Katherine Rundell and Max Porter

Booker Prize winner (and recent shortlistee) Marlon James goes head to head with artist and graphic novelist, Emil Wilson, in a war of the words.They discuss music, comics, frenemies, AIDS, graphic novel envy - and authors with great reading taste, who you don't want to read.Marlon discusses his new novel - 'The Disappeares' - which is inspired by a real-life event that happened in Jamaica in the 1980s.Emil chats about his debut graphic novel - 'The Nightingales' - which is based on a personal experience that happened to him and his family.The authors also recommend us some cracking books which they have read recently and loved.THE BOOK OFF'Belonging' by Nora KrugVS'As Meat Loves Salt' by Maria McCannBut which one will win?For more book recommendations and musings - you can follow Joe on SubstackHere's a little more info on our guests' books:'The Disappearers' by Marlon James This is Marlon James’s triumphant return to the Jamaica of A Brief History of Seven Killings – a place of heat and chaos, and of danger for anyone outside the heteronormal.So when eight gay men meet for the first time, in Kingston in 1988, answering the casting call for an openly queer play, they are already taking a big risk. But that is nothing compared to what rains down on them when a mob descends on one of their rehearsals.By the end of this night, one man is dead, all are injured, and two subsequently disappear.As the survivors heal, each man finds he must confront the bigotry and homophobia that the attack laid bare. Some try to forget; some embrace their rage; and some simply vanish – but all are forever scarred.As one of the victims puts it, ‘there’s a difference between when something ends and when something stops’. And this story won’t stop until both the disappearers and the perpetrators have been tracked, along trails both hot and cold, and an ending reached.'The Nightingales' by Emil Wilson A stunning graphic novel set in 1980s smalltown America about a seventeen-year-old girl and the dying stranger who moves into her family’s home It’s spring 1985 when Emil Wilson’s father, Donald, quietly invites his colleague Jim to move in with his family. What Don doesn’t tell his wife Annemarie or his teenage daughter Lou is that Jim has AIDS.For small-town Oregon in the eighties, a place where Lou’s treasured New York Times arrives three days late, AIDS is still a news story that happens in faraway places to faraway people. Jim is worldly, witty and quickly deteriorating. His presence in the house turns the family upside down.As Annemarie’s fear and resentment grow, adding further strain to the family’s shaky foundations, Lou forms an unlikely friendship with Jim (and his two showbiz Pomeranians, Henny and Penny) – a friendship that pushes Lou to grow up, get out and imagine a life beyond the limits of her town. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A jet-lagged Paul Tremblay goes head to head with a caffeinated CJ Tudor in a war of the words...They talk about 'vomit drafts', Suburban Horror, tattoos, AI class action suits and marmite endings (a term lost on the American).Paul discusses his satirical and funny new novel - 'Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep' - which is a book with many themes, including the joy of human creativity. Previous guest JD Kirk pitched one of Paul's novels ('Horror Movie') for his Book Off - and you can listen to that episode wherever you found this one! CJ talks about her creepy, slow building new novel - 'Serenity Falls' - which is set in a perfect American town, which seems too good to be true (and is). This is CJ's THIRD time on Book Off! No author has ever Booked Off so many times - so she currently holds the crown!THE BOOK OFF 'Sign Here' by Claudia Lux VS'Our Share Of Night' by Mariana EnriquezBut who will win?Here's a little more info on our guests' latest novels:'Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep' by Paul Tremblay Meet Julia Flang, a twenty-something former professional gamer, living with her retired uncle, and working two jobs she doesn't like. Out of the blue, her estranged mother, a CFO for one of the world's largest tech companies, offers her a temp job with a payday Julia can't refuse. One sham interview later, she's offered the job: to chaperone a man in a vegetative state from California to the East Coast. But he's not dead dead: he has an AI mind implanted in his head . . . Meet a middle-aged man who wakes within a disorienting hellscape filled with monstrous grotesqueries. Worse than the fluid, morphing reality in which he's trapped, he has no memory of who he is. He certainly doesn't remember getting the rabbit tattoo on