Richard And Judy Book Club Podcast - Exclusive To Whsmith

This week’s Book Club read is The Holdout. What happens when the jurors who found someone guilty of murder are brought back together for a Netflix series ten years later? Will they all remember the events in the same way? Will they all stand by the decision they made? Author Graham Moore joins Richard and Judy to explain how his own experience of being a juror on a murder trial influenced his desire to ask these questions. Broadcaster Clare Balding has also published a new book – Fall Off. Get Back On. Keep Going. – a non-fiction book looking at how to inspire and cultivate confidence in young children. Together, they all explore their own childhoods feeling like outsiders, and where their confidence in adulthood has come from. Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.  

Would you do anything differently if you had a second chance at life? That’s the central question posed in this week’s Book Club novel, The Midnight Library. Author Matt Haig joins Richard, Judy, and Love Islander Camilla Thurlow to chat about everything from bomb disposal and space exploration, to regrets and mental health recovery. Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount. Content warning: this episode contains frank conversation about depression and suicide, themes that Matt’s book The Midnight Library deals with, so do take care while listening. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.

Playing Nice, a story following the parents of babies who were swapped at birth, is this week's Book Club read. Author JP Delaney joins Richard and Judy to talk about psychopathic characters, and when even the kindest of people have to stop 'playing nice'. Plus, how does an author come up with the pseudonym they want to write under? Writing under a pseudonym himself, JP explains... Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.

The UK's number one parenting vlogger, Louise Pentland, joins Richard and Judy to talk about her latest book - Mum Life - and how her own childhood has shaped who she is as a mum. American Dirt is this week's Book Club read. Author Jeanine Cummins explains what compelled her to write about the relationship between a mother and son fleeing to America to escape violence in their home of Acapulco, Mexico. Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.

Julie Ma, author of Happy Families and winner of 2020’s Richard & Judy Search for a Bestseller competition, joins Richard, Judy, and Queen of the Jungle Giovanna Fletcher to discuss family feuds, missing your kids, and the myth of the ‘perfect’ parent. They also wonder whether we’re all a bit too available on email, and perhaps we should go back to hand writing letters. Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.

Ollie Ollerton of SAS Who Dares Wins fame is with Richard and Judy to reflect on how far he's come, from the Special Forces to broadcaster and novelist. The Glass House is this week's Book Club read, and author Eve Chase joins the conversation to discuss houses as sanctuaries and prisons, and the clarity that can come from a walk in a secluded forest. To browse the entire Richard and Judy Winter Book Club collection, simple head online to www.whsmith.co.uk, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.

Countdown's Susie Dent joins Richard and Judy to share her love of words and teach them a few new ones such confelicity and ipsedixitism, in a little taster of her own podcast about words and language, Something Rhymes with Purple. Peter Swanson is this week's Book Club author, having written the brilliantly clever and great fun novel Rules For Perfect Murders. Together they discuss the differences between the English and American languages, what their Desert Island books would be, and how best to write a psychopathic character. To browse the entire Richard and Judy Winter Book Club collection, simply head online to www.whsmith.co.uk and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.

King of the ballroom Anton du Beke joins Richard and Judy to discuss his new novel, which is set in a grand hotel, as well as revealing if he feels the right person won Strictly… This week’s Book Club read is The Other Passenger, a thriller tackling jealousy and entitlement. Author Louise Candlish explains how she came up with the idea of having the action centre around the Thames Clipper. Simply head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Winter Book Club collection, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.  

Sam Lloyd, author of The Memory Wood, joins Richard and Judy to explore the inspiration for the chess games, kidnappings, and country estates that feature in the novel. They also share their own memories about camping in woodlands and telling scary stories at night when they were kids. Simply head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Winter Book Club collection, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.

Richard and Judy are joined by Book Club author Sophie Hannah to discuss her new novel Haven’t They Grown, the merits of a solid plan when writing a mysterious thriller, and the undeniable draw of ghost stories at Christmas. They also find themselves reminiscing about being teenagers, with Judy admitting she was once reprimanded at school for ‘walking in an insolent manner’… Simply pop in to your local WHSmith, or head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Winter Book Club collection, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.

The first book in the Richard and Judy Winter Book Club is Just My Luck, by Adele Parks. They’re also joined by author Peter James, and together they all explore the excitement and mysticism of playing the lottery, how money can corrupt relationships, and immersing themselves in the real life stories that inform their novels. Plus, Richard and Peter share tales of the serendipity that brought them to meeting their wives, making them believe that life really can turn on a sixpence. Simply pop in to your local WHSmith, or head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire Winter Book Club collection, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.

