Mostly Books Meets...

Khashayar J. Khabushani: Author of I Will Greet the Sun Again

Mostly Books — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by debut novelist Khashayar J. Khabushani.

Khashayar's hotly anticipated first novel, I Will Greet the Sun Again, is a beautiful novel about family, queer adolescence, and the multifaceted nature of identity and while it is a story unafraid to face difficult subject matter, just like the poem from which it takes its title, it is ultimately a novel filled with love.

Purchase I Will Greet the Sun Again

(0:27) Introduction
(6:10) Being your own protagonist
(9:37) Khashayar's early reads
(23:42) Recent Reads
(31:30) Khashayar's most impactful book
(39:27) I Will Greet the Sun Again

Welcome to Mostly Books Meets, a weekly podcast by the independent award-winning bookshop, Mostly Books. Nestled in the Oxfordshire town of Abingdon-on-Thames, Mostly Books has been spreading the joy of reading for fifteen years. Whether it’s a book, gift, or card you need the Mostly Books team is always on hand to help. Visit our website.

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Meet the host:
Jack Wrighton is a bookseller and social media manager at Mostly Books. His hobbies include photography and buying books at a quicker rate than he can read them.
Connect with Jack on Instagram

I Will Greet the Sun Again is published in the UK by Viking

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh - ISBN: 9781784701468
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing - ISBN: 9780007498772
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan - ISBN: 9780099272779
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff - ISBN: 9780099592532
Middlemarch by George Elliot - ISBN: 9780141439549

To find more titles, visit our website

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan: Author of The Sleep Watcher

Mostly Books — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by novelist Rowan Hisayo Buchanan. Rowan's first novel was 2017's Harmless Like You, which won a Betty Trask and Authors Club First Novel Award. Since then, she has penned Starling Days, and now this year she has released her third novel, The Sleep Watcher, an exquisite exploration of adolescence, family, and the complexity of love.

Purchase The Sleep Watcher

(0:27) Introduction
(3:37) Roman's childhood reads
(17:30) Ghosts and breaking boundaries
(20:39) Where to start writing
(35:11) Rowan's favourite book
(43:43) The Sleep Watcher

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Sleep Watcher is published in the UK by Sceptre

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - ISBN: 9780141191447
Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi - ISBN: 9781568363912
Reverse Engineering by Scratch Books - ISBN: 9781739830106

To find more titles, visit our website

Barbara J. Zitwer: Author of The Korean Book of Happiness

Mostly Books — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by the legendary international literary agent, Barbara J. Zitwer. Barbara has been at the forefront of bringing some of the most exciting voices from Korea over to the Anglosphere, from Han Kang, the author of The Vegetarian, to the Man Asian Booker Prize winner, Shin Kyung-sook, to name a few.

Now she has released her own book, The Korean Book of Happiness, sharing with us the knowledge she has gained from her years working closely with Korean writers.

Purchase The Korean Book of Happiness

(0:27) Introduction
(8:01) Translated texts
(21:41) The Korean Book of Happiness
(26:59) Why Korea?
(31:14) Recipes in the book

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Korean Book of Happiness is published in the UK by Short Books Ltd

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness by Kyung-sook Shin - ISBN: 9781681772370
Walking Practice by Dolki Min - ISBN: 9780063258617
The Vegetarian by Han Kang - ISBN: 9781846276033

To find more titles, visit our website

Kate Mascarenhas: Author of Hokey Pokey

Mostly Books — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by novelist Kate Mascarenas. To date, Kate has published three novels, including The Psychology of Time Travel and The Thief on the Winged Horse. Her third and most recent is the gorgeously gothic Hokey Pokey.

Set in 1929 at the Regent Hotel, Birmingham, Nora checks in under a false name. She is there to spy on the famed operatic singer Berenice Oxbow. But just like the Regent Hotel, there is more to Nora's story than meets the eye.

Purchase Hokey Pokey

(0:27) Introduction
(5:40) Childhood reading
(20:37) University and literature
(30:56) Fiction and Therapists
(38:14) Recent Reads
(51:09) Hokey Pokey

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Hokey Pokey is published in the UK by Bloomsbury

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce - ISBN: 9780192734501
Monsters by Claire Dederer - ISBN: 9781399715034
Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet - ISBN: 9781913393441
My Friend Natalia by Laura Lindstedt - ISBN: 9781631498176
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - ISBN: 9780099588115
We have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - ISBN: 9780141191454
Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi - ISBN: 9780330534697

To find more titles, visit our website

Mat Osman: Author of The Ghost Theatre

Mostly Books — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by author and musician Mat Osman. Mat is the founding member of the British rock band Suede.

In 2020 his first novel The Ruins was released and this year it was followed by his hotly anticipated second book The Ghost Theatre which was chosen as a book of the year 2023 by The Observer, The Times and The Evening Standard.

Purchase The Ghost Theatre

(0:27) Introduction
(1:02) A love letter to theatre
(17:19) Writing historical fiction
(21:55) London allure
(24:28) Childhood reading
(36:30) Writing habits
(43:21) The Ghost Theatre

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Ghost Theatre is published in the UK by Bloomsbury

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders - ISBN: 9781408871775
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber - ISBN: 9781782114413
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - ISBN: 9780349017464

To find more titles, visit our website

Sophie Mackintosh: Author of Cursed Bread

Mostly Books — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by novelist Sophie Mackintosh. Sophie's first book, The Water Cure, was published in 2018 and was long-listed for that year's Booker Prize. In 2020 came her second novel, Blue Ticket, and this year she published the haunting and dreamlike Cursed Bread, which was long-listed for the Women's Prize. Sophie was also included in Granta's Best of Young British Novelists list.

Purchase Cursed Bread

(0:23) Introduction
(1:11) Building rapport with readers
(4:46) Childhood reading
(14:59) Writing from reality
(22:49) Recent reading
(29:30) Cursed Bread

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Cursed Bread is published in the UK by Penguin Books

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Junk by Melvin Burgess - ISBN: 9781783440627
The Magic Toy Shop by Angela Carter - ISBN: 9780860681908
Close to Home by Michael McGee - ISBN: 9780241582978
Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein - ISBN: 9781783789931
Sea State by Tabitha Lasley - ISBN: 9780008390976
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - ISBN: 9781529005219

To find more titles, visit our website

Blessin Adams: Author of Great and Horrible News

Mostly Books — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by writer and academic Blessin Adams. Blessin's book, Great and Horrible News was published on the 30th of March this year. It is a wonderful exploration of murder and violent death in the early modern period, told through the lives of the ordinary people that experienced it. It is a hugely engrossing and often touching read, which marks a brilliant new voice in non-fiction.

Purchase Great and Horrible News

(0:27) Introduction
(2:05) Childhood reading habits
(19:08) Blessin's catalyst for writing
(25:54) Inspiration behind Great and Horrible News
(32:44) Old crimes and modern problems
(36:55) Recent reading
(41:56) Great and Horrible News

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Great and Horrible News is published in the UK by Harper Collins

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - ISBN: 9780241620236
Appointment in Bath by Mimi Matthews - ISBN: 9781736080269
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer - ISBN: 9780099585541
Redwall by Brian Jaques - ISBN: 9780099595182

To find more titles, visit our website

Stephen Buoro: Author of The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa

Mostly Books — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by debut author Stephen Buoro. Stephen's novel, the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa was published on the 13th of April. It's already received impressive praise. Author Max Porter described it as eccentric, profound and timely and says he fell in love immediately.

In this episode, Stephen delves into the themes of his debut novel, including duality, faith, and science, as well as the psychological elements of his writing. The conversation also covers Stephen's experience balancing his PhD studies with writing, and the power of reading and writing to empower oneself.

Purchase The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa

(0:27) Introduction
(4:00) Early reading
(13:07) Getting into creative writing
(18:29) Current reading habits
(22:40) Recent reads
(32:36) The writing process
(39:08) The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa is published in the UK by Bloomsbury

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson - ISBN: 9780062692597
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss - ISBN: 9780141325309
My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay - ISBN: 9781786892362
Normal People by Sally Rooney - ISBN: 9780571334650
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky - ISBN: 9780099922803
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - ISBN: 9780141182605

To find more titles, visit our website

Alice Winn: Author of In Memoriam

Mostly Books — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Jack is joined by Alice Winn. Alice Winn's gorgeous In Memoriam follows Elwood and Gaunt, two boarding school boys desperately in love with one another. Together they navigate the highs and lows of school life until World War I comes crashing into their lives, irrevocably changing them and the world they know forever.

Purchase In Memoriam

(0:27) Introduction
(1:23) Being a debut author
(11:10) Growing up
(28:47) Reading as an adult
(39:37) A favourite read
(45:14) In Memoriam

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

In Memoriam is published in the UK by Penguin Books

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - ISBN: 9780141040387
Vanity Fair by William Thackerey - ISBN: 9780141439839
The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbitt - ISBN: 9781847498427
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel - ISBN: 9780007250554
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin - ISBN: 9780141186351

To find more titles, visit our website

Reverend Richard Coles: Author of Murder Before Evensong

Mostly Books — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Sarah is joined by Reverend Richard Coles. Richard is co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live and is regularly seen as a guest panelist on shows such as Would I Lie to You, Have I Got News for You, and QI.

He first came to the public's attention in the mid-1980s as part of the pop duo The Communards. After deciding to study theology in the early 90s, the Reverend embarked on a new life as a priest. He retired from the priesthood in 2022. Richard's latest book, Murder Before Evensong, came out in paperback on the 2nd of March.

Purchase Murder Before Evensong

(0:26) Introduction to Richard Coles
(4:47) Richard and writing
(9:25) Children's book recommendation
(14:33) Reading habits
(22:25) Richard's recent read
(28:19) The book that changed his life
(30:35) Murder Before Evensong

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Murder Before Evensong is published in the UK by Wiedenfeld & Nicolson

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Madness of Grief by Richard Coles - ISBN: 9781474619622
The Viking Sage by Henry Treese - ISBN: 9780141368658
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - ISBN: 9780099529934
Show Me the Bodies by Peter Apps - ISBN: 9780861546152

To find more titles, visit our website

Elly Griffiths: Author of The Last Remains

Mostly Books — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Jack is joined by Elly Griffiths. In 2009 she released The Crossing Places and introduced the world to the wonderful Dr Ruth Galloway who over several books has garnered a loyal cohort of fans from across the world. Now many mysteries later Ruth's story is coming to an end with the release of The Last Remains in January of this year.

Elly has also penned the Brighton Mysteries series as well as the Children's A Girl Called Justice series. One thing we can be sure of is there is always another great Griffith story on the horizon.

Purchase The Last Remains

(1:03) Closing the book on Ruth Galloway
(3:32) Elly's childhood reading
(17:28) Recent reading habits
(37:00) Elly's writing space
(45:15) An all-time favourite
(50:03) The Last Remains

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Last Remains is published in the UK by Quercus

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Starlight Barking by Dodie Smith - ISBN:9781405204125
The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish - ISBN: 9781398509726
Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - ISBN: 9781405953283
The Italian Quarter by Domenica De Rosa - ISBN: 9781843958130
The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown - ISBN: 9781782691853
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - ISBN: 9780241418895

To find more titles, visit our website

Cecile Pin: Author of Wandering Souls

Mostly Books — Thu, 25 May 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Jack is joined by Cecile Pin. Her debut novel, Wandering Souls, tells the story of three siblings who flee Vietnam after the terrors of war, and find themselves orphaned and seeking a new home in Thatcher's Britain.

Purchase Wandering Souls

(0:27) Introduction and Childhood reads
(9:14) Fact and Fiction
(19:01) Being a debut author and moving forward
(23:19) Working in publishing as a writer
(32:28) Cecile's favourite reads
(37:04) Wandering Souls

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Wandering Souls is published in the UK by Harper Collins

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Matilda by Roald Dahl - ISBN: 9780241558317
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - ISBN: 9780099523994
Fire Rush by Jaqueline Crooks - ISBN: 9781787333635
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker - ISBN: 9780241983201
Human Acts by Han Kang - ISBN: 9781846275975

To find more titles, visit our website

Kevin Jared Hosein: Author of Hungry Ghosts

Mostly Books — Thu, 11 May 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Jack is joined by Kevin Jared Hossein. His latest book, Hungry Ghosts is set in rural 1940s Trinidad and follows two households, the wealthy Changoors and the impoverished Sharups. It is a novel about family, caste, religion and violence.

Purchase Hungry Ghosts

(1:06) Publishing the novel
(4:07) Childhood reads
(12:47) Kevin's approach to writing
(18:41) Modern reading habits
(32:43) A book which changed his life
(39:49) Hungry Ghosts

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Hungry Ghosts is published in the UK by Bloomsbury

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien - ISBN: 9780261103344
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger - ISBN: 9780241950432
Chernobyl Prayer: Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich - ISBN: 9780241270530
The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata - ISBN: 9780141192628
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf - ISBN: 9781447299370
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - ISBN: 2928377128418

To find more titles, visit our website

Santanu Bhattacharya: Author of One Small Voice

Mostly Books — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Jack is joined by debut author Santanu Bhattacharya. Santanu was included in the Guardians list of the 10 best new novelists of 2023 and in 2021 he won the Mo Siewcharran prize.

His novel One Small Voice is a beautiful novel brimming with humanity and populated by a cast of characters that feel so real you could reach out and touch them.

Purchase One Small Voice

(0:58) The release of One Small Voice
(5:00) Santanu's childhood reading
(13:48) Writing habits
(18:13) Santanu's recent recommendations
(27:29) The books that changed Santanu's life
(44:43) One Small Voice

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

One Small Voice is published in the UK by Penguin Books

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - ISBN: 9780141192499
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - ISBN: 9781913519438
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - ISBN: 9780141392462
A Sabbatical in Liepzig by Adrian Duncan - ISBN: 9781788169707
Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid - ISBN: 9780241981382
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - ISBN: 9781787702226

To find more titles, visit our website

Victoria MacKenzie: Author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

Mostly Books — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Jack is joined by poet and debut novelist Victoria Mackenzie. Victoria's novel For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain, which follows two medieval mystics, Marjery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. It is an exquisite historical fiction debut which explores themes of faith, trauma, and women's writing.

Purchase For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

(1:03) Being a debut author
(10:02) A children's book recommendation
(19:56) Victoria's recent reads
(23:30) Writing historical fiction
(40:36) For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain is published in the UK by Bloomsbury.

Books mentioned in this episode include:
When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne - ISBN: 9781405281300
Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan - ISBN: 9781914198250
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - ISBN: 9781786898555
To find more titles, visit our website

Eleanor Shearer: Author of River Sing Me Home

Mostly Books — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by debut author Eleanor Shearer. Eleanor’s novel River Sing Me Home was published on the 19th of January. The story follows Rachel, who after escaping slavery goes on the search for her missing children. Jeanette Winterson called it "a strong and beautiful novel that stares into the face of brutality and the heart of love".

Purchase River Sing Me Home

(1:16) Becoming a debut author
(3:57) Eleanor's children's book of choice
(9:44) Writing while working
(13:34) Eleanor's recent read
(20:15) The influences behind River Sing Me Home
(35:05) River Sing Me Home

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

River Sing Me Home is published in the UK by Headline Review

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - ISBN: 9781840227840
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - ISBN: 9780141199078
Barkskins by Annie Proulx - ISBN: 9780007232017
Beloved by Toni Morrison - ISBN: 9780099511656

To find more titles, visit our website

Georgina Moore: Author of The Garnett Girls

Mostly Books — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 01:10:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by Georgina Moore. Georgina has worked in the publishing industry for 20 years and is an award-winning book publicist. It is no wonder that having spent her life immersed in the world of books that she has decided to put pen to paper and write one herself.

That book, the wonderful and absorbing The Garnett Girls follows three sisters Rachel, Imogen and Sasha and their relationship with their charismatic mother Margot. All families have their secrets and the Garnett girls are no exception.

Purchase The Garnett Girls here

(03:13) Georgina's childhood reading
(14:53) BookTok and younger readers
(19:20) Book buying during the cost of living crisis
(22:42) Georgina Moore's recent reads
(30:21) A book that changed Georgina's life
(40:56) The Garnett Girls

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Garnett Girls is published in the UK by Harper Collins

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid - ISBN: 9781529152128
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - ISBN: 9780785253006
Mrs Wobble the Waitress by Allan Ahlberg - ISBN: 9780723275596
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - ISBN: 9780785252993
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell - ISBN: 9781472240767
Secret Loves of Church Ladies byDeesha Philyaw - ISBN: 9781911590699
Without Warning and Only Sometimes by Kit De Waal - ISBN: 9781472284839
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - ISBN: 9780141040387

To find more titles, visit our website

Welcome to Mostly Books Meets... 2023

Mostly Books — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 01:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Mostly Books Meets, a podcast by the independent bookshop, Mostly Books. Booksellers from an award-winning indie bookshop chatting books and how they have shaped people's lives, with a whole bunch of people from the world of publishing - authors, poets, journalists and many more. Join us for the journey.

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Jenny Bayliss & Karen Swan

Mostly Books — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jenny Bayliss and Karen Swan join Jack for this holly, jolly Christmas Mostly Books Meets special.

Jenny Bayliss is the author of the 12 Dates of Christmas and The Winter of Second Chances and her latest book is the wonderful Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.

Karen Swan is the author of this year's The Last Summer, which is the first in the five-book Wild Isle series, and has now treated us to a second book this year, the brilliant The Christmas Postcards.

Purchase Meet Me Under the Mistletoe here

Purchase The Christmas Postcards here

(01:43) - Jenny Bayliss and Karen Swan's Childhood Reads
(09:09) - Reading Through the Teenage Years
(15:48) - Jenny and Karen's Favourite Childhood reads
(20:59) - Jenny Bayliss' Recent Reads
(22:39) - Karen Swan's Recent Reads
(29:21) - The Books That Changed Their Lives
(39:36) - Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
(43:08) - The Christmas Postcards
(51:36) - Balancing Light and Dark Themes

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is published in the UK by Pan Macmillan

The Christmas Postcards is published in the UK by Pan Macmillan

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Watership Down by Richard Adams - ISBN: 9780241953235
The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann - ISBN: 9783407743954
The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes - ISBN: 9781474972147
Wild by Cheryl Strayed - ISBN: 9780307476074
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - ISBN: 9780571230587
It's Too Frightening for Me! by Shirley Hughes - ISBN: 9780140311587
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - ISBN: 9780307387899

To find more titles, visit our website

Chloe Timms

Mostly Books — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 01:00:00 +0000

This week, we welcome author Chloe Timms onto the podcast. Chloe Timms' debut novel The Seawomen was published in June of this year. The book follows Esther, a young woman raised on an island within a deeply religious society, that cut itself off from the mainland. Fellow author Kirsty Logan described it as The Handmaid's Tale meets The Shape of Water. When she's not writing Chloe is a passionate disability rights campaigner and also hosts the podcast Confessions of a Debut Novelist.

Purchase The Seawomen here

(1:42) Chloe Timms' Earliest Reading Memory
(7:46) Chloe's Teenage Reading Slump
(14:43) Chloe's Current Reading Habits
(19:20) Chloe's Recent Reads
(25:48) The Book That Changed Chloe Timms' Life
(33:22) The Seawomen

Listen to Chloe's podcast, Confessions of a Debut Novelist here

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Seawomen is published in the UK by Hachette

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - ISBN: 9780099740919
The Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson - ISBN: 9780440867609
Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy - ISBN: 9781787461536
The Last Days by Ali Millar - ISBN: 9781529109528
Educated by Tara Westover - ISBN: 9780099511021
The Pharmacist by Rochelle Atalla - ISBN: 9781529342147

To find more titles, visit our website

Maggie Shipstead

Mostly Books — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by author Maggie Shipstead to discuss her novel Great Circle. Great Circle was shortlisted for both the Booker Prize and the Women's Prize for Fiction and Maggie has also penned two previous novels, 2012s Seating Arrangements, and 2014s Astonish Me. More recently, she's released a collection of short stories called You Have a Friend in 10A.

Purchase Great Circle here

(1:56) Growing up in Orange County and Reading Books
(11:46) Writing and an MFA
(15:55) Maggie's Recent Reads
(26:48) Maggie's Travels and the Inspirations for Great Circle
(48:09) A Book That Changed Maggie Shipstead's Life
(56:51) Great Circle

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Great Circle is published in the UK by Penguin.

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead - ISBN: 9780007467730
Persuasion by Jane Austen - ISBN: 9780199535552
The Martian by Andy Weir - ISBN: 9781785031137
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy - ISBN: 9781982185824
Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler - ISBN: 9780099731818

To find more titles, visit our website

Greg James & Chris Smith

Mostly Books — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000

This week, Jack is joined by children's book dream team Greg James and Chris Smith. In 2017, they launched onto shelves with the hilarious Kid Normal, which quickly went on to become a best-seller. Since then they have penned three more Kid Normal books, The Great Dream Robbery and their latest book, Super Ghost released in September of this year. When they're not writing, they both like to relax by dabbling in a bit of radio.

Purchase Super Ghost here

(1:38) Chris Smith's Childhood Writing Fame
(3:24) Greg James' Childhood Reading Habits
(5:07) The Children's Books that Affected Greg James and Chris Smith
(9:02) Chris and Greg's Recent Reads
(22:00) The Books that Changed Chris Smith and Greg James' Lives
(29:02) The Process of Writing Collaboratively
(34:32) Super Ghost

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Super Ghost is published in the UK by Puffin Books

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Secret Garden by Mariah Marsden - ISBN: 9781524858155
The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg - ISBN: 9780141340111
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith - ISBN: 9780099460879
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - ISBN: 9780099740919
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkein - ISBN: 9780261103252
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein - ISBN: 9780007458424
Venice for Pleasure by J. G. Links - ISBN: 9780370306605

To find more titles, visit our website

Julia Boyd

Mostly Books — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000

This week, we are thrilled to be speaking to author Julia Boyd. In 2017, she released the spellbinding Travellers in the Third Reich, a history of the rise of fascism told through the first-hand accounts of those who had travelled through Germany. It went on to become a Sunday Times top three best seller and to win the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history in 2018. In May of this year, Julia released the wonderful A Village in the Third Reich, an eye-opening account of how the rise of fascism and Hitler marked the lives of a small community nestled in the Bavarian mountains. It is a fascinating and eye-opening read, and a great example of how even the most well-known parts of history can always find a way to surprise us.

Purchase A Village in the Third Reich here

(1:11) Julia Boyd Introduction
(1:57) Julia's Childhood
(9:04) Julia's Interest in History Writing
(21:15) The Last Book Julia Read
(23:49) Weaving a Historical Narrative
(29:55) The Books that Changed Julia's Life
(36:31) Music & A Village in the Third Reich
(46:35) How Julia Fell into Writing

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

A Village in the Third Reich is published in the UK by Elliott & Thompson Limited.

Books mentioned in this episode include:
The Famous Five by Enid Blyton - ISBN: 9780340681060
Father and Son by Edmund Gosse - ISBN: 9781784874391
Dear Life by Alice Munro - ISBN: 9780099578635

To find more titles, visit our website

Salley Vickers

Mostly Books — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000

We welcome onto the podcast this week author Salley Vickers. Salley's first novel Miss Garnet's Angel was published in the year 2000. Since then, she has gone on to pen 11 novels in total as well as collections of short stories. Previously, she worked as a teacher and a psycho-analyst. Her storytelling has won her many fans and she's a Sunday Times bestseller. Her latest book The Gardener is a beautiful reflection on family, place, immigration and nature and is now available in paperback.

Purchase The Gardener by Salley Vickers here

(1:43) Salley Vickers' Childhood
(7:34) Growing Up in a Communist Community
(19:26) Salley Vickers' First Novel and the Writing Process
(31:55) Confronting the Blank Page
(35:30) Pagan landscapes and The Gardener
(53:00) Dyslexia and Literature

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

The Gardener is published in the UK by Penguin.

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillipa Pearce - ISBN 9780192734501
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carol - ISBN 9781782692843
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter - ISBN 9780241513729
Seven Types of Ambiguity by William Empson - ISBN 9780140214789

To find more titles, visit our website

Liz Calder & Alexandra Pringle

Mostly Books — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 11:20:23 +0000

It is our great pleasure to welcome onto the podcast this week Liz Calder and Alexandra Pringle. Liz was one of the founding directors of Bloomsbury and was editor-in-chief from 1987 to the year 2000, after which she passed the baton on to Alexandra, who served in the role until 2020. Between them, they have published Nobel Prize, Booker Prize and Women's Prize winners and have published household names such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Madeline Miller. Together they have edited the Bloomsbury 35 Anthology, a celebration of the now much-loved and admired publisher. To flick through its pages is to meet some of the most exciting voices in fiction writing from across the world, and is a testament to the brilliant work Bloomsbury has and continues to do.

(0:49) Introduction
(3:20) Liz Calder and Alexandra Pringle’s First Reading Experiences
(8:37) Liz and Alexandra’s Teenage Years
(15:41) Liz Calder's Most Recent Read
(22:21) Alexandra Pringle’s Most Recent Read
(26:14) The Books That Changed Their Lives
(38:35) The Emotional Side of Publishing

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Bloomsbury 35 is published in the UK by Bloomsbury.

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - ISBN: 9780349009308
Bartleby and Co by Enrique Vila-Matas - ISBN: 9781843430520
The Great Garden by Meg Rozoff - ISBN: 9781841585659
My Salinger Days by Joanna Rakoff - ISBN: 9780307958013
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan - ISBN: 9780393017755
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - ISBN: 9780395775592
The Ventriloquist Tale by Pauline Melville - ISBN: 9780747531500
Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie - ISBN: 9780593421826

To find more titles to purchase, visit our website

Bobby Palmer

Mostly Books — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 09:30:25 +0000

It is our great pleasure to welcome on to the podcast this week author Bobby Palmer. Bobby’s much-anticipated debut novel Isaac and The Egg was published on the 9th of August. Before it was even released Isaac and The Egg had people queuing up to sing its praises. Author Joanna Cannon says it is: “‘Truly one of the most beautiful stories you’ll ever read… What’s it about? I’d love to have a stab at explaining, but I can’t. You’re just going to have to find out for yourself”. She’s right, to try and explain Isaac and The Egg would be to dispel its unique magic, just be assured that this story of grief and hope will be loved by many a reader for years to come. The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Isaac and The Egg is published in the UK by Headline. Books mentioned in this episode include: The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell ISBN: 9780552569620 Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ISBN: 9780241341117 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ISBN: 9780857528124 Less by Andrew Sean Greer ISBN: 9780349143590 Notes on Heartbreak by Annie Lord ISBN: 9781398705487 Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman ISBN: 9781611855944

Jill Nalder

Mostly Books — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 09:32:40 +0000

This week we welcome onto the podcast performer, activist, and author Jill Nalder. In January 2021 Russell T Davies‘ It’s a Sin hit our TV screens. For some, it was a reminder of the pain and prejudice of the AIDs crisis, while for many it was an education. Either way, it captured the hearts and minds of millions across the country. Jill Nalder, a lifelong friend of Russell, was the inspiration for the character of Jill Baxter (and even played Jill’s mum in the show!). Now she has put her life and experiences into her own words in Love from the Pink Palace. The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Love from the Pink Palace is published in the UK by Headline. Books mentioned in this episode include: Famous Five by Enid Blyton ISBN: 9781444935011 Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ISBN: 9781472154668 The Stand by Stephen King ISBN: 9781444720730 The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy ISBN: 9780006550686 Love from the Pink Palace by Jill Nalder ISBN: 9781472288462

Mohsin Hamid

Mostly Books — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:15:04 +0000

On the podcast this week we are thrilled to be hosting the twice Booker prize shortlisted author Mohsin Hamid. Mohsin is the author of five novels , including Exit West, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist as well as a book of essays, Discontent and Its Civilizations. His writing has been translated into forty languages, featured on bestseller lists, and has been adapted for the cinema. Mohsin's latest book, The Last White Man, was published in August of this year. The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. The Last White Man is published in the UK by Hamish Hamilton. Books mentioned in this episode include: Charlotte’s Webb by E. B. White ISBN: 9780141354828 Dune by Frank Herbert ISBN: 9780340960196 Gilgamesh ISBN: 9780300268096 Beloved by Toni Morrison ISBN: 9780099511656 The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid ISBN: 9780241566572

Tracey Lien

Mostly Books — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 09:37:36 +0000

It is our great pleasure to welcome onto the podcast this week debut novelist, and journalist, Tracey Lien. Tracey grew up in Sydney, Australia. She was previously a reporter for Vox Media before going on to work for the Los Angeles Times. Tracey then made the brave leap into the world of fiction and joined the MFA program at the University of Kansas. It was during this time that her first novel All That’s Left Unsaid was born. Set in the Vietnamese enclave of Cabramatta in Sydney the story opens with the brutal murder of a seventeen-year-old boy. Realising that the full details of the crime are not being uncovered by the police the sister of the murdered boy, Ky, takes it upon herself to find the witnesses and discover the truth for herself. All That’s Left Unsaid manages to be both a compelling page-turner as well as a profound exploration of racism and the Vietnamese-Australian experience. The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. All That’s Left Unsaid is published in the UK by HQ @hqstories. Books mentioned in this episode include: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ISBN: 9781408855652 Civilwarland In Bad Decline by George Saunders ISBN: 9781784871291 More Than You'll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez ISBN: 9780241529980 Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones ISBN: 9780349013824

Jackie Morris

Mostly Books — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 09:26:32 +0000

This week we’re speaking to award-winning writer and illustrator, Jackie Morris. Over her career Jackie has written and illustrated over 40 books. In 2019 she won the CLIP Kate Greenaway Medal and The Books are My Bag Readers Award for the absolutely stunning book, The Lost Words. It is a staple in every bookshop and appeals to both adults and children alike. Told off as a child for drawing and dreaming, she now has the last laugh as she gets to do both every day. Her work has been translated into over fourteen languages and has been adapted for stage, film and set to music. A huge supporter of independent bookshops, it’s fantastic to have her as a guest today. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone is published in the UK by Unbound and Something About a Bear is published in the UK by Otter-Barry Books. Books mentioned in this episode include: Call of The Wild by Jack London ISBN: 9781906230777 Watership Down by Richards Adams ISBN: 9780241953235 Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson ISBN: 9780241375983 The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes ISBN: 9781526604729 Land of the Forest by Caroline Pitcher ISBN: 9781802581645 The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris ISBN: 9780241253588 Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone by Jackie Morris ISBN: 9781800181557 Something About a Bear by Jackie Morris ISBN: 9781913074289

Kamila Shamsie

Mostly Books — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 09:02:17 +0000

On the podcast this week we are speaking to award-winning novelist Kamila Shamsie. I thought for a long time about how best to introduce a writer as renowned and respected as Kamila. I toyed with the idea of listing off her many accolades and achievements, but each time I read them out loud I found it didn’t capture the experience of reading a Shamsie novel for the first time. Instead, I’ll tell you that those who know and love her work talk about it in the same way they might recount a chapter from their own lives. Those who have yet to read one of her novels soon find themselves the subject of a swift conversion. Home Fire, with its beautiful and heart-breaking merging of the personal and the political, had a profound effect on me. And so, too, did Kamila’s latest novel, Best of Friends, which is published on 27th September. Best of Friends is an exquisite portrayal of friendship, of coming of age both physically and politically, and an exploration of how even those closest to us can still remain unknowable. The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts. Best of Friends is published in the UK by Bloomsbury. Books mentioned in this episode include: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis ISBN: 9780007323128 Meatless Days by Sara Suleri ISBN: 9780241342466 Companion Piece by Ali Smith ISBN: 9780241541340 Sterling Karat Gold by Isabel Waidner ISBN: 9781913512040 The Candy House by Jennifer Egan ISBN: 9781472150912 To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf ISBN: 9780141183411 Best of Friends BY Kamila Shamsie ISBN: 9781526647702

R. F. Kuang

Mostly Books — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 09:03:14 +0000

On this week’s episode we have the amazing R. F. Kuang, the author of the much loved and lauded Poppy War Trilogy. Rebecca is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford and is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale. Rebecca’s new novel, Babel, was published on 1st of September. It is both an exciting edition and challenge to the genre of the Oxford novel, a riveting story, a reflection on language’s power to subjugate and to liberate, and so much more besides. The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the Mostly Books team. It is edited by Michael Roberts. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Babel is published in the UK by @HarperVoyagerUK. Books mentioned in this episode include: Animal Farm by George Orwell ISBN: 9780141182704 Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 9780356500843 Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov ISBN: 9780141185262 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow ISBN: 9781784744649 SPQR by Mary Beard ISBN: 9781846683817 Babel by R. F. Kuang ISBN: 9780008501815

Karin Slaughter

Mostly Books — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 09:30:19 +0000

It is our great pleasure to welcome to the podcast this week a true legend of crime fiction, the novelist Karin Slaughter. Karin launched onto the scene in 2001 with her first novel Blindsighted, which marked the beginning of the Grant County series. Since then she has gone on to write more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the much-loved Will Trent series which is due to be televised by Disney. Kim’s second-to-none storytelling has caught the eye of many a producer with her 2018 novel Pieces of Her being released as a limited series on Netflix starring Toni Colette. Karin has built a loyal fanbase with her stories that defy you to put them down and has garnered readers from across the globe. On top of very successful career as a novelist, she is the founder of Save the Libraries a nonprofit organization, which was established to support libraries and library programming. A cause that those of us at Mostly Books and many of our listeners will be passionate about. The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Michael Roberts. Girl, Forgotten is published in the UK by HarperCollins. Books mentioned in this episode include: Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter ISBN: 9780099553052 Encyclopaedia Brown by Donal J. Sobol ISBN: 9780553482973 Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor ISBN: 9780571245789 The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury ISBN: 9780571245789 Booth by Karen Joy Fowler ISBN: 9781788168632 Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter ISBN: 9780008303563

Kim Sherwood

Mostly Books — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 12:41:17 +0000

Mostly Books Meets is back for another season and our first guest novelist, Kim Sherwood! Kim’s first novel Testament was published in 2018, and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Award, shortlisted for the Best First Novel Award, and won the Bath Novel Award and the Harper's Bazaar Big Book of the Year. A James Bond fan since a young age, and described as a “Fleming aficionado of the highest order”. In 2021 it was announced that a new series of double-0 novels penned by Kim had been authorized by the Fleming estate. These new novels mark an exciting departure, as they are set in the world of James Bond but instead turn their focus on a new generation of double-0 agents. Double or Nothing, the first in Kim’s new Bond series, publishes on the 1st of September. Kim has used her brilliant talent at characterization to expand the dramatis personae of the Bond universe with a story that is sure to attract new fans to the series, as well as delighting its old friends. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Michael Roberts. Double or Nothing is published in the UK by Harper Collins. Books mentioned in this episode include: Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen Watership Down by Richard Adams The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Cathy Rentzenbrink

Mostly Books — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 15:26:04 +0000

Our guest this week is Sunday Times best-selling author, Cathy Rentzenbrink. Cathy is an integral part of the publishing world who regularly chairs literary events, runs creative writing courses, and speaks and writes on life, death, love, and literature. She believes that everyone's life would be improved by picking up a pen and is at her happiest when encouraging her students to have the courage to delve into themselves and see the magic that will start to happen on the page. Her first book, The Last Act of Love, was the heart-breaking account of the tragic loss of her brother and the follow up, A Manual for Heartache is a searingly honest account of how she dealt with her grief. Cathy’s third book, Dear Reader, is a brilliant account of the books she’s read and the impact they’ve had on her. It’s a perfect trip down memory lane and covers so many books that will be familiar to readers everywhere. Her first novel, Everyone is Still Alive, was published last year and Cathy’s latest book, Write it All Down, came out in January. Sarah first met Cathy at the Bookseller’s Association conference which, in normal times, takes place once a year and is a joyful couple of days where booksellers, publishers, authors and others from the trade get together for a celebration of all things books. Cathy has hosted the conference for as long as I have been a bookseller and just makes the event. We are thrilled to be welcoming her to Mostly Books Meets. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Write It All Down is published in the UK by @panmacmillan Books mentioned in this episode include: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis – 9780007323128 Quilt on Fire: The Messy Magic of Midlife by Christie Watson – 9781784744045 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi – 9781784701994 Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink - 9781509891559 Write It All Down: How to Put Your Life on the Page by Cathy Rentzenbrink – 9781529056228 Everyone Is Still Alive by Cathy Rentzenbrink – 9781474621120

