A Good Read
BBC Radio 4
300 episodes
Find reading inspiration with favourite books chosen by our guests.
Episodes page 2 of 6
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Jenny Kleeman and Sam Knight
EDUCATED by Tara Westover, chosen by Jenny Kleeman THE WREN, THE WREN by Anne Enright, chosen by Harriett Gilbert GIVING UP THE GHOST by Hilary Mantel, chosen by Sam Knight Journalist and broadcaster Jenny Kleeman (of…
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Nihal Arthanayake and Elif Shafak
Nihal has chosen Amma, the debut novel by Sri Lankan writer Saraid de Silva, which he compares to meeting someone on a train and having a long, intense conversation. Elif Shafak's choice, however, You're Embarrassing…
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Tim Spector and Tatty Macleod
THE COUNTRY OF OTHERS by Leïla Slimani, chosen by Tatty Macleod THE MAN WHO ATE EVERYTHING by Jeffrey Steingarten, chosen by Tim Spector ORBITAL by Samantha Harvey, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Comedian Tatty Macleod…
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Fee Mak and Ali Woods
REASONS TO STAY ALIVE by Matt Haig, chosen by Ali Woods ELENA KNOWS by Claudia Piñeiro, chosen by Fee Mak THE DETAILS by Ia Genberg, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Comedian Ali Woods chooses a memoir by Matt Haig based on…
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Amy Liptrot and Karl Ove Knausgaard
The Norwegian author of the hugely successful My Struggle books Karl Ove Knausgaard chooses The Names by Don de Lillo. It's set in Athens in the early 1980s with the main character being a risk analyst whose estranged…
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Irvine Welsh and Andrew O'Hagan
A new series begins at the Edinburgh International Book Festival with guests Irvine Welsh and Andrew O'Hagan. Irvine Welsh is best known as the author of Trainspotting. Andrew O'Hagan's Mayflies was recently made into…
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Rachel Parris and Sonali Shah
DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver, chosen by Rachel Parris DID YE HEAR MAMMY DIED? by Séamas O'Reilly, chosen by Harriett Gilbert BOTH NOT HALF by Jassa Ahluwalia, chosen by Sonali Shah Comedian and musician…
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Sarah Phelps and Irenosen Okojie
RADIO ROMANCE by Garrison Keillor, chosen by Sarah Phelps PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi, chosen by Irenosen Okojie ABSOLUTELY AND FOREVER by Rose Tremain, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Two authors pick books they love…
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Helen Lederer and Ilaria Bernardini
BOOKS: WISHFUL DRINKING by CARRIE FISHER FORBIDDEN NOTEBOOK by ALBA DE CESPEDES YELLOWFACE by REBECCA F KUANG Harriett's guests today are comedian and writer Helen Lederer known for so many roles including as…
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Gyles Brandreth and Hannah Critchlow
Writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has chosen EF Benson's entertaining tale of competitive snobbery in the 1920s, Mapp and Lucia. In a contrasting choice, neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow advocates for Transcendent…
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Sebastian Faulks and Tessa Hadley
VOICES IN THE EVENING by Natalia Ginzburg (trans. DM Low), chosen by Tessa Hadley THE ZONE OF INTEREST by Martin Amis (trans. Jessica Moore), chosen by Sebastian Faulks EASTBOUND by Maylis de Kerangal, chosen by…
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Doon Mackichan and Bruce Robinson
Recorded at the Hay Festival SHUGGIE BAIN by Douglas Stuart ON THE BLACK HILL by Bruce Chatwin AGAINST NATURE by Joris-Karl Huysmans Harriett Gilbert takes to the stage in the BBC Marquee at the Hay Festival for a…
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Denise Mina and Simon Brett
ABSENT IN THE SPRING by Agatha Christie (writing as Mary Westmacott) (HarperCollins), chosen by Simon Brett IN THE GARDEN OF THE FUGITIVES by Ceridwen Dovey (Penguin), chosen by Denise Mina HIDE MY EYES by Margery…
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Samantha Harvey and Darran Anderson
QUARTET IN AUTUMN by Barbara Pym, chosen by Samantha Harvey MRS CALIBAN by Rachel Ingalls, chosen by Harriett Gilbert PHARMACOPOEIA: A DUNGENESS NOTEBOOK by Derek Jarman, chosen by Darran Anderson Two award-winning…
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Kathryn Hughes and Dan Schreiber
Historian and author Kathryn Hughes and No Such Thing As a Fish presenter Dan Schreiber recommend favourite books to Harriett Gilbert. Kathryn chooses Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes, an exploration of the French…
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Carol Morley and Will Hislop
THE RED PARTS by Maggie Nelson (Vintage), chosen by Carol Morley INVISIBLE CITIES by Italo Calvino (Vintage), chosen by Will Hislop ORDINARY PEOPLE by Diana Evans (Vintage), chosen by Harriett Gilbert Film director…
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Christopher Eccleston and Lindsey Hilsum
JUST KIDS by Patti Smith, chosen by Lindsey Hilsum MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor E. Frankl (trans. Ilse Lasch), chosen by Christopher Eccleston TOWARDS THE END OF THE MORNING by Michael Frayn, chosen by Harriett…
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Katy Hessel and Amy Blakemore
CHESS by Stefan Zweig (Faber), chosen by Katy Hessel MAUD MARTHA by Gwendolyn Brooks (Penguin), chosen by Amy Blakemore THE PIER FALLS by Mark Haddon (Vintage), chosen by Harriett Gilbert Art historian Katy Hessel…
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Andrew McMillan and Kathryn Williams
ON WRITING by Stephen King, chosen by Kathryn Williams THE BITCH by Pilar Quintana (translated by Lisa Dillman), chosen by Harriett Gilbert ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute, chosen by Andrew McMillan The singer-songwriter…
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Paterson Joseph and Richard Coles
THE LONELY LONDERS by Sam Selvon THE CHANGELING by Robin Jenkins A CRACK IN THE WALL by Claudia Peneiro The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon traces the new lives of a group of hopeful immigrants from the West Indies in…
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Anjana Vasan and Anne-Marie Imafidon
BESSIE SMITH by Jackie Kay (Faber) chosen by Anjana Vasan EDGE OF HERE by Kelechi Okafor (Trapeze) chosen by Anne-Marie Imafidon THE WIDOW COUDERC by Georges Simenon (Penguin) chosen by Harriett Gilbert Star of 'Black…
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Joe Talbot and Nancy Medina
Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic, Nancy Medina and IIdle band member Joe Talbot join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite choose books by Junot Diaz, Bell Hooks and Douglas Adams The Brief Wondrous Life of…
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Rachel Brown-Finnis and Anna Bogutskaya
CRYING IN H MART by Michelle Zauner, chosen by Anna Bogutskaya SKATING TO ANTARTICA by Jenni Diski, chosen by Harriett Gilbert THINKING ON MY FEET by Kate Humble, chosen by Rachel Brown-Finnis Critic, author and…
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Ian Rankin and Colin MacIntyre
THE GLASS PEARLS by Emeric Pressburger chosen by Ian Rankin WIDOW BASQUIAT by Jennifer Clement chosen by Colin MacIntyre THE PATIENCE STONE by Atiq Rahimi chosen by Harriett Gilbert Rebus creator, Ian Rankin,…
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Chantal Joffe and Séamas O'Reilly
The artist Chantal Joffe picks I Capture The Castle, the English classic by Dodie Smith. Set in 1930s rural England, it relates the adventures of an eccentric family over the course of about a year. It's a book Chantal…
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Janet Ellis and Jason Arday
Janet Ellis and Jason Arday join presenter Harriet Gilbert to discuss The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es; Rise, the memoir of South African rugby player Siya Kolisi and Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Three…
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India Knight and Emma Dabiri
Journalist India Knight and writer Emma Dabiri talk to Harriett Gilbert about favourite books. India chooses The Tap Dancer by Andrew Barrow, while Harriett has gone for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, the novel…
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Nigel Kennedy and Clare Perkins
The violinist Nigel Kennedy is in the UK playing several concerts and takes time out to join Harriett Gilbert and actor Clare Perkins to talk about one of his favourite books. It's Confessions of A Mask by Yukio…
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Cressida Cowell and Romy Gill MBE
Cressida Cowell MBE is the best-selling author illustrator of the How To Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once children's book series. Cressida's book choice is The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - the story of a…
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Anneka Rice and Maureen Freely
TV presenter Anneka Rice and writer Maureen Freely share favourite books. Maureen has chosen Marilynne Robinson's award winning Gilead, Anneka enjoyed Tan Twan Eng's The Garden of Evening Mists, and Harriett is charmed…
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Cornelia Parker and Jeremy Lee
Artist Cornelia Parker is with the chef Jeremy Lee and presenter Harriett Gilbert, to pick their all-time favourite books. Cornelia chooses South by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the story of his extraordinary journey to…
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Rhys Stephenson and Esther Manito
The children's TV presenter and stand up comedian advocate for favourite books. Rhys Stevenson says the ending of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens made him pace up and down his kitchen, and Esther Manito fell in…
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Vaseem Khan and Lucy Winkett
What does 'home' mean? The three book choices today reflect on what home means to different people. The crime writer Vaseem Khan chooses Deborah Moggach's much loved novel The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel that sees a…
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Olivia Laing and Charlie Porter
Author and cultural critic Olivia Laing, whose books include The Lonely City, Funny Weather and Everybody, is joined by fashion writer and curator Charlie Porter, of What Artists Wear and Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury…
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Niamh Cusack & Elly Griffiths
Niamh Cusack chooses Lila by Marilynne Robinson part of a group of novels set around the fictional Iowa town of Gilead and centres on the gentle relationship between a poor young woman who has grown up drifting around…
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Susanna Hoffs and Nina Wadia
Nina Wadia is a well known face on British TV and film. She was part of the smash hit comedy Goodness Gracious Me and was a regular in EastEnders. Most recently she has been in The Outlaws. She's chosen a dark thriller…
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Andi Osho and Nikita Gill
The actor-comedian and the poet advocate for their favourite books. Andi chooses The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, Nikita loves Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden and Harriett goes for The Vanishing Half by Brit…
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Merlin Sheldrake and Jo Marchant
Biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake (of 'Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures') is joined by the science journalist Jo Marchant (of 'Human Cosmos' and 'Cure') and…
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Hal Cruttenden and Daisy Buchanan
The comedian and the writer talk to Harriett about favourite books, including one of Orwell's less well known novels, Coming Up for Air, chosen by Hal after he played the central character in a one man show. Daisy has…
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Zing Tsjeng and Yomi Ṣode
Journalist, broadcaster and author Zing Tsjeng and poet Yomi Ṣode join presenter Harriett Gilbert to talk about the books they love. Zing chooses a book set in the heart of New York City's queer community.…
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Gill Hornby and Paul Burston
The two writers talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Gill Hornby has chosen Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, which traces the lives of six step-siblings over a span of fifty years. Paul Burston loves…
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Donna Leon and Margaret Heffernan
The author of the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series, Donna Leon, is joined by writer-entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan and the presenter Harriett Gilbert. Donna has chosen a book by an author she greatly…
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Katherine May and Liz Berry
Author Katherine May and poet Liz Berry talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Liz loves A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa, a powerful blend of memoir and literary investigation where the past…
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Sophie Raworth and Patrick Ness
The newsreader and the writer chat about books with Harriett. Sophie and Harriett's choices take on early colonialism on two different continents, in West by Cary Davies and Remembering Babylon by David Malouf…
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Janet Street-Porter and Felicity Ward
The broadcaster and comedian discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Janet's choice is The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks, set in 1960s London, which was also Janet's stomping ground. Felicity loves Carlo Rovelli's…
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Philippa Perry and Anil Seth
Psychotherapist writer Philippa Perry and Professor of Neuroscience Anil Seth join Harriett Gilbert to talk about books they love. Anil Seth, who explores consciousness and the self in his book Being You, recommends…
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James Marriott and Jude Rogers
Columnist at The Times James Marriott and arts journalist for The Guardian Jude Rogers discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. James picks The Past by Tessa Hadley, a contemporary novel about family, place and…
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Kate Bryan and Mark Steel
Art historian Kate Bryan and comedian Mark Steel talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Kate loves Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing, an inspiring collection of essays which make a case…
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Adrian Chiles and Martyn Ware
This week broadcaster and writer Adrian Chiles and musician and sound artist Marty Ware join Harriett Gilbert with their reading suggestions. Martyn nominates A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess which he says has…
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Agnès Poirier & Nikki May
Agnès Poirier, the French writer and broadcaster, and British-Nigerian novelist Nikki May introduce us to their favourite books. Nikki chooses a haunting novel about life after the breakdown of society following a flu…
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