On this week's podcast Rick O’Shea gets a socially distant tour of Ian Rankin’s writer’s den in Edinburgh, Colum McCann - under lockdown - in the US, is grilled about his novel Apeirogon by a book club whose latest meeting he gatecrashed and Stefanie Preissner has the latest news from the world of books.

On this week's podcast Rick O'Shea hears about some of the 'perverse pilgrimages' embarked upon by Mark O'Connell in his search for how best to survive the apocalypse, Liz Nugent is quizzed by the Tuesday-Thursday Book Club in Tramore Library about her novel 'Skin Deep' and Stefanie Preissner has the week's news.

Rick talks to Naoise Dolan about her debut novel ‘Exciting Times’ which is set in Hong Kong and is one of the reasons she has been able to beat the ‘reader’s block’ which had been plaguing him of late. Stefanie Preissner has the week’s book news and Mike McCormack answers questions from the Roundwood Book Club about his work ‘Solar Bones’.

In this week's Book Show Rick O'Shea talks to Maggie O'Farrell about her telling of the story of Shakespeare's son Hamnet. Sebastian Barry is grilled by the Castlebar Library Book Club about his novel 'Days Without End' and Stefanie Preissner brings you the week's book news.

In the first of a new series Derek Landy tells Rick O’Shea about the problems with writing in a time of pandemic and Anne Enright is quizzed by the Wise Owl Book Club from Navan.

A very special Book Show for Christmas Day 2019

Wexford author Eoin Colfer has sold over 25million copies of his books, including his popular Artemis Fowl series. Rick O’Shea went to visit him in his creative hub – the shed at the end of his garden.

Rick O’Shea visits Eoin Colfer him in his creative hub – the shed at the end of his garden. Jan Carson, winner of the EU Prize for Literature is interviewed by the Book Paper Scissors Book Club in Belfast. We find out what the one book is that Baz Ashmawy and Eilish O’Carroll would recommend.

Rick O'Shea chats to Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout on the return of Olive Kitteridge, and a lucky book club gets to quiz Eithne Shortall on her novel Three Little Truths.

Rick O’Shea chats to Blindboy Boatclub. 2019 Booker Prize co-winner Bernadine Evaristo reads from her prize-winning novel. John Boyne wrestles with the questions put to him by the members of Hughie’s Bar Bookclub in Donegal on his novel The Hearts Invisible Furies. The Book Show Sun 8th December 19.00 RTÉ Radio 1 rte.ie/culture [email protected]