The Literary Salon

Our Book of the Week is by a debut author and an independent press - our favourite mash-up! New Skin for the Old Ceremony is a novel by Scottish-Indian author Arun Sood that tells the story of four estranged friends, reunited for a motorcycle trip up the Isle of Skye. They hope to reconcile how their lives have splintered since a transformative road trip in Northern India fourteen years earlier. It’s a novel about youth, the spectres of friendship, and colonial legacies spanning India and Scotland, exorcising past ghosts to face the present. Not to mention a nod to the music of Leonard Cohen - what more could you want from a book? Published by indie press 404 Ink and available now, we recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop on Bookshop.org. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Book of the Week is an exceptional meditation on masculinity, male friendship and grief. Poet and author Michael Pedersen lost a cherished friend, Scott Hutchison, soon after their voyage across the Scottish Highlands. Just weeks later, Michael began to write to him. As he confronts the bewildering process of grief, what starts as a love letter to one magical, coruscating human soon becomes a paean to all the gorgeous male friendships that have transformed his life. 'As perfect a portrait of friendship as I've ever read.' STEPHEN FRY Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen is published by Faber and available now. We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at Bookshop.org. Exclusive signed copies are also available from Portobello Bookshop. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve got a brilliantly evocative book for your listening pleasure on this week’s episode. The Foghorn Echoes is by Danny Ramadan, an award-winning Canadian-Syrian author and advocate for LGBTQ+ refugees.   Danny’s new novel is about two gay men who find themselves in war-torn Damascus and an alienating Vancouver. It is a tragic love story about coping with traumatic experience, as Hussam and Wassim come to terms with the past and realise the secret that haunts them is not the only thing that binds them. ‘This is a beautiful novel, written by a once hurt child and loved and deeply admired by another, me.’ ALAN CUMMING The Foghorn Echoes by Danny Ramadan is published by Canongate and available now. We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at bookshop.org Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love to treat our listeners to the most sought after books and in a podcast world premiere we’re celebrating the launch of Maggie O’Farrell’s hotly anticipated, soon to be chart-smashing historical novel, The Marriage Portrait. That's right, this is the first podcast in the WORLD where you can hear an extract from the book! Winter, 1561. Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner it occurs to Lucrezia that Alfonso has a sinister purpose in bringing her here... He intends to kill her. The Marriage Portrait is an unforgettable reimagining of the life of a young woman whose proximity to power places her in mortal danger. It is a MUST read and we hope you enjoy our exclusive message from Maggie and this podcast world premiere reading.  Published by Tinder Press and available now, we recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at Bookshop. Plus there are exclusive signed editions available at Waterstones for anyone who wants an extra special book. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re in the market for something a little unusual and totally brilliant then let us introduce you to Bobby Palmer’s wholly original debut novel Isaac and the Egg. A man who has lost everything finds a reason to keep going when he discovers a two-foot-tall egg of unknown origin in a forest. What unravels is a story of grief, friendship, humour and heart that will surpass your wildest eggs-pectations!  'A mad, sad, funny debut' PATRICK GALE Destined to be a word-of-mouth book of the year, you can meet the author at one of his upcoming events by clicking here. Published by Headline and available now, grab a copy from our shop on Bookshop.org. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy the world's first reading and interview with award-winning author Kit about her brand new book 'Without Warning And Only Sometimes', published this week! Kit is the award-winning and bestselling author of 'My Name Is Leon' and edited the pioneering collection 'Common People'. 'Without Warning & Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood' is her story of growing up in a household of opposites and extremes. Her haphazard mother was a devout Jehovah’s Witness who believed the world would end in 1975. Her father was the opposite. Kit was caught between three worlds: Irish, Caribbean and British in 1960s Birmingham. It’s funny, honest and as compelling as her fiction. Kit joined us in May 2022 at a live in-person Literary Salon to share the world premiere of her effervescent memoir. Also joining us with a world premiere that night was BAFTA-winning writer of The Split, Suffragette and The Iron Lady, Abi Morgan OBE - and you can listen back to Abi's episode which was released in May. 'Without Warning And Only Sometimes' is out now and you can support the Salon to keep our podcasts free by picking up a copy from our shop on bookshop.org. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One shipwreck. Two misfits. 300 years apart. The Night Ship is a feat of imagination from award-winning author Jess Kidd. We’re delighted to have her read on our podcast from her new novel, an accomplished work of fiction that takes place across dual timelines. In 1629, Mayken is aboard the Batavia which is doomed to crash on the shores of Beacon Island in Western Australia. Gil joins his grandfather on the very same island in 1989 where old rivalries remain unsettled. Their stories mirror one another in unexpected ways to produce a spellbinding and page-turning novel.   ‘Lyrical, haunting, a beautiful and elegant fictional interpretation of history, I loved it’ - KATE MOSSE The Night Ship by Jess Kidd is published by Canongate and available now. We recommend buying from your local indie or you can support the Salon by getting it from our shop at bookshop.org Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our book of the week is for anyone who’s ever felt that they were the “other.” After leaving Egypt when Sara was only six years old, her family slowly learns how to navigate the social dynamics of their new home. Her father refuses to buy his co-workers a ginger beer, thinking it contains alcohol. Her mother won’t wear a hijab, even if it would help them to connect with other local Muslims. And Sara learns that her parents are loving, but flawed in their own ways.  