Hayley Campbell is a writer and broadcaster you may best know for his book The Art of Neil Gaiman. Her latest book, All the Living and the Dead, looks at our relationship with death, and the people for whom death is their life. She joins Robin to talk about her fascination with death, seeing her first dead body, embalming and Jeremy Bentham's head. Extended version as ever for Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/bookshambles

Veronica O'Keane is a Professor of Psychiatry and this week she joins Robin and Helen Czerski to talk about her book The Rag and Bone Shop which deals with her thirty year investigation into memory. One of the exciting things about Veronica's book, for Book Shambles fans, is how her book takes us on a journey through writers from Beckett to Yeats and beyond as she uncovers the mysteries of how our memories, and false memories, work. To hear and extended episode subscribe at...

On today's episode Robin is joined by author and poet Kei Miller to talk about his new collection of essays, Things I Have Withheld. They chat about the fear of writing such an honest book, how criticism and expectations of self differs from country to country, favourite Jamaican poets and much more. Extended episode, and other goodies, available for Patreon subscribers. Sign up at patreon.com/bookshambles

You've probably encountered online what is often labeled 'Abandoned Places Porn'. Artistic photography of disused theme parks, factories and that sort of thing. Our guest on today's show is the author of widely acclaimed, and Baillie Gifford Prize shortlisted book, Islands of Abandonment, an in depth exploration into the places where nature is flourishing after humans have left. She talks to Robin about the book, the myths around these sorts of places, science fiction, Chernobyl and much...

On this week's show we have someone who was one of the writers, and performers, of the Cosmic Shambles and Book Shambles theme music. Oh, and he's also one of the world's leading experts on disgust and emotions and a Research Fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary University. And now Dr Richard Firth-Godbehere's first book has just been published, A Human History of Emotion. Richard chats to Robin and Helen Czerski about the book, the emotions of war, witch trials, the...

This week's episode was recorded in January live at The Slapstick Festival in Bristol. Armando Iannucci, co-creator of The Thick Of It, Veep, Alan Partridge and so many other comedy icons, joins Robin to talk about the state of satire in 2022. Armando's latest book is Pandemonium : Some verses on the Current Predicament, an epic mock-heroic poem, written in response to the pandemic, but they don't really get round to that what with everything else going on. SUPER extended edition for...

On this week's episode Robin is joined by the Reverend Richard Coles to talk about his literary inspirations and loves growing up as a nerdy kid in Kettering, finding God, a love of diaries and how the process of writing about grief after the loss of his partner David, which would become the book The Madness of Grief. Subscribe to our Patreon to hear extended episodes and get all sorts of other goodies. patreon.com/bookshambles is where to go to sign up

Julia Cooke is a writer and author whose work regularly appears in the likes of Salon, Smithsonian and The New York Times. Her latest book is the acclaimed Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am. She joins Robin to talk about how she found herself in the world of Pan Am and the Mad Men era, studying in Cuba and Pan Am's role in everything from Vietnam to Women's Liberation. Extended version and all sorts of exclusive bonuses are available to Patreon supporters at...

Man Booker Prize shortlisted novelist Ruth Ozeki joins us this week to talk about her latest novel The Book of Form and Emptiness which is out now. They chat about how the book took eight years to write, growing up learning to love books in a public library basement, listening to the voices that guide a novel and her past life working as an art director on low budget horror movies! Support the show and hear an extended version, including a story of Ruth's first encounter with Charlotte's Web...

Ruarri Joseph is a singer-songwriter and frontman for the band William The Conqueror. He's just written his first novel, of the same name, (available for pre-order now) which is an 'auto fiction' or maybe a 'meta biography'. He chats to Robin about the challenges of writing a novel compared to a screenplay or a song, moving away from folk music, the inspiration of Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders and a whole lot more. Hear an extended edition of this, and all other episodes, by subscribing...

There's been a lot more interest in plants and trees in the UK recently thanks to David Attenborough's The Green Planet series, so this week we speak with nature writer James Canton about his recent book The Oak Papers which tells the story of an 800 year old oak tree, and our relationship with oak throughout the ages. He and Robin chat about great nature writing, notable underwear stores in Ealing and nature in literature from Homer to Chatwin to Macdonald and beyond. Support the podcast on...

This week's episode is a young readers special. Robin chats to author Louie Stowell about her new book for younger readers, Otherland and is also joined by high school librarian Julie Baugh. They chat about what kids and young adults are reading today, which classics are still popular, the importance of libraries, the wonderful Usborne series of books and a whole lot more. There's LOADS of recommendations this week! To hear an extended edition of this week's episode, and every other week...

Last year Dara McAnulty, at just 16 years of age, won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Coincidentally, that category was presented by us at The Cosmic Shambles Network, so today, as Dara’s second book, Wild Child, hits shelves he took time out from studying for his maths exam next week to come on the podcast to chat to Robin and Helen Czerski. They chat about nature, climate, optimism, birds, Oliver Sacks, Andrei Tarkovsky and much more! Support the podcast and hear...

Our traditional end of year wrap up of the best things the Shambles crew read in 2021. The books don't have to have been released in 2021 of course, just read this year. With Josie on maternity leave Robin holds down the fort with loads of special guests including Chris Hadfield, Helen Czerski, Anil Seth, Isy Suttie, Steve Backshall, Helen Zaltzman and more. Please note that this episode was originally streamed live on December 30th 2021 so that will explain the varying audio quality of the...

This week Robin chats to US author Jessica Nordell about her Royal Society Prize shortlisted book, The End of Bias. Back when Jessica was a journalist she struggled to get a particular, timely article published by any national print. Until she submitted it under the name J.D. Nordell, instead of Jessica, and it was accepted immediately. Thus began the research on society's unconscious bias that led to her acclaimed book. To hear an extended edition, and support the podcast, subscribe at...

Louis Barfe is an author and former journalist who has written some of the most lauded biographies of classic British comedians. He has written some of the definitive life stories of the likes of Les Dawson and Ken Dodd and in his latest book, Sunshine and Laughter, he tells the unique story of one Britain's most loved double acts, Morecambe and Wise. He joins Robin to talk about the book, classic British comedy, where it still seeps into today's comedy and who he'd most love to research for...

Author Zena Barrie joins Book Shambles today to chat to Robin about her first novel, Your Friend Forever. They chat about what made the former theatre manager write her first book, how autobiographical it is and how in her youth she would write to loads of celebrities although the only people that ever replied was Kelloggs, the cereal company. There's also chat on Adrian Mole, Lemn Sissay, Scottish pop music and a whole lot more. As always, longer episode for Patreon supporters. Become one...

Robin's science book came out the same day last month as Adam Rutherford and Hannah's Fry first book together, Rutherford and Fry's Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything. The Cosmic Shambles Network is also looking after Robin's 100 Bookshop Tour and working with JSM Events' Rutherford and Fry tour so it just makes sense to bring it all together on an episode of Book Shambles. They chat about the heavy lifting of the word 'abridged' in the title, science education, the nature of curiosity,...

It's our Halloween special and sometimes co-host Bec Hill returns to Book Shambles today to talk to Robin about her new kids horror book, The Slime, the first in a 13 book series called Horror Heights! They talk about creating the series, creativity in lockdown, favourite fictional slime, the influence of RL Stine and Paul Jennings and the joy of growing up with a librarian for a Mum. Listen to an extended edition of this episode, and all the others, by supporting us on patreon at...

On today's episode Robin is joined by the writer, editor and broadcaster Liz Frazer to talk about her new book, and bestseller, Coming Clean: A True Story of Love, Addiction and Recovery. They chat about the different faces and perception of alcoholism in individuals and society, mental health, the importance of diaries and how recovery applies to both an addict and the partner of an addict. Please note this episode contains discussions around topics that may be upsetting to some listeners.To...

Our favourite Canadian returns to the podcast this week, it's astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield. Chris has just released his first ever work of fiction, a historical thriller titled The Apollo Murders. He joins Robin, and guest co-host Helen Czerski, to talk about his favourite thrillers, what it was like moving into the world of fiction, making sure the space science was accurate and the future of human spaceflight itself. Around 10 extra minutes of chat this week for Patreon supporters so...

Robin Ince's brand new book The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity is out TODAY! Go grab a signed copy from our bookshop now at cosmicshambles.com/bookshop. To celebrate we did a livestream launch event early this week with Robin talking about the book with our Shambles chum, musician, composer and comedian Tim Minchin. So we've made that conversation available on the podcast this week complete with bonus introduction from Robin and his Science Shambles...

Francesca Stavrakopoulou was a guest on the first series of Tips for Existence and now that her first book, God: An Anatomy, has just been released we'd excited to have her on Book Shambles with Robin and Josie to talk about it. They chat about how Francesca had to write the book she wished existed when she was in university, why examining God upsets people and whether God went to the toilet or not... Extended edition for Patreon supporters as ever so please subscribe at...

On this week’s episode our guest is Kathryn Mannix, a palliative care doctor and author. Kathryn self proclaims that her Mastermind subject would be death, and in her new book Listen she uses her years of experience to deconstruct our difficulty with difficult conversations. This conversation, on the podcast, isn’t difficult but why is it so hard to talk about death, coming out or even answering honestly when someone asks ‘How are you?’. Please note that this episode does contain...

This week our guest couldn't make the interview at the very last minute. Which was unfortunate because obviously we wanted to talk to them and also it meant we didn't have an episode for this week. So since Robin and Josie were already on the Zoom call, they just interviewed each other for half an hour. Hope you enjoy. Normal service will resume next week. Support the show at patreon.com/bookshambles