logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
26m 11s

The best books to read for summer 2021

THE TIMES
About this episode

From Nobel-winning greats and pacey thrillers to memoirs and historical novels, Times Radio's Stig Abell returns to the podcast for our guide to the best reads for the beach.


This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe before June 29th and save 50% on your first 6 months at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.


Books recommended in this episode:


Non-fiction:

1) The Sleeping Beauties And Other Stories of Mystery Illness by Suzanne O'Sullivan (hardback / audiobook)

2) One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown (hardback / paperback / audiobook)

3) Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West by Catherine Belton (hardback / paperback / audiobook)


Fiction:

1) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (hardback / audiobook)

2) Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (hardback / audiobook)

3) The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz (hardback)


Guests: 

-Robbie Millen, literary editor of The Times.

-Andrew Holgate, literary editor of The Sunday Times.


Host: Stig Abell. 


Clips: Baillie Gifford podcast; Suzanne O'Sullivan reading her own book on Audible; Meg Mason reading her own book at a Book People virtual event; Klara and the Sun from Faber on SoundCloud.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Are we close to a Gaza ceasefire?
With people around the world calling for a lasting peace in Gaza, Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu has been schmoozing US President Donald Trump. What chance is there that the two will bring an end to the bloody conflict? And what hope that any peace will hold?This podcast was broug ... Show More
30m 15s
Jul 8
Texas floods: could the deaths have been prevented?
Over 100 people, including dozens of children, are dead after flash flooding in Texas. Could this have been avoided given a nearly identical tragedy took place in 1987? Did Trump’s cuts contribute? And what went wrong with the flood warning system?This podcast was brought to you ... Show More
25m 15s
Jul 7
The mushroom killer: what the jury heard
Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three relatives by lacing their beef wellington with death cap mushrooms. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth person. The prosecution said she did it on purpose; she says it was an accident. It took a jury i ... Show More
30m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
FT Weekend: A trip to our secret book vault. Plus: the best books of 2021
This weekend, we’re going behind the scenes of the FT’s legendary Books of the Year roundup. Literary editor Frederick Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle take us into a secret room in the basement of the FT, where all the books sent in for review are kept behind lock ... Show More
25m 22s
Jul 2024
The best books to read this summer
What should you read on the beach this summer? What about if you’re stuck indoors, or if you need a break from kids? Each June, our literary editor Fred Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle put together the FT’s summer books special, and today they give us their recomme ... Show More
23m 25s
Jul 2022
FT Weekend: Our summer books and films special
This week is our summer books and films spectacular, full of recommendations of things to read and watch. First, Lilah is joined by literary editors Fred Studemann and Laura Battle to explore the FT's Summer Books special. They suggest a range of light summer reads, sharp non-fic ... Show More
31m 35s
Dec 2021
A trip to our secret book vault. Plus: the best books of 2021
This weekend, we’re going behind the scenes of the FT’s legendary Books of the Year roundup. Literary editor Frederick Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle take us into a secret room in the basement of the FT, where all the books sent in for review are kept behind lock ... Show More
24m 24s
Jul 2022
Our summer books and films special: what to read and watch
This week is our summer books and films spectacular, full of recommendations of things to read and watch. First, Lilah is joined by literary editors Fred Studemann and Laura Battle to explore the FT's Summer Books special. They suggest a range of light summer reads, sharp non-fic ... Show More
30m 34s
Aug 2023
Checks and Balance: A novel approach
We take a break from the news this week to convene the first ever Checks and Balance Book Club. All summer we’ve been reading three works, picked by the team, from the canon of American literature. In this episode, we’ll present our analysis, hear what listeners thought, and work ... Show More
49m 16s
Nov 2019
#6 - Books All 20 Year Olds Should Read!
Our first podcast episode recorded in the same room! Raeleen rereads a favourite book and Ariel gets another George Orwell book... Submit your book requests to booksunboundpodcast@gmail.com and support the podcast on patreon! https://www.patreon.com/booksunbound Books mentioned: ... Show More
29m 29s
Dec 2023
Books books books! You asked, we answered
Today, we talk books. The FT’s books team recently published our annual books of the year special, and they join us to share their personal recommendations. They also answer listener questions: what books will get you out of ‘reader’s block’? What’s a good gift for a family membe ... Show More
18m 7s
Apr 2019
Ep 178: The Next Right Thing for your reading life
Decision-making is a HUGE part of WSIRN's purpose. Podcaster and author Emily P. Freeman is an expert in the art of decision-making (she’s literally written the book on it), but when assigned school reading hijacked alllllll her personal reading time... deciding what to read next ... Show More
56m 2s