You're Booked

This week we’re in Central London – home of some of the greatest shops in the world and our guest, the multimillion selling superstar novelist Sophie Kinsella. Sophie is the author of 30 books, including novels, children’s books and her hit Shopaholic series, and she’s as prolific a reader as she is a writer. We talked about PG Wodehouse, Jilly Cooper, sex, jokes, bums and why she ended up buying four copies of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch…BOOKS (CLICK FOR MORE)Sophie Kinsella - Secret Dreamworld of a ShopaholicSophie Kinsella - I Owe You OneNorman Hunter - The Dribblesome TeapotsDorothy Edwards - My Naughty Little SisterBeverly Cleary - RamonaNick Hornby - High FidelityPG Wodehouse - The Code of the WoostersPG Wodehouse - BlandingsSophie Kinsella - Undomesticated GoddessJilly Cooper - RivalsJilly Cooper - ImogenJilly Cooper - HarrietJilly Cooper - RidersShirley Conran - LaceSophie Kinsella - Can You Keep a SecretDonna Tartt - The GoldfinchJG Links - Venice For PleasureLeila Slimani - AdeleGeorge & Weedon Grossmith - Diary of a NobodyEM Delafield - Diary of a Provincial LadyKatherine Heiny - Standard DeviationPhillip Pullman - Northern LightsMichael Grant - GoneEF Benson - Mapp and LuciaJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceJoan Didion - Slouching Towards BethlehemSarra Manning - Rise and Fall of Becky SharpLilly Singh - How To Be a BawseDave Eggers - The CircleSophie Kinsella - Finding AudreyNoel Streatfeild - A Vicarage FamilyNoel Streatfeild - Ballet ShoesNoel Streatfeild - White Boots Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're venturing deep into East London this week to peruse the library of journalist and author Lauren Bravo. Lauren recently released What Would The Spice Girls Do? a joyous and energetic celebration of girlhood, friendship and pop culture. A wide ranging discussion covered the use of wee in James Joyce, Colin Firth in your pencil case, upsetting Ali Smith and an extraordinarily accurate Psammead impression.BOOKS (CLICK FOR MORE)Daisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodLauren Bravo - What Would The Spice Girls Do?Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen - Oh My God What a Complete AislingNora Ephron - Wallflower at the OrgyGabrielle Fernie - LushTara Westover - EducatedJames Joyce - UlyssesThomas Hardy - Tess of the d’UrbervillesNancy Mitford - The Pursuit of LoveEF Benson - Mapp and LuciaBarbara Pym - Excellent WomenJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceJudy Blume - ForeverJudy Blume - Starring Sally J Freedman as HerselfJudy Blume - DeenieViv Albertine - To Throw Away UnopenedNoel Streatfeild - Party FrockNoel Streatfeild - Ballet ShoesNoel Streatfeild - The Bell FamilyHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones’s DiaryHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones Edge of ReasonHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones's BabyHelen Fielding - Olivia Joules and the Overactive ImaginationRuby Ferguson - Jill’s Pony TrekJane Shaw - Susan at SchoolJane Shaw - Susan Rushes InJane Shaw - Susan’s Helping HandLucy Mangan - BookwormEnid Blyton - Malory TowersAnne Digby - First Term at TrebizonAna Sampson - She is FierceNina Stibbe - Love NinaNina Stibbe - Paradise LodgeNina Stibbe - Man at the HelmElena Ferrante - My Brilliant FriendCharles Dickens - A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens - Bleak HouseVarious - Norton Anthology of PoetryOvid - MetamorphosisJilly Cooper - MountGeoffrey Chaucer - The Riverside ChaucerBarbara Kingsolver - The Poisonwood BibleBarbara Kingsolver - The LacunaDonna Tartt - The Little FriendOlivia Laing - CrudoMeena Kandasamy - When I Hit YouAli Smith - How To Be BothCarson McCullers - The Member of the WeddingCarson McCullers - The Heart is a Lonely HunterFrancoise Sagan - Bonjour TristesseToni Morrison - JazzIsabel Allende - House of the SpiritsToni Morrison - BelovedHeather Havrilesky - How to be a Person in the WorldSloan Crosley - I Was Told There’d be CakeHelen MacDonald - H is For HawkBarbara Trapido - Brother of the More Famous JackBarbara Trapido - Frankie and StankieBarbara Trapido - Temples of DelightBarbara Trapido - JugglingE Nesbit - Five Children and ItE Nesbit - The Story of the Treasure SeekersGeorge & Weedon Grossmith - Diary of a NobodyRebecca Reid - Perfect