Talking Of Books

18 Jan 2020: Elham Al Qasimi, first Arab woman and UAE national to reach the North Pole, joined us to talk about her journey to the Arctic and what she’s looking forward to asking wildlife cameraman Gavin Thurston at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.

18 Jan 2020: Would you leave the comfort of home behind for a life in the wilderness, hunting your food and living in a tent? Miriam Lancewood has, and Ehsan Al Awadhi gave us the highlights from her memoir Woman in the Wilderness.

18 Jan 2020: Journalist Georgia Tolley joined us in the studio to review Thinking on My Feet by Kate Humble, a narrative on the simple act of walking, why it’s beneficial and how it has helped her.

11 Jan 2020: Author Rehan Khan tells us about the history and research running through his own Tudor Turk novels and what he’s looking forward to asking Alwyn Hamilton about her books. Rehan will be moderating Jonathan Phillips and Bettany Hughes on the legendary characters from myth and history that feature in their own historical work, from Aphrodite to the Sultan Salahuddin.

04 Jan 2020: Finding Chika by Mitch Albom is a touching rumination on the magic of children and the extraordinary lengths parents will go to for them. Festival Director, Ahlam Bolooki, talks about Finding Chika as well as Tuesdays with Morrie, two heartwarming books that Mitch will be talking about at the EmiratesLitFest.

04 Jan 2020: How do you decide which idea to run with and which action should become your top priority? Eithne Treanor told us all about Do It or Ditch It by Bev James, who will be attending the EmiratesLitFest in February - a down-to-earth self-development book that teaches you how to make clear decisions.

04 Jan 2020: How do you stay calm in such a busy world? Misha’al Eskander joined us in the studio to tell us all about A Monk’s Guide to Happiness by Gelong Thubten and why we all need mindfulness in our lives.

21/12/2019: What’s a yuleshard, what story competition has just launched for children ages 8-12, and who has just been added to the Emirates LitFest lineup? Allison K Williams and Annabelle Corton wish you a happy festive season and give the gift of news and outdated Christmas vocabulary.

21/12/2019: Journalist, editor and broadcaster Mark Lomas' review of the incredible memoir Ascent by mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington took us to colder climes and new heights of appreciation for mountaineering, climbing, and a ‘life lived on the edge’.

21/12/2019: The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion weaves a great playlist of songs throughout its story of what happens when you reconnect with your long lost love. And After the End by Clare Mackintosh is the story of a couple who disagree on an impossible choice they have to make as parents. Sara Hamdan - journalist, editor at Think With Google MENA, blogger at holidaysinheels and more, weighs in on these very different reads and recommends some more of her favourites from this past year.

14/12/2019: The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature have announced two exciting additions to the 2020 line-up in February: author of bestselling author Markus Zusack and creator of Geronimo Stilton, Elisabetta Dami. Plus a heartwarming story to restore your faith in kindness. ‘Mind the Gap!’

14/12/2019: What will cities look like in the future? And is the future Asian? International journalist Riz Khan moves from the advances in radio broadcasting to the advances of modern life, touching on various nonfiction books that help us answer these questions (Built by Roma Agrawal, What Has Nature Ever Done For Us? by Tony Juniper and The Future is Asian by Parag Khanna).

14/12/2019: Mai Jia is 'China's answer to John Le Carre' according to the Financial Times. Polyglot, writer and Chinese book club founder Antonina Grunska-Gokdeniz reviews Decoded, a story of a mathematical genius recruited as a codebreaker by the secret services who begins to unravel, ahead of her interview with Mai Jia at the Emirates LitFest.

14/12/2019: We dedicated this week’s literary soundtrack to the late Malcolm Taylor as we unearthed some old recordings of Malcolm sharing his thoughts on Ian Fleming’s famous creation: James Bond. Have a listen to one legend weigh in on another, and remember him with this epic Bond tune.

22/11/2019: In honour of the Faith in the Modern World panel at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature next year, we just had to play Faith by George Michael.

22/11/2019: How good are you at keeping secrets? Author Karen Osman discusses her book The Perfect Lie, a thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. She also reviews the ideal holiday read: The Secret Hours by Santa Montefiore who both of the authors will be coming to the Festival in February 2020.

22/11/2019: If your spouse were convicted of a crime and sent to prison, would you stand by them? How long would you wait? An Emirati marriage reviews an American Marriage. Bookworm couple Ahlam Bolooki and Peyman Parham Al Awadhi were in the studio to review the Tayari Jones novel that has been an Oprah Book Club selection and winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

22/11/2019: Today’s Talking of Books co-host Allison K Williams has edited and coached many authors throughout her career. She gives us the lowdown of her own workshops happening at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in February 2020 and even spills some tips and tricks on how to improve your draft.

16/11/2019: At the next Emirates Litfest in Feb 2020, the dazzling yet sinister actions of the assassin Villanelle in Killing Eve, the serial killer in Linwood Barclay’s Elevator Pitch and the more insidious crimes in Christina Dalcher’s bestselling Vox, are offset by the inspiring and uplifting memoirs of the ‘Muslim Mother Theresa’ Edna Adan Ismail and champion for girls’ education and gender equality, Ziauddin Yousafzai. Alex Broun, Tamreez Inam and Flora Rees give their top recommendations about who they can’t wait to see next year.

09/11/2019: What does a spy thriller and an insect in pajamas have in common? The Cockroach by Ian McEwan and Agent Running in the Field by John Le Carré are both works of fiction that are inspired in different ways by Brexit. How can novels make sense of complex and divisive politics in a way that non-fiction can’t? Poet and voracious reader Mark Fiddes and Yvette Judge from the Emirates Literature Foundation review and discuss the merit of these books in isolation and in the wider context of a divided world.