Debut novelists, Roisin O'Donnell and Chris McQueer, go head to head in a war of the words.

They discuss their latest books ("Nesting" and "Hermit"), their writing inspirations, the power of short stories and the rise of toxic masculinity.

Whilst Andrew Tate doesn't in any way dominate this conversation (nor should he dominate any conversation), the authors discuss how young boys and men are being radicalised through dangerous people on social media and what, if anything, can be done about it.

Both books also look at the theme of coercive control, which again is something else that is on the rise.

They also recommend us some brilliant books - and have a bit of a love-off about Wendy Erskine.

THE BOOK OFF

'Threats' by Amelia Gray

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'Demon Copperhead' by Barbara Kingsolver

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Sir Ben Okri and Colum McCann join Joe Haddow for a war of the words...

This is Ben's second appearance on Book Off! (The first author to ever appear on the pod twice)

Let's see if he's learnt anything from the last time!

He chats about his woozy new novella - "Madame Sosostris And The Festival For The Broken-Hearted' - and the poem that inspired it. We also learn he has read 'War & Peace' FOUR times! And so we get a full Ben Okri style review...

Colum's new novel - 'Twist' - is a darkly epic tale of connection, disconnection and destruction. He chats about his research on ships in South Africa and his fascination with what's under the sea - deep down.

The writers also discuss the importance of artists and books in this turbulent time, and recommend us some brilliant novels too.

THE BOOK OFF

"Le Grand Meaulnes" by Alain Fournier

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"When The Bulbul Stopped Singing" by Raja Shehadeh

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Bestselling thriller writer(s) Nicci French go head to head in a war of the words, expertly refereed by Joe Haddow.

Nicci French is the pen name for husband and wife writing team, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, and this is our first official Book Off couple!

Sean and Nicci discuss their latest novel, The Last Days Of Kira Mullan, and dig into some of the themes which inspired this story.

Here's the blurb:

Nancy North and her boyfriend Felix are making the move across London to Harlesden. A new flat, a new area, a new start. Because while Nancy is fine now, she wasn’t fine before. But settling into the new flat and meeting the new neighbours isn’t helped by Felix’s hovering concern. She is all right. She is sticking to her breathing exercises and doctor-prescribed help.  

So, when their new neighbour Kira Mullan is found dead by suicide, Felix is understandably worried about Nancy’s frame of mind. But Nancy saw Kira the day before she died and she didn’t strike her as someone who was suicidal – she was upset and angry, yes, but was she upset and angry enough to take her own life?  Nancy is the only one convinced that there’s more to Kira’s death than has been discovered. But all the police and the neighbours see is a vulnerable woman who isn’t sure of what she saw, and might even be imagining things . . .  

Nicci and Sean also give us some brilliant book recommendations - SO MANY recommendations - which include the audiobook of Samuel Pepys' diaries.

As former journalists, they're both pretty competitive, but we don't think the Book Off will be the end of the marriage... (?)

THE BOOK OFF

'Presumed Innocent' by Scott Turow

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'The Feast' by Margaret Kennedy

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On the first episode of Series 14, we welcome bestselling authors Emma Healey and Fiona Scarlett to the studio.

They chat about their new novels, give us some great book recommendations - and go head to head in a war of the words! (aka The Book Off)

Emma Healey's new novel - Sweat - is a maze-like game of revenge. It blends wellness culture with a slow-burn feminist thriller - and is eery and unsettling and brilliant.

We look at what it means to hold the power in a relationship, what happens when power shifts - and - we talk about the gaze. The male gaze. Female gaze. And how looks can be both innocent and evil.

Fiona Scarlett's latest novel - May All Your Skies Be Blue - is beautiful and devastating and raw, and has an unforgettable cast of characters.

We have a bit of a nostalgia trip, remembering gigs in the 90s, life without mobile phones and how fun it was to use the local phonebox! And we talk about the power of friendships, on the page and in life in general.

Both guests are huge readers, and like to read very widely.

Fiona likes to read a poem or play before she goes to bed - and recommended these:

Marina Carr - "Audrey Or Sorrow"

Bernard O'Donoghue - "The Day I Outlived My Father"

Emily Bronte - "Wuthering Heights" (re-read)

Emma has been enjoying some non-fiction recently, and recommended:

A. J. A Symons - "The Quest For Corvo"

Stephen Scheding - "A Small Unsigned Painting"

And has also been devouring this novel:

John Lanchester - "The Debt To Pleasure"

THE BOOK OFF

Martin Waddell - "Can't You Sleep Little Bear" (illustrated by Barbara Firth)

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Helen Garner - "Joe Cinque's Consolation"

(*We recorded this late in 2024 - so there may be a couple of out of date references)

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Two great music writers - James Kaplan and Paul Alexander - join Joe for a War of the Words.

Joe gets excited and takes a deep dive into both of their brilliant books, which are both about America in the 40s and 50s, both about the jazz music scene, but follow very different subjects.

'Three Shades Of Blue' by James Kaplan is biography of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans - and how those three extraordinary musicians made one of the greatest jazz albums of all time: Kind Of Blue.

'Bitter Crop' by Paul Alexander is a biography of the great Billie Holiday, but told through the last year of her life - 1959 - which coincidently is when Kind Of Blue came out.

Both books are brimming with great stories and accounts from the time - they are meticulously researched - snd Joe asks both authors how immersed they get in their subjects when writing. They also give us some brilliant book recommendations as well!

