Seasons greetings! And we can't think of anything more festive or merry-making than this glorious conversation with lexicographer, author and podcaster Susie Dent! As well as writing many books on words and language, with the latest being the brilliant An Emotional Dictionary, Susie resides in Dictionary Corner on Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and hosts the podcast Something Rhymes With Purple with Gyles Brandreth. We talked to her about tricky words in Dickens, the perils of reading your own audio books, the wonder of swearing and her favourite book to give as a gift. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop. Sign up for the You're Booked newsletter by heading to: FurtherReading.Substack.comBOOKSDale Shaw - Painfully British HaikusSusie Dent - An Emotional DictionaryCharles Dickens - Our Mutual FriendCharles Dickens - Bleak HouseTwice Upon a Time: Susie DentNoel Streatfeild - Thursday's ChildNoel Streatfeild - Ballet ShoesFrances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret GardenFrancis Grose - The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar TongueSamuel Johnson - Johnson's DictionaryMichele Obama - BecomingElizabeth Jane Howard - Mr WrongDaisy Buchanan - CareeringDH Lawrence - Sons and LoversDH Lawrence - Short StoriesDH Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's LoverJilly Cooper - HarrietStephen Sondheim - Finishing the HatLouis Macneice - Autumn JournalChristina Rossetti - Artists StudioMary Oliver - Collected PoemsLucy Ellmann - Ducks, NewburyportGyles Brandreth - Dancing By the Light of the MoonSam West - Pandemic PoemsZadie Smith - Feel FreeAnne Lamott - Almost EverythingGyles Brandreth - Elizabeth: An Intimate PortraitAlain-Fournier - La Grand MeaulnesJulian Barnes - Le Grand Meaulnes RevisitedJulian Barnes - Flaubert's Parrot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a festive treat, we are re-sharing our 2019 Christmas special! Here's what we said the first time around...Merry Christmas! And welcome to the You're Booked Christmas extravaganza live from the fabulous Allbright Members Club in London's glamorous Mayfair. We are joined by High Low podcast legend and author of Everything I Know About Love Dolly Alderton, author of This Green and Pleasant Land and the Sofia Khan novels Ayisha Malik and author of Old Baggage and Their Finest Hour and a Half Lissa Evans. They discussed cosy Christmas reads, festive meals in favourite books and Rod Stewart's many turkeys.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - The SisterhoodDolly Alderton - Everything I Know About LoveAyisha Malik - This Green and Pleasant LandLissa Evans - Old BaggageLissa Evans - Wed WabbitLissa Evans - Their Finest Hour and a HalfKenneth Williams - DiariesLouisa May Alcott - Little WomenJK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanApsley Cherry-Garrard - Worst Journey in the WorldAnnie Proulx - Shipping NewsRod Stewart - AutobiographyAlison Uttley - A Country ChildNancy Parent - Disney's Storybook CollectionJean Webster - Daddy Long LegsWilliam Boyd - Any Human HeartSusan Cain - QuietJL Carr - A Month in the CountryJoyce Lankester Brisley - Milly Molly MandySarah Chauncey Woolsey - What Katy Did at SchoolHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones’s DiaryNina Stibbe - Almost Perfect ChristmasStephen King - 22/11/63Kathy Lette - How To Kill Your HusbandDavid Nicholls - One DayAJ Pearce - Dear Mrs BirdStella Gibbons - Cold Comfort FarmMarilynne Robinson - GileadPL Travers - Mary PoppinsJane Austen - Mansfield ParkGeorge Saunders - Lincoln in the BardoDavid Sedaris - Santaland DiariesMarcel Proust - Remembrance of Things PastMargaret Atwood - Handmaid’s TaleMargaret Atwood - The TestamentsBernadine Evaristo - Girl, Woman, OtherJames Joyce - UlyssesHilary Mantel - Mirror and the LightHilary Mantel - Wolf HallTaylor Jenkins Reid - Daisy Jones and the SixAnita Brookner - Hotel Du LacAnita Brookner - Look At MeBarbara Pym - Excellent WomenLiane Moriarty - Big Little LiesRoger Deakin - WaterloggedLemn Sissay - My Name is WhyLucia Berlin - Manual For Cleaning WomenDale Shaw - Painfully British Haikus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a little bonus treat, we are delighted to present this glorious, nourishing conversation with the fantastic Emma Black! Emma is a hugely talented opera director, veracious reader and winner of the You're Booked auction, raising funds for Book Fuel. Emma talks about her early fascination with Anne of Green Gables, a terrible crime committed to a copy of In Cold Blood in a New Zealand youth hostel, loving Meg Wolitzer, Katherine Heiny and Curtis Sittenfeld and the books she's looking forward to next year (and much more!) If you would like to find out more or donate to National Energy Action, who are attempting to eradicate fuel poverty, then please visit NEA.org.uk. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop. Sign up for the You're Booked newsletter by heading to: FurtherReading.Substack.comBOOKSJill Tomlinson - The Owl Who Was Afraid of the DarkJill Tomlinson - Penguin's Who Wanted To Find OutJill Murphy - Five Minutes PeaceLM Montgomery - Anne of Green GablesLM Montgomery - JournalsLM Montgomery - Anne of AvonleaEM Brent-Dyer - The Chalet SchoolEnid Blyton - Malory TowersAnn M. Martin - The Baby-Sitters ClubJK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneTruman Capote - In Cold BloodTruman Capote - Breakfast at Tiffany'sTruman Capote - A Christmas MemoryDeborah Davis - Party of the CenturyKelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott - Swan SongAndy Miller - Year of Reading DangerouslyJilly Cooper - ImogenElizabeth Gilbert - Big MagicMeg Wolitzer - Female PersuasionMeg Wolitzer - The WifeMeg Wolitzer - The InterestingsMeg Wolitzer - Ten Year NapEmma Straub - This Time TomorrowKatherine Heiny - Standard DeviationKatherine Heiny - Single Carefree MellowMeg Mason - Sorrow and BlissBonnie Garmus - Lessons in ChemistryTaylor Jenkins Reid - Carrie Soto is Back Katy Wix - DelicacyCurtis Sittenfeld - Romantic ComedyCurtis Sittenfeld - RodhamCurtis Sittenfeld - American WifeCurtis Sittenfeld - PrepCurtis Sittenfeld - EligibleJane Austen - Pride and PrejudiceCharles Dickens - Bleak HouseCharles Dickens - Great ExpectationsCharle Dickens - David CopperfieldNoel Streatfeild - Ballet ShoesJoanna Quinn - The Whalebone TheatreElizabeth Jane Howard - The Cazelet ChroniclesKate Atkinson - Life After LifeAmor Towles - Lincoln HighwayAmor Towles - Rules of CivilityAmor Towles - Gentleman in MoscowJonathan Coe - BournevilleJonathan Coe - Rotters Club Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As an extra pre-Christmas treat - here's the latest episode of Daisy is Careering with the bestselling author of The Push, Ashley Audrain!In this episode we speak to international bestselling author of The Push Ashley Audrain. We talk about how our family's attitudes to work and money have a dramatic impact on our own, and how many of us push our dreams aside while we try to build ourselves a safety net. Ashley generously shares information about her own career path. She talks about how writing was and is her ultimate dream job, and how easy it is for us all to make compromises that serve our anxiety – until playing it safe becomes dangerous . . . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are delighted to present someone we've been attempting to lure into YB Towers for quite a while. It's AJ Pearce! We are huge fans of AJ, with Dear Mrs Bird being a previous Steal of the Week and perennial favourite, as was the equally wonderful sequel Cheerfully Yours. As you will hear, we are beyond excited to hear of a third instalment in the Emmy Lake chronicles, as AJ reveals a few tantalising nuggets about her new book. She also talks about books from the 30s and 40s, how a former You're Booked guest is her comfort read, her love of pony books and finding delight in the ordinary. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop. Sign up for the You're Booked newsletter by heading to: FurtherReading.Substack.comBOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableDaisy Buchanan - CareeringAJ Pearce - Dear Mrs BirdAJ Pearce - Yours CheerfullyEM Delafield - Diary of a Provincial LadyDE Stevenson - Miss Buncles BookDE Stevenson - Miss Buncle MarriedDE Stevenson - Mrs Tim of the RegimentJoyce Denys - Henrietta's WarJoyce Denys - Henrietta Sees It ThroughRosamond Lehmann - Weather in the StreetsRosamond Lehmann - Invitation to the WaltzAngela Thirkell - Cheerfulness Breaks InFrederik Backman - A Man Called OveElizabeth Strout - Olive KitteridgeJo Thomas - Keeping a Christmas PromiseAJ Pearce - Mrs Porter CallingJulian Fellowes - Past ImperfectDorothy Whipple - High WagesCharlotte Bronte - Jane EyreCatherine Gray - Unexpected Joy of the OrdinaryRuby Ferguson - Jill's GymkhanaJilly Cooper - ImogenJilly Cooper - OctaviaJilly Cooper - RidersKatie Fforde - A French AffairJill Mansell - Promise MeNina de Gramont - The Christie AffairElizabeth Gilbert - Big MagicCatherine Newman - We All Want Impossible ThingsNadia Shireen - Barbara Throws a WobblerNadia Shireen - Grimwood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are delighted to welcome the fabulous (and partly Thanet based) Rosa Rankin-Gee to the podcast! Rosa is the author of the critically acclaimed The Last King of Sark and the recent blockbuster Dreamland. You can also read her work in The Paris Review, Esquire, Vogue, The Guardian, The New Yorker and many more. We talked to her about growing up in a literary family, the formative power of Adrian Mole and Louise Rennison, the pros and cons of communal reading and using poetry (and emojis) to court your beau. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop. Sign up for the You're Booked newsletter by heading to: FurtherReading.Substack.comBOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableDaisy Buchanan - CareeringRosa Rankin-Gee - The Last Kings of SarkRosa Rankin-Gee - DreamlandMax Brooks - World War ZRobert C. O'Brien - Z For ZachariahGary Paulsen - HatchetCS Lewis - The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeWilliam Golding - Lord of the FliesE Nesbit - The LarkE Nesbit - Five Children and ItE L Konigsburg - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. FrankweilerMarian Keyes - Sushi For BeginnersJRR Tolkien - Lord of the RingsJRR Tolkien - The HobbitGB Shaw - PygmalionMaggie Gee - The Ice PeopleMaggie Gee - The White FamilyDoris Lessing - Mara and DannDoris Lessing - The Fifth ChildDoris Lessing - Ben in the WorldDoris Lessing - Martha QuestDoris Lessing - Golden NotebookGeorge Saunders - A Swim in the Pond in the RainAnn Patchett - These Precious DaysZadie Smith - Feel FreeMiriam Toews - Fight NightDodie Smith - I Capture The CastleMary Oliver - Wild GeeseElena Ferrante - My Brilliant FriendLouise Rennison - Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal SnoggingSue Townsend - Secret Diary of Adrian MoleDavid Nicholls - UsDavid Nicholls - One DaySarra Manning - From London With LoveEva Rice - Lost Art of KeepingAlex Garland - The BeachIrvine Welsh - TrainspottingEmily St John Mandel - Sea of TranquilityHilary Mantel - Wolf HallDon Delillo - Underworld Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book obsessives everywhere, rejoice! This week we are delighted to present this conversation with the brilliant author, presenter, DJ and constant inspiration Sara Cox! As well as hosting TV's premier book show Between the Covers (Tuesdays at 7pm on BBC Two) Sara is the author of the bestselling booksTill the Cows Come Home (a memoir) and Thrown (a novel). As you'll hear, she's currently working on her next novel while trying to traverse her teetering TBR pile. She also discussed her formative reads (Jilly, Jackie and Judy Blume), favourite audiobooks, inspirational reads and Jeremy Vine's saucy dalliances. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop. Sign up for the You're Booked newsletter by heading to: FurtherReading.Substack.comBOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableDaisy Buchanan - CareeringSara Cox - Till the Cows Come HomeSara Cox - ThrownDouglas Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide To The GalaxyJoseph Heller - Catch-22Jennette McCurdy - I'm Glad My Mum DiedRaynor Winn - Salt PathAbi Dare - Girl With The Louding VoiceJane Fallon - Just Got RealAndrea Levy - Long SongKazuo Ishiguro - Remains of the DayCharles Dickens - Bleak HouseAlberto Moravia - Time of IndifferenceDavid Nichols - UsDavid Nichols - One DayJulia Whelan - My Oxford YearJulia Whelan - Thank You For ListeningWilliam Boyd - Love is BlindWilliam Boyd - Any Human HeartRob Delaney - A Heart That WorksMonica Heisey - Really Good ActuallyTom Allen - No ShameTom Allen - Too MuchDavid Mitchell - Back StoryLouis Theroux - Theroux the KeyholeAdam Buxton - Ramble BookBob Mortimer - And AwayRichard E Grant - Pocketful of HappinessSylvia Townsend Warner - Winter in the AirJilly Cooper - PoloJilly Cooper - RidersJackie Collins - VendettaJudy Blume - Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?Sue Townsend - Secret Diary of Adrian MoleJeremy Vine - Diver and the LoverDavid Mitchell - Cloud AtlasGraham Norton - Forever HomeMarian Keyes - Again RachelMarian Keyes - Rachel's HolidayAnnie Mac- Mother MotherDorothy Whipple - Random CommentaryEM Delafield - Diary of Provincial LadyElizabeth Gilbert - Big MagicJess Kidd - Night ShipJohn Boyne - Heart's Invisible FuriesJohn Boyne - Boy in the Striped PyjamasJohn Boyne - Echo ChamberJohn Boyne - Ladder to the Sky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You are in for a treat! As stated during the show, this week's guest is the 'platonic ideal of a You're Booked guest'. Lucy Easthope is one of the UK's leading authorities on emergency planning, a Professor in Practice of Risk and Hazard, co-founder of the After Disaster Network and has advised on nearly every major disaster of the past two decades, including 9/11, the 7/7 bombings, Grenfell and the Covid-19 pandemic. Her book When the Dust Settles is a Sunday Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. As well as taking the reader behind the scenes of disaster planning and reaction, it's also a funny and painfully moving memoir about Lucy's life. And, as you'll hear, Lucy is an absolute delight to spend some time with. Everything from Judy Blume to Louise Bagshawe are discussed, via Charles Dickens, Willy Russell, Caitlin Moran and the disaster management credentials of Enid Blyton. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableDaisy Buchanan - CareeringLucy Easthope - When the Dust SettlesAlan Cumming - BaggageMinnie Driver - Managing ExpectationsGavin Francis - RecoveryJasper Rees - Victoria Wood: Let's Do ItMyleene Klass - They Don't Teach This at SchoolCaitlin Moran - How To Be a WomanCaitlin Moran - How To Be a GirlHelen Fielding - Bridget Jones's DiaryFrancis Hodgson Burnett - A Little PrincessJudy Blume - ForeverCharles Dickens - Christmas CarolCharles Dickens - David CopperfieldCharles Dickens - Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens - Bleak HouseCharles Dickens - Oliver TwistEnid Blyton - Famous FiveEnid Blyton - Secret SevenEnid Blyton - Brer RabbitBrian Jacques - RedwallWilly Russell - Our Day OutWilly Russell - Blood BrothersJudy Blume - Tiger EyesBeverly Cleary - RamonaElizabeth Laird - Red Sky in the MorningPatricia Cornwell - From Potter's FieldJane Austen - Collected WorksJacqueline Wilson - The Story of Tracey BeakerFrancesca Simon - Horrid HenryJane Fallon - Just Got RealMelanie Rice - Pompeii: the Day a City Was BuriedIan Schott - World Famous DictatorsSue Townsend - Secret Diary of Adrian MoleSue Townsend - The Queen and IDaisy Buchanan - Burn Before ReadingSheryl Sandberg - Lean InSheryl Sandberg - Option BJade Goody - Forever in My HeartIlan Kelman - Disaster By ChoiceSamantha Montano - DisasterologyGill Kernick - Catastrophe and Systemic ChangeCathy Rentzenbrink - Write It All DownLouise Bagshawe - Career GirlsMaeve Binchy - CollectionCathy Rentzenbrink - A Manual For HeartacheVal McDermid - Christmas is MurderAndrew Doig - This Mortal CoilRichard E Grant - A Pocketful of HappinessMatthew Perry - Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible ThingAlan Rickman - DiariesAnna Kent - Frontline Midwife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a true rock and roll legend entering You're Booked Towers this week and we couldn't be happier. Kid Congo Powers has played in such beloved bands as The Cramps, The Gun Club, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and his own Pink Monkey Birds. His astonishing new memoir Some New Kind of Kick talks about growing up queer and Mexican-American in 1970s, the glam rock and punk rock scenes, music, addiction, fandom, tragedy and fun. It's utterly compelling and sure to enter the pantheon of great music memoirs. We talked to Kid about Nick Cave's book recommendations, the power of Eve Babitz, great grudge writing, appearing in the classic film Wings of Desire and the troubling book that appeared on Lux Interior's coffee table. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableDaisy Buchanan - CareeringCookie Mueller - Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted BlackEve Babitz - Eve's HollywoodLudwig Bemelmans - MadelineWilliam Burroughs - Naked LunchHerbert Huncke - ReaderHerbert Huncke -The Evening Sun Turned CrimsonJohn Rechy - City of NightViv Albertine - Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.Ian Hunter - Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll StarBarry Adamson - Up Above the City, Down Beneath the StarsWarren Ellis - Nina Simone's GumWreckless Eric - A Dysfunctional SuccessHarriet Evans - Going HomeDerek Raymond - I Was Dora SuarezJames Ellroy - The LA QuartetFlora Rheta Schreiber - The ShoemakerK Mason - Concentration Camp BestialityWilliam Burroughs - JunkyGeoffrey Wolff - Black SunJ. Randy Taraborrelli - Call Her Miss RossKitty Kelly - His WayAlbert Goldman - ElvisNick Tosches - Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis StoryCaryn Rose - Why Patti Smith MattersRimbaud - Collected PoemsBaudelaire - Complete PoemsFred Vermorel - StarlustJohn Rechy - Sexual OutlawRaquel Gutierrez - Brown NeonChris Womersley - The DiplomatSiri Hustvedt - What I LovedWilliam Boyd - Any Human HeartPatricia Highsmith - Ripley's Game Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National treasure alert! We are so, so honoured to bring you this conversation with legendary author, scriptwriter, multi-award winner and former children's laureate Malorie Blackman OBE. Malorie is one of Britain's best and most beloved children's authors who has written over 70 books including the acclaimed Noughts & Crosses series, which was recently turned into a hit TV series. Malorie has just released her autobiography, Just Sayin', which is wise, wonderful, distressing, hilarious and completely engrossing. Her enthusiasm for books and reading shines through this interview, as she discusses her formative years at the library, beating writers block, her love of poetry and the genius of short stories. Prepare to be inspired. Find out more about the books mentioned on the episode by visiting our bookshop.org shop.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableDaisy Buchanan - CareeringMalorie Blackman - Just Sayin'Alan Moore - V for VendettaCharles Dickens - Pickwick PapersCharles Dickens - Oliver TwistCharles Dickens - David CopperfieldCharles Dickens - Great ExpectationsCharlotte Bronte - Jane EyreDaphne Du Maurier - RebeccaWilliam Shakespeare - Troilus and CressidaWilliam Shakespeare - OthelloAlice Walker - The Colour PurpleYann Martel - Life of PiOvid - MetamorphosisFelix Guirand (Ed) - New Larousse Encyclopaedia of MythologyJohn Wyndham - ChockyDaphne Du Maurier - The Blue LensesStephen King - Needful ThingsStephen King - Four Past midnightStephen King - CarrieStephen King - MiseryCharles Burns - Black HoleHans Christian Anderson - Little MermaidHolly Williams - What Time is LoveLewis Carroll - Alice in WonderlandLewis Carroll - Through the Looking GlassHilaire Belloc - Cautionary VersesGavin Ewart (Ed) - Penguin Book of Light VerseOgden Nash - Golden Trashery of Ogden NasheryJM Cohen (Ed) - A Choice of Comic and Curious VersePaula Burnett (Ed) - Penguin Book of Caribbean VerseMaya Angelou - Complete PoetryWendy Cope - Two Cures for LoveSarah Crossan - OneDean Atta - Black FlamingoMalorie Blackman - Cloud BustingMalorie Blackman - HackersAgatha Christie - The Murder of Roger AckroydVarious - MarpleToni Morrison - The Bluest EyeIsaac Asimov - I RobotGloria Naylor - Women of Brewster PlaceHomer - The OdysseyIsaac Asimov - Tales of Black WidowersDaisy Buchanan - Burn After ReadingMalorie Blackman - Noughts and CrossesMark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeRJ Palacio - WonderJudith Kerr - When Hitler Stole Pink RabbitAnne Frank - DiaryMalorie Blackman - Pig Heart BoyArt Spiegelman - MausLouis Sachar - HolesSusan Varley - Badger's Parting GiftsGarth Ennis - The BoysGarth Ennis - PreacherHayley Campbell - All the Living and the DeadRosa Parks - My StoryPaterson Joseph - The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.