his arm. He only knows that he must find a certain person.'Serenity Falls' by CJ Tudor Welcome to Serenity Falls – the most idyllic, and safest, town in the US – a place to grow up, grow your family and grow old together. For Dan and his daughter, Sadie, it’s the perfect relocation option. A fresh start, thousands of miles from their troubled past in the UK.But their idyll is shattered when they find a dead body in the swimming pool of their new house – a house Dan’s late mother kept secret from him all his life.It’s just the start of a series of disturbing discoveries. Abandoned houses where people have seemingly just upped and left. The strange woman Sadie sees around town putting up ‘missing’ posters for a child who drowned almost thirty years ago. An ice cream van that drives around at night making sure residents are asleep...As plans gear up to celebrate Serenity Falls’ fiftieth anniversary, something is stirring beneath the surface of the blissful façade. Is Serenity Falls really the perfect town or is it founded on something far darker? And is someone so desperate to keep its secrets that they’d resort to anything to preserve them?Who? He can't remember. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bestselling authors, China Mieville and Emily St John Mandel go head to head in a war of the words...They join Joe Haddow for a chat about their work, inspirations and new novels.'The Rouse' by China Mieville is a sprawling, epic saga (1200 pages in length). He talks to Joe about what can be achieved in a long novel, how the writing process is different, how he kept continuity - and - why it has taken 20 years to write.'Exit Party' by Emily St John Mandel is a dystopian novel of crimes committed and loves lost across worlds and decades. She talks about why she set it in a very near future, bringing characters back from previous novels and 'The Mandelverse'.THE BOOK OFF'Monkey Beach' by Eden RobinsonVS'Sleight' by Kirsten KaschockAnd here's a little more info on our guests' brilliant books:'The Rouse' by China Mieville Maur’s life has been shaped by an unbearable loss. But in the aftermath of what is an apparently ordinary tragedy, deeper, stranger questions arise . . . Their answers may lie within the dark heart and darker history of an old soldier who shares Maur’s obsessions – and is violently pursued by the same unknown, unquiet forces.So begins The Rouse, a masterpiece unlike any other: at once a sprawling saga of the bloody twentieth century, and the intimate story of two lives, their loves, regrets and secrets – and a terrifying journey into infinite mystery.'Exit Party' by Emily St John MandelLos Angeles, 2031: The first spring after the collapse of the United States, peacekeeping troops withdraw from the city, the Jacaranda trees blossom, and the curfew is finally lifted. Ari Waker and her roommate pass the gauntlet of bomb-sniffing dogs, the shanty towns, and the Red Cross tents as they walk across Silverlake to a party. The mood is ecstatic inside the apartment, people drink and dance, a woman wears a silver dress, pleated like tinfoil. And then: A shift. A bewildered twin, an uncanny doppelganger stumbles through the crowd and out into the night, and Kareem, the party’s host, vanishes into thin air.As Ari Waker unravels the mystery of this inexplicable night, Emily St. John Mandel unfurls a story that takes us from a future America splintered by civil war to the seaside cliffs of Greece where weapons dealers hide in an elegant resort, and from the domed city of Paris to a colony on the moon. An unforgettable literary feat, Exit Party is a novel about the price of safety, the perils of the surveillance state, a requiem for a world not unlike our own, and a breathtaking story of resilience in the face of cataclysmic change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two brilliant writers and humans - Charlie Higson and Vaseem Khan - join Joe for a Book Off (and a Bond Off!)Both are writing contemporary novels - in the world of James Bond - for the Ian Fleming estate.Charlie has previously written Young Bond novels - but has recently published 'King Zero' - his first adult novel featuring James Bond.Vaseem is writing the character of Q - who appears in the Fleming Novels and, of course, on screen too (played namely by Desmond Llewlyn and Ben Wishaw)Vas was told to write something that was 'halfway between Richard Osman and Mick Herron' - so no pressure then!The two authors chat about their love of Bond, bringing Fleming into the 21st Century, finding new audiences...and whether they might ever work together!?They also recommend us some brilliant books too!THE BOOK OFF'Jurassic Park' by Michael Crichton VS