Muddy People is a funny, heartwarming memoir of growing up and becoming yourself in an Egyptian Muslim family living in Australia. Published by Greystone Press and available now.   We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at Bookshop.org Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For anyone who loves a poignant, thoughtful, revealing and all round incredibly written memoir, Ali Millar’s The Last Days is a knock-out.   It's 1982 and in the Kingdom Hall we are Jehovah's Witnesses. The state of the world shows us the end is close, and Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking to devour us. Ali is waiting for Armageddon. Her childhood revolves around regular meetings in the Kingdom Hall, where she is haunted by vivid images of the Second Coming, her mind populated by the bodies that will litter the earth upon Jehovah's return. An unforgettable story of one woman's courageous journey to freedom, Ali Millar’s The Last Days is an unmissable memoir for people who loved Tara Westover’s Educated.  We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our latest episode is for all the It’s A Sin fans out there. That spectacular show won our hearts and was celebrated by the Literary Salon and almost a thousand of you at a virtual event starring its screenwriter/producer Russell T Davies. So now we’re absolutely thrilled to bring you a reading from 'the real life Jill'! Jill Nalder shares her new memoir - Love From the Pink Palace - which tells the true story of her and her friends' lives during the AIDS crisis. Jill juggled a busy West End career while campaigning for AIDS awareness and research, educating herself and caring for the sick. Most of all, she shines a light on those who were stigmatised and shamed, and remembers those brave and beautiful boys who were lost too soon. 'Jill met the crisis head on… She held the hands of so many men. She lost them, and remembered them, and somehow kept going...' - RUSSELL T DAVIES Love From the Pink Palace is published by Headline and available now. We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at Bookshop.org. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our book of the week is by Australian author Sara Schmidt who was long listed for the Women's Prize for her book See What I Have Done. In her new novel, Blue Hour, Eleanor is fleeing her marriage in the wee hours with her daughter in the back seat of their car. Haunted by the voice of her mother and her parents' relationship defined by the second world war, this is a book shaped by conflict and motherhood. It’s poignant, thoughtful and will stay with you long after the final page. ‘One of the authors of the decade’ - Stylist Blue Hour is published by Headline and available now. We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at Bookshop.org. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with a deliciously sharp-witted book to share with you. Rebecca Wait is best known for her gripping novel Our Fathers which was a Guardian Book of the Year. Now she shares a reading with us from her new bestseller in the making, I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, about dysfunctional family dynamics between twin sisters Alice and Hanna and their mother Celia.   For Alice and Hanna, saint and sinner, growing up is a trial. There is their mother, who takes a divide and conquer approach to child-rearing, and their father, who takes an absent one. There is the catastrophe that is never spoken of, but which has shaped everything. As adults, Alice and Hanna must deal with increasingly complicated family tensions, and lives that look dismayingly dissimilar to what they'd intended. They must finally choose their own approach to their dominant mother: submit or burn the house down. And they must decide at last whether life is really anything more than (as Hanna would have it) a tragedy with a few hilarious moments. 'SO brilliant. A brutally funny and whip-smart novel. It'll easily be one of my Books of the Year.' - Hannah Beckerman 'I'm Sorry You Feel That Way' is published by Quercus and available now. We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at Bookshop.org. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Need a beach read? We’ve got you covered. Bolu Babalola’s Honey & Spice is just the summer romance you’ve been looking for.  Kiki Banjo is an expert in relationship-evasion. She’s made it her mission to protect the women of Whitewell University from the dangers of players and heartbreak, supplying advice, tips and essentials to paying men no mind on her student radio show, Brown Sugar. But then Kiki meets a distressingly handsome newcomer who threatens to tear apart the community of women she's fought so hard to protect.  Bolu Babalola is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Love in Colour. Her new novel Honey & Spice is published by Headline and available now in all good bookshops. We recommend buying from one of our favourite indies, Afrori Books, who sell the biggest selection of books by Black Authors in the UK. 'Smart, sexy and energetic. I'm excited for everyone to read this book.' EMMA GANNON Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our book of the week is by Scottish debut author, Claire Alexander. Meredith, Alone is a poignant but optimistic novel about Meredith Maggs, a woman who hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. But she insists she isn't alone. She has her cat and her friend Sadie. There’s also her online support group, the Tesco delivery man and her treacherous memories to keep her company.  But something's about to change. All that stands between Meredith and the world is her own front door… what will it take for her to open it? 'Gorgeous. I shed tears. Very, very touching, sad, sweet and hopeful' MARIAN KEYES Published by Michael Joseph and available now, we recommend buying from your local indie or you can grab a copy from our shop on Bookshop.org. Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listeners, prepare for a winding tale: a cascade of true stories by DBC Pierre in his new book Big Snake Little Snake. Written while on his way to make a short film with a parrot in Trinidad, the book examines the nature of gambling and aims to shed light on the invisible odds and outrageous chances of everyday life on Earth. This satisfyingly existential book is published by independent press, Cheerio, and available now in all good bookshops.  ‘Pierre's writing is heady, reaching glorious heights of linguistic invention’ Independent We recommend buying from your local indie or you can get it from our shop at Bookshop.org . Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman Programmed by Matt Casbourne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices