A Good Read

Епізоди

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  Cariad Lloyd and Geoff Dyer 20.07.2026 27хв

  Writer, actor and comedian Cariad Lloyd and writer Geoff Dyer join Harriett Gilbert for an enthusiastic and robust discussion about favourite books.The books are: The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard, chosen by Geoff Dyer Question 7 by Richard Flanagan, chosen by Harriett Gilbert The Others by Sheena Kalayil, chosen by Cariad LloydProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Eliza Lomas Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc
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  Joanne Harris and Islam Issa 13.07.2026 27хв

  We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, chosen by Joanne Harris Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz, chosen by Islam IssaJoin us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbcProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven
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  Daisy Dunn and Andrew Hunter Murray 06.07.2026 27хв

  The classicist and the author talk about books they love with presenter Harriett Gilbert. One of the books is eerily prescient about the state of the world today.The books are:Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, chosen by classicist Daisy Dunn Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household, chosen by podcaster and author Andrew Hunter Murray A Life's Music by Andreï Makine, translated by Geoffrey Strachan, chosen by presenter Harriett GilbertProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Beth O'Dea Join us over on instagram @agoodreadbbcPhoto credit: Timothy Foster
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  Philippa Perry and Stuart Maconie 29.06.2026 27хв

  A special episode of A Good Read, recorded live at the Hay Festival. The books are:London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe, chosen by psychotherapist and artist Philippa Perry All Quiet on the Orient Express by Magnus Mills, chosen by presenter and writer Stuart Maconie Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie, chosen by presenter Harriett GilbertProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie Ayre Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbcPhoto credit: Pal Hansen
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  Louise Welsh and Chris Brookmyre 22.06.2026 27хв

  Two Scottish crime writers choose books by: Iain Banks (Espedair Street) Muriel Spark (Memento Mori)And Harriett's choice is Summer by Edith WhartonProducer: Maggie Ayre BBC Audio BristolPhoto credit: Julie Broadfoot
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  Harriet Tyce and Matt Edmondson 15.06.2026 27хв

  The books are:Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, chosen by Harriet Tyce Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre, chosen by Matt Edmondson Cluny Brown by Margery Sharp, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbcProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally HeavenPhoto credit: Suki Dhanda
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  Kelly Cates and Tom Rob Smith 08.06.2026 27хв

  Three books that deal with the intricacies of relationships and marriage.Not That Sort of Girl by Mary Wesley Aftermath by Rachel Cusk Three Days In June by Anne TylerProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie Ayre
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  Patrick Grant and Mary-Ann Ochota 01.04.2026 27хв

  This time the community clothing entrepreneur and host of The Great British Sewing Bee Patrick Grant chooses his favourite book along with fellow guest anthropologist and broadcaster Mary-Ann Ochota.The books are:Parsnips Buttered by Joe Lycett The Flow by Amy Jane Beer Heatwave by Penelope LivelyProduced in Bristol by Maggie Ayre
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  Maryam Moshiri and Doug Naylor 23.03.2026 27хв

  Newsreader Maryam Moshiri and Red Dwarf creator Doug Naylor discuss their chosen books, including Bridget Jones's Diary, with Harriett Gilbert.Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding, chosen by Maryam MoshiriWhy You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell, chosen by Doug NaylorNothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, chosen by Harriett GilbertJoin us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbcProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven
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  Victoria Pile and Julian Baggini 16.03.2026 27хв

  THE LIVES AND LOVES OF A SHE DEVIL by Fay Weldon, chosen by Victoria Pile THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway, chosen by Julian Baggini CLEAR by Carys Davies, chosen by Harriett GilbertComedy writer and director Victoria Pile joins philosopher and author Julian Baggini to talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. On the menu is a feminist revenge novel that is as dark as it is funny, a classic Hemingway novella that casts us out to sea, and an evocative short story set on a remote island off Scotland. Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbcProduced for BBC Audio Bristol by Becky Ripley
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  Lolita Chakrabarti and Dr Guy Leschziner 09.03.2026 27хв

  This week's books are: How to Measure a Cow by Margaret Forster (chosen by Lolita Chakrabarti) The House of God by Samuel Shem (chosen by Guy Leschziner) A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir (chosen by Harriett Gilbert) The producer is Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc
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  Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Jung Chang 02.03.2026 27хв

  The children's author Frank Cottrell-Boyce and the author of Wild Swans and Big Sister Little Sister Red Sister Jung Chang choose their good reads.Where Should We Run To by Alan Garner chosen by Frank Cottrell-Boyce Death of A Naturalist by Seamus Heaney chosen by Harriett Gilbert Hans Christian Andersen's Fairytales chosen by Jung ChangProduced in Bristol by Maggie Ayre
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  Martin Edwards and Tom Shakespeare 23.02.2026 27хв

  This week's books are:Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie, chosen by crime writer Martin Edwards At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien, chosen by sociologist, bioethicist and comedian Tom Shakespeare Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Pineiro, chosen by Harriett GilbertJoin us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbcProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally HeavenPhoto credit: Belinda Mason
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  Maria Balshaw and Léa Ypi 17.02.2026 27хв

  This week's books are: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler chosen by Maria Balshaw. The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol (translated by Isabel Hapgood) chosen by Léa Ypi. Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans chosen by Harriett Gilbert.The producer is Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol. Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbcPhoto credit: Erdem Moralioglu
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  Robin Ince and Philip Hensher 09.02.2026 27хв

  This week's books are:Water Shall Refuse Them by Lucie McKnight Hardy, chosen by comedian Robin Ince Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Esther Waters by George Moore, chosen by writer Philip HensherProducer Sally Heaven, BBC Audio Bristol
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  Gwyneth Lewis and Annabel Abbs 08.12.2025 27хв

  This week's books are: Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner chosen by the Welsh poet and writer Gwyneth Lewis The LIving Mountain by Nan Shepherd picked by author Annabel Abbs Emma by Jane Austen chosen by Harriett Gilbert ahead of the writer's 250th birthday in December 2025Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbcProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie AyrePhoto credit: Edward Brown
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  Michelle Ogundehin and Lisa St Aubin de Terán 01.12.2025 27хв

  Michelle Ogundehin is a broadcaster, magazine editor and author also known as a presenter on TV's Interior Design Masters. She and author Lisa St Aubin de Terán give their book recommendations. Michelle's is 4000 Weeks: Time Management For Mortals by Oliver Burkeman which she says has helped her simplify her life. Lisa chooses Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix the powerful retelling of the 2021 incident in which 27 people drowned in the English Channel attempting to make the crossing from France. It's a fictionalised account of a real event told from the perspective of the French Coastguard blamed for not taking adequate action. Harriett's choice is The Party by Tessa Hadley set in post war Bristol.Have your say on any of these books on Instagram @agoodreadbbcProducer: Maggie Ayre
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  Roma Agrawal and Kate Lister 24.11.2025 27хв

  WEDLOCK: HOW GEORGIAN BRITAIN'S WORST HUSBAND MET HIS MATCH by Wendy Moore, chosen by Kate Lister GRAYSON PERRY: PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG GIRL by Wendy Jones, chosen by Harriett Gilbert PLASTIC EMOTIONS by Shiromi Pinto, chosen by Roma AgrawalStructural engineer Roma Agrawal, known for her work on buildings such as the Shard in London, and historian Kate Lister, who specialises in the history of sex, join Harriett Gilbert to share their favourite books. Kate's choice is Wedlock: How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match by Wendy Moore, a gripping biography that tells the true story of Mary Eleanor Bowes's distrastrous marriage to Andrew Robinson Stoney, one of the wealthiest women in 18th-century Britain. Roma’s pick is Plastic Emotions by Shiromi Pinto, a novel inspired by the life of Minnette de Silva, Sri Lanka’s pioneering modernist architect, exploring love, politics and creativity in a time of upheaval. And Harriett brings Grayson Perry: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl by Wendy Jones, a candid and colourful account of the artist’s early life and identity. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Eliza Lomas Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbcPhoto credit: Steve Ullathorne
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  Richard Benson and Amy Sackville 17.11.2025 27хв

  THE YEARS by Annie Ernaux chosen by Richard Benson THE CORNER THAT HELD THEM by Sylvia Townsend Warner chosen by Amy Sackville COFFEE AND CIGARETTES by Ferdinand von Schirach chosen by Harriett GilbertWriter and former editor of the Face Richard Benson talks to fellow writer Amy Sackville and presenter Harriett Gilbert about favourite books. Richard chooses The Years by Nobel Laureate Annie Ernaux, saying it brings back memories of his French penpal's bohemian mother. Amy's choice of The Corner that Held Them by Sylvia Townsend Warner, about convent life in the 1300s, isn't as dry as that might sound, and Harriett's pick is Coffee and Cigarettes by German criminal defence lawyer Ferdinand von Schirach.Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc
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  Julia Shaw and Hayaatun Sillem 10.11.2025 27хв

  FUNDAMENTALLY by Nussaibah Younis, chosen by Julia Shaw YOUR LIFE IS MANUFACTURED by Tim Minshall, chosen by Hayaatun Sillem ROSARITA by Anita Desai, chosen by Harriett GilbertCriminal psychologist Julia Shaw joins engineer Hayaatun Sillem to discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Julia's choice, Fundamentally, is a bold debut novel by Nussaibah Younis which sparks a bit of debate. Younis writes a comedy story about an academic who takes a UN job in Iraq to lead a deradicalisation program for ISIS women. Hayaatun puts forward a very different book, a non-fiction by Tim Minshall, Professor of Innovation at the University of Cambridge. His book Your Life is Manufactured reveals the seismic impact that manufacturing has both on our lives and on the natural world. Finally, Harriett's choice is a haunting novella called Rosarita by Anita Desai, an unsettling riddle that follows a young Indian woman's quest through Mexico to find out more about her mother.Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Becky Ripley