Arab World 1: Bothayna Al Essa

Festival Director Ahlam Bolooki discusses novelist Bothayna Al Essa’s recent commencement speech at Kuwait University as well as Takween, her bookshop and publishing house.

Arab World 2: Audiobooks in the Arab World

This week, we spoke to Tarek Bolbol, CEO of Booklava Audio and discussing whether audiobooks are making an impact in the Arab world, importance of them and the challenges of the project he has undertaken.

Arab World 2: Bothayna Al Essa

Festival Director Ahlam Bolooki discusses novelist Bothayna Al Essa’s recent commencement speech at Kuwait University as well as Takween, her bookshop and publishing house.

We explore the world of fairytale retellings and what makes them such an enticing read.The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg updates traditional children’s stories and fairy tales with elements of horror and sense of mischief and wickedness.

A tale as old as time, LeifeShallcross writes a beautiful and magical retelling of Beauty and the Beast from a perspective we’ve never heard from. The Beast tells his side of the story and how he came to be the infamous character that he is.

ZélieAdebola hails from Orïsha, a land of magic and enchantment but her life changes once the magic is stripped away. Zélie has a chance to bring back the magic and strike against the ruthless monarchy with the help of a rogue princess. Student Mishka reviews the gripping young adult fantasy story on the Young Reviewer.

We all have books in mind that we couldn’t live without. From classics to modern, from adventure to historical, guest and international journalist/authorRiz Khan talks about what he would bring to a desert island including Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts and Balthasar’s Odyssey by Amin Maalouf.

10/03/18: Jenni Murray has been a radio icon for years. The author, journalist, and broadcaster has become synonymous with advocating for the rights of women around the world. Listen in to hear what Jenni has to say about her amazing career and her newest book, A History of Britain in 21 Women.

10/03/18: We’re talking to the author of the wildly popular children’s series, King Flashypants, Andy Riley!

10/03/18: Andrew Morton has been transforming the way people view biographies since he published Diana: Her True Story in 1992. We’re speaking to him to see what it’s like to write about some of the most famous people in the world.

10/03/18: Iconic children’s illustrator Tony Ross joins us on Talking of Books as he shared the secrets behind his decades long successful career! We’ll be asking him about his latest collaborations with David Walliams and more.      

10/03/18: Peter James has established himself as one of the most compelling crime fiction authors in the world. Today we’re sitting down to speak to him about what inspires his grisly works, his newest book, and much more!