Chiltern Voice Book Club: Recent Episodes
Antonia Honeywell's Book Club
Chiltern Voice Book Club is a weekly radio show in which Antonia Honeywell talks books, writing reading and publishing with a varied range of brilliant writers. Each guest chooses a selection of songs which are played as part of the show. Unfortunately the songs can't be included here, but the words and the wisdom are unmissable. Tune in to chilternvoice.fm on Sundays 2 to 4 pm to hear the show complete with songs.
Robin joins Antonia to talk about his dark, compelling second novel The Guest House, written in lockdown with a new baby. Along the way we talk representation, diversity, becoming the person you want to be and being the person you wish your child-self had been able to see - and musical theatre. Of course.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody - Whitney Houston
Gimme Gimme Gimme - ABBA
Bills Bills Bills - Destiny's Child
Hold On - Adele
So Sorry - Lola Young
We Don't Talk about Bruno from Encanto
Ex Wives - from Six the Musical
Say You'll Be There - Spice Girls
I Try - Macy Gray
I will Follow Him - from the Sister Act soundtrack
I'm Here - Cynthia Erivo, from The Color Purple soundtrack
Good as Hell - Lizzo
Sarra joins Antonia to celebrate her latest novel, the warm, immersive and wonderful London, With Love. The Sarra Manning line takes us on a trip through Sarra’s prolific and enduring writing career, with stops at Just Seventeen, London before Crossrail, Noel Streatfeild, music, dogs, selecting great reads for Red Magazine and so many more. A joy.
Jennifer She Said - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Girl VII - St Etienne
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Wrapped Up In Books - Belle and Sebastian
Moving On Up - Primal Scream
Liza Minelli - Losing My Mind
Bar Italia - Pulp
Perfect Day - Lou Reed
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken
Tonight the Streets are Ours - Richard Hawley
Julie joins Antonia to talk about her beautiful debut novel, That Green Eyed Girl, about New York in the 1950s, about writing dreams and process and heartbreak - and answers openly and honestly the perennial question, What took you so long? A must-listen.
I’m Coming Home - Tom Jones
Beast of Burden - Rolling Stones
Young Americans - David Bowie
Streets of Fire - Bruce Springsteen
Trouble in Mind - Marianne Faithfull
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted - Jimmy Ruffin
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
Seventeen - Janis Ian
23rd Street Lullaby - Patti Scialfa
Four Tops - Reach Out
Burce Springsteen - Stolen Car
Fiona ’s writing career, from journalism (Fiona was the last journalist in the UK to interview Michael Jackson before he died), to Faber Academy, to her fifth novel, Into The Dark, provides the framework for a far-reaching and wide-ranging conversation encompassing love, loss, fear, survival and joy. Join us x
Always Something There to Remind Me - Sandie Shaw
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
Like a Prayer - Madonna
Carey - Joni Mitchell
Atomic - Blondie
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Shine -Take That
Shallow - Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga
Titanium - David Guetta fest. Sia
The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
See you Again - Wiz Khalifa/Charlie Puth
Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
Prolific novelist, OBE, the first female chair of the Royal Society of Literature, Professor of Creative Writing and champion of new writers Maggie Gee joins Antonia to talk about her fourteenth novel, The Red Children. This is a conversation about writing, longevity, disappointment, love, war and hope - but above all, it’s a chance to enjoy the company of a writing icon and beautiful human being. Join us x
Mack the Knife - Lottie Lenta Kurt Weill, sung by Lotte Lenta
Sheep may safely graze - Bach, played by Leon Fleisher
What a fool believes - Aretha Franklin
Jazzman by Carole King, Tapestry
Until You Come back to me - Aretha Franklin
Bess, you is my woman now - Miles Davis
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, instrumental - Sakimoto
Be thankful for what you’ve got - William Devaughn
Summertime by Rebecca Ferguson.
Do you want to dance? - Bette Midler
Benny and the Jets - Elton John
Saturday in the Park - Chicago
These Foolish Things - Thelonius Monk solo piano
Oh Happy Day: Aretha Franklin, Live at New Bethel
Lewis’ human and superstar novelist Joanna Cannon joins Antonia to talk about her new novel, A Tidy Ending, about the beginning of her writing career, the joys and perils of early success, about resilience and perseverance and moving from writing as joy to writing as career. And, of course, the music. Please join us!
These Boots - Nancy Sinatra
To Sir With Love - Lulu
Space Oddity - David Bowie
Welome Home - Peters, Lee
Don’t Think Twice - Bob Dylan
Tie A Yellow Ribbon - Dawn
Bird on the Wire - Leonard Cohen
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do - ABBA
All Over The World - Françoise Hardy
Tennessee Waltz - Eva Cassidy
Ain’t That A Kick In The Head - Dean Martin
I’m On My Way - The Proclaimers
Stephen joins Antonia to talk about his novel Sell Us The Rope, the novel Hilary Mantel wishes she had written. It’s 1907 and Stalin is in London for the 5th Congress of the Russian Communist Party… Sell Us The Rope is Stephen’s sixth novel - he’s been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Prize with Life! Death! Prizes! the title of which sums up this Book Club chat - except for the death bit, which we took out to make way for the punk rock and iconoclasm. Bring on the Booker.
