Simon Mayo's Books Of The Year

National Book Award winner, Jason Mott, joins Simon and Matt for a Q&A about his writing and reading habits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're baaaaaack! And we're kicking off 2023 with HELL OF A BOOK by Jason Mott. This brilliant, humorous, moving, important novel is the winner of the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, AND the National Book Award.Jason's surrealist gem centres on a mercurial writer who has visions of a young Black boy who may or may not be the child whose recent murder by a police office has sparked protests across the country.Simon and Matt discuss the novel, book tour nightmares, bad titles and comedic media traing sessions. They also get some writing tips and find out what some of our listeners have been reading and enjoying recently. We always love to hear from you, and you can contact us anytime via email: booksoftheyear@yahoo.com (yes, yahoo!) And you can follow us on Instagram (@pickanypage) and twitter (@booksoftheyear) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ho Ho Holy Moly it's nearly the end of 2022! And to celebrate, Simon and Matt have put together a bonus Christmas ep, for all our Books Of The Year stalwarts. Join us for some pretty lame Christmas jokes and clips of some of our favourite bits of the pod from the year gone by...because...that's what everyone does at Christmas right? Happy Holidays from all of us at BOTY!!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our companion pod, FT Whitehall Editor Sebastian Payne answers questions about his writing, processes and what he's been reading and enjoying recently. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon and Matt welcome the former Whitehall Editor of the FT (now Director of the Think Tank, Onward), Sebastian Payne, to discuss his book 'The Fall Of Boris Johnson' We recorded this one quite late at night in a bar, so you'll also get to enjoy some thumpin' tunes in the background too, mixed in with a bit of Simon's cough, A delightful cacophony we think you'll agree!Sebastian talks about the 'three Ps' in his book (Patterson, Pincher and Partygate). as well as how well respected Johnson is in Ukraine, his obsession with Churchill and what he had to leave out of the book. We also have some of your correspondence and book reviews. (remember, you can get in touch at any time: booksoftheyear@yahoo.com) Here comes the science bit:The Fall of Boris Johnson is the explosive inside account of how a prime minister lost his hold on power.Boris Johnson was touted as the saviour of the country and the Conservative Party, obtaining a huge commons majority and finally getting Brexit done. But within three short years, he was deposed in disgrace, leaving the country in crisis.Sebastian Payne, Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times, tells the essential behind-the-scenes story, charting the series of scandals that felled Johnson: from the blocked suspension of Owen Paterson to partygate, and, then the final death blow: the Chris Pincher allegations. This is the full narrative of the betrayals, rivalries and resignations that resulted in the dramatic Conservative coup and set in motion events that saw the party sink to catastrophic new lows.With unparalleled access to those who were in the room when key decisions were made, Payne tells of the miscalculations and mistakes that led to Boris's downfall. This is a gripping and timely look at how power is gained, wielded and lost in Britain today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestseller author and journalist Ben Macintyre joins us for a Q&A about his writing and reading habits. He discusses the brilliance of 'In Cold Blood' and why he loves writing on planes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and Times columnist Ben Macintyre joins Simon and Matt to talk about his brilliant new book, Colditz: Prisoners Of The Castle. They discuss some of the incredible characters who frequented the prison, and the range of extraordinary escape plans which took place...and mainly failed. Here's the bumf: In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their Nazi captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth.The astonishing inside story, revealed for the first time by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of class conflict, homosexuality, espionage, insanity and farce.From the Indian doctor whose hunger strike and eventual escape reads like a thriller, to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were astonishingly imaginative in their escape attempts; but there were many other ways to survive while awaiting their unknown fate. Deeply researched and full of incredible colour, this is the definitive book on one of the greatest war stories ever told. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Simon and Matt, and the two bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney-Boylan, for a quick fire Q&A! We also have a guest question from the novelist Joanne Harris. You can hear more about Jenny and Jodi's new novel, "Mad Honey", on our previous episode where we discuss it at length... About the book:Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can trust him completely . . .Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan join Simon and Matt to discuss their brilliant new novel Mad Honey.  Told from alternative narratives, the book is a suspenseful, unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become our authentic selves.  The authors talk about the highs and lows of their collaboration, and why they think this book is going to be banned in some US States.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Columnist and writer Marina Hyde answers some in-depth questions from Simon and Matt - as well as from listeners, and a surprise guest! No other writer is more suited to chronicling the absurd times in which we live. In What Just Happened?! Marina Hyde slashes her way through the hellscape of post-referendum politics, where the chaos never stops.From David Cameron to Theresa May to Boris Johnson. Marvel at the sights, from Trumpian WTF-ery to celebrity twattery. And boggle at the cast of characters: Hollywood sex offenders, populists, sporting heroes (and villains), dastardly dukes, media barons, movie stars, reality TV monsters, billionaires, police officers, various princes and princesses, wicked advisers, philanthropists, fauxlanthropists, telly chefs, and (naturally) Gwyneth Paltrow. It's the full state banquet of crazy - and you're most cordially invited.The book is drawn from her spectacularly funny Guardian columns, and is a welcome blast of humour and sanity in a world where reality has become stranger than fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices