Journalist, author and mental health campaigner Bryony Gordon discusses the journey to writing about her own mental health, why we need political balance, and her aversion to misery books.  

Bryony has written six Sunday Times bestselling books, including the number one bestsellers Mad Girl and You Got This. Her latest book Mad Woman is the eagerly anticipated follow-up which explores a crucial question: what if our notion of what makes us happy is the very thing that’s making us so sad? And her debut novel People Pleaser will be published in 2026. Her work as a mental health campaigner has been widely recognised; she founded Mental Health Mates, a peer support group that encourages people to move for their mental health, and in 2023 she was awarded the President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She wrote for the Telegraph for 24 years, and is now a columnist at the Daily Mail, and hosts a weekly podcast, The Life of Bryony. Bryony is also a judge for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction. 

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women.

You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 

Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Author, Actor and Director Eimear McBride on the delayed gratification of her first novel, the  ‘classic combination’ of sex and death and why we should celebrate  female writers tackling difficult topics and themes. 

Eimear trained as an actor before writing her first novel, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, which took nine years to find a publisher but subsequently won the 2014 Women’s Prize for Fiction, as well as the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, the Goldsmiths Prize, and the Desmond Elliott Prize. Eimear’s second novel, The Lesser Bohemians, won the 2016 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. Strange Hotel, her third novel, was published in 2020 and her latest release The City Changes Its Face is out in February 2025. In 2022, Eimear wrote and directed A Very Short Film About Longing (DMC/BBC Film) which was screened at the 2023 London Film Festival, and she also writes and reviews for the Guardian, New Statesman and the TLS. 

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now!

You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Bestselling author Jojo Moyes discusses her passion for libraries, the importance of staying silly and how to build complex characters aka the ‘kick the dog’ test.

Jojo Moyes is a novelist and screenwriter. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The One Plus One, The Giver of Stars, Someone Else's Shoes and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. Jojo's novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold over fifty-seven million copies worldwide. Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Her latest book, We All Live Here, takes us to the heart of the Kennedy household, in a moving family saga about love, friendship and what matters most.

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now!

You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Diane Abbott is parliament’s longest serving Black MP. A political trailblazer, a passionate advocate for social justice and a writer. She kicks off series eight of Bookshelfie talking about Trump, feminism and navigating a world of social media trolls.

Diane was the first Black woman elected to Parliament and has served Hackney and Stoke Newington for more than 35 years. In 2024 she became Mother of the House – an honorific title given to the female MP with the longest uninterrupted service. She is the founder of several initiatives, including ‘London Schools and the Black Child’, and ‘Black Women Mean Business’. Her memoir, A Woman Like Me, is out now.

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now!

You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Award-winning executive producer and broadcaster Kavita Puri on the importance of collecting untold stories, being an Elizabeth Strout groupie and why women always have been and continue to be complex characters.

Kavita Puri is the creator, writer and presenter of the Three Million podcast on BBC Sounds, which won the Gold for Best New Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2024, and the accompanying book - a "groundbreaking" investigation of the 1943 Bengal famine - is set to publish in 2026. Her Radio 4 docu-series Three Pounds in My Pocket is currently on its fifth season and has been described as “captivating and epic” by The Guardian. Kavita is also the author of the critically acclaimed book “Partition Voices: Untold British Stories”, which has been adapted for stage at the Donmar Warehouse. 

Kavita is the chair of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Judging panel.

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Serious Readers are offering Bookshelfie listeners £100 off any HD light and free UK delivery. To take advantage of our Serious Readers discount code, please visit seriousreaders.com/bookshelfie and use the code SHELFIE. 

There’s a 30 day risk-free trial to return the lamp for free if you’re unhappy with it for whatever reason. 

Cariad is an award-winning comedian, actor and writer. She is the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Griefcast and the smash-hit improv show Austentatious. She has starred in TV shows such as Alan Partridge, Peep Show, Inside No. 9 and featured on Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie to You and QI. Cariad’s first book You Are Not Alone was a New Statesman, The Times and Express book of the year in 2023. And her new children’s book, The Christmas Wish-Tastrophe, is out now. Cariad is no stranger to book chat, co-hosting a podcast with fellow comedian Sara Pascoe called Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club, where they discuss weird books with their famous friends.

