The Radio 2 Book Club

Cressida Cowell (bestselling children's author of the 'How To Train Your Dragon' series) joins Sara for a natter about the joy of reading.
As an ambassador for The National Year Of Reading, Cressida is passionate about getting people reading for pleasure - especially children - and chats to Sara about the various plans in place this year to encourage more people to pick up a book, comic, graphic novel - or even listen to an audiobook.
She also takes us behind the scenes of the filming of 'How To Train Your Dragon 2' which has just started filming!

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