Richard and Judy are joined this episode by The One Show’s Alex Jones, Lisa Jewell, author of The Family Upstairs, and Sarah Vaughan, who wrote Anatomy of a Scandal, to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the Book Club’s partnership with WHSmith. Together they explore shared loves of Dolly Parton, atmospheric old houses, and courtroom dramas. Plus, Lisa and Sarah swap experiences of having their books optioned for TV. To browse the entire anniversary collection, head online to www.whsmith.co.uk , and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.  

Broadcaster and first-time author Annie Mac joins Richard and Judy to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the Book Club’s partnership with WHSmith. This week’s Book Club authors are David Nicholls, author of Us, and Jessie Burton, who wrote The Miniaturist. Listen to find out all about Jessie’s research into the historical detail that’s so vivid in The Miniaturist, how Annie overcame the challenge of writing her first novel, and why being former actors has helped both David and Jessie to get into their characters’ heads as they’re writing. To browse the entire anniversary collection, head online to www.whsmith.co.uk , and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.  

Richard and Judy are joined in this episode by Emma Donoghue, author of Room, and Delia Owens, who wrote Where The Crawdads Sing, to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the Book Club’s partnership with WHSmith. Room was made into an award-winning film starring Brie Larson in 2015, and Where The Crawdads Sing is currently in production, with actress Daisy Edgar-Jones recently cast as the lead. Both authors discuss their experience of helping turn their words into pictures, as well as comparing notes on tackling the theme of isolation in their novels. To browse the entire anniversary collection, head online to www.whsmith.co.uk , and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount. Trigger warning: this episode contains references to sexual assault.

Richard Osman joins Richard and Judy to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the Book Club’s partnership with WHSmith. Together with Book Club authors Clare Mackintosh and Alex Michaelides they discuss how their personal lives inform their writing, the enduring popularity of murder mysteries, and coming up with a deliciously unexpected plot twist. Simply pop in to your local WHSmith, or head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire anniversary collection, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.

Richard and Judy are celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Book Club’s partnership with WHSmith, and are bringing back 12 of their all-time favourite Book Club titles with a ‘Best of the Richard and Judy Book Club’ collection. This week, TV’s Judge Rinder, and authors Heather Morris and Terry Hayes join them to talk about The Tattooist of Auschwitz and I Am Pilgrim. Together, they explore Rob’s personal connections with Heather’s book, rich Yiddish words, and how conspiracy theories really work. Simply pop in to your local WHSmith, or head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire anniversary collection, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.  

Gabby Logan joins Richard and Judy to discuss ageing, big family secrets, and the time she and Clare Balding ended up having the same idea for a children’s book! Richard and Judy are celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Book Club’s partnership with WHSmith, and are bringing back 12 of their all-time favourite Book Club titles with a ‘Best of the Richard and Judy Book Club’ collection. This week, they explore the moral conundrums in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, and Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret. Simply pop in to your local WHSmith, or head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire anniversary collection, and use the code BOOKCLUB10 for a 10% discount.    

The UK’s biggest book club, hosted by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, is back! We're delighted to be celebrating the ten year anniversary of our partnership with WHSmith, so we’re bringing back 12 of our all-time favourite Book Club titles with a ‘Best of the Richard and Judy Book Club’ collection. The authors of these bestsellers can be found right here on this podcast alongside a whole host of celebrity friends. So go on, grab a cuppa and join us and our fellow keen readers for a chat. Simply pop in to your local WHSmith, or head online to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire anniversary collection.

Anna Hope returns to the Book Club for the second time, this year with her novel Expectation. Hannah, Cate and Lissa live together in East London, their worlds connected by activism, art, romance, and their high hopes for their futures. However, ten years on, their careers, marriages and friendships aren’t what they expected. Anna tells Richard and Judy why having a baby made her reassess what kind of books she wanted to write, and how she drew upon her own bizarre experiences of acting auditions to flesh out one of her characters. Head to your local WHSmith or www.whsmith.co.uk to buy your special edition copy of Expectation, and browse the entire seasonal Book Club collection. Oh – and join the conversation and let us know what Book Club novels you’ve been reading recently by emailing richardandjudypodcast@whsmith.co.uk

Married couple Nicci Gerrard and Sean French write together under the pseudonym Nicci French. They join Richard and Judy to discuss writing their latest novel The Lying Room. This book tells the story of a woman having an affair with her boss; on turning up at his house she finds him murdered. Afraid her family will discover her infidelity, she works to remove all traces of her presence from his home. Nicci and Sean explain how they alternate writing chapters, how writing together helps them explore subjects they wouldn’t alone, and why they have protagonist Neve cycle everywhere. Head to your local WHSmith or www.whsmith.co.uk to buy your special edition copy of The Lying Room, and browse the entire seasonal Book Club collection. Oh – and join the conversation and let us know what Book Club novels you’ve been reading recently by emailing richardandjudypodcast@whsmith.co.uk.