A Good Read - podcast cover

A Good Read

BBC Radio 4www.bbc.co.uk

Find reading inspiration with favourite books chosen by our guests.

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Episodes

Julian Rhind-Tutt and Steve Oram

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - actors, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Steve Oram - discuss favourite books by Annie Proulx, John Steinbeck and Martin Amis. Close Range: Brokeback Mountain and Other Stories by Annie Proulx Publisher: Harper Perennials Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Publisher: Penguin Experience by Martin Amis Publisher: Vintage First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2014.

Jul 15, 201428 min

Al Murray and Tarek Osman

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - comedian Al Murray, aka The Pub Landlord, and Egyptian political economist, Tarek Osman - discuss their favourite books by Naguib Mahfouz, Philip Roth and Joseph Heller. Children of The Alley by Naguib Mahfouz Publisher: Doubleday US Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Publisher: Vintage Everyman by Philip Roth Publisher: Vintage First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.

Jul 08, 201428 min

Edwina Currie and Nicholas Le Prevost

Harriett Gilbert and her guest - former MP, Edwina Currie and actor, Nicholas Le Provost - discuss their favourite books by Beryl Bainbridge, Dorothy Whipple and Azar Nafisi. 'An Awfully Big Adventure’ by Beryl Bainbridge. Publisher: Abacus ‘The Priory’ by Dorothy Whipple. Publisher: Persephone Books ‘Lolita in Tehran’ by Azar Nafisi. Publisher: Harper Perennial First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2014.

Jul 01, 201428 min

India Knight and Alvin Hall

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - journalist and author India Knight and financial adviser Alvin Hall - discuss favourite books by Barbara Pym, Rebecca Skloot and Boris Akunin. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym Publisher: Virago The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Publisher: Pan Macmillan The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin Publisher: Orion First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014.

Jun 24, 201428 min

Fay Weldon and Hans Ulrich Obrist

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - author, Fay Weldon and Serpentine Galleries curator, Hans Ulrich Obrist - discuss favourite books by Etel Adnan, Gabriel Gbadamosi, RL Stevenson. Sitt Marie Rose by Etel Adnan Publisher: Post Apollo Press Vauxhall by Gabriel Gbadamosi Publisher: Telegram Books Treasure Island by RL Stevenson Publisher: Penguin First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014.

Jun 17, 201428 min

Roger Michell and Aminatta Forna

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - Notting Hill film director, Roger Michell and writer, Aminatta Forna - discuss favourite books by Laura Alcoba, Mark Twain and Robert Graves. The Rabbit House by Laura Alcoba Publisher: Portobello Books The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Publisher: Collins Classics Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves Publisher: Penguin First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014.

Jun 10, 201428 min

Aasmah Mir & Pete Brown at Bristol Food Connections Festival

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - broadcaster, Aasmah Mir and beer writer, Pete Brown - discuss great food books by Mohsin Hamid, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and John Lanchester. Recorded with an audience at the Bristol Food Connections Festival. Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid Publisher: Penguin The Physiology of Taste by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin Publisher: Everyman The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester Publisher: Picador First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014....

Jun 03, 201428 min

Annie Mac and Kathy Lette

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - DJ Annie Mac and author Kathy Lette - discuss their favourite books by John Green, WM Thackeray and Penelope Fitzgerald. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green Publisher: Penguin Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald Publisher: Fourth Estate First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.

Mar 25, 201428 min

Julie Burchill and Fred MacAulay

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - writer, Julie Burchill and broadcaster, Fred MacAulay - discuss their favourite books by Harriet Lane, JD Salinger and Elmore Leonard. Alys, Always by Harriet Lane Publisher: Phoenix Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger Publisher: Penguin Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard Publisher: Phoenix First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.

Mar 18, 201428 min

Lorraine Kelly and Romesh Gunesekera

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - TV presenter, Lorraine Kelly and writer, Romesh Gunesekera - discuss their favourite books by Jack Kerouac, George Mackay Brown and Molly Keane. On the Road by Jack Kerouac Publisher: Penguin Greenvoe by George Mackay Brown Publisher: Polygon Good Behaviour by Molly Keane Publisher: Virago First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.

