Books and Authors - podcast cover

Books and Authors

BBC Radio 4•www.bbc.co.uk
Society & Culture
Books
Society & culture

This podcast features Open Book and A Good Read. Open Book talks to authors about their work. In A Good Read Harriett Gilbert discusses favourite books.

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Episodes

A Good Read: Inua Ellams and Ted Hodgkinson

WHEN WE CEASE TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD by Benjamin Labatut (translated by Adrian Nathan West), chosen by Ted Hodgkinson ENTER GHOST by Isabella Hammad, chosen by Inua Ellams GHOSTING: A DOUBLE LIFE by Jennie Erdal, chosen by Harriett Gilbert As Head of Literature and Spoken Word-programming at the Southbank Centre in London, writers and writing are at the heart of Ted Hodgkinson's work. In 2020 he chaired the judging panel of the International Booker Prize and he has judged many other awards, inc...

Mar 03, 2025•28 min

A Good Read: Julia Bradbury and Ramita Navai

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, chosen by Julia Bradbury A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, chosen by Ramita Navai An Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilbert TV presenter, author and walking enthusiast Julia Bradbury recommends a fiction book by Matt Haig, How to Stop Time, which brings to life the idea of living forever. Award-winning British-Iranian investigative journalist, documentary maker and author Ramita Navai shares the epic novel A Fine Balance by Ro...

Feb 24, 2025•28 min

A Good Read: Joe Dunthorne and Iszi Lawrence

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind, translated by John E. Woods, chosen by Iszi Lawrence Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles, chosen by Joe Dunthorne Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilbert Historical fiction author and broadcaster Iszi Lawrence adores the sensational novel Perfume, and has done since she was a teenager. For her, it immerses her in another world and is wonderfully cynical about the futility of chasing ultimate fulfilment through creat...

Feb 17, 2025•28 min

A Good Read: Professor Ben Garrod and Lucy Jones

A PRIMATE'S MEMOIR (Love, Death and Baboons) by Robert Sapolsky, chosen by Professor Ben Garrod SOLDIER SAILOR by Claire Kilroy, chosen by Harriett Gilbert THE ABUNDANCE by Annie Dillard, chosen by Lucy Jones Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod (Professor at the University of East Anglia) chooses a book which he's read and gifted countless times, a book which inspired him to go out in the field and study chimpanzees himself: A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky. Robert is one of the leading prima...

Dec 02, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Sir Ian Blatchford and Charles Fernyhough

TOKYO EXPRESS by Seichō Matsumoto, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, chosen by Sir Ian Blatchford THE LETTERS OF ABELARD AND HELOISE, translated by Betty Radice, chosen by Charles Fernyhough SOLDIERS OF SALAMIS by Javier Cercas, translated by Anne McLean, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Director of the Science Museum group and president of the Royal Literary Fund, Sir Ian Blatchford, chooses a cult classic from 1958 for his good read. A double love suicide wrapped up in suspicious government corruption a...

Nov 25, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Naomi Alderman and Abi Dare

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 c...

Nov 18, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Jenny Kleeman and Sam Knight

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'...

Nov 11, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Nihal Arthanayake and Elif Shafak

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 conver...

Nov 04, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Tim Spector and Tatty Macleod

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 Jeffre...

Oct 28, 2024•28 min

Books to Read and Re-Read

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 o...

Oct 27, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Fee Mak and Ali Woods

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, followin...

Oct 21, 2024•28 min

Alan Hollinghurst

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

Sep 29, 2024•28 min

Rachel Kushner

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

Sep 22, 2024•28 min

Matt Haig

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

Sep 15, 2024•28 min

Graham Norton

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

Sep 08, 2024•28 min

Elif Shafak

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

Aug 25, 2024•28 min

Lauren Elkin

Lauren Elkin, Michèle Roberts and Maria Balshaw

Aug 11, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Rachel Parris and Sonali Shah

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 t...

Jul 29, 2024•27 min

Benjamin Myers

Benjamin Myers, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Claire Kohda

Jul 28, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Sarah Phelps and Irenosen Okojie

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. Nove...

Jul 22, 2024•28 min

Irenosen Okojie

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

Jul 21, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Helen Lederer and Ilaria Bernardini

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...

Jul 15, 2024•28 min

Garth Risk Hallberg

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

Jul 14, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Gyles Brandreth and Hannah Critchlow

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 f...

Jul 08, 2024•28 min

A Good Read: Sebastian Faulks and Tessa Hadley

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 da...

Jul 01, 2024•28 min