Dancing Queen- Abba
Cloudbusting - Kate Bush
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Always on my Mind - Elvis Presley
Help - The Beatles
Do Anything You Wanna Do - Eddie and the Hod Rods
Burn the Heather - The Lounge Society
Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Sigh o’ the Times - Prince
Sale of the Century - Sleeper
I feel love - Donna Summer
Positively 4th Street - Bob Dylan
The Emperor’s New Clothes - Sinéad O'Connor
Bestselling novelist Janice Hallett joins Antonia to talk about her phenomenally successful debut novel The Appeal, about how her life as a journalist and a screenwriter has fed into her work as a novelist, about how she uses music to trick herself into getting the writing done and about What Happens Now (including adapting her own work for the screen).
Brand New Key - Melanie Safe
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Save a Prayer - Duran Duran
I Can’t Go For That - Hall and Oates
Baby Driver - Simon and Garfunkel
Rather Be - Clean Bandit
Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies
That’s Entertainment - The Jam
Do It Again - Steely Dan
Hotel California - The Eagles
Angie Baby - Helen Reddy
West End Girls - The Pet Shop Boys
The Logical Song - Supertramps
Hannah joins Antonia to talk about The Codes of Love and its genesis as a short story, unlikeable characters, the importance of music, why we write (and why we don’t) and how we might just persuade ourselves to keep going.
Tall Heights - Horse to Water
Angel Olsen - Windows
Ane Brun - Halo
Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me
Laura Marling - Ghosts
First Aid Kit - Emmylou
Daughter - Candles
Emily King - Georgia
Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better
Phoebe Ryan - A Thousand Ways
Alela Diane - Emigré
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
Laura Pearson, novelist and founder of The Motherload Book Club, brings a list of her favourite books to Book Club. We talk about titles, whether there’s a right time to write about disasters, the importance of small presses… We also talk about Laura’s own writing and her novels, Missing Pieces and Nobody’s Wife, and the life-changing turn of events in Laura’s own life that led to her third novel, I Wanted You To Know.
Paperback Writer, The Beatles
Go Your Own Way, Fleetwood Mac
Watermelon Sugar, Harry Styles
Trash, Suede
Wake Up Boo, The Boo Radleys
We Didn’t Start the Fire, Billy Joel
Always Remember Us This Way, Lady Gaga
Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen
Famous Blue Raincoat, Leonard Cohen
Frank Mills, The Lemonheads
No Body No Crime, Taylor Swift
Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
Susie joins Antonia live in the studio to talk about her beautiful new novel Loved and Missed, about family and loss and the superpower of kindness, the brilliance of Judy Garland, Susie’s writing career - and her wonderful song choices.
Bob Marley - Redemption Song
The Pogues - Dirty Old Town
Beyonce - Hold Up
Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry on their Own
Judy Garland - Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart
Hoagy Carmichael and Ella Logan - Two Sleepy People
Janet Kay - Silly Games
Judy Garland - Old Man River
Justin Hinds - Save a Bread
Chet Baker - Let’s Get Lost
Stevie Wonder - Heaven Help Us All
Lily Allen - Who’d Have Known
Imogen Hermes Gower and Antonia talk about Imogen's Women’s Prize shortlisted debut novel, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, about the effect of a staggeringly successful debut on her life and writing, about writing courses and competitions and mermaids and writing historical fiction for a contemporary audience and Joan of Arc and - of course - Kate Bush.
Paris 1919 - John Cale
Neighborhood #2 (Laika) - Arcade Fire
Samson - Regina Spektor
Emily - Joanna Newsom
Remember - the Shangri-Las
The Crane Wife 3 - Marianne Faithfull and Nick Cave
Theme de Yoyo - Art Ensemble of Chicago.
The Disposition of the Linen - Michael Nyman from The Draftsman's Contract OST
Adios - Benjamin Clementine
Say You Love Me - "Om" Alec Khaoli
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
Let It Go - Idina Menzel from the Frozen OST
Cathy joins Antonia to talk about Write It All Down, her generous, tender and constructive guide for anyone wishing to turn their own experiences into words on the page. We discuss Cathy’s first book, her memoir The Last Act of Love, about the death of her beloved brother Matty, and the path of her writing and teaching since then, which somehow led to the wonder of Write It All Down.
Irish Rover,The Pogues and The Dubliners
Mattie’s Rag, Gerry Rafferty
Together in Electric Dreams, Giorgio Moroder and Phil Oakley
Wish you were here, Pink Floyd
Don’t Look Back in Anger, Oasis
Common People, Pulp
Cheek to Cheek, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Get Lucky, Daft Punk
The Man Who Sold the World, David Bowie
Say a Little Prayer, Aretha Franklin
Feeling Good, Nina Simone
Beloved book blogger (Years of Reading Selfishly, Two Fond of Books) and regular guest Clare Reynolds brings her gloriously voracious reading habit to the service of anyone looking to buy books for Christmas, and we settle once and for all the pressing question of which of us George Michael would have chosen if the universe had arranged itself differently.
Elton John - Step Into Christmas
The Pretenders - 2000 miles
Elvis - Blue Christmas
Freiheit - Keeping the Dream Alive
East 17 - Stay Another Day
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - The Power of Love
David Essex - Winter’s Tale
Harry Connick Jr - It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song
The Flirtations - Christmas Time is Here Again
The Muppets - It Feels like Christmas
Chris de Burgh - A Spaceman Came Travelling
Boney M - Mary’s Boy Child
Wham! - Last Christmas
Andy Miller 5th December 2021
By overwhelming popular demand, Andy Miller (yes, he of The Year of Reading Dangerously and Backlisted Pod) returns to Chiltern Voice Book Club, this time bringing his Christmas record collection. Between his glorious Christmas music choices, Andy and Antonia talk all things Christmas - presents, family, arguments, exactly what The Wombles and The Sex Pistol have in common … and books. All the books.
The Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas is Coming
Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
The Flirtations - Christmas Time is Here Again
The Sweet Inspirations - Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday
ABBA - Little Things
The Wombles - Wombling Merry Christmas
The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
The OJays - Christmas Just Aint Christmas
Big Star - Jesus Christ
Margo Guryan - I Don’t Intend To Spend Christmas Without You
Scritti Politti - Snow in Sun
Twice as Much and Vashti - The Coldest Night of the Year
Solomon Burke - Christmas Presents
The Beatles - Christmas Time Is Here Again
Chiltern Voice Book Club celebrates the launch of Sunburnt Saints, an anthology of climate change fiction, with interviews and song choices from some of the contributors, as well as from Andy Leach and Hannah Persaud, founders of Massive Overheads. The anthology is available from Big Green Books - order a copy online.
Andy Leach - Richard Thompson, When the Saints Rise Out of Their Graves
Hannah Persaud - Leonard Cohen, Famous Blue Raincoat
Sophie Power - Prince, Sign of the Times
Anna Vaught - Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel - Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)
Katie Willis - Madonna, La Isla Bonita
Giselle Leeb - Michael Kiwanuka, One More NIght
James Woolf - Bob Dylan, Licence to Kill
Ian Critchley - Kate Bush, Cloudbusting
Matt Thomas - Neil Young, Wonderin’
Rachael Smart - Billy Joel, Uptown Girl
In this super-spooky Hallowe’en special, the prizewinning, bestselling Queen of Horror Catriona Ward joins Antonia to talk about the fascination of horror - why we read it and why she writes it. Encompassing an unusual childhood, the curse of the second novel, the writing of her Stephen King-championed breakthrough novel, working as Executive Producer on the film adaptation with The Imaginarium, love, loss and creation, this is a wise and generous tour through the mind of a writer at the top of her game.
Paul Simon - Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes
Billy Joel - The Downeaster ‘Alexa'
Minnie Riperton - Les Fleurs
Guns N Roses - Don’t Cry
Brandon Flowers - Crossfire
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt
Robyn - Dancing on my own
Leonard Cohen - I’m Your Man
Blondie - Heart of Glass
Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush - Don’t Give Up
Noel Coward - Marvellous Party
Tammy - with her alter-egos Tamar Cohen and Rachel Rhys - joins Antonia to talk about beginning her writing career, the carcasses she has hidden in her laptop, Richard and Judy’s orange sofa, and exactly how she has managed to write fourteen novels in eleven years. Courage, compassion -and news of a new Rachel Rhys title coming next year!
Edith Piaf - Non, je ne regrette rien
Shirley Bassey - The Girl from Tiger Bay
Madness - It Must Be Love
Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne
Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Come On, Eileen
Roxy Music - Avalon
The Smiths - Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now
Diana Ross - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
Abba - Dancing Queen
Otis Redding - Try a Little Tenderness
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Nina Simone - Feeling Good
Proud Liverpudlian Sarah Moorhead talks about the beliefs and passions that drove her genre-defying debut Witness X, about writing before and after publication, about justice, fragility, peace - and the village it takes to nurture a writer.
The Beatles - Paperback Writer
Johnny Cash - You Are My Sunshine
Echo & The Bunnymen - Bring on the Dancing Horses
Sting - Fragile
I Want to Break Free - Queen
Just Can’t Get Enough - Depeche Mode
This Woman’s Work - Kate Bush
I’m Still Standing - Elton John
Familiar - Agnes Obel
Halo - Beyoncé
Where Is the Love? - Black Eyed Peas
You’ll Never Walk Alone - Judy Garland
Gareth talks about his writing beginnings (including meeting Diana Wynne Jones), his first publications, The Embers of War trilogy, the value of science fiction to the future of humanity - and happiness.
All My Stars Aligned - St Vincent
Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads
It Must Be Love - Labi Siffre
Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground
Downtown Train - Tom Waits
Oh, Maker - Janelle Monáe
L.A. Woman - The Doors
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
What a Wonderful World - Joey Ramone
Because the Night - Patti Smith
Dinah’s bestselling novels tell stories of women facing extraordinary challenges in a glorious range of historical and geographical settings. Her latest novel, Daughters of War, is the start of a new trilogy, and Dinah joins Antonia to talk about her work, her life and how she came to writing through facing an extraordinary and tragic event in her own life. Generous, compassionate and profoundly moving, this is a Book Club to cherish.
A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procul Harum
Granted - Josh Groban
Dancing Queen - ABBA
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Soles - Paul Simon
River - Joni Mitchell
I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin
At Last - Etta James
Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves - Eurythmics, Aretha Franklin
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Cover Me In Sunshine - P!nk
Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder
‘I love the way everyone has a story,’ says one of the mothers in All My Mothers, Joanna Glen’s second novel, and in this joyful return visit to Book Club, Joanna joins Antonia to talk about hers. This time, Jo’s songs were chosen by friends and family to reflect the themes and characters of her new novel - and they form a moving framework for a wide-ranging discussion about writing, love, loss, success, perseverance, courage and everything in between.
That I Would Be Good - Alanis Morissette
My Life - Billy Joel
Supermarket Flowers - Ed Sheeran
Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.
