It's our Halloween special and sometimes co-host Bec Hill returns to Book Shambles today to talk to Robin about her new kids horror book, The Slime, the first in a 13 book series called Horror Heights! They talk about creating the series, creativity in lockdown, favourite fictional slime, the influence of RL Stine and Paul Jennings and the joy of growing up with a librarian for a Mum. Listen to an extended edition of this episode, and all the others, by supporting us on patreon at patreon.com/bookshambles

On today's episode Robin is joined by the writer, editor and broadcaster Liz Frazer to talk about her new book, and bestseller, Coming Clean: A True Story of Love, Addiction and Recovery. They chat about the different faces and perception of alcoholism in individuals and society, mental health, the importance of diaries and how recovery applies to both an addict and the partner of an addict. Please note this episode contains discussions around topics that may be upsetting to some listeners.To support the show, and get extended episodes, subscribe at patreon.com/bookshambles

Our favourite Canadian returns to the podcast this week, it's astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield. Chris has just released his first ever work of fiction, a historical thriller titled The Apollo Murders. He joins Robin, and guest co-host Helen Czerski, to talk about his favourite thrillers, what it was like moving into the world of fiction, making sure the space science was accurate and the future of human spaceflight itself. Around 10 extra minutes of chat this week for Patreon supporters so sign up at patreon.com/bookshambles

Robin Ince's brand new book The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity is out TODAY! Go grab a signed copy from our bookshop now at cosmicshambles.com/bookshop. To celebrate we did a livestream launch event early this week with Robin talking about the book with our Shambles chum, musician, composer and comedian Tim Minchin. So we've made that conversation available on the podcast this week complete with bonus introduction from Robin and his Science Shambles co-host Dr Helen Czerski. You can watch the full livestream on our YouTube channel. Robin and Tim chat about what they love about science, cosmic vertigo, putting big ideas into song and why you should definitely get the vaccine. Support the podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/bookshambles for extended episodes and more.

Francesca Stavrakopoulou was a guest on the first series of Tips for Existence and now that her first book, God: An Anatomy, has just been released we'd excited to have her on Book Shambles with Robin and Josie to talk about it. They chat about how Francesca had to write the book she wished existed when she was in university, why examining God upsets people and whether God went to the toilet or not... Extended edition for Patreon supporters as ever so please subscribe at patreon.com/bookshambles

On this week’s episode our guest is Kathryn Mannix, a palliative care doctor and author. Kathryn self proclaims that her Mastermind subject would be death, and in her new book Listen she uses her years of experience to deconstruct our difficulty with difficult conversations. This conversation, on the podcast, isn’t difficult but why is it so hard to talk about death, coming out or even answering honestly when someone asks ‘How are you?’. Please note that this episode does contain conversations around subjects some people may find upsetting. To support the podcast, and hear and extended version of this and every other conversation, subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/bookshambles.

This week our guest couldn't make the interview at the very last minute. Which was unfortunate because obviously we wanted to talk to them and also it meant we didn't have an episode for this week. So since Robin and Josie were already on the Zoom call, they just interviewed each other for half an hour. Hope you enjoy. Normal service will resume next week. Support the show at patreon.com/bookshambles

James Baldwin is one of the most recommended and discussed authors on this podcast so this week's guest is someone who literally wrote the book on Baldwin. Eddie Glaude is a Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and his latest book is Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own. he talks to Robin about Baldwin, race in America and what society needs to do to move forward, face up to its past. To hear a super extended version of this interview complete with Baldwin clips and more you can subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/bookshambles and hear it on the Tips for Existence podcast.

Anil Seth has been researching consciousness for over twenty years and now he's released his first book on the subject, Being You. He joins Robin and Josie to talk about the book and what we do and don't know about consciousness. Are trees consciousness? What is panpsychism? Are there levels of consciousness? Why do some people see the letter B as purple? And now that he's finished writing a book what fiction can he escape into?

Extended edition for Patreon supporters of course. Subscribe and support at patreon.com/bookshambles

As part of The Cosmic Shambles Network's takeover of The Speakeasy at this year's Latitude Festival, Dr Helen Czerski was joined by Professor Dan Davis for a live Book Shambles / Science Shambles crossover show. They chat about Dan's new book The Secret Body: How the New Science of the Human Body Is Changing the Way We Live, glowing jellyfish, doing science without a hypothesis, how immune cells are changing how they behave and a whole lot more. To support the podcast, and the CSN at large, subscribe via Patreon at patreon.com/bookshambles