You're Booked

This week we are delighted to peruse the bookshelves of author, performer and podcaster Janina Matthewson ! Janina created the acclaimed novel Of Things Gone Astray and co-created the Welcome to Night Vale affiliated podcast Within the Wires. Her latest book, co-written with Night Vale creator Jeffrey Cranor is You Feel It Just Below the Ribs. We talked to her about Bridget Jones picnics, sui...

This week we present a cosy fireside chat in the fabulous home of journalist, presenter and author  Sophia Money-Coutts! Sophia is the former features editor at Tatler, Daily Telegraph columnist and the author of the bestselling comedies What Happens Now , The Plus One , The Wish List and her latest, the hilarious Did You Miss Me ? We talked to her about interview technique, Roald Dahl's curi...

This week we're delighted to present this fun and fascinating conversation with author and producer Miranda Cowley Heller! After a career in publishing and head honcho at HBO, Miranda's debut novel The Paper Palace has been a runaway bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and is now being adapted as a TV mini-series. We talked to her about parenting in the 1970s, classic kids books, dream...

This week we're delighted to present this late night, transatlantic phone chat with the legendary Dave Eggers! Dave is the author of many books including The Circle, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, A Hologram for the King, What Is the What, and The Museum of Rain. His latest if the tech satire The Every. He's also the founder of publishing house McSweeney's and co-founder of 826 Nationa...

This week we're delighted to present this frank, funny and thoroughly entertaining chat with author, journalist and podcaster Lindsey Kelk ! Lindsey is the bestselling author of the I Heart series of books, plus In Case You Missed It, One in a Million and her latest On a Night Like This. Lindsey also co-hosts the beauty podcast, Full Coverage, and Tight and Fights, a wrestling podcast, We talked t...

It's our 100th episode! Sort of - we may have slightly lost count. But there is still plenty of cause for celebration as we are in the company of poet, author, memoirist and actor Yrsa Daley-Ward! Her poetry collection Bone was widely acclaimed while her memoir The Terrible won the PEN/Ackerley Prize. She co-wrote Black Is King with Beyonce and her latest book is The How described as "a gratifying...

This week we're delighted to share this wonderful, nourishing conversation with novelist, playwright and short story writer Helen Oyeyemi ! Helen's debut, The Icarus Girl was called "a masterly first novel" by the New York Times. White is For Witching won a Somerset Maugham Award, while What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours won the PEN Open Book Award. Her latest novel is the eagerly anticipated Peaces....

This week we're delighted to chat to author and journalist Lucy Mangan! Lucy's book Bookworm has been discussed many times on the show and is a firm favourite in YB Towers. Her new novel Are We Having Fun Yet? is fun, furious and unforgettable. We talked to her about reading epiphanies, the literary merits of Les Dawson, quintessential children's books and finding writing solace in Ikea. BOOKS Dai...

This week we are honoured to talk to globally acclaimed author, poet, screenwriter and Booker prize winner Ben Okri OBE! Ben has won numerous awards and honorary doctorates for his fiction and poetry and is considered one of the foremost African authors of the modern era. We talked to Ben about the meaning of being, the character of Walt Whitman, the idea of comfort reading and the importance of r...

We're preparing a brand new season of YB - but as a delicious taster, enjoy this wonderful conversation with avid reader, book blogger and lover of all things literary Tilly Fitzgerald AKA TillyLovesBooks (on all branches of social media). We were delighted when Tilly got involved with our Books to Nourish auction, raising funds for Fareshare, a charity fighting hunger and food waste - if you can,...

This week we are beyond delighted to welcome the brilliant and hilarious Isy Suttie to You’re Booked towers! Isy is a comedian, actor and the author of a memoir The Actual One and the wonderful novel Jane is Trying. We talked to her about eating mince, thriller addiction, the pain of rereading and getting a boy to buy you Forever. BOOKS Daisy Buchanan - Insatiable Isy Suttie - Jane is Trying Isy S...

For our series finale, we are thrilled to present this conversation with author, podcaster and all-round inspiration Otegha Uwagba ! Otegha is the author of the bestselling career guide Little Black Book and the essay collection Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods which was picked as one of the Guardian’s Books of The Year. Her latest book is the memoir We Need To Talk About Money. We t...

This week we welcome a genuine literary legend to YB: Nick Hornby! Nick is the bestselling author of eight novels, including High Fidelity, About a Boy and, most recently, Just Like You. He’s also published non-fiction such as Fever Pitch, and has written numerous award-winning screenplays for film and television including Brooklyn, Wild and Love Nina. We talked to him about Rin Tin Tin, the pain...

This week we are thrilled to present an illuminating chat with one of our favourite all-time writers: Olivia Laing ! Olivia is the author of To the River, The Trip to Echo Spring, The Lonely City and Funny Weather. Her novel Crudo was a Sunday Times bestseller, a New York Times notable book, shortlisted for the Goldsmiths and Gordon Burn Prizes and winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He...

This week we’re delighted to welcome the author of one of our favourite novels of recent times Clare Chambers! Clare’s novel Small Pleasures was a Women’s Prize nominee and a book of the Year in The Times, Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Express, Metro and many more and beloved over here at You’re Booked towers. We talked to her about Katherine Heiny, out of print revelations, s...

This week, we're delighted to sit down and chat with the multi-award winning author, speaker, podcaster and Financial Times columnist Elizabeth Uviebinené! Elizabeth's first book was the groundbreaking Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible, co-written with her best friend Yomi Adegoke. She also co-edited Loud Black Girls with Yomi and co-presented Slay in Your Lane: The Podcast. Her latest book...

This week we're delighted to welcome the legendary novelist, playwright, performer, journalist and teacher Esther Freud to You're Booked. Esther is the author of nine novels, her first Hideous Kinky was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys prize and turned into a hit film starring Kate Winslet. Her latest is the captivating I Couldn't Love You More . We talked to her about the pain of book gift...

We are so excited to welcome one of our favourite ever authors to the You're Booked airwaves this week. Katherine Heiny is the author of the novels Standard Deviation and Early Morning Riser, plus the short story collection Single, Carefree, Mellow. Her books are funny, moving, wise and just fantastic. We talked to her about rice pudding, espionage, the pain of dinner parties, unnerving Judy Blume...

This week we are delighted to welcome author, award-winner and Books to Nourish auction victor Emma Batchelor! Emma’s debut book, Now That I See You , is an acclaimed love story, told through letters and diary entries, reflecting Emma’s own experience of identity, gender and grief. The book won the Vogel Literary Award, Australia's most prestigious prize for an unpublished manuscript. We talked to...

This week we welcome a true publishing legend to the show. Judy Piatkus founded Piatkus Books from her Essex bedroom in 1979. She went on to release books by globally bestselling authors such as Danielle Steel, VC Andrews, Mary Berry and Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. Now Judy has released her own memoir, Ahead of Her Time. We talked to her about her glittering publishing career, the books that...

This week we are delighted to present a funny, freewheeling conversation with author, actor, podcaster and comedy legend Charlie Higson ! As well as co-creating The Fast Show and Down the Line, adapting Marple and Jekyll and Hyde for TV, hosting the Charlie Higson & Friends podcast and popping up in Broadchurch, he's the author of many books including the hugely successful Young Bond and The E...

What a great way to start a new series! The brilliant Emma Jane Unsworth joins us down the line from Brighton. Emma is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Hungry, the Stars and Everything, Adults and Animals, which was turned into a lauded film. Her latest work is a memoir about motherhood: After the Storm. We talked to her about werewolves, living in Jane Eyre's world, dirty girl gangs...

This week's guest is a full-blown National Treasure. Mel Giedroyc is a versatile presenter, actor and comedian, who formed a formidable comedy partnership with Sue Perkins, hosted the iconic Great British Bake Off and has starred in West End musicals. And now Mel can add novelist to her list of achievements with her critically acclaimed debut The Best Things already topping the charts. We talked t...

This week's guest may just hold the record for the You're Booked interviewee with the most books sold at a modest 500 million and counting. Dean Koontz 's first book, Star Quest, was released in 1968 and since then he's produced over 100 more in a variety of genres. His books have been published in 38 languages and 14 have been New York Times number one bestsellers, with the latest being The...

This week we are delighted to have a genuine literary legend on the show: Patricia Cornwell ! Patricia has sold over 100 million books in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. Her most iconic character is medical examiner Kay Scarpetta who features in Patricia's next novel Autopsy - her latest novel is the space thriller Spin. She has also written non-fiction books concerning the Jack the Ri...