The Radio 2 Book club celebrates the best in new fiction and recommends great reads. Sara will be interviewing top authors about their latest novels, and she’ll...
Seth Insua discusses his debut novel, "Human, Animal"
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.
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13:50
Listener Reviewer: Harriet Thomas
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 KingsolverThe Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. The Unseen by Roy Jackobson
Shuggie Baine by Douglas StewartA Fortnight In September by RC SherriffPlus, we get her thoughts on our latest Radio 2 Book Club choice - "Nesting" by Roisin O'Donnell
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19:51
Sara welcomes debut novelist Roisin O'Donnell to the Radio 2 Book Club to talk about 'Nesting'
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.
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19:35
Sara is joined by listener reviewer Fiona Buckland, who gives us her Top 5 Reads of the Year (well, 2024)
Listener Fiona Buckland joins Sara in the Radio 2 Book Club to give us some fab recommendations. Being a voracious reader, she has very broad taste - as her list shows! Her Top 5 Reads of the Year are:The Salt Flats by Rachelle Atella
Weyward by Emilia Hart
How We Named The Stars by Andres N Ordorica
Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan
Slum Boy by Juano DiazShe discusses these books in detail with Sara, as well as giving us her review of our latest Book Club choice; 'A Serial Killer's Guide To Marriage'
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10:28
Author Asia Mackay talks about 'A Serial Killer's Guide To Marriage'
Our latest Radio 2 Book Club choice is 'A Serial Killer's Guide To Marriage' by Asia Mackay. Asia was a runner up of the CWIP prize back in 2018, which gave her the confidence to write more - and that eventually led to her getting a publishing deal.Sara chats to Asia about her writing journey, why she is drawn to slightly dark subject matters and if she gets funny looks at the school gates. They also chat about a lost TV career and get some writing tips as well. Asia's new novel is her third published book and tells the story of Hazel and Fox, who are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they're ex-serial killers.They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to kill. Not many power couples know how to get away with murder. Then Hazel fell pregnant and they gave it all up for life in the suburbs; dinner parties instead of body disposal.But recently Hazel has started to feel that itch again. When she kills someone behind Fox's back and brings the police to their door, she must do anything she can to protect her family. This could save their marriage - unless it kills them first.**Please note during the interview there is a clip from the audiobook which references a fictional killing, with a knife.
The Radio 2 Book club celebrates the best in new fiction and recommends great reads. Sara will be interviewing top authors about their latest novels, and she’ll be catching up with librarians and reading groups from across the UK. Whether you’re after a summer blockbuster, a twist-filled thriller, or want to curl up with a heart-warming love story, Sara has you covered!
UK