Without You - Rosario Dawson, Adam Pascal
Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings
Who I Am - Billy Lockett
Bruises - Lewis Capaldi
Sanctuary - Nashville Cast
Volare- Gyspy Kings
Faith - George Michael
Brave - Sara Bareilles
Natasha joins Antonia for a wide ranging, fascinating discussion about her brilliant debut novel, Love Orange, about launching in lockdown, writing and motherhood, love and illegal drugs and incarceration, both literal and metaphorical, and goats. French goats. And we hear from Natasha’s children about their reading, too.
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Et si tu n’existais pas - Joe Dessin
Killing me softly with his song - Roberta Flack
Danny’s Song - Loggins and Messina
Oh very young - Cat Stevens
Teach your children - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Kissing a fool - George Michael
Let ‘er rip - The Chicks
But you know I love you - Alison Kraus
Greatest love of all - Whitney Houston
Old fashioned morphine - Jolie Helland
Minnie the moocher - Cab Calloway
N aged 7 chose Despacito by Luis Fonsi
A aged 10 chose Better half of me by Tom Walker
Tim worked in finance and wrote in his lunch hours. Tim was a stand up comedian. Tim’s skipping the difficult second novel and going straight to the third. And Tim comes to Book Club to talk about writing by spreadsheet, coping with rejection and why taking a one year old to a Jay-Z gig is a really good idea.
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Ain’t no mountain high enough - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Skinny love - Bon Iver
Jay Z and Beyoncé – Crazy In Love
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Queen - Under Pressure
Tracy chapman - Fast Car
Prodigy - Breathe
Sam Cooke - What a Wonderful World
Ace of Spades – Motorhead
Yodel It! - Ilinca, Alex Florea
Freedom - George Michael
Skunk Anansie - Weak
From football to how It feels to have your early work republished, from boarding school loneliness to the wonderful support of good friends, brilliant and bestselling Elizabeth Buchan submits to questioning with grace, wisdom and generosity.
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Monsters - James Blunt
String Quintet in C Major, Op. 30 No. 6 - Boccherini (Theme from Master and Commander)
Theme from Detectorists - Johnny Flynn
The Town I Loved So Well - Luke Kelly, The Dubliners
Barcelona - Freddie Mercury, Montserrat Caballé
La Marseillaise, from Casablanca
Do You Hear The People Sing - David Burt, Les Misérables Original London cast recording
Theme from Pride and Prejudice - Carl Davis
Sew on a Sequin - Fascinating Aïda
What Would Dolly Do - Lainey Wilson
I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton
Helen joins Antonia to talk about her beautiful second novel, The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, about family and music and creating characters, about the beauty of brokenness, and the necessity of a creative life for every individual, whether professional or not.
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Louis Armstrong –What A Wonderful World
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Moon River by Henry Mancini and his orchestra
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Life on Mars by David Bowie
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Suede – The Beautiful Ones
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The Cure – Just Like Heaven
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Patti Smith – Because the Night
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The Boomtown Rats – Tell me why I don’t like Mondays
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Sinéad O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U.
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Kate Bush – Hounds of Love
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Bob Dylan – Forever Young
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Leonard Cohen – Anthem
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Phil Lynott – Old Town
Dear Mrs Bird, Yours Cheerfully
AJ Pearce joins Antonia to talk about her second novel, Yours Cheerfully, the sequel to her bestselling debut Dear Mrs Bird. How hard is it to follow up a phenomenally successful debut? How do you cherish the joy when writing about really challenging times? Where did AJ’s writing career begin? AJ is ours cheerfully - do join us.
Where do you go to my lovely - Peter Starstedt
It’s a Sin - Elton John and Years and Years
Happy Heart - Andy Williams
El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge - Ewan McGregor, Jose Feliciano
Moonlight Serenade - Glen Miller
Shallow - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
We Have All the Time in the World - Louis Armstrong
Alexander Hamilton - Leslie Odom Jr, Anthony Ramos, Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Phillipa Soo, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Sing Sing Sing - Benny Goodman
White Horses - Andrea Ross
SOS - Abba
I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love
Sarah Hilary is the author of the award-winning Marnie Rome series; her first stand-alone novel, Fragile, is a chilling study of loneliness and dysfunction which channels Sarah’s fascination with the Gothic whilst being a tender and compelling character study. In a fascinating conversation, Sarah talks about her family history (her mother was born in a Japanese prisoner of war camp), about why and how she writes and what keeps her going.
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Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin)
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Dance Me to the End of Love (Madeleine Peyroux)
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The Bitterest Pill (The Jam)
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Shout to the Top (The Style Council)
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Superstar (The Carpenters)
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April Showers (ProleteR)
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Drive (The Cars)
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20th Century Boy (T. Rex)
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All of My Heart (ABC)
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Buffalo Stance (Neneh Cherry)
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Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
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Am I the Same Girl (Barbara Acklin)
Bestselling and brilliant novelist Lissa Evans joins Antonia to talk about Culture Club’s best song, confuse Ellen Terry and Helen Terry and explain why music died with the breaking up of The Jam. Oh, and her writing process, her perfect Crooked Heart trilogy, starring as an extra in the film adaptation of her novel Their Finest Hour and a Half and writing for children.
