Jul 11: Xanthe Clay, Alexander Waugh Jul 26, 2011

Harriett Gilbert talks to Alexander Waugh and Xanthe Clay about their favourite books.

Open Book: A Book Of One's Own Part 3 & Crime fiction: too gory? Jul 24, 2011

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 the genre has become too gory.

A Good Read: 19 Jul 11: Raymond Tallis, Allegra Stratton Jul 19, 2011

Harriett Gilbert talks to Raymond Tallis and Allegra Stratton about their favourite books.

Open Book: Al Murray on Thackeray, A Book Of One's Own - 2 Jul 17, 2011

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 Al Murray tells us about his great, great, great grandfather and why Vanity Fair is still as relevant today as it was when it was first written in 1848.

A Good Read: 12 Jul 11: Juliet Barker, John O'Farrell Jul 12, 2011

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.

Open Book: A history of women's writing, Ross Raisin Jul 10, 2011

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 the suffrage movement with the aid of Shirley Williams - daughter of the iconic feminist author Vera Brittain - and asks why the names of so many groundbreaking suffrage writers have been erased from our literary history. Also, Ross Raisin, author of God's Own Country, discusses his new book Waterline.

A Good Read: 05 Jul 11: Fay Weldon, Louise Welsh Jul 05, 2011

Fay Weldon and Louise Welsh talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.

A Good Read 28 Jun 11: Simon Evans, Hardeep Singh Kohli Jun 28, 2011

Broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli and comedian Simon Evans talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.

A Good Read: 21 Jun 11: Fleur Adcock, Laura Solon Jun 27, 2011

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.

Open Book: John Banville, novels about artworks and e-books & the short story Jun 24, 2011

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 look at the implications of writing books about iconic pieces of art.

Open Book: Margaret Drabble, Helen Oyeyemi and Beach Reads Jun 17, 2011

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 re-telling of the Bluebeard tale.

A Good Read: Bill Paterson, Dea Birkett Jun 14, 2011

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.

Open Book: Amitav Ghosh and Alexander Baron Jun 10, 2011

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 a phoenix from the ashes. And writer and poet Iain Sinclair explains why Alexander Baron, the British novelist of the Second World War, should be rediscovered and re-read.

A Good Read: Chris Smith, Mavis Cheek Jun 07, 2011

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 novel about a disturbed child.

A Good Read: James Walton, Lindsey Davis May 31, 2011

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.

Open Book: Hilary Mantel and guests-historical fiction May 29, 2011

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.

Open Book: Frederick Forsyth, Robert Louis Stevenson and the literary salons of Afghanista May 20, 2011

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 work in home-grown literary salons.

Eoin Colfer, John Boyne & Jim Crace May 13, 2011

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 Suzi Feay discuss the way in which long running television drama series have influenced the contemporary novel.

Anne Enright and literary friendships May 06, 2011

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 Dowd following her death from cancer.

Edward St Aubyn Apr 24, 2011

This week Mariella Frostrup is in extended conversation with the novelist Edward St Aubyn. This programme does contain some disturbing content.

Max Hastings on journalism novels & Steve Hely Apr 17, 2011

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'

Jennifer Egan, conflict literature & Reading Clinic Apr 10, 2011

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.

Monica Ali, libraries & Woolf Mar 25, 2011

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.

Will Self, dead lovers and comic novels Mar 18, 2011

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.

Justin Cartwright, Juliet Stevenson Mar 11, 2011

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.

Alan Bennett reads Untold Stories Mar 04, 2011

A bonus download: Alan Bennett reads an extract from his diaries in Untold Stories.

Agent Zigzag Mar 04, 2011

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 Fine Balance Mar 03, 2011

A bonus download: an extract from Rohinton Mistry's novel A Fine Balance, read by Lyndham Gregory.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mar 03, 2011

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.

Kim Edwards & Sybille Bedford Feb 27, 2011

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.

Sarah Winman & New Authors Feb 20, 2011

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.

Hanif Kureishi; Heroines; and technology Feb 13, 2011

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.

Sebastian Faulks; Michael Arditti; and Frontier Fiction Jan 30, 2011

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.

Paul Torday, Jay Parini, Sue Arnold Jan 21, 2011

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 re-created in his new novel.

Alistair Campbell, AS Byatt and Carol Birch Jan 14, 2011

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.

Michael Cunningham and Joanna Trollope Jan 13, 2011

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 Joanna Trollope on the radio adaptation of Miss MacKenzie, her choice of Open Book Neglected Classic.

Barry Humphries Jan 04, 2011

Barry Humphries talks to Mariella Frostrup about five of his favourite books.

Rose Tremain, Sunjeev Sahota and highlights of the year Dec 17, 2010

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.

12.12.10 Dec 12, 2010

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.

King Arthur, Philip Kerr & Paul Bailey Nov 28, 2010

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

21.11.10 Nov 19, 2010

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.

14.11.2010 Nov 14, 2010

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.

Amanda Foreman, Dr Zhivago & Gunter Grass's memoirs Oct 29, 2010

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.

Paul Auster, Richard Maybey and reading out loud Oct 24, 2010

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.

17.10.10 Oct 17, 2010

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 and Tim Lott to explore how depression has been portrayed in fiction. Plus, she finds out what shapes the decision to bring a book back into print, following a query on the subject from an Open Book listener.

The Cheltenham Literary Festival Oct 12, 2010

Mariella Frostrup talks to Salman Rushdie, James Ellroy and in his 50th year of writing, Alan Garner.

26.09.10 Sep 26, 2010

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. Also, Paris viewed from the margins - novelists Alex Miller and Julie Orringer share their experiences of setting novels in Paris with emigres as the lead protagonists.

19/09/2010 Sep 17, 2010

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.

12 Sep 2010 Sep 16, 2010

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.

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