Books and Authors

Actor Adjoa Andoh, Bridgerton's Lady Danbury, and CBeebies presenter Andy Day share books

Elizabeth Day talks to Fiona Mozley about her second novel, Hot Stew.

Husband & wife team - the Radio 1 Breakfast host and the writer talk up their top reads.

Elizabeth Day talks to Pulitzer Prize winning writer Viet Thanh Nguyen about The Committed

The news presenter and the author both talk about the books they've chosen

The comedian and the books blogger talk to Harriett about their favourite books

Elizabeth Day talks to Mary Lawson

The writer/drag performer and the television executive talk books with Harriett

Johny Pitts talks to Caleb Azumah Nelson about Open Water, his hotly anticipated debut

Does a Tiger Come to Tea? Harriett Gilbert finds out

Elizabeth Day talks to actor Ethan Hawke about his new novel.

The actress and the environmentalist talk about much loved books with Harriett Gilbert.

The poet and the comedian talk climbing, science fiction, and love with Harriett Gilbert.

Richard Flanagan; How To Read Well; Editor's Tip

Kate Mosse, Books on TV, Writing in prisons

Elizabeth Day talks to debut writer Raven Leilani.

Bryan Washington, Natalie Haynes, Trauma in fiction with Rebecca Watson & Peter Ho Davies

Reading in 2020

Johny Pitts and guests explore the dazzling brilliance of Charles Dickens

Jonathan Lethem; Sylvia Townsend Warner; Edna O'Brien

The journalist and the critic nominate favourite books

Jenny Erpenbeck, Margaret Atwood on a classic dystopia, Paintings in fiction

Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, & Professor Lucie Green, presenter on The Sky At Night, discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Johny Pits asks writers Carys Bray and Diana McCaulay how stories offer hope and motivate action to address environmental crisis

Poet Vanessa Kisuule and environmental writer Jonathon Porritt talk books with Harriett.

Chris Power talks to Jonathan Coe about bringing Billy Wilder to life in his new novel.

Travel and food writer Yasmin Khan and novelist David Mitchell talk books.

Rumaan Alam, Words and Photography, Bookshop.org

The comedian and novelist choose favourites including The Sellout by Paul Beatty.

Daliso can't believe Jonathan's never read a fantasy novel before his choice, Seventh Son

Sara Collins talks to Hilary Mantel about her essay collection

Toni Morrison's Beloved and Elizabeth Strout's Olive Again are the books on the table

Armando Iannucci and John Mullan on Dickens; John Lanchester; new Black British writing

Romance in Marseilles, Butterfly Politics & This is Pleasure.Harriett Gilbert talks books

Jennifer Makumbi, New Dutch Writing, Barbara Kingsolver and Wild Swimming in literature

Ruth Jones and Dominic Cooke share their favourite reads with Harriett Gilbert.

Martin Amis

Rose Tremain; Science in Fiction

Donal Ryan, Libraries in Fiction, Campus Novels

Alex Clark talks to Richard Powers about his new novel, The Overstory.

Sara Collins speaks to Sarah Moss about history, holidays and her new novel Summerwater

Johny Pitts looks at the life and work of crime novelist P D James

Chris Power talks to Carys Davies about her new book, The Mission House

Journalist and author Nicholas Lezard and former Radio 4 controller Gwyneth Williams introduce their favourite reads to Harriett Gilbert. Nicholas chooses Watt by Samuel Beckett, a comic novel unlike any other. Gwyneth's favourite is The Leopard, Lampedusa's classic tale of Sicilian aristocracy, and Harriett champions The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, a story of grief, writing and dogs. Producer Sally Heaven. Join our instagram book club: @agoodreadbbc

Kate Grenville, Beryl Bainbridge, Narrative Voices

Comedian Sarah Keyworth and author Lissa Evans talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert. Sarah chooses Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, Lissa picks Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks and Harriett shines a light on Lady into Fox by David Garnett. Producer: Becky Ripley. Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc

Elizabeth Day talks to Eley Williams about her new book, The Liar's Dictionary.

Fiona Shaw and Nicola Coughlan join Harriett Gilbert to talk books

Charlotte Wood, Travel Writing, Narrative Voice

Nina Sosanya and David Nicholls bring their favourite books to the table

American avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson and radio DJ Stuart Maconie talk books.

Elizabeth Wetmore, Sebastian Barry and a re-working of Mary McCarthy's The Group

Val McDermid and Martha Lane Fox talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they really love.

Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Orlando King, Authors and Critics

Actresses Pippa Haywood and Felicity Montagu talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

Andrés Neuman, William Boyd on WW2 Novels, Singlit with Elaine Chiew

Natalie Carter & Melissa Cummings-Quarry (Black Girls Book Club) talk books with Harriett

Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens

Paul Mendez, Class & Society novels, Thomas Keneally on Dickens

Daniel Mason discusses new short story collection, A Registry Of My Passage On Earth.

Curtis Sittenfeld, Ian Rankin and Katherine Rundell

Award winning autor Tayari Jones discusses her novel Silver Sparrow.

Garth Greenwell talks to Mariella Frostrup about his new book Cleanness.

Ingrid Persaud, Short Fiction, Patricia Grace

Mariella Frostrup talks to Evie Wyld about new novel The Bass Rock

Books worth reading chosen by Nazir Afzal and Maggie Gee.

Maggie O'Farrell Sophie Hannah and Reading in Isolation

Helen Lederer and Angela Barnes nominate books they consider to be a good read.

Petina Gappah. Plus Henry Porter on adventure writing and the joys of fictional journeys.

Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and actor Hugh Dennis choose favourite books.

Christos Tsiolkas, Mothers and Daughters in fiction, Nairobi books

Harriett Gilbert talks to Henry Normal and Bobby Seagull about their favourite books.

Kiley Reid, Lucy Foley and Abir Mukherjee, Peter Swanson

Books worth reading chosen by Neil Oliver and Neil Forsyth.

Books worth reading chosen by actor Richard Harrington and comedian Njambi McGrath

Colum McCann, George Orwell, new fiction set in Windrush-era London

Authors Gail Honeyman and Mavis Cheek talk to Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.

Isabel Allende, Magic Realism, The Foundling

Sarah Phelps and Dane Baptiste talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they love.

100 Novels; Love and Romance with Marian Keyes, David Nicholls, Sara Collins

Harriett Gilbert talks to Syima Aslam and Stig Abell about books they love - all classics

Nick Hornby and Carlo Rovelli tell Harriett Gilbert about the books they love the most.

Jeanine Cummins on American Dirt, and forgotten classic The Street with Tayari Jones

Deepa Anappara and Rob Doyle on their new novels; Helen Fielding's book she'd never lend

100 Novels That Shaped Our World: Identity

Graham Greene special

Highlights of 2019

Benjamin Markovits, PG Wodehouse, Family rows in novels and child prodigies

2019 books, André Aciman and David Bowie

Comedian Russell Kane and novelist Sarah Perry talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert

Lee Child and Pat Barker explore the heroic protagonist. Hanne Orstavik's novel, Love

Nemone Metaxas and Raymond Antrobus talk favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert.

Ben Lerner, Women's auto fiction and Ian Rankin

The Romany writer and broadcaster Damian Le Bas and author Amy Liptrot choose a good read

Kathy O'Shaughnessy talks to Mariella about her novel charting the life of George Eliot.

Comedian Stewart Lee and DJ author Dave Haslam choose their good reads

Lisa Jewell and Aditya Chakrabortty talk all about books with Harriett Gilbert.

Books worth reading chosen by actor John Gordon Sinclair and singer Kerry Ellis

Andrew Michael Hurley talks to Mariella Frostrup about new folk horror novel Starve Acre

The University of East Anglia's Creative Writing MA turns 50.

Poorna Bell and Tony Law join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.

Emma Donoghue discusses her new novel Akin, plus a discussion of the best fiction spies.

Edith Bowman and Harry Baker discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Radiohead's bassist Colin Greenwood and comedian Joanne McNally recommend great books.

Dana Czapnik discusses her debut The Falconer and two writers talk about the Black Death.

Ann Patchett, Jia Tolentino and USA book picks with Jonathan Lee and Zack Graham.

Robert Harris discusses his new novel and reflects on 30 years of writing fiction.

Deborah Levy on her bestselling new novel, The Man Who Saw Everything.

A special edition of Open Book from the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Benjamin Myers on his latest The Offing, and Proust's In Search of Lost Time discussed.

Colm Tóibín reflects on the fathers of Irish greats and US bestseller Mary Beth Keane

David Nicholls on his new novel Sweet Sorrow and a reader's guide to Elizabeth Hardwick

Pam Hogg and Mark Billingham choose their books worth reading.

Award-winning poet Ocean Vuong discusses his debut novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Dolly Alderton and Clare Mackintosh talk about books they love to Harriett Gilbert.

On the centenary of her birth Open Book celebrates the novels of Iris Murdoch

Harriett Gilbert talks to Dom Joly and Kate Hamer about their favourite books.

Mathew Baynton and Aasmah Mir choose favourite books to recommend to Harriett Gilbert.

Will Eaves discusses Murmur, his award-winning novel about Alan Turing

Nicci Gerrard and Gary Younge join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books.

Irish author Kevin Barry, winner of the Impac Award and the Goldsmiths Prize, discusses his new novel Night Boat to Tangier, a dark comedy billed as Waiting For Godot meets In Bruges. Novelist and journalist Molly Flatt, who writes about culture and technology for the Bookseller, discusses a growing trend for book versions of successful podcasts. 25 years since the death of Derek Jarman, Mariella is joined by writers Philip Hoare and Mike Parker to explore queer nature writing, a genre concerned with the push and pull of the natural world, from a queer perspective.

Cathy Newman and Jeffery Deaver discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Carolina Setterwall and the pleasures of re-reading. With Mariella Frostrup.

Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Hannah Peel share the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Pajtim Statovci on his novel Crossing and we explore the work of Gerald Murnane

Stephen Morris and Pippa Evans tell presenter Harriett Gilbert about books they love.

Mia Couto and Wayétu Moore discuss two new African novels exploring colonialism and myth

Ben Smith and Julia Blackburn on Doggerland; Ghana's literary scene; Rosie Price

Bernardine Evaristo discusses her polyphonic new novel Girl, Woman, Other.

An exploration of the rich heritage and bright future of working class writing.

Ali Smith on her new novel, Spring, Easter Eggs in fiction and books to live by

Damian Barr, Candice Carty Williams, Beckett's novels and Julián Fuks literary postcard.

Taylor Jenkins Reid talks about her novel Daisy Jones & The Six. Also we discuss the best older characters in fiction and Reading Clinic suggests books for someone on death row.

Nicola Walker and Sarah Ann Kennedy discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Siri Hustvedt discusses her new novel Memories of the Future.

Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with the comedian and broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika and the cartoonist-author Martin Rowson. Ayesha chooses a novel from Italy: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Martin picks Let's Kill Uncle by Rohan O'Grady, and Harriett's choice is In The Skin of A Lion by Michael Ondaatje. Producer: Eliza Lomas

Max Porter discusses his new novel Lanny.

The actors Sarah Hadland (Miranda, That Mitchell and Webb Look) and Russell Tovey (Being Human, The History Boys) recommend favourite books to presenter Harriett Gilbert. Sarah's choice is French hit The Elegance of The Hedgehog. Russell's is Close Range: Brokeback Mountain, made into a film with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and Harriett's is The Naked Civil Servant. Producer: Eliza Lomas

What Makes a Jewish Book; Colm Tóibín on Natalia Ginzburg; Censorship in Kuwait

Harriett Gilbert talks about books with poet Lemn Sissay and novelist Mick Herron.

Rev. Kate Bottley and Ken Cheng talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Whitney Scharer discusses her novel about the love affair between Lee Miller and Man Ray.

Harriet Gilbert invites singer Tracy Thorne and writer Maggie O'Farrell to choose a book.

Barristers turned crime writers, Mohammed Hanif on Catch 22, Emma Darwin

Comedian Lucy Porter and writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Lucy Porter's voice will be well-known to Radio 4 listeners as a regular on the News Quiz, the Now Show and The Unbelievable Truth. On TV she has appeared on Live at the Apollo, QI, Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. She is also a successful comedy writer. Frank Cottrell-Boyce's credits as screenwriter include Welcome to Sarajevo, Hilary and Jackie and 24 Hour Party People. He is also an award-winning author of novels for children, including Millions, Framed and Cosmic. Their good reads are Letters from a Lost Uncle by Mervyn Peake, Truckers by Terry Pratchett and Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett. Producer: Mair Bosworth.

Kristen Roupenian on her new short story collection

Naturalist Brett Westwood and author Kamal Ahmed talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

Writer Scarlett Curtis and comedian Catherine Bohart talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

Chloe Aridjis, Adam Foulds and Leo Benedictus, Gay's the Word Bookshop at 40

A special programme celebrating the breadth and power of writing from the Caribbean

Oyinkan Braithwaite, Books as clutter, Kafka's legacy, True crime in fiction

Open Book explores the legacy of the American writer John Steinbeck

Festive short stories, Hangovers in fiction, Christmas novels, Book choices for 2019

Joyce Carol Oates, Wind in the Willows, October Books and orphans in literature

Donald S Murray, Lyrics and poetry, publishing in Iceland and Greenland

Comedian Gráinne Maguire and alternative history author John Higgs talk to presenter Harriett Gilbert about books they really love. Gráinne chooses Elaine Dundy’s first novel The Dud Avocado, the delightfully funny adventures of a young woman in 1950s Paris. John picks The Patterning Instinct by Jeremy Lent, a history of the world in cultural ideas which offers a brand new way of understanding civilisation and the future. Harriett’s choice is dark wartime novel The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge. Producer: Beth O'Dea

Lee Child, Southall-set thrillers, crime picks for teenagers

SAS thriller writer Andy McNab and spoken word artist George the Poet choose a good read

Barbara Kingsolver, Northern Irish writing, India’s gay fiction

Barbara Kingsolver discusses her new novel Unsheltered with Mariella Frostrup.

Harriett Gilbert is joined by authors Kamila Shamsie and Jeffrey Archer

Exploring literary responses to the Great War in the immediate aftermath of the Armistice. The University of Leicester's Victoria Stewart, and biographer Jean Moorcroft Wilson, discuss the ways that fiction reflected the horror of war in the decade after 1918. Novelist Richard T. Kelly considers the pitfalls of including real people in works of fiction. Bestselling novelist Maria Dahvana Headley explains why Beowulf felt like the appropriate framework through which to explore race, class and violence in contemporary America. And Managing Director of Waterstones James Daunt helps Open Book to launch a new series looking at the challenges of making bookselling pay.

Katie Derham and Matt Haig talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with guests, comedians Sindhu Vee and Phil Wang.

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on his short story debut, Friday Black and Minette Walters

Actor and comedian Liz Carr and Kate Williams select a favourite read

Liane Moriarty, best-selling author of Big Little Lies, discusses her latest novel.

Comedian and actor Ben Miller and writer Danny Wallace choose their favourite books.

Colombian novelist Hector Abad joins Mariella Frostrup to discuss ideas of inheritance and escape in his new family saga The Farm. And Laura Purcell reflects on what soaring horror fiction sales can tell us about contemporary anxieties.

Grace Dent and Sian Harries talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.

Harriett Gilbert discusses favourite books with the writers Nikesh Shukla and Leone Ross. Nikesh's choice is Amateur; a real-life account of testing one’s masculinity in the boxing ring by Thomas Page McBee. Leone's is Cane, the largely forgotten African-American classic by Jean Toomer and Harriett's is a divisive modern classic, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Producer: Eliza Lomas

Open Book celebrates 20 years with Mariella Frostrup in front of a live audience.

Gail Jones, revisiting iconic literary detectives and crime fiction of the 1930's.

Australian author Gail Jones discusses her new book The Death of Noah Glass

Lavinia Greenlaw on her new book In the City of Love's Dreams and Venezuelan literature.

John Boyne on his new novel, and ode to Mrs Gaskell and six of the best Sci Fi novels.

Open Book on the majesty of trees with Richard Powers, Melissa Harrison and Jessica J Lee

A special edition exploring book criticism and asking whether using critical tools can make us better readers. Mariella Frostrup is joined on stage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival by critic Alan Taylor, book podcast host Books&Rhymes, novelists Kaite Welsh and Sarah Moss, and Sarah Dillon from Cambridge University to explore the current state of book reviewing, the explosion of conversations about books online and on social media, the role of the professional reviewer and whether we can all learn useful critical tools to help us read well, and enrich our reading experience.

Claire Fuller discusses her new novel, Bitter Orange and Neil Gaiman on Hope Mirrlees

Daisy Johnson, The literary appeal of the Fens, Book festival etiquette

Mariella Frostrup and guests consider what makes them such popular fictional locations.