Corinne Bailey Rae - Girl Put Your Records On
Stevie Wonder - I Wish
Neil Hannon - Songs of Love
Kate and Anna McGarrigle - Compline Pour Sainte Catherine
Culture Club - Church of the Poison Mind
Van Morrison - Madam George
Michelle Shocked - Anchorage
The Jam - Going Underground
David Bowie - Golden Years
Fats Waller - Lulu’s Back In Town
Elvis Costello - Every Day I Write The Book
Gaspar Nali - A Bale Ndikuswuzeni
Will Dean welcomes Antonia to the Swedish forest where he’s built his home and talks crazy first drafts, vulnerability, the energising effect of the city and what it really means to go home.
Tiny Dancer ~ Elton John
Jolene ~ Dolly Parton
Empire State of Mind ~ Jay Z & Alicia Keys
Twin Peaks Theme ~ Angelo Badalamenti
Come as you are ~ Nirvana
Say a little prayer ~ Aretha Franklin
London Calling ~ The Clash
Heroes ~ David Bowie
Folsom Prison Blues ~ Johnny Cash
Take me home, country roads ~ John Denver
Nothing Conpares 2 You ~ Sinead O’Connor
All Along The Watchtower ~ Jimi Hendrix
Isabel’s publication journey, including rejection, digital-only and self-publishing, is testimony to the power of flexibility, resilience and courage in a challenging industry. Isabel shares her experience and insights with great generosity as we discuss her new novel, Scent, and the passions from which she created it.
I Try – Macy Gray
Back in the High Life Again – Steve Winwood
Californication – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Speed of Sound – Coldplay
Always on my Mind – Pet Shop Boys
Time after Time - Cyndi Lauper
Disco 2000 – Pulp
Rut – The Killers
Brilliant Disguise – Bruce Springsteen
Blinding Lights – The Weeknd
Depeche Mode – Just can’t get enough
Fade to Grey – Visage
Novelist and Creative Writing lecturer Shelley joins Antonia for a frank and uplifting conversation about early career success, the power of failure, awesome friends - and David Bowie.
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Bowie - Lady Stardust
Elton John - Bennie and the Jets
Aztec Camera feat. Mick Jones - Good Morning Britain
Bruce Cockburn - How I Spent my Fall Vacation
World Party - All I Really Want to Do
Joni Mitchell - Don't Interrupt the Sorrow
Ash - Shining Light
The Disappointment Choir - Centre of the World
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook remix)
Talking Heads - This Must be the Place
Van Morrison - Sweet Thing
Antonia and Claire explore Claire’s considerable and sustained success as a writer. Claire talks about her latest novel, the Women’s Prize shortlisted Unsettled Ground, about her writing process and the importance of music to her work, about her life before writing and the essential support of her writing group, and about the novel she is writing at the moment.
•Emma Rose – Kate Wolf
•Naked As We Came - Iron and Wine
•Rowing on the Lakes of Canada by The Innocence Mission
•None but the rain by Townes van Zandt
•Northern Sky - Nick Drake
•Polly Vaughn by Tia Blake
•Lakes of Pontchartrain by The Be Good Tanyas
•Just another diamond day – Vashti Bunyan
•Diamonds and Rust – Joan Baez
•Breathless – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
•Spin the Bottle – Neil Halstead
•All the Money I had is Gone – The Deep Dark Woods
•The Mistress Witch from McClure – Sufjan Stevens
•We are Unhappy – Bonnie Prince Billy
Nikki celebrated the lockdown launch of her debut, All In Her Head, on Chiltern Voice Book Club last year. Now she returns to discuss her brilliant second novel, All In Her Head. We talk about launching in lockdown, finding time to write, creating a killer twist, constructing compelling and layered plots, and the joy to be found in dark stories.
The Killers - Mr Brightside
The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon
Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
Jake Bugg - Broken
Pharell Williams - Happy
Journey- Don't Stop Believing
Snowpatrol - Chasing Cars
Toto - Africa
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do
Family of the Year - Hero
ABBAChiquitita
Marika joins Antonia to talk about her eighth novel, On Hampstead Heath, her first novel, Guppies for Tea, and the years between, and come to the conclusion that Marika is not Tolstoy but that, on balance, not being Tolstoy is a jolly good thing. Includes bonus citizenship test question.
London Pride, Vera Lynn
Radio Song The Felice Brothers
Jagadamba, First Aid Kit
The Last Rose Of Summer, Renee Fleming
Our Last Summer (ABBA) sung by Colin Firth, Piers Brosnan and Strellan Skarsgard
Caledonia, Dolores Keane
Days, Kirsty MacColl
I Will Always Love You, Dolly Parton
Why Worry, Jennifer Warnes
Chiquitita, ABBA
Miss Otis Regrets (Cole Porter), Ella Fitzgerald
Av Langtan Till Dig, Asa Jinder
Cari talks about the trials, tribulations and joys of new motherhood, the life that went before it and the life that follows. From a stellar career in television production to the perils of vertigo at pop concerts, Cari shares her passions, her dreams and her determination that the invisibility of the middle-aged woman should become a thing of the past.
Soft Cell - Say Hello,Wave Goodbye
Sad Café - Every Day Hurts
Badly Drawn Boy - You Were RIght
Little Mix - Power
Michelle Shocked - Anchorage
Obi - Creatures
Lloyd Cole - Lost Weekend
Graham Coxon - Bittersweet Bundle of Misery
Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder - Together in Electric Dreams
The Smiths - William
The Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
Billy Bragg - Greetings to the New Brunette
David Bowie - Everyone Says Hi
Teardrop Explodes - Reward
Bob Dylan - Tangled Up in Blue
Stephanie Butland joins Antonia to talk about her writing career, from saying Bah! to cancer to Nobody’s Perfect (publishing in August 2021), via Lost for Words, The Woman in the Photograph and beautiful, thought-provoking and tender insights into the challenges life throws at us.
