interviews

In this week’s show, writers Liz Nugent and SJ Watson join Sinead in studio to discuss their psychological thrillers and the dark side of love.

Liz Nugent’s debut novel Unravelling Oliver (Penguin Ireland) won last year’s Best Crime Novel Award at the BGE Irish Book Awards.  It’s an unsettling and nuanced portrayal of a sociopath, Oliver Ryan and it begins with a savage act of brutality.
UK writer SJ Watson’s first novel Before I Go To Sleep was an international bestseller. His latest book, Second Life (Doubleday), is also a psychological thriller which delves into identity, sexual exploration and the messier aspects of love. It too begins dramatically - with a murder in Paris.
Both writers discuss their work and some other books which have inspired them.
Dangerous Liaisons shocked its first readers in pre-revolutionary France, says Dr. Siofra Pierse from UCD’s School of Languages and Literature. It may even be compared to 50 Shades of Grey. She uncovers the novel’s themes of seduction and corruption and explains why it has continued to absorb and fascinate readers since its first publication in 1782.

Catherine Lacey’s debut novel, Nobody Is Ever Missing (Granta), tells the story of Elyria, a young woman who leaves her husband and her home in New York and travels alone to New Zealand. The book, often impressively comic, weaves Elyria’s past life with her hitchhiking across a strange new land. The author talks to Sinead about the background to her novel and what motivates Elyria on her journey.

S2 Ep 18 The Book Show

Brought to you by Penguin.

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The inspiring new book from neuroscientist and author of The Source, Dr Tara Swart, drawing on breathtaking true stories, cognitive science, ancient wisdom and much more to show that signs can guide and empower us.

Have you ever thought of someone just before they called? Or experienced a coincidence that felt too unlikely to be true?

It’s all too easy to dismiss synchronicities or signs like these as chance. But what if they weren’t? And what if, by learning to tune into them, you could access a guiding wisdom that would help you overcome challenges and live with purpose?

In this groundbreaking book, world-renowned neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart explains how. Bringing together breathtaking real-life stories with teachings from cognitive science, near-death experiences and much more, she’ll show you how to:

Tap into your most important decision-making tool – your intuition
Break free from the distractions and stress of modern life and focus on what matters most
Shift your mindset from fixed thinking to openness and wonder, so you can see life’s limitless possibilities
With compelling theories about the nature of consciousness, and transformative tools to create a deep connection with the signs around you, let this book empower you to trust your instincts and thrive like never before.

© Tara Swart 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Signs, written and read by Dr Tara Swart - Preface and Introduction

Brought to you by Penguin.

The eagerly anticipated new YA Greek myth re-imagining from Bea Fitzgerald, TikTok superstar and Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen.

Pandora is the first human woman – made by the gods on Olympus for one simple purpose: to love and be loved by her new husband, the titan Epimatheos.

The only problem? He wants nothing to do with her.

Hurt and confused, Pandora struggles to find meaning in her new life. What's the point of being given all these gifts by the gods, if she can't get this infuriating, awful, frankly very rude man (with an admittedly quite nice face) to love her? Maybe she's failing at her life’s purpose. Or maybe she's destined for an entirely different one . . . ?

As Pandora and Matheos work to uncover why she was created, that fated connection between them feels increasingly difficult to ignore. And with that comes terrible risk. Because Matheos’s traitorous brother, Prometheus, is a seer – and before the gods captured him he issued a final warning: that Pandora and Matheos’s love will be humanity’s doom.

So . . . what do you do when faced with an all-powerful love . . . that just happens to threaten the end of the world?

Pandora’s about to find out.

A glorious sunshine/grumpy romantic re-imagining of the Pandora myth, from the bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen and The End Crowns All

© Bea Fitzgerald 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

A Beautiful Evil, written by Bea Fitzgerald and read by Perdita Weeks

Brought to you by Penguin.

AN EPIC NOVEL SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE 1980S SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM ABOUT THE EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS WE GO TO LIVE AND LOVE BEYOND OUR LIMITS.

In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond; mission specialists John Griffin and Lydia Danes; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting listeners to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love – this time among the stars.

'Tipped to be this summer's big read' Sunday Times

'Quite possibly our favourite TJR novel yet...Even if you're not a big space fan, you can't help but fall for this cosmic tale.' Cosmopolitan

'An ambitious novel that explores human limitation, sacrifice and the essence of love itself.' Woman & Home

©2025 Taylor Jenkins Reid (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Atmosphere, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid and read by Kristen Dimercurio, Julia Whelan and Taylor Jenkins Reid

Brought to you by Penguin.

