Podcasts by Simon Mayos Books Of The Year

John Boyne Q&A from 2023-11-29T03:00

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 Rya...

John Boyne from 2023-11-22T16:21:45

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 ...

Terry Hayes QnA from 2023-11-15T00:01

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 auth...

Terry Hayes from 2023-11-09T00:29

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, ...

Victoria Hislop Q&A from 2023-11-01T00:00

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 from 2023-10-26T14:28:40

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....

Books Of The Year (2023 so far...) from 2023-10-18T13:30:34

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 hav...

Louise Doughty Q&A from 2023-10-04T14:22:58

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 real...

Louise Doughty from 2023-09-27T10:44:04

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 meeti...

Adele Parks Q&A from 2023-09-19T23:01

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 megapho...

Sebastian Faulks Q&A from 2023-09-05T23:01

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...

Harlan Coben Q&A from 2023-04-05T07:11:50

In our bonus Q&A episode, Harlan Coben answers questions about his writing process and reading habits. Harlan famously calls himself a 'street writer' because he can write anywhere (even in the ba...

Harlan Coben from 2023-03-28T23:01

He's done it again! Another Sunday Bestseller... One of our favourite authors, Harlan Coben, joins us to talk about 'I Will Find You' - his latest thriller. He talks about his processes, his inspir...

David McCloskey Q&A from 2023-03-08T08:08:02

In this fascinating Q&A episode, ex-CIA analyst turned author, David McCloskey, tells us about his writing process, routines and why pepperoni pizza and scotch is the dinner of champions. The pod ...

David McCloskey talks spies and hot dogs from 2023-03-01T21:18:49

Former CIA analyst, David McCloskey, joins Simon and Matt to talk about his stunning spy novel, Damascus Station. It's already one of Matt's books of the year - and has received great praise from ...

Linwood Barclay Q&A from 2023-02-22T10:56:45

International bestselling author Linwood Barclay answers questions on his writing and reading habits, as well as talking about his love for The Man From U.N.C.L.E Fellow crime author, Mark Billingh...

Linwood Barclay talks cars, crime and catasrophe from 2023-02-15T10:25:05

International bestselling author , Linwood Barclay, joins Simon and Matt from his home in Toronto. They discuss his new novel 'Look Both Ways' as well as his passion for cars, the humour in his bo...

Cariad Lloyd Q&A from 2023-02-01T08:48:24

In our Q&A episode, writer, comedian and podcaster Cariad Lloyd talks about the bleak joy she finds in the Moomins books. She also talks about her favourite places to write, her routine and the las...

Cariad Lloyd talks 'You Are Not Alone" from 2023-01-25T07:57:36

Podcaster, Comedian and writer Cariad Lloyd joins Simon and Matt to discuss her new book, 'You Are Not Alone: A New Way To Grieve' They talk about her award-winning podcast, Griefcast, and how she...

Q&A with Jason Mott from 2023-01-18T11:57:43

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 ...

Jason Mott discusses 'Hell Of A Book' (winner of The National Book Award) from 2023-01-11T08:12:13

We're baaaaaack! And we're kicking off 2023 with HELL OF A BOOK by Jason Mott.This brilliant, humorous, moving, important novel is the winner of the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, AND the N...

It's a Books Of The Year Christmas Spesh! from 2022-12-22T15:27:58

Ho Ho Holy Moly it's nearly the end of 2022! And to celebrate, Simon and Matt have put together a bonus Christmas ep, for all our Books Of The Year stalwarts.Join us for some pretty lame Christmas...

Q&A with Sebastian Payne from 2022-12-21T00:59:49

In our companion pod, FT Whitehall Editor Sebastian Payne answers questions about his writing, processes and what he's been reading and enjoying recently. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

Sebastian Payne: The Fall Of Boris Johnson from 2022-12-14T00:01:14

Simon and Matt welcome the former Whitehall Editor of the FT (now Director of the Think Tank, Onward), Sebastian Payne, to discuss his book 'The Fall Of Boris Johnson'We recorded this one quite lat...

Q&A with Claire Powell (At The Table) from 2022-04-20T09:37:42

Claire Powell tackles our Q&A about the books she loved as a child, books that cheer her up and her favourite book shops.

See At the Table is a hugely intelligent, emotionally astute novel about family dynamics, and Claire Powell is an incredible new talent' Marian Keyes

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Q&A with Justin Webb: The Gift Of A Radio from 2022-02-08T08:04:16

The host of Radio 4's flagship Today programme chats about some of his favourite books which include Landslide, Stig of the Dump, Light Perpetual and Knights of the Cardboard Castle.

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Justin Webb: The Gift Of A Radio from 2022-02-01T12:51:11

Simon and Matt chat to presenter and journalist Justin Webb. He has been a mainstay on BBC Radio 4's Today programme since 2009.

His childhood was far from ordinary. Between h...