Actor Anne-Marie Duff and author Louise O'Neill join Harriett Gilbert for a discussion about favourite books. Anne-Marie Duff has starred in films including On Chesil Beach, Sufragette and Elizabeth I, and on TV in Shameless and From Darkness. Louise O'Neill's prize-winning novels include Only Ever Yours and Asking for It, and her latest book is a feminist take on The Little Mermaid called The Surface Breaks. Anne-Marie chooses Nights At The Circus, the classic feminist novel by Angela Carter (Vintage), Louise puts forward a memoir about seventeen brushes with death by Irish author Maggie O'Farrell; I Am I Am I Am (Tinder Press), and Harriett recommends Conversations With Friends (Faber), a critically-acclaimed debut novel by another Irish author, Sally Rooney. Producer: Eliza Lomas

Daisy Johnson and Stella Tillyard on the inspiration of the Fens and literary festivals.

Harriett Gilbert and guests talk favourite books, including Arnold Bennett's The Card, Dylan Thomas' Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog and Daniyal Mueenuddin's In Other Rooms, Other Wonders. Her guests are journalist, broadcaster and documentary-maker Samira Ahmed, presenter of BBC1's Newswatch and Radio 4's Front Row. And comedian Elis James, known for starring in the BBC3 sitcoms Crims and Josh and a familiar face on panel-shows such as Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 Cats. Producer: Becky Ripley.

Michael Donker on his debut novel and Jackie Kay on how poet Audrey Lorde inspired her.

Harriett Gilbert and guests talk favourite books in an all-female line-up, including Meg Wolitzer's The Wife, Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen and Carol Ann Duffy's collection Meantime. Her guests are comedy actress and writer Isy Suttie, series regular on Peep Show and Shameless and author of a memoir called The Actual One. And comedian Lolly Adefope, the Observer's "rising star of comedy" whose TV work includes Loaded, Taskmaster and, along with Isy, Channel 4's sitcom Damned. Producer: Becky Ripley.

Plus the Wellcome Collection's Kirty Topiwala on how fiction has approached the NHS

Loyd Grossman and Skin from rock band Skunk Anansie talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Chosen books include Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham and The Underground Railroad by Colston Whitehead. Producer: Sally Heaven.

Loyd Grossman and Skin from rock band Skunk Anansie talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Chosen books include Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham and The Underground Railroad by Colston Whitehead. Producer Sally Heaven.

Hanan Al-Shaykh and Nada Awar Jarrar on writing about Beirut close up and from a distance

Harriett Gilbert and guests talk favourite books, including Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn (the first in his Patrick Melrose series) & The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Her guests are the journalist and broadcaster Tony Parsons, who started his career at the NME and went on to write Man and Boy and later the bestselling DC Max Wolfe thriller series. And Olly Mann, presenter of award-winning podcasts and radio programmes including Answer Me This!, The Modern Mann and BBC Radio 4's The Male Room and Four Thought. Producer: Mair Bosworth

Michael Ondaatje, Nell Dunn on her book, Talking to Women and a postcard from Croatia.

Two former doctors join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books. Adam Kay is a writer and comedian whose first book, This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, was published to great acclaim in 2017. Farrah Jarral is a writer and broadcaster who was, until recently, a London GP. The good reads up for discussion are Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris and I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson. Producer: Mair Bosworth.

Cressida Connolly, posthumous short stories and a literary postcard from Iraq.

Comic actor and writer Robert Webb and award-winning journalist Hugo Rifkind talk about favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert. Robert's choice is East Anglican based fictional tale Waterland by Graham Swift. Hugo picks the Douglas Adams classic Life, The Universe and Everything, and Harriett brings Sam Miller's Fathers to the table. Producer Beth O'Dea.

Fiona Kidman discusses her new book, All Day at the Movies.

Anthony Horowitz on his second James Bond adventure and a universal library in Seville

John Harvey and favourite characters in fiction

Carys Davies on her new book, West and unfaithful women in fiction.

Jennifer Clement and we discuss the increasing influence of book bloggers.

Diana Evans discusses her new novel, Ordinary People and how to stage literary classics.

Comedians Phill Jupitus and Robin Ince talk to Harriett Gilbert about books they love. Phill's is Dada: Art and Anti-Art by Hans Richter, the founder of the punk art movement. Robin's is Soviet-era science fiction: Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, the book on which Andrei Tarkovsky's film Stalker was based. Lastly, Harriett introduces them to a dark and compelling new crime novel in which the protagonists are children: Dodgers by Bill Beverly. Producer Beth O'Dea.

Crime writers Abir Mukherjee Val McDermid and Graeme Macrae Burnet on a tour of Kolkata.

Harriett Gilbert's guests are writer Bernardine Evaristo and comedian Jolyon Rubinstein. Bernardine's choice is Come Let Us Sing Anyway by Leone Ross and Jolyon's favourite is Any Human Heart by William Boyd, and Harriett introduces her guests to An English Murder by Cyril Hare.

Joseph Knox's new book The Smiling Man and the archives of Gabriel Garzia Marquz

Writers Nina Stibbe and Kit de Waal share their recommendations for good reads

James Wood discusses his new book, Upstate and we discuss the joys of being a bookworm.

Harriett Gilbert, Joanna Trollope and Sabrina Mahfouz talk about their favourite books. Joanna chooses The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald. Sabrina's choice is Omar Robert Hamilton's The City Always Wins, and Harriett's is Terms and Conditions by Ysenda Maxtone Graham.

Materials engineer and presenter Mark Miodownik and Diana Henry, the food writer for the Sunday Telegraph, tell Harriett Gilbert about the books they love. Books tossed into the discussion are: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton and The Soul of Kindness by Elizabeth Taylor. Producer Beth O'Dea.

Jessie Greengrass and Jeremy Gavron on creating a new novel from classic texts.

Hadley Freeman (Guardian columnist and author of Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies and Be Awesome: Modern Life for Modern Ladies) and Sathnam Sanghera (Times columnist and author of Marriage Material and The Boy With The Topknot) talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Choices include Spring by David Szalay, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank and A Cat, a Man, and Two Women by Junichiro Tanizaki. Produced by Mair Bosworth

Jane Harper discusses her latest book, Force of Nature and Penelope Lively on E Nesbit

Broadcaster Steph McGovern and comedian Jayde Adams talk about books with Harriett Gilbert. Their choices are, Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed, Ann Cleeves' The Seagull, from the Vera series, and Postcards from the Edge by the late actress Carrie Fisher. Producer Sally Heaven.

Julian Barnes on his new, The Only Story.

Harriett Gilbert talks to comedian Jake Yapp, whose condensed satires include Radio 4 in 4 Minutes, and Ruby Tandoh, runner-up in The Great British Bake Off and cookery writer, about their favourite books. Jake's is Nicholas Again by René Goscinny (author of Asterix) and Jean-Jacques Sempé, translated by Anthea Bell. Ruby loves Nora Ephron's essays I Remember Nothing: and other reflections, written at the end of her life. And Harriett introduces them to On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, which reminds Jake for some reason of the TV series Lost... Producer Beth O'Dea.

Stephen Fry and Alan Davies reunite in the studio to debate their all-time favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert. Expect philosophical musings and a fair bit of silliness from these comedy polymaths and former QI partners in crime. Fears for the future are discussed through Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel A Brave New World, reflections on the past come with J.M Coetzee's memoir Boyhood, and for some light relief, Muriel Spark's centenary is celebrated in a humorous take on the publishing world, in A Far Cry From Kensington. But who picks what? Producer: Eliza Lomas.

Dirk Kurbjuweit on his book, The Fear, Nicola Sturgeon discusses her love of reading.

Leila Slimane discusses her new novel and the iimportance of translating foreign fiction

William Boyd and Alan Taylor discuss the work of Muriel Spark.

Mariella Frostrup and guests ask if we are entering a golden age of dystopian fiction.

In a special programme David Walliams talks about his life as a children’s writer.

A selection of Christmas literary gifts, Hunter Davies and crowd funding for books.

Lionel Shriver on her new book and a celebration of Nordic writing.

Comedians Nish Kumar and Katy Brand tell Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.

Stephanie Merrit and Benjamin Markovits discuss the idea of the Great American Novel.

