A Good Read

Lee Child, Southall-set thrillers, crime picks for teenagers

Former SAS serviceman turned thriller writer Andy McNab, George the Poet and Harriett Gilbert discuss their favourite books by Akala, Attica Locke and Joe Simpson.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

Natives by Akala

Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.

Barbara Kingsolver, Northern Irish writing, India’s gay fiction

Barbara Kingsolver discusses her new novel Unsheltered with Mariella Frostrup.

Authors Kamila Shamsie and Jeffrey Archer join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books by Fred Uhlman, Shehan Karunatilaka and Penelope Fitzgerald.

‘Reunion’ by Fred Uhlman

‘Chinaman’ by Shehan Karunatilaka

‘The Bookshop’ by Penelope Fitzgerald

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.

Exploring literary responses to the Great War in the immediate aftermath of the Armistice. The University of Leicester's Victoria Stewart, and biographer Jean Moorcroft Wilson, discuss the ways that fiction reflected the horror of war in the decade after 1918.

Novelist Richard T. Kelly considers the pitfalls of including real people in works of fiction.

Bestselling novelist Maria Dahvana Headley explains why Beowulf felt like the appropriate framework through which to explore race, class and violence in contemporary America.

And Managing Director of Waterstones James Daunt helps Open Book to launch a new series looking at the challenges of making bookselling pay.

Proms presenter and Strictly Come Dancing star, Katie Derham and writer, Matt Haig join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books by Linda Grant, SE Hinton and Anne Tyler.

The Dark Circle by Linda Grant

The Outsiders by SE Hinton

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.

Comedians Sindhu Vee, Phil Wang join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books by Celeste Ng, Rose George and Vivek Shanbhag.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Deep Sea and Foreign Going by Rose George

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on his short story debut, Friday Black and Minette Walters

Actor Liz Carr and historian and writer, Kate William join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books by Penny Pepper, Murasaki Shikibu and Jenny Erpenbeck.

First In The World Somewhere by Penny Pepper

Diary of Lady Murasaki by Murasaki Shikibu

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.