Inklings Book Club

Harlan Coben is the number-one bestsellling author of 35 novels, translated into 46 different languages. Specifically, he's sold over 90 MILLION copies, and 12 of his stories have been adapted for the screen by Netflix. The newest adaptation is Run Away, starring James Norton and Ruth Jones, which follows a family trying to find their daughter Paige. I wanted to ask Harlan about finding that perfect formula that has made him the king of the thriller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the day after Christmas, and you might be wondering How To Kill Your Family... Author of How to Kill Your Family, Bella Mackie, has done it again. She's back with her sophomore novel What A Way To Go and discusses it here, on launch day, with Jack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm so thrilled to introduce a hero of mine to the Inklings Book Club: Rick Riordan. Author of over 40 books, including the iconic Percy Jackson series, Rick is infatuated with mythology. From Norse to Egyptian myths, he's brought characters of legends to life and introduced them to a whole new audience. Firstly, I had to just say: thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2016, David Szalay's novel All That Man Is was nominated for the biggest prize in books, The Booker Prize. Then, in 2025, he was shortlisted for his newest offering, Flesh, and won the whole thing!! It's well-documented that Flesh was my personal winner this year, and I was elated to see it propser. Flesh tells the story of István, a Hungarian immigrant working for a wealthy English family as a chauffeur. In a way, István is the chauffeur of the novel too, silently driving us forward -- however, all we see is his side profile, his outline. He's evasive and stoic as a result of his unprocessed trauma. I was thrilled that David was able to find time in his jampacked schedule as a newly crowned Booker winner to come and chat to the Inklings Book Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sorry for the lisp this mic seemed to give my audio guys. This is Saba Sams’ debut novel, all about the sticky stuff, the scum and the scuzz. It’s about the things we’d usually scrub away – instead of glossing over it, we linger there and embrace the mess. Set in Brighton, we follow an unconventional family dynamic – two young divorcees, Jules and Leon, and the girl, Nim, who gives them her baby, I interviewed Saba at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Book Festival, as part of their Voicebox programming, which provides inclusivity at the book festival by providing free events which are accessible for everyone. It’s such a great initiative and I’m so pleased to have been involved. Especially when it means getting to interview an author I adore, about a novel that was definitely one of my favourites I read this year — at one point the characters sit on Brighton Pier and eat a warm doughnut in the pouring rain, and that’s exactly what this reading experience was for me too.  In amongst the chaos, there is warmth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our December book of the month is... HAMNET! Maggie O'Farrell's novel Hamnet won the Women’s Prize in 2020 – an apt year to be awarded, given that it is, in part about a plague. While our own plague, COVID-19 locked us all in our houses, many of us found solace in this beautiful novel. O'Farrell took us back a few centuries to Stratford Upon Avon where Shakespeare's family resided. But this book isn't about Shakespeare -- in fact he's never mentioned by name -- instead, t’s about the playwright's wife Agnes and children Hamnet and Judith. I sat down with Maggie to hear about it, and pose some of your questions to her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Mescal, an acclaimed Irish actor famed for his roles in Aftersun and Normal People, stars as William Shakespeare in the film adaptation of Hamnet. Jessie Buckley, an award-nominated actress known for The Lost Daughter, plays Agnes. Together, they delve into the humanizing narrative of Shakespeare’s family as portrayed by Maggie O'Farrell. Their discussion reveals the depth of Shakespeare's son Hamnet and the emotional weight of his family’s story. They also share their favorite reads and admit to classics still left on their shelves.

Dustin Thao's first novel broke the internet. You've Reached Sam was a BookTok sensation, selling over 1 MILLION copies. Now, he's back with a companion piece called You've Found Oliver, as well as a standalone queer romance novel When Haru Was Here. He joined us during his UK book tour to speak about his timeline-bending novels, the YA genre, and the inspiration behind his work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's getting to that time of year where we start to think about what our favourite book of the year is going to be… and I think I know mine. This is Rejection by Tony Tulathimmute – it’s a collection of interconnected stories with the overarching theme of rejection, and I think it’s one of the most well-constructed and thoughtful satires I’ve ever read. I can’t recommend it enough, it feels like the perfect analysis of the “loneliness epidemic” and the way that rejection manifests in our romantic lives, professional lives, and creative lives. I loved this conversation with Tony, in which we deep-dived into some of the stories in this collection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trespasses is a politically charged forbidden love story as well as an astute depiction of a complicated mother-daughter dynamic. We follow Cushla whose name comes from an Irish Gaelic saying meaning “my pulse” – it’s an equivalent to sweetheart or darling, but specifically "the pulse of my heart". And that is who she is for multiple characters. Her mother Gina is an addict and requires a lot of caring for to keep her from taking things too far. Cushla works at her brother’s bar in the evenings and at a school in the daytime, and falls in love with one of the pub’s patrons, Michael. The trouble is, she’s catholic and Michael is protestant – oh and he’s also married. They embark on a love affair that changes both of them forever, it’s that invisible string idea of someone you just keep being drawn back to. Politics infiltrate every aspect of life, and their love becomes totally consuming, so there’s a lot of intense emotion. Louise Kennedy expertly navigates this with the dark humour characteristic of Irish fiction, and it’s just so exquisite to read. Truly a masterclass in writing. 5/5 I loved it. It’s now been turned into a TV show starring Lola Petticrew as Cushla, Tom Cullen as Michael, and Gillian Anderson as Gina. I had the privilege of sitting down with this gorgeous cast to ask them about the show, and here’s what happened. You can stream every episode of Trespasses on Channel 4 now!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices