We’re delighted to welcome award-winning author Sebastian Barry to the podcast, reading from his new novel Old God’s Time. Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, but when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one which Tom never quite came to terms with, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past...

A beautiful novel in which nothing is quite as it seems, Old God's Time is about that which haunts us. Published by independent press Faber, you can buy a special signed Independent Bookshop edition of the book featuring exclusive endpapers through Booka Bookshop at https://www.bookabookshop.co.uk/shop/old-gods-time-signed-independent-bookshop-exclusive-edition/

 And as always, copies are available on our shop at https://uk.bookshop.org/a/403/9780571332779

'Full of love and heartache, this is an unforgettable novel from one of our finest writers.' DOUGLAS STUART


Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry

Welcome to this special episode sharing a conversation between Jojo Moyes and Alex Clark about Jojo's new novel, 'Someone Else’s Shoes'!

Jojo's novels have sold over 51 million copies worldwide, hit the Number One spot in 12 countries, have been translated into 46 languages and one of her bestselling books was adapted into a film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Someone Else’s Shoes is her 16th novel, and we were incredibly excited to have her on a special Instagram Live last month, just 24 hours after it hit UK bookshops!

In the book we meet Nisha Cantor and Sam Kemp, two very different women whose lives become unexpectedly intertwined after a bag mix-up at the gym. Nisha lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband inexplicably cuts her off entirely. Sam is struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. Now Nisha’s got nothing and Sam’s walking tall in a pair of Louboutins that catch eyes – and give her career an unexpected boost. Except Nisha wants her life back - and she’ll start with her shoes . . . 

Our guest host for this conversation, Alex Clark, is a journalist and broadcaster often seen in the pages of the Guardian, the Times Literary Supplement and heard on BBC Radio 4. A wildly experienced interviewer and chair of live events, her recent guests include Kazuo Ishiguro, Tessa Hadley and Melissa Harrison.

We hope you'll enjoy this podcast of the Instagram Live interview, and do keep your eyes peeled on our Insta for more Lives with your favourite authors this year!

Someone Else's Shoes is available to buy in all good bookshops now, and on the Salon's shop on bookshop.org.



Podcast introduced, produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

JOJO MOYES SPECIAL: in conversation about Someone Else's Shoes

We love platforming talented new voices on the podcast and this week we're thrilled to be joined by debut author Krystle Zara Appiah, as she reads from her new book, Rootless.

When an unplanned pregnancy forces Efe and Sam to confront their differences, they’ll discover if what they really want is still each other… A poignant, heart-breaking story about a British-Ghanaian marriage in crisis, Rootless explores themes of friendship, family expectations, societal obligation and motherhood. But above all, it’s a story of love.

Readers who loved Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson and One Day by David Nicholls will especially enjoy this gem.

Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah is published by The Borough Press and available now. Show a debut author some love and grab your copy from your local independent bookshop or from our shop at https://uk.bookshop.org/a/403/9780008528836


Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah

If you could save the life of a loved one by trading in years of your own life, how many years would you give? How many lives could you save? Would you know when to stop? Francis Broad has negotiated the day of his death and now he must come to terms with the decisions he has made.

Three Gifts by Mark A. Radcliffe is our thought provoking, page-turning book of the week. Published by Brighton-based independent publisher Epoque Press, this book is available now and will appeal to readers of The Lovesong of Miss Queenie Hennessey by Rachel Joyce and One Day by David Nicholls: both authors who we adore and have hosted on the Literary Salon.

We recommend buying a copy of this beautiful book from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop at bookshop.org.


Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Three Gifts by Mark A. Radcliffe

This week’s episode is especially for fans of folklore and readers of marvellous myths. White Cat, Black Dog contains seven modern fairytales from Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link, featuring illustrations by award-winning artist Shaun Tan. Each is inspired by a classic fable retold with a modern twist, breathing new life into old favourites with Kelly’s signature imagination and wit.

If you enjoyed Salt Slow by Julia Armfield or The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter then this collection is for you!

