The Radio 2 Book Club

To celebrate Pride Month, we're putting the spotlight on some brilliant queer literature, courtesy of the Queer Girls Book Club.

Ayse Huseyin joins Sara for a chat about their group and shares with us her Top Five Reads Of The Year so far. We also sent the book club a copy of 'Ordinary Saints' by Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin (a previous choice of ours) and captured a little bit of their discussion. It turns out, they liked it just as much as we did!

Here are Ayse's Top Five Reads of 2025 (so far) as discussed on the episode:

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamyah H

How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Two Lives by Vikram Seth

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Taylor Jenkins Reid (the author of 'Daisy Jones & The Six', 'Malibu Rising', 'The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo' and many more) joins Sara for a chat about her new book, 'Atmosphere'.

They discuss space travel in the 1980s, how women were treated at that time in a very male dominated space, her inspirations for this story and her love of the night sky.

We also get a snippet from the audiobook - and - some book recommendations from Taylor too.

Here's the 'Atmosphere' book blurb:

An epic novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond; mission specialists John Griffin and Lydia Danes; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Author Beth Lewis joins Sara in the Radio 2 Book Club to discuss her new historical novel, The Rush.

Beth has set her latest book in the gold rush era in Canada, and has chosen to tell it from the point of view of female protagonists (rather than gnarled face old men we're used to hearing about)

Sara chats about her fascination with this era, her research and why lots of women have been written out of that time. We also learn about Beth's writing routine - and - get a great book recommendation from her too.

We always love to hear what you have been reading and recommending! You can email us anytime: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

Here's a little more about Beth's book:

Canada, 1898. The gold rush is on in the frozen wilderness of the Yukon. Fortunes are made as quickly as they're lost, and Dawson City has become a lawless settlement.

In its midst, three women are trying to survive on the edge of civilisation. Journalist Kate has travelled hundreds of miles after receiving a letter from her sister, who fears that her husband will kill her. Martha's hotel and livelihood are under threat from the local strongman, who is set on buying up the town. And down by the river, where gold shimmers from between the rocks, Ellen feels her future slip away as her husband fails to find the fortune they risked so much to seek.

When a woman is murdered, Kate, Martha and Ellen find their lives, fates and fortunes intertwined. But to unmask her killer they must navigate a desperate land run by dangerous men who will do anything for a glimpse of gold...

Librarian Ros Harding tells Sara all about The Carnegies - the UK's longest running children's book awards.

Ros is this year's Head Of Judges - and tells us why these awards are important for recognising writers and illustrators, and why encouraging children to read is so vital.

She also shares her Top Five Reads Of The Year!

Louisa Reid - 'Handle with Care' Sarah Crossan - 'Where the Heart Should Be' Ravena Guron - Mondays are Murder' Richard Osman - 'We Solve Murders' Holly Bourne - 'So Thrilled For You'

V.E. Shwab returns to the Radio 2 Book Club to discuss her new novel, 'Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil'

She has written and published 25 books in just 15 years (quite an achievement!) and was featured on the pod for her last novel - 'The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue'

She talks to Sara about 'fantasy with a small f', reading outside your comfort zone, writing queer love stories and why she likes vampires!

Here's a little more on the book:

Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532. London, 1837. Boston, 2019.

Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots.

One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild.

And all of them grow teeth.

Luke Burton is one of our Superstar Librarians who helps choose our Radio 2 Book Club titles.

He's now a big cheese at Arts Council England, and talks to Sara about the importance of libraries and...how he comes from a family of qualified librarians (so it really is in his blood!)

He shares his Top Five Reads - and the books he's looking forward to reading this year.

Here is his list:

'In the Blink of an Eye' by Jo Callaghan

'What a Way to Go' by Bella Mackie

'The Masquerades of Spring' by Ben Aaronovitch

'Killing Thatcher: The IRA, the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown' by Roy Carroll

'American Dirt' by Jeanine Cummins

Sara welcomes author Catherine Chidgey to the Radio 2 Book Club.

They discuss her new novel, 'The Book Of Guilt', which is an eerie, dark, chilling story set in England, in the late 1970s (but a slightly different England to what we know now)

Catherine talks about her inspirations, the things she does in the name of research (going on a rollercoaster even though she's terrified of them) and how she created the unnerving feeling in her books.

She also gives us some great book recommendations too!

Remember you can join in the conversation at any time - the email is radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

Here's the blurb for The Book Of Guilt:

England, 1979. Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a secluded New Forest home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Every day, the triplets do their chores, play their games and take their medicine, under the watchful eyes of three mothers: Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon and Mother Night.

Their nightmares are recorded in The Book of Dreams. Their lessons are taken from The Book of Knowledge. And their sins are reported in The Book of Guilt.

All the boys want is to be sent to the Big House in Margate, where they imagine a life of sun, sea and fairground rides. But, as the government looks to shut down the Sycamore Homes, the triplets begin to question everything they have been told.

Gradually surrendering its dark secrets, The Book of Guilt is a profoundly unnerving exploration of belonging in a world where some lives are valued less than others.

Listener Reviewer, Stef Loughrey, shares the five books she has loved reading recently.

She also tells Sara about her job as a TV producer, sharing books on Insta - and - which new novels she's looking forward to coming out this year...

Here are her picks:

Penance by Eliza Clark

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth

Our Book Club pick this week is 'The Correspondent' by Virginia Evans.

She joins Sara down the line from the USofA to tell us all about the inspiration behind this novel, why she loves writing letters and how she once lost a draft of an entire book on her laptop!

She also gives us some great book recommendations too!

If you have read any of our choices recently, well we'd love to hear from you. Remember you can email anytime: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

Here's the blurb for The Correspondent:

In her letters to family and friends we come to know the life of Sybil Van Antwerp: stubborn, cantankerous, opinionated, always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word.

But as the clock begins to tick for Sybil, the need for a few post-scripts to the life she’s led becomes apparent. Fixing her difficult relationship with her children. Taking a final chance at romance. Atoning for an old legal case which has come back to haunt her. And finally, reckoning with a devastating loss that she has spent the last thirty years holding close to her chest.

Becki works for Barnsley Libraries, and is also a member of the Radio 2 Book Club panel, who help choose our book choices.

She tells Sara which books have been flying off the shelves recently, shares her Top Five Reads of the year so far - and - reviews one of our previous Book Club choices ('The Favourites' by Layne Fargo)

Remember, if you'd like to be one of our listener reviewers on a future episode, all you have to do is email us your top five reads of the year so far, a little bit about yourself - and a contact number! The email is: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin joins Sara in the Book Club to chat about her debut novel, 'Ordinary Saints'.

She discusses her writing journey, the weaving of many different themes in one book and why ultra marathons and writing go hand in hand!

Niamh also recommends us a book she has loved reading recently and confesses to leaving the first draft of her novel in a pub (which was, thankfully, retrieved)

Book Blurb:

Brought up in a devout household in Ireland, Jay is now living in London with her girlfriend, determined to live day to day and not think too much about either the future or the past. But when she learns that her beloved older brother, who died in a terrible accident, may be made into a Catholic saint, she realises she must at last confront her family, her childhood and herself . . .

Inspired by the author's own devout upbringing, Ordinary Saints is a brilliant debut novel from a fresh, exciting new voice which asks - who gets to decide how we are remembered - and who we will become?

This week, listener reviewer Clare Kenney joins us, to share her Top Five Reads of 2025 so far...and tell us a little bit about the WI!

Sara learns about Clare's book group, her happy reading place (a VW Camper no less) and why she loves Taylor Jenkins Reid so much.

Here Top Five Reads are:

Foster by Claire Keegan

The Mad Women's Ball by Mas Victoria

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

After I do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Remember, if you'd like to be one of our listener reviewers in future, all you have to do is email us: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk (tell us a bit about yourself, and give us your Top Five Reads of 2025 so far)

This week’s book choice is a time-bending romance novel, which is bold and inventive and brilliant to read. If you were a fan of previous Book Club choices ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ‘ or ‘The Ministry Of Time’ – then we think you’ll love this too.

It's called 'Who Wants To Live Forever' - and is the debut novel by Hana Thomas Uose.

Sara chats about Hanna's inspirations, whether she WOULD like to live forever, and why a California writing retreat wasn't all it was cracked up to be!

We also get some brilliant book recommendations too.

Here's a little more about Hanna's novel:

This is the greatest romance you will ever read without the happily ever after.

Yuki and Sam are soulmates. They are destined to spend the rest of their lives together. They are supposed to love one another, forever.

But when a miracle drug is released which can extend a human's life indefinitely, Sam chooses to live forever, instead of loving Yuki forever - and the world they know is spun inside out.

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER plunges into a parallel universe where forever is on sale to the highest bidder. What comes next is a world-building epic narrated by an intersecting cast of characters that will drive you to the edge of reality and leave you to answer biggest questions of all: What is life without death? What is life without love?

Sara welcomes debut author Nussaibah Younis to the Book Club to discuss her debut novel, 'Fundamentally'.

They discuss Nussaibah's previous life (advising top people in Washington DC on contemporary Iraq), why she felt it was important to write this book, and how she balanced humour with very serious issues.

She also gives us a reading recommendation!

Book Blurb here:

Nadia is an academic who’s been disowned by her puritanical mother and dumped by her lover, Rosy. She decides to make a getaway, accepting a UN job in Iraq. Tasked with rehabilitating ISIS women, Nadia becomes mired in the opaque world of international aid, surrounded by bumbling colleagues.

Sara is a precocious and sweary East Londoner who joined ISIS at just fifteen.

Nadia is struck by how similar they are: both feisty and opinionated, from a Muslim background, with a shared love of Dairy Milk and rude pick-up lines. A powerful friendship forms between the two women, until a secret confession from Sara threatens everything Nadia has been working for.

A bitingly original, wildly funny and razor-sharp exploration of love, family, religion and the decisions we make in pursuit of belonging, Fundamentally upends and explores a defining controversy of our age with heart, complexity and humour.

This week on the pod we're recommending 'The Favourites' by Layne Fargo. Dubbed as "Wuthering Heights on ice", the book is a rip-roaring page-turner, set against the glitzy backdrop of competitive ice skating.

Layne joins Sara down the line from Chicago to discuss the book, where the Wuthering Heights inspiration came from and why she gave it this unique twist.

They also discuss the world of ice skating, female friendships in sport and get a book recommendation (or two) as well!

Here's a little more about The Favourites: Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn’t. My first love was figure skating.

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating – and each other – to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and rollercoaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorised documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the ‘real story’ through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary. But she can't stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy either. So, after a decade of silence, she's telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumours have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

Alternating Kat’s own account of her dramatic rise and devastating fall with scandalous snippets from the tell-all film, and capturing the can’t-look-away intensity of Emily Bronte’s classic novel, The Favourites is an exhilarating dance between passion, ambition, and what it truly means to win

To celebrate World Book Day, Sara is joined by actor, screenwriter and children's author Stephen Mangan.

His new book, 'The Fart That Broke World Book Day', was written specifically for...well you guessed it...World Book Day, alongside books by Julia Donaldson, Bluey, Paddington and many more.

We sent his book to a school in Sheffield, for our Junior Book Club reviewers - Noah, Lily, Ayla and Arthur - to read and review. Listen to find out what they thought - and how Stephen reacts to their honesty!

Also in this bumper episode, Fun Kids presenter Bex Lindsay gives us a round-up of some of her favourite kids books that have been published recently. Her choices are:

Younger readers (under 7):

Charlie Higson and Nadia Shireen- What's That Noise? Gordon D'Arcy- Let's Play Rugby! James Kochalka- Green Eggs and Ham

7-9 year olds:

Nathaneal Lessore- Solving Crime is NOT My Superpower Serena Patel- Pia's Pet Club

Middle-Grade (9-12):

Judith Eagle- The Great Theatre Rescue Brogen Murphy- Wildlands AF Steadman- Skandar

And as if that wasn't enough - we're also joined by the CEO of World Book Day - Cassie Chadderton - who reminds us of the importance of getting children reading, and explains how you can use the vouchers to get a child a free book.

This week on the pod we welcome listener reviewer Rebecca Chalmers.

She gives us her Top Five Reads of the year (and last year) so far - as well as a bit of Argentine Tango chat. Yes!

Her choices are: 1. You are here - David Nicholls 2. The Women - Kristin Hannah 3. A Very Private School - Charles Spencer 4. Nesting - Roisin O’Donnell 5. Water - John Boyne

Sara also asks her what she thought of our latest Radio 2 Book Club choice, "Human, Animal" by Seth Insua.

Debut novelist and illustrator, Seth Insua, joins Sara for the Radio 2 Book Club to discuss his book "Human, Animal"

He talks about his inspirations for the book, from growing up in rural England to the Brexit vote of 2016. They discuss his publishing journey and how, after many years of thinking about it, the book was written in such a short time.

Seth is also an illustrator, but wasn't allowed anywhere near his own cover...for reasons that become apparent in the chat.

Sara delves into the themes of the book, what it means to be a farmer in 2025 - and - we hear a snippet of the audiobook as well.

Here's the blurb!

Dairy farmer George Calvert is fighting to keep the family business afloat. Worried about the future but resistant to change, he refuses to face the reality of his failing farm, his elderly mother's declining health and his troubled relationship with his youngest son, Tom.

Newly returned from university, Tom isolates himself in his childhood bedroom, guarding the truth of his burgeoning identity.

When animal rights activists break into the cowshed one morning and Tom appears to side with the protesters, father and son lock horns. As the Calverts begin to unravel, a decades-old secret surfaces – one that might rip them apart completely, or finally unite them.

This week's episode is all about recommendations! Listener Harriet Thomas joins Sara to go through her Top Five Reads of the year (and last year)

She picks: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell.

The Unseen by Roy Jackobson Shuggie Baine by Douglas Stewart

A Fortnight In September by RC Sherriff

Plus, we get her thoughts on our latest Radio 2 Book Club choice - "Nesting" by Roisin O'Donnell

Our latest Radio 2 Book Club choice is 'Nesting' by Roisin O'Donnell.

It is a beautiful but tense novel about hope and resilience, which contains themes of coercive control.

Roisin has been wanting to write ever since she was really young, but only started taking her writing 'seriously' a few years ago. She worked on writing short stories to hone her craft, before sitting down to write her novel in the evenings and on weekends, outside of a day job and being a single mum to two girls.

Sara chats to Roisin about her publishing journey, the NINE WAY AUCTION for her book and the influence that fellow Irish writer Claire Keegan had on her.

They also discuss how important it was to make the book as authentic as it could be, with such serious and important themes.