This week we’re talking to Sunday Times best-selling author, Beth Morrey.

Beth’s debut novel, Saving Missy, was published in February 2020.  We were lucky enough to have Beth join us for an event before lockdown and her stories and relaxed style made her a firm favourite with our guests.

In January 2020, Beth released the first episode of her podcast, One Torn Every Minute, where she interviews women who’ve given birth, talking about their experiences in hilarious gory detail.  

Saving Missy was published in paperback on 4th March, giving a whole host of new readers the opportunity to meet Missy.

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Books Featured In This Episode:
Watership Down by Richard Adams (https://bit.ly/3tr6oT2) 
Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton (https://bit.ly/3tpV0a7) 
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (https://bit.ly/2OWmBRf)
Which Witch? By Eva Ibbotson (https://bit.ly/3lr1pPG)
Saving Missy by Beth Morrey (https://bit.ly/3tlXhTI) 

Note that the publication date of Hamnet in paperback has changed since this episode was recorded.  The new publication date is 1st April.

--
Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk)
www.twitter.com/mostlyreading
www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop
Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Mostly Books Meets

Beth Morrey

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to Sunday Times bestselling author, Ruth Hogan.  

Ruth’s first novel, The Keeper of Lost Things was published in 2017.  It became a Sunday Times  bestseller, was chosen as a Richard & Judy book club pick and was published in over 30 countries. 

She then went on to publish two more books, The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes and Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel, which helped to establish her as the Queen of Uplit.   

Ruth’s latest book, Madame Burova, was published on 1st April this year.

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Books Featured In This Episode:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (https://bit.ly/3ejVXfT)
Green Eggs & Ham by Dr Seuss (https://bit.ly/3dwqOVE)
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain (https://bit.ly/3tD5kfh)
Morning's At Seven by Eric Malpass (Out of Print)
Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan (https://bit.ly/3xalnn8)

--
Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk)
www.twitter.com/mostlyreading
www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop
Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Ruth Hogan

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to award-winning Novelist, screenwriter, critic and short story writer, William Boyd.  

William’s first novel was published in 1981 and he has since gone on to publish a further 16 novels and countless short story collections, together with works of non-fiction, plays.  A former television critic, he has also worked extensively as a screenwriter for both film and television.

William’s latest book, Trio, was published in October 2020 and will be out in paperback later this year.  

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Books Featured In This Episode:  
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (https://bit.ly/3vryTBa)
Monica Jones, Philip Larkin and Me : Her Life and Long Loves by John Sutherland (https://bit.ly/3vsuYnx)
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (https://bit.ly/3gLjWph)
Trio by William Boyd (https://bit.ly/3nnEjdo)
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles (https://bit.ly/3u5evW4)
Chekhov's Selected Stories by Anton Chekhov (https://bit.ly/32Wxlmv)

--
Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk)
www.twitter.com/mostlyreading
www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop
Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

William Boyd

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to award winning author & journalist, Henry Porter.

Henry has written nine novels, including a children’s book.  His latest book, The Old Enemy, is the third part of a quartet of thrillers and was published in April this year. 


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Books Featured In This Episode:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (https://bit.ly/3nuHOyX)
The Old Enemy by Henry Porter (https://bit.ly/2R9ffL6)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre (https://bit.ly/3tYMj7i)
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder (https://bit.ly/3gLiinC)
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov (https://bit.ly/3e0J4qx)

--
Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk)
www.twitter.com/mostlyreading
www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop
Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Henry Porter

This week we’re speaking to author, Tom Templeton. 

Tom originally worked as a journalist for the Observer newspaper before retaining as a doctor when he was 30.  These days he works as a GP in Oxford.

 Tom’s book, 34 patients is published on 27th May.  The book describes 34 of the patients that Tom has encountered during his medical career, ranging from a baby to a 103 year old woman.  Beautifully written, the book is a moving portrait of humanity which asks the reader to treat everyone with compassion.

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Books Featured In This Episode:
The Seven Crystal Balls (https://bit.ly/3t1jkyp)
Troubles by JG Farrell (https://bit.ly/3e0dU2m)
The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (https://bit.ly/3vwublL)
34 Patients by Tom Templeton (https://bit.ly/3yDuywT)
Catcher in the Rye (https://bit.ly/2QW95Ow)
River Out of Eden by Prof Richard Dawkins (https://bit.ly/3u1CfdE)


--
Produced & presented by the team at Mostly Books (www.mostly-books.co.uk)
www.twitter.com/mostlyreading
www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop
Edited by Nick Short (www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter)

Tom Templeton

In the podcast this week we’re talking to acclaimed author Joanne Harris.

Joanne is an Anglo-French writer, whose books include over twenty novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. Her novel, Chocolat, published in 1999, went on to sell over a million copies in the UK alone and was adapted for the big screen in the year 2000.

Joanne is an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, and she was awarded an MBE in 2013.  Her latest book, A Narrow Door, was published in August this year.

Books mentioned in this episode:

A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris (https://bit.ly/3l2Z6lP)
Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan (https://bit.ly/3tr55F5)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (https://bit.ly/3E2ehUW)
Chocolat by Joanne Harris (https://bit.ly/3l3M33z)
Honeycomb by Joanne M. Harris (https://bit.ly/3tpHFzK)
Hilda Boswell's Treasury of Poetry

Joanne Harris

In the podcast this week, we’re speaking to biographer and literary agent, Andrew Lownie.

Andrew founded his literary agency 1998 which has since gone on to be world renowned, currently working with around 350 authors.

Andrew’s biography of John Buchanan was published in 1995 and he has since gone on to publish books on Guy Burgess & the Mountbattens.  His latest book, which explores the lives of The Duke and Duchess of Windsor post abdication was published on 19th August.  

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Otterbury Incident by C Lewis (https://bit.ly/3ClbN2j), Climate of Treason by Andrew Boyle, Anatomy of Britain Today by Anthony Sampson, The Mountbattens : Their Lives & Loves by Andrew Lownie (https://bit.ly/3Eq4AAb), Traitor King by Andrew Lownie (https://bit.ly/3EoV28f).

Produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.

Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Andrew Lownie

In the podcast this week we are speaking to chef and internet sensation, Poppy O'Toole.  

Poppy O’Toole has spent the last decade in professional kitchens – from Michelin-starred restaurants to fine-dining experiences.  After being made redundant due to Covid last year, she has found a passion for teaching others via social media. 

Her educational and entertaining content has amassed over 1.5 MILLION followers and gives us access to the skills she’s learnt from restaurants to inspire and teach people how to cook.

In her debut, Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need, Poppy offers a cookbook with no judgement. Instead she covers 12 go-to skills that everyone needs to know and then uses them as a base for several delicious recipes.

Poppy Cooks is available through our website at a discounted price until 20th October (https://bit.ly/3kCjefz).

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.

Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter

Poppy O'Toole

This week we're speaking to crime author, Cara Hunter.

Cara is the author of five bestselling crime novels following the investigations of DI Adam Fawley and his team. Set in her home city of Oxford, Cara’s books feature an ensemble cast of characters that readers have avidly followed since 2017. Her fast-paced twisting plotlines deliver a gripping read and have won spots on the Richard and Judy Book Club, numerous short-listings in crime fiction awards, and optioned for TV.

In her latest book The Whole Truth, DI Adam Fawley and his team are up against the clock when an Oxford student accuses one of the university's professors of sexual assault and lives come under threat.

Cara Hunter

In the Podcast this week, we’re speaking to author Kasim Ali. 

Kasim has previously had a short story published in The Good Journal and has been longlisted for both the 4th Estate B4ME Short Story Prize and shortlisted for Hachette's Mo Siewcherran Prize. 

On the 3rd of March his debut novel Good Intentions was published by 4th Estate. It tells of the story of Nur and Yasmina who have been together for four happy years, however Nur has not yet told his parents of Yasmina’s existence for fear of losing his status as the Golden Child. 

On New Years Eve he decides to break the news to his parents: That he has built a life with a woman he loves and she is Black. 

Author Lillian Li described it as “Compelling, emotionally honest, and unafraid of the grey areas of race, faith, sexuality and love.” It is a beautifully written novel, and one that stands out for me for its exquisite rendering of the complex relationships between lovers, family, and friends. Good Intentions asserts an exciting new voice on the UK literary scene. 

When he is not writing Kasim is an assistant editor at Penguin Random House and is currently working on his third novel while he should be editing his second.

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter.  Good Intentions is published in the UK by 4th Estate.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Good Intentions – Kasim Ali (9780008450656)
The Stolen – Alex Shearer 
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley (9780141198965)
Dracula – Bram Stoker (9780141199337)
Attack Of The Graveyard Ghouls - R.L. Stine (9781407157290)
The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket (9781405266062)
The Secret History - Donna Tartt (9780140167771)
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara (9781529077216)
White Teeth - Zadie Smith (9780140276336)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid (9780141029542)
The Incarnations - Susan Barker (9781784160005)

Kasim Ali

Our guest this week is Sunday Times bestselling author, Beth O’Leary.

Beth wrote her debut novel, The Flatshare, on her train journey to and from her job at a children’s publisher.  Since then she has gone on to write a further three books and her writing has been translated into more than 30 languages.  Beth’s latest novel, The No-Show, was published on 12th April.

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter.  The No-Show is published in the UK by Quercus Publishing.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Bramley Hedge books by Jill Barklem
Lucie Yi is Not Romantic by Lauren Ho - 9780008505653
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes - 9780241958438
The No-Show by Beth O’Leary - 9781529409109

Beth OLeary

This week we are speaking to author, Louise Hare.  

Louise is a major author on the rise – she was one of the Observer’s top 10 debuts for 2020, and her first book, This Lovely City was a BBC 2 Between The Covers pick and was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize. The book received near-universal acclaim with blanket review coverage. Louise’s profile is only continuing to grow, particularly surrounding the work she does to champion black British authors and writing. 

Louise’s new book, Miss Aldridge Regrets is published on 28th April.

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter.  Miss Aldridge Regrets is published in the UK by HarperCollins.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Secret Seven by Enid Blyton (9781444913439)
Vine Street by Dominic Nolan (9781472288851)
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (9781860498831)
Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare (9780008332617)

Louise Hare

It’s our great pleasure to welcome onto the podcast this week writer, journalist, and academic Sunny Singh.

Sunny was born in Varanasi, India and went on to study in India, the USA, and Spain. Her first book, published in the year 2000, was the prize-winning Nani’s Book of Suicides. She has since gone on to release two other novels as well as works of nonfiction, and her short stories have been published by the likes of Drawbridge and World Literature Today.  

In 2016, she co-founded the Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour which seeks to champion the work of British and British resident BAME writers. For two years in a row Mostly Books has been proud to be a Jhalak Prize Champion. 

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.  Find us on Twitter www.twitter.com/mostlyreading & Instagram www.instagram.com/mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short www.instagram.com/alongstoryshorter.  We’re Going to Find the Monster is published in the UK by Puffin Books.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

The Three Fat Men by Yuri Olesha – 9781843914525
Living While Black by Guilaine Kinouani – 9781529109436

Jhalak Prize Children’s and YA Shortlist:

We’re Going to Find the Monster by Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola – 9780241401309 (https://bit.ly/3PCMxMy)
Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide – 9781474967532 (https://bit.ly/3wOIdm2)
Musical Truth by Jeffrey Boakye – 9780571366491 (https://bit.ly/3wSNB6m)
The Crossing by Manjeet Mann – 9780241411445 (https://bit.ly/3sYc5tO)
Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths by Maisie Chan – 9781800780019
The Sound of Everything by Rebecca Henry – 9781911427155

Sunny Singh

Our guest this week is Sunday Times best-selling author, Cathy Rentzenbrink.

Cathy is an integral part of the publishing world who regularly chairs literary events, runs creative writing courses, and speaks and writes on life, death, love, and literature.  She believes that everyone's life would be improved by picking up a pen and is at her happiest when encouraging her students to have the courage to delve into themselves and see the magic that will start to happen on the page.

Her first book, The Last Act of Love, was the heart-breaking account of the tragic loss of her brother and the follow up, A Manual for Heartache is a searingly honest account of how she dealt with her grief.

Cathy’s third book, Dear Reader, is a brilliant account of the books she’s read and the impact they’ve had on her.  It’s a perfect trip down memory lane and covers so many books that will be familiar to readers everywhere.

Her first novel, Everyone is Still Alive, was published last year and Cathy’s latest book, Write it All Down, came out in January.

Sarah first met Cathy at the Bookseller’s Association conference which, in normal times, takes place once a year and is a joyful couple of days where booksellers, publishers, authors and others from the trade get together for a celebration of all things books.  Cathy has hosted the conference for as long as I have been a bookseller and just makes the event. We are thrilled to be welcoming her to Mostly Books Meets.

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter. Write It All Down is published in the UK by @panmacmillan

Books mentioned in this episode include:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis – 9780007323128
Quilt on Fire: The Messy Magic of Midlife by Christie Watson – 9781784744045 
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi – 9781784701994 
Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink - 9781509891559
Write It All Down: How to Put Your Life on the Page by Cathy Rentzenbrink – 9781529056228 
Everyone Is Still Alive by Cathy Rentzenbrink – 9781474621120

Cathy Rentzenbrink

Mostly Books Meets is back for another season and our first guest novelist, Kim Sherwood!

