Mark Haddon and Clare Chambers (brain fog, short books and the importance of luck)

Book Off!

Book Off is back! And for the first episode of Series 13, we welcome bestselling authors Mark Haddon and Clare Chambers to the pod.

They chat to Joe Haddow about their new books and what they have been reading and enjoying recently.

'Dogs and Monsters' is Mark's latest collection of short stories, where he weaves together Ancient Greek fables with more dystopian narratives. In each of the eight stories, Mark explores what it means to be human.

Clare's new novel is 'Shy Creatures' - set in South London in 1964, it follows an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital who decides to unravel the story of an immensely talented mute patient.

We get some fabulous book recommendations from each of author, as well as an insight into the ups and downs of publishing and how a little luck can go a long long way!

Mark talks openly about his long Covid and how it has given him brain fog, which not only effects his writing but also his reading. He is now a big gan of short books and short chapters.

THIS WEEK' BOOK OFF

'The Employees: A Workplace Novel Of The 22nd Century' by Olga Ravn

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'Lonesome Dove' by Larry McMurty

We hope you enjoy this episode - and the whole of the new series! Please like, comment and follow so you never miss an episode (and so we can help spread the word!)

More on our guests:

Mark Haddon's bestselling novel, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, was published in 2003 and won seventeen literary prizes. In 2012, a stage adaptation by the National Theatre, went on to win seven Olivier Awards and a Tony! His other literary work includes poetry and short stories, and his most recent novel – ‘The Porpoise’ – was published in 2019.

Clare Chambers the author of nine novels – the first of which was published in 1992. In 2022, her novel ‘Small Pleasures’ became a word-of-mouth hit on publication, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize For Fiction - and won ‘Pageturner of the Year’ at the British Book Awards.

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