The Radio 2 Book Club

Former lawyer turned novelist, Ela Lee, joins Sara in the Radio 2 Book Club for a chat about her new novel, 'Minbak'.
They chat about the inspirations behind the story (including a dinner table convo where Ela's mum just casually mentioned that she had been a journalist during the 1985 uprising) and why it took an agent being very honest to get the best out of this book.
We also get a cheeky little listen to the audiobook (which Ela narrates herself) and a couple of cracking book recommendations too.
Here's a little more about 'Minbak':
Incheon, South Korea, 1985. The country is revolting against a dictatorship, but in the local boarding-house, the chaos inside is only just beginning. When Hana is pulled from school to work in her family’s minbak, all she wants is to escape her small town. When she finally does, she leaves as an exile, a ruin, or a martyr, depending on who you ask. Her mother Youngia is left behind with the torment of both of their decisions.
London, 2008. Ada knows little about her mother, Hana. When tragedy hits, Hana has no choice but to move her daughter and ailing mother into a single room and turn the rest of their home into a minbak. As the past collides with the present, Ada is determined to unearth her mother’s secrets. But her obsession will lead to a discovery that unravels not just her family’s dark past, but that of an entire country’s.
From Korea’s industrial estates to London’s suburbs, the three women cross continents and generations to find truth, forgiveness and compassion.

Comic book artist Jamie Smart joins Sara in the Book Club for a World Book Day special!
The Bunny Vs Monkey creator chats to Sara about his award-winning series, his inspirations, encouraging kids to draw - and - recommends us a couple of great books.
We also sent some copies of 'Total Chaos' to a school in Manchester, to see what our Junior Book Club thought of his new book!
Happy World Book Day everyone!

Come with Sara Cox on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal Library in Windsor Castle. Housing over 45,000 items, this library is a treasure trove for book lovers, with texts dating back hundreds of years.
Our guide is one of the curators, Elizabeth Clark Ashby, who tells us the history of the library, what her job entails day-to-day, and picks out four amazing artifacts to show us. These are:
A handwritten manuscript by Mozart (aged 11)
The complete works of Shakespeare, which was owned by Charles I
A tiny jeweled miniature book, made for Queen Mary's dolls house
A copy of Jane Eyre, inscribed by Queen Victoria to Albert
Windsor Castle played host to the Gran Final of 500 Words - the UK's most celebrated children's writing competition. Exceptional young writers from all across the UK were invited to a reception, hosted by Her Majesty The Queen, honouring their imagination, creativity and remarkable stories.
The Grand Final was hosted by Alex Jones and Roman Kemp and the six winning entries – to be revealed in a special edition of The One Show on Friday 6th March - were read at the event by Sara Cox, Jodie Whittaker, Joanna Page, Bradley and Barney Walsh, Big Zuu and Paterson Joseph.
*you can hear more from Sara's trip to Windsor on her teatime show on Radio 2, on Thursday 5th March.

Author Charleen Hurtubise joins Sara in the Radio 2 Book Club to chat about her new novel, 'Saoirse'
They talk about her inspirations for the story, the fine line between dishonesty and reinvention, beekeeping and giving her son's cat a cameo in the book.
We also hear a snippet of the audiobook - and - get a great book recommendation too!
Here's a little bit more about the novel:
In the wilds of Donegal, Ireland, 1999, Saoirse is an artist living an outwardly idyllic life. Her tender husband Daithí and two beloved daughters are regular subjects for her work, and in them she has found the safe home that she has always longed for. She tends not to talk about her past, and those that love her have learned to accept that the full story is too painful for her to disclose.
When her Dublin exhibition unexpectedly wins a prestigious award that invites a swarm of publicity, Saoirse is left panic stricken. The unanticipated recognition threatens to expose a decade's worth of buried memories and past crimes. Because what her family and friends don't know is that Saoirse has been on the run since she was seventeen, she has stolen an identity to survive, and whilst Ireland might now be her home, it wasn't her first - and now her past life is poised to reclaim her.
The novel weaves between flashbacks to a complicated childhood in Michigan, and Saoirse's journey to and in Ireland to forge safety for herself.

Barrister turned author, and recent 'Traitors' star - Harriet Tyce - joins Sara for a chat about her new novel.
She talks about stepping out of her comfort zone and writing a male protagonist, her inspirations for the book and if her time in the Traitors castle has inspired a new story.
Harriet also gives a great book recommendation too.