Kim’s first novel Testament was published in 2018, and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Award, shortlisted for the Best First Novel Award, and won the Bath Novel Award and the Harper's Bazaar Big Book of the Year.

A James Bond fan since a young age, and described as a “Fleming aficionado of the highest order”. In 2021 it was announced that a new series of double-0 novels penned by Kim had been authorized by the Fleming estate. These new novels mark an exciting departure, as they are set in the world of James Bond but instead turn their focus on a new generation of double-0 agents.

Double or Nothing, the first in Kim’s new Bond series, publishes on the 1st of September. Kim has used her brilliant talent at characterization to expand the dramatis personae of the Bond universe with a story that is sure to attract new fans to the series, as well as delighting its old friends. 

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Michael Roberts.  Double or Nothing is published in the UK by Harper Collins.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood
The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen 
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Kim Sherwood

It is our great pleasure to welcome to the podcast this week a true legend of crime fiction, the novelist Karin Slaughter. 

Karin launched onto the scene in 2001 with her first novel Blindsighted, which marked the beginning of the Grant County series. Since then she has gone on to write more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the much-loved Will Trent series which is due to be televised by Disney. Kim’s second-to-none storytelling has caught the eye of many a producer with her 2018 novel Pieces of Her being released as a limited series on Netflix starring Toni Colette. 

Karin has built a loyal fanbase with her stories that defy you to put them down and has garnered readers from across the globe. On top of very successful career as a novelist, she is the founder of Save the Libraries a nonprofit organization, which was established to support libraries and library programming. A cause that those of us at Mostly Books and many of our listeners will be passionate about. 

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Michael Roberts. 
Girl, Forgotten is published in the UK by HarperCollins.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter ISBN: 9780099553052
Encyclopaedia Brown by Donal J. Sobol ISBN: 9780553482973
Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor ISBN: 9780571245789
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury ISBN: 9780571245789
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler ISBN: 9781788168632
Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter ISBN: 9780008303563

Karin Slaughter

On this week’s episode we have the amazing R. F. Kuang, the author of the much loved and lauded Poppy War Trilogy. Rebecca is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford and is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale. 

Rebecca’s new novel, Babel, was published on 1st of September. It is both an exciting edition and challenge to the genre of the Oxford novel, a riveting story, a reflection on language’s power to subjugate and to liberate, and so much more besides.

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton and the Mostly Books team. It is edited by Michael Roberts. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. 

Babel is published in the UK by @HarperVoyagerUK.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Animal Farm by George Orwell ISBN: 9780141182704
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 9780356500843
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov ISBN: 9780141185262
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow ISBN: 9781784744649
SPQR by Mary Beard ISBN: 9781846683817
Babel by R. F. Kuang ISBN: 9780008501815

R. F. Kuang

On the podcast this week we are speaking to award-winning novelist Kamila Shamsie. 

I thought for a long time about how best to introduce a writer as renowned and respected as Kamila. I toyed with the idea of listing off her many accolades and achievements, but each time I read them out loud I found it didn’t capture the experience of reading a Shamsie novel for the first time. 

Instead, I’ll tell you that those who know and love her work talk about it in the same way they might recount a chapter from their own lives. Those who have yet to read one of her novels soon find themselves the subject of a swift conversion. Home Fire, with its beautiful and heart-breaking merging of the personal and the political, had a profound effect on me. And so, too, did Kamila’s latest novel, Best of Friends, which is published on 27th September. Best of Friends is an exquisite portrayal of friendship, of coming of age both physically and politically, and an exploration of how even those closest to us can still remain unknowable.

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts. Best of Friends is published in the UK by Bloomsbury.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis ISBN: 9780007323128
Meatless Days by Sara Suleri ISBN: 9780241342466
Companion Piece by Ali Smith ISBN: 9780241541340
Sterling Karat Gold by Isabel Waidner ISBN: 9781913512040
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan ISBN: 9781472150912
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf ISBN: 9780141183411
Best of Friends BY Kamila Shamsie ISBN: 9781526647702

Kamila Shamsie

This week we’re speaking to award-winning writer and illustrator, Jackie Morris.

Over her career Jackie has written and illustrated over 40 books.  In 2019 she won the CLIP Kate Greenaway Medal and The Books are My Bag Readers Award for the absolutely stunning book, The Lost Words. It is a staple in every bookshop and appeals to both adults and children alike.  

