The Books That Made Me

Welcome to the 12th - and final episode - of Season One of The Books That Made Me podcast! I'm delighted to welcome to the show fellow book-lover and kindred spirit, Ryan Tubridy. Books mentioned in this episode are listed below: Mr Men - Robert Hargreaves/ The Secret Seven - Enid Blython/ Assorted works - Roald Dahl/ Timmy Failure Series - Stephen Pastis/ A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess/ Three Women - Lisa Taddeo/ Fleishman Is In Trouble - Taffy Brodesser-Akner/ Enemy of The People - Jim Acosta/ The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack The Ripper - Hallie Rubenhold/ The Patient Assassin - Anita Anand/ The Magpie Murders - Anthony Horowitz/ Star of The Sea - Joseph O'Connor/ He - John Connolly/ Shadowplay - Joseph O'Connor/ The Hearts Invisible Furies - John Boyne/ The Gamal - Ciaran Collins/ Ithaca - Alan McMonagle/ The Second Sleep - Robert Harris/ Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries - Robert Harris

Martina Devlin is an award-winning columnist, journalist and author. She's written ten books, from non-fiction to novels. Her most recent book "Truth & Dare" is a collection of short stories featuring Ireland's most inspiring and trail-blazing women. Books mentioned in this episode are listed below. Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie/ Dick & Dora - Happy Venture Series/ The House Where It Happened - Martina Devlin/ The Ship of Dreams - Gareth Russell/ Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood/ Good Behaviour - Molly Keane/ The Real Charlotte - Sommervile and Ross/ The Big House of Inver - Edith Somervile/ We Tell Ourselves Stories In Order to Live - Joan Didion/ Shadowland - Joseph O'Connor

We're back! After a two week break to launch my first novel - Love, Zelda - we have returned with a bumper episode for you. This week, we chat to radio presenter and creator of the biggest Irish Book Club, Rick O'Shea. Books mentioned in the show are listed below: The Famous Five/The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton / The Three Investigators by Robert Arthur & Robert Arthur Jr / The Hardy Boys / The Other Side of the Sky by Arthur C Clarke / The 9 Billion Names of God by Arthur C Clarke / Strumpet City by James Plunkett / All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer / Constellations by Sinead Gleeson / The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins / Outgrowing God by Richard Dawkins / The Firestarters by Jan Carson / On The Road by Jack Kerouac / The Lonely City by Olivia Laing / The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin / The Warehouse by Rob Hart / Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino

On this week's podcast, we chat to fantasy writer Dave Rudden about how Irish mysticism has shaped his work, coming to fantasy stories like Star Wars and Doctor Who via books first and discovering the joy of the Warhammer game. Books mentioned in the podcast are below.  Irish Folk & Fairy Tales - Michael Scott / The Wheel of Time Series - Robert Jordon/ The Game of Thrones Series - George RR Martin / The Rivan Codex - David Eddings / Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo / Entire backlist - Terry Prachett / Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo / Entire backlist - Joe Hill / Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon / The Doctor Who novels / Star Wars Expanded Universe Novels / A Line Made by Walking - Sara Baume / Warhammer books series

On this week's episode, I chat to crime author Liz Nugent about some of the books that have shaped her. Liz, who is best known for her fantastic books Unraveling Oliver, Lying In Wait and Skin Deep, Liz has become synonymous with quality Irish crime writing. In this episode, we discuss the necessity of making your psychopaths likeable, the wonder of Marian Keyes and Liz's favourite books turned films. Books mentioned in the show are:  The Shoe Shop - Margaret J Barker/ Oscar Wilde's Children Stories/ The Cider House Rules - John Irving/ The Butcher Boy - Pat McCabe/ The Book of Evidence - John Banville/ Engleby - Sebastian Faulks/Any Human Heart - William Boyd/ Rachel's Holiday - Marian Keyes/ The Maeve Kerrigan series - Jane Carey/ Backlist - Sarah Hillary/ Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman/ The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion/ Blue Nights by Joan Didion/ Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen/ I Know This Much Is True by Wooly Lamb/ Perfume by Patrick Süskind/ The Secret History by Donna Tartt/ The Lost Man by Jane Harper/ Patrick Melrose by Edna St Albun/ Three Little Truths by Eithne Shorthall/ The Firestarters by Jan Carson/ The Good Sons by Paul McVeigh

