Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Jojo Moyes , live at Hay Festival . Jojo started her career as a journalist before publishing her debut novel, "Sheltering Rain" , in 2002. Jojo's subsequent books - which include "Me Before You" , "After You" , "Still Me" , "The Giver of Stars" and "Someone Else's Shoes" - have been translated into 46 languages and sold some 60 million copies worldwide. In 2016 Jojo adapted "Me Before You" into a film that grossed more than $200 million at the global box...
Jun 24, 2025•59 min
Simon and Rachel speak to the journalist and author Ben Macintyre . Ben is the bestselling author of books including "A Spy Among Friends" , "Agent Sonya", "Agent Zigzag" , "Colditz", "Operation Mincemeat", "SAS: Rogue Heroes" and "The Spy and the Traitor" . He is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times , and has worked as the newspaper's correspondent in New York, Paris and Washington. Several of his books have been made into films and television series, including " Operation Mincemeat " ...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and journalist Diana Evans . Born and brought up in London and Lagos, Diana started her career as a journalist. She has written for publications including the Guardian, Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Review of Books, Time and Vogue. After she completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Diana published her debut novel, “26a” , in 2005; the book won the inaugural Orange Award for New Writers and was shortlisted for the Whitbread First...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Andrew O'Hagan. Born in Glasgow, Andrew is the author of seven novels – including " Be Near Me ", "Mayflies" and " Caledonian Road " – and three books of non-fiction: "The Missing", " The Atlantic Ocean " and "The Secret Life". He is editor at large at the London Review of Books and has written over 150 pieces for the publication , starting with a Diary in 1993 about James Bulger’s murder and the cruelty of children to other children....
May 13, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Dani Shapiro . Dani is the author of 11 books; her memoirs include "Slow Motion" , "Devotion" , "Still Writing" and "Hourglass" . "Inheritance" , about the secret that had been hidden from Dani by her parents for more than 50 years, was a bestseller. Dani has also written novels including "Black & White" , "Family History" and "Signal Fires" ; the latter was named a best book of 2022 by NPR, Time magazine and the Washington Post ,...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Simon and Rachel speak with Joshi Herrmann , the founder of local journalism startup Mill Media . Joshi founded The Mill, a newsletter covering Greater Manchester, as a one-man band in June 2020. The company now has staff writers and editors across six British cities: Manchester , Glasgow , Birmingham, Liverpool , Sheffield and London . Mill Media is known for deeply reported long reads and its paid newsletter model; it is read by more than 150,000 email subscribers. The company has...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Nnedi Okorafor . Nnedi is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults and children; her best-known titles include the "Binti" trilogy , "Lagoon" , the "Nsibidi Script" series and "Who Fears Death" . Nnedi has won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature as well as the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus and Lodestar awards. Several of her books are currently being adapted for TV. We spoke to Nnedi about the hospital stay that led...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Ben Okri . Born in Minna, Nigeria, Ben came to England as a child. He attended school in London before returning to Africa with his parents on the eve of the Nigerian Civil War. He came once more to the UK in 1978 and studied at Essex University. Two years later he published his first novel "Flowers and Shadows". A second, "The Landscapes Within", appeared two years afterwards, before two collections of short stories in 1986 and 1988. In 1991 his novel "The...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Rachel and Simon speak to the author and academic Clair Wills. She is the Regius Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge and the author of several non-fiction books. "That Neutral Island: A History of Ireland During the Second World War" , published in 2007, won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman History Prize; "Lovers and Strangers: An Immigrant History of Post-War Britain" (2017) won the Irish Times International Non-Fiction Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Orwell ...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Tim Winton . Widely considered one of the greatest living Australian writers, Tim has written 13 novels; his work has been translated into 28 languages. Since his first novel, " An Open Swimmer ", won The Australian /Vogel Literary Award in 1981, he has also won the Miles Franklin Literary Award - the most prestigious prize for Australian writing - four times, for "Shallows", "Cloudstreet", " Dirt Music " and "Breath". Tim, who lives in Western Australia,...