Debut novelist Aisling Rawle joins Sara for a chat about her brilliant new page-turner, 'The Compound'.

It has been described as Lord Of The Flies meets Love Island - and will be a great book to keep you entertained on your holiday.

Aisling is a former Bookseller and English teacher and her debut novel is a pacy, binge-able tale with twists and turns aplenty.

Sara discusses what inspired the book, the pros and cons of reality TV - and - how the heck Aisling wrote The Compound in just six weeks!

Here's the blurb:

Lily--a bored, beautiful twenty-something--wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door.

Cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: why would she, when the world outside is falling apart? As the competition intensifies, intimacy between the players deepens, and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between desire and desperation. When the unseen producers raise the stakes, forcing contestants into upsetting, even dangerous situations, the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur. If Lily makes it to the end, she'll receive prizes beyond her wildest dreams--but what will she have to do to win?

Addictive and prescient, The Compound is an explosive debut from a major new voice in fiction and will linger in your mind long after the game ends.

In this bumper episode of the Radio 2 Book Club, crime author and Agatha Christie fan, Jeremy Vines, takes a trip to the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival.

He chats to Lee and Andrew Child about their latest Reacher collaboration, debut novelist Kelly Mullen, the creator of Broadchurch Chris Chibnall, bestselling author Kate Mosse and the winner of the Crime Novel Of The Year, Abir Mukherjee.

The annual celebration of crime fiction takes place at The Old Swan Hotel, which is where Agatha Christie famously disappeared to in 1926. Hear Jeremy's tour of the hotel, with General Manager David Ritson, as he learns more about her story - and takes in some of the places she would have stayed.

Sara chats to Rose Kooper Johnson about her own book group, living in Bristol and how she discovered the Radio 2 Book Club through 'Ordinary Saints'.

Rose's Top Five Reads of the year (so far) are:

'Disappoint Me' by Nicola Dinan

Laura Shepherd Robinson is the author of four crime novels, set in the Georgian era.

In this episode, she tells Sara all about her latest book, 'The Art Of A Lie', a cat-n-mouse thriller that follows a widowed confectioner, drawn into a web of love, betrayal, intrigue and a battle of wits.

They chat about her fascination with the 18th Century, the crime-writing community and how to make ice cream (the Georgian way!)

Sara also shares a short clip from the audiobook - and - finds out more about the longest-running crime writing festival in the UK (which takes place in Harrogate each year)

More on the book...

London, 1749. Following the murder of her husband in a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. The Punchbowl and Pineapple, her confectionary shop on Piccadilly, is barely turning a profit, and her suppliers are conspiring to put her out of business. So when she learns that her husband had a large sum of money in his bank account that she knew nothing about, the surprise is extremely welcome. And when William Devereux, a friend of her late husband, tells her about a new Italian delicacy called “iced cream”, Hannah believes it might transform the fortunes of her shop.

But her husband’s unexpected windfall attracts the attention of author-turned-magistrate Henry Fielding, who suspects the money was illicitly acquired. Unless Hannah can prove otherwise, her inheritance will be confiscated. As she and Devereux work to uncover the secrets of her husband’s double life, their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything, even her husband’s murder.

To celebrate Pride Month, we're putting the spotlight on some brilliant queer literature, courtesy of the Queer Girls Book Club.

Ayse Huseyin joins Sara for a chat about their group and shares with us her Top Five Reads Of The Year so far. We also sent the book club a copy of 'Ordinary Saints' by Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin (a previous choice of ours) and captured a little bit of their discussion. It turns out, they liked it just as much as we did!

Here are Ayse's Top Five Reads of 2025 (so far) as discussed on the episode:

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamyah H

How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Two Lives by Vikram Seth

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Taylor Jenkins Reid (the author of 'Daisy Jones & The Six', 'Malibu Rising', 'The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo' and many more) joins Sara for a chat about her new book, 'Atmosphere'.

They discuss space travel in the 1980s, how women were treated at that time in a very male dominated space, her inspirations for this story and her love of the night sky.

We also get a snippet from the audiobook - and - some book recommendations from Taylor too.

Here's the 'Atmosphere' book blurb:

An epic novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond; mission specialists John Griffin and Lydia Danes; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Author Beth Lewis joins Sara in the Radio 2 Book Club to discuss her new historical novel, The Rush.

Beth has set her latest book in the gold rush era in Canada, and has chosen to tell it from the point of view of female protagonists (rather than gnarled face old men we're used to hearing about)

Sara chats about her fascination with this era, her research and why lots of women have been written out of that time. We also learn about Beth's writing routine - and - get a great book recommendation from her too.

We always love to hear what you have been reading and recommending! You can email us anytime: [email protected]

Here's a little more about Beth's book:

Canada, 1898. The gold rush is on in the frozen wilderness of the Yukon. Fortunes are made as quickly as they're lost, and Dawson City has become a lawless settlement.

In its midst, three women are trying to survive on the edge of civilisation. Journalist Kate has travelled hundreds of miles after receiving a letter from her sister, who fears that her husband will kill her. Martha's hotel and livelihood are under threat from the local strongman, who is set on buying up the town. And down by the river, where gold shimmers from between the rocks, Ellen feels her future slip away as her husband fails to find the fortune they risked so much to seek.

When a woman is murdered, Kate, Martha and Ellen find their lives, fates and fortunes intertwined. But to unmask her killer they must navigate a desperate land run by dangerous men who will do anything for a glimpse of gold...

Librarian Ros Harding tells Sara all about The Carnegies - the UK's longest running children's book awards.

Ros is this year's Head Of Judges - and tells us why these awards are important for recognising writers and illustrators, and why encouraging children to read is so vital.

She also shares her Top Five Reads Of The Year!

Louisa Reid - 'Handle with Care'

V.E. Shwab returns to the Radio 2 Book Club to discuss her new novel, 'Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil'

She has written and published 25 books in just 15 years (quite an achievement!) and was featured on the pod for her last novel - 'The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue'

She talks to Sara about 'fantasy with a small f', reading outside your comfort zone, writing queer love stories and why she likes vampires!

Here's a little more on the book:

Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532.

Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots.

One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild.

And all of them grow teeth.

Luke Burton is one of our Superstar Librarians who helps choose our Radio 2 Book Club titles.

He's now a big cheese at Arts Council England, and talks to Sara about the importance of libraries and...how he comes from a family of qualified librarians (so it really is in his blood!)

He shares his Top Five Reads - and the books he's looking forward to reading this year.

Here is his list:

'In the Blink of an Eye' by Jo Callaghan

'What a Way to Go' by Bella Mackie

'The Masquerades of Spring' by Ben Aaronovitch

'Killing Thatcher: The IRA, the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown' by Roy Carroll

'American Dirt' by Jeanine Cummins