Podcast · Arts & Books

A Good Read

by BBC Radio 4 · English · Arts & Books

Find reading inspiration with favourite books chosen by our guests.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 28 min
Latest: 12 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026 · 28 minNew

Andrea Wulf and Selina Brown

Lively conversation around three book choices. Presenter Harriett Gilbert talks to two guests about books they love EUPHORIA by Lily King HUNGER PAINS by Derek Owusu LOVED AND MISSED by Susie Boyt Selina Brown has written three children's picture books. She is the founder and CEO of the Black British Book Festival. Her book recommendation is Hunger Pains by Derek Owusu - a novel that puts the growing trend of male obsession with appearance and fitness under the spotlight. Fellow guest Andrea Wulf is author of eight books, including the Founding Gardeners and The Invention of Nature. Her…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

3 Aug 2026 · 28 min
Dr Vee Kativhu and Susie Riddell
Guests discuss books they love. This time: Loving and Giving by Molly Keane, chosen by podcaster and Archers actor Susie Riddell The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré, chosen by education activist Dr Vee Kativhu The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilbert Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sarah Goodman Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc
27 Jul 2026 · 28 min
Lauren Child and David McAlmont
A sharing of book recommendations and lively discussion. Harriett Gilbert is joined by children's author Lauren Child and musician David McAlmont to talk about books they love by George Orwell, Elizabeth Strout and Alan Bennett. The books are: Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout, chosen by Lauren Child Burmese Days by George Orwell, chosen by David McAlmont Killing Time by Alan Bennett, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Producer for BBC Audio Bristol: Sally Heaven Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc
20 Jul 2026 · 27 min
Cariad Lloyd and Geoff Dyer
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 Lloyd Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Eliza Lomas Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc
13 Jul 2026 · 28 min
Joanne Harris and Islam Issa
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 Issa Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven
6 Jul 2026 · 28 min
Daisy Dunn and Andrew Hunter Murray
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 Gilbert Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Beth O'Dea Join us over on instagram @agoodreadbbc Photo credit: Timothy Foster
29 Jun 2026 · 27 min
Philippa Perry and Stuart Maconie
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 Gilbert Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie Ayre Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc Photo credit: Pal Hansen
22 Jun 2026 · 28 min
Louise Welsh and Chris Brookmyre
Two Scottish crime writers choose books by: Iain Banks (Espedair Street) Muriel Spark (Memento Mori) And Harriett's choice is Summer by Edith Wharton Producer: Maggie Ayre BBC Audio Bristol Photo credit: Julie Broadfoot
15 Jun 2026 · 28 min
Harriet Tyce and Matt Edmondson
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 @agoodreadbbc Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven Photo credit: Suki Dhanda
8 Jun 2026 · 28 min
Kelly Cates and Tom Rob Smith
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 Tyler Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie Ayre
1 Apr 2026 · 28 min
Patrick Grant and Mary-Ann Ochota
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 Lively Produced in Bristol by Maggie Ayre
23 Mar 2026 · 28 min
Maryam Moshiri and Doug Naylor
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 Moshiri Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell, chosen by Doug Naylor Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven
16 Mar 2026 · 28 min
Victoria Pile and Julian Baggini
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 Gilbert Comedy 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: agoodreadbbc Produced for BBC…
9 Mar 2026 · 28 min
Lolita Chakrabarti and Dr Guy Leschziner
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
2 Mar 2026 · 28 min
Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Jung Chang
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 Chang Produced in Bristol by Maggie Ayre
23 Feb 2026 · 28 min
Martin Edwards and Tom Shakespeare
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 Gilbert Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven Photo credit: Belinda Mason
17 Feb 2026 · 28 min
Maria Balshaw and Léa Ypi
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 @agoodreadbbc Photo credit: Erdem Moralioglu
9 Feb 2026 · 28 min
Robin Ince and Philip Hensher
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 Hensher Producer Sally Heaven, BBC Audio Bristol
8 Dec 2025 · 28 min
Gwyneth Lewis and Annabel Abbs
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 2025 Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie Ayre Photo credit: Edward Brown
1 Dec 2025 · 28 min
Michelle Ogundehin and Lisa St Aubin de Terán
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…
24 Nov 2025 · 28 min
Roma Agrawal and Kate Lister
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 Agrawal Structural 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…
17 Nov 2025 · 28 min
Richard Benson and Amy Sackville
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 Gilbert Writer 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…
10 Nov 2025 · 28 min
Julia Shaw and Hayaatun Sillem
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 Gilbert Criminal 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,…
3 Nov 2025 · 28 min
Nicola Sturgeon and Alistair McGowan
Two books featuring teenage killers feature this time. Nicola Sturgeon MSP votes for Elif Shafak's Honour as her good read. It details the reasons behind the so-called honour killing carried out by a young Turkish Kurd living in London in the 1970s. Nicola says it provides valuable cultural insight into the reasons behind a particular form of violence against women. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet is set in the feudal system of the Highlands in the late 1800s where crofters were at the mercy of the local Laird and his staff. Roddy's father is barely eking out a living from a small…
28 Oct 2025 · 28 min
Tom Cox and Sophie Scott
THE STONE DIARIES by Carol Shields, chosen by Tom Cox HOW TO WRITE A THESIS by Umberto Eco, chosen by Sophie Scott PARADISE by Abdulrazak Gurnah, chosen by Harriett Gilbert Writer Tom Cox joins neuroscientist Sophie Scott to discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Tom's choice is the 1995 Pulitzer Prize winner, The Stone Diaries. Following the story of one woman’s life from birth to death, the novel also charts the unsettled decades of the twentieth century. Sophie puts forward a very different book, a non-fiction by Italian writer and academic, How to Write a Thesis. It first…
20 Oct 2025 · 28 min
Chris Tarrant and Mike Gayle
OPEN by Andre Agassi SONIC YOUTH SLEPT ON MY FLOOR by Dave Haslam THE SECRET HOURS by Mick Herron Television and radio broadcaster Chris Tarrant nominates the autobiography of tennis legend Andre Agassi, and novelist Mike Gayle has gone for Dave Haslam’s memoir of his time spent DJing at Manchester’s famous Hacienda. Harriett is hoping the two of them will enjoy an espionage novel by Slow Horses author Mick Herron. Producer for BBC Audio Bristol: Sally Heaven Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc
14 Oct 2025 · 28 min
Sarah Waters and Walter Murch
BEAR by Marian Engel, chosen by novelist Sarah Waters THE TRUE BELIEVER by Eric Hoffer, chosen by film editor Walter Murch THE VISITOR by Maeve Brennan, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilber Sarah Waters, acclaimed author of Fingersmith and The Night Watch, and Walter Murch, legendary film editor of Apocalypse Now and The English Patient choose the books they love. Sarah's choice is a cinematic novel set in Northern Canada. Bear by Marian Engel is the unusual tale of a woman's friendship and subsequent sexual relationship with a bear when she travels to a remote island for the summer. The True…
4 Aug 2025 · 28 min
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 Dawson The 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…
29 Jul 2025 · 30 min
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 Gilbert Authors 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…
21 Jul 2025 · 28 min
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…

About A Good Read

Find reading inspiration with favourite books chosen by our guests.

A Good Read is a English arts & books podcast from BBC Radio 4. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: BBC Radio 4
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 28 min
Latest episode: 12 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1813854898
Rights: (C) BBC 2026

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