Leonard Cohen – Ain’t No Cure for Love
Dire Straits – Romeo and Juliet
Tracy Chapman – Talkin’ Bout a Revolution
Babybird – You’re Gorgeous
Katrina & The Waves – Walking on Sunshine
k.d. lang – Constant Craving
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – Summertime
First Aid Kit – King of the World
Talking Heads – And She Was
Guillemots – Falling Out Of Reach
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Belle & Sebastian – The Book of You
…and Esme’s guest Lindsay Galvin chose Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl
Adele Geras brings her alter ego Hope Adams to Book Club to talk about Dangerous Women, her new novel exploring the fascinating history of the Rajah quilt and the 1841 voyage of the convict ship upon which it was created. At least, that was the intention, but if a writer will hang out in Paris in the 1960s, start out as a star of the stage and write ninety five novels before changing her name and writing this one, there are bound to be some detours...
Adele’s song choices are:
Nanci Griffith: Gulf Coast Highway
Waylon Jennings: Luckenbach Texas
Edith Piaf: La Vie en Rose
Judy Garland : Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Judy Garland: The Man that got away
Emmy Lou Harris: Boulder to Birmingham
The Eagles: Hotel California
Bob Dylan: Don’t think twice it’s alright
The Beatles: Yesterday
Janis Joplin: Me and Bobby McGee
Kate and Anna Mcgarrigle: Heart Like a Wheel
From West Side Story: Gee Officer Krupke
Eleanor Fitzsimons joins Antonia to talk, not only about the unconventional life and extraordinary work of children’s author E. Nesbit, but about her own writing life and the very personal experience of the cancer that struck her as this fascinating biography was being published.
Eleanor’s song choices are
Joan Armatrading - Love and Affection
David Bowie - Starman
The Cranberries - Zombie
The Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This
Sinéad O'Connor - Mandinka
REM - Nightswimming
Aretha Franklin - Say A little Prayer
The Stranglers - Strange Little Girl
Kylie Minogue - Spinning Around
Talk Talk - It's My Life
Kate Bush - The Hounds of Love
Japan - Quiet Life
Lev is an orchestral conductor, a naturalist and a writer. He takes Antonia on a gentle stroll through his music choices, taking in rediscovering the joy of birds and birdwatching, working with Unbounders, emergency birds and making Twitter a pleasant place to be despite being home to people who ask him to write about The Intrinsic Link Between Chocolate, the Wombles and Musical Theatre in Post-Millennial Britain. Which he did (in Music to Eat Cake By). Beautifully.
The Beatles – Ticket to Ride
Sandie Shaw – Puppet On A String
Otis Redding – (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
The Carpenters – (They Long to Be) Close To You
T. Rex – Telegram Sam
Suzi Quatro – 48 Crash
Abba – Waterloo
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke
Blondie – Heart of Glass
Michael Jackson – Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
David Bowie – Let's Dance
Lorna Gibb joins Antonia in a personal and wide-ranging discussion of her novel A Ghost’s Story, her memoir Childless Voices and her biographies of Rebecca West and Hester Stanhope.
Matt Monroe: Walk away
Joni Mitchell: Marcie
Eddi Reader: Jamie, Come try me.
The Waterboys: The Whole of the Moon
Sandy Denny: Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Fabri Fibra and Gianna Nannini: In Italia
Jan Garbarek: Parce Mihi Domine (from Officium)
Paolo Nutini: Caledonia (live)
Counting Crows: Round Here
Yvonne Lyon: Significance
Bruce Springsteen: Land of Hope and Dreams (live at Madison Square Garden)
Joan Baez: Natalia
Frank Sinatra: Luck be a Lady
International bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winning author Jane Smiley joins Antonia to talk about her new novel, The Strays of Paris, taking in husbands and ex-husbands and horses along the way. And cowboys and first love and Dickens and Shakespeare. And predicting the future. And her plans for her next novel, too.
The Eagles, Take it to the Limit
The Traveling Wilburys, Heading for the Light
The Beatles, Here Comes the Sun
The Chieftains and Sinead O’Connor, The Foggy Dew
The Chieftains and Sting, Mo Ghile Mear
Bob Marley, Redemption Song
Joan Baez, Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
Judy Collins, Someday Soon
Cowboy Junkies, Lost My Drivin’ Wheel
Rhiannon Giddens of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lost on the River #20
Ella Fitzgerald, Too Darn Hot
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Turn of the Century
Salena Godden talks about life and death and writing and joy, about sharing the very early stages of Mrs. Death on national radio, about a life spent revelling in words - and about having your debut novel optioned for film by Idris Elba. Join us for an hour of joy in lockdown. Pessimism, after all, is for lightweights. This interview contains a recording of Salena performing her poem ‘Pessimism is for Lightweights’ live at Tongue Fu. Thank you, Tongue Fu, for permission to include it.
Etta James – God’s Song
Arlo Parks - Black Dog
Nirvana - Where did you sleep last night
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Nick Cave & PJ Harvey - Henry Lee
Elliott Smith - Between The Bars
Ella Fitzgerald - Sunshine of your love
Gil Scott Heron - I’m new here
Patti Smith - Smells like Teen Spirit
Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
Irma Thomas - Time is on my side
Tracy Chapman - All that you have is your soul
Stella Duffy joins Antonia to talk about life and death and joy and Fun Palaces and the fierce wonder of the young, and about love and music and diagonal family relationships and beauty, all wrapped in her glorious new novel, Lullaby Beach.
Global Warming - John Grant
Nightswimming – R.E.M.
Songbird - Fleetwood Mac
Call The Days - Nadia Reid
You Got to Run - Buffy Sainte Marie & Tanya Tagaq
Diamonds and Rust - Joan Baez
Death With Dignity - Sufjan Stevens
You’re Welcome - Dwayne Johnson
The Kick Inside - Kate Bush
Catherine the Great - The Divine Comedy
Tilted - Christine and The Queens
Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin
Satellite of Love - Velvet Underground
Antonia chats with Tim Finch about his critically acclaimed novel, The House Of Journalist, and Tim talks openly and honestly about the experience of writing and publishing a second novel. That second novel, Peace Talks, about being shortlisted for the Costa Prize, and about his wide ranging music choices.
America from West Side Story - Stephen Sondheim
We’ve only just begun - The Carpenters
Are ‘Friends’ Electric? - Gary Numan
Youth of Eglington - Black Uhuru
A Proper Sort of Gardener - June Tabor
The Blood is Love - Queens of the Stone Age
I Can’t Give Everything Away - David Bowie
Good Luck - Basement Jaxx
Aiwa - Emmanuel Jal
Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgrave
Here Come the Rattling Trees - High Llamas
By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Glen Campbell
Anne Booth talks about the joy, the responsibility and the beauty of writing for children, from picture books to young readers to her Carnegie-listed middle-grade novel Girl With a White Dog. She also talks about the writing of Small Miracles, her first novel for adults, due for publication in 2022.
Anne’s song choices were:
Gipsy Kings - Bamboléo
Julie Fowlis - Touch the Sky (from Brave)
Sinéad O’Connor - This Is to Mother You
Fairground Attraction - Perfect
The Divine Comedy - To the Rescue
Paolo Nutini - Pencil Full of Lead
Mary Mary - Shackles (Praise You(
Julie Andrews - My Favourite Things
Earth, Wind and Fire - September
Kirsty MacColl - A New England
Andrew Gold - Never Let Her Slip Away
Crowded House - Weather With You
Eurythmics - I Saved the World Today
Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi
Pharrell Williams - Happy
From Victorian England to Ancient Egypt, from travelling circus to deserted mansion, Emma discusses how she creates compelling characters and stories across a range of settings and times, how her career as a teacher prepared her for life as a full-time writer, and the reality of earning a living as an author.
Emma’s song choices were:
When Doves Cry- Prince
Sympathy for the Devil- The Rolling Stones
Masterblaster- Stevie Wonder
River- Joni Mitchell
Feeling Good- Nina Simone
Cloudbusting- Kate Bush
The Power of Love- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Don't You ( Forget about me)- Simple Minds
Starman- David Bowie
Proud Mary- Tina Turner
Halo- Beyonce
Valerie- Amy Winehouse
Shake it Off- Taylor Swift
Andy Miller, author of The Year of Reading Dangerously and co-host of Backlisted Pod, talks about the power of reading and the art of writing, and plays a marvellous and unexpected selection of Northern Soul.
Needle in a Haystack - The Velvelettes
What - Judy Street
Don't Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today -
Heartaches Away My Boy - Christine Cooper
Helpless - Kim Weston
Yours Until Tomorrow - Dee Dee Warwick
Nothing But a Heartache - The Flirtations
Is This What I Get for Loving You? - Marianne Faithfull
Rip Off - Laura Lee
Wanting You - April Stevens
Make Me Yours - Bettye Swann
Lay this burden down - Mary Love
You Got Me - Jaibi
The Girl from Cincinnati - Bobbie Gentry
Keep On Keeping On - Curtis Mayfield
One Christmas Night
Hayley talks Christmas and kindness and how Twitter at its best gave rise to her novel One Christmas Night.
Thank God It's Christmas - Queen
Blue Christmas - Elvis
Gaudete - Steelye Span
Walking in the Air - Peter Auty
Last Christmas - Wham
Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie/ Bing Crosby
White Wine in the Sun - Tim Minchin
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town - Bruce Springsteen
Winter Song - Sam Fender
Stop the Cavalry - Jona Lewie
I saw a maiden - Choir of Kings College
River - Travis
Underneath the Tree - Kelly Clarkson
Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin Stevens
Antonia discusses perfect books for Christmas giving with prolific reader and book blogger Clare Reynolds (@yearsofreading).
Clare’s song choices were
Step into Christmas - Elton John
Mary’s Boy Child - Boney M
O Holy Night - *NSYNC
I ‘ll be home for Christmas - Doris Day
Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Mrs Santa Claus - Nat King Cole
2000 Miles - The Pretenders
Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas - Michael Bublé
Christmas Saves the Year - 21 Pilots
When a child is born - Johnny Mathis
It’s the most wonderful time of the year - Andy Williams
Sophia Bennett talks perseverance, reinvention and the rewards of self-compassion as we untie the wonder of The Windsor Knot, in which Queen Elizabeth II turns Golden Age detective.
