It's our season finale! And we are spending it with an absolute legend. Miranda Sawyer is a brilliant and inspirational journalist, broadcaster and author. She started her career at the iconic Smash Hits and has since worked for practically every major newspaper and magazine including The Face, Select, The Guardian, The Observer and Vogue. She's the author of the books Park and Ride, Out of Time and her latest Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs. We talked to Miranda about the...

Get ready for a really fun, warm and refreshing chat with one of our favourite authors, the brilliant Amanda Prowse! Amanda is an Internationally bestselling author of novels, non-fiction books and short stories, whose books have been published worldwide in dozens of languages. Her chart topping titles include What Have I Done?, Perfect Daughter, My Husband’s Wife, The Girl in the Corner and her latest is the wonderful Swimming to Lundy. We talked to her about magic, library love, literary...

This week we are welcoming podcast, comedy and writerly royalty to the show. It's the amazing Cariad Lloyd! Cariad is the host of the podcasts Weirdos Book Club, alongside former guest Sara Pascoe, and the award-winning Griefcast, plus a book based on the podcast You Are Not Alone. She is an actor, comedian and improviser and has just released her first children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe (plus another one soon - revealed exclusively during the show!) We talked to her about helpful...

This week we're delighted to bring you this delicious and delectable conversation with the amazing Rukmini Iyer! Rukmini is the visionary behind the multi-million-selling Roasting Tin series of cookbooks with the latest being the Green Roasting Tin. She is also a voracious and wide-ranging reader. We talked to her about Jilly Cooper, early, eye-popping reads, life-changing food writing and she reveals her secret, and surprising passion. Find out more about all the books mentioned by visiting...

This week we welcome another publishing legend onto the podcast. It's the amazing Liane Moriarty! Liane has sold over 20 million books worldwide and her novels have been translated into forty languages. Her blockbusters Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall and Nine Perfect Strangers have been adapted into hugely successful TV shows. Her latest novel is the gripping, mysterious Here One Moment. We talked to her about her fellow novelist sisters, extended literary universes, the first book to...

This week on the podcast we're entertaining one of our favourite writers and one of our favourite people. The brilliant Holly Williams! Holly is a journalist and author who writes about books and theatre for everyone from The Observer to the New York Times and is the author of two fantastic novels, What Time is Love and The Start of Something. We traveled to Holly's wonderful Sheffield home and talked to her about the Tolstoy family dynasty, cosy planning. life lessons from Marian Keyes,...

More legends of literature are dropping by as we welcome bestselling author and crime icon Paula Hawkins! Paula's first book was the phenomenal The Girl on the Train which sold over 20 million copies and was translated into over 50 languages. She followed it up with the bestsellers Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning. Her latest is the highly anticipated The Blue Hour. We talked to her about art books, the writers so good they make you want to give up, great authors from Zimbabwe and being...

We are graced with undeniable literary royalty this week. It's the stupendous, legendary Jodi Picoult! Jodi Picoult is the New York Times bestselling author of 29 novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with her daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the...

This week we are in the esteemed company of novelist, journalist, broadcaster and all-around inspiration, the wonderful Dawn O'Porter! Dawn is the author of the bestselling mega-hits The Cows, So Lucky, Cat Lady and her latest is the highly anticipated sequel to Paper Aeroplanes and Goose, Honey Bee. She has presented a vast array of television documentaries and hosts the 'Dawn Loves' WH Smith book club. We talked to her about the genius of Jeanette Winterson, inappropriate honeymoon beach...

We're back! And we're kicking off series 16 in style with the brilliant author, journalist and broadcaster Bella Mackie! Bella is the author of the inspirational running book Jog On, the bestselling How To Kill Your Family and her highly anticipated latest What a Way To Go. We talked to her about the importance of Judy Blume, funny books, finding the right book at the right time and vanishing chickens. Find out more about all the books mentioned by visiting our Bookshop.org store. Order your...

We are ending series 15 in style with one of our all-time favourite authors Catherine Newman! Catherine wrote the memoirs Catastrophic Happiness and Waiting for Birdy, novel for kids One Mixed-Up Night, craft book Stitch Camp and the acclaimed novels We All Want Impossible Things and Sandwich. We talked to her about food in books, Laurie Colwin, disaster reading, the importance of pretension and reading the Ikea catalogue for fun. Find out more about all the books mentioned by visiting our...

We are so, so excited about this one. Abi Daré wrote one of our favourite books of all time, the unforgettable novel The Girl with the Louding Voice. She has just released a sequel And So I Roar, which is just as compelling and delightful as the original. In a fascinating, revealing conversation, Abi discusses the contents of her 'Do Not Delete' folder, the importance of showing up for work, the power of the Famous Five, inspirational re-reads and the happiness experienced when a character's...