Q&A with Jo Browning Wroe: A Terrible Kindness from 2022-01-18T11:08:05

Simon and Matt chat to debut author Jo Browning Wroe about the books and authors she loves...including John Irving, Joanna Glen, Susanna Clarke and Maggie O'Farrell. Plus tips on how to squeeze ext...

Jo Browning Wroe: A Terrible Kindness from 2022-01-11T11:54:01

Simon and Matt chat to debut author Jo Browning Wroe. Her book, although beginning with a terrible real life tragedy, is an inspiring, uplifting read. Among other things, they chat about the emb...

Q&A with Ed Caesar: The Moth and the Mountain from 2021-12-17T17:14:30

Ed recommends a variety of books including those by Hugh Ruttledge, Sam Knight, JB Priestley, Kingsley Amis and Cheeta!

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Ed Caesar: The Moth & the Mountain from 2021-12-13T17:05:27

Ed tells the amazing story of Maurice Wilson, who planned to be the first person to scale Everest. His plan was to crash a plane in to it! What could possibly go wrong?

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John Boyne (The Echo Chamber) from 2021-08-04T12:25:48

John Boyne returns to the pod for his hat-trick appearance. He has written 13 novels for for adults, 6 novels for younger readers, and a short story collection, including The Boy In The...

new novel is a WWII thriller about a German rocket engineer, a former actress tur...

Q&A with Alastair Campbell from 2020-09-23T05:00

One of the key figures in British politics for the past 30 years, Alastair Campbell tells us about his favourite books and authors.

Alastair is a British journalist, broadcaster and po...

Alastair Campbell (Living Better) from 2020-09-16T11:10:48

"Last Christmas I almost killed myself. Almost. I've had a lot of almosts. Never gone from almost to deed. Don't think I ever will. But it was a bad almost."

Living Better is...

Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club) from 2020-09-01T20:50:17

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murd...

Q&A with Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club) from 2020-08-26T10:43:09

TV producer and presenter - and now author... Richard Osman tells us about some of his favourite books and authors...which include Ben MacIntyre, Marian Keyes and Viz!

Simon's new thriller is Knife...

A little taster of Lee Child interviewing Simon from 2020-08-15T06:21:14

Lee Child, the 100 million selling author of the Jack Reacher novels, takes over presenting duties to interview fledgling author Simon Mayo about his new book Knife Edge.

In this clip the...

Q&A with Sabine Durrant from 2020-08-08T04:00

Sabine Durrant is a former assistant editor of The Guardian and a former literary editor at The Sunday Times. She is currently a magazine profile writ...

Sabine Durrant (Finders, Keepers) from 2020-08-01T06:08:44

Hoarding, how to write endings, ice cream vans - and Matt's desire to kill

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Q&A with Robert Webb (Come Again) from 2020-07-25T07:00

The best selling author and Peep Show star tells us about his favourite books and authors, which include Huckleberry Finn, Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Clive James and Mr Uppity.

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Robert Webb (Come Again) from 2020-07-18T10:07:14

The No 1 best selling author of How Not To Be A Boy releases his debut novel Come Again - where his heroin finds herself back in 1992, trying to save the life of her future partner. "It's mean to ...

Q&A with Anthony Horowitz OBE from 2020-04-22T20:02:25

The best selling author chats about his favourite books and authors - including Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Ben MacIntyre and Ian Rankin

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Ariana Neumann (When Time Stopped) from 2020-03-10T07:33:22

When Time Stopped -A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains

Ariana meticulously uncovers the astonishing truth of her father’s extraordinary escape from Nazi-occup...

Q&A with Mark Billingham from 2020-02-08T04:25:24

One of Britain's finest crime writers tells us about his favourite books and authors - which include Elvis Costello, Leon Garfield and Charlie Brooker

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Q&A with Andrew Hunter Murray from 2020-02-06T22:29:04

QI Elf Andrew talks us through his favourite authors which include Rik Mayall, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and PG Wodehouse.

Andrew's debut novel is The Last Day - which focuses on a wo...

Andrew Hunter Murray (The Last Day) from 2020-02-03T12:38:34

QI Elf, Private Eye contributor and No Such Thing As A Fish presenter Andrew Hunter Murray tells us about his debut novel The Last Day - a thriller set in a world which has spun to a halt, bringing...

Q&A with Sophie Hannah from 2020-02-01T00:00

Sophie is an internationally best selling crime author. In our Q&A she tells Simon and Matt about her favourite authors which include Agatha Christie, Samantha Downing and Howard Jacobson
...

Sophie Hannah (Haven't They Grown) from 2020-01-29T11:19:40

In Sophie Hannah's latest thriller Beth sees some old friends...but "twelve years have passed and the children don't look any older...why haven't they grown?"

Sophie is a Sunday Times ...

