The Radio 2 Book Club Podcast By BBC Radio 2 cover art

The Radio 2 Book Club

The Radio 2 Book Club

By: BBC Radio 2
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The Radio 2 Book club celebrates the best in new fiction and recommends great reads. Sara will be interviewing top authors about their latest novels, and she’ll be catching up with librarians and reading groups from across the UK. Whether you’re after a summer blockbuster, a twist-filled thriller, or want to curl up with a heart-warming love story, Sara has you covered!

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Episodes
  • 'This Story Might Save Your Life' by Tiffany Crum
    Mar 17 2026

    A thriller, a romance, a hugely successful podcast; those are the ingredients for Tiffany Crum's debut novel, 'This Story Might Save Your Life'.

    Sara chats to Tiffany about her former career in Hollywood, writing romantically about Los Angeles, following your dreams, how to choose the best character names - and what she loves so much about podcasts.

    We also hear a clip from the audiobook - and - get a cracking book recommendation too!

    Here's a little more info about Tiffany's novel:

    Benny and Joy like to say that they've been saving each other's lives since the moment they met.

    Until the day Joy disappears and Benny is accused of her murder.

    Best friends Benny and Joy host a beloved 'comedy survival' podcast, gleefully finding life-affirming humour in near-death experiences.

    When Benny arrives at Joy and her husband's home one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house.

    With Joy missing and the hours ticking by, not even their most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets they have hidden from the world - and from each other.

    If Benny wants to find Joy in time, and clear his own name, he'll have to solve the highest stakes survival story yet.

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    16 mins
  • 'Minbak' by Ela Lee
    Mar 10 2026

    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.

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    14 mins
  • Jamie Smart joins us for World Book Day!
    Mar 5 2026

    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!

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    17 mins
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