The Reading Room

Another new episode from our sister programme SPOILER - to subscribe to SPOILER, please go to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk  This week, against Paul's express wishes, the Spoiler team have accepted a listener request and are reading Kazuo Ishiguro's philosophical fantasy novel ‘The Buried Giant'. This dense meditation on collective memory pretty much splits the team three ways, with professed fantasy fan Rachael wishing for more fantastical elements and Andy, who is ambivalent at best about the fantasy genre, pleased to find the emphasis more on themes and ideas than on ogres and pixies. Paul, meanwhile, is perplexed and frustrated by the slow pace, the lack of action and the fact that everyone is so unnecessarily courteous. It doesn't help that certain elements of the book also remind him of Chris de Burgh! Regardless of their opinions on the text itself, the team use it as a jumping-off point for interesting discussions on our reaction as human beings to concepts and events that we struggle to process. And everyone agrees that the numerous critical comparisons with ‘Game of Thrones' are as lazy as DJs who play The Bangles ‘Manic Monday' on a Monday morning. Elsewhere, Rachael takes a sublimely uplifting look at Kazuo Ishiguro's lesser-known stint as a jazz lyricist, with plenty of lovely musical interludes to enjoy. This week's scale: A giant in the world of fiction or a book that should be buried deep, deep in the ground

“There should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives” This week the Spoiler team are feeling inspired as we read R.J. Palacio's children's novel ‘Wonder'. Paul predicts that Andy, given his favourite film is ‘Dumbo', will enjoy this (for the record, Paul's favourite film is ‘Paddington') and its themes of kindness make Rachael a shoo-in but Paul teases the group by managing to spin out his opinion for as long as possible. Still, all the misdirection in the world can't ultimately hide the fact that everyone loved this book and tears flow freely as Paul deliberately skirts the issue of Daisy the dog's passing, Andy recounts a childhood experience of prejudice and Rachael remembers her relationship with her own grandmother. Rachael illustrates the difference between bullying and a gentle ribbing by making fun of Paul's strange pronunciation of the word ‘Mobile', while Andy wonders if the novel could have found a place for the voice of school bully Julian. On the subject of voices, Paul struggles with his usual routine of listening to the audio book when he finds the impersonation of a child's voice unlistenable but fortunately the YouTube channel ‘Mrs. Powers Loves to Read' comes to his rescue. And the team get to the bottom of the mystery of the strange man who has been seen around Lincoln punching the air and crying at birch trees. Elsewhere, Rachael decries the modern phenomenon of replacing book covers with images from their movie adaptations, a dubious honour bestowed upon ‘Wonder', ‘The Great Gatsby' and ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'. This week's scale: A respectful abstention To find out more about our current podcast SPOILER, and listen to previous shows, go to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk 

“If love be rough with you, be rough with love” Three reviewers, alike in temperament (if not always in opinion), sit down this week to talk some serious culture as the Spoiler team take a look at Baz Luhrmann's Shakespeare adaptation ‘Romeo + Juliet'. Paul wonders just how many meads he must have had when he suggested we tackle the Bard, while Andy shares his concerns that talking Shakespeare could expose the fact he's not as clever as he's often credited with being. Self-proclaimed Shakespeare traditionalist Rachael struggles with the MTV style of Luhrmann's film but applauds his contribution to making the Bard's work the visual experience it was always intended to be. While Paul bemoans the fact that Radiohead's ‘Exit Music (For a Film)' is not as deep as he once thought but delights in the fact that Billy Bragg's ‘Between the Wars' gets even better with age, Andy questions whether Rachael's interest in the ‘Hollow Crown' series has more to do with her love of language or the presence of a certain Mr. Hiddleston. And the team debate whether the word ‘punished' is made more dramatic by the addition of an extra syllable. Elsewhere, Rachael takes a look at some less-obvious Shakespeare adaptations that reinterpret the Bard's work in a looser fashion, including ‘10 Things I Hate About You' and ‘The Lion King'. This week's scale: True love or “All are punish-ed” To listen to more SPOILER podcasts, go to our website www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk or subscribe to us on iTunes or Acast

“Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices” This week we're watching Alfonso Cuaron's dystopian thriller ‘Children of Men', based (very loosely) on the 1992 novel by PD James and starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine and Pam Ferris - and not all the team are entirely convinced. While Rachael is “saturated” in the film and Paul wonders how this hidden gem passed him by, Andy finds it impossible to connect with ‘Children of Men' on an emotional level and would rather spend the show discussing daytime quiz show ‘Countdown'. While the team are in full agreement about the film's technical excellence, Andy and Rachael are at odds over the performances of the cast and Paul takes issue with claims that the film is a story that has had its guts ripped out and nothing put back in their place. Despite the disharmony, Paul shares his plans for surviving an imminent apocalypse and gives the team 4 hours to join him in his Co-Op distribution centre. And for all you Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon fans, we'll be showing you how to get from Clive Owen to our own producer Jonny Haw in just two moves. Elsewhere, inspired by the cat that likes to climb up Clive Owen's leg, Rachael takes a look at some of her favourite cats in films, including Jonesy from ‘Alien' and Cosmic Creepers from ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks'. To hear more from our current podcast SPOILER, go to our website or subscribe to us on iTunes.

“I don't work for you. I work for the building” This week we're watching Ben Wheatley's film adaptation of J.G. Ballard's supposedly "unfilmable" dystopian thriller ‘High-Rise' and the team are at odds again, though not about Tom “so handsome it hurts” Hiddleston. With Andy occupying Paul's usual spot on the fence, Paul wonders how anyone could possibly put themselves through this film more than once, while Rachael advocates reading the original novel as a possible way to unlock the film's appeal. While Andy compares ‘High-Rise' to the music of The Fall, Paul experiments with a new way of saying Rachael's name while Rachael tries to find a point of entry, causing everyone else to look for a point of exit! Despite Paul's hankering for some politically-inspired vandalism, everything remains fairly harmonious until the subject of ‘No Country for Old Men' comes up. Elsewhere in two very different features, Rachael takes a dreamy look at the highs and lows of being a Hiddlestoner while Andy plunges headlong into the nightmare world of screen violence. This week's scale: Soft, delicious mashed potato or 1980s robot-advertised instant mash To hear more from our current podcast SPOILER, go to our website or subscribe to us on iTunes.

“Just when you think life can't possibly get any worse it suddenly does” This week we're reading Douglas Adams' cult sci-fi comedy novel ‘The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. While Paul wonders if anyone anywhere dislikes this book, Rachael tries her best to cast a critical eye over this beloved work by comparing it to the original radio series, while Andy shares his favourite joke of all time with the team (it involves hippos). Paul describes the difficulty of trying to simultaneously cope with jogging, having a mid-life crisis and listening to this audio book, Andy suggests that knocking back a few drinks might help to realign the brain to Adams' distinctive brand of logic and the naturally squiffy-brained Rachael sets down her very strict rules for discovering more books that mix the mundane with the fantastical. Elsewhere, Andy takes a look at strange and ludicrous character names in films, Rachael explores the potentially controversial practice of new authors taking on existing series, and both manage to have a pop at James Bond's sexual politics in the process. This week's scale: Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster or Vogon poetry For more episodes of SPOILER, please go to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk

"When I was small, I only knew small things" This week we're watching and reading "Room" by Emma Donoghue as we take a look at both the original 2010 book and the 2015 film adaptation starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. The team approach this powerful story with trepidation, especially Paul who was unable to bear the tension of watching the film from start to finish. Andy and Rachael find themselves feeling so protective towards Jack and Ma that they didn't want to close the book and "leave them on their own".  And as we compare and contrast the book with the movie version, we look at what was lost in the adaptation to the big screen, but also what was gained in the brilliant performances of all the cast,in particular the outstanding Jacob Tremblay. Meanwhile, inspired by some of the themes in Room, Andy takes a nostalgic look back at a room which played a big part in his life. This week's scale: Book or Film

