You're Booked

This week we're riffling through the shelves of author, broadcaster, journalist and podcast superstar Pandora Sykes! Pandora is the co-host of the smash hit The High Low and her own chart-topping new podcast Doing It Right. Her first essay collection is the hotly anticipated How Do We Know We're Doing It Right. We talked to her about formative reading, High Low favourites and Jilly Cooper's nether regions.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiablePandora Sykes - How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right?William Davies - Nervous StatesPaul Bloom - Against EmpathyWilliam Davies - Happiness IndustryGary Shteyngart - Super Sad True Love StoryRobert Swindells - Brother in the LandClare Chambers - Small PleasuresCandice Brathwaite - I am Not Your Baby MotherCandice Carty-Williams - QueenieZadie Smith - White TeethClaire Lombardo - Most Fun We Ever HadBritt Bennett - Vanishing HalfTayari Jones - Silver SparrowBritt Bennett - The MothersNell Zink - MislaidTayari Jones - An American MarriageMeg Wolitzer- The InterestingsKiley Reid - Such a Fun AgeNesrine Malik - We Need New StoriesJess Walter - Beautiful RuinsZadie Smith - NWMary Gaitskill - Lost CatMary Gaitskill - Bad BehaviourMary Gaitskill - VeronicaMary Gaitskill - Two Girls Fat & ThinDeborah Levy - Cost of LivingTaylor Jenkins Reid - Daisy Jones & the SixCurtis Sittenfeld - PrepJessica Knoll - Luckiest Girl AliveEmma Morgan - Love Story For Bewildered GirlsMelissa Bank - Girls Guide To Hunting & FishingMelissa Bank - Wonder SpotJohn Boyne - Ladder To The SkyJohn Boyne - Heart’s Invisible FuriesPatricia Highsmith - Talented Mr RipleyJilly Cooper - PoloJilly Cooper - RidersJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceEmily Bronte - Wuthering HeightsJacqueline Susann - Valley of the DollsBetty Friedan - Feminine MystiqueAbi Dare - Girl With the Louding VoiceKelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott - Swan SongTruman Capote - In Cold BloodNikesh Shukla - Brown BabyNikesh Shukla - Good ImmigrantNikesh Shukla - Good Immigrant USANikesh Shukla - One Who Wrote DestinyRhik Samadder - I Never Said I loved You Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are Shelf Isolating with the journalist, columnist and author Gavanndra Hodge! Gavanndra has worked in newspapers and magazines for over twenty years at publications such as Tatler, Sunday Times, Independent and ES Magazine. Her memoir, The Consequences of Love, has received widespread critical acclaim. We talked to her about rereading, food in books, Lace and being led astray by the Chalet School books.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - SisterhoodDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableGavanndra Hodge - Consequences of LoveVladimir Nabokov - Speak MemorySybille Bedford - JigsawElinor M. Brent-Dyer - Chalet SchoolJRR Tolkien - Lord of the RingsVirgil - AenidElizabeth Jane Howard - Cazalet ChroniclesRose Macaulay - Towers of TrebizondDiana Henry - How To Eat a PeachAnbara Salam - BelladonnaBarbara Trapido - Frankie and StankieBarbara Trapido - Brother of the More Famous JackDeborah Levy - Swimming HomeAli Smith - How To Be BothCathy Rentzenbrink - Dear ReaderCathy Rentzenbrink - Last Act of LoveJustine Picardie - If the Spirit Moves YouJK Rowling - Harry PotterSophie Heawood - Hungover GamesUrsula Le Guin - The DispossessedDaniel Kehlmann - TyllShirley Conran - Lace Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're still stuck at home and Shelf Isolating this week - but we have a fabulous guest to share all that isolation with: Sali Hughes! Sali is a podcast host, broadcaster, Guardian Weekend's resident beauty expert and the author of the books Pretty Honest, Pretty Iconic and Our Rainbow Queen. We talked to her about the great Nora Ephron, the joy of reading about parties, fraternal favourites and the best literary families. Head to Instagram and search for #BlackOutBestSellerList to find out more about the campaign.BOOKSAbi Daré - Girl With the Louding VoiceAngela Makholwa - Blessed GirlSali Hughes - Pretty HonestSali Hughes - Pretty IconicSali Hughes - Our Rainbow Queen Nora Ephron - HeartburnLaurie Colwin - Happy All the TimeAndrew Sean Greer - LessPhyllis Grant - Everything is Under ControlNora Ephron - Scribble ScribbleDelia Ephron - Hanging UpNoras Ephron - Wallflower at the OrgyJohn Irving - Hotel New HampshireLouisa May Alcott - Little WomenJeffrey Eugenides - Virgin SuicidesMario Puzo - The GodfatherGordon Burn - Somebody's Husband, Somebody's SonTruman Capote - In Cold BloodTara Westover - EducatedLeah Remini - TroublemakerBeau Donelly, Nick Toscano - Woman Who Fooled The WorldDarren Coffield - Tales From the Colony RoomGreg Sestero - Disaster ArtistAndre Leon Talley - Chiffon TrenchesTerri White - Coming UndoneCathy Rentzenbrink - Dear ReaderArmistead Maupin - Maybe the MoonArmistead Maupin - Night ListenerDeborah Davis - Party of the Century Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We couldn't be happier to be Shelf Isolating with this week's guest - author, journalist and all around book guru Sarra Manning! Sarra is one of our favourite people on the planet as well as a brilliant former guest who has impeccable book taste. We talked to her about foisting favourite books, rigorous rereading, investigating the aristocracy and there are many, many book recommendations.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - SisterhoodSarra Manning - Rescue MeAnne de Courcy - Debs at WarAnne de Courcy - Viceroy’s daughtersNicolas Coleridge - Glossy YearsPG Wodehouse - Indiscretions of ArchieBarbara Pym - Jane and PrudenceDorothy Whipple - They Were SistersElizabeth Jane Howard - Cazalet ChroniclesEM Delafield - Diary of a Provincial LadySusie Steiner - Missing PresumedJane Casey - The BurningLouise Cavendish - Our HousePenny Vincenzi - No AngelRC Sherriff - Fortnight in SeptemberAngela Thirkell - Before LunchVictoria Wood - ChunkyKiley Reid - Such a Fun AgeCathy Rentzenbrink - Dear ReaderSara Davidson - Loose ChangeLisa Taddeo - Three WomenCathleen Schine - GrammariansVirginia Andrews - Flowers in the AtticJane Oliver - Business as UsualNoel Streatfeild - Ballet ShoesEva Ibbotson - Morning GiftEva Ibbotson - Secret CountessGeorgette Heyer - Regency BuckLM Montgomery - Blue CastleNoel Streatfeild - Vicarage FamilyArtemis Cooper - Elizabeth DavidHannah Tovey - Education of Ivy EdwardsSarra Manning - UnstickyMarian Keyes - Rachel's HolidayMarian Keyes - Grown UpsHolly Bourne - PretendingSarra Manning - You Don’t Have To Say you Love MeSarra Manning - Let’s Get LostSarra Manning - Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's another Shelf Isolation bonus episode this week, where we peruse the bookshelves of a favourite author from a safe distance. This week it's a ridiculously entertaining chat with the wonderful Clare Mackintosh. Clare is the bestselling and multi-award-winning author of ILet You Go, Let Me Lie and her latest After The End. We talked to her about providing a retirement home for books, her secret library, Just William and who, from books, she'd hate to be locked down with.PLEASE GIVE:Minnesota Freedom FundStop Hate UKRachel Cargell's Great UnlearnBOOKSLayla F Saad - Me & White SupremacyClare Mackintosh - I Let You GoClare Mackintosh - After The EndKate Elizabeth Russell - My Dark VanessaJodi Picoult - Small Great ThingsJodi Picoult - A Spark of LightJilly Cooper - ImogenEleanor H. Porter - PollyannaSusan Coolidge - What Katy DidGeorge & Weedon Grossmith - Diary of a NobodyRichmal Crompton - William Carries OnHV Morton - Traveller in RomeEdward Lear - Complete NonsenseKate Atkinson - Life After LifeNikesh Shukla (ed) - Good ImmigrantJasbinder Bilan - Asha & the Spirit BirdArthur Ransome - Swallows and AmazonsSally Rooney - Normal PeopleHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones’s DiarySue Townsend - Secret Diary of Adrian MoleGeorge Orwell - Down and Out in Paris and LondonMark Haddon - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timeJames Goodhand - Last LessonAA Dhand - Darkness RisingJohn Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are still somewhat locked down this week, but rather than binge watching old episodes of Keeping Up Appearances we are talking to out nearest and dearest about literary life in quarantine. This week it's the mega-selling author and critic Louise Doughty! Louise is the author of nine novels, with her most recent being Platform Seven. Her previous book, Black Water, was a New York Times Notable Book and Apple Tree Yard was adapted into a successful TV series starring Emily Watson. We talked to her about which character she'd like to be in lockdown with, Ursula Le Guin and holidaying vicariously via books.