Bestselling author Robert Harris joins Simon and Matt for a Q&A episode. He tells us the last book her really REALLY enjoyed reading, what he learns (and has learnt) from writing each of his books, why he's drawn to WWI and WWII and who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Harris returns to Books Of The Year to discuss his new novel, 'Precipice', with Simon and Matt. A new Robert Harris novel is always a big moment - and once again, he hasn't let us down! They chat about the extraordinary letters that were sent from Prime Minister H.H. Asquith to the woman he was besotted with, Venetia Stanley, and how that relationship changed the shape of government forever. 'Precipice' like many of Robert's novels is based on true events - and so these letters, and Asquith's love for Venetia Stanley, form the backbone of this book. He also discusses his research, 'The War Book' which he got to hold in the national archives - and what he thinks Asquith would have made of our current government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Macintyre returns to Books Of The Year and answers questions about his craft, research, favourite books and authors. He tells us who he would invited to his fantasy dinner party, and gives us some great book recommendations too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Macintyre joins us again to discuss his brilliant new book 'The Siege' Simon and Matt chat to him about the incredible research and interviews he undertook to write the account of this incredible historic event. They delve into who carried out The Siege and what the people wanted, and how Ben managed to get so much access to the first hand accounts. Here's a little more on the book: On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens. A tense six-day siege ensued as millions gathered around screens across the country to witness the longest news flash in British television history, in which police negotiators and psychiatrists sought a bloodless end to the standoff, while the SAS – hitherto an organisation shrouded in secrecy – laid plans for a daring rescue mission: Operation Nimrod. Drawing on unpublished source material, exclusive interviews with the SAS, and testimony from witnesses including hostages, negotiators, intelligence officers and the on-site psychiatrist, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre takes readers on a gripping journey from the years and weeks of build-up on both sides, to the minute-by-minute account of the siege and rescue. Recreating the dramatic conversations between negotiators and hostages, the cutting-edge intelligence work happening behind-the-scenes, and the media frenzy around this moment of international significance, The Siege is the remarkable story of what really happened on those fateful six days, and the first full account of a moment that forever changed the way the nation thought about the SAS – and itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Mayo and Matt Williams welcome music journalist and author David Hepworth to the studio, to find out about his favourite authors and books and get a sense of his reading habits. You'll probably be as surprised as us to discover that he only reads standing up! There's also a surprise question from broadcasting legend, Bob Harris, and we find out who David would invite to his fantasy dinner party! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Mayo and Matt Williams welcome music journalist David Hepworth to the studio. His new book - Hope I Get Old Before I Die - looks at how enduring rock icons like Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen and many more have remained in the ever changing music game. They discuss Mick Jagger, Elton John, Paul McCartney and many other rock icons, and just how and why they are still so relevant today. The book is full of great anecdotes, which are endlessly quotable, and is a must read for any music fan. We hope you enjoy the chat ! (here's a little more on the book) When Paul McCartney closed Live Aid in July 1985 we thought he was rock's Grand Old Man. He was forty-three years old. As the forty years since have shown he - and many others of his generation - were just getting started. This was the time when live performance took over from records. The big names of the 60s and 70s exploited the age of spectacle that Live Aid had ushered in to enjoy the longest lap of honour in the history of humanity, continuing to go strong long after everyone else had retired. Hence this is a story without precedent, a story in which Elton John plays a royal funeral, Mick Jagger gets a knighthood, Bob Dylan picks up the Nobel Prize, the Beatles become, if anything, bigger than the Beatles and it's beginning to look as though all of the above will, thanks to the march of technology, be playing Las Vegas for ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ragnar Jonasson is a veracious reader and prolific writer. In this Q&A episode, he talks about his writing processes, his favourite authors and how he orders his bookshelves. We also hear from fellow author Vaseem Khan, who poses a question to Ragnar, and discover who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ragnar Jonasson joins Simon and Matt to discuss his latest novel, 'Death At The Sanitorium' They talk about the influence of Agatha Christie, the Icelandic way of life and how he keeps so many stories in his head at one time. Remember you can get in touch with us any time - to let us know what you're reading, books you have loved (or not) recently - and if any of our recommendations have gone down well. Our email is: [email protected] And we're on instagram and threads too! Here's a little more about Death At The Sanitorium AN OLD SANATORIUM. ONE TERRIFYING MURDER. FIVE SUSPECTS. AND A CASE THAT NEVER CLOSED. WELCOME TO THE SANATORIUM High up in the mountains stands a sanatorium. Once a hospital dedicated to treating tuberculosis, it now sits haunted by the ghosts of its past. One wing of the hospital remains open and houses six employees: the caretaker, two doctors, two nurses and a young research assistant. Despite the wards closing decades ago, they remain at the hospital to conduct research. But the cold corridors, draughty windows and echoey halls are constant reminders of the building’s dark history. When one of the nurses, Yrsa, is found brutally murdered, they discover that death has never left this place – and neither did its secrets. None can escape this terrifying legacy. Despite just five suspects the case is never solved and remains open for two decades. Until a young criminologist named Helgi Reykdal attempts to finally lay the ghosts of the hospital's past to rest . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former journalist turned author, Chris Brookmyre, joins Simon and Matt for a spot of Q&A. They ask him about the last book he really really enjoyed, whether there's a book or plot her wished he'd written, and who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Brookmyre joins Simon and Matt to chat about his latest novel. You may have heard Mark Billingham on one of our previous Q&A episodes rave about The Cracked Mirror? Well, he did such a good job - we read it, and loved it too! So we had to have Chris on! The idea for the book came from a discussion with his Editor, who was looking for a meta crime novel. Chris has never been one to shy away from a challenge, and loves to mix up genres, so he came up with an elevator pitch "What would happen if Miss Marple had to work with Harry Bosch?" What we have is The Cracked Mirror - where cosy crime meets the grittier end of the scale. (more on the book below) As well as his new novel, Chris discusses his gig at Glastonbury, his writing processes and how and why the crime writing community is so supportive. THE CRACKED MIRROR You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed. You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes. Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Whitaker joins Simon Mayo and Matt Williams for the Q&A episode. He discusses the last book he really REALLy enjoyed reading, his writing routine and who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party. Also, in an exclusive, he reveals us what his next book is about and what we can expect! Author of The List Of Suspicious Things, Jennie Godfrey, surprises Chris with a question - and - we find out what profession he might have chosen, if he hadn't become an author. *if you missed our chat with Chris about his new novel, All The Colours Of The Dark, you can find it wherever you're listening to this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Novelist Chris Whitaker joins Simon and Matt for a chat about his new book, All The Colours Of The Dark. Chris worked in the City for many years as a trader, before quitting to write. He talks openly about a traumatic incident which turned him on to writing, as well as how long it takes him to write each novel. (if you're thinking about writing, don't let this put you off!) We also learn about how he creates his characters, and the importance of dialogue to his writing and plotting. More about the book below: Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of teenager Joseph 'Patch' Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who will risk everything to find her best friend. But when she does: it will break her heart. Patch lies alone in a pitch-black room - until he feels a hand in his. Her name is Grace and, though they cannot see each other, she lights their world with her words. But when he escapes: there is no sign she ever even existed. Left with only her voice and her name, he paints her from broken memories - and charts an epic search to find her. As years turn to decades, and hope becomes obsession, Saint will shadow his journey - on a darker path to hunt down the man who took them - and set free the only boy she ever loved. Even if finding the truth means losing each other forever... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian and writer David Baddiel shares some of his writing processes and reading traits that he is not a fan of. He also tells us the book he has really enjoyed reading recently and who we would invite to his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Baddiel joins Simon and Matt for a chat about his new non-fiction book, 'My Family: The Memoir' He discusses his relationship with his mum and dad, some of the hilarious anecdotes from his childhood that appear in the book and the love that he has for both his parents, despite their quirks and faults. His family life growing up was complicated, and David doesn't shy away from telling the home truths of his upbringing. Simon and Matt also discuss David's brilliant new podcast, "A Muslim And A Jew Go There" which he co presents with Sayeeda Warsi. Here's some more gumf on the book: A searingly honest, funny and moving family memoir in which David Baddiel exposes his mother’s idiosyncratic sex life, and his father’s dementia, to the same affectionate scrutiny. On the surface, David Baddiel’s childhood was fairly standard: a lower-middle-class Jewish family living in an ordinary house in Dollis Hill, north-west London. But David came to realise that his mother was in fact not ordinary at all. Having escaped extermination by fleeing Nazi Germany as a child, she was desperate to make her life count, which took the form of a passionate, decades-long affair with a golfing memorabilia salesman. David’s detailing of the affair – including a hilarious focus on how his mother turned their household over to golf memorabilia, and an eye-popping cache of her erotic writings – leads to the inescapable conclusion that Sarah Baddiel was a cross between Jack Niklaus and Erica Jong. Meanwhile, as Baddiel investigates his family’s past, his father’s memories are fading; dementia is making him moodier and more disinhibited, with an even greater penchant for obscenity. As with his mother’s affair, there is both comedy and poignancy to be found: laughter is a constant presence, capable of transforming the darkest of experiences into something redemptive. My Family: The Memoir is David Baddiel’s candid examination of his childhood, family and memory offering a twisted love letter to his parents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Billingham joins Simon and Matt in the studio to chat about some of his favourite authors, writing processes and research. We surprise him with a question from fellow author and fan, Abir Mukherjee, and also find out which authors he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Billingham joins Simon and Matt in the studio for a chat about his new character, Detective Miller. They discuss the fine line between comedy and crime, why Mark chose Blackpool as the setting for his new series and why you should always come back to an idea. We also try to find out what advice he gave Richard Osman, before he became an author... Here's more on 'The Wrong Hands': This is one case Miller won't want to open . . . Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Still desperate to solve the murder of his wife, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er do well Wayne Cutler - a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of. Chuck in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling novelist and journalist, Andrew O'Hagan, tells us about the last book he REALLY enjoyed reading, as well as revealing some insights into his writing processes. He also answers a question from our special guest, Monica Ali, and reveals who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and journalist, Andrew O'Hagan, joins Simon and Matt to discuss his latest novel, Calendonian Road. They talk about the inspiration behind the book, the ever-changing landscape of British politics and pandemics and why it took a decade to write. Andrew also gives us an insight into the creation of some of his characters, and tells us a great story about his time aboard a luxury yacht! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling crime writer, Abir Mukherjee, discusses his favourite authors, books, and tells us about his writing processes. He talks about working to deadlines (or not), how he orders his bookshelves and who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crime writer Abir Mukherjee joins Simon and Matt to discuss his new novel, Hunted. Abir is known for his Wyndham and Banerjee series, set in 1920s India, however this book is his first stand alone. They chat about the importance of writing something contemporary, the issues that he wanted to tackle and why it has taken so long to finish. Here's a little more on Hunted: IN A RACE AGAINST TIME, WHAT IF THE GREATEST THREAT WAS YOUR OWN CHILD? It’s a week before the presidential elections when a bomb goes off in an LA shopping mall… In London, armed police storm Heathrow Airport and arrest Sajid Khan. His daughter Aliyah entered the USA with the suicide bomber, and now she’s missing, potentially plotting another attack. But then a mysterious woman called Carrie turns up at Sajid’s door after travelling halfway across the world. She claims Aliyah is with her son Greg, and she knows where they could be. Back in the US, Agent Shreya Mistry is closing in on the two fugitives. But the more she investigates, the more she realises this case is far from as simple as it seems. Hunted by the authorities, the two parents are thrown together in a race against time to find their kids before the FBI does and stop a catastrophe that will bring the world to its knees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and screenwriter, David Nicholls, chats to Simon and Matt about his writing processes, what he's reading at the moment and some of his favourite authors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new David Nicholls books is always an exciting event, and his new novel, You Are Here, does not disappoint. He joins Simon and Matt for a chat about the writing process, creating his characters, the latest adaptation of One Day and how he came to the music choices in this new novel. They also discuss the influence and importance of the pandemic on stories, and how we will be talking (and writing) about it for many years to come. Here's some more info on the book: Marnie is stuck. Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that often feels like it's passing her by. Michael is coming undone. Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells. When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship. But can they survive the journey? A new love story by beloved bestseller David Nicholls, You Are Here is a novel of first encounters, second chances and finding the way home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and author Tom Burgis joins Simon and Matt for our bonus Q&A episode. He talks about the authors he admires, the stories and scandals he wishes he had discovered, and who he would invite to his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investigative journalist, Tom Burgis, joins Simon and Matt to discuss his fascinating new book 'Cuckooland: Where The Rich Own The Truth' They discuss the dangers involved in his job, what goes in to researching such incredible stories and why he continues to do it. Here's more info on the book: Everywhere, the powerful are making a renewed claim to the greatest prize of all: to own the truth. The power to choose what you want reality to be and impose that reality on the world. For three years, Tom Burgis followed a lead that took him deeper and deeper into Cuckooland – the place where the rich own the truth. The trail snaked from the Kremlin to Kathmandu, Stockholm to the Steppe, from a blood-soaked town square in Uzbekistan to a royal retreat in Scotland. Burgis hunted down oligarchs, developed secret sources and traced vast sums of money flowing between multinational corporations, ex-Soviet dictators and the west’s ruling elites. And he found one man who wanted the power to bend reality to his will. This book tells an astonishing story: a tale of secrets and lies that reveals how fragile that truth can be. Whether it’s in Kazakh torture chambers or the UK’s High Court, the lords of Cuckooland are seizing control of the truth. They decree what stories may be told about war and money and power, what we are permitted to know – and more importantly, what we are not. From the bestselling author of Kleptopia, Cuckooland is a deeply reported work of non-fiction that reads like a thriller. It is a story of how globalisation and technological revolution have combined to imperil the foundation of free societies: that the truth belongs to the many, not the few. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and journalist, Erin Kelly, joins Simon and Matt to answer some Questions about her writing and reading habits. She also tells us about the last book she really really enjoyed, who she'd invite to her fantasy dinner party - and answers a question from fellow author, Jane Casey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and author Erin Kelly joins Simon and Matt for a chat about her new novel - a follow on from her debut novel, but also a stand alone! Erin discusses her characters, plotting and how Frasier helps her write scenes. They also chat about the email she received from Stephen King, praising her book, and why she has returned to these characters so many years later. About the book: In the sweltering summer of 1997, straight-laced, straight-A student Karen met Biba - a bohemian and impossibly glamorous aspiring actress. A few months later, two people were dead and another had been sent to prison. Having stood by Rex as he served his sentence, Karen is now married to him with a daughter, Alice, who runs a vintage clothing company in London. They're a normal family, as long as they don't talk about the past, never mention the name Biba, and ignore Alice's flashes of dark, dangerous fury. Karen has kept what really happened that summer of '97 hidden deep inside her. Alice is keeping secrets of her own. But when anonymous notes begin to arrive at Alice's shop, it seems the past is about to catch up with them all ... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who would John O'Farrell invite to his fantasy dinner party? Does he work best to deadlines? Which author always makes him laugh? Find out the answers to these questions, and many more, on this Q&A episode of Books Of The Year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon and Matt are joined by screenwriter and author John O'Farrell to talk about his latest novel, Family Politics. They discuss...politics...believe it or not, as well as the humour that can be found in all political parties, Question Time, Mrs Doubtfire the musical and what doesn't always translate from the UK to the US (and vice versa). You could say it's a cornucopia of an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our bonus Q&A episode, Historian, Broadcaster and Writer, Anna Keay, answers Qs about screen adaptations, writing processes, her research...and who she'd invite to her fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We may be a little late to this book, but, we want to shout about it nonetheless! Anna Keay joins Simon and Matt for a deep dive into The Restless Republic, when for eleven years, Britain had no king. In 1649 Britain was engulfed by revolution, but it's not a time in history that we are taught about, certainly in the UK. Anna's book takes as its guides the people who lived through these years of restlessness. Among them is Anna Trapnel, the daughter of a Deptford shipwright whose visions transfixed the nation. John Bradshaw, the Cheshire lawyer who found himself trying the King. Marchamont Nedham, the irrepressible newspaper man and puppet master of propaganda. Gerrard Winstanley, who strove for a Utopia of common ownership where no one went hungry. William Petty, the precocious scientist whose mapping of Ireland prefaced the dispossession of tens of thousands. And the indomitable Countess of Derby who defended to the last the final Royalist stronghold on the Isle of Man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kiley Reid (author of the Booker longlisted novel, Such A Fun Age) joins Simon and Matt for a Q&A. They talk about her favourite writers, deadlines, how she orders her books...and who she'd invite to her fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author, Kiley Reid, joins Simon and Matt to talk about her new novel, Come And Get It. She discusses her fascination with money (those who have it, those that don't and the things people might do to get it) which is a big theme in this book, and what drew her to write what she has coined a 'dorm novel'. The book is set in the University of Arkansas, so we learn why that setting was important for Kiley, and Matt has a rant about dancers...of course he does. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Michaelides published his bestselling debut novel 'The Silent Patient' in 2019. His new novel 'The Fury', is out now. In this episode, Alex answers questions about his writing process, characters, authors he admires, books he loves - and - there's a special appearance from a surprise author and fan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Michaelides returns to Books Of The Year to chat with Simon and Matt about his new novel, 'The Fury'. The screenwriter turned author talks about his inspirations (Patricia Hysmith), his love of film, putting humour into thrillers and how to try and write a twist like Agatha Christie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David McCloskey is an ex-CIA analyst, turned bestselling novelist. He joined us on the pod last year, to talk about his debut novel 'Damascus Station', but now he's back - quite quickly! - with 'Moscow X'. On this episode he answers questions about his writing process, favourite authors and who would be at his fantasy dinner party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David McCloskey is an Ex-CIA analyst and a bestselling author. He's also finished writing his third novel and has started his fourth. But, he's a nice guy, so we forgive him! This is David's second appearance on Books Of The Year. In this episode, he talks to Simon and Matt about his latest novel Moscow X, his inspirations, what he can and can't write about, and who advised him on the use of ceiling fans in Cornwall! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Q&A episode, Simon Mayo and Matt Williams talk to journalist and author Araminta Hall about her writing process and literary loves. We learn which books and authors she has been reading and enjoying recently, how she gets into the minds of her characters...and who she wold invite to her fantasy dinner party! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Araminta Hall joins Simon Mayo and Matt Williams for a chat about her new novel, 'One Of The Good Guys'. They talk about her inspirations for the book, her character creation and why she feels disappointed about the current state and impact of the #metoo movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Mayo and Matt Williams look back on some of our favourite books of 2023. This episode features SA Cosby, Louise Doughty, David McCloskey, Daniel Finkelstein and Cecelia Ahern. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Mayo and Matt Williams chat to Simon Sebag Montefiore about the books and writers he loves, his writing processes, his research and much more besides... We also learn who he'd invite to his fantasy dinner party! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Mayo and Matt Williams welcome Author and Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore to the podcast. They chat about TWO of his books, which are both very relevant at the moment. Firstly, 'Jerusalm: The Biography', which Simon is currently updating....and secondly, 'The World: A Family History'. These two books are humungous in both scope and size - but they are fantastic and well worth your time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon and Matt ask John Boyne about his writing processes, favourite authors, reading habits, book shelves and inspirations. There's also a guest question from the brilliant Irish writer, Donal Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

