Book Shambles

One year ago, we were doing Festival Shambles at Latitude with the great Barry Crimmins who sadly passed away earlier this year. Previously only available as a Patreon exclusive, here is the chat he had with Robin that night as part of one of our live shows. Sign up and pledge at patreon.com/bookshambles

The last recorded, but the first released, of the four episodes we recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in June. Robin is joined by guest co-host Sarah Kendall and special guest comedian and broadcaster Adam Buxton. They chat about David Bowie's top 100 books, Viz, faking a book report, Judy Blume and more. A bonus 20 minutes of this chat is available exclusive to Patreon supporters. Sign up and pledge at patreon.com/bookshambles

This week Dr Helen Czerski plays the role of Josie for the second time alongside Robin as they're joined by author and actual proper broadcaster Dallas Campbell to talk about space books, including his own recently released Ad Astra. From HG Wells to Jules Verne and Ladybird books of space the three discuss all manner of books, space travel and why people buy into conspiracy theories. Patreon supporters get a bonus fifteen minutes this week. If you'd like to become one head to patreon.com/bookshambles

Kimokeo Kapahulehua is well-known throughout Hawai‘i for his tireless efforts to preserve and perpetuate his Hawaiian culture, the land and sea. A few nights before we recorded this episode he took to the Royal Albert Hall, with Robin's guest co-host for this episode, Dr Helen Czerski, as part of Space Shambles where they spoke of celestial navigation. Now he's in the Shambles studio to chat of the oceans, his involvement with Hawaiki Rising, the award winning book about the voyaging canoe Hokule'a. To hear an extended version of this episode, plus other goodies, support us at patreon.com/bookshambles

As mentioned on the last episode, Josie is now on maternity leave, but don't fret, we've still got lots of exciting episodes in store for you. Here is the recording from the London launch of The Happy Brain back in May. Robin chats to Dean Burnett about his new book, why The Daily Mail doesn't know what makes people happy, what happiness even is and then things get weird as Dean tries to explain orgasms while his in laws are in the audience. Support the show at patreon.com/bookshambles

Our guest this week is comedian, writer and host of The Guilty Feminist, Deborah Frances-White. She chats with Robin and Josie about her time as a Jehovah's Witness, discovering improv and some of her favourite books including work by Virginia Woolf, George Orwell and Erica Jong. This is the last episode of the current series as Josie heads off on maternity leave. We've still got lots of episodes and specials to come though including recordings of lots of our recent live shows with guests including Dean Burnett, Alan Moore and Lucie Green. Tickets are still available for our live show on June 11 with guests Adam Buxton and Hannah Fry, as well as Space Shambles with Robin, Chris Hadfield, Stewart Lee and others on June 15. royalalberthall.com for tickets. Support the show at patreon.com/bookshambles

Matt Haig has been one of our most requested guests on social media so we're delighted he is our guest this week. Robin and Josie chat to Matt about his own work including the upcoming Notes on a Nervous Planet as well as some of his favourite works from the likes of Emily Dickinson, Carl Sagan and Janette Winterson. A bonus 20 minutes of chat await Patreon supporters this week. You can hear that, and help keep the podcast in production, by pledging at patreon.com/bookshambles

We're celebrating our 100th episode! We're either a bit early, or a bit late, depending on how you want to count 'actual' episodes, but it's the thought that counts. On this episode we chat to Emmy and Golden Globe award winner and Oscar nominee Bryan Cranston about his autobiography A Life in Parts. He chats about his acting process, reading for role research, the Time's Up movement, favourite playwrights and a whole lot more. Robin is in the studio and Josie pre-recorded a series of questions as she was off with pregnancy related engagements.  Thank you, as always, to you our great Patreon supporters. We would never have been able to make one episode, let alone a hundred odd, without their amazing support. It is hugely appreciated by all of us at Shambles. This week, it's a bumper Patreon edition with almost 25 minutes of extra Cranston just for pledgers. If you'd like to join them and help keep Book Shambles keeping on, head to patreon.com/bookshambles

Robin shared a house at The Laugharne Weekend with writer, author, comic and storyteller Nick Revell. They chat about Nick's latest tale, drinking with Peggy Seger and shape shifting lizards. If you'd like us to keep making the show, please do consider pledging at patreon.com/bookshambles and then ideally actually pledging.

Founder of the Craftivist Collective, Sarah Corbett joins Josie and Robin to talk about craftivism and her own books on the subject. But Sarah also brought along a big bag of her favourite books to talk about so there's much chat about Martin Luther King Jr, Rebecca Solnit, Daniel Goleman and more. To hear an extended version of this episode and gets lots of other perks and rewards, you can support the show at patreon.com/bookshambles