The 'Gormenghast' Trilogy by Mervyn Peake And here's a little more info on our guests' new books:'King Zero' by Charlie Higson Le Chiffre. Dr No. Goldfinger. James Bond has faced them all. But now the world is changing, and even 007 has no idea what’s coming for him…It starts with a murdered agent in the Saudi desert. Only a traitor could have known enough to bring him down. But even James Bond can’t guess at the secret that was worth killing him to keep.As Bond follows the trail across the globe, he doesn’t realise the countdown has already begun. And hiding in the shadows is a man with more power than he could ever have imagined.Prepare for a villain unlike any before.Prepare for KING ZERO.'The Man With The Golden Compass' by Vaseem Khan Dismissed from MI6's Q Branch, where he developed weapons and field technology, Major Boothroyd (aka 'Q') has found a new lease of life as an amateur detective in his sleepy hometown of Wickstone-on-Water.Fresh from successfully solving the murder of his childhood friend, Q is now hired by the police to re-examine the unsolved killing of Lawrence Noble, a tech millionaire turned online antique dealer.Why was Noble tortured before his death? What is the significance of the circular golden object inscribed with mysterious runes found by his body?As Q investigates, danger stalks those around him, and he soon finds himself dragged into a chilling conspiracy where past and present meet in a way he could not possibly have imagined . . . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning authors, Donal Ryan and Elif Shafak, join Joe Haddow for a war of the words.Elif's new novel - 'In One Brief Moment All Eternity' - is an imaginative re-telling of Flaubert's 'Madame Bovary' - told from 30 different characters. Some of them are based on real-life people, whilst others are completely made up (and not necessarily human!)Donal's latest novel - "Where Are The Kings" - is a poignant coming-of-age story set in rural Ireland. It follows a young boy, navigating the tragic loss of his mother.The authors discuss their books and the inspirations behind them, as well as touching on themes of grief and loss. They also talk about art, literature - and the awful stats of how many libraries are closing in the UK (and around the world).THE BOOK OFF'Johnny Got His Gun' by Dalton TrumboVS'Homer-Haunted' by Henry Power'Where Are The Kings' by Donal RyanSomething terrible has happened to Jack but no one seems to want to talk about it.His uncles can tell him about everything from quantum physics to how to hunt for deer, but they can’t seem to tell him anything about their own sister or why Jack doesn’t feel sad for her in the way he should, or why Grandad tries to shoot Jack’s dad when he gets out of the hospital.Still, there’s work to be done in the oily wonderland of his uncles’ garage; there’s his beautiful aunt Rose to hypnotise him and his loving grandparents to console him; then there’s JJ, who wants to fight him one day and save him the next.But with so many questions, in a family with so many secrets, it is difficult for Jack to understand the person he is becoming. How can a simple boy learn to become a king?'In One Brief Moment All Eternity' by Elif Shafak During a time of great turmoil, Gustave Flaubert created literature's most scandalous heroine: Madame Bovary. He then poisoned her with arsenic. But what if, 175 years later, Emma – and the women history overlooked – could seize the quill from his hands and tell a different story? In One Brief Moment All Eternity is a luminous reinvention of an iconic male writer, told through the eyes of the women – real and fictional – who shaped him: a devoted nursemaid, an Egyptian dancer and a passionate, jealous lover who refuses to be forgotten. Through their voices, visionary author Elif Shafak creates both an intimate portrait of a great artist and an epic meditation on storytelling itself: who gets remembered, who gets erased, and how can literature endure through political upheaval, war and injustice? When the world feels broken, how do we find the hope to carry on? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bestselling authors and all-round wonderful human beings, Max Porter and Katherine Rundell, join Joe Haddow for a War of the Words!They chat about the joy of children's books, magic, creating worlds and why brawling is very much different to fighting.Both Katherine and Max are passionate about words and poetry - and give us some wonderful book recommendations to add to the TBR pile!THE BOOK OFFThe Love Poetry of John DonneVS'Staying Alive' by Neil AstleyAnd here's more info on our guest's brilliant books:'Impossible Creatures: The Neverfear' by Katherine Rundell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is kidnapped. The ransom note reads: We have taken what is precious to you. We require the most precious objects in Glimouria in return. There will be three demands. If you tell any person or creature, they die. If you fail, they die.Now Christopher – alongside Anya Argen, the former Princess of Dousha, Ratwin the ratatoska and Jacques the Jaculus dragon – must set sail on the Neverfear to recover three precious treasures. Together they must face fearsome giants, win a daring race, and outwit deadly enemies to save those they love most.'Dogs And Bears' by Max Porter (illustrated by Dorothee de MonfreidThe dogs and the bears have been brawling for a while. No one knows quite how it started. Was it the jackets, cloaks and bandanas the dogs were wearing? Or the smell of the sickly sweets that the dogs were making? But today is the day of the third deciding brawl. The stage is set. NO snack breaks and no biscuits.But halfway through the world is interrupted by an unexpected airborne event - raining squid! This will change the relationship of the dogs and bears forever... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Authors Shelby Van Pelt and Debra Curtis join Joe Haddow for a good ole Book Off! They talk about their debut novels ('Impossibly Bright Creatures' and 'Laws Of Love And Logic'), the brilliance of nature - specifically Octopi - strange psychic coincidences - and sex!THE BOOK OFF'The Woman Who Lost Her Soul' by Bob Shacochis VS'The Soul Of An Octopus' by Sy Montgomery Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International bestselling authors, Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena, go head to head in a war of the words!They join Joe Haddow to chat about their new novels, creepy houses, instagram life vs real life, and why some authors (mainly men) shouldn't write sex scenes in their books.The authors also discuss how dark they will go in their own books, why they like reading really gruesome things, tell us about authors they admire - and give us some brilliant book recommendations too.THE BOOK OFF'Lie With Me' by Sabine DurrantVS'Five' by Ilona BannisterAnd here's a little more about out guest's latest books!'Getting Away With Murder' by Shari LapenaJill and Ted adore their New York brownstone the way others adore their children. They have carefully, expensively, made every inch of it their own. It reflects who they are, their status and tastes. With the grand mahogany staircase and state-of-the-art kitchen, it is the stuff of glossy magazines and real-estate dreams. It is their sanctuary.So when Ted’s inheritance runs out and he makes a bad investment, they panic. How can they protect their beloved home and enviable lifestyle?The answer is obvious. Or at least, it is obvious to Jill and Ted. The death of one wealthy family member could solve all their problems. Together, they will get away with murder.As long as they trust each other. And as long as there are no surprises . . .'It Could Have Been Her' by Lisa JewellNewly divorced and feeling a little lost, Jane Trevally agrees to accompany a man she doesn't know to his house in the darkest corner of Hampstead Heath.She's offered a drink. She steps inside.And then she hears a scream.Jane runs.Twenty five years later, Jane finds herself outside the same house, this time to return a dog who's been found near her home. A dog whose owner has just been reported missing. A fleeting glimpse of a haunted looking woman through the window sends Jane on a mission to uncover the house's secrets - secrets more terrifying than she could have ever imagined.And she can't stop thinking: It could have been her . . . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're baaaaack! HELLO SERIES 16! And for the first episode in our new series, authors Bobby Palmer and Claire Daverley go head-to-head in a war of the words.They discuss their latest novels ("Main Characters" and "People In Love") and discover that they both have exactly the same taste in books!Joe chats to them about rom-coms, Richard Curtis, and the many different beautiful and frustrating angles of writing about love. We also get some cracking book recommendations from them as well...and there are several cameos from Dougal the dog! THE BOOK OFF'Shark Heart' by Emily HabeckVS'Wuthering Heights' by Emily BronteAnd if you liked the sound of Bobby and Claire's books - here's a little more info on their novels:"People In Love" by Claire Daverley One bright blue day, on a bench by the river, Nora’s partner Robin proposes.It is unexpected; they’d always agreed that they didn’t need a wedding. But after a decade of in-jokes, dancing in the low-lit kitchen and sharing morning toast in bed, Nora says yes. Why wouldn’t she?The answer lands on the night of their engagement party, when Bren turns up on her doorstep.Growing up, Bren and Nora were the sort of best friends who everyone swore would end up together. But when a sudden heartbreak turned their lives upside down, Bren left, Nora stayed, and the silent longing between them remained unspoken.Now, he’s back, and their tentative yet undeniable spark reignites, forcing Nora to ask herself:How can you know your heart, if it feels like it’s split in two?"Main Characters" by Bobby Palmer Clara and Seb are about to fall in love. They don't know it yet. But everybody else does.When Clara and Seb meet in a quiet corner of London, it's the start of something. She wants to be a director. He's an actor, unsure what he wants from life.Their connection is magnetic. Everyone can see that falling in love looks something like this. But when Clara casts Seb in the film that will make her name, what should be the happiest time of their lives ends with a gut-wrenching betrayal.Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told through the eyes of friends, flatmates, exes and strangers who see all the sides of Seb and Clara, from their first date to the moment they fell apart.Everyone has their version of events. But only Clara and Seb can decide how their story ends... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justin Currie - lead singer of Del Amitri - and Debsey Wykes - frontwoman of Dolly Mixture - join Joe for a natter about their memoirs, music, writing, forgotten histories and much more.Justin talks about touring America, then and now, how the US took Del Amitri under their wings and, essentially, helped him buy a house!Debsey talks about touring with The Undertones and U2, keeping an archive - and writing to remember.They also recommend us some brilliant books that they have enjoyed recently!THE BOOK OFF'The Haunting Of Hill House' by Shirley JacksonVS'Train Dreams' by Denis JohnsonHere's a little more info on our guest's memoirs:'The Tremelo Diaries' by Justin Currie It’s 2022 and we join Justin at the doctor’s office, looking down the barrel of a Parkinson’s diagnosis. After concerned fans noticed a tremor in his hand, Currie sought the medical advice which led him to the discovery that would throw his future into uncertainty. The immediate fallout of his diagnosis is laid bare in Currie’s candid, stream of consciousness voice. A voice that is also by turns poetic, self-deprecating and darkly humorous across a series of diary entries that capture Justin’s innermost feelings ― part travelogue, part confessional. Following a coming to terms with the situation whilst on tour in the U.S, the second half of the story joins Currie in 2024, supporting Simple Minds on tour with Del Amitri. Anger, heartbreak and a looming sense of finality concoct a terse relationship between what once was and what may never be. Yet, page after page, what prevails is the achingly perfect timing of his acerbic wit.The Tremolo Diaries is a beautiful and unique meditation on illness and aging. It is a twilight years reflection on band life in the 21st Century. It’s a travelogue around the world’s art galleries, parks, bars and sites of natural beauty. And most importantly, it is about love and friendship, adversity and courage, life and loss.In a first-of-its-kind exploration of Parkinson’s by a multi-platinum selling musician, The Tremolo Diaries looks the dramatic irony of Currie’s affliction in the eye, puts down the guitar, and returns the needle to the start of the song.'Teenage Daydream: We Are The Girls That Play In The Band' by Debsey Wykes Debsey Wykes' memoir is a vivid coming-of-age story from one of the UK’s earliest female post-punk musicians. As bassist and vocalist in cult trio Dolly Mixture, Wykes was thrown into the male-dominated music world of the late 1970s, brushing against fame with an unlikely No.1 hit alongside Captain Sensible before finding long-term acclaim through her work with Saint Etienne.Told with charm and defiance, the book revisits a youth shaped by DIY ethics, schoolgirl friendship, and the thrill of performance. It features appearances from key figures of the era — including Paul Weller, Madness, and The Pogues — and captures the spirit of a scene where handmade hula skirts met Top of the Pops.Now performing with both Saint Etienne and her group Birdy, Wykes reflects on the enduring appeal of Dolly Mixture, whose reissues remain in high demand. Teenage Daydream is a rare, first-hand account of a woman forging her path through punk’s golden age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.