Pioneering broadcaster, journalist and author Charlene White discusses the danger of banning books, dealing with grief and loss, and her interest in what home means to others.   Charlene began presenting ITV News in 2008 and in 2014 became the first Black woman to present ITV News at Ten. She’s also one of the presenters of daytime show, Loose Women, and helmed the show's first all-black panel special, which won a Royal Television Society award and was nominated for a BAFTA. In 2020 Charlene presented the award-winning ITV series IRL with Team Charlene - a mix of short films, animation and music dealing with racism in the UK, and how it impacts the lives of young people. She uses her platform to mentor aspiring journalists, and work alongside various organisations to achieve better representation in the industry. As a writer, Charlene is a regular columnist for the iPaper and has written for the New York Post. Her critically acclaimed debut non-fiction book, No Place Like Home, was published last year.  Charlene’s book choices are: ** The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg **Forever by Judy Blume ** And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou ** Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams **A Life Reimagined: My Journey of Hope in the Midst of Loss by Jill Halfpenny Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women. Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Broadcaster, disability inclusion and accessibility specialist, and social entrepreneur Shani Dhanda discusses the power of audiobooks, the importance of kindness and why accessibility benefits us all.  Shani Dhanda is one of the UK's most influential disabled people, and was named Number 1 on The Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 List in 2023. Shani has been recognised with multiple honours and awards for her inclusion and activism work, including being named as one of the six most influential women in the new world of work, one of the most influential women in leadership, and a world-leading changemaker. She is one of the consumer experts on BBC’s Rip Off Britain and a regular contributor on ITV’s This Morning. Shani’s intersectional activism and entrepreneurship has challenged social inequality around the world, and she is the founder of Diversability, the Asian Woman Festival and the Asian Disability Network. Shani’s book choices are:  ** The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella ** Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling ** But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love and Family Between Cultures by Sahaj Kaur Kohli ** Baby Does a Runner by Anita Rani  ** Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women. You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Actor and screenwriter Emer Kenny tells us why all pain is useful - whether it be heartbreak or rejection -  and why being a mentor to other creatives is so important. Emer Kenny is an actor and writer who made her acting debut in the BAFTA-nominated single drama Coming Down The Mountain in 2008. She began to write for the screen soon after, honing her skills on BBC’s Eastenders and Holby City, which she followed up with episodes of Hulu’s Harlots and Sky’s Save Me Too. Alongside this, she played Joan Morecambe in Victoria Wood’s BAFTA-winning Morecambe and Wise biopic, Eric and Ernie. Most recently, she has written, executive produced and acted in BAFTA-winning ITV crime drama Karen Pirie, which is returning for a second series this year. Emer’s book choices are: ** Frankenstein by Mary Shelley ** Sex and Rage: Advice to Young Girls Eager to Have a Good Time by Eve Babitz ** An American Marriage by Tayari Jones ** Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott ** I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women. You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Journalist, author and mental health campaigner Bryony Gordon discusses the journey to writing about her own mental health, why we need political balance, and her aversion to misery books.   Bryony has written six Sunday Times bestselling books, including the number one bestsellers Mad Girl and You Got This. Her latest book Mad Woman is the eagerly anticipated follow-up which explores a crucial question: what if our notion of what makes us happy is the very thing that’s making us so sad? And her debut novel People Pleaser will be published in 2026. Her work as a mental health campaigner has been widely recognised; she founded Mental Health Mates, a peer support group that encourages people to move for their mental health, and in 2023 she was awarded the President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She wrote for the Telegraph for 24 years, and is now a columnist at the Daily Mail, and hosts a weekly podcast, The Life of Bryony. Bryony is also a judge for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction.  Bryony’s  book choices are: ** The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy ** Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood ** American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld ** Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny **  Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women. You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Author, Actor and Director Eimear McBride on the delayed gratification of her first novel, the  ‘classic combination’ of sex and death and why we should celebrate  female writers tackling difficult topics and themes.  Eimear trained as an actor before writing her first novel, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, which took nine years to find a publisher but subsequently won the 2014 Women’s Prize for Fiction, as well as the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, the Goldsmiths Prize, and the Desmond Elliott Prize. Eimear’s second novel, The Lesser Bohemians, won the 2016 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. Strange Hotel, her third novel, was published in 2020 and her latest release The City Changes Its Face is out in February 2025. In 2022, Eimear wrote and directed A Very Short Film About Longing (DMC/BBC Film) which was screened at the 2023 London Film Festival, and she also writes and reviews for the Guardian, New Statesman and the TLS.  Eimear’s  book choices are: ** The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien ** Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice ** Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald ** The Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin ** Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women. Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Bestselling author Jojo Moyes discusses her passion for libraries, the importance of staying silly and how to build complex characters aka the ‘kick the dog’ test. Jojo Moyes is a novelist and screenwriter. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The One Plus One, The Giver of Stars, Someone Else's Shoes and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. Jojo's novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold over fifty-seven million copies worldwide. Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Her latest book, We All Live Here, takes us to the heart of the Kennedy household, in a moving family saga about love, friendship and what matters most. Jojo’s  book choices are: ** National Velvet by Enid Bagnold ** The Collected Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker ** Behind The Scenes at The Museum by Kate Atkinson ** Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen ** Three Women by Lisa Taddeo Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women. Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Diane Abbott is parliament’s longest serving Black MP. A political trailblazer, a passionate advocate for social justice and a writer. She kicks off series eight of Bookshelfie talking about Trump, feminism and navigating a world of social media trolls. Diane was the first Black woman elected to Parliament and has served Hackney and Stoke Newington for more than 35 years. In 2024 she became Mother of the House – an honorific title given to the female MP with the longest uninterrupted service. She is the founder of several initiatives, including ‘London Schools and the Black Child’, and ‘Black Women Mean Business’. Her memoir, A Woman Like Me, is out now. Diane’s book choices are: ** Little Women by Louisa May Alcott ** The Color Purple by Alice Walker  ** Heart Of The Race: Black Women's Lives in Britain by Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie and Suzanne Scafe ** Confidence Man by Maggie Haberman ** Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women. Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Award-winning executive producer and broadcaster Kavita Puri on the importance of collecting untold stories, being an Elizabeth Strout groupie and why women always have been and continue to be complex characters. Kavita Puri is the creator, writer and presenter of the Three Million podcast on BBC Sounds, which won the Gold for Best New Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2024, and the accompanying book - a "groundbreaking" investigation of the 1943 Bengal famine - is set to publish in 2026. Her Radio 4 docu-series Three Pounds in My Pocket is currently on its fifth season and has been described as “captivating and epic” by The Guardian. Kavita is also the author of the critically acclaimed book “Partition Voices: Untold British Stories”, which has been adapted for stage at the Donmar Warehouse.  Kavita is the chair of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Judging panel. Kavita’s book choices are: ** The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak ** Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout  ** Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels ** A Woman in Berlin by Marta Hillers ** The Other Side of Silence by Urvashi Butalia Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women. Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Serious Readers are offering Bookshelfie listeners £100 off any HD light and free UK delivery. To take advantage of our Serious Readers discount code, please visit seriousreaders.com/bookshelfie and use the code SHELFIE.  There’s a 30 day risk-free trial to return the lamp for free if you’re unhappy with it for whatever reason. 

Comedian Cariad Lloyd explains how she unexpectedly became part of the death community and why Half of a Yellow Sun should be part of the curriculum.  Cariad is an award-winning comedian, actor and writer. She is the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Griefcast and the smash-hit improv show Austentatious. She has starred in TV shows such as Alan Partridge, Peep Show, Inside No. 9 and featured on Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie to You and QI. Cariad’s first book You Are Not Alone was a New Statesman, The Times and Express book of the year in 2023. And her new children’s book, The Christmas Wish-Tastrophe, is out now. Cariad is no stranger to book chat, co-hosting a podcast with fellow comedian Sara Pascoe called Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club, where they discuss weird books with their famous friends. Cariad’s book choices are: ** Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson ** By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart  ** Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ** Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel  ** The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women. Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Serious Readers are offering Bookshelfie listeners £100 off any HD light and free UK delivery. To take advantage of our Serious Readers discount code, please visit seriousreaders.com/bookshelfie and use the code SHELFIE.  There’s a 30 day risk-free trial to return the lamp for free if you’re unhappy with it for whatever reason. 

Space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins Vick to delve into her favourite science fiction books, tells us why dyslexic kids shouldn’t be pigeon-holed and explains why she encourages all children to reach for the stars.  Maggie is a space scientist and pioneering figure in communicating science, having spoken directly to over half a million people globally, 350,000 of whom are children.  She is committed to inspiring new generations of astronauts, engineers and scientists, and in 2009, was appointed an MBE for her services to science and education. She presents the new series of BBC’s The Sky at Night and Mini Stargazing for CBeebies. In 2016, she was nominated for a Children’s Presenter BAFTA and she recently won the Institute of Physics gold medal for ‘exceptional services to science education and physics communication’. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in March 2024, for her services to ‘science education and diversity’. She is the current President of the British Science Association. Maggie’s new book, Webb’s Universe: The Space Telescope Images that Reveal Our Cosmic History, is the definitive book on the James Webb Space Telescope, with a full array of stunning images.  Maggie’s book choices are: ** The Many-Coloured Land by Julian May ** The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris ** Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman ** The Little Snake by A. L. Kennedy  ** Letters to my Daughter by Dr Maya Angelou Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women. Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Serious Readers are offering Bookshelfie listeners £100 off any HD light and free UK delivery. To take advantage of our Serious Readers discount code, please visit seriousreaders.com/bookshelfie and use the code SHELFIE.  There’s a 30 day risk-free trial to return the lamp for free if you’re unhappy with it for whatever reason.