The Waterstones Podcast

Co-winner of the inaugural Merky Books New Writer's Prize, We Are All Birds of Uganda is the debut novel from Hafsa Zayyan . In this episode we find out how she entered this open-submission competition and the family history that fed into the idea for this story of displacement, home and identity. We also hear more about this publishing collaboration with Stormzy and why it is so important to enab...

A bonus episode in which we get to speak to two stars of the hugely popular TV series Outlander, actors Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish. Adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s historical novels set in 18th century Scotland in which Sam plays hero Jamie Fraser and Graham his uncle, Dougal MacKenzie, Outlander has become a TV sensation. After working together in seasons one and two, the two friends set out o...

A pub with two Michelin stars is no ordinary pub and in what has been no ordinary year for the entire hospitality industry we sat down with celebrated chef Tom Kerridge in The Hand and Flowers to celebrate the publication of their cookbook, 15 years in the making. Why are pubs so important to communities and how do you keep that friendliness when serving food at the highest level? We spoke about t...

Sometimes novels come along that seem to show an uncanny prescience for the world we live in. And whilst no one could have quite predicted what 2020 has thrown at us, Rumaan Alam has managed to write a novel about a simple family holiday that touches on the pressing issues of today. Class, Race, Privilege and confusion at what's happening in the world; all of these will feel familiar, as will the...

As Americans go to the polls to chose their next president it's clear the result could have far-reaching repercussions in many areas. For many American women it may be that wheels are already in motion to further restrict their access to reproductive healthcare with the rushed new appointment to the Supreme Court. Christa Parravani talks to us about the surprise pregnancy that she wanted to e...

When the pandemic hit, it was nurses who provided the critical care needed to save lives. And when the waves have passed it will be nurses providing the care needed in the aftermath. In this episode we examine what it really means to care with nurse and author Christie Watson and writer Madeleine Bunting , both of whom have travelled the country to see how care works in hospitals, surgeries, care...

Whichever of his many film roles first made an impression on you, you definitely never forget a Matthew McConaughey performance. With his new memoir Greenlights, we get personal insight into the man behind the roles as he shares his frank and funny insights into family, film-making and finding your path in life. Books mentioned: Greeenlights

After sharing her own experiences in the memoir Everything I Know About Love , Dolly Alderton turns to fiction in her new book and explores the perils of online dating, the strains of time on friendship and the theme of identity amongst her cast of characters. Ghosts come in many forms in this ambitious novel and we encounter a few of them in this conversation. Books mentioned: Ghosts , Everything...

With his third novel, Graham Norton is now cementing his place as a writer with a keen sense of community, repression and the power of buried secrets. Heralded as his most personal novel yet, Home Stretch follows the aftermath of a tragedy and the different trajectories of those that stay at home and those that attempt to exile themselves. We spoke to him about sticking his neck out as an author,...

Join us in dictionary corner as we chat to Countdown's Susie Dent about her love of language and her new book, Word Perfect , which shares the stories behind a word for every day of the year. We also speak with writer Eley Williams about her novel, The Liar's Dictionary , and enter the murky world of the mountweazel. A truly treat for logophiles everywhere. Books mentioned: Word Perfect , The Liar...

When Chanel Miller published her memoir it was the first time that many people discovered that she was Emily Doe, the Stanford sexual assault survivor, whose victim impact statement had gone viral. As her book comes out in paperback we spoke to her about her she set down in words the awful experience of assault, the criminal justice system and the aftermath. Contains discussion of sexual assault,...

After three years as a monk in India, Jay Shetty set off to bring wisdom to the world using the modern tools of the internet and the ability to make what he'd learned go viral. With many looking at their lives afresh during lockdown and beyond we spoke to him about finding the right path in life, what we mean by purpose and why a life in service of others is the key to fulfilment. Books mentioned:...

In this extended episode we go for a ramble with Adam Buxton , back to an eighties childhood, boarding school, Bowie, Baadad! And also to confront recent grief after the loss of both parents. In this frank and honest conversation we look at family relationships, emotional connection and also get to hear a truly great Bowie impression. Books mentioned: Ramble Book

It doesn't matter how you fared in biology at school, Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Sir Paul Nurse is here with the perfect book to understand biology in five steps. We spoke with him about the moment he first became fascinated by how life works, the luck and mistakes that led to his great discoveries, and the family secret that revealed a genetic surprise much closer to home. Books mentioned: Wh...

Even before the turmoil of 2020, the last few years have seen the rise of populist politics, people split into tribes, and the disintegration of constructive discourse around the topics that affect all of our lives. In this age of division, what can we possible do to maintain our sanity? We sat down with Booker Prize-shortlisted author Elif Shafak to look at some of the reasons for our current sta...

A love of the natural world has always suffused the graphic novels of Nick Hayes but his latest book takes things even further as he trespasses the English countryside in order to explore the limits and absurdities of the property law that excludes us from much of the country we live in. As lockdown eases and we yearn to get out again we spoke to him about the importance of making that connection...

A celebration of the best new talent in children's writing and illustration, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize has recently announced its winners. In this episode we enjoy chats with all four of them about the importance of children's literature and the books that helped form them as readers, writers and illustrators. Join Nathan Bryon , Dapo Adeola , Sharna Jackson and Liz Hyder for a trip ba...

We all grow up with a sense of the expectations our family or, indeed, wider society might have of us: grow up, get a job, buy a house, get married, have kids, settle down. And yet every single one of those has been challenged by millennial life. Emma Gannon is well-known for her observations on modern working life and in her debut novel, Olive, her eponymous heroine dares to articulate that she d...

The millennial generation have grown up with more choice available than ever before and the encouragement always to be living your best life. So why, for so many, does it feel like they're getting modern life all wrong? With her essay collection How Do We Know We're Doing It Right? Pandora Sykes examines everything from authenticity, binge-watching and modern working lives to 'that dress'. We spok...

Anyone who has spent any time on social media will have seen how outrage provides the fuel for many a discussion. And despite well-meaning intentions, is our desire to make the world a better place being clouded by the rush to insult and those moments where we can be baited into a response. BBC presenter and DJ Ashley ‘Dotty’ Charles is familiar with the provocations of the modern world and joined...

With the recent announcement that Stephanie Meyer’s retelling of the Twilight saga from Edward Cullen’s perspective ( Midnight Sun ) will finally be published in August there has been some ravenous excitement around the original books and perhaps even a reappraisal of their value. Should one feel guilty about enjoying them so much and indeed should one feel guilty about reading anything at all? To...

We have been told for centuries that humans are not much more than brutal animals with a thin veneer of civilisation on top but in his radical new history of humankind Rutger Bregman seeks to flip things on their head and ask if in fact we're pretty decent after all and if in fact our kindness has helped us to develop so far as a species. Challenging long-held views from philosophy and fiction, we...

Now, it might seem a strange time to be calling a podcast episode Apocalypse but in many ways now is the perfect time to enjoy the insights of Mark O’Connell ’s odyssey into the end times. We have much to learn from those preparing for civilisational collapse in America, or millionaire bolt holes in New Zealand, the drive to take humans to Mars and an engagement with nature much closer to home. We...

After bringing the best of world TV to UK screens with Walter Presents, Walter Iuzzolino is now doing the same with literature in conjunction with Pushkin Press. We spoke to him from lockdown in London about why it's so important to get cultural input from around the globe and to find out more about the first book in the series with translator Sam Taylor , who speaks to us from his home in the US...

A book about human connection would an essential read at any time but right now it seems vital. Vivek Murthy served as Surgeon General in the US and found that loneliness was at the heart of a lot of the health issues he wanted to tackle. We spoke to him from his home in America about why human connection is so powerful for mind, body and spirit and what we can do during this period of isolation t...