This week we are incredibly excited to bring you a writing legend and, dare we say, international treasure to the podcast. It's Cecelia Ahern ! Cecelia is the author of 19 books, that have sold 25 million copies in 30 languages, including PS I Love You, Where Rainbows End, The Time of My Life, How To Fall in Love, The Year I Met You, Flawed, Perfect, Lyrebird, ROAR, Postscript and Freckles. Her latest is the eagerly anticipated In a Thousand Different Ways . We talked to her about crime favourit...
Apr 10, 2023•51 min•Season 12Ep. 130
This week, we are delighted to present a very funny, thoughtful and free-flowing conversation with a very old friend of the podcast, Nell Frizzell ! We've been dreaming of having Nell appear on the show since it began, so we're delighted to finally get the chance to chat. Nell is an author, journalist and podcaster. Her first novel was the hilarious Square One, while her first book, The Panic Years, dealt with womanhood, motherhood and... panic. Her latest is Holding the Baby, a memoir on parent...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 12Ep. 129
This was so much fun! Get ready for a funny, frank and fulfilling conversation with the brilliant Nikki May ! Nikki's debut novel Wahala was a former Steal of the Week and one of our favourite books in recent times. It's currently being adapted for TV and was recently shortlisted for the CWIP prize. We talked to Nikki about the problems associated with reading as a kid in Lagos, favourite food books, spies, crime and dystopias and what Nikki believes is the perfect book. For your chance to appea...
Mar 27, 2023•56 min•Season 12Ep. 128
She's the writer of one of our favourite novels in recent times and one of the funniest people on the planet, so we are delighted to welcome Sunny author Sukh Ojla to the podcast! As well as being a fabulous novelist, Sukh is a comedian, actor and playwright. Her debut novel Sunny is a joyously funny story of love, loss and heartbreak. We talked to her about 90s cosplay, failing to impress Richard E Grant, books you must (and mustn't) read on holiday and the ongoing genius of Marian Keyes. For y...
Mar 20, 2023•54 min•Season 12Ep. 127
We've got Zott! Or the closest we're going to get until we can convince fictional characters to come onto the podcast. Yes, it's Lessons in Chemistry author Bonnie Garmus ! Bonnie's book, about chemist turned TV cook Elizabeth Zott (and her dog Six-Thirty) has been a huge and already beloved international bestseller, translated into 39 languages and with a TV adaptation in the works. We talked to her about, unsurprisingly, dogs in literature, plus the importance of Harriet the Spy, how science c...
Mar 13, 2023•54 min•Season 12Ep. 126
Hurrah! This week we're featuring an author we've trying to tempt onto the show for ages. It's the brilliant Katherine May ! Katherine is the New York Times-bestselling author of Wintering which has been translated into twenty-five languages around the world, the acclaimed The Electricity of Every Living Thing and her new book Enchantment: Reawakening Wonder in an Exhausted Age . She also hosts the podcast How We Live Now in which Katherine and her guests try to access wonder and joy in a world ...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 125
Happy World Book Day! To celebrate, here's an essay Daisy wrote while working on her Pound Project book Burn Before Reading. It's about the joy and redemption associated with reading. How reading can help us understand each other and overcome difficult times. Why reading should have no rules, no judgement and no boundaries. It's there to be absorbed and relished. Enjoy! You can read the full essay on the You're Booked newsletter. Sign up by heading to: FurtherReading.Substack.com Hosted on Acast...
Mar 02, 2023•9 min
This is such a treat! Prepare for the wise words, dulcet tones and excellent book taste of the great Kevin Wilson ! Kevin is the author of the massive bestseller Nothing to See Here , The Family Fang which was turned into an acclaimed film with Nicole Kidman, the critically lauded novel Perfect Little World and two story collections Tunnelling To the Centre of the Earth and Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine and his latest, the brilliant Now is Not the Time to Panic . We talked to him about his love of ...
Feb 27, 2023•53 min•Season 12Ep. 124
This week we're delighted to bring you an author we've been trying to tempt onto the podcast since day one. Finally, it's Eva Rice ! Eva's wonderful books are mentioned frequently on the show, so we are beyond excited to present this wide-ranging conversation with her. There's a discussion about Eva's wonderful new book This Could be Everything plus the influence of her dad (legendary lyricist Sir Tim Rice) on her writing, Jesus as a teen icon, deep dives into Enid Blyton, some very exciting Jil...
Feb 20, 2023•59 min•Season 12Ep. 123
We are so delighted to bring you this nourishing, fascinating and frequently hilarious conversation with comedian, podcaster, Taskmaster alumnus and now memoirist Fern Brady ! Fern is an acclaimed and celebrated stand-up ( currently on tour around the UK ), co-hosted the BBC podcast Wheel of Misfortune with Alison Spittle and has just released the remarkable memoir Strong Female Character which covers autism, stripping and Catholicism. It's very funny. We talked to Fern about Jean Rhys, her obse...
Feb 13, 2023•50 min•Season 12Ep. 122
We're back! And we can't think of a better way to kick off the new series than a fascinating conversation with one of our favourite authors: Tessa Hadley ! Tessa's books are constantly being discussed on the podcast so it's an absolute honour to finally have her on the show. And what a treat it was! Tessa discusses formative children's books, being shocked by John Updike, possessing a fear of fairy tales and why every teenager needs to read Jane Eyre. For your chance to appear on the podcast, pr...
Feb 06, 2023•58 min•Season 12Ep. 121
We have very special and incredibly exciting news for all You're Booked listeners. Daisy's new book Limelight will be published on June 1st by Sphere . Limelight is a story about sisterhood, sexuality, and self-esteem. It's about how we cope with living in a world which constantly tells us who we are. What happens when we stop listening and start paying attention to who we need to become? You're Booked listeners can be the very first to hear an extract from Daisy's new book and also find out how...
Jan 26, 2023•7 min
Kindle hacks! Reading slump fixes! Cosy reads! And a whole slew of books to look forward to in the new year! Author, book aficionado and YB favourite Sarra Manning joins us to help us with our reading resolutions. Discover the books you'll be snapping up in 2023, a few tips to get you back on the reading path if you've strayed and some excellent advice for those struggling with the classics. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop . Sign up for th...
Jan 01, 2023•50 min•Season 11Ep. 120
Seasons greetings! And we can't think of anything more festive or merry-making than this glorious conversation with lexicographer, author and podcaster Susie Dent ! As well as writing many books on words and language, with the latest being the brilliant An Emotional Dictionary , Susie resides in Dictionary Corner on Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and hosts the podcast Something Rhymes With Purple with Gyles Brandreth. We talked to her about tricky words in Dickens, the perils of r...
Dec 19, 2022•52 min•Season 11Ep. 119
As a festive treat, we are re-sharing our 2019 Christmas special! Here's what we said the first time around... Merry Christmas! And welcome to the You're Booked Christmas extravaganza live from the fabulous Allbright Members Club in London's glamorous Mayfair. We are joined by High Low podcast legend and author of Everything I Know About Love Dolly Alderton , author of This Green and Pleasant Land and the Sofia Khan novels Ayisha Malik and author of Old Baggage and Their Finest Hour and a Half L...
Dec 15, 2022•57 min•Season 11Ep. 118
As a little bonus treat, we are delighted to present this glorious, nourishing conversation with the fantastic Emma Black ! Emma is a hugely talented opera director, veracious reader and winner of the You're Booked auction, raising funds for Book Fuel. Emma talks about her early fascination with Anne of Green Gables, a terrible crime committed to a copy of In Cold Blood in a New Zealand youth hostel, loving Meg Wolitzer, Katherine Heiny and Curtis Sittenfeld and the books she's looking forward t...
Dec 12, 2022•40 min•Season 11Ep. 118
As an extra pre-Christmas treat - here's the latest episode of Daisy is Careering with the bestselling author of The Push, Ashley Audrain! In this episode we speak to international bestselling author of The Push Ashley Audrain. We talk about how our family's attitudes to work and money have a dramatic impact on our own, and how many of us push our dreams aside while we try to build ourselves a safety net. Ashley generously shares information about her own career path. She talks about how writing...
Dec 05, 2022•55 min
This week we are delighted to present someone we've been attempting to lure into YB Towers for quite a while. It's AJ Pearce ! We are huge fans of AJ, with Dear Mrs Bird being a previous Steal of the Week and perennial favourite, as was the equally wonderful sequel Cheerfully Yours. As you will hear, we are beyond excited to hear of a third instalment in the Emmy Lake chronicles, as AJ reveals a few tantalising nuggets about her new book. She also talks about books from the 30s and 40s, how a fo...
Nov 28, 2022•56 min•Season 11Ep. 117
This week we are delighted to welcome the fabulous (and partly Thanet based) Rosa Rankin-Gee to the podcast! Rosa is the author of the critically acclaimed The Last King of Sark and the recent blockbuster Dreamland. You can also read her work in The Paris Review, Esquire, Vogue, The Guardian, The New Yorker and many more. We talked to her about growing up in a literary family, the formative power of Adrian Mole and Louise Rennison, the pros and cons of communal reading and using poetry (and emoj...
Nov 21, 2022•53 min•Season 11Ep. 116
Book obsessives everywhere, rejoice! This week we are delighted to present this conversation with the brilliant author, presenter, DJ and constant inspiration Sara Cox ! As well as hosting TV's premier book show Between the Covers (Tuesdays at 7pm on BBC Two) Sara is the author of the bestselling booksTill the Cows Come Home (a memoir) and Thrown (a novel). As you'll hear, she's currently working on her next novel while trying to traverse her teetering TBR pile. She also discussed her formative ...
