Love your library

Ben Aaronovitch, the award-winning author of the Rivers of London series, joined us to talk about his latest novella, Winter’s Gifts. You can also watch this episode on YouTube. If you enjoyed listening to this episode with Ben Aaronovitch, why not check out our interviews with Shannon Chakraborty, Jack Jordan, and Femi Fadugba.

Beth O’Leary joins us for this episode of Love Your Library to talk about her new novel, The Wake-Up Call. Hear about what inspires her – including her love of Hampshire! With her popular debut book The Flatshare hitting TV screens in 2022, we were delighted to chat to Beth. Then, Hattie and Kate chat to library team assistant, Anne-Marie. They share their recommended reads, three very different novels all set during wartime. Plus, Anne-Marie tells us about everything coming up at Bordon Library. Make sure you check their...

In this edition of the Love Your Library podcast, we speak to much loved romance writer, Fiona Walker. With an impressive career spanning several decades and including over 20 books, we were thrilled to get a chance to catch up with her about her latest countryside romp – Country Secrets. Reserve a copy online via the Hampshire Libraries catalogue. This episode also includes a conversation with Area Manager Liz Weighell, who speaks to us about her passion for children’s literacy. And in the spirit of inspiring children to...

The Summer Reading Challenge has kicked off! To celebrate, this month’s episode of Love Your Library is all about children’s books. First, Kate talks to author and illustrator Kev Payne about how he got into writing and why libraries are magical places. Then, Kate and Anna speak to Rebecca, who works at Winchester and Alresford libraries. They talk about their favourite children’s books and Rebecca tells us why libraries are so important for parents and families. If you have a child who wants to sign up to the...

The Love Your Library podcast was joined by Faith Hogan for this episode. Faith Hogan is the bestselling author of uplifting fiction titles like The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club, The Girl I Used to Know, and My Husband’s Wives. Hattie chatted to Faith about her latest book, The Guest House by the Sea. Set in the fictional Irish coastal village of Ballycove, the book tells a story about how the places people escape to can provide the ideal setting for self-reflection and transformation. Faith also speaks about her...

On this Pride Month edition of Love Your Library, we’re joined by Sam Kenyon who talks to us about his debut novel, I Am Not Raymond Wallace. Hear about the stories, articles and experiences that inspired Sam, as well as about what else he’s got in the pipeline at the moment. Plus, top up your pile as we hear from Ren, one of our library team assistants, and Cordelia, an avid library user, about their top LGBTQ+ picks. Find the books mentioned in this episode: The Gay Metropolis...

Annabelle Thorpe joins us on this episode of the Love Your Library podcast to chat about her latest book, The Enemy of Love. She also tells us about her time as a travel writer, and how she creates strong female characters. If you enjoyed this episode, why not give our interviews with Rachel Hore or Mandy Robotham. Plus, catch up on our previous episode with Fostering Hampshire Children.

On this episode of Love Your Library, we talk about how we make our libraries places for the whole community. First, we hear from Johnny, a foster carer and Hive Care Support Worker, and Laura from Fostering Hampshire Children all about providing a foster home for Hampshire’s most vulnerable children. Then, we chat to Sam and Nicky from the library service about how we make our branches safe and welcoming for everyone. Find out about what it means to be a Library of Sanctuary by visiting their website....

Shannon Chakraborty is our guest for this episode of the Love Your Library podcast. Chatting to us about all things fantasy, we get to learn all about her latest book and the kick-off novel to her new series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. Following the journey of a scandalous pirate traversing the high seas for one last job that’ll go down in history, the book is described as Ocean’s Eleven meets Sinbad the Sailor, which will undoubtedly delight fans of Chakraborty’s richly descriptive and imaginative work. We also...

On this episode we find out about how Artful Scribe, the University of Southampton and Winchester Poetry Festival support young poets across the region. Hattie is joined by Matt West from Artful Scribe and Will May from the University of Southampton on the Poetry Ambassadors mentoring scheme run with support from Winchester Poetry Festival. We also hear from Eve Wright, one of the young poets mentored through the scheme. Love poetry? You may like to listen to our episodes with children’s laureate Joseph Coelho and fellow podcasters The...