This week, Jack is joined by debut novelist Khashayar J. Khabushani. Khashayar's hotly anticipated first novel, I Will Greet the Sun Again, is a beautiful novel about family, queer adolescence, and the multifaceted nature of identity and while it is a story unafraid to face difficult subject matter, just like the poem from which it takes its title, it is ultimately a novel filled with love.  Purchase I Will Greet the Sun Again (0:27) Introduction (6:10) Being your own protagonist (9:37) Khashayar's early reads (23:42) Recent Reads (31:30) Khashayar's most impactful book (39:27) I Will Gre ..read more

This week, Jack is joined by novelist Rowan Hisayo Buchanan. Rowan's first novel was 2017's Harmless Like You, which won a Betty Trask and Authors Club First Novel Award. Since then, she has penned Starling Days, and now this year she has released her third novel, The Sleep Watcher, an exquisite exploration of adolescence, family, and the complexity of love. Purchase The Sleep Watcher (0:27) Introduction (3:37) Roman's childhood reads (17:30) Ghosts and breaking boundaries (20:39) Where to start writing (35:11) Rowan's favourite book (43:43) The Sleep Watcher Welcome to Mostly Books Meets, a w ..read more

This week, Jack is joined by the legendary international literary agent, Barbara J. Zitwer. Barbara has been at the forefront of bringing some of the most exciting voices from Korea over to the Anglosphere, from Han Kang, the author of The Vegetarian, to the Man Asian Booker Prize winner, Shin Kyung-sook, to name a few. Now she has released her own book, The Korean Book of Happiness, sharing with us the knowledge she has gained from her years working closely with Korean writers. Purchase The Korean Book of Happiness (0:27) Introduction (8:01) Translated texts (21:41) The Korean Book of Happine ..read more

This week, Jack is joined by novelist Kate Mascarenas. To date, Kate has published three novels, including The Psychology of Time Travel and The Thief on the Winged Horse. Her third and most recent is the gorgeously gothic Hokey Pokey. Set in 1929 at the Regent Hotel, Birmingham, Nora checks in under a false name. She is there to spy on the famed operatic singer Berenice Oxbow. But just like the Regent Hotel, there is more to Nora's story than meets the eye. Purchase Hokey Pokey (0:27) Introduction (5:40) Childhood reading (20:37) University and literature (30:56) Fiction and Therapists (38:14 ..read more

This week, Jack is joined by author and musician Mat Osman. Mat is the founding member of the British rock band Suede. In 2020 his first novel The Ruins was released and this year it was followed by his hotly anticipated second book The Ghost Theatre which was chosen as a book of the year 2023 by The Observer, The Times and The Evening Standard. Purchase The Ghost Theatre (0:27) Introduction (1:02) A love letter to theatre (17:19) Writing historical fiction (21:55) London allure (24:28) Childhood reading (36:30) Writing habits (43:21) The Ghost Theatre Welcome to Mostly Books Meets, a weekly p ..read more

This week, Jack is joined by novelist Sophie Mackintosh. Sophie's first book, The Water Cure, was published in 2018 and was long-listed for that year's Booker Prize. In 2020 came her second novel, Blue Ticket, and this year she published the haunting and dreamlike Cursed Bread, which was long-listed for the Women's Prize. Sophie was also included in Granta's Best of Young British Novelists list. Purchase Cursed Bread (0:23) Introduction (1:11) Building rapport with readers (4:46) Childhood reading (14:59) Writing from reality (22:49) Recent reading (29:30) Cursed Bread  Welcome to Mostly ..read more

This week, Jack is joined by writer and academic Blessin Adams. Blessin's book, Great and Horrible News was published on the 30th of March this year. It is a wonderful exploration of murder and violent death in the early modern period, told through the lives of the ordinary people that experienced it. It is a hugely engrossing and often touching read, which marks a brilliant new voice in non-fiction. Purchase Great and Horrible News (0:27) Introduction (2:05) Childhood reading habits (19:08) Blessin's catalyst for writing (25:54) Inspiration behind Great and Horrible News (32:44) Old crimes an ..read more

This week, Jack is joined by debut author Stephen Buoro. Stephen's novel, the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa was published on the 13th of April. It's already received impressive praise. Author Max Porter described it as eccentric, profound and timely and says he fell in love immediately. In this episode, Stephen delves into the themes of his debut novel, including duality, faith, and science, as well as the psychological elements of his writing. The conversation also covers Stephen's experience balancing his PhD studies with writing, and the power of reading and writing to empower one ..read more

This week Jack is joined by Alice Winn. Alice Winn's gorgeous In Memoriam follows Elwood and Gaunt, two boarding school boys desperately in love with one another. Together they navigate the highs and lows of school life until World War I comes crashing into their lives, irrevocably changing them and the world they know forever. Purchase In Memoriam (0:27) Introduction (1:23) Being a debut author (11:10) Growing up (28:47) Reading as an adult (39:37) A favourite read (45:14) In Memoriam Welcome to Mostly Books Meets, a weekly podcast by the independent award-winning bookshop, Mostly Books. Ne ..read more

This week Sarah is joined by Reverend Richard Coles. Richard is co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live and is regularly seen as a guest panelist on shows such as Would I Lie to You, Have I Got News for You, and QI. He first came to the public's attention in the mid-1980s as part of the pop duo The Communards. After deciding to study theology in the early 90s, the Reverend embarked on a new life as a priest. He retired from the priesthood in 2022. Richard's latest book, Murder Before Evensong, came out in paperback on the 2nd of March.   Purchase Murder Before Evensong (0:26) Introdu ..read more