“Going outside is highly overrated”  This week in our new show SPOILER, we're reading Ernest Kline's "nerdgasm" of a book, Ready Player One.  As Rachael and Andy get in touch with their inner geek, Paul has been frittering away more of his short time on this earth collating every pop culture reference in the book and putting them into another of his legendary remixes (see video version below…). Meanwhile, the dystopian setting of Ready Player One leads Rachael to consider the popularity of dystopian settings in teen fiction, and there's an unscheduled interruption from Andy… To hear more from SPOILER go to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk or subscribe here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/spoiler/id1042430544?mt=2

"She turned to him and pulled her lips into what he knew must be a smile" This week, in another chance to catch up with our new show SPOILER, we're reading John Williams' sleeper hit "Stoner" which, contrary to Paul's assumption, is not a "1990s drug romp", but a 1965 novel about the quiet, unassuming life of a quiet,unassuming man, William Stoner.  The book was largely ignored at the time of its original publication and famously took nearly half a century to become a hit, which leads Rachael to consider some other literary late bloomers.... To hear more from SPOILER go to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk or subscribe here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/spoiler/id1042430544?mt=2

“While there was breath in my body, she would never lack sufficient AA batteries.” Another opportunity to try out our new podcast "Spoiler", and this week we're reading David Nicholls much anticipated novel "Us", the story of middle aged Biochemist Douglas Peterson whose wife announces her intention to leave him when their teenage son leaves home for University – but first there's the small matter of taking one final family holiday together. We discuss how the novel measures up to Nicholl's previous smash hit One Day, and Rachael takes a look at some strategies other authors have used to deal with the pressure of writing a follow-up.  Meanwhile, Paul reveals that the book made him cry, and takes the opportunity to list 10 TV shows which also cause him to blub like a little girl. To hear more from SPOILER go to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk or subscribe here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/spoiler/id1042430544?mt=2

Hello again!  It's been a few years now since The Reading Room ended, but now we're back with a brand new show called SPO!LER, which reviews books, films and TV shows in their entirety - without fear of spoilers.  We thought we'd give you loyal Reading Room subscribers a preview of the new show - this first episode features the 2014 drama Whiplash.  We're only putting the show on this feed once, so if you like it and want to hear more, head over to www.spoilerpodcast.co.uk or https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/spo!ler/id1042430544 to subscribe.

This month, The Reading Room Book Group reconvenes to review young adult sci-fi novel The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore. Paul Tyler and regular reviewer Gill Hart are joined by Georgia Twynham who, as author of The Thirteenth series, knows a thing or two about writing for young adults.  There's also poetry from Andrew Goulding and Jim Bob, former frontman with Carter USM and author of Driving Jarvis Ham, gives us his nomination for our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die. Click the player below to listen online, or subscribe using the links on the right.

In another of our special extended monologues, this month The Reading Room presents The Barraclough Newsletters.... Bunny Barraclough is a real pillar of her community - a leading member of the local amateur dramatics society and ladies luncheon club, respectable housewife and mother of two loving children. Join us for her bi-annual round-robin newsletters has she fills you in on the latest news of her perfect family... The Barraclough Newsletters was written by Jim Gotts and performed by Mary Scott.

On this programme we present a specially produced story by writer and performer Gareth Calway.  A terrified grave robber comes across the severed mummified head of England's greatest revolutionary - Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell's head proceeds to tell him his life story - a tale of tyrannical kings, civil war and violent revenge!

On this month's programme, the final Reading Room Book Group (for now at least) reviews The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, we talk to documentary maker Nick Gray about his book Escape From Tibet which tells the real life story of two young boys as they flee their homeland in order to escape Chinese repression.  John Mitchinson from Unbound gives us his nomination for our list of 101 Books The Read Before You Die, we have poetry from Brendan Cleary, and Jamie McKay brings us his Musings of a Muddled Mind.

In the second part of our special LIVE show recorded at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre we talk to Red Dwarf, Scrapheap Challenge and Carpool star Robert Llewellyn about his varied career and his writing. Robert talks about the return of Red Dwarf later this year, his love of electric cars and his past books including Sold Out and The Man Behind The Rubber Mask, before giving us an exclusive first reading from his new sci-fi novel News From Gardenia. The show also features music from Michael Reeve. WARNING: Mr Llewellyn's self-confessed "potty mouth" does put in an appearance during this show

In the first part of our live special recorded at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, we have poetry from John Osborne and Andrew Goulding, Abigail Tarttelin reads us two exclusive excerpts from her next novel Golden Boy which has just been snapped up by a major publisher, Jodie Orton reads us a fairy tale for grown ups, Reading Room regulars Gill Hart and Jamie McKay bring us live versions of their regular contributions and host Paul Tyler performs a piece of his own. Click on the player below to listen online... And don't forget to look out for Part 2 of the show in a couple of weeks time where Paul interviews Red Dwarf star Robert Llewellyn about his career and his writing, and Robert gives us an exclusive first reading from his new book News From Gardenia - subscribe to our feed to ensure you don't miss it.

Well, it's all over now - after months of planning, The Reading Room LIVE featuring Robert Llewellyn took place on Saturday 12th May at the LPAC in Lincoln in front of a gratifyingly large crowd.  If you weren't there, here's what you missed... Massive thanks to all our contributors, including John Osborne (Radio Head, John Peel's Shed), Abigail Tarttelin (Flick), Andrew Goulding, Jodie Orton, Michael Reeve, Gill Hart, Jamie MacKay and of course the magnificent Robert Llewellyn. The first half of the show will be available as a podcast later this week, with the 2nd half following a fortnight later - subscribe to our feed using the links on the right hand side of the page to ensure you don't miss it. The whole show will be repeated on Sunday 3rd June at 10am on Siren 107.3FM in Lincoln and around the world at Sirenonline.

On this programme we talk to ex-Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine frontman Jim Bob about his new novel Driving Jarvis Ham, then The Reading Room Book Group give their verdict on the book.  We also talk to John Mitchinson, co-founder of the revolutionary crowd-sourcing publisher Unbound, John Osborne gives us his nomination for our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die and we have poetry from Andrew Goulding. Click the player below to listen now or subscribe to our iTunes feed using the buttons on the right...

In this short video, Paul reminisces about the bands that defined his youth and wonders whether one of his musical heroes - Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine's Jim Bob - can make the leap to writing with his new novel Driving Jarvis Ham. In the next edition of the programme, we'll be reviewing Driving Jarvis Ham as well as talking to the creators of the crowd-source publisher Unbound and looking ahead to The Reading Room Live. That's live on Sunday 6th May 10am-12noon, repeated Tuesday 8th May 7pm-9pm on Siren 107.3 in Lincoln and around the world at www.sirenonline.co.uk.  The podcast version will be available shortly after the repeat.

On this programme we talk to crime author Elly Griffiths about her popular Ruth Galloway series, we have a short story from John Baird and find out what happened when Paul visited the Phoenix Writers Circle. We also have poetry from Adrienne Silcock, Jamie McKay's Musings of A Muddled Mind and author Nikki Valentine gives us her nomination for our 101 Books To Read Before You Die.

On this programme, The Reading Room Book Group review the latest novel from Secret Diary of Adrian Mole author Sue Townsend, The Woman who Went to Bed for a Year. and we talk to Georgia Twynham, author of The Thirteenth about the third book in her teen fantasy series, Nyteria Rising. We also have poetry from Adrienne Silcock and Peter Kerr gives us his nomination for our 101 Books To Read Before You Die.

In this short video podcast, Reading Room host Paul Tyler toasts our success in the European Podcast Awards and looks ahead to our next programme.... Click here to view on YouTube

On this programme we talk to Radio Head author John Osborne about poetry and his new one man show John Peel's Shed, Niki Valentine (The Haunted) provides our short story, we have flash fiction from Abigail Tarttelin (Flick) and crime author Elly Griffiths (A Room Full of Bones) adds her choice to our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die.  We also announce further details of The Reading Room LIVE - click here for tickets: http://www.lpac.co.uk/whats-on/spoken-word

This month The Reading Room Book Group discuss Pantheon by Sam Bourne, Booker prize nominated author Jon McGregor talks about his new collection of short stories This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You, we get another nomination for our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die from poet Luke Wright, and we have poetry from Elaine Kazimierczuk.

In this programme, performance poet Luke Wright talks about his work and the trials of curating the poetry arena at the Latitude Festival, and we have a preview of his new spoken word album We're All In This Together (available now from iTunes and shortly from Nasty Little Press).  Our short story comes from Flick author Abigail Tarttelin, we have poetry from Andrew Goulding, another nomination for our 101 Books To Read Before You Die, and Jamie MacKay brings us his Musings of a Muddled Mind.

This month, The Reading Room Book Group take a look at stand-up comedian Stewart Lee's new mini-book, The 'If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask For One' EP, bestselling action thriller writer Matthew Reilly discusses killing off well loved characters and transferring his high-octane books to the screen, we have poetry from Andrew Goulding, and another nomination for our 101 Books To Read Before You Die from Writer and Historian Tracy Borman. **SPOILER ALERT: The interview with Matthew Reilly contains spoilers, including revelations about the deaths of characters in past Scarecrow books, so if you're not up to date with those books, you might want to skip 19m 35s - to 21m 05s!**

In this short video podcast, Paul takes to the stage of the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre to try out his stand-up skills and look ahead to this month's Reading Room Book Group where we'll be talking about Stewart Lee's The 'If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask For One' EP.

On ROOM 18 we talk to author Niki Valentine about her psychological horror The Haunted, we look back to some of our favourite books of the last year and Gill Hart gives us a sneak peek at some of the titles to look forward to in 2012 (scroll down for more on this...). Our atmospheric short story comes from Richard Barter, and we have poetry from Elaine Kazimierczuk and John Welsh and another addition to our 101 Books To Read Before You Die. To listen to the podcast, click the player below or subscribe to us using the links on the right...

On ROOM 17 the Reading Room Book Group review Haruki Marakami's epic international bestseller 1Q84: Books 1 & 2 – is the world about to change?  We also talk to poet Hannah Jane Walker about what it means to say “sorry”, we have poetry from Paul Eteng, and film critic Mark Kermode gives us his nomination for 101 Books To Read Before You Die. To listen to the podcast, click the player below or subscribe to us using the links on the right...

On December's show The Reading Room Book Group will be reviewing 1Q84: Books 1 and 2 - the blockbuster international bestseller from Haruki Murakami.  Don't forget to tune in at 10am on Sunday 4th December on Sirenonline.co.uk. The podcast version will be available from Tuesday 6th December. In the meantime, here's a quick video preview... click below or go to our YouTube channel.

On our second programme for November we speak to performance poet, comedian and musician John Hegley, historian Tracy Borman talks about her new book on William the Conquerer's wife, Matilda: Queen of the Conquerer, we have poetry from Elaine Kazimierczuk, writer and comedian Tony Hawks gives us his nomination for 101 Books to Read Before You Die, and Jamie Mackay brings us his Musings of a Muddled Mind. To listen online click on the player below or use the links to the right to subscribe. And don't forget to join us for our next programme on 4th December....

On the first of our new twice-monthly podcasts The Reading Room Book Group discuss The Bees, Carole Ann Duffy's first collection of poetry since becoming Poet Laureate. We also talk to travel writer Peter Kerr (Snowball Oranges) about his move towards writing fiction, our Remembrance-Sunday themed short story comes from Jim Gotts, and actress and author Abigail Tarttelin (Flick) gives us her nomination for 101 Books To Read Before You Die. To listen online click on the player below or use the links to the right to subscribe. And don't forget our next programme will be along just 2 weeks from now....

This month we talk to BBC film critic Mark Kermode about his latest book The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex, comedian, musician and writer Tony Hawks tells us about the trials of turning his bestseller Round Ireland with a Fridge into a film, Science Fantasy author Marie Harbon talks about her book Seven Point Eight, our short story comes from Louis Malloy, and The Reading Room Book Group review Flick by Abigail Tarttelin. All this, plus more Musings of a Muddled Mind with Jamie McKay and poetry from John Welsh. Listen online by clicking on the player below, or subscribe using the links on the right...