Comedian Alexei Sayle and novelist Meg Rosoff trade favourite books with Harriett Gilbert

Jennifer Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel A Visit From The Goon Squad. Her new book Manhattan Beach is set largely during the Second World war, her heroine is the first ever female diver employed to mend warships. She talks to Mariella Frostrup about turning her hand to historical fiction, and her literary interest in twins. Also on the programme, Jen Campbell calls for better depiction of people with disabilities in fiction; biographer Helen Smith talks about Edward Garnett - man of letters and supportive editor to DH Lawrence and Joseph Conrad among others and Adam Haslett reveals the book he'd never lend.

Writers Jon McGregor and Cathy Rentzenbrink talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Mariella Frostrup talks to celebrated American novelist Celeste Ng, whose new book Little Fires Everywhere explores what happens when a calm and ordinary suburb is disrupted by the arrival of a new residents - a teenage girl and her artistic mother. Ian Rankin shares his passion for Thomas Pynchon's 1973 novel Gravity's Rainbow and we hear from the Sharjah Book Fair which has just closed its doors in the UEA. While the Icelandic crime writer novelist Lilja Sigurdardottir explains why the financial crash of 2008 inspired many authors to explore the society's underbelly.

Presenters Rick Edwards and George Lamb join Harriett Gilbert to talk favourite books.

Jenny Colgan & Steven Camden (Polarbear) talk about brilliant books with Harriett Gilbert

Graeme Macrae Burnet joins Alex Clark to discuss his novel The Accident on the A35, a new literary crime thriller. He describes the book as 'a fiction within a fiction', claiming to be not the author but the translator. Also on the programme, the life and work of South African writer Olive Schreiner, literary news from Chile and Lucy Hughes-Hallett, one of this year's judges, discusses the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer Award of the Year Award.

Alice Lowe and Andrew Hunter Murray talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Mariella Frostrup celebrates the 40th anniversary of the classic travel book In Patagonia. She's joined by the Observer theatre critic Susannah Clapp, who edited the book, and travel writer William Dalrymple who both admire its ground breaking mix of memoir, history and reportage. Also on the programme, Nathan Englander talks about his new novel Dinner at the Centre of the Earth. Best known for his short story collections this is a spy thriller and a love story based around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sandi Toksvig discusses her tale for children set in the American Midwest in the mid nineteenth century, and Dennis Glover on the difficulties of fictionalizing George Orwell, a larger than life character who seems to have been misrepresented in fiction.

Owen Jones and Georgia LA discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Omar El Akkad's debut novel American War has won rave reviews in the states. In it he imagines a future America where the country has been ravaged by climate change and a second Civil War breaks out over fossil fuels. He talks to Mariella Frostrup about his dystopian vision. Also on the programme, Icelandic writer Sjon, and Ted Hodgkinson discuss their new anthology of short stories from the Nordic region, and best selling writer novelist Elizabeth Kostova reveals the book she'd never lend.

Sally Lindsay and Jonathan Harvey talk about the books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Alan Hollinghurst on his new novel and Denise Mina and Max Porter discuss ghost stories.

Toby Young and Sarah Vine talk favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Clare Messud on her latest novels and theatrical memoirs.

Helen Sedgwick discusses her new novel The Growing Season; Australian writers to watch.

Daryl Gregory discusses his latest novel Spoonbenders and a manual on being a writer

Kamila Shamsie and David Vann discuss their own interpretations of classic Greek myths.

Partition, Peter Stamm on his new novel and libraries in fiction

Fredrik Backman is an internationally bestselling author whose A Man Called Ove has sold more than 3 million copies. His new novel, The Scandal, is set in an isolated Swedish town where the future is looking bright, until one brutal act threatens that future prosperity. Fredrik Backman talks to Mariella Frostrup.

Tom Holland, Tracy Borman and Olivette Otele talk about who is writing history today.

Author John Niven and journalist Sali Hughes talk books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

Fiona Melrose discusses her new book, Johannesburg and Kaite Welsh on transgender fiction

Elizabeth Day discusses her new book, The Party and Patrick Ness's Queer Icon.

Harriett Gilbert talks to Stacey Dooley and Gaia Vince about their favourite books.

Matt Haig on time travel and Val McDermid discusses Virginia Woolf's Orlando.

Kathy Burke and comedian Tom Allen talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert

Actor Bill Paterson and writer Tom Chatfield talk about beloved books to Harriett Gilbert

Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press and Misha Glenny on The Master and Margarita

Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with Verity Sharp and Matthew Syed.

Thomas Keneally discusses his latest novel, Crimes of the Father

Harriett Gilbert talks favourite books with Nathan Caton and Adam Rutherford.

Harriett Gilbert talks to Ed Byrne and Hardeep Singh Kohli about their favourite books.

Tim Winton on his new book The Boy Behind The Curtain – Notes from an Australian Life

Gail Honeyman, Nell Stevens and Angie Thomas on the Book She'd Never Lend

Richard Beard and Bella Pollen discuss their memoirs and a discussion on George Eliot.

The Girl on the Train writer Paula Hawkins talks about her new novel Into The Water

Lisa McInerney on her new novel, Blood Miracles and a discussion on regional writing

Luiza Sauma on her book Flesh and Bone and Water and books for Easter.

Mariella Frostrup talks to Jon McGregor about his new novel Reservoir 13, a haunting exploration of the impact of a missing child on a Derbyshire community. Polly Clark explains why she decided to fictionalize a less well known period in W H Auden's life when, as a young man, he worked as a school master in Scotland. Mariella is also joined by another devotee of Auden, writer Alexander McCall Smith, to discuss the poet's timeless appeal. We discusses the novel behind the film 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' which is being re-released. And Wendy Holden tells us about the Book She'd Never Lend.

Will Self and Rachel Johnson talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows and Elan Mastai on literary soothsaying.

Doctor twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken talk to Harriett Gilbert about favourite books.

George Saunders, Nina Lorez Collins, Harper Collins archives and favourite books

Harriet Harman and Pete Paphides champion their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Helen Dunmore discusses her new book, Birdcage Walk.

Tony Robinson and Andi Oliver recommend great books to presenter Harriett Gilbert.

Harriett Gilbert talks great books with Craig Brown and Pippa Evans.

Mohsin Hamid discusses his new book, Exit West and North Korean short stories

Harriett Gilbert talks to Murray Lachlan Young & Deborah Frances-White about good reads.

Nadiya Hussain discusses the book she'd never lend.

Lionel Shriver, author, and Mae Martin, comedian, talk books with Harriett Gilbert.

Joanna Trollope discusses her new novel, City of Friends.

Lord Victor Adebowale and musician Rachel Unthank join Harriett Gilbert to talk books.

Alan Carr and Melanie Sykes talk with Harriett Gilbert about the books they love.

Yaa Gyasi's debut novel Homegoing is already one of the most talked about debuts of 2017. She joins Mariella Frostrup to talk about this tale of two sisters with strikingly different destinies - one sold into slavery, the other a slave trader's wife - and the way their lives reverberate through the generations. We open the doors to our Reading Clinic with the writer of King Arthur Kevin Crossley-Holland, who chooses his favourite books on the legendary figure of Merlin. Award winning novelist AL Kennedy talks about her first book for children, Uncle Shawn and Bill and the Almost Entirely Unplanned Adventure and we have our monthly recommendation from inside the publishing industry.

Tessa Hadley on her new book and Esther Freud and Kitty Aldridge on literary friendships

James Lasdun discusses his new book The Fall Guy and crime fiction for 2017

Literary postcards from around the world.

Nadeem Aslam discusses his new book The Golden Legend

The dark world of Shirley Jackson and a look at this year's best reads

Literary heroes and the book I'd never lend.

Jay McInerney talks about his novel Bright Lights, Big City.

Businessman John Timpson & Big Issue founder John Bird talk favourite books.

An original Jane Eyre manuscript published in a new edition and a story from Chris Cleave

Charles Moore and Nadifa Mohamed discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

David Grossman on his new novel and photographer Steve McCurry's portraits of readers.

Michael Grade and Gia Milinovich talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books.

Margaret Drabble on her new book The Dark Flood Rises and the books on her bedside table.

Sally Phillips and Julia Donaldson talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.

In Classic Book Club, author Louise Walsh discusses Kidnapped with James Naughtie

Harriett Gilbert invites Terry Christian and Dr Kevin Fong to talk favourite books.

Quentin Blake, Emma Chichester Clark and Brit Bennett

Harriett Gilbert talks to Cariad Lloyd and Mike Bullen about books they love, and why.

Sebastian Barry, Naomi Alderman and Margaret Atwood