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Rachel and Simon speak with the journalist and author Hannah Barnes . Hannah worked at the BBC for 15 years, specialising in investigative journalism for both television and radio. Prior to joining the "Newsnight" team in 2016, she was a daily editor on the "Today" programme on Radio 4. In 2023 Hannah published "Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock's Gender Service for Children" ; the book was quoted in parliament, became a Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted ...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Simon and Rachel speak with journalist and author Michael Lewis . Michael grew up in New Orleans and in the 1980s he worked on Wall Street. His first book " Liar's Poker " (1989) relates his experience at the investment bank Salomon Brothers. His subsequent books include " Moneyball " (2003), ostensibly about baseball but also about the way markets value people, " The Blind Side " (2006) about a black teenager taken in by a white evangelical family who becomes an American football player, and " ...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent Clare Alexander . For the first portion of her career she worked in publishing, starting out in 1973 in the rights department at Penguin; after stints at Hamish Hamilton and Viking she became editor-in-chief of Macmillan and Picador. Clare published first novels by Helen Dunmore, Alex Garland, Amitav Ghosh, Haruki Murakami and Donna Tartt. In 1995, while at Viking, she was the editor of the winners of the Booker Prize, the Orange Prize (now the Wome...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Simon and Rachel speak to the author and lawyer Philippe Sands . He is the author of books including " East West Street ", which won the Baillie Gifford prize in 2016 and the British Book Awards Non-Fiction Book of the Year in 2017, and "The Ratline" in 2020. His latest book is " The Last Colony " (2022). Philippe's work has been translated into more than 30 languages. In parallel to his writing career, Philippe is Professor of the Public Understanding of Law at University College London and a p...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Rachel and Simon speak to the journalist and author Reni Eddo-Lodge . She started blogging and writing journalism while a student; one post, published in 2014 and called “Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race” eventually led to a book of the same name in 2017 . The book won the Jhalak Prize as well as a British Book Award for Narrative Non-Fiction. In 2020, amid the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, “Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race” topped Britain's bestselle...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr
For the 200th episode of Always Take Notes Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Frederick Forsyth . He began his career in the Royal Air Force in 1956, before leaving to pursue journalism. Frederick worked for Reuters, the BBC, and as a freelancer; part of his early career was spent covering French affairs, including the attempted assassination of Charles de Gaulle . That provided the inspiration for " The Day of the Jackal ", his first novel, which was published in 1971. Frederick's subsequ...
Nov 26, 2024•55 min
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Paula Hawkins . Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989. She worked as a journalist for 15 years, reporting on business and personal finance. Her first book, "The Money Goddess", a financial guide for women, was released in 2006. She turned to fiction in 2009, publishing "Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista" under a pseudonym, Amy Silver. Several Silver books followed until Paula published "The Girl on the Train" , a thriller, ...
Nov 12, 2024•56 min
Simon and Rachel speak to Richard Dawkin s , an evolutionary biologist and bestselling science writer. His first book, " The Selfish Gene ", published in 1976, has sold over a million copies and been translated into more than 25 languages. Other titles include "The Ancestor’s Tale", " The Blind Watchmaker " and " The God Delusion ". The latter book, published in 2006, espoused the criticism of religion for which Richard is well known. From 1995 to 2008 he was the Charles Simonyi Professor of the...
Oct 29, 2024•55 min
Rachel and Simon speak to Eleanor Moran, a television producer and novelist. Eleanor started her career at the BBC as a script editor before becoming an executive producer; she has worked on shows including "Watership Down" , "The Girl Before" and "The Flatshare" . She balances her work in television alongside writing fiction. Eleanor published her debut novel, "Stick Or Twist" , in 2009, followed by five more under own name; in 2022 she began publishing domestic noir under the pseudonym Kate Ru...
Oct 15, 2024•50 min
Simon and Rachel speak to Robert Harris , the bestselling historical novelist. Robert worked as a journalist, and wrote several non-fiction books, before his first novel, " Fatherland ", which imagines a world in which Germany won the Second World War, was published in 1992. He has subsequently written 15 other novels: including the Cicero Trilogy - "Imperium", "Lustrum" and "Dictator" - "Enigma", " An Officer and a Spy " - which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fi...