International bestselling author John Boyne joins Simon and Matt for a natter about his new book. 'Water' is the first of a Quartet of books, which will also include Fire, Air and Earth. John talks about his inspirations, why he writes the characters he does and what drew him to the elements in the first place. Here comes the science bit: From million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne comes a masterfully reflective story about one woman coming to terms with the demons of her past and finding a new path forward. The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past. But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes? Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all. Can you ever truly wash away your past? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I Am Pilgrim author, Terry Hayes, answers questions about his process, who and what he likes to read, and the authors he'd have at his fantasy dinner party! There's also a question courtesy of author, screenwriter and playwright, Anthony Horowitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terry Hayes' debut novel, I Am Pilgrim, was published in 2013. Ten years later, he has returned with his second novel. In this episode, Simon and Matt chat to him about what has taken him so long, how he feels now it's out in the world and what is happening with the film of his first novel. Terry also talks about the highs and lows of Hollywood, his editors notes and what he's going to work on next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author Victoria Hislop answers some questions about her processes, reading habits, favourite authors and...dancing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria Hislop joins Simon Mayo and Matt Williams for a natter about her latest novel. They discuss the draw of Greek islands, the history of Figurines and what inspired her for this latest book. The history of Greece is vast - and Figurines are a small, but important and fascinating part of it. They're mysterious and beautiful - and they're very sought after too. Here comes the science bit: In her irresistible new novel, Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author Victoria Hislop shines a light on the questionable acquisition of cultural treasures and the price people - and countries - will pay to cling on to them. Of all the ancient art that captures the imagination, none is more appealing than the Cycladic figurine. An air of mystery swirls around these statuettes from the Bronze Age and they are highly sought after by collectors - and looters - alike. When Helena inherits her grandparents' apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child, when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship. Her remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime's generals and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them? Her desire to find answers about her heritage dovetails with a growing curiosity for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth - and to understand the origins of her grandfather's collection. Helena's attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather's actions sees her wrestle with the meaning of 'home', both in relation to looted objects of antiquity ... and herself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Mayo and Matt Williams have taken a break from usual proceedings, to look back on some of the books we have featured this year so far. They pick out some of their favourite books that we have featured (and some we haven't) and we feature a few suggestions from some of our guests too. In case you were wondering which books and authors we have featured on the pod this year so far - here's a full list to jog your memory... Jason Mott – “Hell Of A Book” Cariad Lloyd – “You Are Not Alone” Linwood Barclay – “Look Both Ways” David McClosckey – “Damascus Station”  Harlan Coben – “I Will Find You” Catriona Ward – “Looking Glass Sound” Cecelia Ahern – “In A Thousand Different Ways” Joanne Harris – “Broken Light” Sadiq Kahn – “Breathe” SA Cosby – “All The Sinners Bleed” TJ Newman – “Drowning” Kate Mosse – “The Ghost Ship” Daniel Finkelstein – “Hitler, Stalin, Mum And Dad” Lisa Jewell – “None Of This Is True"  Steve Cavanagh – “Kill For Me Kill For You” Sebastian Faulkes – “The Seventh Son” Adele Parks – “Just Between Us” Louise Doughty – “A Bird In Winter” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The bestselling author of 'Apple Tree Yard' and 'Platform Seven', Louise Doughty, joins Simon Mayo and Matt Williams to answer some questions. She talks about some of the books she has really really enjoyed recently, her research process and who she'd invite to a fantasy dinner party! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling novelist Louise Doughty joins Simon and Matt for a chat about her new novel, 'A Bird In Winter' She talks about going on the run herself to get into the mind of her character and meeting a real-life spy in a hotel lobby. Louise also talks about her TV adaptations and who she'd love to play Bird, if this latest book were to be adapted. Here comes the science bit: Bird is a woman on the run. One minute, she's in a meeting in her office in Birmingham - the next, she's walking out on her job, her home, her life. It's a day she thought might come, and one she's prepared for - but nothing could prepare her for what will happen next. As she flees north using multiple disguises, Bird has to work out who exactly is on her trail, and who - if anyone - she can trust. Like many people, she has fantasised about escape for a long time, but now it's actually happening. Is her greatest fear that she will be hunted down, or that she will never be found? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author Adele Parks chats about her writing process, her characters, her reading habits and who she'd invite to her fantasy dinner party! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling novelist Adele Parks joins Simon Mayo and Matt Williams to talk about her latest novel, 'Just Between Us'. This book is, like all her novels, a stand-alone...but also a sequel. Confused? Well, luckily Adele explains all! She also tells us about the exciting new film adaptation of an earlier book, which she is involved in producing. Here comes the science bit... Lost. Missing. Murdered? And both her husbands are suspects. Kylie Gillingham's disappearance has gripped the nation: the woman with a shocking secret - married to two men at the same time - is missing, presumed dead. And both her husbands are suspects. DC Clements knows the dark side of human nature and that love can make people do treacherous things; you can't presume anything when it comes to crimes of the heart. While Kylie's two husbands remain prime suspects, her sons won't accept that she is dead. Until a body is found, this scandalous and sad case remains wide open. Stacie Jones lives a quiet life in a small village, nursed by her father as she recovers from illness, shielded from any disquieting news of the outside world. But their reclusive life is about to be shattered. How are these families linked, and can any of them ever rebuild their lives in the wake of tragedy? You can buy Adele's new novel now from all good independent bookshops, Waterstones, Daunt and many more. It's also available here: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sebastian Faulks tells Simon and Matt about the books and authors he loves to read, the London Library and the worst piece of advice he ever received about writing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author, Sebastian Faulks, joins Simon and Matt for a chinwag about his latest novel, 'The Seventh Son'. The book is set in a not-too-distant future, which is a departure for Sebastian who we know mainly for his historical fiction. In this episode we discuss this brilliant new novel (without spoilers, we think) and where his inspiration for it came from. We learn about the incredible amount of research he had to undertake to be able to write the book, and see if we can guess who some of his characters are based on! Here comes the science bit: A child will be born who will change everything. When a young woman named Talissa answers an advert to carry a child, she cannot begin to imagine the consequences. Behind the doors of the Parn Institute, a billionaire entrepreneur plans to stretch the boundaries of ethics as never before. Through a series of IVF treatments, one they hope no one ever discovers, they set in motion an experiment that is set to upend the human race as we know it. Seth, a baby, is delivered to hopeful parents Mary and Alaric, but when his differences start to mark him out from his peers, he begins to attract unwanted attention. The Seventh Son is a spectacular examination of what it is to be human. Sweeping between New York, London, and the Scottish Highlands, this is an extraordinary novel about unrequited love and unearned power. It asks the question: just because you can do something, does it mean you should? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon and Matt put some questions to bestselling crime author Steve Cavanagh, to find out more about his writing processes, his favourite books and some sage advice! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ex-Barrister turned bestselling crime writer, Steve Cavanagh, joins Simon and Matt in the studio. They discuss his brilliant new thriller - 'Kill For Me Kill For You' - his love of James Lee Burke and how this latest book was inspired by Hysmith and Hitchcock. Here comes the science bit: One dark evening in New York City, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realise they have so much in common. They both feel alone. They both drink alone. And they both desperately want revenge against the two men who destroyed their families. Together, they have the perfect plan. If you kill for me, I'll kill for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author Lisa Jewell discusses her processes, reading habits, favourite authors and - thanks to a surprise question from Adele Parks - her favourite karaoke songs! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon and Matt are joined in the studio by multi-million selling author, Lisa Jewell. They discuss why her new novel, 'None Of This Is True', was the quickest book she has ever written, and how she leaves her readers guessing until the very end. They also talk a little about her process, how the book was influenced by an academic and author who followed Lisa's writing journey for a year - and - why she prefers instant coffee to something, well, decent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our bonus Q&A episode, journalist and author Daniel Finkelstein answers questions about his research, writing processes and authors that he loves to read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist, author and political commentator, Daniel Finkelstein, joins Simon and Matt to discuss his brilliant new book; 'Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad' He talks about his fascinating family history, the stories he was told growing up, how he researched the book and what it means now it's finally out in the world. This is the book Daniel has always wanted to write and hopes one day it might even make it on to the screen. Here comes the science bit... From longstanding political columnist and commentator Daniel Finkelstein, a powerful memoir exploring both his mother and his father's devastating experiences of persecution, resistance and survival during the Second World War. Danny's mother Mirjam Wiener was the youngest of three daughters born in Germany to Alfred and Margarete Wiener. Alfred, a decorated hero from the Great War, is now widely acknowledged to have been the first person to recognise the existential danger Hitler posed to the Jews and began, in 1933, to catalogue in detail Nazi crimes. After moving his family to Amsterdam, he relocated his library to London and was preparing to bring over his wife and children when Germany invaded Holland. Before long, the family was rounded up, robbed, humiliated, and sent to Bergen-Belsen. Danny's father Ludwik was born in Lwow, the only child of a prosperous Jewish family. In 1939, after Hitler and Stalin carved up Poland, the family was rounded up by the communists and sent to do hard labour in a Siberian gulag. Working as slave labourers on a collective farm, his father survived the freezing winters in a tiny house they built from cow dung. Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad is a deeply moving, personal and at times horrifying memoir about his parents' experiences at the hands of the two genocidal dictators of the 20th century. It is a story of persecution and survival; and the consequences of totalitarianism told with the almost unimaginable bravery of two ordinary families shining through. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon and Matt throw questions at bestselling author Kate Mosse, to find out more about her craft, writing processes and what she likes to read. There's also a guest appearance from Louise Minchin... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kate Mosse is busy, really busy! Not only has she just published her new novel, The Ghost Ship, but has recently been on tour with her one woman show - AND - has been running the Women's Prize For Fiction (which she founded in 1996) In this episode, the bestselling author talks to Simon and Matt about her research, her fascination with the history of France, continuing a series and why she finds ships so fascinating. Here comes the science bit... THE GHOST SHIP Piracy. Romance. Revenge. Across the seas of the seventeenth century, two seafarers are forced to fight for their lives. The sequel to The City of Tears, The Ghost Ship is the third novel in The Joubert Family Chronicles from bestselling author Kate Mosse. The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel floats silently on the water. It is known only as the Ghost Ship. For months it has hunted pirates to liberate those enslaved by corsairs, manned by a courageous crew of mariners from Italy and France, Holland and the Canary Islands. But the bravest among them are not who they seem. The stakes could not be higher. If arrested, they will be hanged for their crimes. Can they survive the journey and escape their fate? A sweeping and epic love story, ranging from France in 1610 to Amsterdam and the Canary Islands in the 1620s, The Ghost Ship is a thrilling novel of adventure and buccaneering, love and revenge, stolen fortunes and hidden secrets on the High Seas. Most of all, it is a tale of defiant women in a man's world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TJ Newman knows how to write a page-turner! And in this episode, she talks about her writing processes, her love of books, who she likes to read and why she prefers to write at night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flight attendant turned bestselling thriller author, TJ Newman, joins Simon and Matt to discuss her latest novel, "Drowning" TJ wrote her first book on red eye flights when she was working, sometimes jotting ideas on napkins or scraps of paper. This formed her first book, which received 41 rejections. She talks about her writing journey and why "failure" is a positive thing. She also discusses her writing processes and why she thinks her books will be sold in airports - despite the subject matter! Here comes the science bit... Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors-but it's too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside. More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives. Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent - Shannon's mother and Will's soon-to-be ex-wife - who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff. There's not much time. There's even less air. With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family's desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them - against impossible odds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon and Matt put some questions to S.A. Cosby. They discuss his reading habits, where he writes best and his inspirations. There's also a cameo appearance from bestselling author, Ruth Ware! Remember you can get in touch with us at anytime by emailing [email protected] And follow us @booksoftheyear on twitter / @pickanypage on instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's our favourite book so far this year" Simon and Matt have called it! And with good reason, S.A. Cosby's new novel - 'All The Sinners Bleed' - is fantastic! Shawn joins us from New York to discuss his inspirations, his made-up town of Charon, the role of Sherifs and the messages he wants readers to take from his novels. *Please note that there are some themes discussed which listeners may find triggering or difficult to hear. Here comes the science bit: A BLACK SHERIFF. A SERIAL KILLER. AND A SMALL TOWN READY TO COMBUST. Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. In recent decades, Charon has had only two murders. After years of working as an FBI agent, no one knows better than Titus that while his hometown might seem like a land of moonshine, cornbread, and honeysuckle, secrets always fester under the surface. But a year to the day after Titus’s election, a school teacher is killed by a former student. The student is then fatally shot by Titus’s deputies. As Titus investigates the shootings, he unearths terrible crimes, and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon. With the killer’s possible connections to a local church and the town’s harrowing history weighing on him, Titus tries to project confidence about closing the case while concealing a painful secret from his own past. At the same time, he also has to contend with a far-right group that wants to hold a parade in celebration of the town’s Confederate history. Charon is Titus’s home and his heart. But where faith and violence meet, there will be a reckoning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, answers questions about his reading habits and writing processes. It turns out he's a big Richard Osman fan (well, who isn't?) and a big champion of libraries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Simon and Matt are joined by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. They discuss his new book, 'Breathe', and his passion and determination to change the air pollution in London - and tackle climate change in the wider world. Simon gets 'a bit 5 Live' and Matt asks if it's too late! (so, nice and light) Here comes the science bit: A seven-step guide to winning support for tough action on climate change - the first book from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. For many years, Sadiq wasn't fully aware of the dangers posed by air pollution, nor its connection with climate change. Then, at the age of 43, he was unexpectedly diagnosed with adult-onset asthma - brought on by the polluted London air he had been breathing for decades. Scandalised, Sadiq underwent a political transformation that would see him become one of the most prominent global politicians fighting (and winning) elections on green issues. Since becoming Mayor of London in 2016, he has declared a climate emergency, introduced the world's first Ultra-Low Emission Zone, built hundreds of kilometres of new cycle lanes, led a drive for affordable insulation in council homes, and turned London into the first ever 'National Park City'. But with every year bringing more wildfires, extreme temperatures and flooding - and with around 4,000 people still dying prematurely from London's polluted air every year, with older, working class and ethnic minority Londoners most affected - there is so much more to do. Now, Sadiq draws on his experiences to identify the seven ways environmental action gets blown off course. And he reveals how to get it back on track, by: - Proving to sceptics that the climate crisis is a health crisis too; - Overcoming voters' cynicism by building coalitions across the political spectrum; - Shaking hands with everyone from your fiercest opponents to the most steadfast climate activists (even if you're a bit worried they might superglue you). Breathe is a call to action demonstrating how anyone - whether voter, activist or politician - can win the argument on climate. It will help create a world where we can all breathe again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our bonus Q&A episode, Joanne Harris answers questions about her reading and writing habits. We hear from bestselling author, and Chair of the Women's Prize For Fiction, Kate Moss, as well as discussing the British Library, scents and how a you don't need a physical writing shed, to have a writing shed. (eh!?) Joanne talks about some of the authors she loves, including Shelley Parker-Chan, whose novel 'She Who Became The Sun' is the last book she really really enjoyed reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former teacher, turned bestselling novelist, Joanne Harris joins Simon and Matt to discuss her writing and her inspirations. Her latest novel is 'Broken Light', and Joanne tells us how she came up with the idea for this new book, which in her words is 'a strange and unexpected book'. We discuss the influence of Stephen King, the joy of magic and why this is an angry book. "Here comes the science bit!" A tragic incident unlocks the slumbering talents of the fifty-something Bernie Moon in this powerful tale of female ambition, ageing and taking back control from the bestselling author of Chocolat. A bold and timely novel that explores how women can feel invisible as they grow older- and what happens when they decide to take back control. Bernie Moon's ambitions and dreams have been forgotten by everyone else - including Bernie herself. At 19 she was full of promise, but now facing 50 and going through the menopause, she's a fading light. Until the murder of a woman in a local park unlocks a series of childhood memories, and with them, a talent that she has hidden all her adult life. What happens when the frustrations and power of an older woman are finally given their chance to be revealed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

International bestselling novelist, Cecelia Ahern, joins Simon and Matt to talk about her writing processes and reading habits. She tells us about her rigid schedule, why she has to write in the mornings and recommends us some great books too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling and award-winning author, Catriona Ward, joins Simon and Matt to discuss her writing processes, inspirations and reading habits. They talk about 'Watership Down', the genre of Horror, why getting on trains is a good thing for writers and how Cat's brief spell as an actor has helped her as a writer. We also hear from fellow author - and Suede guitarist - Mat Osman! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Book Award winner, Jason Mott, joins Simon and Matt for a Q&A about his writing and reading habits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestseller author and journalist Ben Macintyre joins us for a Q&A about his writing and reading habits. He discusses the brilliance of 'In Cold Blood' and why he loves writing on planes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Simon and Matt, and the two bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney-Boylan, for a quick fire Q&A! We also have a guest question from the novelist Joanne Harris. You can hear more about Jenny and Jodi's new novel, "Mad Honey", on our previous episode where we discuss it at length... About the book: Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business. Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can trust him completely . . . Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her. Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Columnist and writer Marina Hyde answers some in-depth questions from Simon and Matt - as well as from listeners, and a surprise guest! No other writer is more suited to chronicling the absurd times in which we live. In What Just Happened?! Marina Hyde slashes her way through the hellscape of post-referendum politics, where the chaos never stops. From David Cameron to Theresa May to Boris Johnson. Marvel at the sights, from Trumpian WTF-ery to celebrity twattery. And boggle at the cast of characters: Hollywood sex offenders, populists, sporting heroes (and villains), dastardly dukes, media barons, movie stars, reality TV monsters, billionaires, police officers, various princes and princesses, wicked advisers, philanthropists, fauxlanthropists, telly chefs, and (naturally) Gwyneth Paltrow. It's the full state banquet of crazy - and you're most cordially invited. The book is drawn from her spectacularly funny Guardian columns, and is a welcome blast of humour and sanity in a world where reality has become stranger than fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last book you really, really enjoyed? Which idea in a book do you wish you’d come up with?  Do you work best with deadlines? Which books stand out from your childhood? Short chapters v long chapters. Discuss! Favourite TV or film adaptation of a book? How many books do you read a month? If you could go back to university, what would you study? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices