Simon Mayo's Books of the Year

Latest Episodes:

Claire Powell: At The Table Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

'At the Table is a hugely intelligent, emotionally astute novel about family dynamics, and Claire Powell is an incredible new talent' Marian Keyes 'I hate the artwork on my kitchen wall' Matt Williams Set in 2018, Claire Powell's beautifully observed debut novel follows each member of the Maguire family over a tumultuous year of lunches, dinners and drinks, as old conflicts arise and relationships are re-evaluated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Q&A with Justin Webb: The Gift Of A Radio Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

The host of Radio 4's flagship Today programme chats about some of his favourite books which include Landslide, Stig of the Dump, Light Perpetual and Knights of the Cardboard Castle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justin Webb: The Gift Of A Radio Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Simon and Matt chat to presenter and journalist Justin Webb. He has been a mainstay on BBC Radio 4's Today programme since 2009. His childhood was far from ordinary. Between his mother's un-diagnosed psychological problems, and his step-father's untreated ones, life at home was dysfunctional at best. But with gun-wielding school masters and sub-standard living conditions, Quaker boarding school wasn't much better. And the backdrop to this coming of age story? Britain in the 1970s. Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and Free. Strikes, inflation and IRA bombings. A time in which attitudes towards mental illness, parenting and masculinity were worlds apart from the attitudes we have today. A society that believed itself to be close to the edge of breakdown. Candid, unsparing and darkly funny, Justin Webb's memoir is a portrait of personal and national dysfunction. So was it the brutal experiences of his upbringing, or an innate ambition and drive that somehow survived them, that shaped the urbane and successful radio presenter we know and love now? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Q&A with Jo Browning Wroe: A Terrible Kindness Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Simon and Matt chat to debut author Jo Browning Wroe about the books and authors she loves...including John Irving, Joanna Glen, Susanna Clarke and Maggie O'Farrell. Plus tips on how to squeeze extra reading time in to your day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jo Browning Wroe: A Terrible Kindness Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Simon and Matt chat to debut author Jo Browning Wroe. Her book, although beginning with a terrible real life tragedy, is an inspiring, uplifting read. Among other things, they chat about the embalming process, choral music and the cost of using famous lyrics in print. Tonight nineteen-year-old William Lavery is dressed for success, his first black-tie do. It's the Midlands Chapter of the Institute of Embalmers Ladies' Night Dinner Dance, and William is taking Gloria in her sequinned evening gown. He can barely believe his luck. But as the guests sip their drinks and smoke their post-dinner cigarettes a telegram delivers news of a tragedy. An event so terrible it will shake the nation. It is October 1966 and a landslide at a coal mine has buried a school: Aberfan. William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job, and will be - although he's yet to know it - a choice that threatens to sacrifice his own happiness. His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to bury. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because - as William discovers - giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Q&A with Ed Caesar: The Moth and the Mountain Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

Ed recommends a variety of books including those by Hugh Ruttledge, Sam Knight, JB Priestley, Kingsley Amis and Cheeta! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Caesar: The Moth & the Mountain Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

Ed tells the amazing story of Maurice Wilson, who planned to be the first person to scale Everest. His plan was to crash a plane in to it! What could possibly go wrong? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Q&A with John Boyne (The Echo Chamber) Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

The multi million best selling author talks us through some of his favourite books and authors which include Joseph Knox, CS Lewis, Peter Caren and John Irving Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Boyne (The Echo Chamber) Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

John Boyne returns to the pod for his hat-trick appearance. He has written 13 novels for for adults, 6 novels for younger readers, and a short story collection, including The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas which was a New York Times no.1 Bestseller and was adapted for a feature film, a play, a ballet and an opera, selling around 11 million copies worldwide. As of 2021, it has spent 15 years in the New York Times Top 10 Bestsellers Chart. His latest novel The Echo Chamber looks at the effects of social media. "To err is maybe to be human but to really foul things up you only need a phone." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Q&A with Ragnar Jonasson Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

One of the world's great crime writers takes our Q&A about his favourite books and authors...which include Ian Rankin, PD James and Agatha Christie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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