Told off as a child for drawing and dreaming, she now has the last laugh as she gets to do both every day. Her work has been translated into over fourteen languages and has been adapted for stage, film and set to music.  A huge supporter of independent bookshops, it’s fantastic to have her as a guest today.  

The podcast is produced and presented by the team at Mostly Books.  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Edited by Nick Short @alongstoryshorter.  Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone is published in the UK by Unbound and Something About a Bear is published in the UK by Otter-Barry Books.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Call of The Wild by Jack London ISBN: 9781906230777
Watership Down by Richards Adams ISBN: 9780241953235
Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson ISBN: 9780241375983
The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes ISBN: 9781526604729
Land of the Forest by Caroline Pitcher ISBN: 9781802581645
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris ISBN: 9780241253588
Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone by Jackie Morris ISBN: 9781800181557
Something About a Bear by Jackie Morris ISBN: 9781913074289

Jackie Morris

It is our great pleasure to welcome onto the podcast this week debut novelist, and journalist, Tracey Lien. 

Tracey grew up in Sydney, Australia. She was previously a reporter for Vox Media before going on to work for the Los Angeles Times. Tracey then made the brave leap into the world of fiction and joined the MFA program at the University of Kansas. It was during this time that her first novel All That’s Left Unsaid was born. 

Set in the Vietnamese enclave of Cabramatta in Sydney the story opens with the brutal murder of a seventeen-year-old boy. Realising that the full details of the crime are not being uncovered by the police the sister of the murdered boy, Ky, takes it upon herself to find the witnesses and discover the truth for herself. All That’s Left Unsaid manages to be both a compelling page-turner as well as a profound exploration of racism and the Vietnamese-Australian experience. 

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. All That’s Left Unsaid is published in the UK by HQ @hqstories.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ISBN: 9781408855652
Civilwarland In Bad Decline by George Saunders ISBN: 9781784871291
More Than You'll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez ISBN: 9780241529980 
Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones ISBN: 9780349013824

Tracey Lien

On the podcast this week we are thrilled to be hosting the twice Booker prize shortlisted author Mohsin Hamid.

Mohsin is the author of five novels , including Exit West, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist as well as a book of essays, Discontent and Its Civilizations. His writing has been translated into forty languages, featured on bestseller lists, and has been adapted for the cinema.

Mohsin's latest book, The Last White Man, was published in August of this year.

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. The Last White Man is published in the UK by Hamish Hamilton.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Charlotte’s Webb by E. B. White ISBN: 9780141354828
Dune by Frank Herbert ISBN: 9780340960196
Gilgamesh ISBN: 9780300268096
Beloved by Toni Morrison ISBN: 9780099511656
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid ISBN: 9780241566572

Mohsin Hamid

This week we welcome onto the podcast performer, activist, and author Jill Nalder. 

In January 2021 Russell T Davies‘ It’s a Sin hit our TV screens. For some, it was a reminder of the pain and prejudice of the AIDs crisis, while for many it was an education. Either way, it captured the hearts and minds of millions across the country. Jill Nalder, a lifelong friend of Russell, was the inspiration for the character of Jill Baxter (and even played Jill’s mum in the show!). 

Now she has put her life and experiences into her own words in Love from the Pink Palace. 

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Love from the Pink Palace is published in the UK by Headline.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Famous Five by Enid Blyton ISBN: 9781444935011
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ISBN: 9781472154668
The Stand by Stephen King ISBN: 9781444720730
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy ISBN: 9780006550686
Love from the Pink Palace by Jill Nalder ISBN: 9781472288462

Jill Nalder

It is our great pleasure to welcome on to the podcast this week author Bobby Palmer.

Bobby’s much-anticipated debut novel Isaac and The Egg was published on the 9th of August. Before it was even released Isaac and The Egg had people queuing up to sing its praises. Author Joanna Cannon says it is: “‘Truly one of the most beautiful stories you’ll ever read… What’s it about? I’d love to have a stab at explaining, but I can’t. You’re just going to have to find out for yourself”. 

She’s right, to try and explain Isaac and The Egg would be to dispel its unique magic, just be assured that this story of grief and hope will be loved by many a reader for years to come.

