Powered by RND
PodcastsArtsA Good Read

A Good Read

BBC Radio 4
A Good Read
Latest episode

Available Episodes

5 of 368
  • Rob Rinder and Juno Dawson
    RUNNING WITH SCISSORS by Augusten Burroughs, chosen by Rob Rinder THE ODD WOMAN AND THE CITY by Vivian Gornick, chosen by Harriett Gilbert EARTHLINGS by Sayaka Murata, chosen by Juno DawsonThe barrister, television presenter and writer Rob Rinder and author Juno Dawson talk books with Harriett Gilbert. Juno Dawson selects Sayaka Murata's Earthlings, the follow-up to her cult hit Convenience Store Woman. Rob Rinder advocates for Running with Scissors, Augusten Burroughs' memoir of a deeply bizarre childhood, and Harriett has gone for The Odd Woman and the City, Vivian Gornick's essays celebrating New York.Producer for BBC Audio Bristol: Sally HeavenJoin the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbcPhoto credit: Ollie Rosser
    --------  
    27:33
  • Zadie Smith and Colm Tóibín
    OBLIVION by Héctor Abad, chosen by Colm Tóibín FLESH by David Szalay, chosen by Zadie Smith CALL ME BY YOUR NAME by André Aciman, chosen by Harriett GilbertAuthors and good friends Zadie Smith and Colm Tóibín join Harriett Gilbert to share books they love. For a longer edition of this episode, check out the A Good Read podcast. Colm Tóibín chooses Oblivion, a memoir by Colombian writer Héctor Abad. It’s a deeply moving tribute to Abad’s father – a warm, generous, and witty man who was a doctor, university professor, and tireless human rights campaigner. His life was tragically cut short when he was murdered by paramilitaries in Medellín in 1987. What do the others make of this powerful portrait of love and loss?Next, Zadie Smith recommends Flesh, a taut and compelling novel by Hungarian-British author David Szalay. The story follows István, a Hungarian man whose life takes a picaresque turn – from the army to prison, and eventually to London, where he works as a security guard for a wealthy family. As he becomes entangled in their world in unexpected ways, do the others find the novel as gripping as she does?Finally, Harriett Gilbert brings Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman, the novel that inspired the acclaimed film starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. Set during a languid summer on the Italian Riviera, it captures the intense infatuation between Elio and Oliver. But how does the novel compare to the much-loved film?Colm Tóibín is the author of eleven novels, including The Master, The Magician, Brooklyn, and Long Island, the latter now out in paperback. And Zadie Smith has written six novels, among them White Teeth, Swing Time, and her most recent, The Fraud.Producer: Eliza Lomas
    --------  
    30:03
  • Joanna Hardy-Susskind and Horatio Clare
    THE TRUCE by Primo Levi, chosen by Horatio Clare THE SUN DOES SHINE by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin, chosen by Joanna Hardy-Susskind SULA by Toni Morrison, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Writer Horatio Clare joins criminal defence barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind to discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Horatio's choice is a book he returns to every winter, The Truce, in which writer Primo Levi recounts his survivor's journey home to from Auschwitz across a war-torn Europe. Joanna puts forward another powerful autobiography, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, in which Anthony Ray Hinton recounts his time on death row after being wrongly accused of murder. And finally, Harriett's choice is an early novel by Toni Morrison, called Sula, which follows the turbulent friendship of two girls as they grow into adulthood within a poor but close-knit community in Ohio. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Becky Ripley Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc Photo Credit: Ivan Weiss
    --------  
    27:49
  • Desiree Akhavan and Rosie Wilby
    ALL FOURS by Miranda July, chosen by Desiree Akhavan UNTRUE by Wednesday Martin, chosen by Rosie Wilby DRAGON TALK by Fleur Adcock, chosen by Harriett GilbertFilmmaker and writer Desiree Akhavan joins comedian, writer and podcaster Rosie Wilby as they discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Desiree's choice is All Fours by Miranda July, a novel about a perimenopausal woman's sexual awakening on an unusual road trip. By coincidence, Rosie Wilby chooses a non-fiction book which looks at research into women's sexuality, Untrue by Wednesday Martin. Harriett's choice is a volume of poetry by Fleur Adcock, dealing with matters of family and childhood.Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc Photo credit Cecila Frugiuele
    --------  
    27:51
  • James Rebanks and Kiri Pritchard-McLean at the Hay Festival
    THE IRON AGE by Arja Kajermo A SHORT STAY IN HELL by Steven L Peck STONE YARD DEVOTIONAL by Charlotte WoodJames Rebanks is a farmer from the Lake District as well as author of The Shepherd's Life. His new book The Place of Tides is about his time in Norway learning from an elderly woman who cared for eider ducks on a remote island. His book choice is The Iron Age by Arja Kajermo, a Finnish novel about rural life in the 1950s, told from the perspective of a young girl. James finds it speaks to his northern sensibility as it documents the hard life of an impoverished farming family in post war Finland.Kiri Pritchard-McLean is a multi-award winning Welsh comedian, satirist and writer. Her choice is A Short Stay In Hell by Steven L Peck about a Mormon condemned to exist in Hell for millennia. Kiri says it's a book bursting with ideas about life and its meaning.Harriett picks Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood set in a religious retreat outside of Sydney where a woman has come to reassess her life.There's plenty of lively and good natured disagreement about the books. Listen here and add your thoughts to our Instagram Book Club @agoodreadbbcProducer: Maggie Ayre
    --------  
    27:51

More Arts podcasts

About A Good Read

Find reading inspiration with favourite books chosen by our guests.
Podcast website

Listen to A Good Read, Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features

A Good Read: Podcasts in Family

Social
v7.22.0 | © 2007-2025 radio.de GmbH
Generated: 8/5/2025 - 3:15:42 PM