Another new episode from our sister programme SPOILER - to subscribe to SPOILER, please go to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk  This week, against Paul’s express wishes, the Spoiler team have accepted a listener request and are reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s philosophical fantasy novel ‘The Buried Giant’. This dense meditation on collective memory pretty much splits the team three ways, with professed fantasy fan Rachael wishing for more fantastical elements and Andy, who is ambivalent at best about the...

“There should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives” This week the Spoiler team are feeling inspired as we read R.J. Palacio’s children’s novel ‘Wonder’. Paul predicts that Andy, given his favourite film is ‘Dumbo’, will enjoy this (for the record, Paul’s favourite film is ‘Paddington’) and its themes of kindness make Rachael a shoo-in but Paul teases the group by managing to spin out his opinion for as long as possible. Still, all...

“If love be rough with you, be rough with love” Three reviewers, alike in temperament (if not always in opinion), sit down this week to talk some serious culture as the Spoiler team take a look at Baz Luhrmann’s Shakespeare adaptation ‘Romeo + Juliet’. Paul wonders just how many meads he must have had when he suggested we tackle the Bard, while Andy shares his concerns that talking Shakespeare could expose the fact he’s not as clever as he’s often credited with being. Self-proclaimed...

“Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices” This week we’re watching Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian thriller ‘Children of Men’, based (very loosely) on the 1992 novel by PD James and starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine and Pam Ferris - and not all the team are entirely convinced. While Rachael is “saturated” in the film and Paul wonders how this hidden gem passed him by, Andy finds it impossible to connect with ‘Children of Men’ on an emotional level and would...

“I don’t work for you. I work for the building” This week we’re watching Ben Wheatley’s film adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s supposedly "unfilmable" dystopian thriller ‘High-Rise’ and the team are at odds again, though not about Tom “so handsome it hurts” Hiddleston. With Andy occupying Paul’s usual spot on the fence, Paul wonders how anyone could possibly put themselves through this film more than once, while Rachael advocates reading the original novel as a possible way to unlock the film’s...

“Just when you think life can’t possibly get any worse it suddenly does” This week we’re reading Douglas Adams’ cult sci-fi comedy novel ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. While Paul wonders if anyone anywhere dislikes this book, Rachael tries her best to cast a critical eye over this beloved work by comparing it to the original radio series, while Andy shares his favourite joke of all time with the team (it involves hippos). Paul describes the difficulty of trying to simultaneously...

"When I was small, I only knew small things" This week we're watching and reading "Room" by Emma Donoghue as we take a look at both the original 2010 book and the 2015 film adaptation starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. The team approach this powerful story with trepidation, especially Paul who was unable to bear the tension of watching the film from start to finish. Andy and Rachael find themselves feeling so protective towards Jack and Ma that they didn't want to close the book and...

“Going outside is highly overrated”  This week in our new show SPOILER, we're reading Ernest Kline's "nerdgasm" of a book, Ready Player One.  As Rachael and Andy get in touch with their inner geek, Paul has been frittering away more of his short time on this earth collating every pop culture reference in the book and putting them into another of his legendary remixes (see video version below…). Meanwhile, the dystopian setting of Ready Player One leads Rachael to consider the...

"She turned to him and pulled her lips into what he knew must be a smile" This week, in another chance to catch up with our new show SPOILER, we're reading John Williams' sleeper hit "Stoner" which, contrary to Paul's assumption, is not a "1990s drug romp", but a 1965 novel about the quiet, unassuming life of a quiet,unassuming man, William Stoner.  The book was largely ignored at the time of its original publication and famously took nearly half a century to become a hit, which leads...

“While there was breath in my body, she would never lack sufficient AA batteries.” Another opportunity to try out our new podcast "Spoiler", and this week we're reading David Nicholls much anticipated novel "Us", the story of middle aged Biochemist Douglas Peterson whose wife announces her intention to leave him when their teenage son leaves home for University – but first there's the small matter of taking one final family holiday together. We discuss how the novel measures up to...

Hello again!  It's been a few years now since The Reading Room ended, but now we're back with a brand new show called SPO!LER, which reviews books, films and TV shows in their entirety - without fear of spoilers.  We thought we'd give you loyal Reading Room subscribers a preview of the new show - this first episode features the 2014 drama Whiplash.  We're only putting the show on this feed once, so if you like it and want to hear more, head over to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk or...

This month, The Reading Room Book Group reconvenes to review young adult sci-fi novel The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore. Paul Tyler and regular reviewer Gill Hart are joined by Georgia Twynham who, as author of The Thirteenth series, knows a thing or two about writing for young adults.  There's also poetry from Andrew Goulding and Jim Bob, former frontman with Carter USM and author of Driving Jarvis Ham, gives us his nomination for our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die. Click the...

