Bookwandering with Anna James

My guest this week is Lily King, author of several books including Euphoria, Writers & Lovers and Women’s Prize shortlisted Heart the Lover. Lily chose Judy Blume’s 1972 novel It’s Not the End of the World and we chatted about why it was the book that made Lily want to be an author, the magic of Judy Blume, and why it’s all about emotion not plot when Lily’s writing. You can find Lily's and my own books on my Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcastThe podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian, writer and podcaster Cariad Lloyd joins me to talk about Jane Austen. Cariad is the co-creator of Austentatious, the improvised Jane Austen play, the host of Griefcast, and Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club with Sara Pascoe. She’s also the author of The Christmas Wish-Tastrophe, amagical middle grade Regency story.We started with Pride and Prejudice but cover a bit of everything Austen. We talk about our favourite and least favourite Austen novels, the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and why writing and reading the Regency period is such fun. You can find The Christmas Wish-Tastrophe, my favourite Austen editions and my books at my Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast? and find our more about Brian's work at https://cariadlloyd.com/The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Wood joins me to talk about Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Laura is the bestselling author of several books for children, teens and adults including newly released Under Your Spell, Laura's debut adult romcom. Laura's choice was Gail Carson Levine's 1997 classic Ella Enchanted and we chatted about retellings, library book limits and the Anne Hathaway film adaptation. You can find Laura's and my books at my Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast?The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode nine, C Pam Zhang joins me to talk about American classic A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Pam is the author of Booker Prize-longlisted How Much of These Hills is Gold and this year's Land of Milk and Honey, one of my favourite books of the year. Pam's pick was A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle's beloved 1962 award-winning novel which kicked off the Time Quintet. We chatted about world hopping and climate change, the religious elements of the book and its refusal to sit neatly in a genre. You can find Pam's books, Pages & Co, and A Wrinkle in Time at my Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast-s2Next week's episode features Jay McGuiness on Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode seven, Nikita Gill joins me to talk about JM Barrie's beloved children's novel Peter Pan. Nikita is a poet and has published several books of poetry including These Are the Words, Great Goddesses and Fierce Fairytales. She's also one of the most popular poets on Instagram, with over 750k followers at @nikita_gill. We chat about some of the more tricky and Oedipal elements of Peter Pan, its sometimes unsettling tone but also its whimsy and wonder. You can find Nikita's books, Pages & Co, and Peter Pan at my Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast-s2Next week features Sophie Dahl on The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken.The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode five, Kiran Millwood Hargrave joins me to talk about Garth Nix's 1995 fantasy classic, Sabriel. Kiran is the award-winning and bestselling writer of several books for adults and young people including The Girl of Ink and Stars, The Mercies and most recently the start of brand new fantasy series, In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen. We chat about magical bells, how Kiran uses books of power for each of her projects, and why it’s so important not to patronise young readers.You can find Sabriel and In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen on my Bookshop.org page, where you can get free shipping with the code BOOKWANDERER: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast-s2Next week's episode is the last before we take a small break and features Kate Di Camillo on The Borrowers by Mary Norton. The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode three, Eliza Clark joins me to talk about Terry Pratchett's 1989-1990 Nome trilogy which kicks off with Truckers. Eliza is the author of cult classic and BookTok sensation Boy Parts, soon to be on stage at the Soho Theatre. Her newest novel, Penance is a brilliant meta true crime novel set in a Yorkshire seaside town. We chat about the enduring appeal of tiny people and big food, pretending to be an elf on the Internet, and both horrible and wholesome teenage obsessions.You can find Penance and Truckers on my Bookshop.org page, where you can get free shipping with the code BOOKWANDERER: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast-s2Next week's episode features Jeffrey Boakye on Holes by Louis Sachar. The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Max Porter joins me to talk about the work of the late author and illustrator John Burningham who created Avocado Baby, Mr Gumpy's Day Out and Borka among many, many other beloved picture books. Max is the award-winning author of several books including Grief is the Thing with Feathers, which was adapted into a play starring Cillian Murphy, and most recently Shy. We chat about the alchemy of words and pictures together, frameworks of good and bad for art and beauty and the idea of childhood imagination as vengeance on the banality of the adult world - as well as playing a Burningham-inspired game of Would You Rather?You can find the books we discussed here where you can get free shipping with the code BOOKWANDERER: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcast-s2 Next week's episode features Angie Thomas on Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.