Chiltern Voice Book Club

Dinah’s bestselling novels tell stories of women facing extraordinary challenges in a glorious range of historical and geographical settings. Her latest novel, Daughters of War, is the start of a new trilogy, and Dinah joins Antonia to talk about her work, her life and how she came to writing through facing an extraordinary and tragic event in her own life. Generous, compassionate and profoundly moving, this is a Book Club to cherish.

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procul Harum
Granted - Josh Groban
Dancing Queen - ABBA
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Soles - Paul Simon
River - Joni Mitchell
I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin
At Last - Etta James
Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves - Eurythmics, Aretha Franklin
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Cover Me In Sunshine - P!nk
Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder

‘I love the way everyone has a story,’ says one of the mothers in All My Mothers, Joanna Glen’s second novel, and in this joyful return visit to Book Club, Joanna joins Antonia to talk about hers. This time, Jo’s songs were chosen by friends and family to reflect the themes and characters of her new novel - and they form a moving framework for a wide-ranging discussion about writing, love, loss, success, perseverance, courage and everything in between.

That I Would Be Good - Alanis Morissette
My Life - Billy Joel
Supermarket Flowers - Ed Sheeran
Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.
Without You - Rosario Dawson, Adam Pascal
Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings
Who I Am - Billy Lockett
Bruises - Lewis Capaldi
Sanctuary - Nashville Cast
Volare- Gyspy Kings
Faith - George Michael
Brave - Sara Bareilles

Natasha joins Antonia for a wide ranging, fascinating discussion about her brilliant debut novel, Love Orange, about launching in lockdown, writing and motherhood, love and illegal drugs and incarceration, both literal and metaphorical, and goats. French goats. And we hear from Natasha’s children about their reading, too.

9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Et si tu n’existais pas - Joe Dessin
Killing me softly with his song - Roberta Flack
Danny’s Song - Loggins and Messina
Oh very young - Cat Stevens
Teach your children - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Kissing a fool - George Michael
Let ‘er rip - The Chicks
But you know I love you - Alison Kraus
Greatest love of all - Whitney Houston
Old fashioned morphine - Jolie Helland
Minnie the moocher - Cab Calloway

N aged 7 chose Despacito by Luis Fonsi
A aged 10 chose Better half of me by Tom Walker

Tim worked in finance and wrote in his lunch hours. Tim was a stand up comedian. Tim’s skipping the difficult second novel and going straight to the third. And Tim comes to Book Club to talk about writing by spreadsheet, coping with rejection and why taking a one year old to a Jay-Z gig is a really good idea.

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Ain’t no mountain high enough - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Skinny love - Bon Iver
Jay Z and Beyoncé – Crazy In Love
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Queen - Under Pressure
Tracy chapman - Fast Car
Prodigy - Breathe
Sam Cooke - What a Wonderful World
Ace of Spades – Motorhead
Yodel It! - Ilinca, Alex Florea
Freedom - George Michael
Skunk Anansie - Weak

From football to how It feels to have your early work republished, from boarding school loneliness to the wonderful support of good friends, brilliant and bestselling Elizabeth Buchan submits to questioning with grace, wisdom and generosity.

Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Monsters - James Blunt
String Quintet in C Major, Op. 30 No. 6 - Boccherini (Theme from Master and Commander)
Theme from Detectorists - Johnny Flynn
The Town I Loved So Well - Luke Kelly, The Dubliners
Barcelona - Freddie Mercury, Montserrat Caballé
La Marseillaise, from Casablanca
Do You Hear The People Sing - David Burt, Les Misérables Original London cast recording
Theme from Pride and Prejudice - Carl Davis
Sew on a Sequin - Fascinating Aïda
What Would Dolly Do - Lainey Wilson
I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton

Helen joins Antonia to talk about her beautiful second novel, The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, about family and music and creating characters, about the beauty of brokenness, and the necessity of a creative life for every individual, whether professional or not.

1. Louis Armstrong –What A Wonderful World

2. Moon River by Henry Mancini and his orchestra

3. Life on Mars by David Bowie

4. Suede – The Beautiful Ones

5. The Cure – Just Like Heaven

6. Patti Smith – Because the Night

7. The Boomtown Rats – Tell me why I don’t like Mondays

8. Sinéad O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U.

9. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love

10. Bob Dylan – Forever Young

11. Leonard Cohen – Anthem

12. Phil Lynott – Old Town

Dear Mrs Bird, Yours Cheerfully

AJ Pearce joins Antonia to talk about her second novel, Yours Cheerfully, the sequel to her bestselling debut Dear Mrs Bird. How hard is it to follow up a phenomenally successful debut? How do you cherish the joy when writing about really challenging times? Where did AJ’s writing career begin? AJ is ours cheerfully - do join us.


Where do you go to my lovely - Peter Starstedt
It’s a Sin - Elton John and Years and Years
Happy Heart - Andy Williams
El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge - Ewan McGregor, Jose Feliciano
Moonlight Serenade - Glen Miller
Shallow - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
We Have All the Time in the World - Louis Armstrong
Alexander Hamilton - Leslie Odom Jr, Anthony Ramos, Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Phillipa Soo, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Sing Sing Sing - Benny Goodman
White Horses - Andrea Ross
SOS - Abba
I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love

Sarah Hilary is the author of the award-winning Marnie Rome series; her first stand-alone novel, Fragile, is a chilling study of loneliness and dysfunction which channels Sarah’s fascination with the Gothic whilst being a tender and compelling character study. In a fascinating conversation, Sarah talks about her family history (her mother was born in a Japanese prisoner of war camp), about why and how she writes and what keeps her going.

1. Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin)

2. Dance Me to the End of Love (Madeleine Peyroux)

3. The Bitterest Pill (The Jam)

4. Shout to the Top (The Style Council)

5. Superstar (The Carpenters)

6. April Showers (ProleteR)

7. Drive (The Cars)

8. 20th Century Boy (T. Rex)

9. All of My Heart (ABC)

10. Buffalo Stance (Neneh Cherry)

11. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

12. Am I the Same Girl (Barbara Acklin)

Bestselling and brilliant novelist Lissa Evans joins Antonia to talk about Culture Club’s best song, confuse Ellen Terry and Helen Terry and explain why music died with the breaking up of The Jam. Oh, and her writing process, her perfect Crooked Heart trilogy, starring as an extra in the film adaptation of her novel Their Finest Hour and a Half and writing for children.

Corinne Bailey Rae - Girl Put Your Records On
Stevie Wonder - I Wish
Neil Hannon - Songs of Love
Kate and Anna McGarrigle - Compline Pour Sainte Catherine
Culture Club - Church of the Poison Mind
Van Morrison - Madam George
Michelle Shocked - Anchorage
The Jam - Going Underground
David Bowie - Golden Years
Fats Waller - Lulu’s Back In Town
Elvis Costello - Every Day I Write The Book
Gaspar Nali - A Bale Ndikuswuzeni