LiarsLouise Rennison - Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're travelling to sunny Deal on the Kent coast to peruse the shelving of author, travel writer, sports scribe and broadcaster Charlie Connelly. Charlie has written books on a baffling array of subjects including Elvis, walking, weather and World War I. He is perhaps best known for his glorious book about the Shipping Forecast, Attention All Shipping and he has just released a wonderful book about the magic of radio listening, Last Train To Hilversum. We talked to Charlie about cricket, gothic plagiarists, fighting Ben Fogle and loving Margaret Rutherford.BOOKS (CLICK ON THE TITLES FOR MORE)Daisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodCharlie Connelly - Last Train to HilversumCharlie Connelly - Attention All ShippingDavid Seabrook - All The Devils Are HereJames Joyce - UlyssesJohn Betjeman - The Best of BetjemanNick Hornby - Fever PitchJan Morris - Fifty Years of Europe: An AlbumJan Morris - ConundrumJan Morris - In My Mind’s Eye: A Thought DiaryJan Morris - The Matter of Wales Bill Naughton - The Goalkeeper’s RevengeGordon Boshell - Captain CobwebbGordon Bushell - Captain Cobwebb’s CowboysRonnie Barker - Book of Bathing BeautiesRonnie Barker - Book of Boudoir BeautiesLeonard De Vries - ‘Orrible MurderMelatu Uche Okorie - This Hostel LifeMargaret Rutherford - How Pleasant To Know Mr LearMargaret Rutherford - AutobiographyMaggie Stredder - The Girl With the GlassesAlan Stafford - Wilson, Keppel and Betty: Too Naked For The NazisEmer McLysaght and Sarah Breen - Oh My God What a Complete AislingVarious - 65 Great Tales of the SupernaturalCharles Maturin - Melmoth the WandererSarah Perry - MelmothSarah Perry - The Essex SerpentBram Stoker - DraculaIsak Dinesen - Gothic TalesVarious - Oxford Book of Gothic TalesPeter Haining - The Shilling ShockersMatthew Lewis - The MonkVarious - Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackCharlie Connelly - Gilbert: The Last Days of WG GraceBella Bathurst - The Lighthouse StevensonsDouglas Adams - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we head to South London to chat to the award winning journalist and author Poorna Bell. Poorna wrote about her story in her acclaimed 2017 memoir, Chase The Rainbow: One Man’s Journey With Mental Health, And The Woman Who Loved Him. She’s quick, clever, extremely funny, a must-follow on Instagram and has a sideboard worthy of envy. And as an added bonus for our beloved You're Booked listeners, you can pre-order Daisy Buchanan's new book The Sisterhood from The Margate Bookshop and get 20% off when you use the code BOOKED at checkout.BOOKS (CLICK ON THE TITLES TO FIND OUT MORE)Daisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodPoorna Bell - Chase the RainbowPoorna Bell - In Search of SilenceAmrita Narayanan - The Parrots of DesireVarious - The Rig VedaHaruki Murakami - Men Without WomenHaruki Murakami - Sputnik SweetheartMichael Ende - The Neverending StoryRosie Blake - The Hygge HolidayTerry Pratchett - The Colour of MagicDean Windass - DeanoHaruki Murakami - The Wind Up Bird ChronicleAT Schofield - What a Boy Should KnowTony Jewell - Reptiles & Amphibians of New ZealandMark Leigh & Mike Lepine -Pets With Tourette'sMikhail Bulgakov - The Master and MargaritaSarah J Maas - A Court of Thorns and RosesDavid Sedaris - When You Are Engulfed in FlamesCat Marnell - How To Murder Your LifePaul Theroux - Fresh-air FiendJoan Didion - The Year of Magical Thinking Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're venturing to glamorous South East London this week to peruse the shelves of author, columnist and podcaster Caroline O'Donoghue. Described as 'timely and vibrant', Caroline's acclaimed debut novel PromisingYoung Women was released in 2018. She writes a weekly column for The Irish Times and fronts two great podcasts: School for Dumb Women and Sentimental Garbage, focusing on chick-lit. We talked to her about writing sex scenes, tarot, fear and the delights of Louise Mensch.BOOKS (CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR MORE)Caroline O'Donoghue - Promising Young WomenDelia Ephron - Hanging UpNora Ephron - Scribble ScribbleDaphne Du Maurier - RebeccaDaphne Du Maurier - Jamaica InnDaphne Du Maurier - My Cousin RachelBarbara Trapido - Brother of the More Famous JackVC Andrews - Flowers in the AtticVC Andrews - Petals on the WindVC Andrews - My Sweet AudrinaErica Jong - How To Save Your Own LifePatricia Lockwood - PriestdaddyLouise Bagshawe -Career GameAnita Brookner - Hotel Du LacMuriel Spark - The Prime of Miss Jean BrodieEmer McLysaght and Sarah Breen - Oh My God, What a Complete AislingPriscilla Presley - Elvis and MeChristopher Dell - The Occult, Witchcraft and MagicStacy Schiff - The Witches: Salem, 1692John Updike - The Witches of EastwickAlice Hoffman - Practical MagicJessa Crispin - The Creative TarotMichelle Tea - Modern TarotDiana Mosley - The Pursuit of LaughterThe Mitfords - Letters Between Six SistersGermaine Greer - The Boy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we travel to the sunny Kent coast to meet writer, reader, podcaster and Brookner fanatic Andy Miller. Andy is the author of The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books Saved My Life and the co-host of the fantastic and highly informative Backlisted podcast. We were allowed VIP access to his exclusive reading shed where we discussed life-changing books, Dan Brown, Peanuts versus Proust and, of course, Anita Brookner.BOOKSAndy Miller - The Year of Reading DangerouslyAndy Miller - Tilting at WindmillsAndy Miller- The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation SocietyHilary Mantel - Beyond BlackPhilip Roth - EverymanLuke Rhinehart - The Dice ManMikhail Bulgakov - Master and MargaritaEM Forster - Howards EndGeorge Eliot - MiddlemarchCharles Bukowski - Post OfficeHerman Melville - Moby DickIris Murdoch - The Sea The SeaJohn Kennedy Toole - A Confederacy of DuncesPatrick Hamilton - 20,000 Streets Under the SkyLeo Tolstoy - Anna KareninaGabriel Garcia Marquez - 100 Years of SolitudeCath Carroll - Never Break the ChainSimon Reynolds - Rip It Up and Start AgainColin MacInnes - Absolute BeginnersGraham Greene - Brighton RockAnita Brookner - A Start in LifeDan Brown - Da Vinci CodeLee Child - Killing FloorGabrielle Moss - Paperback CrushCraig Brown - Ma'am DarlingAnita Brookner - Look At MeJean Rhys - Tigers Are Better LookingJean Rhys - Wide Sargasso SeaSylvia Townsend Warner - The Corner That Held ThemNora Lofts - The Town HouseMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost TimeCharles M Schulz - Complete PeanutsEdward St Aubyn - Patrick Melrose NovelsAnthony Powell - Dance To The Music of TimeHilary Spurling - Invitation To The DanceTove Jansson - Moominvalley in NovemberTove Jansson - Moominpappa at SeaMary Stewart - Ludo and the Star HorseRussell Hoban - Riddley WalkerPenelope Fitzgerald - The BookshopPenelope Fitzgerald - The Beginning of Spring Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our very, very special Christmas extravaganza we visit the Cornwall home of the brilliant Nina Stibbe. Nina is the celebrated author of the beloved memoir Love Nina, plus the novels Paradise Lodge and Man at the Helm. Her collection of festive stories An Almost Perfect Christmas is an ideal gift at any time of year. We talked about funny books, Harry Potter, suspect driving instructors and, of course, Adrian Mole.BOOKS (Click on the titles to find out more)Nina Stibbe - Love NinaNina Stibbe - Man at the HelmNina Stibbe - Paradise LodgeNina Stibbe - An Almost Perfect ChristmasNina Stibbe - Reasons To Be CheerfulMargaret Drabble - The MillstoneEdna O'Brien - The Country GirlsTina Brown - The Vanity Fair DiariesLissa Evans - Old BaggageJK Rowling - Harry Potter Complete CollectionSue Townsend - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4David Sedaris - CalypsoDavid Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One DayDavid Sedaris - Let's Explore Diabetes With OwlsPatrick Gale - Take Nothing With YouAndy Stanton - You're a Bad Man Mr GumJeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy KidRoger Hargreaves - Mr MenLucy Mangan - BookwormJulia Donaldson - Room on the BroomGarth Jennings - The Wildest CowboyLucia Berlin - A Manual For Cleaning WomenGeorge & Weedon Grossmith - Diary of a NobodyPaul Ewen - Francis Plug - How To Be a Public AuthorCaitlin Moran - How To Build a GirlJackie Collins - The World is Full of Married MenColleen McCullough - The Thorn BirdsAndrew Sean Greer - LessDM Thomas - The White HotelEdward St Aubyn - The Patrick Melrose NovelsAnthony Powell - Dance To The Music of TimeMaria Semple - Where'd You Go Bernadette?Katherine Heiny - Standard