Welcome to the Waterstones Podcast, a chance to hear authors going beyond the book to talk about the themes and ideas that obsess us all. This is a books podcast with a difference, drawing on the regular appearances of authors nationwide in our events and the more intimate conversations recorded in the studio, each episode will take a different theme and see where it takes us.
As Dylan Thomas said, we shall begin at the beginning, with David Nicholls joining our podcast team to chat about his beginnings as a Waterstones bookseller, as an actor and then as a writer. ‘Beginnings’ will also feature Michael Palin on those first steps to any journey and Tomi Adeyemi on realising the power of being seen in encouraging new writers to put their words to the page.
So join us over the next few weeks as season one takes us through friendship, family, success, sex and perfection. We’ll be hearing from Arundhati Roy, Sebastian Faulks, Jeanette Winterson, Tash Aw, Angie Thomas, Elizabeth Day and many, many more.

The Waterstones Podcast Trailer

Going beyond the book with a wide range of authors to discover the story behind the books we love.

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The concept of following Brooklyn with a sequel took even the author by surprise, but after 15 years the story of Eilis continues in Long Island. We spoke with Colm Tóibín about his rigorous approach to avoiding the tedious, his long working relationship with editor Mary Mount and his connection to his hometown Enniscorthy in County Wexford, Ireland.

Colm Tóibín

Some debuts are so assured and so distinctive that you just have to know more about what went into their creation. Kaliane Bradley’s The Ministry of Time is one such debut. We sat down with her to discover how the book was originally meant to be something else entirely, the inspirations behind its brilliant plot, and how she managed to balance comedy and trauma in such an entertaining read.

Kaliane Bradley

With a novel that spans twenty years, marked by three celestial events and characters with their feet firmly on the ground, we sat down for a fascinating conversation with former Waterstones Book of the Year author, Sarah Perry. How do faith and science intersect, what do we really mean by love, friendship and family, and when our orbits bring us back together how do we mark this significance?

Sarah Perry

On 12 Aug 2022, over 30 years after a fatwa had been ordered against him, Salman Rushdie was attacked as he was about to give a public lecture at the Chautauqua​ Institution. By his own admission, he shouldn’t have survived such serious injuries. So what was it that helped him to persevere and how has it changed his outlook on life. We spoke with him about the hard work of recovery, the need to write about the ordeal, and what it means to have a second chance at living.

Salman Rushdie

Fresh from breaking hearts with the TV adaptation of his bestselling One Day, David Nicholls came in to talk to us about his new novel, You Are Here, which introduces us to Marnie and Michael, two souls on an epic walk, on the precipice of a new friendship, and maybe more. We sat down to talk about his love of walking, music and, well... love.

The Waterstones Podcast Trailer

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