Our latest Book Club choice is 'Playground' by Richard Powers.

Richard won the Pulitzer in 2019, for his novel 'The Overstory' and his latest book is an epic tale told through three different stories, covering themes of AI, the environment and our shared humanity.

Sara chats to Richard about his love and fascination with coral reefs, his writing processes and whether publishing a book gets any easier.

This week on the Radio 2 Book Club podcast, Sara welcomes listener reviewer Sadia Rana to share her Top 5 Reads of 2024 so far. She has been reading really widely and recommends us five different novels, new and old, from Patrick Hamilton to Sebastian Barry. We also hear from three bestselling authors about their latest novels, all of which were chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club earlier in the year. Abir Mukherjee tells us about his standalone thriller 'Hunted'. Marian Keyes discusses her sixteenth novel, 'My Favourite Mistake'. And recent Booker Prize shortlistee, Percival Everett, talks about his re-telling of Huckleberry Finn, 'James'. And remember if you'd like to be a listeners reviewer, you can get in touch with us any time via the email: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

Our latest Radio 2 Book Club choice is 'The Glass Girl' by Kathleen Glasgow. It's officially a Young Adult book, but can be enjoyed by all readers (14+). It tells the story of Bella, a teenage girl on the brink, and the bumpy road back to recovery. Kathleen joins Sara to talk about her inspirations for this novel, her writing processes and why she still loves journalling. They also talk about balancing humour with dark themes and why books like this are so important for teenagers today. We hear an extract from the audiobook as well - and learn a bit too much about Sara's husband's spooning habits!

Sara features three books that her and the team have loved reading recently. These are:

You Are Here by international bestselling author David Nicholls.

Alter Ego by debut novelist Helen Heckety

Table For Two by international bestselling author Amor Towles.

Each author joins us to talk about their novels, the inspiration behind them and give us a book recommendation of their own too.

We're also treated to a snippet of Radio 4's Book At Bedtime adaptation of David Nicholls' book - read by Sally Phillips.

Remember, you can get in touch with the Radio 2 Book Club at anytime. We always love to know what you're reading and any new authors you have discovered. The email address is: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

C.J. Cooke joins Sara in the Radio 2 Book Club to talk about her new gothic novel, The Book Of Witching. This is her tenth book and is based on a real-life Scottish Witch-Trial. She tells Sara about her inspirations for this novel, her research trip to Orkney and how the word 'Witch' is slowly, but surely being reclaimed. C.J. (Carolyn) often writes strong, female characters - and from a feminist point of view - and talks about how she handled the re-telling of a real story about real humans, in order to honour the history, but ensure its being seen through a contemporary lens.

Here's a little more about the book:

Glasgow 2024: Clem waits by her daughter’s hospital bed. Erin was found on an idyllic beach in Fynhallow Bay, Orkney with catastrophic burns and only one memory: her name is Nyx. But how did she get these burns? And how did her boyfriend end up burned alive?

Orkney 1594: Accused of witchcraft, Alison Balfour awaits trial. The punishment? To be burned alive.

Separated by four hundred years but bound by the Book of Witching, two women stand imperilled. Can they unlock a centuries-old mystery? And will Fynhallow Bay give up its secrets before someone else dies?

If you'd like to get in touch to tell us what you've been reading and enjoying recently, or to apply to be one of our reviewers, you can email at anytime.

radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

In this episode, Sara features three of our Book Club choices from the summer, that we think you will really enjoy. We'll hear about each of the books from the author's themselves, and get some book recommendations from them too.

This week we're featuring:

'Precipice' by the international bestselling author Robert Harris. Based on real-life events in 1914, when then Prime Minister H.H. Asquith wrote obsessively to 26-year-old Venetia Stanley, who he was having an affair with, and shared the most sensitive matters of state.

'A Case Of Mice And Murder' by former Barrister and KC Sally Smith. Her debut novel is a detective mystery set in London's law courts in 1901 and introduces us to Sir Gabriel Ward, who'll also be appearing in her next novel.

'Rare Singles' by former music journalist turned bestselling novelist Benjamin Myers. His new book tells the story of an American Soul star, Bucky Bronco, whose career is re-ignited when he's brought over to the UK for a special one-off show, by Scarborough resident and Northern Soul fanatic, Dinah.

We hope you enjoy hearing about some of our recent choices! Remember you can get in touch with us at anytime to let us know what you have been reading and enjoying - and to give a shout out to your own book group. The email is:

radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

There'll be a new episode of the Radio 2 Book Club podcast every Tuesday. So why not click 'Subscribe' on BBC Sounds, so that you never miss an episode.

Booker Prize winning author, Alan Hollinghurst, joins Sara in the Radio 2 Book Club for a chat about his new novel, 'Our Evenings'. It's been seven years since Alan published his last book - and so there has been much excitement and anticipation for this new one, and it does not disappoint.

The book is written as a memoir of an actor called Dave Win, and spans his life from when he was thirteen, to his late sixties. We learn about his life at school, and university, his first love affairs, his experimental theatre shows in London and his late-life affair which transforms his sixties. Poignant, dark and at some times wickedly funny, 'Our Evenings' gives us a portrait of modern England through the lens of one man's acutely observed and often unnerving experience.

In this episode of the Radio 2 Book Club, Sara discusses Alan's writing processes, how long his ideas bubble up for and how much of him has gone into this book.

Vanessa Chan's debut novel - The Storm We Made - was fought over in a seven way publishing auction! It's now out in the world, and it's our first Radio 2 Book Club choice of 2024.

Zoe chats to Vanessa, from her apartment in Brooklyn, about the inspirations for the story, her Malaysian upbringing and her writing routine.

Here's a little bit more about the book: Her decision changed history. Now her family must survive it.

British Malaya, 1930s: Discontented housewife Cecily is seduced by Japanese general Fujiwara and the glorious future he is promising for ‘independent’ Malaya, free from British colonialism. As she becomes further embedded as his own personal spy, she unwittingly alters the fate of her country by welcoming in a punishing form of dictatorship under the Japanese in WWII.

Japanese-occupied Malaya, 1945: Cecily and her family are barely surviving. Her children, Jujube, Abel and Jasmin, are surrounded by threat, and look to their mother to keep them safe. But she can’t tell them about the part she played in the war – and she doesn’t know how to protect them.

Can Cecily face up to her past to save her children? Or is it already too late… ?