On this week's episode, I chat to Anne Griffin, author of When All Is Said. Anne came to writing later in life, publishing debut novel - a runway hit - in her 50s. I travelled to Anne's lovely home to chat about her childhood love of Bundy, mutual awe of Countess Marchiviez and the vital role of laughter in getting you through tragedy. Books mentioned in this episode include: The Ladybird Classic Series - Nursery Rhymes; The Princess & The Pea; The Princess & The Frog; Rapunzel; Alice Hoffman - Entire backlist; Enid Blython - Malory Towers; St Clare's / Bunty Magazine/ Mary Lawson - The Crow Lake series/ John Connolly - He/ Jay McInerney - Modern Behaviour; The Last of The Savages/ Jonathan Coe - What A Carve Up; Alice Hoffman - 7th Heaven; Anne Tyler - Entire backlist/ Mike McCormack - Getting It In The Head/ Richard Russo - Nobody's Fool/ Éilís Ní Dhuibhne - Twelve Thousand Days/ Girls Don't Do Honours - Mary Cullen/ Turtle Moon - Alice Hoffman/ Kit De Vall - The Trick To Time/ Take Nothing With You - Patrick Gale/ Chances Are - Richard Russo/ The Destiny Thief - Richard Russo

In the latest installment of The Books That Made Me podcast, Vicky chatted to recent winner of the EU Prize for Literature 2019, Jan Carson, about some of her most beloved books. Highlights include a wake for the character of Mr Poirot in The Carson household, a shared teenage obsession with Wuthering Heights and fragility and transient nature of memory.  Books featured in this episode include: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken / The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr/ And Then There Was None by Agatha Christie/ The Poirot Series by Agatha Christie/ Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte/ A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor/ Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor/ Good Country People by Flannery O'Connor/ Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders/ The Abortion by Richard Brodigan/ Trout Fishing In America by Richard Brodigan/ On The Night Boat To Tangier by Kevin Barry/ St Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves by Karen Russell/ Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Her latest book, Perfectly Preventable Deaths, has Deirdre O'Sullivan's name on everybody's lips. Just before its release, she sat down with The Books That Made Me podcast to chat the eternal brilliance of fairytales, Game of Thrones and one book that made her *very* angry. Books mentioned in this episode are: The Children of Lir by Michael Scott/ Making Out by Catherine Applegate/ The Babysitters Club by Ragina Telgemeier/ Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal and Jamie Suzanne/ The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde/ The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde/ Game of Thrones series by George R.R Martin/ Tangleweed & Brine by Deirdre O'Sullivan/ Wild Swans by Young Chan/ Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah/ The Pornographer by John McGaren/ The Conversion of William Kirkwood by John McGaren/ The Red Word by Sarah Henstra/ The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson/ How To Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell/ Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes/ Constellations by Sinead Gleeson/ Show Them A Good Time by Nicole Flattery/ Paris Syndrome by Lucy Sweeney Byrne/ Like Other Girls by Clare Hennessy/ Nothing Tastes As Good by Clare Hennessy/ The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter/ Don't Bet On The Prince: Contemporary Feminist Fairytales by Jack D.Zipes, Jane Yolen, Tanith Lee, Angela Carter, Meghan B.Collins / Meat Market by June Dawson/

In this week's episode, we chat to author and brilliant columnist of the "The Domestic" Sunday Independent LIFE magazine Sophie White about the books that made her. Books featured are: The Just William Series by Richmal Crompton / Thomas The Tank Engine Series / The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr / Other Words For Smoke by Sarah Marie Griffin / The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein / Carrie by Stephen King / The Exorcist by William P Blatty / Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid / Flowers In The Attic by V.C Andrews / Posession by A.S Byatt / An Abbreviated Life by Ariel Levy / Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham / A Million Little Pieces by James Frey / Tales of The City Series by Armistead Maupin / The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling / The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides / What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt / Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis Goff / The To-Do List and Other Debacles by Amy Jones / Tender Is The Night by F.Scott Fitzgerald / Love, Zelda by Vicky Kavanagh / Green Feast by Nigel Slater