Q&A with Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short, The Fifth Risk...) from 2019-12-28T13:32:05

One of America's finest investigative writers answers our book Q&A

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Adele Parks (Lies, Lies, Lies) from 2019-11-13T19:00:42

Adele Park's latest novel Lies Lies Lies is a Sunday Times bestseller. She has written 19 novels, selling over 3.5million copies in the UK alone. In our latest pod, Adele talks us throu...

Q&A with George Alagiah from 2019-10-28T07:29:48

Broadcaster, journalist and author George Alagiah talks us through his favourite books and authors...

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George Alagiah (The Burning Land) from 2019-10-21T19:05:11

Since 2007, George has been the presenter of the BBC News at Six and has also been the main presenter of GMT on BBC World News since its launch in 2010. A specialist on Africa and the developing...

Q&A with Wild Swans author Jung Chang from 2019-10-08T06:00

The best selling author talks about her favourite books and writers.

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A Q&A with Dr Chris Naunton (Searching For The Lost Tombs of Egypt) from 2019-08-20T07:00

Egyptologist Chris Naunton talks us through his favourite writers, explorers and books.

See Reasons To Stay Alive and Notes From A Nervous Planet were b...

Matt Haig from 2019-07-28T17:51:56

Matt Haig pops in to chat about his new books: Evie and the Animals and The Truth Pixie. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit and is translated in over 25 ...

A Q&A with Emma John (Wayfaring Stranger) from 2019-07-22T15:49:30

Journalist and author Emma John talks us through her favourite books and writers - which include Stephen Fry, Amy Poehler and Mark Twain.

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Emma John (Wayfaring Stranger) from 2019-07-15T15:48:39

Can you feel nostalgic for a life you've never known? Suffused with her much-loved warmth and wit, Emma John's memoir follows her moving and memorable journey to master one of the hardest musica...

Q&A with Jeanette Winterson (Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit/Frankissstein) from 2019-07-10T13:59:10

Jeanette Winterson is one of the UK's most loved and respected authors. In our Q&A she discusses her favourite writers and books - and her reading and writing habits.

from 2019-06-26T12:29:07

Sue Nelson is an award-winning science journalist, producer and broadcaster. A former BBC TV science correspondent and Radio 4 presenter, Sue makes short films on space missions for the European Sp...

Wally Funk's Race For Space from 2019-06-20T08:07:40

Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to pass the Woman in Space programme. Wally sailed through a series of rigorous physical and mental tests, with one of her sc...

Q&A with Chloe Hooper (The Arsonist) from 2019-05-22T13:09:45

Chloe's book The Arsonist is Simon and Matt's favourite of the year so far. Here she talks us through her favourite authors and books.

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Chloe Hooper - The Arsonist from 2019-05-15T15:17:12

The Arsonist tells the real-life story behind one of Australia’s darkest days and the deadliest bushfire disaster in Australia’s history, Black Saturday.

On the scorching Feb...

Q&A Michelle Paver & John Boyne from 2019-04-25T07:00

Two hugely successful authors have a crack at our book Q&A

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Prof Lewis Dartnell - Origins from 2019-04-06T12:53:59

The best selling author of Origins: How The Earth Made Us - the story of the human species as shaped by the environment. Prof Lewis Dartnell is a research scientist, prese...

Our Q&A with Anita Anand from 2019-03-20T14:47:43

Broadcaster and journalist Anita Anand picks her favourite books and authors - including Roald Dahl, Gitta Sereny, Emily Eden and Fern Riddell.

Se...

Anita Anand - The Patient Assassin from 2019-03-14T20:31:42

Anita Anand tells the remarkable story of one Indian's twenty-year quest for revenge, taking him around the world in search of those he held responsible for the Amritsar massacre of 1919, which ...

Q&A with Jonathan Freedland/Sam Bourne from 2019-03-07T07:54:57

Find out the reading habits of thriller writer (and Guardian journalist) Jonathan Freedland

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Charlie Connelly - Last Train To Hilversum from 2019-02-14T00:01

Charlie Connelly is a bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster. His many books include Attention All S...

Alex Michaelides - The Silent Patient from 2019-02-07T00:01

The author of one of the most anticipated thrillers of 2019 - The Silent Patient

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Helen Russell - Atlas of Happiness from 2019-01-17T14:55:46

The Atlas of Happiness is a round-the-world trip through 33 international happiness concepts, from the bestselling author of The Year of Living Danishly, Helen Russell.

Feeling terrified o...

John Simpson's Q&A from 2018-12-21T00:01

Legendary journalist John Simpson tells us about his favourite books and authors

See from 2018-12-20T01:00

Sir Michael Parkinson talks us through his favourite books

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Roger Daltrey from 2018-12-13T18:08:13

An undiagnosed broken back, turning up to Woodstock in a VW Beetle, and 6 of the best on his bare arse. The legendary frontman of The Who tells all about his autobiography Thanks A Lot Mr Kibbl...