Books and Authors

Elizabeth Day talks to Anuk Arudpragasam about his new novel, A Passage North

Two acting greats advocate for their favourite books.

Chris Power speaks to Miranda Cowley Heller about her debut The Paper Palace

Japanese fiction; Vendela Vida

The two musicians choose favourite books

The two musicians choose books that have left a lasting impact

The Greek politician chooses a good read along with novelist Patrick McGrath

Elizabeth Day speaks to Damon Galgut about his new novel, The Promise.

Harriett Gilbert talks to Janey Godley and Mel Hudson about books they love.

Elizabeth Day talks to Zakiya Dalila Harris about her debut novel, The Other Black Girl

The actor and the journalist share favourite books with Harriett Gilbert.

Chris Power speaks to Jonathan Lee about his new novel, The Great Mistake

Tears, hope and identity. The comedian, the Radio 1 presenter, and their favourite books.

Tech startups in fiction; Editor's tip; Sensitivity reading

New Irish Writing, Book Dedications, Mary Gaitskill on Madame Bovary

Hollie McNish, Modern American Short Stories, Twins

Elizabeth Day talks to the writer Jhumpa Lahiri, whose latest novel, Whereabouts, was originally written in Italian, a language she learned in her 40s. Whereabouts tells the story of an unnamed middle-aged woman who meanders through a Northern Italian city, sharing her observations on everything from having a manicure to walking a friend’s dog. Lahiri builds up a mosaic of such moments, interspersing them with deeper glimpses into the woman’s relationship with her parents and the sudden...

Johny Pitts talks to Jon McGregor about his latest novel Lean Fall Stand, inspired by a trip to Antarctica. Opening with sparse, barely describable landscape in the midst of a storm, it follows Robert "Doc" Wright's recovery in the aftermath and sensitively examines heroism, modern masculinity and the failure of words. Chester Himes is an often overlooked favour of his Black American contemporaries Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright and James Baldwin, despite also attempting to carve out a...

Elizabeth Day talks to Chris Power, writer of the short story collection Mothers, about his debut novel A Lonely Man. Robert Prowe is a struggling writer living in Berlin with his wife and two young daughters. One night he meets Patrick, a stranger with a story to tell, who is a ghostwriter for a Russian oligarch who is now being followed. Robert finds himself seduced by Patrick's dramatic story, wondering if it might provide the inspiration he needs for his own novel, and becomes caught up...

Johny Pitts visits his local bookshop, Review in Peckham, as it prepares to reopen and talks to manager Ben Pope about missing bookseller recommendations Naomi Ishiguro discusses her debut novel Common Ground, about a friendship across a cultural divide and the importance of open space for everyone. And we reflect on making room in our homes for Spring. Do books count as clutter? Eleanor Ray and Jess Kidd, two authors who have written about hoarding, discuss.