Sunny Singh

Mostly Books — Thu, 26 May 2022 14:17:46 +0000

It’s our great pleasure to welcome onto the podcast this week writer, journalist, and academic Sunny Singh. Sunny was born in Varanasi, India and went on to study in India, the USA, and Spain. Her first book, published in the year 2000, was the prize-winning Nani’s Book of Suicides. She has since gone on to release two other novels as well as works of nonfiction, and her short stories have been published by the likes of Drawbridge and World Literature Today. In 2016, she co-founded the Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour which seeks to champion the work of British and British resident BAME writers. For two years in a row Mostly Books has been proud to be a Jhalak Prize Champion. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter www.twitter.com/mostlyreading & Instagram www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter. We’re Going to Find the Monster is published in the UK by Puffin Books. Books mentioned in this episode include: The Three Fat Men by Yuri Olesha – 9781843914525 Living While Black by Guilaine Kinouani – 9781529109436 Jhalak Prize Children’s and YA Shortlist: We’re Going to Find the Monster by Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola – 9780241401309 (https://bit.ly/3PCMxMy) Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide – 9781474967532 (https://bit.ly/3wOIdm2) Musical Truth by Jeffrey Boakye – 9780571366491 (https://bit.ly/3wSNB6m) The Crossing by Manjeet Mann – 9780241411445 (https://bit.ly/3sYc5tO) Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths by Maisie Chan – 9781800780019 The Sound of Everything by Rebecca Henry – 9781911427155

Eve Chase

Mostly Books — Sat, 21 May 2022 15:02:43 +0000

This week, we are delighted to be speaking to Eve Chase. Eve is a star on the rise. She has published four novels, the latest of which, The Birdcage, was out in April. Her third novel, The Glass House, was a Sunday Times bestseller, Richard and Judy pick and sold nearly 200,000 copies across all formats. We’re expecting readers to be just as excited about The Birdcage. Eve’s novels are perfect for book groups, and The Birdcage is storytelling at its best. With wide-ranging reader appeal, her books have been reviewed in many publications including the New York Times and one of our previous guests, Lisa Jewell, has called her ‘one of the most enthralling novelists of the moment’. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. The Birdcage is published in the UK by @penguinukbooks. Books mentioned in this episode include: The Birdcage – Eve Chase 9781405940986 The Wishing-Chair Collection - Enid Blyton 9781444959512 Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllistair 9780241520949 The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition – Anne Frank 9780141315195

Louise Hare

Mostly Books — Thu, 12 May 2022 11:57:36 +0000

This week we are speaking to author, Louise Hare. Louise is a major author on the rise – she was one of the Observer’s top 10 debuts for 2020, and her first book, This Lovely City was a BBC 2 Between The Covers pick and was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize. The book received near-universal acclaim with blanket review coverage. Louise’s profile is only continuing to grow, particularly surrounding the work she does to champion black British authors and writing. Louise’s new book, Miss Aldridge Regrets is published on 28th April. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Miss Aldridge Regrets is published in the UK by HarperCollins. Books mentioned in this episode include: Secret Seven by Enid Blyton (9781444913439) Vine Street by Dominic Nolan (9781472288851) Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (9781860498831) Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare (9780008332617)

Kitty and Al Tait

Mostly Books — Fri, 06 May 2022 09:05:11 +0000

Our guests this week are Kitty & Al Tait. Breadsong, the part memoir, part recipe book by Kitty & Al was published on 28th April. The book tells the story of Kitty’s battle with depression and anxiety, and how baking bread with her Dad changed everything. The result of their journey is the Orange Bakery in Watlington, renowned throughout the local area for their sourdough bread and fresh pastries. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Breadsong is published in the UK by Bloomsbury. The book discussed in this episode is: Breadsong : How Baking Changed Our Lives by Kitty & Al Tait (9781526631855)

Alex Falase-Koya

Mostly Books — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 15:04:02 +0000

This week we’re speaking to children’s author, Alex Falase-Koya. Alex was the winner of Spread the Word’s 2019 London Writers Awards for YA/children’s books and his Letter to my Future Self can be found on their website. Alex was inspired to write his debut novel, ‘Marv and the Mega Robot’ after struggling to find superheroes in fiction who looked like him. By creating Marv, a superhero whose strengths are kindness and imagination, Alex hopes to have created a character to whom all children can relate. The first two books of Alex’s series on Marv were published on 3rd February. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Marv and the Mega Robot & Marv and the Dino Attack is published in the UK by Oxford University Press Books mentioned in this episode include: The Witches by Roald Dahl – 9780141365473 Marv and the Mega Robot by Alex Falase-Koya – 9780192780423 Marv and the Dino Attack by Alex Falase-Koya – 9780192780447 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – 9780571258093 The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney – 9781782952459 The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Beast Beyond the Fence by Marcus Rashford & Alex Falase-Koya - 9781529076622

Imran Mahmood

Mostly Books — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 15:02:36 +0000

In the podcast this week, Mostly Books is speaking to author and practicing barrister, Imran Mahmood. Imran’s debut novel, You Don’t Know Me, was chosen as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice when it was published in 2017. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and the Crime Writer’s Association Gold Awards. A TV adaptation of the book was released on Netflix at the end of last year. Imran recently had a short story included in a crime anthology called ‘The Perfect Crime’ alongside authors such as Vaseem Khan and Walter Mosely. His latest book, I Know What I Saw, was published in June last year and is out in paperback on 28th April. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. I Know What I Saw is published in the UK by Bloomsbury. Books mentioned in this episode include: I Know What I Saw – Imran Mahmood (9781526627667) You Don’t Know Me – Imran Mahmood (9781405927376) Wrong Place, Wrong Time – Gillian McAllister (9780241520949) The Perfect Crime - Edited by: Vaseem Khan & Maxim Jakubowski (9780008462321) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (9780099549482)

Beth OLeary

Mostly Books — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 10:23:01 +0000

Our guest this week is Sunday Times bestselling author, Beth O’Leary. Beth wrote her debut novel, The Flatshare, on her train journey to and from her job at a children’s publisher. Since then she has gone on to write a further three books and her writing has been translated into more than 30 languages. Beth’s latest novel, The No-Show, was published on 12th April. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. The No-Show is published in the UK by Quercus Publishing. Books mentioned in this episode include: Bramley Hedge books by Jill Barklem Lucie Yi is Not Romantic by Lauren Ho - 9780008505653 Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes - 9780241958438 The No-Show by Beth O’Leary - 9781529409109

Tom Watson

Mostly Books — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 17:54:09 +0000

Our guest this week is author Tom Watson. Tom is a graduate of the UEA creative writing course where he won the Curtis Brown Prize. Metronome, his debut novel was published on 31st March. It is an utterly compelling read examining what happens to human relationships and love when put under extreme pressure. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Metronome is published in the UK by Bloomsbury. Books mentioned in this episode include: Metronome - Tom Watson 9781526639547 My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell 9780141374109 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend 9780141315980 Moby-Dick - Herman Melville 9780141198958 East of Eden - John Steinbeck 9780141185071 The Secret History - Donna Tartt 9780140167771 The Waves - Virginia Woolf 9781784870843 The Shipping News - Annie Proulx 9781857022421 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro 9780571258246 Dept. of Speculation - Jenny Offill 9781847088741

Hannah Gold

Mostly Books — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 15:36:23 +0000

Our guest this week is children’s author, Hannah Gold. Hannah is passionate about writing stories which share her love of the planet. Her debut middle-grade book, The Last Bear, was the biggest selling debut hardback of 2021 as well as being shortlisted for numerous awards including The Blue Peter Book Award. Her new book, The Lost Whale, comes out in March. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. The Lost Whale is published in the UK by HarperCollins. Books mentioned in this episode include: The Last Bear - Hanna Gold 9780008411312 The Lost Whale - Hannah Gold 9780008543280 The Ugly Duckling - Hans Christian Anderson 9781474991193 Fledgling - Lucy Hope 9781839941887 The Animals of Farthing Wood - Colin Dann 9781405281805

Swapna Haddow and Dapo Adeola

Mostly Books — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 12:31:45 +0000

This week we are delighted to be hosting not one, but two brilliant creatives; author Swapna Haddow and illustrator Dapo Adeola. Swapna Haddow is the writer of the popular prize-winning Dave Pigeon and Bad Panda series and Dapo Adeola is an award-winning illustrator, who co-created and illustrated the picture book Look Up! And is the writer of the book Hey You! An Empowering Celebration of Growing Up Black Together they have created the wonderful and heartwarming picture book My Dad is a Grizzly Bear which was released last year. This month they released their second collaboration My Mum is a Lioness. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. My Mum is a Lioness is published in the UK by Pan Macmillan. Books mentioned in this episode include: My Mum is a Lioness - 9781529013993 My Dad Is A Grizzly Bear - 9781529013979 Hey You!: An empowering celebration of growing up Black - 9780241521946 Look Up! - 9780241345849 Clean Up! - 9780241345894 We're Going to Find the Monster - 9780241401309 Dave Pigeon - 9780571323302 Bad Panda - 9780571352418 Little Rabbit's Big Surprise - 9781788950299 Dave Pigeon (Nuggets!) - 9780571324439 Ballet Bunnies: Millie's Birthday - 9780192774873 Please Don't Feed the Vampire! - 9781407157344 Burglar Bill - 9780140503012 The Henna Artist - 9780778331476 The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh - 9780702300851 Danny the Champion of the World - 9780141365411 The Field Guide - 9781471174940 Look Both Ways - 9781999642594 When I Was the Greatest - 9780571369645 Head to the Mostly Books Website to buy a copy of these books with a 10% discount for the next month: www.mostly-books.co.uk/shop

Robert Edric

Mostly Books — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 12:55:49 +0000

Our guest this week is author Robert Edric. Robert’s first novel, Winter Garden, was published in 1986 and went on to win the James Tait Black award. Since then, he has written a grand total of twenty-eight novels. Including Peacetime and Gathering the Water which were both longlisted for the Booker Prize. The Telegraph described his backlist as “one of the most extraordinary bodies of work to appear from a single author”. Robert’s latest book, a memoir, is called My Own Worst Enemy and is a touching and vivid portrait of 1960s working-class Sheffield. At the core of this deeply engaging account of a bygone era is the relationship between a deeply insecure and overbearing father and his educated son, of two people join by blood and yet are worlds apart. D. J. Taylor writing in The Spectator described it as “Neatly written, psychologically acute and never disguising the hurt that lies at its core, this is a small masterpiece.” The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. My Own Worst Enemy is published in the UK by Swift. Books mentioned in this episode include: My Own Worst Enemy : Scenes of a Childhood - Robert Edric (9781800750814) Sons and Lovers - D H Lawrence (9780141199856) Stalingrad - Antony Beevor (9780141032405) The Nanny State Made Me: A Story of Britain and How to Save it - Stuart Maconie (9781529102437) I Wanna Be Yours - John Cooper Clarke (9781509896127) Lay Down My Sword and Shield - James Lee Burke (9781398706392) Orwell: The Life - D. J. Taylor (9780099283461) The Battle of Britain - by James Holland (9780552156103)

Kasim Ali

Mostly Books — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 15:42:58 +0000

In the Podcast this week, we’re speaking to author Kasim Ali. Kasim has previously had a short story published in The Good Journal and has been longlisted for both the 4th Estate B4ME Short Story Prize and shortlisted for Hachette's Mo Siewcherran Prize. On the 3rd of March his debut novel Good Intentions was published by 4th Estate. It tells of the story of Nur and Yasmina who have been together for four happy years, however Nur has not yet told his parents of Yasmina’s existence for fear of losing his status as the Golden Child. On New Years Eve he decides to break the news to his parents: That he has built a life with a woman he loves and she is Black. Author Lillian Li described it as “Compelling, emotionally honest, and unafraid of the grey areas of race, faith, sexuality and love.” It is a beautifully written novel, and one that stands out for me for its exquisite rendering of the complex relationships between lovers, family, and friends. Good Intentions asserts an exciting new voice on the UK literary scene. When he is not writing Kasim is an assistant editor at Penguin Random House and is currently working on his third novel while he should be editing his second. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Good Intentions is published in the UK by 4th Estate. Books mentioned in this episode include: Good Intentions – Kasim Ali (9780008450656) The Stolen – Alex Shearer Frankenstein – Mary Shelley (9780141198965) Dracula – Bram Stoker (9780141199337) Attack Of The Graveyard Ghouls - R.L. Stine (9781407157290) The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket (9781405266062) The Secret History - Donna Tartt (9780140167771) A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara (9781529077216) White Teeth - Zadie Smith (9780140276336) The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid (9780141029542) The Incarnations - Susan Barker (9781784160005)

Hafsa Zayyan

Mostly Books — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 09:56:15 +0000

Our guest this week is Hafsa Zayyan. Hafsa’s book, We Are All Birds of Uganda, was published early last year and has just been released into paperback. One of the breakout debuts of 2021, it was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and a Book Club pick for both the BBC Radio 2 and Sky Book Show. The book has attracted a lot of well-deserved praise since winning the inaugural #Merkey Books New Writers Prize chosen by a panel of judges including Stormzy. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. We Are All Birds of Uganda is published in the UK by @penguinukbooks. Books mentioned in this episode include: We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan – 9781529118667 Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters – 9781788167222 Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe – 9780141023380 The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg

Jen Williams

Mostly Books — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 00:00:17 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to author, copywriter and bookseller, Jen Williams. Jen started her writing career by creating character-driven fantasy novels full of adventure and magic. They were extremely successful and Jen was awarded the British Fantasy award on two occasions. More recently, Jen has written dark unsettling thrillers with strong female leads. He latest book, Dog Rose Dirt was published in paperback on 20th January. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Dog Rose Dirt is published in the UK by Harper Collins. Books mentioned in this episode include: Dog Rose Dirt by Jen Williams Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Stand by Stephen King The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Lucy Diamond

Mostly Books — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 07:53:24 +0000

This week we’re speaking to author, Lucy Diamond. Lucy has been writing uplit fiction since 2007. She has published three novellas and seventeen novels, the latest of which, Anything Could Happen, came out in January this year. Lucy Diamond is actually called Sue Mongredien but she writes under a pseudonym because she initially started out writing children’s books. Lucy’s books are perfect for escapism, fun books that are ideal for anyone who has been struggling with reading motivation during lockdown. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Anything Could Happen is published in the UK by Quercus Publishing. Books mentioned in this episode include: Anything Could Happen by Lucy Diamond (9781529419603) James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (9780141365459) Rainbow Magic by Daisy Meadows (9781408364482) Writers and Lovers by Lily King (9781529033137) Any Way You Want Me by Lucy Diamond (9781509811144) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (9780349006574)

Rosie Andrews

Mostly Books — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 22:01:33 +0000

This week, we’re speaking to debut author, Rosie Andrews. Rosie’s much anticipated debut novel, The Leviathan, was published on 3rd February. Historical fiction based in the 17th Century, the book has already received rave reviews with comparisons being made to novels such as The Essex Serpent, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock and The Binding. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. The Leviathan is published in the UK by @bloomsburypublishing Books mentioned in this episode include: The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews (9781526637338) Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton (9781444929874) St Clare’s by Enid Blyton (9781444934823) 1984 by George Orwell (9780141393049) Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell 9780141185293) Down & Out in Paris & London by George Orwell (9780141184388) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (9780141198965) Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter (9781529072846) The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown (9780241503300) The Silmarillion by JR Tolkein (9780007523221) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (9780141198859) Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (9780007351008) Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein (9780261103252)

Beth Morrey ..... Again!

Mostly Books — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:05 +0000

Welcome to season 4 of Mostly Books Meets! Our first guest this season is joining us for a second time - a Mostly Books Meets first! This week we’re talking to Sunday Times best-selling author, Beth Morrey. Beth first joined us as a guest this time last year, talking about her debut novel Saving Missy. Fast forward a year, a lot has changed. We’re still dealing with the effects of COVID but we are no longer in full lockdown as we were when Beth and I first caught up and, whilst we’re still talking books, we’re here today to chat about Beth’s brand new book, Em & Me which was published on 3rd February. Books read by Beth in the last year are listed below. All of which are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell (9781472223821) The Silent Daughter, Emma Christie (9781787394933) Small Pleasures, Clare Chambers (9781474613903) The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett (9780349701479) Sorrow and Bliss, Meg Mason (9781474622974) Falling, TJ Newman (9781398507241) From the Veg Patch, Kathy Slack (9781529107968) The Last One at the Party, Bethany Clift (9781529332162) Dark Matter, Michelle Paver (9781409121183) The Sentinel, Lee Child/Andrew Child (9780552177429) Past Tense, Lee Child (9780857503626) This Much is True, Miriam Margolyes (9781529379884) Stanley Tucci – Taste (9780241500996) The Silence, Susan Allott (9780008361341) Magpie, Elizabeth Day (9780008374945) Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf (9780241341117) The Pursuit of Love, Nancy Mitford (9780241514993) The Grand Sophy, Georgette Heyer (9780099585541) Just Haven’t Met You Yet, Sophie Cousens (9781787466814) Rachel’s Holiday, Marian Keyes (9780241958438) One Ordinary Day at a Time, Sarah J Harris (9780008377373) Where We Belong, Anstey Harris (9781471173868) If I Can’t Have You, Charlotte Levin (9781529032420) Lost Property, Helen Parris (9781529176339) People Like Us, Louise Fein (9781789545005) The Couple at no.9, Claire Douglas (9781405943406) Wintering, Katherine May (9781846045998) All the Lonely People, Mike Gayle (9781473687417) The Maid, Nita Prose (9780008435721) Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson (9780241529928) A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, Sophie Irwin (9780008519520) Don’t Forget to Scream, Marianne Levy (9781474623667) Meredith Alone, Claire Alexander (9780241542408)

JP Delaney

Mostly Books — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 15:49:42 +0000

In the podcast this week, I’m speaking to award-winning author, JP Delaney. J.P. Delaney is a pseudonym of author, Tony Strong who has also written under the name Anthony Capella. JP ‘s first psychological thriller, The Girl Before, was an instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. His subsequent books Believe Me, The Perfect Wife, and Playing Nice were also top ten bestsellers. The Girl Before is being adapted into a major television series and JP has been heavily involved as lead writer and co-executive producer. A TV tie in edition of the book was published on 25th November and the TV series is due to be released the weekend before Christmas. JP, welcome to Mostly Books Meets. -- Books mentioned in this episode include: The Girl Before by JP Delaney (https://bit.ly/3dCVcwQ), Mitford Girls by Mary S Lovell (https://bit.ly/3ycORBR), I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (https://bit.ly/3rNLFeE). All of which are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website (www.mostly-books.co.uk/shop). The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Cara Hunter

Mostly Books — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:25:26 +0000

This week we're speaking to crime author, Cara Hunter. Cara is the author of five bestselling crime novels following the investigations of DI Adam Fawley and his team. Set in her home city of Oxford, Cara’s books feature an ensemble cast of characters that readers have avidly followed since 2017. Her fast-paced twisting plotlines deliver a gripping read and have won spots on the Richard and Judy Book Club, numerous short-listings in crime fiction awards, and optioned for TV. In her latest book The Whole Truth, DI Adam Fawley and his team are up against the clock when an Oxford student accuses one of the university's professors of sexual assault and lives come under threat.

Olivia Kiernan

Mostly Books — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 18:05:20 +0000

This week we’re speaking to Crime author, Olivia Kiernan. Olivia is the author of four Frankie Sheehan detective novels. Set in Dublin, the ongoing series sees DCS Frankie Sheehan and her team investigating murders across the city, where appearances are rarely what they seem. In her latest book The Murder Box, we join DCS Frankie Sheehan as a seemingly innocent murder mystery game reveals a sinister connection to the disappearance of a young woman. -- Books mentioned in this episode include: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (https://bit.ly/3cKcVlA), The Adventures of the Wishing-Chair by Enid Blyton (https://bit.ly/3DW9vrG) , Madame Zero by Sarah Hall (https://bit.ly/3laTLtM), Circle Of Friends by Maeve Binchy (https://bit.ly/3HVSXCA), The Murder Box by Olivia Kiernan (https://bit.ly/30Wf8aP). All of which are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website (www.mostly-books.co.uk/shop). The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Looking back on our chat with Abigail Dean

Mostly Books — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 13:58:49 +0000

We're taking a couple of weeks off to record some new episodes so we thought we'd go back to take another listen to our interview with Abigail Dean in season 2. -- Abigail’s debut novel, Girl A, was published in January 2021 after a 9-way auction resulted in Abigail Dean was born in Manchester, and grew up in the Peak District. She studied English Literature at Cambridge University, and graduated with a double first in 2011. Abigail always loved reading, writing, and talking about books, and her first job was as a bookseller at Waterstones. She later worked as an associate at a New York law firm. Ahead of her thirtieth birthday, she took time off between jobs to work on her first novel, GIRL A. Abigail now works as a lawyer at Google. Abigail’s debut novel, GIRL A sold in the UK after a 9-way auction to HarperCollins who published it in January 2021. The book immediately became a Sunday Times Bestseller. It has also sold in the US to Viking for a seven-figure deal and has sold in 30 territories including television/film. GIRL A came out in paperback on 30th September GIRL A tells the story of Lex, better known to the world as Girl A, who escaped her family home where she and her siblings were held captive by their parents. Now, after her mother’s death, she and her siblings are left the family home. Wanting to transform the House of Horrors into a force for good, Lex must come to terms with her six siblings – and with the childhood they shared. Abigail lives in south London, and is working on her second novel, The Conspiracies. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Mostly Books Meets is Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter.

Revisiting our interview with Robert Harris

Mostly Books — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:12:04 +0000

We’re taking a couple of weeks off to record some new episodes. In the meantime, we thought you’d like to listen to one of our favourite episodes from season one with best-selling author, Robert Harris. Robert’s first novel, Fatherland, was published in 1992 to critical acclaim and he has since gone on to publish a further 13 novels, the latest of which, V2, was published on when we interviewed Robert in September 2021. More recently, more than ten years in the writing, and now published in a single volume for the first time, The Cicero Trilogy brings the world of the Roman republic vividly to life. Robert specialises is historical fiction and he’s well known for producing page turning thrillers that keep the reader guessing until the end. His work has been translated into forty languages, several of his books have been turned into films, and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Books mentioned in this episode include: Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld (https://bit.ly/3EP78ar), 1984 by George Orwell (https://bit.ly/3q3m6p3) & V2 by Robert Harris (https://bit.ly/3bJcsPS). Robert's latest book, The Cicero Trilogy is out in hardback now: https://bit.ly/3EMaGKw All of of these books are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website (www.mostly-books.co.uk/shop). The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Mostly Books Meets is Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter.

Mick Herron

Mostly Books — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 15:08:11 +0000

In the podcast this week, we're speaking to award-winning author, Mick Herron. Mick is the author of the bestselling Slough House novels which have won two Crime Writer’s Association Daggers, been published in over 20 languages, and are the basis of a major forthcoming TV series starring Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb. He is also the author of the Sarah Tucker /Zoë Boehm series, and the standalone novels Reconstruction, Nobody Walks and This is What Happened. “The John le Carré of his generation” according to fellow crime writer, Val McDermid, Mick’s books were a slow burn, with Slow Horses (the first in the series) making it to number one an incredible seven years after it’s initial publication. Mick now has a huge army of fans that eagerly await every new addition to the Slough House Series.

Rachel Edwards

Mostly Books — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 17:00:54 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to author, Rachel Edwards. Rachel is the author of two domestic thrillers Darling and Lucky. Her debut novel Darling examines the fractured and tumultuous relationship between Darling and her 16-year-old step-daughter Lola. Vying for the attentions of husband and father Thomas, it soon emerges that neither can be trusted, and both will do whatever it takes to get what they want. In her new book Lucky, Rachel has delved into the spiralling world of online gambling, as Etta’s online luck runs out and lands her in a terrifying situation that tests how much she is willing to risk to survive. Rachel is a long-experienced writer with Sunday Times columns and regular magazine features to her name. Now a full-time author, Rachel’s contemporary narratives hinge on the secrets and lies that spear the hearts of the families and relationships she writes about. -- Books mentioned in this episode include: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (https://bit.ly/2Zl1zBc), Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo (https://bit.ly/2Z9FHZN), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (https://bit.ly/2Z9tSCU), Lucky by Rachel Edwards (https://bit.ly/3B19JLR), Darling by Rachel Edwards (https://bit.ly/3njMHLB) All of which are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website (www.mostly-books.co.uk/shop). The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Ben Mezrich

Mostly Books — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 15:43:13 +0000

In the podcast this week we are speaking to international bestselling author Ben Mezrich. In 2003 he released Bringing Down The House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions which spent a whopping sixty-three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and went on to be adapted into the 2008 film 21. In 2009 came The Accidental Billionaires which explored the founding of the now highly influential social media giant Facebook, which spent eighteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and was later adapted into the Oscar winning film The Social Network. His latest book The Antisocial Network was published this month and tells the David v. Goliath story of the GameStop short squeeze which caught the attention of the public this year and left the powers that be on Wall Street shaking. Books mentioned in this episode: The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich (https://bit.ly/3FLsSoY), The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich (https://bit.ly/2YQcp1K), Breaking Vegas by Ben Mezrich (https://bit.ly/3lFWXht) Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney (https://bit.ly/3j1NxLB), Life by Keith Richards (https://bit.ly/3lDMxPx), Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (https://bit.ly/3aS2tHT), Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (https://bit.ly/3BIrr8i), All of which are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website (www.mostly-books.co.uk/shop). The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter Ben can be found on Twitter @benmezrich & Instagram @benmezrich

Emma Norry

Mostly Books — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 23:00:27 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to children’s author, Emma Norry. Emma is a rising star as a writer with a particular interest in exploring difficult issues and complex characters in a realistic contemporary and accessible style. Emma, who writes under the names E.L Norry and EM Norry wrote two short stories as part of the Homecoming anthology in celebration of VE day. She has also written for Penguin’s extraordinary Lives series, chronicling the life of Nelson Mandela and footballer, Lionel Messie. Emma’s first middle grade fiction title, Amber Undercover, was published in April this year and, more recently, has created a ‘Choose your own Adventure’ story which was included in ‘Happy Here’, a book containing 10 stories from black authors and illustrators. Happy Here was published in August this year. Books mentioned in this episode include: Happy Here! By Various (https://bit.ly/2XVWlLS), Amber Undercover by Em Norry (https://bit.ly/3ld3BM4), Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (https://bit.ly/3DfQYG5), Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery, The Places I cried in Public by Holly Bourne (https://bit.ly/3leZcrM), What Should I do with My Life? by Po Bronson, The Secret History by Donna Tartt (https://bit.ly/305MOTb), Where I'm Calling From : The Selected Stories by Raymond Carver (https://bit.ly/3iC9dxE), Notes to Self by Emilie Pine (https://bit.ly/3DfNcfT), Fairy Tales by Terry Jones (https://bit.ly/3FkapQ3) All of which are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website (www.mostly-books.co.uk/shop). The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Aisling Fowler

Mostly Books — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 14:30:10 +0000

In the podcast this week, we are speaking to children’s author Aisling Fowler. Aisling’s debut book, Fireborn, is published on today (30th September). The book, which is being billed as the middle-grade debut of the decade is, in turn, exciting, funny and heart wrenchingly sad, New to the world of publishing, Aisling has been an avid fan of books and writing from an early age. Books mentioned in this episode include: Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest by Aisling Fowler (https://bit.ly/3ma6hct). The Screaming Staircase: by Jonathan Stroud (https://bit.ly/3omgdCk). A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (https://bit.ly/3upiLAT). Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (https://bit.ly/3AMzBMq) All of which are available to buy for a discounted price through the Mostly Books website. The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Poppy O'Toole

Mostly Books — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 06:56:34 +0000

In the podcast this week we are speaking to chef and internet sensation, Poppy O'Toole. Poppy O’Toole has spent the last decade in professional kitchens – from Michelin-starred restaurants to fine-dining experiences. After being made redundant due to Covid last year, she has found a passion for teaching others via social media. Her educational and entertaining content has amassed over 1.5 MILLION followers and gives us access to the skills she’s learnt from restaurants to inspire and teach people how to cook. In her debut, Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need, Poppy offers a cookbook with no judgement. Instead she covers 12 go-to skills that everyone needs to know and then uses them as a base for several delicious recipes. Poppy Cooks is available through our website at a discounted price until 20th October (https://bit.ly/3kCjefz). The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Andrew Lownie

Mostly Books — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 23:00:26 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to biographer and literary agent, Andrew Lownie. Andrew founded his literary agency 1998 which has since gone on to be world renowned, currently working with around 350 authors. Andrew’s biography of John Buchanan was published in 1995 and he has since gone on to publish books on Guy Burgess & the Mountbattens. His latest book, which explores the lives of The Duke and Duchess of Windsor post abdication was published on 19th August. Books mentioned in this episode: The Otterbury Incident by C Lewis (https://bit.ly/3ClbN2j), Climate of Treason by Andrew Boyle, Anatomy of Britain Today by Anthony Sampson, The Mountbattens : Their Lives & Loves by Andrew Lownie (https://bit.ly/3Eq4AAb), Traitor King by Andrew Lownie (https://bit.ly/3EoV28f). Produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Joanne Harris

Mostly Books — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 23:00:27 +0000

In the podcast this week we’re talking to acclaimed author Joanne Harris. Joanne is an Anglo-French writer, whose books include over twenty novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. Her novel, Chocolat, published in 1999, went on to sell over a million copies in the UK alone and was adapted for the big screen in the year 2000. Joanne is an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, and she was awarded an MBE in 2013. Her latest book, A Narrow Door, was published in August this year. Books mentioned in this episode: A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris (https://bit.ly/3l2Z6lP) Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan (https://bit.ly/3tr55F5) The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (https://bit.ly/3E2ehUW) Chocolat by Joanne Harris (https://bit.ly/3l3M33z) Honeycomb by Joanne M. Harris (https://bit.ly/3tpHFzK) Hilda Boswell's Treasury of Poetry

Gill Lewis

Mostly Books — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 14:13:04 +0000

In the first episode of season three of Mostly Books Meets, we are chatting to award winning children’s author and wildlife enthusiast, Gill Lewis. Gill’s first book, Sky Hawk, was written after she completed a master’s degree in Writing for Young People. At the end of the degree, she won a prize for the most promising writer of her year. Whoever chose her as a winner was absolutely right, Gill has since gone on to write numerous books, two of which are out this year, together with 10th anniversary edition of Sky Hawk. Books featured in this episode: Snow Goose by Paul Gallico - https://bit.ly/2V6jc5L This Book is Cruelty Free by Linda Newbery - https://bit.ly/3DEExVi Inglorious by Mark Avery - https://bit.ly/3gUj40V Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis - https://bit.ly/3kGPInT Mostly Books Meets is available on @Spotify, @itunes & @Soundcloud - More details can be found on our website (www.mostly-books.co.uk). Produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Tom Templeton

Mostly Books — Wed, 26 May 2021 23:00:10 +0000

This week we’re speaking to author, Tom Templeton. Tom originally worked as a journalist for the Observer newspaper before retaining as a doctor when he was 30. These days he works as a GP in Oxford. Tom’s book, 34 patients is published on 27th May. The book describes 34 of the patients that Tom has encountered during his medical career, ranging from a baby to a 103 year old woman. Beautifully written, the book is a moving portrait of humanity which asks the reader to treat everyone with compassion. -- Books Featured In This Episode: The Seven Crystal Balls (https://bit.ly/3t1jkyp) Troubles by JG Farrell (https://bit.ly/3e0dU2m) The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (https://bit.ly/3vwublL) 34 Patients by Tom Templeton (https://bit.ly/3yDuywT) Catcher in the Rye (https://bit.ly/2QW95Ow) River Out of Eden by Prof Richard Dawkins (https://bit.ly/3u1CfdE) -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Christy Lefteri

Mostly Books — Wed, 19 May 2021 23:00:00 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to best-selling author, Christy Lefteri. Christy’s first book, A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible, was published in 2010. Her second novel, the Beekeeper of Aleppo came out in 2019 and won the 2020 Aspen Words Literary Prize. It is still high in the bestseller lists two years after publication. Christy’s latest book, Songbirds, is out in July this year. -- Books Featured In This Episode: Book of Fairy Tales Snowflake by Louise Nealon (https://bit.ly/3eUjT9h) Songbirds by Christy Lefteri (https://bit.ly/2RroIy4) The Overstory by Richard Powers (https://bit.ly/3xvEQio) The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri (https://bit.ly/3aGHo3g) -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Henry Porter

Mostly Books — Wed, 12 May 2021 23:00:06 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to award winning author & journalist, Henry Porter. Henry has written nine novels, including a children’s book. His latest book, The Old Enemy, is the third part of a quartet of thrillers and was published in April this year. -- Books Featured In This Episode: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (https://bit.ly/3nuHOyX) The Old Enemy by Henry Porter (https://bit.ly/2R9ffL6) The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre (https://bit.ly/3tYMj7i) Save the Cat by Blake Snyder (https://bit.ly/3gLiinC) Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov (https://bit.ly/3e0J4qx) -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

William Boyd

Mostly Books — Wed, 05 May 2021 23:00:11 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to award-winning Novelist, screenwriter, critic and short story writer, William Boyd. William’s first novel was published in 1981 and he has since gone on to publish a further 16 novels and countless short story collections, together with works of non-fiction, plays. A former television critic, he has also worked extensively as a screenwriter for both film and television. William’s latest book, Trio, was published in October 2020 and will be out in paperback later this year. -- Books Featured In This Episode: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (https://bit.ly/3vryTBa) Monica Jones, Philip Larkin and Me : Her Life and Long Loves by John Sutherland (https://bit.ly/3vsuYnx) Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (https://bit.ly/3gLjWph) Trio by William Boyd (https://bit.ly/3nnEjdo) The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles (https://bit.ly/3u5evW4) Chekhov's Selected Stories by Anton Chekhov (https://bit.ly/32Wxlmv) -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Abbie Greaves

Mostly Books — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 23:00:02 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to author, Abbie Greaves Abbie’s debut novel, The Silent Treatment was published in April 2020, and came out in paperback in October. The book, where the two main protagonists are a couple that haven’t said a word to each other for six months is, quite simply, brilliant. We first met Abbie when she agreed to come along to one of the meetings for our book club, the Mostly Books Cosy Club. Our members loved reading The Silent Treatment and it was great for them to all chat to Abbie about her experiences as a debut author. -- Books Featured In This Episode: Flower Fairies of the Garden Books Featured In This Episode: Flower Fairies of the Garden Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (https://bit.ly/3xpnSlv) Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey (https://bit.ly/32QBWGA) The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves (https://bit.ly/3vedRG2) The Ends of the Earth by Abbie Greaves (https://bit.ly/3vnYJFV) -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Ruth Hogan

Mostly Books — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 23:00:11 +0000

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to Sunday Times bestselling author, Ruth Hogan. Ruth’s first novel, The Keeper of Lost Things was published in 2017. It became a Sunday Times bestseller, was chosen as a Richard & Judy book club pick and was published in over 30 countries. She then went on to publish two more books, The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes and Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel, which helped to establish her as the Queen of Uplit. Ruth’s latest book, Madame Burova, was published on 1st April this year. -- Books Featured In This Episode: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (https://bit.ly/3ejVXfT) Green Eggs & Ham by Dr Seuss (https://bit.ly/3dwqOVE) The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain (https://bit.ly/3tD5kfh) Morning's At Seven by Eric Malpass (Out of Print) Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan (https://bit.ly/3xalnn8) -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

L.D. Lapinski

Mostly Books — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 23:00:06 +0000

This week we're talking to children’s author LD Lapinski, whose debut children's book, the Strangeworlds Travel Agency was published in April last year. The second book in the series, The Strangeworlds Travel Agency: The Edge of the Ocean is out on 15th April.

