Our final Book Talk podcast features a pair of heavyweights from the world of crime fiction and a debut author we should all be sure to keep an eye on.First up: Ryan Van Winkle has a chat with bestselling author Val McDermid and her partner in

The Illuminations by Andrew O'Hagan

Mar 10th, 2015 22m 9s

This month, our Book Talk panel turns its attention to the latest book by fantastic Scottish author, Andrew O'Hagan. The Illuminations tells two stories; the first of Anne Quirk, a once-great photographer trying to reconnect with her past, an

Garth Nix, Leigh Bardugo and David Levithan Interviews

Feb 24th, 2015 36m 27s

This month, Ryan Van Winkle and our own Sasha de Buyl interview best-selling YA authors Garth Nix (@garthnix), Leigh Bardugo (@LBardugo) and David Levithan (@loversdiction) about returning to different worlds, crafting a series and creating cha

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Feb 10th, 2015 23m 23s

This month, our Book Talk panel turns its attention to the popular autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis, by French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi.With a title that references the ancient capital of the Persian empire, Persepolis is a com

Lucy Ribchester, Elisabeth Gifford and Lucy Hughes-Hallett interviews

Jan 28th, 2015 29m 30s

In our first set of interviews for 2015, Ryan Van Winkle talks to Lucy Ribchester, Lucy Hughes-Hallett and Elizabeth Gifford about suffragettes, mythology and the fascist poet who wanted to create his own utopia.Lucy Ribchester is the Edinburg

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Jan 14th, 2015 22m 56s

This month, our Book Talk panel turns its attention to the wildly successful Wild by Cheryl Strayed. This highly personal, admirably honest memoir details the authors journey from a lost 26-year-old who thought she had lost everything followi

Jodi Picoult, Helen Macdonald and Tom Barbash interviews

Dec 19th, 2014 38m 16s

Jodi Picoult is the author of 23 books that have sold over 23 million copies. Her latest novel Leaving Time debuted at number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The book tells the story of Alice Metcalf, and elephant researcher, and her d

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Nov 26th, 2014 27m 37s

This month, the Book Talk panel has been discussing the 2014 Man Booker Prize winner, Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Taking its title from one of the most famous books in Japanese literature, written by the great haiku po

Martina Cole, Jack Wolf and Irving Finkel interviews

Nov 12th, 2014 32m 8s

In this edition of Book Talk, Ryan Van Winkle talks modern day crime with Martina Cole, 18th century science with Jack Wolf, and ancient Memopotamian stories with Irving Finkel.Martina Cole is a legendary British crime writer. She's the author

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber

Oct 28th, 2014 21m 54s

This month finds the Book Talk panel reading and discussing The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. Faber's first book in fourteen years is a tale of adventure, faith and the ties that might hold two people together when they are worlds

Ron Butlin, Donal McLaughlin and Eimear McBride interviews

Oct 14th, 2014 30m 34s

In this edition of Book Talk, host Ryan Van Winkle and Sasha de Buyl talk to Ron Butlin, Donal McLaughlin and Eimear McBride about family and place.A Girl is a Half-formed ThingWith an international reputation as a prize-winning novelist, Ron

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid

Sep 30th, 2014 20m 49s

This month, Book Talk has been reading and discussing Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid, a modern re-imagining of the Jane Austen classic. This is the second release from the Austen Project, which pairs six bestselling contemporary authors with

Ajay Close and David Mitchell Interviews

Sep 16th, 2014 30m 4s

In this edition of Book Talk, host Ryan Van Winkle talks to Ajay Close and David Mitchell about time, ethics and mortality.Novelist and dramatist Ajay Close discusses her latest book, Trust. Trust follows the lives of a disparate group of char

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

Sep 2nd, 2014 22m 8s

This month, Book Talk has been reading and discussing The Bone Clocks, the highly anticipated new novel by David Mitchell. The book follows Holly Sykes, a young girl suffering from aural hallucinations, from her teenage years in Gravesend acros

Patrick Ness, Mikey Cuddihy and John Gordon Sinclair interviews

Aug 19th, 2014 32m 53s

Podcast Contents00:00 - 00:45 Introduction00:45 - 11:05 Patrick Ness11:05 - 20:28 Mike Cuddihy20:28 - 32:50 John Gordon SinclairIn this edition of Book Talk. Host Ryan Van Winkle talks to Patrick Ness, Mikey Cuddihy and John Gordon Sinclair a

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Aug 6th, 2014 21m 18s

A boy drowns. He wakes up in a house he hasn't lived in for years. The world is deserted. More Than This has a gripping and brutal opening chapter, but does the book live up to the potential of its opening? Host Sasha deBuyl is joined by childr

Natalie Haynes, Nick Barley and Gail Porter interviews

Jul 22nd, 2014 30m 51s

Podcast contents00:00-01:27 Introduction01:27-12:57 Nick Barley12:57-23:35 Natalie Haynes23:35-27:22 Karrie Fransman and Amruta Patil 27:22-30:48 Gail PorterCreativity and storytelling weave their way through this edition of Book Talk as host

Natalie Haynes, Nick Barley and Gail Porter interviews

Jul 22nd, 2014 30m 52s

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Jul 9th, 2014 24m 16s

It's Tartt, but is it art?In this edition of Book Talk, host Paul Gallagher is joined by journalist and broadcaster Jane Graham and Scottish Book Trust's Head of Reader Development to delve into the themes, characters and preoccupations of Don

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Jul 9th, 2014 24m 16s

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Jul 3rd, 2014 29m 5s

Paul Gallagher is joined by The Scotsman features writer Lee Randall and freelance journalist and books blogger Nicola Balkind to discuss Jennifer Egan’s 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winner A Visit from the Goon Squad, as well as choosing some related r

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Jul 3rd, 2014 29m 6s

Charlotte Higgins, Robert Twigger and William Letford interviews

Jun 25th, 2014 29m 15s

In this edition of Book Talk host Ryan Van Winkle takes us on a literary trip around the world, stopping off in Roman Britain, on the River Nile and in the Middle East.Charlotte Higgins is the author of Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Bri