In another of our special extended monologues, this month The Reading Room presents The Barraclough Newsletters.... Bunny Barraclough is a real pillar of her community - a leading member of the local amateur dramatics society and ladies luncheon club, respectable housewife and mother of two loving children. Join us for her bi-annual round-robin newsletters has she fills you in on the latest news of her perfect family... The Barraclough Newsletters was written by Jim Gotts and...

On this programme we present a specially produced story by writer and performer Gareth Calway.  A terrified grave robber comes across the severed mummified head of England's greatest revolutionary - Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell's head proceeds to tell him his life story - a tale of tyrannical kings, civil war and violent revenge!

On this month's programme, the final Reading Room Book Group (for now at least) reviews The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, we talk to documentary maker Nick Gray about his book Escape From Tibet which tells the real life story of two young boys as they flee their homeland in order to escape Chinese repression.  John Mitchinson from Unbound gives us his nomination for our list of 101 Books The Read Before You Die, we have poetry from Brendan Cleary, and Jamie McKay brings...

In the second part of our special LIVE show recorded at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre we talk to Red Dwarf, Scrapheap Challenge and Carpool star Robert Llewellyn about his varied career and his writing. Robert talks about the return of Red Dwarf later this year, his love of electric cars and his past books including Sold Out and The Man Behind The Rubber Mask, before giving us an exclusive first reading from his new sci-fi novel News From Gardenia. The show also features music from...

In the first part of our live special recorded at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, we have poetry from John Osborne and Andrew Goulding, Abigail Tarttelin reads us two exclusive excerpts from her next novel Golden Boy which has just been snapped up by a major publisher, Jodie Orton reads us a fairy tale for grown ups, Reading Room regulars Gill Hart and Jamie McKay bring us live versions of their regular contributions and host Paul Tyler performs a piece of his own. Click on the player...

Well, it's all over now - after months of planning, The Reading Room LIVE featuring Robert Llewellyn took place on Saturday 12th May at the LPAC in Lincoln in front of a gratifyingly large crowd.  If you weren't there, here's what you missed... Massive thanks to all our contributors, including John Osborne (Radio Head, John Peel's Shed), Abigail Tarttelin (Flick), Andrew Goulding, Jodie Orton, Michael Reeve, Gill Hart, Jamie MacKay and of course the magnificent Robert...

On this programme we talk to ex-Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine frontman Jim Bob about his new novel Driving Jarvis Ham, then The Reading Room Book Group give their verdict on the book.  We also talk to John Mitchinson, co-founder of the revolutionary crowd-sourcing publisher Unbound, John Osborne gives us his nomination for our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die and we have poetry from Andrew Goulding. Click the player below to listen now or subscribe to our iTunes feed using...

In this short video, Paul reminisces about the bands that defined his youth and wonders whether one of his musical heroes - Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine's Jim Bob - can make the leap to writing with his new novel Driving Jarvis Ham. In the next edition of the programme, we'll be reviewing Driving Jarvis Ham as well as talking to the creators of the crowd-source publisher Unbound and looking ahead to The Reading Room Live. That's live on Sunday 6th May 10am-12noon,...

On this programme we talk to crime author Elly Griffiths about her popular Ruth Galloway series, we have a short story from John Baird and find out what happened when Paul visited the Phoenix Writers Circle. We also have poetry from Adrienne Silcock, Jamie McKay’s Musings of A Muddled Mind and author Nikki Valentine gives us her nomination for our 101 Books To Read Before You Die.

On this programme, The Reading Room Book Group review the latest novel from Secret Diary of Adrian Mole author Sue Townsend, The Woman who Went to Bed for a Year. and we talk to Georgia Twynham, author of The Thirteenth about the third book in her teen fantasy series, Nyteria Rising. We also have poetry from Adrienne Silcock and Peter Kerr gives us his nomination for our 101 Books To Read Before You Die.

In this short video podcast, Reading Room host Paul Tyler toasts our success in the European Podcast Awards and looks ahead to our next programme.... Click here to view on YouTube

On this programme we talk to Radio Head author John Osborne about poetry and his new one man show John Peel's Shed, Niki Valentine (The Haunted) provides our short story, we have flash fiction from Abigail Tarttelin (Flick) and crime author Elly Griffiths (A Room Full of Bones) adds her choice to our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die.  We also announce further details of The Reading Room LIVE - click here for tickets: http://www.lpac.co.uk/whats-on/spoken-word

This month The Reading Room Book Group discuss Pantheon by Sam Bourne, Booker prize nominated author Jon McGregor talks about his new collection of short stories This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You, we get another nomination for our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die from poet Luke Wright, and we have poetry from Elaine Kazimierczuk.