Episodes
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Bestselling author Robert Harris joins Simon and Matt for a Q&A episode.
He tells us the last book her really REALLY enjoyed reading, what he learns (and has learnt) from writing each of his books, why he's drawn to WWI and WWII and who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party.
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Robert Harris returns to Books Of The Year to discuss his new novel, 'Precipice', with Simon and Matt.
A new Robert Harris novel is always a big moment - and once again, he hasn't let us down!
They chat about the extraordinary letters that were sent from Prime Minister H.H. Asquith to the woman he was besotted with, Venetia Stanley, and how that relationship changed the shape of government forever.
'Precipice' like many of Robert's novels is based on true events - and so these letters, and Asquith's love for Venetia Stanley, form the backbone of this book.
He also discusses his research, 'The War Book' which he got to hold in the national archives - and what he thinks Asquith would have made of our current government.
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Ben Macintyre returns to Books Of The Year and answers questions about his craft, research, favourite books and authors.
He tells us who he would invited to his fantasy dinner party, and gives us some great book recommendations too.
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Ben Macintyre joins us again to discuss his brilliant new book 'The Siege'
Simon and Matt chat to him about the incredible research and interviews he undertook to write the account of this incredible historic event.
They delve into who carried out The Siege and what the people wanted, and how Ben managed to get so much access to the first hand accounts.
Here's a little more on the book:
On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens.
A tense six-day siege ensued as millions gathered around screens across the country to witness the longest news flash in British television history, in which police negotiators and psychiatrists sought a bloodless end to the standoff, while the SAS – hitherto an organisation shrouded in secrecy – laid plans for a daring rescue mission: Operation Nimrod.
Drawing on unpublished source material, exclusive interviews with the SAS, and testimony from witnesses including hostages, negotiators, intelligence officers and the on-site psychiatrist, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre takes readers on a gripping journey from the years and weeks of build-up on both sides, to the minute-by-minute account of the siege and rescue.
Recreating the dramatic conversations between negotiators and hostages, the cutting-edge intelligence work happening behind-the-scenes, and the media frenzy around this moment of international significance, The Siege is the remarkable story of what really happened on those fateful six days, and the first full account of a moment that forever changed the way the nation thought about the SAS – and itself.
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Simon Mayo and Matt Williams welcome music journalist and author David Hepworth to the studio, to find out about his favourite authors and books and get a sense of his reading habits.
You'll probably be as surprised as us to discover that he only reads standing up!
There's also a surprise question from broadcasting legend, Bob Harris, and we find out who David would invite to his fantasy dinner party!
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Simon Mayo and Matt Williams welcome music journalist David Hepworth to the studio.
His new book - Hope I Get Old Before I Die - looks at how enduring rock icons like Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen and many more have remained in the ever changing music game.
They discuss Mick Jagger, Elton John, Paul McCartney and many other rock icons, and just how and why they are still so relevant today.
The book is full of great anecdotes, which are endlessly quotable, and is a must read for any music fan.
We hope you enjoy the chat !
(here's a little more on the book)
When Paul McCartney closed Live Aid in July 1985 we thought he was rock's Grand Old Man. He was forty-three years old.
As the forty years since have shown he - and many others of his generation - were just getting started.
This was the time when live performance took over from records. The big names of the 60s and 70s exploited the age of spectacle that Live Aid had ushered in to enjoy the longest lap of honour in the history of humanity, continuing to go strong long after everyone else had retired.
Hence this is a story without precedent, a story in which Elton John plays a royal funeral, Mick Jagger gets a knighthood, Bob Dylan picks up the Nobel Prize, the Beatles become, if anything, bigger than the Beatles and it's beginning to look as though all of the above will, thanks to the march of technology, be playing Las Vegas for ever.
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Ragnar Jonasson is a veracious reader and prolific writer. In this Q&A episode, he talks about his writing processes, his favourite authors and how he orders his bookshelves.
We also hear from fellow author Vaseem Khan, who poses a question to Ragnar, and discover who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party.
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Ragnar Jonasson joins Simon and Matt to discuss his latest novel, 'Death At The Sanitorium'
They talk about the influence of Agatha Christie, the Icelandic way of life and how he keeps so many stories in his head at one time.
