You're Booked

This week we’re delighted to welcome the author of one of our favourite novels of recent times Clare Chambers! Clare’s novel Small Pleasures was a Women’s Prize nominee and a book of the Year in The Times, Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Express, Metro and many more and beloved over here at You’re Booked towers. We talked to her about Katherine Heiny, out of print revelations, slow reading and using Nina Stibbe as a friendship barometer.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableClare Chambers - Small PleasuresAmor Towles - Gentleman in MoscowAnn Patchett - Bel CantoTara Westover - EducatedJeannette Walls - Glass CastleGerald Durrell - My Family and Other AnimalsNina Stibbe - Love NinaLaura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the PrairieJane Austen - Northanger AbbeyCharlotte Bronte - Jane EyreAlexander Dumas - Count of Monte ChristoThomas Hardy - Mayor of CasterbridgeThomas Hardy - Return of the NativeThomas Hardy - Tess of the d’UrbervillesThomas Hardy - Far From the Madding CrowdAlain-Fournier - Grand Meaulnes Jane Austen - PersuasionPaulette Jiles - News of the WorldTayari Jones - American MarriageTayari Jones - Silver SparrowCharles Palliser - Quincunx Katherine Heiny - Early Morning RiserKatherine Heiny - Standard DeviationWinifred Holtby - South RidingJosephine Tey - Franchise AffairJosephine Tey - Brat FarrarElizabeth Jane Howard - Mr WrongIngrid Persaud - Love After LoveZoe Pilger - Eat My Heart OutMichael Frayn - Towards the End of the MorningMarian Keyes - Sushi For BeginnersMarika Cobbold - On Hampstead HeathRC Sherriff - Fortnight in SeptemberRonan Hession - Leonard and Hungry PaulDorothy Baker - Cassandra at the WeddingAnna Hope - ExpectationClaire Lombardo - Most Fun We Ever HadMaria Semple - Where'd You Go BernadetteShirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived in the CastleShirley Jackson - Life Among the SavagesElizabeth Jane Howard - Cazalet ChroniclesAlan Wildsmith - Summer at 45 AcresDH Lawrence - Lady Chatterley’s LoverJilly Cooper - RidersJilly Cooper - RivalsJilly Cooper - ImogenJilly Cooper - HarrietJilly Cooper - PrudenceLouisa May Alcott - Little WomenCathleen Schine - Love LetterCathleen Schine - They Do Not Mean To But They DoCathleen Schine - Grammarians Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're delighted to sit down and chat with the multi-award winning author, speaker, podcaster and Financial Times columnist Elizabeth Uviebinené! Elizabeth's first book was the groundbreaking Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible, co-written with her best friend Yomi Adegoke. She also co-edited Loud Black Girls with Yomi and co-presented Slay in Your Lane: The Podcast. Her latest book is The Reset, a fundamental rethink of how we work and live. We talked to her about the genius of Jacqueline Wilson, the fun of delving into awkward subjects and reading Danielle Steel on the bus.BOOKSElizabeth Uviebinené - The ResetElizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke - Slay In Your LaneElizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke - Loud Black GirlsSheryl Sandberg - Lean InCaleb Azumah Nelson - Open WaterJacqueline Wilson - Dustbin BabyJacqueline Wilson - Suitcase KidDanielle Steel - The PromiseTasmina Perry - Gold DiggersTasmina Perry - Daddy's GirlsTasmina Perry - Guilty PleasuresLouise Bagshawe - Career GirlsTilly Bagshawe - AdoredJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceJonathan Coe - House of SleepSophie Kinsella - Undomestic GoddessMalcolm Gladwell - OutliersMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping PointMalcolm Gladwell - BlinkJilly Cooper - Man Who Made Husbands JealousSophie Mort - Manual For Being HumanOtegha Uwagba - We Need to Talk About MoneyClare Seal - Real Life Money Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're delighted to welcome the legendary novelist, playwright, performer, journalist and teacher Esther Freud to You're Booked. Esther is the author of nine novels, her first Hideous Kinky was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys prize and turned into a hit film starring Kate Winslet. Her latest is the captivating I Couldn't Love You More. We talked to her about the pain of book gifting, the genius of Jean Rhys, the power of poetry and the hilarity of Maria Semple.BOOKSEsther Freud - Hideous KinkyEsther Freud - I Couldn’t Love You MoreElizabeth Jane Howard - Cazalet ChroniclesElizabeth Jane Howard - SlipstreamLaura Ingalls Wilder - Little House in the Big WoodsLaura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the PrairieTracy Chevalier - Girl With a Pearl EarringJean Rhys - Voyage in the DarkJean Rhys - Wide Sargasso SeaGeorge Orwell - EssaysCharlotte Bronte - Jane EyreNicole Krauss - To Be a ManNicole Krauss - History of LoveSylvia Townsend Warner - English ClimateElizabeth Bowen - Collected StoriesTessa Hadley - Bad DreamsDavid Szalay - TurbulenceLucia Berlin - Manual for Cleaning WomenMhairi McFarlane - Here’s Looking at YouJane Ions - Domestic Bliss and Other DisastersLeo Tolstoy - Anna KareninaJon McGregor - Reservoir 13Andrew Sean Greer - LessEvelyn Waugh - Handful of DustEvelyn Waugh - Vile BodiesNancy Mitford - Pursuit of LoveMaria Semple - Where'd You Go BernadetteLouisa May Alcott - Little WomenLouisa May Alcott - Good WivesMaria Semple - This One is MineBarbara Trapido - Brother of the More Famous JackRobert Louis Stevenson - Jekyll and HydeArmistead Maupin - Days of Anna MadrigalAnn Patchett - State of WonderElizabeth Gilbert - Big MagicAnn Patchett - Dutch HouseAnn Patchett - CommonwealthJay Bernard - SurgeWB Yeats - Collected Poems Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are so excited to welcome one of our favourite ever authors to the You're Booked airwaves this week. Katherine Heiny is the author of the novels Standard Deviation and Early Morning Riser, plus the short story collection Single, Carefree, Mellow. Her books are funny, moving, wise and just fantastic. We talked to her about rice pudding, espionage, the pain of dinner parties, unnerving Judy Blume and rereading Nora Ephron.BOOKSKatherine Heiny - Standard DeviationKatherine Heiny - Single Carefree MellowKatherine Heiny - Early Morning RiserAlice Thomas Ellis - Other Side of the FireAlice Thomas Ellis - Summer HouseAlice Thomas Ellis - Unexplained LaughterStella Gibbons - Cold Comfort FarmLaurie Colwin - Home CookingNigella Lawson - FeastNora Ephron - HeartburnNora Ephron - Most of...Nell Zink - MislaidThomas Harris - Silence of the LambsThomas Harris - Red DragonStephen King - CarrieDorothy Parker - Complete StoriesBarbara Trapido - Noah’s ArkLaura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the PrairieLacy Crawford - Notes on a SilencingNaoise Dolan - Exciting TimesElif Batuman - The IdiotCarmen Maria Machado - In The Dream HouseNina Renata Aron - Good Morning Destroyer of Men’s SoulsDeborah Kay Davies - True Things About MeHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones’s DiaryNick Hornby - High FidelityMargaret Mitchell - Gone With the WindF Scott Fitzgerald - Tender is the NightF Scott Fitzgerald - Great GatsbyLeo Tolstoy - Anna KareninaNorma Klein - Beginner’s LoveJudy Blume - ForeverJudy Blume - Then Again Maybe I Won’tJudy Blume - Are You There God It’s Me MargaretVC Andrews - Flowers in the AtticColleen McCullough - Thorn Birds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are delighted to welcome author, award-winner and Books to Nourish auction victor Emma Batchelor! Emma’s debut book, Now That I See You, is an acclaimed love story, told through letters and diary entries, reflecting Emma’s own experience of identity, gender and grief. The book won the Vogel Literary Award, Australia's most prestigious prize for an unpublished manuscript. We talked to her about great Australian literature, lady detectives, eroticism in Jane Austen and the genius of Nina Stibbe. For more on Books to Nourish visit bookstonourish.wordpress.com/ and discover more about FareShare at fareshare.org.BOOKSEmma Batchelor - Now That I See YouTorrey Peters - Detransition BabyAlexandra Heminsley - Some Body To LoveKerry Greenwood - Phryne Fisher MysteriesJoan Lindsay - Picnic at Hanging RockRuth Park - Harp in the SouthMelina Marchetta - Looking for AlibrandiJessie Tu - Lonely Girl is a Dangerous ThingDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableNaoise Dolan - Exciting TimesKabi Nagata - My Lesbian Year of LonelinessSophie Kinsella - Undomestic GoddessSophie Kinsella - Secret Dreamworld of a ShopaholicJane Austen - EmmaJane Austen - Sense and SensibilityJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceHelen Halstead - A Private PerformanceElla