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Michael Roberts @michael.glyn.roberts  Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop. Isaac and The Egg is published in the UK by Headline.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell ISBN: 9780552569620
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ISBN: 9780241341117
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ISBN: 9780857528124
Less by Andrew Sean Greer ISBN: 9780349143590
Notes on Heartbreak by Annie Lord ISBN: 9781398705487
Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman ISBN: 9781611855944

Bobby Palmer

It is our great pleasure to welcome onto the podcast this week Liz Calder and Alexandra Pringle. Liz was one of the founding directors of Bloomsbury and was editor-in-chief from 1987 to the year 2000, after which she passed the baton on to Alexandra, who served in the role until 2020. Between them they have published Nobel Prize, Booker Prize and Women's Prize winners and have published household names such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Madeline Miller. 

Together they have edited the Bloomsbury 35 Anthology, a celebration of the now much loved and admired publisher. To flick through its pages is to meet some of the most exciting voices in fiction writing from across the world, and is a testament to the brilliant work Bloomsbury has and continues to do.

(0:49) Introduction
(3:20) Liz Calder and Alexandra Pringle’s First Reading Experiences
(8:37) Liz and Alexandra’s Teenage Years
(15:41) Liz Calder's Most Recent Read
(22:21) Alexandra Pringle’s Most Recent Read
(26:14) The Books That Changed Their Lives
(38:35) The Emotional Side of Publishing

The podcast is produced and presented by Jack Wrighton @jackwrighton and the team at Mostly Books. It is edited by Story Ninety-Four @storyninetyfour. Find us on Twitter @mostlyreading & Instagram @mostlybooks_shop.

Bloomsbury 35 is published in the UK by Bloomsbury.

Books mentioned in this episode include:
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - ISBN: 9780349009308
Bartleby and Co by Enrique Vila-Matas - ISBN: 9781843430520
The Great Garden by Meg Rozoff - ISBN: 9781841585659
My Salinger Days by Joanna Rakoff - ISBN: 9780307958013
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan - ISBN: 9780393017755
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - ISBN: 9780395775592
The Ventriloquist Tale by Pauline Melville - ISBN: 9780747531500
Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie - ISBN: 9780593421826

Liz Calder & Alexandra Pringle

In Episode three of Mostly Books Meets, Sarah talks to bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris, about her new book, Stories of Hope.
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The Tattooist of Auschwitz is one of the bestselling books of the 21st Century. Now, in this essential companion, Heather Morris presents an inspiring manual for life, with a series of tales of the remarkable people she has met, the incredible stories they have shared with her, and the lessons they hold for us all. In Stories of Hope, Heather will explore her extraordinary talents as a listener - a skill she employed when she first met Lale Sokolov, the tattooist at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the inspiration for her bestselling novel.

It was this ability that led Lale to entrust Heather with his story, which she told in her novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz and the bestselling follow up, Cilka's Journey. Now Heather shares the story behind her inspirational writing journey and the defining experiences of her life, including her profound friendship with Lale, and explores how she learned to really listen to the stories people told her - skills she believes we can all learn. 'Stories are what connect us and remind us that hope is always possible.' Heather MorrisIncludes an exciting sneak peek extract from the upcoming fiction title from Heather Morris.

An international phenomenon, The Tattooist of Auschwitz has sold over five million copies. Cilka's Journey has sold over a million copies worldwide.

Heather Morris

This week we're talking to Ross Welford, one of the most critically acclaimed middle grade authors in the UK.

Ross’ debut children’s novel, Time Travelling with a Hamster, was published in 2015 and he has gone on to publish a further five middle grade books, the latest of which , When We Got Lost in Dreamland, was published in January this year. 

His books have been translated into over 15 languages and he’s been shortlisted for some of the UK’s most prestigious children’s book prizes, including the Costa and the Blue Peter Award.  

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First Book - The Magic Faraway Tree Series.  Book 1 - The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton (https://bit.ly/3qR3VQN)
Last Book - Lost Horizon by James Hilton (Unavailable)
Wonder by R J Palacio (https://bit.ly/2P475Tn)
Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford (https://bit.ly/3pTDc4S)
When We Got Lost in Dreamland by Ross Welford (https://bit.ly/2ZP5t25)

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Produced by the team at Mostly Books, 36 Stert Street, Abingdon OX14 3JP
Website: www.mostly-books.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mostlyreading
Insta: www.instagram.com
Edited by Nick Short

Ross Welford

Booksellers from an award-winning indie bookshop chatting books and how they have shaped people's lives, with a whole bunch of people from the world of publishing - authors, poets, journalists and many more.  Join us for the journey.

Music composed by Brian Randazzo.
www.mostly-books.co.uk

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