THE BOOK OFF

'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote

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'Last Train To Memphis' by Peter Guralnick

We hope you enjoy the chat - which we've kept a little long - which may well inspire you to put on some jazz after listening!? :-)

Oooooh and get this!

For a limited time, you can get £100 off off any HD light and free UK delivery. Just visit seriousreaders.com/bookoff to claim your discount!

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Two top crime and thriller writers, Ragnar Jonasson and Simon Kernick, go head to head in a war of the words!

They share their love of Agatha Christie, why scary crime fiction doesn't have to be gory and tell us about their latest novels. ("Death At The Sanitorium" and "You All Die Tonight")

We also get some cracking book recommendations from them too.

THE BOOK OFF!

'The Murder On The Links' by Agatha Christie

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'McNally's Luck' by Lawrence Sanders

QUICK NOTE!

For a limited time, you can get £100 off off any HD light and free UK delivery. Just visit seriousreaders.com/bookoff to claim your discount!

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We're so excited to bring you this episode of Book Off, featuring two of our favourite poets and humans - Salena Godden and Hollie McNish.

We've been wanting to bring these two together for a long time, and now it's finally happened!

They talk about their latest poetry collections ('With Love Grief and Fury' and 'Lobster'), the freedom of performance, why they love the form so much and why you can't start with a poem about blow jobs. They also give us some brilliant book recommendations too!

Hollie McNish's collection 'Lobster' is written out of both hate and love for the world. As people, we are capable of both love and hate; amazement and disgust; fun and misery. So why do we live in a world that is constantly telling us to hate, both ourselves and others? We are told constantly to be repulsed by our own bodies, bodies that let us laugh and sweat and eat toast, amongst other activities; to be ashamed of pleasure; to be embarrassed by fun. In this brand-new collection, Hollie McNish brings her inimitable style to the question of what have been taught to hate, and if we might learn to love again.

Salena Godden's collection 'With Love Grief And Fury' contains love poems, for people and the planet. Grief poems brimming with compassion, mourning what was and contemplating what could be. And poems of fire and fury that will kick some ass, tell the truth and inspire change and hope. Like a big sister’s arm around your shoulder, With Love, Grief and Fury is important and nourishing for the soul.

THE BOOK OFF

'Everything Is Going To Be Alright' (selected poems) - edited by Cecilia Knapp

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'Parable Of The Sower' by Octavia E Butler

QUICK NOTE!

For a limited time, you can get £100 off off any HD light and free UK delivery. Just visit seriousreaders.com/bookoff to claim your discount!

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M.L. Rio and Kate Weinberg arrive as friends, but will they still be so chummy with each other after the Book Off?

They chat to Joe Haddow about their latest books, Trump, the importance of publishing at a time when books are being banned and why Scooby Doo is a great influence.

They also give us some briiiilliant book recommendations too - so apologies to your TBR pile in advance.

Here's more on our authors and their books...and what they picked for the Book Off! (we hope you enjoy the episode)

M.L Rio's new novella is called Graveyard Shift. Every night, in the college's ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story. One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn't there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Kate Weinberg's latest novel is called There's Nothing Wrong With Her. Vita Woods is on the brink. She has a good job and a successful doctor boyfriend, Max, with whom the sex is great and the chat sufficient; a vivacious and charming sister Gracie, and she’s even got a goldfish called Whitney Houston, who brightens her days by showing her she's not the only one going round in circles. Because it’s the days that are Vita’s problem. Vita is not leaving the house. In fact, Vita rarely exits the basement apartment where she lives, since Vita is in “The Pit” – a place of deep exhaustion and semi-consciousness. One day an unexpected courier delivery forces Vita upstairs, into the light – and into a chance encounter with her neighbours. Suddenly, Vita finds herself faced with an even trickier dilemma. She likes her new friends; she’ll even sneak upstairs to see them while Max is out, against all medical advice but something about her “condition” is nagging at the borders of her mind. After all, what is a house-bound girl to do when she can’t keep the light, her new friendships, or – worst of all – her memories out? The problem might be Vita herself but as far as anyone can prove... there’s nothing wrong with her.

THE BOOK OFF

'Moon Tiger' by Penelope Lively

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''Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang' by Kate Wilhelm

Plus - for a limited time, you can get £100 off off any HD light and free UK delivery. Just visit seriousreaders.com/bookoff to claim your discount!

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Authors Rachel Abbott and Hannah Lynn go head to head in a war of the words.

They talk to Joe Haddow about their self-publishing journeys, the pros and cons and how things have changed on that side of the industry over the last 10 years.

They also discuss their new novels, how the weather can influence a chapter and why sometimes you just have to go away in the name of research!

THE BOOK OFF

'Good Girl, Bad Girl' by Michael Robathan

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'The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind' by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

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Bestselling crime author, Attica Locke, goes head to head with John Le Carre's son - Nick Harkaway - in a war of the words.

Nick has written a new George Smiley novel, continuing his father's legacy, called Karla's Choice. He chats to Joe Haddow about the pressure he felt to get the character right and how he got himself in the right frame of mind to write the novel.

Attica discusses 'Guide Me Home' - the third novel in her trilogy of books dubbed The Highway 59 series, featuring the Texas Ranger Darren Matthews.

As well chatting about their writing and new books, they also give us some brilliant book recommendations!

THE BOOK OFF

"In My Time Of Dying" by Sebastian Junger

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"Tokyo Express" by Seicho Matsumoto

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