Oct 01, 2024•59 min
Rachel and Simon speak to Carissa Broadbent , author of the "Crowns of Nyaxia" and "War of Lost Hearts" series. Before turning to writing, Carissa worked in marketing. Her early books were self-published and became a sensation on social media, particularly TikTok , where videos about her work attract millions of views. " The Serpent and the Wings of Night ", the first book in the "Crowns of Nyaxia" series - a tale of "heart-wrenching romance, dark magic and bloodthirsty intrigue" - was a New Yor...
Sep 17, 2024•59 min
Simon and Rachel speak to Kevin Barry , a novelist and short-story writer. Kevin is the author of four novels and three story collections. His awards include the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Goldsmiths Prize , the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. His stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker , Granta and elsewhere. His novel, " Night Boat to Tangier ", was a number-one bestseller in Ireland, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and named o...
Sep 03, 2024•57 min
Rachel and Simon speak to Abi Morgan, a screenwriter and playwright. Abi earned her first professional stage credit in 1998 with "Skinned"; since then she has written plays including "Tender", "Fugee", "27" and "The Mistress Contract", which have been performed at the Hampstead Theatre, the National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Court. Her work for television includes "Birdsong" , "The Split" and "Eric" (which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and is streaming on Netflix). Abi...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Harlan Coben . Harlan's suspense novels are published in 46 languages and have been number-one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with 80 million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series , centred on a basketball player turned agent, has earned the Edgar, Shamus and Anthony Awards. Several of his books have been developed into Netflix original series , including "Fool Me Once", "The Stranger", "The Innocent", "Gone for Good", "The Woods",...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Rachel and Simon speak to the non-fiction author and novelist Anna Funder. After training as an international human-rights lawyer in Australia, Anna moved to Germany and published "Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall" in 2003; the book won the Samuel Johnson Prize (now known as the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction). Her debut novel, "All That I Am" , followed in 2011. It fictionalised the true story of a group of friends who fled the Nazi regime for London in the early 1930s. The...
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this episode Simon and Rachel speak with Toby Mundy , the CEO of the UK office of the international literary agency Aevitas Creative Management , and executive director of the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction . Toby has worked in the publishing industry for more than three decades. After starting his career at HarperCollins he founded Atlantic Books in 2000. During his tenure, Atlantic Books won Independent Publisher of the Year and Imprint of the Year at the British Book Awards and achi...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr
Rachel and Simon speak with the non-fiction author Naomi Klein . Her debut book, "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies" , sold more than 1m copies after its publication in 1999; her follow-up, "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" (2007), also reached the top of the New York Times bestseller charts. She has written extensively about the climate, including in books such as "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate" and "On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New De...
Jun 25, 2024•57 min
Simon and Rachel speak with Hugo Rifkind , a journalist who has just published his second novel, "Rabbits". Born and raised in Edinburgh, Hugo studied philosophy at university. He has formerly been a columnist for the Spectator , GQ and the Herald, and is now a columnist, critic and leader writer for the Times and a presenter on Times Radio , as well as a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s comedy show "The News Quiz" . Hugo's first novel, " Overexposure ", a satire of celebrity culture, was publ...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Rachel and Simon speak with Pari Thomson, editorial director for picture books at Bloomsbury and also a children's author. After an international childhood, Paris studied English at university; she began her career with stints at a literary agency, as a bookseller at Waterstones and as a manuscript reader. She joined Bloomsbury in 2016 and now commissions children's picture books. In 2023 Macmillan published her debut novel, "Greenwild: The World Behind the Door" , a fantasy adventure inspired b...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and non-fiction writer Hisham Matar . Born in New York to Libyan parents, Hisham spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo and has lived most of his life in London. He is the author of the novels " In the Country of Men ", which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and "Anatomy of a Disappearance", as well as two memoirs: " The Return ", which was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize in 2017, the PEN/Jean Stein Award, and the Rathbones Folio Prize, and "...
May 14, 2024•52 min
