Podcast
Tom's Book Club
Hosted by Thomas Watters · EN
Tom’s Book Club is a weekly books podcast featuring in-depth conversations with leading contemporary authors. Each episode features a focused, in-depth conversation with the authors behind the most talked-about new fiction, exploring the ideas, craft, and real-world questions that shape their work. Recent guests include Booker Prize winners George Saunders and Howard Jacobson, alongside bestselling writers and emerging voices from across the literary world. Subscribe for thoughtful author interviews, new book recommendations, and a closer look at the stories everyone’s talking about.
Have a guest suggestion or enquiry? I'd love to hear from you: tomsbookclubpod@gmail.com
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12episodes
Episodes
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Colson Whitehead on Cool Machine
1w ago00:17:08Tap to summarizeTwo-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead joins Tom's Book Club to discuss Cool Machine, the gripping final instalment in his acclaimed Harlem Trilogy.In this episode, Colson Whitehead talks about bringing the Harlem Trilogy to a close, creating one of his most memorable characters in Ray Carney, researching New York's criminal underworld, writing about ageing, art and restitution, and whether he'd ever return to these characters. He also reflects on becoming the only living novelist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice, and the influence Star Wars has had on his writing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Daniel Mason on Country People
2w ago00:22:38Tap to summarizeDaniel Mason joins Tom's Book Club to discuss Country People, his witty and richly imagined new novel blending folklore, family life and the strange stories communities choose to believe.In this episode, Daniel talks about the inspiration behind Country People, creating the warm but wonderfully hapless Miles Krzelewski, writing unforgettable eccentric characters, and why humour plays such an important role in his fiction. He also discusses local legends, our desire to believe the unbelievable, and how his work as a psychiatrist informs his writing.Daniel Mason is the author of North Woods, The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier, while his story collection A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aisling Rawle on The Compound
3w ago00:19:55Tap to summarizeDebut novelist Aisling Rawle joins Tom's Book Club to discuss her acclaimed novel The Compound.Set inside a mysterious reality television competition in the desert, The Compound blends literary fiction, satire and suspense to explore consumerism, inequality, entertainment and our fascination with watching others.Aisling discusses the origins of the novel, the reality TV shows that influenced her writing, creating the character of Lily, the novel's links to Animal Farm, writing the first draft in just six weeks, and why the story's mysteries are left deliberately unresolved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Behind the Books: Laura Hackett on Literary Criticism
4w ago00:35:27Tap to summarizeWhat does a literary critic actually do? How are books chosen for review? And do reviews still matter in the age of Goodreads, BookTok and social media?In this special Behind The Books episode of Tom's Book Club, Tom speaks to Laura Hackett, Deputy Literary Editor and Fiction Editor at The Times and The Sunday Times, about life as one of Britain's leading literary critics. Laura discusses the reviewing process, how she approaches a new novel, writing positive and negative reviews, dealing with authors' reactions, and the changing role of criticism in 2026.Behind The Books is our monthly bonus series exploring the wider literary world through conversations with the people who shape it, from booksellers and critics to editors, translators and illustrators. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Dave Eggers on Contrapposto
Jul 700:20:14Tap to summarizeBestselling author Dave Eggers joins Tom's Book Club to discuss his new novel, Contrapposto.Spanning almost seven decades, Contrapposto follows Cricket and Olympia, two friends united by a love of art and a belief that they can change the world. In this wide-ranging conversation, Dave Eggers discusses creativity, the power of art, the parallels between painting and writing, creating one of his favourite ever characters, and why this novel was more than twenty years in the making. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Bobby Palmer on Main Characters
Jun 3000:24:00Tap to summarizeBobby Palmer joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss his new novel Main Characters, an ambitious love story told entirely through the eyes of friends, family, flatmates and strangers. In this episode, Bobby discusses the inspiration behind Main Characters, why he had wanted to write a love story for many years, and how he approached telling a relationship entirely through the perspectives of other people. He talks about creating dozens of narrators, writing humour, family and friendship, and the challenge of building two central characters who never tell their own story. Bobby Palmer is the author of Isaac and the Egg, a Waterstones Paperback of the Year, and Small Hours. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Elif Shafak on Writing, Memory and the Power of Fiction
Jun 2300:33:55Tap to summarizeBestselling novelist and President of the Royal Society of Literature Elif Shafak discusses literature, storytelling and the writing life.In this wide-ranging conversation, Elif reflects on the books that have guided her through difficult times, growing up between cultures, writing in both English and Turkish, and why stories can cross borders more easily than people can.She discusses her acclaimed novel There Are Rivers in the Sky, the experience of being put on trial following The Bastard of Istanbul, and the challenge of inhabiting voices as varied as sex workers, archaeologists and even a fig tree.Elif also opens up about her unusual writing process, why she writes amid a "hullabaloo" of noise, her thoughts on artificial intelligence and literature, and her forthcoming novel, In One Brief Moment All Eternity, which she describes as "the novel I always wanted to write." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Rachel Clarke on The Story of a Heart
Jun 1600:14:35Tap to summarizeWomen's Prize-winning author and palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke joins Tom's Book Club to discuss The Story of a Heart, the book that won the 2025 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction.Following the announcement of this year's Women's Prize winners, we're revisiting this conversation with Rachel about the extraordinary true story of Keira, a young girl whose donated heart saved another child's life.Rachel discusses how she first discovered the story, the families at its centre, and the remarkable history of heart transplantation. She also reflects on balancing medicine with storytelling, the emotional challenges of writing about grief and hope, and the response the book has received from readers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Behind the Books: Katie Clapham on Life as a Bookseller
Jun 1300:24:42Tap to summarizeIn the first episode of Behind The Books, a new series exploring the people and professions that shape the literary world, Tom is joined by independent bookseller Katie Clapham.Katie is the co-owner of Storytellers Inc. and the author of Receipts from the Bookshop, a diary of a year spent running a bookshop on the Lancashire coast.Released to coincide with Independent Bookshop Week, this conversation explores the realities of bookselling: choosing what to stock, recommending books to customers, the economics of running an independent bookshop, and why bookshops remain such important parts of their communities.Whether you're a book lover, aspiring bookseller, or simply curious about what goes on behind the scenes of the book world, this episode offers a fascinating insight into life in an independent bookshop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Andrew Sean Greer on Villa Coco
Jun 900:18:05Tap to summarizePulitzer Prize-winning author Andrew Sean Greer discusses his new novel, Villa Coco.Set in the Tuscan countryside, the novel follows a young American who finds himself working for an eccentric ninety-year-old Baronessa and drawn into a world of friendship, mystery and unexpected adventure.Andrew talks about the real-life experiences that inspired the book, writing comedy, creating memorable characters, balancing charm with emotional depth, and why he wanted to write a novel that brings readers joy. He also reflects on the influence of Graham Greene, whether there could be another Arthur Less novel, and what it was like to win the Pulitzer Prize for Less. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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