Meryl Halls

Mostly Books — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 05:45:55 +0000

This week we’re speaking to Managing Director of the Booksellers Association, Meryl Halls. Meryl has been part of the BA, the trade body which promotes retail bookselling in the UK & Ireland, since the year 2000. Her first role in the organization was as a conference assistant in. Since then, she has worked across all of organisation’s major campaigns including Books Are My Bag and Independent Bookshop Week as well as being heavily involved in the policy work. In 2018 Meryl took on the role of Managing Director and was named FutureBook Person of the Year in 2020. Meryl is passionate about all aspect of the book trade. She works tirelessly for booksellers all over the country, and what she does is invaluable. @booksaremybag #ChooseBookshops #BooksellersAssociation #Bookshop Books Discussed in this episode: The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton The Magus by John Fowles The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies (Part of the Cornish Trilogy) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders The Plot Against America by Philip Roth Leonard & Hungry Paul by --- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mostlyreading Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Anthony McGowan

Mostly Books — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 23:00:00 +0000

This week we’re talking to prize winning author, Anthony McGowan. Anthony’s first book, Stag Hunt was published in 2004 and he has since gone on to publish another 50 titles. Whilst his first book was a Crime Thriller, the majority of his work has been for children and young adults. With a range of styles, Anthony’s writing appeals to all. From 2013 – 2019, Anthony published a series of four books, Brock, Pike, Rook and Lark, with publisher, Barrington Stoke, who create content for Dyslexic and reluctant readers. Rook was shortlisted for the Carnegie medal in 2018 and Anthony went on to win the medal in 2020 for Lark. Anthony’s latest book, I Am the Minotaur, was published in January this year. @tonymcgowan #barringtonstoke @oxunipress @oxfordchildrens This episode was recorded in February 2020. --- The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien I am the Minotaur by Anthony McGowan -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Liz Nugent

Mostly Books — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 23:59:59 +0000

On the podcast this week, we’re speaking to crime author, Liz Nugent. Liz’s first book, Unravelling Oliver, was published in 2014 and was named Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish book awards. She has gone on to publish a further three novels, the latest of which, Our Little Cruelties, was published in March 2020 and has just come out in paperback. Liz has an army of high-profile fans, including Graham Norton, Marian Keyes & Lisa Jewell and that fandom is well deserved as her books are page-turning thrillers that keep the reader guessing to the end. This episode was recorded in January 2021. -- Books Featured In This Episode: The Shoe Shop Bears by Margaret J Baker Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Beth Morrey

Mostly Books — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 00:00:03 +0000

This week we’re talking to Sunday Times best-selling author, Beth Morrey. Beth’s debut novel, Saving Missy, was published in February 2020. We were lucky enough to have Beth join us for an event before lockdown and her stories and relaxed style made her a firm favourite with our guests. In January 2020, Beth released the first episode of her podcast, One Torn Every Minute, where she interviews women who’ve given birth, talking about their experiences in hilarious gory detail. Saving Missy was published in paperback on 4th March, giving a whole host of new readers the opportunity to meet Missy. --- Books Featured In This Episode: Watership Down by Richard Adams (https://bit.ly/3tr6oT2) Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton (https://bit.ly/3tpV0a7) Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (https://bit.ly/2OWmBRf) Which Witch? By Eva Ibbotson (https://bit.ly/3lr1pPG) Saving Missy by Beth Morrey (https://bit.ly/3tlXhTI) Note that the publication date of Hamnet in paperback has changed since this episode was recorded. The new publication date is 1st April. -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Ed Needham

Mostly Books — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 00:00:18 +0000

This week, we’re speaking to the editor of Strong Words magazine, Ed Needham. Ed is a veteran of magazines in the UK and US. In the 1990’s, he edited the massively popular, FHM before moving to New York to launch and edit the same title. Later, he would go on to become managing editor of Rolling Stone magazine and editor-in-chief of US Maxim, which, at that point, was the biggest-selling men’s magazine in the world. In 2018, Ed decided to combine his experience with his passion for books and created a brand new magazine called Strong Words. Written and edited by the man himself, the magazine is packed full of interviews, news, and reviews – there are over 100 books featured in each issue. Elizabeth Day says the magazine is ‘Genius’ and Sebastian Faulks calls it ‘A Must Read’. With nine publications a year, the magazine is perfect for any bookworm. --- Books mentioned in this episode: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - https://bit.ly/3ejVXfT The Disappearing Act : The Impossible Case of Mh370 by Florence de Changy - https://bit.ly/3kZEcUv Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West - https://bit.ly/3l1tvRa Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart - https://bit.ly/3busWML Repentance by Eloisa Diaz - https://bit.ly/3rDsMbm The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St Aubyn - https://bit.ly/3cfemrv The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth - https://bit.ly/3t85Y42 -- Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Rob Biddulph

Mostly Books — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:00:12 +0000

To celebrate World Book Day, we are interviewing the official illustrator of WBD, Rob Biddulph. Rob is a multi-award winning children’s author & illustrator. As well as working on his own books, he also illustrates for other authors including Michael Bond and Jeff Brown. In March 2020, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Rob started running a series of draw-along YouTube sessions called Draw with Rob. On 21st May he broke the Guinness World Record for the largest ever online art class when 45,611 people tuned in to one of his classes. Rob’s latest picture book, Dog Gone, came out in paperback on 18th February and his latest activity book, Draw With Rob: Build a Story is published on 4th March. --- Books mentioned in this episode: Dogger by Shirley Hughes - https://bit.ly/387307z Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - https://bit.ly/3e1WYcg To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - https://bit.ly/3sKj6Mf Odd Dog Out by Rob Biddulph - https://bit.ly/2MHsZem What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry - https://bit.ly/3bckJN5 Meg & Mog by Helen Nicoll & Jan Pienkowski - https://bit.ly/386ciki The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr - https://bit.ly/30851vT How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss - https://bit.ly/309ZwwQ The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf - https://bit.ly/3b9KZHO Alan's Big, Scary Teeth by Jarvis - https://bit.ly/3qe1EOP Look Up by Nathan Bryon - https://bit.ly/3e3Rtts Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk) twitter.com/mostlyreading instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Ross Welford

Mostly Books — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 00:00:18 +0000

This week we're talking to Ross Welford, one of the most critically acclaimed middle grade authors in the UK. Ross’ debut children’s novel, Time Travelling with a Hamster, was published in 2015 and he has gone on to publish a further five middle grade books, the latest of which , When We Got Lost in Dreamland, was published in January this year. His books have been translated into over 15 languages and he’s been shortlisted for some of the UK’s most prestigious children’s book prizes, including the Costa and the Blue Peter Award. -- First Book - The Magic Faraway Tree Series. Book 1 - The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton (https://bit.ly/3qR3VQN) Last Book - Lost Horizon by James Hilton (Unavailable) Wonder by R J Palacio (https://bit.ly/2P475Tn) Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford (https://bit.ly/3pTDc4S) When We Got Lost in Dreamland by Ross Welford (https://bit.ly/2ZP5t25) ---- Produced by the team at Mostly Books, 36 Stert Street, Abingdon OX14 3JP Website: www.mostly-books.co.uk Twitter: www.twitter.com/mostlyreading Insta: www.instagram.com Edited by Nick Short

Andrew Hunter Murray

Mostly Books — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 00:00:15 +0000

This week we're speaking to Andrew Hunter Murray. Andrew is a writer and comedian and is one of the QI elves, working behind the scenes for the BBC show, QI. He is also one of the co-hosts of the spinoff podcast, No Such Thing as a Fish. The podcast, which involves Andrew and the team, chatting about their favourite facts has been downloaded more than 300 million times since it started in 2014. Andrew also writes for Private Eye magazine and hosts the Eye‘s in-house podcast, Page 94. In his spare time he performs in the Jane Austen–themed improv comedy group Austentatious, which normally plays in London’s West End and around the UK. His debut novel, The Last Day, was published in 2020 and is out in paperback on 18th February. --- First Book: Redwall by Brian Jacques (https://bit.ly/3be6VjF) Last Book: The Custom of The Country by Edith Wharton (https://bit.ly/3u2WUi9) Book That Changed His Life: The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (https://bit.ly/37Fo70P) Book That Everyone Should Read: The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray (https://bit.ly/3ar80Wm) Twitter: www.twitter.com/mostlyreading Insta: www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop

Abigail Dean

Mostly Books — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 08:40:28 +0000

This week we’re talking to author, Abigail Dean. Abi’s debut novel, Girl A, was published in January this year after a nine way auction resulted in her signing with Harper Collins. The book immediately became a Sunday Times best seller and received rave reviews across the industry and in the press. The book has been sold in over 30 territories and has already been optioned for television and film. Not bad for a debut! Abi’s Book Choices Orchard Book of Greek Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean (https://bit.ly/372t43s) The Insult by Rupert Thomson (https://bit.ly/3q8NfEn) Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (https://bit.ly/36ZiuKc) Girl A by Abigail Dean (https://bit.ly/3d857v4) Mostly Books: www.mostly-books.co.uk Twitter: www.twitter.com/mostlyreading Instagram: www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop

Lisa Jewell

Mostly Books — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 00:00:08 +0000

Welcome to Season Two of Mostly Books Meets. In the podcast this week, we're speaking to the Sunday Times bestselling author, Lisa Jewell. Over the course of her career, Lisa has published 18 novels with another one due out soon. Her debut novel, Ralph’s Party, was an instant success, and more recently her books have been #1 bestsellers in Canada and the UK. In total, her novels have sold over 5 million copies worldwide and her work has been translated into over 25 languages. Lisa’s latest book, Invisible Girl, came out in paperback on 7th January and went straight in at number 1. Her new book, The Night She Disappeared, is due out later this year. --- Lisa's Book Choices Ant & Bee by Angela Banner: https://bit.ly/2YEZWdE High Fidelity by Nick Hornby: https://bit.ly/3oIe5Bv The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker: https://bit.ly/39Gv0Ae Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell: https://bit.ly/3pHpUJw The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell: https://bit.ly/2YHoV0g Twitter: @mostlyreading Insta: @mostlybooks_shop

Tom Croft

Mostly Books — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 00:00:20 +0000

This week, in our season finale of Mostly Books Meets, we speak to portrait artist, Tom Croft, the man behind the global initiative which encouraged artists to draw portraits of NHS Key Workers. This episode is dedicated to all NHS key workers. --- During his career, Tom has painted a whole range of clients, from the Manchester United Football team to former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. Tom appeared on Sky Arts Portraits of the Year in 2018, is a member of the Oxford Art Society and opens his studio to the public every year during Oxfordshire Art Week. Earlier this year, Tom started a global initiative that encouraged artists to draw portraits of NHS key workers. These portraits have recently been published into the book, Portraits for NHS Heroes, which is a beautiful tribute to the amazing work done by the NHS over the course of the pandemic. Mostly Books, Abingdon Twitter: @mostlyreading Instagram: @mostlybooks_shop Facebook: mostlybooksabingdon Tom Croft Instagram: @tomcroftartist

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Mostly Books — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 08:22:55 +0000

This week we're talking to multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall. Hugh earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV Series and books. His broadcasting has earned him a BAFTA as well as awards from Radio 4, The Observer and the Guild of Food Writers. Besides more than 20 cookery-based series, Hugh’s TV work includes hard-hitting campaigns such as the highly influential Fish Fight, which brought about changes in law, Britain’s Fat Fight, which tackled the national obesity crisis, and War on Plastic, where he and Anita Rani dug into the enormity of the problem of single-use plastic. Since the late nineties, Hugh has published a whole host of books, the latest of which, Eat Better Forever, is out on 31st December.

Ian Dunt

Mostly Books — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 00:00:15 +0000

This week we're talking to author, journalist and broadcaster, Ian Dunt. A vocal presence in the world of political journalism, Ian is the editor of politics.co.uk. He specialises in issues around immigration, civil liberties, democracy, free speech and social justice and appears regularly on TV and radio. In May 2017, Ian was part of the team that launched ‘Remainiacs’ a podcast about Britain’s departure from the EU. The podcast was renamed as ‘Oh God, What Now?’ in October this year as he and the team continue to make astute observations about the political landscape. Ian’s first book, Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? Was published in 2016 and his latest book, How To Be a Liberal, was published by Canbury Press in September this year. Note that this podcast contains some limited swearing.