This month the Reading Room Book Group take an outing to the cinema to watch the film adaptation of One Day by David Nicholls, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Will Hollywood ruin one of our favourite books - or bring a whole new audience to it? We'll also be talking to actress and writer Abigail Tarttelin about her first novel Flick, Claire Kinton returns with the first chapter of her book Dead Game, we find out how thebookpond.com helps students swap academic books, and our tea break story comes from Jim Gotts. All this plus more 101 Books To Read Before You Die, poetry from Paul Eteng and Jamie McKay brings us Musings of a Muddled Mind. Click the player below to listen online, or subscribe to our feed using the buttons on the right...

On August's podcast we talk to historical fiction author Karen Maitland about how and where she finds her inspiration, poet John Welsh tells us about his third book Manic Reflections and how being bipolar affects his creativity, author Claire Kinton talks about the writing process of her first novel Dead Game which was inspired by the death of her cousin whilst serving in Iraq, our Tea Break Story comes from Joe Evans, and the Reading Room Book Group discusses The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Click the player below to listen online or subscribe to the podcast using the buttons on the right...

On June's programme, The Reading Room Book Group review Margrave Of The Marshes, the autobiography of much missed radio legend John Peel, written shortly before his death in 2004 and completed by his wife Sheila.  We also talk to author Henry Hemming about his book In Search of the English Eccentric, Lincolnshire's new Poet Laureate Joel Stickley performs his first specially commissioned poem "Theddlethorpe", we hear from New Writers UK, further nominations for our 101 Books To Read Before You Die come from comedian Richard Herring and our very own Gill Hart, and our Tea Break Story comes from Sarah Ann Juckes. Click on the player below to listen online or subscribe to the podcast using the buttons to the right...

We hope you enjoyed Part 1 of The Reading Room LIVE - now here's the second half of our special live show transmitted from the Bishop Greaves Theatre on 15th May.  This part includes a specially written piece on The Former Poet Laureate from our very own Paul Tyler, plus: Ann Featherstone Paul Eteng Louis Malloy Brian Rance Gareth Calway And more music from singer/songwriter Viv Murrell Click on the player below to listen online or subscribe to our feed using the buttons on the right hand side of the page...

Welcome to the first half of our special show broadcast LIVE from the Bishop Greaves Theatre in Lincoln on Sunday 15th May as part of the Lincoln Book Festival. The line-up for his half includes... Jayne Stanton Georgia Twynham Fiona Linday Viv Murrell Paul Eteng Eireann Lorsung Ben Atkinson Richard Barter CLICK ON THE PLAYER BELOW TO LISTEN ONLINE... The second half of the show, featuring Ann Featherstone, Paul Eteng, Louis Malloy, Viv Murrell, Brian Rance and Gareth Calway will be available to download at the end of the week - please check back here then or subscribe to our feed using the links on the right.

This month on the Reading Room we talk to comedian Richard Herring about his book How Not to Grow Up, John Grubb fills us in on what to expect at this year's Lincoln Book Festival, there's poetry from Lisa Denholm, and the Reading Room Book Group review Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down. Also, young author Ben Atkinson talks about his book Walking On Cinders, and our tea break story comes from Richard Barter. To listen to the podcast, click on the player below, or subscribe using the links on the right hand side of the page...

On this month's edition of The Reading Room we talk to Irish poet Brendan Cleary who also performs two of his poems (including a world premiere just for us!). We also hear from our Australian namesakes thereadingroom.com who tell us all about their book-based social network, the Reading Room Book Group discuss A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka and our poignant short story this month comes from Louis Malloy and is set in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake of 1923. We also hear 101 Books To Read Before You Die nominations from regular contributor Steven Lawrence and "The Thirteenth" author Georgia Twynham, and we offer you the chance to be in the audience for our exclusive LIVE show on 15th May where we may or may not be performing nude... To listen to this month's show, click on the player below, or subscribe to our feed using the links on the right. Click below to join our friends at TheReadingRoom.com...