Nov 14, 2022•59 min•Season 11Ep. 115
You are in for a treat! As stated during the show, this week's guest is the 'platonic ideal of a You're Booked guest'. Lucy Easthope is one of the UK's leading authorities on emergency planning, a Professor in Practice of Risk and Hazard, co-founder of the After Disaster Network and has advised on nearly every major disaster of the past two decades, including 9/11, the 7/7 bombings, Grenfell and the Covid-19 pandemic. Her book When the Dust Settles is a Sunday Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 ...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 11Ep. 114
There's a true rock and roll legend entering You're Booked Towers this week and we couldn't be happier. Kid Congo Powers has played in such beloved bands as The Cramps, The Gun Club, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and his own Pink Monkey Birds. His astonishing new memoir Some New Kind of Kick talks about growing up queer and Mexican-American in 1970s, the glam rock and punk rock scenes, music, addiction, fandom, tragedy and fun. It's utterly compelling and sure to enter the pantheon of great music ...
Oct 31, 2022•47 min•Season 11Ep. 113
National treasure alert! We are so, so honoured to bring you this conversation with legendary author, scriptwriter, multi-award winner and former children's laureate Malorie Blackman OBE. Malorie is one of Britain's best and most beloved children's authors who has written over 70 books including the acclaimed Noughts & Crosses series, which was recently turned into a hit TV series. Malorie has just released her autobiography, Just Sayin', which is wise, wonderful, distressing, hilarious and ...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 11Ep. 112
This week we are delighted to present a fascinating conversation with Amanda Owen, better known as The Yorkshire Shepherdess! Amanda is the star of the glorious, incredibly popular television series Our Yorkshire Farm, about her rural life in the Dales and also the author of five books, with the most recent being Celebrating the Seasons , about life with her family at Ravenseat Farm, plus a number of delicious recipes. Amanda told us about her collection of antiquated books on agriculture, the b...
Oct 17, 2022•56 min•Season 11Ep. 111
This week we are beyond delighted to present this conversation with the brilliant, bestselling Lucy Foley! Lucy is the author of the crime blockbusters The Hunting Party and The Guest List and her latest smash hit is the chart-topping The Paris Apartment. She's also contributed to the recent Marple collection, so it's no surprise that there's plenty of Christie chat during the show. There's also lots of love for Jilly Cooper, Malory Towers expectations, loving naughty heroines and unusual beach ...
Oct 10, 2022•47 min•Season 11Ep. 110
If you are a regular player of You're Booked bingo, then get ready for a full house. As we can't imagine an author more perfectly on our wavelength as the brilliant Meg Mason . As well as being the writer of the bestselling phenomenon Sorrow and Bliss, Meg loves all the same books as us! So prepare yourselves for deep dives into Barbara Trapido, Nancy Mitford, Nina Stibbe, The Cazalet Chronicles and much more. Plus there's writing advice from Ann Patchett and a proposal for author led reading li...
Oct 03, 2022•57 min•Season 11Ep. 109
We're back! And we can think of no better way to get the new series underway than this conversation with the brilliant Andrew Sean Greer. Andrew is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Less (a massive favourite at You're Booked Towers) and has just released a sequel, Less is Lost, which is equally hilarious, moving and thoroughly addictive. He has won numerous awards for his fiction and has contributed to The New Yorker, Esquire and The Paris Review. We talked to Andrew about the genius of S...
Sep 26, 2022•53 min•Season 11Ep. 108
You're Booked is back! And this series is jam-packed with fabulous, unbelievable guests. And as a special treat, here's a sneak peek at just a few of them. Meg Mason discusses a surprising book that helped inform her writing style. Lucy Foley reveals the role that bonkbusters played in her life. And Andrew Sean Greer talks about funny books from childhood. Plus Daisy reveals the exciting details of her new book project. In Burn Before Reading , she explores the writers who have helped her throug...
Sep 18, 2022•9 min
You're Booked is very proud to present Daisy's brand new podcast: Daisy is Careering . In Daisy is Careering, journalist and author Daisy Buchanan will be looking at one of the most complicated relationships of our lives: work. We all want to find jobs that we love, but what happens when we start to realise they are never going to love us back? How much of ourselves should we bring to our careers? What can we do when our ambition makes us feel anxious? Is there such a thing as a 'dream job'? In ...
Mar 10, 2022•10 min
This week we are infinitely excited to present the bestselling literary phenomenon Adele Parks to You're Booked! Since releasing her first novel Playing Away in 2000, Adele has released a book a year with her latest the critically acclaimed Both of You. She is one of the biggest-selling women’s fiction writers in the UK, with 4 million books sold and her work translated into more than 30 languages. We talked to her about library love, Enid Blyton, formative reads, literary giants you wouldn't as...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 10Ep. 107
