The Radio 2 Book Club

Libby Page joins Sara in the Book Club to chat about her new novel, "This Book Made Me Think Of You"
They discuss their love of bookshops, the genre they write in and why sometimes we just need a bit to make us smile (and cry a bit maybe?)
Libby talks about her trips to New York and Paris for some of the scenes in this new novel, and her obsession with books about bookshops. She also gives us a brilliant reading recommendation - and - we hear an exclusive extract from her audiobook.
Here's more about Libby's new novel:
When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly, because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly, because Joe died five months ago…
The gift is simple – twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
And so begins a reading-inspired journey that takes Tilly around the world; from bustling sidewalks in New York and the tree-lined avenues of Paris to the tranquil Tuscan countryside and the white sands of Bali. With the help of the bookshop owner, Alfie, Tilly starts to discover who she is now, after Joe.
But can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

Phoenix Cooper - of Kent Libraries fame - shares their Top Five Reads Of The Year so far (but mainly, of 2025)
They chat to Sara about their love of libraries, their role, being part of the Radio 2 Book Club panel - and give a shout out to their mum's book group too.
Phoenix's Top Five Reads:
Raven scholar by Antonia Hodgson
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
King Sorrow by Joe Hill
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Our first Book Club pick of 2026 is 'The Poet Empress' by debut novelist, Shen Tao.
The book is an epic tale of female empowerment, love and the power of words. It might also win the award for best cover of the year!
Shen talks to Sara about world building, her inspirations for the protagonist and why she loves the Fantasy genre so much. She also mentions the eight unpublished novels which went before this one, confirming that you should never give up!
We also get a book recommendation from Shen - and - play a clip from the Audiobook of 'The Poet Empress'
(*please note this clip features the burying of a young child, which some listeners may find upsetting or triggering)
Here's the book blurb:
As the emperor lays dying, the once-great Azalea Dynasty plunges towards civil war. While its princes plot for power, a more hidden war - to become the next empress - occupies the imperial court.
Wei Yin - peasant girl turned concubine to the cruel Prince Terren - has already endured unimaginable suffering. Ripped from her family, she has no title, no allies, and no escape. But she does have a secret . . .
In the shadows of the palace, surrounded by enemies, she is learning a skill forbidden to women. Because when words are weapons and poetry holds an ancient magic, the fate of a girl - and a nation - can both be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - a tale so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.

Louisa Steel - one of our superstar librarians - joins Sara for a natter about books.
They chat about the Radio 2 Book Club panel, reading ruts and why book clubs are good for getting you out of your comfort zone.
Louisa also shares her Top Five Reads Of The Year (well, of 2025). They are:
The Offing by Benjamin Myers
James by Percival Everett
Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold
Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jessie Q. Sutanto

Our last book choice of 2025 is The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell.
Alex joins Sara for a chat about the novel, the inspiration behind it, the obstacles that come with writing a time travel narrative and working out a writing routine for busy working mums.
We also hear a clip from the audiobook - and - Alex gives us a great book recommendation too. (one that keeps cropping up!)
Here's a little more info on The White Octopus Hotel:
London, 2015
When reclusive art appraiser Eve Shaw shakes the hand of a silver-haired gentleman in her London office, the warmth of his palm sends a spark through her. His name is Max Everly – curiously, the same name as Eve’s favourite composer, born one hundred sixteen years prior. And she can’t shake the feeling that she’s held his hand before . . . but where, and when?
The White Octopus Hotel, 1935
Decades earlier, high in the snowy Swiss Alps, Eve and a young Max Everly wander the winding halls of the grand belle epoque White Octopus Hotel, lost in time. Each of them has been through the trenches – Eve in a family accident and Max on the battlefields of the Great War – but for an impossible moment, love and healing are just a room away . . . if only they have the courage to step through the door.