On March's programme we tell you all about what we got up to on World Book Night when we gave away 48 copies of One Day by David Nicholls. We also speak to Ugandan poet Grace Atuhaire, Joe Evans provides our Tea Break Story and talks about his writing, we have further nominations for our list of 101 Books To Read Before You Die, and the Reading Room Book Group will be reviewing Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Click on the player below to listen online or subscribe to our podcast using the links on the right...

On February's programme we launch our brand new feature 101 Books to Read Before You Die - Paul, Jonny and Joanne from thebookpond.com have picked the first three books for the list which will continue to grow each month. We also have an interview and fantastic short story from Sarah Ann Juckes, poetry from Paul Eteng and ex-football club chairman Rob Bradley talks about his new book of short stories

Something a bit different for our last show of the year - it's The Reading Room Christmas Special!  No Book Group this month - instead we have Christmas poetry from Dave Wood, a short story from Richard Barter, and a special Christmas story written and performed by the pupils of Peirrepont Gamston Primary School.  We'll also be talking about our favourite books of the year and looking ahead to what we've got planned for The Reading Room in 2011. Click on the Player below to listen online, or subscribe to our monthly podcast using the links on the righthand side of the screen.

On December's programme best selling author Simon Scarrow talks about his popular Eagle series of books, local author G L Twynham tells us about The Thirteenth series and reads from the first chapter of The Thirteenth, we have an interview and short story from Louis Malloy, and The Reading Room Book Group review Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy.  Click on the player below to listen online, or subscribe to our Podcast using the links on the right. Click here to buy Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy Click here to buy The Legion by Simon Scarrow Click here to buy The Thirteenth by G L Twynham

In November's programme, the Reading Room Book Group review Black Swan Green by David Mitchell and we take a look at the books that inspired the hit TV series The Wire. A packed programme also includes an interview and story from writer Richard Barter, poetry from Katherine Sankey, the final part of our series of interviews with romantic fiction author Sue Moorcroft and a brief chat with former Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton. Remember - if you have any comments on the show, or if you'd like to take part, email us at readingroom@sirenonline.co.uk Click here to buy Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets by David Simon Click here to buy The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighbourhood by David Simon and Ed Burns Click here to buy Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

We were lucky enough to grab an interview with ex-Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton before a recent gig in Sheffield to promote his second solo studio album Acid Country.  November's edition of The Reading Room will feature a short extract from the interview - but here it is in full.

October's programme includes poetry from Katherine Sankey, Fiona Linday talks about and reads from her book Get Over It which is aimed at adults dealing with bereavement, The Reading Room Book Group discuss The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler, and we have more from Sue Moorcroft on the art of writing romantic fiction. Remember - if you have any comments on the show, or if you'd like to take part, email us at readingroom@sirenonline.co.uk Click here to buy The Jane Austen Book Club Click here to buy Get Over it (Adventures)

September's programme includes award-winning documentary maker Sam Pidoux talking about historical fiction, Dave Wood discusses Poetry, The Reading Room Book Group with Cheryl Cliffe and Gill Hart reviews Forever Today by Deborah Wearing and Sue Moorcroft tells us about the process of writing romantic fiction. Click here to buy All That Mullarkey Click here to buy Forever Today: A Memoir Of Love And Amnesia Click here to buy The Boleyn Inheritance

Here's the podcast of our second programme for your listening pleasure.  This month, our producer Jonny Haw looks at eBooks, we have another short story from the Lincoln Phoenix Writers Circle, The Reading Room Book Group review Narrow Dog to Carcassonne by Terry Darlington, Melanie Carroll reviews three books looking at the Church and technology, and we have an, albeit extremely brief, interview with Katie Price as she promotes her new book, Paradise. Click here to buy Narrow Dog To Carcassonne Click here to buy Paradise

Our first ever programme features Poetry from Jim Gotts, an interview with the Lincoln Phoenix Writers Group and an original story from one of their members, Renewal Costs by John G Stead, The Reading Room Book Group reviews Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss, and we speak to Aimee Wilkinson from the Derby-based spoken word collective Hello Hubmarine. Click here to buy Eats, Shoots and Leaves