This week we are entertaining crime writing royalty on the podcast as we welcome the legend that is Dr Kathy Reichs! Kathy is a forensic anthropologist and academic who, amongst many other things, taught FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains. She used her forensic knowledge to create the character Temperance Brennan and the first Temperance book, Deja Dead, won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Many other novels followed including Death du Jour, Deadly Decisions, Fatal...

This week on the show we're delighted to present the legend that is Robin Ince! Robin is an acclaimed stand-up, star of Infinite Monkey Cage, podcast host and the author of Importance of Being Interested, I'm a Joke, Bibliomaniac and more! We talked to him outside the Tom Thumb Theatre in Margate (sorry about the extraneous noise) about obsessive book collecting, Kurt Vonnegut's library, the importance of art and what to say when you meet Patti Smith. Find out more about all the books...

This week on the podcast, we visit the home of one of our favourite authors and favourite people, the brilliant Ericka Waller! Ericka is an award-winning columnist and the author of the acclaimed novels Dogs Days and Goodbye Birdie Greenwing. And, as you will hear, she is a voracious reader. We talked to her about filthy books, snacks in kids books and the genius of John Shuttleworth. Find out more about the books Ericka mentioned at our Bookshop.org store. Order Daisy's new novel Pity Party...

Our series 15 cavalcade of champions continues with the wonderful Catherine Gray! Catherine is an award-winning author, editor and podcaster whose writing has been seen in the Guardian, Stylist, Telegraph, Grazia and Stella. Catherine's hit debut book, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, became a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller, followed by the acclaimed The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary, The Unexpected Joy of Being Single and Sunshine Warm Sober. Her debut novel Versions of a Girl has just...

Here's a bonus treat! And what a treat! To celebrate the release of Daisy's brand new book Pity Party, here's a very special live edition of You're Booked recorded at the glorious Bath Assembly Halls. Three returning champions - Nikki May, AJ Pearce and Andrew Hunter Murray - talk about their favourite Persephone Books in front of an audience of rabid Persephone fans, at the recent Persephone Festival, celebrating 25 years of the UK's premier publishing house. Each author picked and discussed...

The series 15 litany of legends continues with the man commonly known as Dr Buckles - yes, it's Adam Buxton! As you are all aware, Adam is a writer, comedian, massively successful podcast host, Bowie aficionado and the author of the bestselling memoir Ramble Book (with the sequel on its way - as you will hear). He's also responsible for You're Booked, as the podcast was 'inspired' by the Vinyl Justice segment of The Adam and Joe Show. We talked to him about Bowie book choices, trying to sleep...

Our series of legends continues with the novelist, short story writer, playwright and podcaster Irenosen Okojie MBE! Irenosen's debut, Butterfly Fish, won the Betty Trask Award and her short story collection, Speak Gigantular was shortlisted for the Edgehill Short Story Prize, the Saboteur Awards and nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. Her collection Nudibranch was selected as one of the best books of the year in the Guardian. She was a judge for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2023 and...

This week we're delighted to share a conversation with an absolute legend, the punk singer, writer, artist, activist and all-around inspiration Kathleen Hanna! Kathleen is the iconic front-woman of the bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre and the inspiration behind of the clothing company tees4togo which benefits the Peace Sisters charity. Kathleen has just released her memoir Rebel Girl which became an instant New York Times bestseller. We talked to her about the brilliance of Viv Albertine, the...

We are back! And we are starting the new series off with a bang! It's the legendary broadcaster, podcaster, author and now novelist Fearne Cotton! Fearne is the host of the massively successful Happy Place podcast and the author of many books including Sunday Times bestsellers Happy, Cook Eat Love, Speak Your Truth, Bigger Than Us and many more. She has just released her first novel: Scripted. We talked to her about inspirational reading, classic rock biographies, generating confidence,...

We're delving back into the archives and bringing you another of our favourite episodes. This week we're visiting the beautiful home (including glorious bookshelves with a library ladder that made us green with envy) of Elif Shafak. Elif is a celebrated and award-winning novelist and the most widely read female author in Turkey. She has published many books including the bestselling Island of Missing Trees, The Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love, Three Daughters of Eve and the...

We're diving into the archives while we're on a little break and this week it's the novelist, essayist and New York Times Bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld! Curtis is the author of the YB faves Prep, Eligible, American Wife, Romantic Comedy and a fictional look at Hilary Clinton: Rodham. We talked to her about First Ladies, short stories, writing like there's nobody watching and trying to make your kids like Laura Ingalls Wilder. Find a full list of the books Curtis mentioned at our...

While we're taking a little break, we're sharing some of our favourite episodes from previous series. This week, it's the amazing stand-up, author, actor and all around inspiration Sara Pascoe! Sara is one of the most heralded comedians working today and the immensely talented author of the books Animal, Sex Power Money and the novel Weirdo. We talked to her about reading habits during quarantine (the episode was recorded during lockdown), big lies involving hamsters, unspeakable acts...