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link is published by Head of Zeus and available now. We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop at https://uk.bookshop.org/a/403/9781804548400

'This book is sublime' - Emma Straub





Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Max Porter onto the podcast to read from his highly anticipated and acclaimed new novel, Shy! Max is the bestselling author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers and Lanny. His latest novel is about adolescent rage, struggles with mental health, imagination and coming-of-age in an alienating world, about being lost in the dark and the uncertainty of whether you’ll ever find yourself.

Shy by Max Porter is published by independent press Faber and available now. We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop at https://uk.bookshop.org/a/403/9780571377305

‘Shy is the strangest, most beguiling and affecting of all his books.’ Ian Rankin


Produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Shy by Max Porter

This week we’re bringing you a gripping literary thriller set in the world of dark academia, for fans of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Katy Hays The Cloisters. 

In Joanna Margaret’s debut novel The Bequest, PhD student Isabel Henley arrives to study at St Andrew’s University but when her friend Rose disappears she must solve a 450 year-old mystery to save both their lives. Dive into this gothic mystery head first!

The Bequest by Joanna Margaret is published by Head of Zeus and available now. We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop on Bookshop.org.

'Richly atmospheric and irresistibly readable' Joyce Carol Oates





Produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: The Bequest by Joanna Margaret

Make room in your heart for our book of the week! Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love is the feel-good book you need to read right now. When 79-year-old Arthur comes out to his family the announcement is met with mixed feelings and leads his grandson Teddy to reconsider sharing his own secret... Now the two must navigate a new world of love, heartbreak and finding their place in the queer community. 

If you enjoyed page-turning books like Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper or Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare, you’ll love this novel.   

Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out is published by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins, and available now. We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop on https://uk.bookshop.org/a/403/9780008541200

‘Uplifting and emotional’ Justin Myers



Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love

We’re delighted to bring you a new instalment of The Darkland Tales! In this series, leading Scottish authors offer dramatic retellings of stories from their nation's history, myth and legend.

Last season we brought you Hex by Jenni Fagan. This season we’re spotlighting Nothing Left to Fear From Hell by award-winning author Alan Warner. In this story, Bonnie Prince Charles flees from the disastrous Battle of Culloden with a small band of companions through the mountainous landscapes of the north-west Highlands of Scotland. Dive into the past with this page-turning reimagining! 

Nothing Left to Fear From Hell by Alan Warner is published by Polygon, an imprint of Scottish indie press Birlinn, and is available now. We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop on https://uk.bookshop.org/a/403/9781846975691



Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Nothing Left to Fear from Hell by Alan Warner

Prepare to be dazzled by our Book of the Week, Eyes Guts Throat Bones, an anthology of macabre tales at the end of civilisation. Moïra Fowley's spellbinding imagination will captivate your senses in an irresistible collection that explores our darkest impulses and deepest fears, interlaced with stories of queer love. 

‘One of my favourite storytellers. These tales lingered, morphed, consumed me.’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and out now. We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop on Bookshop.org.



Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley

We’ve got another page-turner on the podcast this week, this time by internationally bestselling author Joanne Harris!  

In Broken Light, Bernie Moon has given her life to other people: her husband, her son, her friends. At nineteen she was full of dreams and ambitions; now almost fifty, and going through the menopause, she's fading, fast. When a young woman is murdered in a local park, it sparks a series of childhood memories and a talent that has lain dormant most of her adult life. But what will she do with this power and who will she become when she decides to use it..?

Perfect for readers of Naomi Alderman’s The Power and Stephen King’s Carrie.

'Profound, moving and utterly unforgettable' - CATRIONA WARD

Broken Light by Joanne Harris is published by Orion and available now. We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop on Bookshop.org


Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman
Programmed by Matt Casbourne

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Broken Light by Joanne Harris

Damian Barr's Literary Salon tempts the world's best writers to read exclusively from their latest greatest works and share their own personal stories. Star guests include: Jojo Moyes, John Waters, Yaa Gyasi, Mary Beard, Diana Athill and Louis de Bernières - all in front of a live audience at leading glamorous locations world-wide.  Our London home is the Savoy.  Suave Salonnière Damian Barr is your host. 

Produced by Russell Finch.

Damian Barr's Literary Salon

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