DeviationElizabeth McKenzie - The Portable VeblenGail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're heading, once more, to leafy, lovely North London to meet the author, journalist and podcast supremo Elizabeth Day. Elizabeth is the author of four novels and will soon release her first memoir, based on her massively successful podcast How To Fail. While snooping around her (small but perfectly formed) flat, we discussed being nosey, literary heroines, EM Forster related tattoos and learning the facts of life from The Thorn Birds.BOOKS (Click on the links for more)Elizabeth Day - The PartyElizabeth Day - How To FailElizabeth Jane Howard - The Cazalet ChronicleElizabeth Jane Howard - The Sea ChangeElizabeth Jane Howard - After JuliusElizabeth Jane Howard - The Long ViewElizabeth Day - Scissors, Paper, StoneJudy Blume - ForeverJudy Blume - DeenieElizabeth Day - Home FiresVirginia Woolf - Mrs DallowayTC Boyle - The TerranautsNeel Mukherjee - The Lives of OthersAlasdair Gray - LanarkMuriel Spark - Momento MoriMuriel Spark - The Girls of Slender MeansAldous Huxley - Beyond the Mexique BayAldous Huxley - Two or Three GracesTara Westover - EducatedSimon Reid-Henry - Fidel & CheSally Field - In PiecesSophie Mackintosh - The Water CureLily Allen - My Thoughts ExactlyJames O'Brien - How To Be RightDamian Dibben - TomorrowLeila Slimani - AdeleColleen McCullough - The Thorn BirdsBarbara Taylor Bradford - A Woman of SubstanceJohn Banville - The SeaBarbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're in a top secret London interrogation room location with Nikesh Shukla, the author, broadcaster and essayist. His third novel, The One Who Wrote Destiny was published to great acclaim this Spring. Nikesh is also the creator and editor of the bestselling essay collection The Good Immigrant. We talked to him about childhood reads, early inspirations and literary annoyances (n.b. if you're Jonathan Franzen you might not want to listen to this one).BOOKSNikesh Shukla - The One Who Wrote DestinyNikesh Shukla (ed) - The Good ImmigrantNikesh Shukla - Run RiotNikesh Shukla - Meat SpaceFyodor Dostoyevsky - Crime and PunishmentSue Townsend - Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4Aidan McFarlane, Ann McPherson - The Diary of a Teenage Health FreakGary Paulsen - HatchetHanif Kureishi - The Buddha of SuburbiaCharles Dickens - Bleak HouseJonathan Franzen - FreedomHoward Jacobson - The Finkler QuestionHoward Jacobson - Zoo TimeJames Ellroy - Dudley Smith TrioAL Kennedy - The Little SnakeHarper Lee - Go Set a WatchmanHarper Lee - To Kill a MockingbirdHari Kunzru - White TearsKieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie - The Wicked + The Divine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're off to Cambridge, home of some of the greatest scientific minds - and pens - known to human existence. from Charles Darwin to Douglas Adams and this week's guest, romantic comedy writer and zombie lit lover Lucy Vine. Lucy comes from a family of writers, and she tells us about an early run in with Roald Dahl, her surprisingly scatological filing system and her belief that no-one is too grand for Dan Brown. We were also joined by a puppy posse - listen out for Ivy, Teddy and Sonny.BOOKSLucy Vine - What Fresh Hell?Lucy Vine - Hot MessRoald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryDeborah Frances-White - The Guilty FeministSarah Silverman - The BedwetterAA Milne - Winnie The PoohJohn Wyndham - The Day of the TriffidsJon Ronson - So You've Been Publicly ShamedHG Wells - The Time MachineGabrielle Fernie - LushEmer McLysaght and Sarah Breen - Oh My God What a Complete AislingHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones's DiaryDolly Alderton - Everything I Know About LoveLouise O'Neill - The Surface BreaksSophie Kinsella - The Secret Dreamworld of a ShopaholicNora Ephron - HeartburnSarah Hodgson - Modern Dog ParentingPiers Morgan - Don't You Know Who I Am?Simon Amstell - HelpDaisy Johnson - Everything UnderCat Marnell - How To Murder Your LifeDavid Nicholls - One DayLionel Shriver - We Need To Talk About KevinSylvia Waugh - The MennymsRobert C O'Brien - The Silver CrownRichard Adams - Watership DownCecelia Ahern - RoarDan Brown - The Da Vinci CodeCaitlin Moran - How To Build a GirlLena Dunham - Not That Kind of Girl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.