Mar 11, 201428 min

Penelope Lively and Will Smith

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - novelist, Dame Penelope Lively and comedy writer, Will Smith - discuss their favourite books by John Kennedy Toole, Barry Lopez and Kingsley Amis. ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’ by John Kennedy Toole Publisher: Penguin ‘Arctic Dreams’ by Barry Lopez Publisher: Penguin ‘Lucky Jim’ by Kingsley Amis Publisher: Harvill First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.

Mar 04, 201428 min

Andrew Maxwell and Kamila Shamsie

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - Irish stand-up comedian, Andrew Maxwell and Pakistani writer, Kamila Shamsie - discuss their favourite books by Doris Lessing, Anita Desai and John Steinbeck. Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai Publisher: Vintage Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck Publisher: Penguin In Pursuit of the English by Doris Lessing Publisher: Fourth Estate First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.

Feb 25, 201428 min

Tracy-Ann Oberman and Richard Herring

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - comedian Richard Herring and actor Tracy-Ann Oberman - discuss their favourite books by Jack Womack, Rupert Everett and Kurt Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut Publisher: Vintage Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack Publisher: Gollancz Vanished Years by Rupert Everett Publisher: Abacus First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.

Feb 18, 201428 min

Daniel Finkelstein and Jill Paton Walsh

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - journalist, Daniel Finkelstein, Baron Finkelstein of Pinner, and writer, Jill Paton Walsh - discuss their favourite books by Robert Cialdini, Michael J Sandel and Roddy Doyle. Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B Cialdini Publisher: Collins Business What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets by Michael J Sandel Publisher: Penguin The Van by Roddy Doyle Publisher: Vintage First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014....

Feb 11, 201428 min

Lord Mervyn King and Arabella Weir

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - former Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King and comic actor and writer, Arabella Weir - discuss their favourite books by Machiavelli, Jon Canter and Eric Newby. The Prince by Machiavelli Publisher: Penguin A Short Gentleman by Jon Canter Publisher: Vintage Love and War in the Apennines by Eric Newby Publisher: HarperCollins First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.

Feb 04, 201428 min

Fern Britton and Katherine Grainger

TV presenter and novelist Fern Britton and Olympic gold medallist rower Katherine Grainger join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books by Harper Lee, Susan Hill and Alan Bennett. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Publisher: Arrow The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill Publisher: Vintage The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett Publisher: Profile Books and Faber & Faber First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.

Dec 03, 201328 min

Mark Ravenhill and DJ Nihal

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - playwright, Mark Ravenhill and DJ, Nihal Arthanayake - discuss favourite books by James Ellroy, Nadine Gordimer and Wolfgang von Goethe. Elective Affinities by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Publisher: Oxford World Classics American Tabloid by James Ellroy Publisher: Windmill Books July's People by Nadine Gordimer Publisher: Bloomsbury First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.

Nov 26, 201328 min

Michael Dobbs and Katie Puckrik

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - author, Michael Dobbs and broadcaster, Katie Puckrik - discuss favourite books by Kevin Myers, Jennifer Egan and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Watching the Door - Cheating Death in 1970s Belfast by Kevin Myers Publisher: Atlantic A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Publisher: Corsair Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Publisher: Penguin First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.

Nov 19, 201328 min

Kate Silverton and Johnnie Walker

Harriett Gilbert. and her guests - BBC Radio 2 presenter, Johnnie Walker and BBC newsreader, Kate Silverton talk about their favourite books by Robert M Pirsig, Georgina Howell and Barbara Pym. Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig Publisher: Vintage Daughter of the Desert - the Remarkable Life of Gertrude Bell by Georgina Howell Publisher: Pan MacMillan Excellent Women by Barbara Pym Publisher: Virago First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013....

Nov 12, 201328 min

John Inverdale and Rachel Cook

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - broadcaster, John Inverdale and journalist, Rachel Cooke - discuss favourite books by Jan Morris, George Orwell and Meg Wolitzer. Coronation Everest by Jan Morris Publisher: Faber and Faber The Wife by Meg Wolitzer Publisher: Vintage Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell Publisher: Penguin Classics First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.