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableLouise Doughty - Platform SevenLouise Doughty - Whatever You LoveHillary Mantel - Mirror and the LightSandra Horley - Power And Control: Why Charming Men Can Make Dangerous LoversAlice Jolly - Dead Babies and Seaside TownsGavanndra Hodge - Consequences of LoveStephanie Scott - What’s Left of Me Is YoursPolly Samson - Theatre for DreamersUrsula Le Guin - Wizard of EarthseaUrsula Le Guin - Left Hand of DarknessCS Lewis - The Lion the Witch and the WardrobeCeleste Ng - Little Fires EverywhereToni Morrison - BelovedAlice Walker - The Colour PurpleRalph Ellison - Invisible ManChinua Achebe - Things Fall ApartChimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow SonLouise Doughty - Apple Tree YardLouise Doughty - Stone CradleAmanda Craig - The Golden RuleMichael Arditti - The AnointedPaul Mendez - Rainbow MilkGuinevere Glasfurd - The Year Without Summer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are beyond excited to bring you this week's very, very special guest. An individual whose work we adore and consume with gusto; the novelist, essayist and New York Times Bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld! Curtis is the author of six novels and a short story collection including including YB faves Prep, Eligible and American Wife. Her latest is the highly anticipated fictional look at Hilary Clinton: Rodham. We talked to her about First Ladies, short stories, writing like there's nobody watching and trying to make your kids like Laura Ingalls Wilder.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableCurtis Sittenfeld - RodhamCurtis Sittenfeld - The NomineeHilary Clinton - Living HistoryCurtis Sittenfeld - American WifeEmily Gould - Perfect TunesEmily Gould - And the Heart Says WhateverLily King - Writers & LoversLily King - EuphoriaSusan Choi - Trust ExerciseLaura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the Prairie Carol Ryrie Brink - Caddie WoodlawnGertrude Chandler Warner - Boxcar ChildrenEL Konigsburg - From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frank WeilerBecky Albertalli - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens AgendaCurtis Sittenfeld - You Think It I’ll Say ItElizabeth Strout - Olive KitteridgeAlice Munro - Selected StoriesTessa Hadley - The PastSusanna Daniel - StiltsvilleSusanna Daniel - Sea CreaturesMarisa Meltzer - This is BigSue Miller - MonogamySally Rooney - Normal PeopleSally Rooney - Conversations With FriendsCurtis Sittenfeld - EligibleJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceDemi Moore - Inside OutCurtis Sittenfeld - PrepRebecca Lee - BobcatJoseph O’Neill - Good TroubleLaura van den Berg - I Hold a Wolf by the EarsAli Smith - How To Be BothRaymond Carver - Where I'm Calling From Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are Shelf Isolating once again this week, where we talk to some of our favourite former guests, friends of the YB family and people we adore about how books and reading are helping them get through the lockdown. This week's guest falls into all three categories as we pay a return visit to journalist and author Lauren Bravo! Lauren is the author of How to Break Up with Fast Fashion and What Would the Spice Girls Do? We talked to her about her funniest ever reads, cookery books as fiction, the genius of Barbara Trapido and YA comfort reads.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableLauren Bravo - How To Break Up With Fast FashionLauren Bravo - What Would The Spice Girls DoKiley Reid - Such a Fun AgeJean Ure - Jo in the MiddleJaqueline Wilson - Girls in TearsJaqueline Wilson - Girls Out LateJaqueline Wilson - Story of Tracey BeakerJaqueline Wilson - Suitcase KidBarbara Trapido - Brother of the More Famous JackMarian Keyes - Other Side of the StoryMarian Keyes - Last Chance SaloonBill Bryson - Notes From a Big CountryEM Delafield - Diary of a Provincial LadyGeorge and Weedon Grossmith - Diary of a NobodyLauren Bravo - Litmus Test BooksMary Wesley - An Imaginative ExperienceMary Wesley - Camomile LawnLaura Goodman - CarbsAnna Jones - A Modern Cook’s YearDavid Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One DayOttessa Moshfegh - Year of Rest and RelaxationMary Norton - BorrowersElizabeth Strout - Olive KitteridgeNina Stibbe - Man at the HelmNina Stibbe - Reasons to be CheerfulHilary McKay - The ExilesHilary McKay - The Exiles at HomeWilliam Golding - Lord of the FliesLisa Owens - Not WorkingAnthony Buckeridge - Jennings at LargePatrick Hamilton - Hangover SquareEvelyn Waugh - Vile BodiesEvelyn Waugh - Decline and Fall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the current situation is keeping us away from people's bookshelves (and people in general) we're launching a You're Booked mini spin off called Shelf Isolation where we talk to (remotely) some of our beloved former guests, friends of the YB family and people we adore about how books and reading are helping them get through the lockdown. And we couldn't be happier with our first guest! It's the amazing stand-up, author, actor and all around inspiration Sara Pascoe. Sara is one of the most heralded comedians working today and the immensely talented author of the books Animal and Sex Power Money. We talked to her about reading habits during quarantine, big lies involving hamsters, unspeakable acts committed against libraries and the saddest book she has ever read.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableSara Pascoe - AnimalSara Pascoe - Sex Money PowerBernadine Evaristo - Girl Woman OtherAnbara Salam - BelladonnaHilary Mantel - The Mirror and the LightLynne Reid Banks - I HoudiniKathy Reichs - The Bone CollectionRobert Sapolsky - BehaveHarriet Beecher Stowe - Uncle Tom’s CabinJeanine Cummins - American DirtDH Lawrence - Lady Chatterley’s LoverKate Elizabeth Russell - My Dark VanessaLisa Taddeo - Three WomenAlissa Nutting - TamperSally Rooney - Normal PeopleGraham Greene - End of the AffairAndrew Sean Greer - LessJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceDodie Smith - I Capture The CastleLouisa May Alcott - Little WomenHaruki Murakami - Norwegian WoodJackie Collins - The StudJD Salinger - Catcher in the RyeHanya Yanagihara - A Little LifeNoel Streatfeild - Ballet ShoesGeorge Orwell - Keep The Aspidistra FlyingTruman Capote - Breakfast at TiffanysSarra Manning - UnstickyMarian Keyes - Grown Ups Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a special treat, here's our interview with the fabulous Lissa Evans, which we were planning to be the first episode in our sixth season, but that might have to wait for a while. But we didn't dare sit on this any longer as it's such a warm, wonderful, informative episode. Lissa is the author of many fantastic books including Old Baggage and Their Finest Hour and a Half. We talked to her about cosy reads, Father Ted, British movie scandals, funny books and her appearance in the Kenneth Williams diaries! For more information about Daisy's new newsletter Further Reading visit: https://furtherreading.substack.com/p/coming-soonBOOKSDaisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodHolly Bourne - PretendingLissa Evans - Old BaggageLissa Evans - Their FinestLissa Evans - Wed WabbitJohn Costello - Love, Sex and WarNorman Longmate - How We Lived ThenRodney Ackland - The Celluloid MistressEmlyn Williams - GeorgeDH Lawrence - Lady Chatterley’s LoverCéleste Albaret - Monsieur ProustJózef Czapski - Lectures on Proust in a Soviet Prison CampMary Bergstein - In Looking Back One Learns to SeeAlain De Botton’s - How Proust Can Change Your LifeMarcel Proust - Swann’s WayVictoria Wood - BarmyVictoria Wood - Up To You PorkyGeoffrey Willans - MolesworthJessica Mitford - American Way of DeathJessica Mitford - Hons and RebelsEvelyn Waugh - Loved OneJessica Mitford - Makings of a MuckrakerJohn Carey - Faber Book of ReportageElizabeth Taylor - The Devastating BoysDorothy Whipple - They Were SistersVarious - The Girl’s BudgetBarbara Nixon - Raiders OverheadJohn Strachey - Post DRoger Deakins - WaterlogWG Sebald - Rings of SaturnNicholas Parsons - Dipped in VitriolJune Havoc - Early HavocArmistead Maupin - More Tales of the CityArmistead Maupin -Further Tales of the CityArmistead Maupin - Mary Ann in AutumnNeil Gaiman - Graveyard BookAnnie Proulx - Shipping NewsAnita Brookner - LatecomersAnita Brookner - Look At MeAnita Brookner - Hotel Du LacFlorence King - Confessions of a Failed Southern LadyHelen Ellis - Southern Lady CodeDodie Smith - I Capture the CastleLiam Fay - Beyond BeliefPeter Nichols - A Voyage For MadmenWalter Lord - Night to RememberKenneth Anger - Hollywood BabylonMatthew Sweet - Shepperton BabylonLaurens van der Post - Flamingo FeatherKenneth Williams - DiariesKatherine Heiny - Standard DeviationFlora Thompson - Lark Rise To CandlefordVarious - English HymnalLissa Evans - Small Change for StuartGerald Durrell - My Family and Other AnimalsJane Gardam - Queen of the TambourineJane Gardam - Old FilthLissa Evans - Crooked Heart Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.