Emma Gannon

Mostly Books — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:00:12 +0000

This week we're talking to author, journalist and podcaster Emma Gannon. Emma’s career has flourished in the digital world. As an early adopter of blogging, her success online has led to book deals, newspaper columns, and a podcast (Ctrl, Alt, Delete) that has been downloaded nearly 8 million times. Her non-fiction works include The Multi-Hyphen Method - empowering individuals to seize their potential by designing a career that works for them, and Sabotage – helping people quash imposter syndrome and get out of their own way. Earlier this year, Emma turned her attention to fiction, and the resulting novel, Olive, has sold 10,000 copies since its release in July. She is living embodiment of a flourishing multi-hyphenate career.

Tom Kerridge

Mostly Books — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 00:00:11 +0000

This week we're talking to Michelin Starred chef, Tom Kerridge. Tom has worked in kitchens across the UK since the early nineties. In 2005, he and his wife, Beth, bought a run-down pub in Marlow called the Hand and Flowers. Within a year, he’d turned the business around and achieved a Michelin star. A second one was added in 2012, making The Hand and Flowers the first pub to ever gain two Michelin stars. The success of this venture led Tom to take on another pub, The Coach of Marlow and, these days he is also responsible for restaurants in Manchester and London and even owns a butchers shop. As if that wasn’t enough, Tom has plenty of other things to keep him busy. He launched a food and music festival, Pub In The Park, in 2017 and he’s been a regular on The Great British Menu and numerous other television programmes over the years. His brand new series, Saving Britain’s Pubs with Tom Kerridge, has just begun on the BBC. Amazingly, he’s also found time to publish a host of best-selling books. Tom’s latest book The Hand & Flowers Cookbook, was published by Bloomsbury on 12th November.

Alex Wheatle

Mostly Books — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 00:00:18 +0000

This week we're talking to author Alex Wheatle, an acclaimed writer who fearlessly tackles subjects of social injustice in his work. Having grown up in the UK care system in the 1960s, Alex was also first-hand witness to the violence of the Brixton Riots in 1981, both of which have influenced his work. His debut novel Brixton Rock won praise from critics, while life on his fictionalised South Crongton estate has featured in a number of his books, including Crongton Knights, which was the Winner of the Guardian’s Children’s Fiction Prize. In 2008, Alex was awarded an MBE for his services to literature. His latest novel, Cane Warriors, has been endorsed by Amnesty International. Based on true events, it transports readers to 1760s Jamaica meeting Moa and his friend Keverton in their fight for freedom from slavery, not just for themselves but countless others.

David Melling

Mostly Books — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 09:26:53 +0000

This week we're talking to children's author and illustrator David Melling. Over his career, David has created over 150 books. His picture books include The Kiss that Missed, Once Upon a bedtime, and the much loved Hugless Douglas series. He’s also written and illustrated books for young readers. David is published in over 30 languages and has been shortlisted for many awards such as the Kate Greenaway and the Smarties Book Award, and Mostly Books is lucky to have worked with him many times over the last few years both in the shop and with our local schools. Hosted by the team at Mostly Books, an independent bookshop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire @mostlybooks

Mary Stevens

Mostly Books — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:00:14 +0000

This week we're talking to children’s author and martial arts expert, Mary Stevens. Mary, whose books are written under the name M.C. Stevens has the very definition of a portfolio career. Her main role is as a karate and self-protection teacher but, among other things, she’s also a fitness teacher and a Patron of Reading for a high school. Somehow, amongst all of this, she’s managed to write a series of children’s books. Mary and I first met at an author’s event at her publisher, OUP, and we’ve been working together ever since. Her first book, which is about a pair of Warrior Monkeys, was published in June 2019. A second book quickly followed and the latest addition to the series, Warrior Monkeys and the Rescue Quest, is published on 5th November.

Martin Latham

Mostly Books — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 11:24:10 +0000

This week we're talking to author and bookseller, Martin Latham. What Martin doesn’t know about books isn’t worth knowing. Having worked as a bookseller for 35 years, he’s seen it all. Starting out in an independent bookshop on the King’s Road in Chelsea, he worked in second hand bookshops and a couple of branches of Waterstones before opening Waterstones Canterbury in 1990. In that role, he’s seen and done a lot with my favourite anecdote being the fact that he was responsible for putting the cost of an archaeological dig through the petty cash. Martin’s experiences as a bookseller and his clear love of literature are captured in his book, The Bookseller’s Tale, which was published in September.

Chris Riddell

Mostly Books — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 16:00:03 +0000

This week we're talking to one of the UK's top illustrators and cartoonists, Chris Riddell. Chris has written and illustrated an exceptional range of books and is the winner of many awards, including the UNESCO Prize and the Greenaway Medal, which he won on no less than three occasions. In addition to his books, Chris is also a renowned political cartoonist for the Observer. He was the Children’s laureate from 2015-17 and was awarded an OBE for services to illustration and charity in 2019. Chris's own books include the highly-acclaimed Ottoline titles and the Award-winning Goth Girl series. He has had six books published in the last six weeks, the latest of which, a stunning edition of Alice in Wonderland, comes out today. He’s been busy!

Robert Harris

Mostly Books — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 06:26:46 +0000

In the podcast this week, we talk to best-selling author Robert Harris. Robert’s first novel, Fatherland, was published in 1992 to critical acclaim and he has since gone on to publish a further 13 novels, the latest of which, V2, was published on 17th September. Robert specialises is historical fiction and he’s well known for producing page turning thrillers that keep the reader guessing until the end. His work has been translated into forty languages, several of his books have been turned into films, and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Elizabeth Day

Mostly Books — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 07:04:02 +0000

In Episode 5 of Mostly Books Meets, we chat to journalist, author, and podcaster, Elizabeth Day. An experienced journalist, who has written for publications including The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Mail on Sunday. Elizabeth’s first book was published in 2011 and she went on to publish a further three novels, including the Party which was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. In 2017, after a relationship breakup, Elizabeth came up with the idea of a new podcast: How To Fail With Elizabeth Day. In the podcast, she speaks to successful people about three perceived failures and how they dealt with them. The podcast was an instant success and, after eight episodes, it had been downloaded more than 200,000 times and she had a book deal. The resulting book, How to Fail, was a Sunday Times best seller and the follow up, Failosophy is published on the 1st October. -- In Failosophy Elizabeth Day brings together all the lessons she has learned, from conversations with the guests on her award-winning How to Fail podcast, from stories shared with her by readers and listeners, and from her own life, and distils them into seven principles of failure. Practical, reassuring and inspirational, these principles offer a guide through life's rough patches. From failed exams to romantic break-ups, from career setbacks to confidence crises, from navigating anxiety to surviving loss, Failosophy recognises, and celebrates, the fact that failure connects us all. It is what makes us human. With insights from Malcolm Gladwell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lemn Sissay, Frankie Bridge, Nigel Slater, Emeli Sande, Alain de Botton, Mabel, Fearne Cotton, Meera Syal, Dame Kelly Holmes, Andrew Scott and many, many more, Failosophy is the essential handbook for turning failure into success. Mostly Books: www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop Elizabeth Day www.twitter.com/elizabday www.instagram.com/elizabday/

Matson Taylor

Mostly Books — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:31:35 +0000

In episode four of Mostly Books Meets, Sarah chats to Matson Taylor, the debut author of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth. Childhood Book: Paddington by Michael Bond Most Recently Read: Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia by Tracey Thorn Book That Changed His Life: Katherine Mansfield Short Stories by Katherine Mansfield Book That Everyone Should Read: The Miseducation of Evie Epworth July, 1962 Sixteen year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she become? The fastest milk bottle-delivery girl in East Yorkshire, Evie is tall as a tree and hot as the desert sand. She dreams of an independent life lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds). The two posters of Adam Faith on her bedroom wall ('brooding Adam' and 'sophisticated Adam') offer wise counsel about a future beyond rural East Yorkshire. Her role models are Charlotte Bronte, Shirley MacLaine and the Queen. But, before she can decide on a career, she must first deal with the malign presence of her future step-mother, the manipulative and money-grubbing Christine. If Evie can rescue her bereaved father, Arthur, from Christine's pink and over-perfumed clutches, and save the farmhouse from being sold off then maybe she can move on with her own life and finally work out exactly who it is she is meant to be. Moving, inventive and richly comic, The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is the most joyful debut novel of the year and the best thing to have come out of Yorkshire since Wensleydale cheese. Matson Taylor www.twitter.com/matson_taylor_ https://matsontaylor.com/ Mostly Books: www.twitter.com/mostlyreading www.mostly-books.co.uk

Heather Morris

Mostly Books — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:05:03 +0000

In Episode three of Mostly Books Meets, Sarah talks to bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris, about her new book, Stories of Hope. . . The Tattooist of Auschwitz is one of the bestselling books of the 21st Century. Now, in this essential companion, Heather Morris presents an inspiring manual for life, with a series of tales of the remarkable people she has met, the incredible stories they have shared with her, and the lessons they hold for us all. In Stories of Hope, Heather will explore her extraordinary talents as a listener - a skill she employed when she first met Lale Sokolov, the tattooist at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the inspiration for her bestselling novel. It was this ability that led Lale to entrust Heather with his story, which she told in her novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz and the bestselling follow up, Cilka's Journey. Now Heather shares the story behind her inspirational writing journey and the defining experiences of her life, including her profound friendship with Lale, and explores how she learned to really listen to the stories people told her - skills she believes we can all learn. 'Stories are what connect us and remind us that hope is always possible.' Heather MorrisIncludes an exciting sneak peek extract from the upcoming fiction title from Heather Morris. An international phenomenon, The Tattooist of Auschwitz has sold over five million copies. Cilka's Journey has sold over a million copies worldwide.

Gideon Defoe

Mostly Books — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 09:47:15 +0000

In this episode of Mostly Books Meets, Sarah chats to author and screen writer, Gideon Defoe. After graduating from what he refers to as a slightly pointless degree in Archaeology and Anthropology, Gideon worked in bars and at a range of temp jobs whilst he worked out what he wanted to do with his career. His first book, ‘The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists’ was written to impress a girl and I hope that she was impressed because, not only did the book go on to be a huge success, four further books were published in the same series and his first book was made into an award winning animation film in 2012 featuring the likes of Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman and David Tennant. Lately, Gideon has turned his attention to non-fiction with his new book ‘An Atlas of Extinct Countries’ and, having recently moved out of the big smoke to Oxfordshire, there’s a lot going on. The Atlas of Extinct Countries was published on 3rd September and is available from Mostly Books (https://bit.ly/2DKkt9V) and all good bookshops First Book: Doctor Who and The Brain of Morbius (https://bit.ly/3nLnkk0) Last Book: We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson (https://bit.ly/35QwG7M) Book that changed your life: Structural Anthropology (https://bit.ly/3il9eVc)) Book that everyone should read: An Atlas of Extinct Countries (https://bit.ly/35NVcq8)

A.F. Harrold

Mostly Books — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In the first episode of 'Mostly Books Meets....', Sarah chats to children's author and poet, AF Harrold. Childhood Book: Gentleman Jim by Raymond Briggs (https://bit.ly/3sAaSaa) Most Recently Read: Goblins by Philip Reeve (https://bit.ly/3sFAu5V), The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf (https://bit.ly/2N7jJQt) & a selection of Russell Hoban Novels. Book that Changed His Life: Why I Am Not A Christian by Bertrand Russell (https://bit.ly/3oUaXTU) Book That Everyone Should Read: The Book of Not Entirely Useful Advice by A.F. Harrold (https://bit.ly/3bKYlLl)

Welcome to Mostly Books Meets...

Mostly Books — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 01:00:00 +0000

We’re booksellers, talking to people who love books about books. In this weekly podcast, we speak to authors, journalists, poets and a whole bunch of people from the world of publishing all about books. Books they’ve written, books they’ve read and books they think everyone should read. Throw in some chat about reading, writing and life in general and you’ve got the gist of Mostly Books Meets.

Mostly Books Meets is a weekly podcast by the independent award-winning bookshop, Mostly Books. Nestled in the Oxfordshire town of Abingdon-on-Thames, Mostly Books has been spreading the joy of reading for fifteen years. Whether it’s a book, gift, or card you need the Mostly Books team is always on hand to help. Visit our website.

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.