Sunday 16:00-16:30, repeated Thursday 16:00-16:30, except first Sunday in the month when it is replaced by Book Club.
Open Book spotlights new fiction and non-fiction, picks out the best of the paperbacks, talks to authors and publishers, and unearths lost masterpieces.
This week
Sunday 28 May 2006
Jane Smiley on 13 ways to read a novel and the Iggulden brothers divulge the secrets contained in The Dangerous Book for Boys.
Jane Smiley
When the Pulitzer Prize winning author Jane Smiley was working on her most recent novel she found herself facing an unexpected hurdle - writers' block. She decided to read 100 great novels to help her return to fiction. She talks to Mariella Frostrup about what she learnt and the book she's written about the experience.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel - Jane Smiley Publisher: Faber and Faber ISBN: 0571231101
A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley Publisher: Flamingo ISBN: 0006544827
Good Faith - Jane Smiley Publisher: Faber and Faber ISBN: 0571218555
The Dangerous Book For Boys
Brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden spent six months in a shed making paper aeroplanes, learning the kings and queens of England and researching great battles - all for their new publication, The Dangerous Book For Boys. They talk to Mariella about sibling rivalry, breaking go-karts and why they think every boy should know about imperial and metric measurements.
The Dangerous Book for Boys - Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 0007232748
Books For All
A new report from Decibel, which promotes cultural diversity in the arts, and the Bookseller magazine, claims that the books industry is neglecting black and ethnic minority readers. Samenua Sesher, director of Decibel, discusses the findings.
Picador Shots
Publisher Andrew Kidd and author Niall Williams on a new series of 12 short stories, all published individually and designed to be portable, stylish reads.
Picador Shots - The Unrequited - Niall Williams Publisher: Picador ISBN: 0330445839
Four Letters of Love - Niall Williams Publisher: Picador ISBN: 0330352695
