Simon Mayo's Books of the Year

Journalist, broadcaster and author Jon Ronson joins Simon and Matt for a spot of Q&A.

We learn about the authors he loves reading, how he orders his bookshelves, other careers he wanted to pursue - and - who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party!

Journalist and bestselling author, Jon Ronson, joins Simon and Matt for a chat about his brilliant new book 'The Castle'.

They discuss the manosphere, masculinity, performative male...and how the idea for this book came from his own son's story of being lured into a mysterious castle in the forest...

Here's a little more info on the book:

When Jon Ronson received a series of disquieting texts from his son Joel who’d been lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, it sets Ronson Sr. off on an adventure into an underworld of unmoored and disaffected men.

As Jon deepens his investigation into the castle and the wider ‘man crisis’ – where some are feeling tossed around in a sea of conflicting ideologies of what it means to be a man – urgent questions come to light. What exactly is ‘Princessing’? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers, with catastrophic results? And more pressingly, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit?

From the death of utopian factory towns to the false promise of YouTube influencer culture, Jon shows us our rapidly changing world like never before, and the men caught in the middle. A world drained of purpose, of collapsing institutions, where a new era of disinhibited behaviour has taken hold of our online and real-world selves. And as the castle mystery twists and turns into a cat-and-mouse story, will Jon be able to discover its terrifying secret hidden from the world?

International bestselling author, Robert Harris, joins Simon and Matt for a spot of Q&A.

He recommends us some books, reveals his writing routine, tells us about his amazing collection of books - and of course, tells us who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party!

We also surprise him with a question from author and Literary Editor of The Spectator, Sam Leith!

Robert Harris returns to Books Of The Year to chat about his new novel, 'Agrippa'.

The book sees Robert return to Ancient Rome, to tell the fictionalised memoir of Agrippa - one of Augustus Caesar's great friends and top generals.

They chat about why Robert decided to return to this time, 10 years after the last novel he set here - and what inspired him to write about a soldier who did so much during his life, but who is not very well known.

Robert is a master storyteller and this novel is another brilliant page-turner, which is also full of fascinating facts.

Here's a little more about the book:

Julius Caesar is dead, and the lives of two teenaged boys are about to be changed forever. One is Caesar’s 17-year-old nephew, Octavius, whom he has made his heir.

The other is Octavius’s closest friend, Agrippa.

To claim Octavius’s inheritance, they must fight the giant figures of the Roman Empire – and, against all odds, they win. Octavius becomes the Emperor Augustus. For twenty years, they rule the world together.

Now Agrippa is fifty. Ailing and alone, betrayed by his wife’s infidelity, he takes refuge in his house on the Bay of Naples and begins to write his memoirs. Yet to stir up the past can be dangerous. From his earliest meetings with Julius Caesar, through the epic conflict with Mark Antony and Cleopatra, the great naval battle of Actium and the endless wars to expand the empire, he describes how one man has dominated his life: the cunning, ruthless, unknowable Octavius.

When it comes to power, does friendship exist at all?

David Baldacci is angry - and he's ploughed his feelings into his latest books.

Join Simon and Matt - and the international bestselling novelist - for a special Q&A episode, where he reveals his reading inspirations and who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party.

And you can hear more about David's latest work on our previous episode...and you can watch all of our episode on YouTube - follow and subscribe to our channel so you never miss an episode!

International superstar author, David Baldacci, joins Simon and Matt for a chat about his novel 'Nash Falls'.

They chat about the 'American Dream', the US economy, feeling jaded with the super wealthy, being angry at the status quo - and how he's put these feelings into a page-turning book.

Could this book have been written 10 years ago? David's not sure...but he know's its a book for now.

They also discuss the follow up novel, 'Hope Rises' - and what David put himself through in the name of research (including training with the Ranger Regiment in Georgia - where he parachuted out of a plane, ran obstacle courses and got dumped in water in a Hummer)

He also talks about his fight with AI companies to protect his (and other authors) work, a lawsuit which has been ongoing for three years. David, and fellow former Lawyer turned bestselling author John Grisham, continue to battle Microsoft and Open AI to save

Dr Who and Broadchurch screenwriter, Chris Chibnall, joins SImon and Matt for a Q&A episode.

They discuss his writing processes, favourite books and authors, jobs he'd have liked to do (if he hadn't become a successful writer) and whether he always finishes books, or not.

We also surprise Chris with a question from Russell T Davies - and - find out who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party.

Screenwriter and author Chris Chibnall joins Simon and Matt for a natter about his new novel, Broadchurch, Agatha Christie and his inspirations for stories.

Chris discusses his writing routine, holiday parks, sitting on ideas for years before writing them - and - adapting his own novels for the screen.

Here's a little more about his new novel, 'The Parkwood Murders':

For its many repeat customers, Parkwood Holiday Village in west Dorset is a haven – an idyllic woodland, a tranquil lake, customer service around the clock.

Until, just before dawn the day after midsummer, a body is found in the resort’s swimming pool .

Detective Nicola Bridge, exhausted from late nights worrying about her increasingly errant teenage son, faces an endless stream of potential witnesses. But as she speaks to the guests and staff, she soon uncovers an interconnected web of secrets and lies.

Was the killer the guest who lied to his wife about where he was that night?

Was it the arrogant high ropes instructor who’s unable to explain his recent scars?

Or might it be the new resort manager, an impeccably put-together woman with a very big secret

With hundreds of restless guests and staff on site, Nicola knows the clock is ticking to find the killer before they disappear for good.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Elizabeth Strout joins Simon and Matt for a special Q&A episode.

They discuss her writing routine, snacks, her favourite authors and how she organises her bookshelves.

We also surprise Elizabeth with a question from a fellow author and fan - AND - find out who she'd invite to her fantasy dinner party.

Pulitzer Prize winning author, Elizabeth Strout, joins Simon and Matt for a chat about her brilliant new novel, 'The Things We Never Say'.

She talks about her writing routine, inspirations, listening to conversations, making every word count - and - why returning to characters and worlds is so enjoyable.

They also discuss writing about covid, and the joy of discovering what your book is about halfway through writing it!

Here's the blurb for Elizabeth's novel:

Artie Dam is a man with a secret. He spends his days teaching history to high schoolers, expanding their young minds, correcting their casual cruelties, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He goes to holiday parties with his wife of three decades, makes small talk with neighbours, and, on weekends, takes his sailboat out on the beautiful Massachusetts Bay. He is, by all appearances, present and alive. But inside, Artie is plagued by feelings of isolation. He looks out at a world gone mad―at himself and the people around him―and turns a question over and over in his mind: how is it that we know so little about one another, even those closest to us?

And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear―and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence.