This Is The Book: Empress & Aniya

With a novel that spans twenty years, marked by three celestial events and characters with their feet firmly on the ground, we sat down for a fascinating conversation with former Waterstones Book of the Year author, Sarah Perry. How do faith and science intersect, what do we really mean by love, friendship and family, and when our orbits bring us back together how do we mark this significance?

On 12 Aug 2022, over 30 years after a fatwa had been ordered against him, Salman Rushdie was attacked as he was about to give a public lecture at the Chautauqua​ Institution. By his own admission, he shouldn’t have survived such serious injuries. So what was it that helped him to persevere and how has it changed his outlook on life. We spoke with him about the hard work of recovery, the need to write about the ordeal, and what it means to have a second chance at living.

Fresh from breaking hearts with the TV adaptation of his bestselling One Day, David Nicholls came in to talk to us about his new novel, You Are Here, which introduces us to Marnie and Michael, two souls on an epic walk, on the precipice of a new friendship, and maybe more. We sat down to talk about his love of walking, music and, well... love.

Not many writers would be brave enough to take an American classic like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and rework it from a new perspective, but then Percival Everett isn’t like most writers. We sat down to talk about giving fresh voice to one of American literature’s most important characters, the whole concept of ‘black voices’ and what drives his prolific output.

With African history having largely been told through a western lens, Zeinab Badawi travelled to over 30 countries in the continent of her birth over the course of 7 years, speaking with historians, archaeologists and academics in order to give them voice and weave an epic narrative from the cradle of humanity to a vibrant future.

Rejoice! For Marian Keyes is back with another hilarious novel which follows Anna Walsh's move from New York back to Ireland, leaving expensive beauty products and easy access to HRT behind, for a moving confrontation with her past - and some small-town politics. We spoke with her about the surprisingly personal inspiration for this new tale, changing your personal narrative and what it takes to forgive people.

When Chimene Suleyman went to an abortion clinic with her partner, she had no idea that this would be the last time she would see him; even less that she was not the only woman to have been manipulated and betrayed by him. In a frank and revelatory conversation we speak with her about the social media post that united these women in their experience, the chain of support they were able to offer each other, and how the persistent misogyny that allowed smart and self-aware women to be duped in this way must be interrogated and challenged.

With a debut that became an immediate bestseller and a second novel that joined his first as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, we were of course front of queue to find out where Stuart Turton might take us with his latest book. Did anyone guess a crime thriller set in a utopian community made up of the last humans on earth after a catastrophe has wiped out most of humanity? We sat down with him to talk about the hurdles of writing, how he got over them, and why he’s enjoying creating his fictional worlds more now than ever.

If you’ve ever seen someone in the supermarket who you’re sure you know, but can’t remember their name, or had the answer for something on the tip of your tongue, or had that sense of deja-vu; this is the book for you. Using the latest memory research, neuroscientist Dr. Charan Ranganath helps us to understand more about how memory works, why it’s important to forget, and some tips to help you remember that person in the supermarket.

Anna Jones has always been a passionate advocate for vibrant, sustainable cooking that places vegetables centre stage. In her latest book, Easy Wins, she highlights 12 hero ingredients that will allow you to get maximum flavour into your food with minimum effort, the perfect solution for those who don’t want to compromise on taste but may have limited time to prepare meals. We visited her kitchen to whip up a little something and to find out more about the philosophy behind the book and to get some great tips and tricks to transform your culinary life.