Nov 05, 201328 min

Eve Pollard and Julie Bindell

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - journalists Eve Pollard and Julie Bindel - talk about their favourite books by Richard Ford, Chinua Achebe and David Sedaris. Canada by Richard Ford Publisher: Bloomsbury Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Publisher: Penguin Modern Classics Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris Publisher: Abacus First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.

Oct 29, 201328 min

Brendan O'Neill and Gabriel Gbadamosi

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - former editor of Spiked, Brendan O'Neill, and writer Gabriel Gbadamosi - discuss their favourite books by Graham Greene, Tarjei Vesaas and Michael Dibdin. Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene Publisher: Vintage The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas Publisher: Peter Owen The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin Publisher: Faber First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.

Oct 22, 201328 min

Arlene Phillips and Jocelyn Jee Esien

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - choreographer, Arlene Phillips and comedian and actress, Jocelyn Jee Esien - discuss their favourite books by Deborah Moggach, Robyn Travis and William Maxwell. Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach Publisher: Chatto & Windus Prisoner to the Streets by Robyn Travis Publisher: XPress Books So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell Publisher: Vintage First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.

Oct 15, 201328 min

Alex Polizzi and Peter Robinson

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - TV's Hotel Inspector, Alex Polizzi, and DCI Banks crime novels author, Peter Robinson - discuss their favourite books by Jonathan Lethem, JL Carr and Dodie Smith. Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem Published by Faber and Faber A Month in The Country by JL Carr Published by Penguin I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith Published by Vintage First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.

Oct 08, 201328 min

Lynne Truss and Diran Adebayo

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - writers Lynne Truss and Diran Adebayo discuss their favourite books by Paul Theroux, Nick Barlay and Michael Ondaatje Sir Vidia's Shadow: A Friendship Across Five Continents by Paul Theroux Publisher: Penguin Hooky Gear by Nick Barlay Publisher: Sceptre Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje Publisher: Bloomsbury First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.

Jul 30, 201328 min

Meera Syal and Stephen Grosz

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - actor and writer, Meera Syal and psychoanalyst and author, Stephen Grosz - discuss favourite books by Anton Chekov, Katherine Boo and Agatha Christie. The Lady With the Little Dog and Other Stories (1896-1904) by Anton Chekhov Publisher: Penguin Classics Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Slum by Katherine Boo Published: Portobello Books The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie Publisher: HarperCollins First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in Jul...

Jul 23, 201328 min

Ricky Ross and Tom Heap

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - Deacon Blue frontman Ricky Ross and Countryfile reporter Tom Heap - discuss favourite books by Philip Kerr, Ron Ferguson and Elizabeth Taylor. March Violets by Philip Kerr (this edition is part of the Omnibus called Berlin Noir) Publisher: Penguin Mole Under the Fence: Conversations with Roland Wallis by Ron Ferguson with Mark Chater Publisher: Saint Andrew Press Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor Publisher: Virago First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in...

Jul 22, 201328 min

Jacqueline Wilson and Richard Osman

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - children's author, Dame Jacqueline Wilson and TV presenter Richard Osman - discuss their favourite books by Michael Frayn, Shena MacKay and Per Petterson. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson Publisher: Vintage Towards the End of the Morning by Michael Frayn Publisher: Faber and Faber The Orchard on Fire by Shena MacKay Publisher: Vintage First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.

Jul 09, 201328 min

Sarah Hall and Owen Jones

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - writer Owen Jones and novelist Sarah Hall - discuss their favourite books by Robert Swindells, James Salter and Geoffrey Household. Burning the Days by James Salter Publisher: Picador Brother in the Land by Robert Swindells Publisher: Puffin Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household Publisher: Orion First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.

Jul 02, 201328 min

Colin Murray and Bob Mills

Harriett Gilbert and her guests - sports presenter, Colin Murray and comedian, Bob Mills - discuss their favourite books by Richard Brautigan, Georgette Heyer and Kazuo Ishiguro. In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan Publisher: Vintage These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer Publisher: Arrow Books An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro Publisher: Faber First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2013.

Jun 25, 201328 min
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