Remember you can get in touch with us any time - to let us know what you're reading, books you have loved (or not) recently - and if any of our recommendations have gone down well.
Our email is: [email protected]
And we're on instagram and threads too!
Here's a little more about Death At The Sanitorium
AN OLD SANATORIUM. ONE TERRIFYING MURDER. FIVE SUSPECTS. AND A CASE THAT NEVER CLOSED.
WELCOME TO THE SANATORIUM
High up in the mountains stands a sanatorium. Once a hospital dedicated to treating tuberculosis, it now sits haunted by the ghosts of its past.
One wing of the hospital remains open and houses six employees: the caretaker, two doctors, two nurses and a young research assistant.
Despite the wards closing decades ago, they remain at the hospital to conduct research. But the cold corridors, draughty windows and echoey halls are constant reminders of the building’s dark history.
When one of the nurses, Yrsa, is found brutally murdered, they discover that death has never left this place – and neither did its secrets. None can escape this terrifying legacy.
Despite just five suspects the case is never solved and remains open for two decades. Until a young criminologist named Helgi Reykdal attempts to finally lay the ghosts of the hospital's past to rest . . .
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Former journalist turned author, Chris Brookmyre, joins Simon and Matt for a spot of Q&A.
They ask him about the last book he really really enjoyed, whether there's a book or plot her wished he'd written, and who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party.
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Chris Brookmyre joins Simon and Matt to chat about his latest novel.
You may have heard Mark Billingham on one of our previous Q&A episodes rave about The Cracked Mirror? Well, he did such a good job - we read it, and loved it too! So we had to have Chris on!
The idea for the book came from a discussion with his Editor, who was looking for a meta crime novel. Chris has never been one to shy away from a challenge, and loves to mix up genres, so he came up with an elevator pitch "What would happen if Miss Marple had to work with Harry Bosch?"
What we have is The Cracked Mirror - where cosy crime meets the grittier end of the scale. (more on the book below)
As well as his new novel, Chris discusses his gig at Glastonbury, his writing processes and how and why the crime writing community is so supportive.
THE CRACKED MIRROR
You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.
You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.
Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.
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Chris Whitaker joins Simon Mayo and Matt Williams for the Q&A episode.
He discusses the last book he really REALLy enjoyed reading, his writing routine and who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party.
Also, in an exclusive, he reveals us what his next book is about and what we can expect!
Author of The List Of Suspicious Things, Jennie Godfrey, surprises Chris with a question - and - we find out what profession he might have chosen, if he hadn't become an author.
*if you missed our chat with Chris about his new novel, All The Colours Of The Dark, you can find it wherever you're listening to this one!
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Novelist Chris Whitaker joins Simon and Matt for a chat about his new book, All The Colours Of The Dark.
Chris worked in the City for many years as a trader, before quitting to write. He talks openly about a traumatic incident which turned him on to writing, as well as how long it takes him to write each novel. (if you're thinking about writing, don't let this put you off!)
We also learn about how he creates his characters, and the importance of dialogue to his writing and plotting.
More about the book below:
Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of teenager Joseph 'Patch' Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who will risk everything to find her best friend.
But when she does: it will break her heart.
Patch lies alone in a pitch-black room - until he feels a hand in his. Her name is Grace and, though they cannot see each other, she lights their world with her words.
But when he escapes: there is no sign she ever even existed.
Left with only her voice and her name, he paints her from broken memories - and charts an epic search to find her.
As years turn to decades, and hope becomes obsession, Saint will shadow his journey - on a darker path to hunt down the man who took them - and set free the only boy she ever loved.
Even if finding the truth means losing each other forever...
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Comedian and writer David Baddiel shares some of his writing processes and reading traits that he is not a fan of.
He also tells us the book he has really enjoyed reading recently and who we would invite to his fantasy dinner party.
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David Baddiel joins Simon and Matt for a chat about his new non-fiction book, 'My Family: The Memoir'
He discusses his relationship with his mum and dad, some of the hilarious anecdotes from his childhood that appear in the book and the love that he has for both his parents, despite their quirks and faults.
His family life growing up was complicated, and David doesn't shy away from telling the home truths of his upbringing.
Simon and Matt also discuss David's brilliant new podcast, "A Muslim And A Jew Go There" which he co presents with Sayeeda Warsi.
Here's some more gumf on the book:
A searingly honest, funny and moving family memoir in which David Baddiel exposes his mother’s idiosyncratic sex life, and his father’s dementia, to the same affectionate scrutiny.
On the surface, David Baddiel’s childhood was fairly standard: a lower-middle-class Jewish family living in an ordinary house in Dollis Hill, north-west London. But David came to realise that his mother was in fact not ordinary at all. Having escaped extermination by fleeing Nazi Germany as a child, she was desperate to make her life count, which took the form of a passionate, decades-long affair with a golfing memorabilia salesman. David’s detailing of the affair – including a hilarious focus on how his mother turned their household over to golf memorabilia, and an eye-popping cache of her erotic writings – leads to the inescapable conclusion that Sarah Baddiel was a cross between Jack Niklaus and Erica Jong.
Meanwhile, as Baddiel investigates his family’s past, his father’s memories are fading; dementia is making him moodier and more disinhibited, with an even greater penchant for obscenity. As with his mother’s affair, there is both comedy and poignancy to be found: laughter is a constant presence, capable of transforming the darkest of experiences into something redemptive.
My Family: The Memoir is David Baddiel’s candid examination of his childhood, family and memory offering a twisted love letter to his parents.
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Mark Billingham joins Simon and Matt in the studio to chat about some of his favourite authors, writing processes and research.
We surprise him with a question from fellow author and fan, Abir Mukherjee, and also find out which authors he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party
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Mark Billingham joins Simon and Matt in the studio for a chat about his new character, Detective Miller.
They discuss the fine line between comedy and crime, why Mark chose Blackpool as the setting for his new series and why you should always come back to an idea.
We also try to find out what advice he gave Richard Osman, before he became an author...
Here's more on 'The Wrong Hands':
This is one case Miller won't want to open . . .
Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Still desperate to solve the murder of his wife, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands.
Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er do well Wayne Cutler - a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.
Chuck in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.
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Bestselling novelist and journalist, Andrew O'Hagan, tells us about the last book he REALLY enjoyed reading, as well as revealing some insights into his writing processes.
He also answers a question from our special guest, Monica Ali, and reveals who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party.
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Bestselling author and journalist, Andrew O'Hagan, joins Simon and Matt to discuss his latest novel, Calendonian Road.
They talk about the inspiration behind the book, the ever-changing landscape of British politics and pandemics and why it took a decade to write.
Andrew also gives us an insight into the creation of some of his characters, and tells us a great story about his time aboard a luxury yacht!
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Bestselling crime writer, Abir Mukherjee, discusses his favourite authors, books, and tells us about his writing processes.
He talks about working to deadlines (or not), how he orders his bookshelves and who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party.
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Crime writer Abir Mukherjee joins Simon and Matt to discuss his new novel, Hunted.
Abir is known for his Wyndham and Banerjee series, set in 1920s India, however this book is his first stand alone.
They chat about the importance of writing something contemporary, the issues that he wanted to tackle and why it has taken so long to finish.
Here's a little more on Hunted:
IN A RACE AGAINST TIME, WHAT IF THE GREATEST THREAT WAS YOUR OWN CHILD?
It’s a week before the presidential elections when a bomb goes off in an LA shopping mall…
In London, armed police storm Heathrow Airport and arrest Sajid Khan. His daughter Aliyah entered the USA with the suicide bomber, and now she’s missing, potentially plotting another attack.
But then a mysterious woman called Carrie turns up at Sajid’s door after travelling halfway across the world. She claims Aliyah is with her son Greg, and she knows where they could be.
Back in the US, Agent Shreya Mistry is closing in on the two fugitives. But the more she investigates, the more she realises this case is far from as simple as it seems.
Hunted by the authorities, the two parents are thrown together in a race against time to find their kids before the FBI does and stop a catastrophe that will bring the world to its knees.
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