Grace Jones - Slave to the Rhythm
Kylie - Santa Baby
Ian Dury - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Madeleine Peyroux - Dance Me To The End of Love
Pet Shop Boys, West End Girls
David Bowie - Fashion
Siouxie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence
The Beatles, In My Life
Maria Muldaur - Midnight at the Oasis
Pearl Jam - Alive
Postmodern Jukebox - Creep
Lovely Day, Bill Withers
Sam Mills talks about her beautiful and tender memoir, The Fragments of My Father; about love, loss and Leonard Woolf; about the power and cost of caring; about writing, Will Self and setting up an independent press. We get a bit cross. We laugh. We hope you’ll join us.
Life on Mars - David Bowie
Lay Lady Lay - Bob Dylan
Must be Dreaming - Frou Frou
Angeles - Enya
Cold War - Dwa Serduska, Joanna Kulig
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
Vesuvius - Sufjan Stevens
Runaway - The National
Angel - Sally Herbert
Blue Jeans - Lana del Rey
Dreamer - Livin’ Joy
Bad Girl - Madonna
Journalist, film-maker and sorta-biographer Darren Richman joins Book Club to talk comedy, writing partnerships and Pat Sharp, and we meander (at least partly drawn by Leonard Cohen and Jarvis Cocker) into a strangely life-affirming place where comedy and tragedy meet, as Darren describes his next writing project. (DISCLAIMER: My love for Pat Sharp in his Capital Radio years was sincere and completely non-ironic and Darren copes with it brilliantly.)
Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks
Bad Cover Version by Pulp
Young at Heart by Frank Sinatra
Yesterday by The Beatles
Superstition by Stevie Wonder
Keep Me in Your Heart by Warren Zevon
Hard to Explain by The Strokes
Tower of Song by Leonard Cohen
Wildflowers by Tom Petty
Being Boring by Pet Shop Boys
Sound and Vision by David Bowie
Hung Up by Madonna
Writer and musician James Cook discusses his tender and moving memoir about connecting with his autistic daughter through music, including his own experiences with 90s band Flamingoes.
Cloudbusting - Kate Bush
Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
Life’s What You Make It - Talk Talk
Love is Like an Itching in my Heart - The Supremes
Common People - Pulp
Running Away - Flamingoes
Here Comes the Sun - Nina Simone
Going Down to Liverpool - The Bangles
You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry
Pearly Dewdrops Drops - The Cocteau Twins
Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads
Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
Naturalist, television producer and prolific writer Stephen Moss joins me to talk about birds - all kinds of birds, but particularly the swallow, which is the subject of his latest book. We discuss lockdown, writing and the healing power of nature, with a healthy dose of Bill Oddie. Stephen also shares the moving story of meeting his father in his forties and speaks powerfully of the strength and support of family.
Stephen's songs were :
She Loves you -The Beatles
Rocket Man - Elton John
All the young Dudes - Mott the hoople
Cum on Feel the Noize - Slade
Sylvia - Focus
Make me Smile - Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
Star Man - David Bowie
Penny Lane - The Beatles
I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Tracks of my Tears - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Angels - Robbie Williams
Bestselling author Una McCormack and I boldly go where no edition of Book Club has gone before as we talk Blake`s Seven, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek and the power of space opera to change the world.
Unas songs were:
Come All Ye Rolling Minstrels - Fairport Convention
Driving Sideways - Aimee Mann
Space Girl - The Imagined Village
Marlene on the Wall - Suzanne Vega
Wall of Death - Richard and Linda Thompson
Rubberband Girl - Kate Bush
Galileo - Indigo Girls
Peace Train - 10,000 Maniacs
The Name of the Game - ABBA
Us Amazonians - Kirsty MacColl
Nightswimming - REM
Thank You for Hearing Me - Sinead OConnor
Amanda Jennings discusses her long and often challenging journey to her current status as the Queen of Cornish Noir with honesty warmth and generosity. We talk perseverance, family, the brilliance of teenagers and the importance of friends as well as her tense and unsettling novels, from Sworn Secret to The Storm.
Her songs were :
Love Cats - The Cure
Son of a Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
Creep - Radiohead
Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Zombie - The Cranberries
Perfect Day - Lou Reed
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Changes - David Bowie
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Bury It - The Chvrches
Miranda Dickinson is made of glitter and starlight, two qualities which she sprinkles liberally into her bestselling stories of love and romance. Her publication story is a source of encouragement to all aspiring writers as, with her steely work ethic and belief in joy, is Miranda herself. With bonus bearded Whovians..
Her songs were :
I Don't Want to Know - Sigrid
Just You and I - Tom Walker
Photograph - Ed Sheeran
The Call and the Answer - Kris Drever
Real Love - Tom Odell
Skyworld - Two Steps from Hell
In Her Eyes - Josh Groban
Flowers in the Window - Travis
Cup of Tea - Kacey Musgraves
The World Spins Madly On - The Weepies
The Star That Guides You Home - Emma Stevens
The Right Track - Mary Bragg
Bestselling historian Anne Sebba enthralls with her stories of Elizabeth Taylor and Madonna, the unknown letters of Ernest and Wallis Simpson, being Reutersfirst female journalist, love, loss - and writing. Annes songs were:
The Beatles - Yesterday
Ella Fitzgerald - The Man I Love
Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne
Peter Sarstedt - Where do you go to, my lovely
Roberta Flack - Killing me softly
Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
Don Maclean - American Pie
Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke - Chim Chim Cheree from Mary Poppins
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water
Elton John - Can you feel the love tonight