Baxter - New AnimalNancy Mitford - Pursuit of LoveSheila Heti - MotherhoodNell Frizzell - Panic YearsEmma Jane Unsworth - AdultsHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones’s DiaryRuby Tandoh - Eat UpLaurie Colwin - Home CookingNina Stibbe - Love Nina Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we welcome a true publishing legend to the show. Judy Piatkus founded Piatkus Books from her Essex bedroom in 1979. She went on to release books by globally bestselling authors such as Danielle Steel, VC Andrews, Mary Berry and Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. Now Judy has released her own memoir, Ahead of Her Time. We talked to her about her glittering publishing career, the books that got away, the genius of Ann Patchett and the power of Feng Shui. BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableJudy Piatkus - Ahead of Her TimeHeather Morris - Tattooist of AuschwitzJoseph Kanon - DefectorsAnn Cleeves - Hidden DepthsAnn Cleeves - Raven BlackDanielle Steel - The PromiseCynthia Freeman - No Time For TearsVC Andrews - Flowers in the AtticLinda Grant - A Stranger CityTessa Hadley - Late in the DayVC Andrews - My Sweet AudrinaMargaret Mitchell - Gone With the WindVC Andrews - Petals on the WindJudy Blume - ForeverElizabeth Jane Howard - Cazalet ChroniclesJames Redfield - Celestine ProphecyHarville Hendrix - Getting the Love You WantSusan Jeffers - Feel the Fear and Do It AnywayHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones’s DiaryKaren Kingston - Clear Your Clutter With Feng ShuiMarie Kondo - Life-Changing Magic of Tidying UpBenjamin Moser - SontagNevil Shute - On The BeachAlistair MacLean - Ice Station ZebraMary Renault - King Must DieLeon Uris - ExodusLissa Evans - V For VictoryAnne Tyler - Redhead By The Side of the RoadAnn Patchett - State of WonderAnn Patchett - Dutch HouseAnn Patchett - Bel CantoAnn Patchett - CommonwealthDaisy Buchanan - SisterhoodJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceLouisa May Alcott - Little WomenMaeve Binchy - Light a Penny CandlePenny Vincenzi - Question of TrustNora Roberts - Song of the WestJD Robb - Forgotten in DeathJulia Quinn - BridgertonGeorgette Heyer - Frederica Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are delighted to present a funny, freewheeling conversation with author, actor, podcaster and comedy legend Charlie Higson! As well as co-creating The Fast Show and Down the Line, adapting Marple and Jekyll and Hyde for TV, hosting the Charlie Higson & Friends podcast and popping up in Broadchurch, he's the author of many books including the hugely successful Young Bond and The Enemy series. His latest is the sweet and hilarious kids book Worst Holiday Ever. We talked to him about Fungus, Octopi, Bond, diaries and Samuel Beckett’s influence on the Fast Show.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableCharlie Higson - Young BondCharlie Higson - The EnemyCharlie Higson - Worst Holiday EverElizabeth Jane Howard - Cazalet ChroniclesGeorge Eliot - MiddlemarchIan Fleming - ThunderballCervantes - Don QuixoteHerman Melville - Moby DickSamuel Beckett - Three NovelsSamuel Beckett - Krapps Last TapeSteve Martin - Born Standing UpMichael Palin - DiariesAndy Warhol - DiariesEB White - LettersRichard Burton - DiariesHenry 'Chips' Channon - DiariesNancy Mitford - The Pursuit of LoveChris Kraus - I Love DickPeter Godfrey-Smith - Other MindsMerlin Sheldrake - Entangled LifeGiulia Enders - GutWill Storr - Status GameWill Storr - Science of StorytellingFriends on the Shelf magazine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a great way to start a new series! The brilliant Emma Jane Unsworth joins us down the line from Brighton. Emma is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Hungry, the Stars and Everything, Adults and Animals, which was turned into a lauded film. Her latest work is a memoir about motherhood: After the Storm. We talked to her about werewolves, living in Jane Eyre's world, dirty girl gangs and the redemptive qualities of Carrie Fisher.BOOKSEmma Jane Unsworth - AnimalsEmma Jane Unsworth - AdultsEmma Jane Unsworth - After The StormCharlotte Bronte - Jane EyreAgatha Christie - CollectionCarrie Fisher - Postcards From the EdgeMarian Keyes - Rachel’s HolidayEdward St Aubyn - Bad NewsCalla Henkel - Other People’s ClothesEmer McLysaght & Sarah Breen - Oh My God What a Complete AislingNikesh Shukla - Brown BabyCandice Brathwaite - I Am Not Your Baby MotherSigrid Nunez - The FriendGayl Jones - CorregidoraCandice Carty-Williams - QueenieRaven Leilani - LusterKristen Roupenian - You Know You Want ThisGlen Duncan - Last WerewolfJilly Cooper - RivalsGustave Flaubert - Madame BovaryMaggie Nelson - ArgonautsSinead Gleeson - ConstellationsMaggie O’Farrell - I Am I Am I AmLynn Enright - VaginaKirstin Innes - Scabby QueenJenn Ashworth - Ghosted: A Love StoryJenni Fagan - Luckenbooth Jenni Fagan -The Panopticon Katherine Heiny - Standard DeviationKatherine Heiny - Early Morning RiserKatherine Heiny - Single Carefree MellowLaurie Colwin - Happy All The TimeJennifer Egan - Visit From the Good SquadChloe Caldwell - I'll Tell You in PersonLorrie Moore - Gate at the StairsLorrie Moore - BarkMargaret Atwood - Cat’s EyeZadie Smith - White TeethZadie Smith - IntimationsPatricia Lockwood - No One is Talking About ThisPatricia Lockwood - PriestdaddyAnnie Proulx - Brokeback Mountain: Story to ScreenplayBilly Mernit - Writing the Romantic ComedySyd Field - Screenplay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's guest is a full-blown National Treasure. Mel Giedroyc is a versatile presenter, actor and comedian, who formed a formidable comedy partnership with Sue Perkins, hosted the iconic Great British Bake Off and has starred in West End musicals. And now Mel can add novelist to her list of achievements with her critically acclaimed debut The Best Things already topping the charts. We talked to her about her ferocious devotion to Jean Valjean, the funny book she always gives as a gift and the book so scary she'd only read it when other people were in the room.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableMel Giedroyc - The Best Things Margaret Mitchell - Gone with the WindJane Austen - PersuasionVictor Hugo - Les MiserablesEmily Bronte - Wuthering HeightsNigel Planer & Christopher Douglas - I an ActorThomas Harris - Silence of the LambsRobert Goddard - Past CaringRobert Goddard - The Fine Art of Invisible DetectionAlice Thomas Ellis - Unexplained LaughterCharles Dickens - Nicholas NickelbyCharles Dickens - Bleak HouseLaurie Colwin - Home CookingLaurie Colwin - More Home CookingLaurie Colwin - Happy All The TimeElena Ferrante - Lying Life of AdultsElena Ferrante - Neapolitan QuartetEvelyn Waugh - Vile BodiesLissa Evans - V For VictoryMary Wesley - Sensible LifeMary Welsley - Camomile LawnZadie Smith - Swing TimeDonatella Di Pietrantonio - A Girl ReturnedDante - InfernoGeorgia Pritchett - My Mess is a Bit of a LifeNina Stibbe - Reasons To Be CheerfulFanny Craddock - Fanny Craddock Invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's guest may just hold the record for the You're Booked interviewee with the most books sold at a modest 500 million and counting. Dean Koontz's first book, Star Quest, was released in 1968 and since then he's produced over 100 more in a variety of genres. His books have been published in 38 languages and 14 have been New York Times number one bestsellers, with the latest being The Other Emily. We talked to Dean about dogs, self doubt, paperback binges, rereading and always hanging onto hope.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableDean Koontz - Star QuestDean Koontz - The Other EmilyKazuo Ishiguro - Klara and the SunKenneth Grahame - Wind in the WillowsDean Koontz - IntensityDonald Westlake - The Hot RockJames Kirkwood - There Must Be a PonyWilliam Goldman - Marathon ManWilliam Goldman - The Colour of LightWilliam Goldman - Adventures in the Screen TradeEve Babitz - Sex and RageJohn Fante - Ask the DustJohn D MacDonald - Cape FearCharles Dickens - Tale of Two CitiesKate DiCamillo - Tale of DespereauxKate DiCamillo - Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Kate DiCamillo - Magician’s ElephantBenjamin Moser - Susan SontagHerman Wouk - Caine MutinyRobert Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange LandRay Bradbury - Collected StoriesArthur C Clark - Collected StoriesTheodore Sturgeon - More Than HumanJane Ions - Domestic Bliss and Other DisastersDavid Mitchell - Bone ClocksDean Koontz - From the Corner of his EyeDean Koontz - WatchersJack London - Call of the WildFred Gipson - Old YellerF Scott Fitzgerald - Great Gatsby Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.