Wartime Secrets and below the stairs at Darcy's House - the BBC Radio Oxford Afternoon Bookclub

The bookselling year has its own rhythms, and after the intensity of Christmas comes the opportunity for fresh starts and new directions in January. During the first BBC Oxford Afternoon Bookclub of 2014, we discussed what happens in the bookshop during January, and looked at a crop of books old and new.

Click on the link and fast-forward to approximately 1 hour 7 minutes. You'll have 30 seconds of Lionel Richie to deal with, but it''ll be worth it - promise!

Included is Nicholas Shakespeare's 'Priscilla', a fabulous piece of detective work and soul-searching by the acclaimed novelist, uncovering (as near as possible) the truth behind his mother's half-sister, and her experiences living in wartime France (buy and download the eBook here).

Also we discuss Pamela Butchart's 'Baby Aliens Got My Teacher' and the triumph that is Longbourn, the story of Pride and Prejudice, told simply from the servants below stairs. You think 'fan fiction' is a modern phenomenon? Writers throughout the ages have found Austen irresistible - and Jo Baker's clever spin on the classic is a wonderful treat...

(You can also buy and download Longbourn as an eBook here).

Letters of Note, Bookish Cures and a Santa Hat - the BBC Radio Oxford Afternoon Bookclub

The BBC Radio Oxford Afternoon Bookclub is always a lot of fun, but today's was more fun than usual. Perhaps it was the distinctly festive air (this is the last show we'll do this year after all), perhaps it was the selection of books, but it could have just been the general pantomime atmosphere...and a santa hat or two:

Together with Kat and Nigel of Coles Bookstore, you can might have spotted 'The Goldfinch' there (easily one of our favourite books of the year), and also 'Maps' by the wonderful Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński. But we also discussed Shaun Usher's sublime collection of 'Letters of Note', guitar-strumming astronaut-hero Chris Hadfield's 'An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth', and some 'Ant and Bee'.

But we kicked off with Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin's 'A Novel Cure'. This is a masterfully put together list of bookish cures for a whole range of ailments. From being 'too busy' to suffering from man-flu, listen in to what therapeutic reading the authors have on offer...

The BBC Radio Oxford Afternoon Bookclub - fast-forward to 1 hour 9 minutes for bookish inspiration for Christmas...

The magic number is fifty (but not like that): BBC Radio Oxford Afternoon Bookclub

On the radio again Monday, discussing (somewhat unashamedly) ideal books for Christmas, with Nigel French of Coles Books.

Included in the discussion was 'Gotcha Gadgets' by the wonderful Klutz - teach kids the basics of electronics whilst allowing them to build cool spy gadgets for £12.99...

Nigel waxed lyrical about Emma Kennedy and 'The Killing Handbook', and I waxed equally lyrically about paper-cutting inspired books.

But the magic number was definitely fifty - Nigel recommending 'Fifty Sheds of Grey' (and talking about something called 'shedism' of which  I was previously unaware) and the audio version of Philip Pullman's "Grimm's Tales for Young and Old" in which he selects fifty of his favourite Grimm's fairy tales and retells them in his own style.

The audio version is a selection read by the sublime Samuel West. Some books work very well in audio, but few actually improve - and I think this is a case in point...

You can listen to the show here until Dec 3 - fast forward to about 1 hr 8 mins for our words of wisdom...

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling: an independent bookseller's view

I appeared on BBC Radio Oxford today giving an independent bookshop point of view of 'The Casual Vacancy' by JK Rowling - as well as talking about a few favourite titles that have also been published in the last few weeks.

I hadn't fully appreciated that it was the first show for new presenter Kat Orman, taking over from Jo Thoenes. It was a lot of fun, I was on for nearly an hour, and very honoured to be on the first show. I am definitely a fan now - Kat has a very wicked sense of humour...

Click to listen to the show on iPlayer - you'll need to forward to about 1 hour and 12 minutes for the discussion about 'The Casual Vacancy'...the show will be up on the BBC until October 8th.

(and that listener "Mrs Trellis" who phoned in to say she was listening. Mmm...I have a feeling she's quite famous elsewhere on the BBC...)