A new collection of literary criticism and brilliant insights from one of the giants of contemporary thinking

Who owns language? In Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas, Ngugi wa Thiong'o presents a series of essays that build on his vast wealth of work on language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity. Intricate, nuanced and accessible, it reaffirms the revolutionary power of African languages to fight back against both the psychic and material impacts of colonialism, past and present.

With immense relevance to our present moment, Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas is a brilliant distillation of the enduring themes of Ngugi's work and a vital addition to the library of one of the world's greatest and most provocative writers.

© Ngugi wa Thiong'o 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas, written by Ngugi wa Thiong'o and read by Benjamin A. Onyango

Brought to you by Penguin.

A quirky, joyful queer love story about a lonely museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus

Rika Horauchi’s new part-time job is to converse with a statue of Venus – in Latin – every Monday, when the museum is closed.

Initially reluctant, Rika starts to enjoy her strange new job. Recommended by her old university professor for her exemplary language skills, Rika leads an otherwise unassuming life, working the rest of the week in a frozen-food warehouse.

As Venus comes to life in the quiet of the museum, they talk about everything. Venus opens up new worlds for Rika, both intellectually and emotionally. They soon fall in love. But when the museum’s curator, Hashibami, makes it clear he wants to keep Venus for himself, what will Rika do?

When the Museum is Closed is by turns charming, funny and surprising, a surreal take on our most real emotions and concerns: love, loneliness, freedom, perceptions of beauty and how women are seen in society. A joyful queer love story, this fresh and original new novel confirms Emi Yagi as one of the most exciting Japanese writers published in English today.

Translated by Yuki Tejima

'Filled with movement and passion - a luminous story that reveals a whole world of desire and possibility, right at the heart of loneliness' Rosie Price, author of THE ORANGE ROOM

© Emi Yagi 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

When the Museum is Closed, written by Emi Yagi, Yuki Tejima (translation) and read by Kae Alexander

Brought to you by Penguin.

The compulsive new thriller from multimillion-copy bestselling author Jennifer Niven.

Eight students walk into an exclusive writers’ retreat, but only one will walk out with a life-changing opportunity to realize their creative dreams.

Effy is piecing together a story about the tragic betrayal that led to her mother’s death. Arlo hopes to publish a novel – but he’s also trying to start a new chapter with Effy after he broke her heart and ghosted her three years earlier.

Their mentor is Meredith Graffam, enigmatic writer, director and actress, whose compelling accounts of her own near-death experience on the same retreat decades before continue to spark controversy.

But this celebrated teacher is not all she seems, and her students gradually realize they are fighting for something much more primal than academic advantage. As Graffam’s unorthodox teaching methods push them past breaking point, they reveal their darkest secrets, take unthinkable risks and slowly start to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .

The Secret History meets One of Us is Lying in the most gripping thriller of the year.

© Jennifer Niven 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

When We Were Monsters, written by Jennifer Niven and read by Elena Rey, Saskia Maarleveld, Briggon Snow

On this week's live show, guest AJ Ampadu (Tales of the Shadowman)!

Comic Book Club: AJ Ampadu

On the Stack podcast for August 20, 2025, we've got new comic book reviews for Black Cat #1, Justice League Red #1, and so many more!

The Stack: Black Cat, Justice League Red, And More

On this week's live show, guests Lewis LaRosa ("Carbon Based: The Art Of Lewis LaRosa") and Ben Mauro ("Huxley")!

Comic Book Club: Lewis LaRosa And Ben Mauro

On the Stack podcast for August 27, 2025, we've got new comic book reviews for The Mortal Thor #1, Immortal Legend Batman #1, and so many more!

The Stack: The Mortal Thor, Immortal Legend Batman, And More

The Book Show on RTE Radio 1 (Irish national radio).  Now airing Season 5 where writers get to ask the questions.  Writers and publishers will talk stories, books and the world of writing and we’ll have readings, reports and regular items. The Book Show will bring you the best in international and Irish authors, with weekly discussions, interviews, features and literary trivia.

If there’s anything you’d like to hear covered on the show or have any comments to make, why not get in touch bookshow@rte.ie and you’ll find us on twitter @bookshowrte and on Facebook.

S2 Ep 18 The Book Show

The Book Show RTE Radio 1

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