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Serious Readers are offering Bookshelfie listeners £100 off any HD light and free UK delivery. To take advantage of our Serious Readers discount code, please visit seriousreaders.com/bookshelfie and use the code SHELFIE. 

There’s a 30 day risk-free trial to return the lamp for free if you’re unhappy with it for whatever reason. 

Space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins Vick to delve into her favourite science fiction books, tells us why dyslexic kids shouldn’t be pigeon-holed and explains why she encourages all children to reach for the stars. 

Maggie is a space scientist and pioneering figure in communicating science, having spoken directly to over half a million people globally, 350,000 of whom are children.  She is committed to inspiring new generations of astronauts, engineers and scientists, and in 2009, was appointed an MBE for her services to science and education. She presents the new series of BBC’s The Sky at Night and Mini Stargazing for CBeebies. In 2016, she was nominated for a Children’s Presenter BAFTA and she recently won the Institute of Physics gold medal for ‘exceptional services to science education and physics communication’. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in March 2024, for her services to ‘science education and diversity’. She is the current President of the British Science Association.

Maggie’s new book, Webb’s Universe: The Space Telescope Images that Reveal Our Cosmic History, is the definitive book on the James Webb Space Telescope, with a full array of stunning images. 

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Serious Readers are offering Bookshelfie listeners £100 off any HD light and free UK delivery. To take advantage of our Serious Readers discount code, please visit seriousreaders.com/bookshelfie and use the code SHELFIE. 

There’s a 30 day risk-free trial to return the lamp for free if you’re unhappy with it for whatever reason. 

Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern joins Vick to chat about how books making us less lonely, what inspires her work and the art of being an introverted extrovert.   

Cecelia's debut novel PS I Love You was published in 2004 and went on to become an international bestseller and was adapted into a film starring Hilary Swank. Her second novel, Where Rainbows End, was adapted into the film Love, Rosie starring Lily Collins. Her books have been published in over thirty-seven languages, and have sold over twenty-five million copies. In addition to her novels, she is also the author of a highly acclaimed collection of stories, Roar, which is now a series starring Nicole Kidman on Apple TV+.

Her new novel Into the Storm follows the journey of GP Enya and her search for freedom after her life splinters in two.

** Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon McKenna 

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Serious Readers are offering Bookshelfie listeners £100 off any HD light and free UK delivery. To take advantage of our Serious Readers discount code, please visit seriousreaders.com/bookshelfie and use the code SHELFIE. 

There’s a 30 day risk-free trial to return the lamp for free if you’re unhappy with it for whatever reason. 

Broadcaster Kate Humble explains the joy of living in the moment, the glory of nature and the importance of shunning the algorithms.

Kate is a broadcaster specialising in wildlife and science programmes, including  Countryfile, Springwatch and Blue Planet Live. A champion of the environment, nature conservation and rural affairs, she is president of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and founded Humble by Nature, a rural skills centre on her farm in Wales.

As well as starring in over 70 television programmes, Kate is the author of seven books, including A Year of Living Simply, Home Cooked, Where the Hearth Is and Thinking on My Feet, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Wainwright Prize.

Kate’s latest book, Home Made: Recipes from the Countryside is a collection of over 60 simple, sustainable recipes from her very own kitchen table, alongside inspiring stories from 20 individuals who play a role in bringing food to us.

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Jodi Picoult is the number 1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 novels and short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. 

Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide and have been translated into 34 languages.  Her book My Sister’s Keeper was made into a motion picture starring Cameron Diaz.

Jodi is the recipient of many awards, including the 2003 New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America, and the Sarah Josepha Hale Award. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of New Haven. She is a patron of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, which is awarded to female fiction writers in the States. 

Her new book By Any Other Name tells the story of two women, centuries apart, who are both forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard.

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.